Angela Booth's Writing Blog

If you're a self-publishing author, and can't find time to write

Manage your Work In Process (WIP)

Think about the term: “self-publishing author.”

“Self-publishing”: that’s just the adjective.

“Author” is the noun: it’s what’s important and it’s YOU.

You write, then everything follows on from that.

Many authors, just as Mel did, forget about the “author” part when they’re wrangling book covers, social media, paid advertising, et al. However, author is the operative word. It’s what you do. Everything else is just details; they can be managed. But not if you stop writing.

Your process:

• Write;
• Edit;
• Publish.

Fit in everything else somewhere. Mel does a lot of the “extra” work on her phone, while she’s waiting for her kids to come out of school, or while’s she’s air-frying potatoes for dinner.

Read the article.

 

Ghostwriting: get paid to write books

Over the past couple of years, fiction ghostwriting has taken off, BUT there are many opportunities and gigs for nonfiction authors too.

Let’s begin at the beginning. With buyers.

When authors consider nonfiction, they always wonder: who pays for nonfiction books?

Get paid to write a book: what are you selling?

Listen up. New authors tend to worry most about “who pays and how much do I get paid?” Here’s what’s more important: what you’re selling.

You MUST know what you’re selling if you want someone to pay you to write a book AND want to make a profit. Sadly, the world is filled with scammers who want books and will happily scam you out of months and years of work.

Writers and authors tend to confuse traditional publishing, self-publishing, and ghostwriting.

Think in terms of copyright, rather than getting paid per se.

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Self-publishing sales: an easy way to sell more books

You’re a self-publishing author: sell your books on your own website

When I suggest selling books from their own website, authors are confused. “Yes, but…” they protest, why make sales from their website when their books are already selling on Amazon, et al?

In a word, dear author: money. Many of my self-publishing students, even those with tiny websites, find that they make money from website sales.

Another reason: competition. There’s huge competition on the major book retailing websites. When a visitor arrives at your site, he’s there for a reason. You may have an itty bitty audience, but on your website, there’s no competition for sales.

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Write a short story: which genre?

Short fiction: which genre?

You can write short fiction for any genre you choose. Here’s an article with examples of short stories in many genres.

I’ve written short fiction under a pen name, as well as my own name. Short fiction is fun to write, especially for those periods when you’re overwhelmingly busy.

In addition to genre, we had questions about story length. How long is a short story?

1. Word count: decide on the length of your short fiction

Generally, short fiction is estimated at under 15,000 words. Once the word count approaches 20,000 words, you’re in novella territory.

The short story authors in our group all wrote stories under 8,000 words. Depending on your style of writing, this is a good length: you can tell the story and involve readers via emotion.

But how do you get started with a short story?

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Don't know where to start on a writing project?

Recently, in a chat about her novel, a fiction writing student said snappishly: “I wouldn’t procrastinate at all, if I could only get the beginning right.”

I could feel her pain. The first page of a novel matters, because you’re trying to find the voice of the book. You know it when you’ve got it, as Hilary Mantel did, with the first paragraphs of Wolf Hall.

Since the student was frustrated and ready to toss away several weeks of work, I suggested that instead of trying to write the first page, she start at the end: “Why not write the final page?”

It often pays to start at the end.

Read the article.

 

 

Improve your fiction: scene building tips you mustn't miss

1. Big scenes, little scenes—and scenes you don’t need

When you’re reading, before you start editing, think about your BIG scenes: the essential scenes. A novel may have five big scenes—scenes you can’t avoid, because if you avoid them, the reader will feel cheated.

In a romance, the meeting between the hero and heroine is a big scene; in a whodunit, you may drop clues or red herrings in big scenes.

Turning point scenes are big scenes too. The climax is your biggest scene; everything in your novel needs to build toward it.

For each scene, consider:

• The rule of three—character, plot, and emotion.
• The goal of the scene. Every character in a scene has a goal. Ensure that the reader understands the viewpoint character’s goal for the scene.
• Dialogue and subtext.
• Change. At the end of the scene, your viewpoint character has changed in some way.

Read the article.

 

Outlining fiction: look for ways to add plot twists

Aim for three major plot twists and look for ways to build towards them

You’ll need a plot twist at:

• The end of Act 1 (the end of the setup phase of your novel);
• The midpoint; and the
• “All is lost!” point at around 80% of the novel.

I like to create placeholder documents for these scenes as soon as possible after I start writing. I add an exploding bomb icon to the documents in Scrivener’s binder so that I’ll stay aware of them.

Ideally you’ll create cliffhangers along the way, but start building towards these major twists as soon as you can.

Think of these three twists as refueling depots. Your story explodes into a new direction.

Read the article.

 

Want to make money using your writing skills? Popular questions

Think about the kind of freelance writing you’d like to do. If you’re a blogger, you might offer blogging services. Or, if you’re a self-publishing author, you might offer fiction ghostwriting services.

However, every writing business has challenges.

