How To Write For the 21st Century Reader: 6 Tips to Modernize Your Prose by Anne R. Allen

I found Anne's article most informative and thought I'd pass it along.  Its essential if you are a writer, but if you are a reader you might want to become more aware of your changing habits.

I read a lot, and write a lot, on my computer.  It has a large screen I still need to scoot toward me to see well.  I get very tired sitting here.  And I really get tired of reading from the screen.  I always long for the book so I can lay back comfortably or sit in a comfortable chair with my legs up and read every single word. That's my pleasure.

I tried skimming, but only do it if I find the work basically uninteresting for any number of reasons.  I'll get the gist of it and move on.  That's work, not a pleasure.

Now look over at least some of Anne's long article to find the points that fit you best, for now.  But keep it, because you may want to review it occasionally for its finer points.

Publishing isn't the only thing that's being transformed by the digital age. Reading and writing themselves are evolving.

We may not like it, but as writers, we need to be aware that our audience's habits are changing.

Last month I wrote about how to format your blog for easy skimming, and unfortunately, we need to keep the skimmer in mind when writing our books as well. A good percentage of readers buy their novels for screens now, and their habits spill over from Web browsing to novel-reading.

Continue blog HERE:

Have a great day and don't forget Mother's Day this weekend.

Color Your Fictional World

I read this months ago with the intention of sharing it.  I really liked this concept.  I hope you enjoy it as well.

http://writerswrite.co.za/what-is-your-writing-element

Which element dominates the stories you write and read?

The Four Elements

Air (Mystery)

Earth (Setting)
Water (Character)
Fire (Happenings)

Your choice reflects your passion. Whichever element is strongest in your story is the one you should concentrate on writing. This does not mean you exclude the others. It simply helps you find your ‘voice’ and write to your strengths. All stories require a good plot. Identifying the type of story you like to write about is not the same as plotting. However, it will give you guidelines for choosing plots that suit your writing style.

 ~~~

Air - Mystery 

Air asks

If you plot a story around a question – uncovering information, looking for someone and searching for clues – mystery is the most important element. Your story begins with a question and ends with an answer. All mysteries follow the format of the chase, as do most adventure stories.

Examples: The Firm, The Da Vinci Code, Black & Blue, The Poet, The Star, Sherlock Holmes, The Hunt for Red October, The Colour of Magic, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Animal Farm, The Fugitive

The best way to tell this story? You want a character to find out who did it, how they did it and why they did it. Tell the story from the viewpoint of both the protagonist and the antagonist.

 ~~~  

Earth - Setting

Earth experiences

If you plot a story around the world you create, the setting is your most important element. Your character travels to a new ‘world’, changes and chooses to either stay in that world or come home. Your story begins when the character arrives in this setting and ends when he leaves. Some Science Fiction and Fantasy novels fit into this category. Historical, and pioneering, journeys also qualify for this story type.

Examples: Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver’s Travels, Shogun, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, The Fountainhead, Treasure Island, Mort, The Magic Faraway Tree, On the Road, The Heart of Darkness, Spud

The best way to tell this story? You want a character to explore or discover your creation. Tell the story from that character’s viewpoint.

 ~~~

Water - Character

Water feels

If you plot a story around a character whose ‘character’ changes then this is your element. The protagonist’s role in society changes. Your book begins when the character is so unhappy that he begins to change. It ends when the character either accepts a new role or remains in the old role. The character could end up being happy or unhappy whichever way the story ends.

Examples: Room, To Kill A Mockingbird, Pride & Prejudice, The Prince of Tides, A Man in Full, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, White Oleander, The Pilot’s Wife, I Know This Much is True, Gone with the Wind, Emma, The Great Gatsby, The Old Man & The Sea

The best way to tell this story? You want to watch the character change. Tell the story mainly from that character’s viewpoint, using first or third person. Using other characters as viewpoint characters adds mystery, texture and perspective.

 ~~~

Fire - Happening

Fire acts

If you plot a story around ‘something’ that happens that makes the world a dangerous place, this is your element. Your book begins when a threat is perceived; it moves into a journey and builds up to a battle. The story ends when a new order takes over, an old order is restored or when anarchy descends. The plot here is the quest. All fantasy and science fiction uses this ‘happening’ for a story premise. The hero here has to find something or someone who can save the world. Sometimes, the hero is the saviour.