If you’re a freelance writer, you’re trading your hours for income, much like a job. You’ll always be limited by hours. You can’t manufacture more hours. However, as your experience grows, you can charge more for your services.

Alternatively, you can create products, such as books. Authors can sell their books forever. So, you’re no longer trading hours for dollars.

Every writing business is different. This brings us to another very popular question: how long does it take to set up a writing business?

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Self-publishing: build your catalogue, make more sales

THREE PROGRAMS, THREE STRATEGIES, IN ONE UNIQUE OFFERING

Whatever else you’re writing and selling:

• Write short fiction (and nonfiction too, if you wish.)
• BUNDLE your ebooks.
• Write mysteries, because readers love them.

Regarding mysteries, be aware that you can combine genres. Writing romance? Write a romantic mystery. Writing fantasy? Write a magical mystery. The combinations of genres are endless, limited only by what you like to read and write and your imagination.

Of course, every author is an individual, with unique challenges. Mentoring helps you to leapfrog your challenges, often within hours.

Discover Savvy Self-Publishing Strategies.

 

Questions about plotting fiction? Use this checklist

Let’s look at the plotting checklist; the essential elements of your plot, no matter the genre.

1. Your characters want what they want (and they’re determined to get it)

Everyone wants something. Some people create goals, others don’t. Whether we create goals or not, we have needs; many of these needs were established in childhood. We may not acknowledge these needs, ever—we may disregard them, then wonder why we’re unhappy.

Unlike real people however, fictional characters know what they want and you need to establish their wants/ goals on the page.

Readers respond to characters who have goals and struggle to achieve them; it develops suspense.

Establish goals for your minor characters, as well as for your major characters. Classic novels, which are read and enjoyed decade after decade, have well-established major AND minor characters who want something… This leads to conflict (see below.)

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Write from go to whoa: end procrastination for good

When I mentor new freelance writers, I remind them that everything takes longer when you’re starting out. You’re learning. Within a month or two, you’ll complete a task which previously took you an hour in ten minutes.

When you’re a new writer, you’re learning as you’re earning

I wish I were a new writer today—I envy you, because you can earn while you learn. Hop onto one of the freelance marketplaces, and start bidding. Alternatively, get your own freelance gigs by sending pitches.

Once you’ve got a gig or two, it’s time to complete them, so you can move on to the next gig.

Start with this workflow: customize it to make it your own.

Read the article, and use the workflow to end procrastination.

 

Your novel: have you created a timeline?

What happened when? Your novel’s timeline saves time

A timeline of your novel is vital for every genre. In the Mystery and Thriller genres timelines are essential.

For example, in your mystery, your sleuth will want to know where all the suspects were (and whether they have an alibi) at the moment the murder occurred.

Over the years, I’ve used apps and spreadsheets to maintain a timeline, but for me, they were overkill. A BuJo “Timeline Collection” turns out to be all I need; it might be all you need too.

You can set up your timeline as a simple list. Alternatively, you can create diagrams. Either way, a quick glance at your timeline orients you while you’re writing. (And when it’s time to revise, too.)

Read the article.

 

Blogging for income: niches, audiences and more

To begin your journey to an income-generating blog, you need a blog topic, as well as your special slant on the topic. With luck, it will be a slant which is unique to you.

Blog topics can be divided into “niches”, that is into sub-topic areas which interest a small segment of the population. You can divide almost any topic into niches. Brainstorm ideas.

Dogs for example. That’s a big topic, with many niches: dog food; dog training; show dogs; specific breeds… For the topic of cooking, niches could include diets (Paleo, vegan, etc); barbecues; bread baking…

When you’ve chosen a niche, you need to consider your special slant on the topic. A slant is a viewpoint; a twist. It may come to you naturally (your opinions on the niche will be unique), or you may need to think about your slant.

Read the article.

 

Want to create fictional characters who sell your books?

If you’re writing fiction, you need to observe everything. Not only with your eyes, but with all your senses. Start training yourself to pay attention: use your journal, and write down what you see, hear, touch, taste and smell.

Here’s why: the power of your fiction is in the details.

When you use detail, via a viewpoint character, readers will believe in your character. And if you want to sell more books, you must create characters in whom readers believe.

We’ve discussed writing in series if you want to sell more books:

When you write a series… you create the series’ “world” once, then you can use it for each subsequent novel in the series.

Read the article.

 

Fiction or nonfiction, this is your most powerful writing tool

A few months ago, we devoted a writer’s group meeting to journaling. Although many authors favored bullet journals, others used an all-purpose writing journal, and a couple of authors favored project-specific journals: when they started a book, they created a journal for it.

Your book journal: paper or digital?

For me, the big advantage of a paper notebook is that I can carry it with me everywhere. A close friend tells me that she “blogs” her book in the Notes app on her phone. Whatever works for you is best for you.

You may even decide to turn your journal into a book, as many famous authors have done.

Let’s look at some of the book journaling tips we discussed in our group.

Read the article.