Examples: The Hunger Games, Star Wars, Dune, Macbeth, Lord of the Rings, Mad Max, Harry Potter, Twilight, The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, The Count of Monte Christo, The Stand, Artemis Fowl, The Godfather

The best way to tell this story? Do not make the mistake of using a narrator. The viewpoint character experiences the story. He guides us with what he knows and understands. We only care about this type of story when we care about him.

 ~~~

The Fifth Element? The Abyss – aka Reader’s Hell

This is for all of those books you should think of as worthy, but secretly you know they’re not. You just don’t know how to describe them.

Examples: The Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, July’s People, The God of Small Things, The Reader (Feel free to add your own to this list.)

“If I can think of it, anyone can” and other false thinking.

This is a reblog I thought you'd like.  I did.  I got it from another reblog so I think it's popular in its subject.  Every writer has doubts, but remember, even if someone else thought of it, they couldn't have thought of it in the same way you did.

This is the site for those who want to explore:  http://mwsasse.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/if-i-can-think-of-it-anyone-can-and-other-false-thinking/

Did you ever ponder how one can be truly creative in today’s world? I mean, hasn’t everything already been thought of. Hasn’t every melody already been written? Hasn’t every plot line been explored?

I used to think like this and such non-productive thoughts have significantly shortened my writing years.

I remember when I used to get a random idea – whether a line in a poem, a catchy melody, or an idea for a story – and I would say to myself “If I can think of it, anyone can.” At that point I put the thought out of my mind and did nothing with it, knowing for a fact that my idea had already been done before.

How foolish I was! If you find yourself ever doubting your creative limits, consider the following:

1) we are all different. No two people are even remotely alike. How could we expect any two people to come up with the exact same idea?

2) thinking like that is admitting failure. Sometimes perhaps we want to readily accept failure instead of stepping out with our creativity and opening ourselves up to criticism. It’s easier to play it safe. But we weren’t created to play things safe. We are meant to express ourselves from the very core of our being.

3) we are living off the creative ideas that have come before us. Any creative artist stands on the backs of giants, whether he or she realizes it or not. We have all been influenced by the classics, the moving whims of culture, and the relentless drive of media. But the way we process and think and move and change and grow is completely different from other people.

4) a better thing to think would be “I wish I had thought of that” or “I could have never thought of that.” Did you ever read some thought-provoking lyrics or some wonderfully deep descriptive language where you wished it had been your idea. This is exactly what I’m talking about. Faulkner writes the best Faulkner out there. Hands down. But Faulkner, whether good or bad, could never have written like Sasse. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I write better than Faulkner. I’m saying that my writing is unique, molded by experiences and life circumstances that no one else has had.

Therefore, your best writing will be when you are emulating yourself. That’s it.

I don’t let myself fall into this false thinking trap anymore. If I can think of it, then it means that I thought of it and I should write about it. And by the stares and strange looks I get from people sometimes, I realize that they are asking me, “how did you ever think of that”?

I don’t know. I just did, and I wrote about it.

You should do the same.

Writing, Acting, Appreciation and Reviews

This is mainly for readers, but writers who are also readers may be able to identify.

http://megancashmanbooks.wordpress.com/2013/11/26/id-say-writing-is-like-acting/

This blog posting I'm attaching, by Megan Cashman -- someone I appreciate, respect and follow -- tells it well.  

I have always equated writing with acting.  When writing I might have to go though an action to know how to describe it happening so a reader will understand well enough to conceptualize it.  The same with an expression.

Actors on the stage are lucky to get their appreciation known to them immediately through applause.  Movie actors (or radio, especially in the past) have each other to congratulate as well as audiences sentiment, public reviews, and the box-office count.

Writers, especially independents, well, we can watch the sales count, and hope some lone soul will take the time to post a review (since we all know professional paid-for reviews don't count).  Since the sales count doesn't usually go up without the reviews any show of appreciation may never come, so we are the working, often truly starving artists you hear about.

Our rewards are often few, unless you become very popular, like Stephen King or Neil Gaiman, to name only two.  And, of course, those with big name publishers have all the promotion and review getting done for them in advance by passing out hundreds of free ARC -- advanced (before publication)  readers' copies -- of their book for reviews.  Who can say "no" to one of the big guys?  And for a free book, probably signed by the author no less.  Neil Gaiman's book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, had over 1500 reviews after it was first released.  How? Signed ARCs.  In a obscure sense its like bribery.

We independent authors/publishers, who (like me) do the same work as several people within a big publishing firm, have a harder time finding an audience and especially finding members of that meager audience who are willing to take the time to make a written, public comment.  The friends who will commit are few, but we know not to rely on the comments of friends and family who may be biased for us.  That's why Amazon knocks off reviews that look like they could be by family members.  And if you don't think writing is hard work then read Roy's blog post -- http://roydimond.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/242/#like-242  He even has a publisher.

Independents resort to author to author reviews -- a like for a like.  It gets the number of reviews up, which can increase sales a bit, because John Q. Public doesn't know the difference.  They go by the paid-for reviews after all.  Hard to compete with money when your starving.

I have begged for a review from someone who read one of my books and loved it, and it never came.  I have been promised numerous reviews that never show up, even by other writers who have to look me in the face on occasion.  I've given books to others who don't even acknowledge receipt, much less thank me for it.  It's just a book, not a novel of a complete life scenario of several others a writer has to create, devise, get as correct and in order as an architect of a high rise building, airplane, boat, or spaceship has to get his construction.  And it can "fall apart" with less error than any of those objects.

I have started the giveaway of my hard work for no royalty in hopes of a few kind appreciative souls out there who might post what they thought of it.  Next time you get something free from its creator, a table, a plant, a clay pot, a painting or sculpture, you let me know if you really appreciated all that went into creating it.  I don't think so, but it will definitely more so than you would if it was just a book.

I always hope, so my faith in humanity isn't completely dashed, yet.  But I am also too often disappointed.  I feel lucky I am still compelled to write even with extremely little or no reward.

It's like working to train and clean up my horse, perfect my riding, then go to a horse show where there is no audience, no judge and no competitors.  My horse and I are the only ones in the ring.  It's like that part of life was cancelled and no one told me.  I immediately picture myself a lone rider on a vast field on a horse with my bare legs on a doeskin and a single rein from the horses mouth, with feathers in our hair, assuming we are the only ones like that on the planet.  At first it's lonely, but eventually I come to have a peace about it, and dread the moments its necessary to come in contact with others.

That's especially true of those I run into on a regular basis who have give book marks for each book and suggestion they look it up on Amazon.  Few can look me in the eye when we meet, so I know they never bothered.  People just don't seek out writers, or their books, like they seek out grocers or doctors, or even lawyers.

When I get a review that is thorough and professional by someone who doesn't have to do it, and is not receiving any pay for it, I boast about them.  Why, because they need the appreciation also.

I think the best way to wake up the public to a writer's need for appreciation for all their work is to make them aware of its necessity and steer them away from the paid-for professionals. I know I relied on a particular (unnamed here) review company for the books I chose before I became a writer, never realizing it was paid for.  You get what you pay for, so it makes sense the more you pay the better the review.  That doesn't mean the book is really that good.  It only means it's been set in your mind that it is, so if you find it is not, you know, something must be wrong with you.  Well, it's time to stop that kind of thinking and make a choice of your own.  And show writers without backing, independent writers, how much they are appreciated.  Granted there are some who are very good or error few, but if the talent is there then encouragement should be no less than you would give a child in discovery.

I hope you become enlightened as a reader and begin to appreciate one aspect of the work that goes into creating a book.  Then consider posting a comment for the next book your read telling of your experience with it, whether you like it or not.  Like the middle child who gets less attention, we'll even take a negative blow to know someone noticed what we'd worked so hard to do.

Success Stories

You always wish they will happen to you, the successful author stories you see posted.  Being glad for another is almost as good.  It gives hope where little shone through before.  That's what I got out of the posting on Tracy.  Read at this site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jul/09/self-publishing-tracey-bloom

Enjoy Tracy's success and see if you can apply any of her steps to the top to your own work.  I have.  I'm still waiting.

On to the next book to publish to try again.

The Writer's Job

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/feb/28/writers-job/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=February%2028%202012&utm_content=February%2028%202012%20CID_195731e3751cf26ce0870891a2cb4dba&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=The%20Writers%20Job

I found this article by Tim Parks of the NYTimes through my tumblr.com connection (again).  It has a lot of meaning for writers of today.

Writing Assignment & Other Goodies from Tumblr

I get some wonderful things on my tumblr site at jvdbooks.tumblr.com so I thought I'd share.  Maybe you can visit it sometime and enjoy the visual presentation.
First, here is a connection to the research done on writer's block.  Goto 1) & 2) below.  It's interesting for me with my background, so don't feel obliged to read it all if it doesn't interest you.

Perhaps the greatest psychology research paper ever published and perhaps the greatest follow-up research paper ever published.

On the "Unsuccessful Treatment of Writer's Block"...

(1 and 2)

Second, here is a visual prompt and challenge for a writing exercise.  Send it in or enjoy it yourself.  I would appreciate it if you'd leave a comment if you feel you got something out of it.

writeworld:

Writer’s Block
A picture says a thousand words. Write them.

Mission: Write a story, a description, a poem, a metaphor, a commentary, or a critique about this picture. Write something about this picture.
Be sure to tag writeworld in your block!

The picture is called The Oracle.  Now, write something wonderful, click on writeworld (under the picture to the left), go to image blocks at the left, then at the top where is says all the images click image blocks again, read about it and decide if you want to submit it.  You might want to follow this blog for regular writing prompts since they have a cut off for entry.  Check each out and have fun.