BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Jodi Taylor's Just One Damned Thing after Another

This is Book One of her series entitled The Chronicles of St. Mary's. It's simply wonderful. This UK author has a wicked sense of humor and obviously a love of ancient world history. As an American, just reading her British idioms transports me to another place, while the main character, Alex, takes me to some more. Love her and the other creative rule-breakers who work for St. Mary's. Except for the bad guys of course.

If you like your sci-fi/fantasy/time travel stories with comedy, tragedy, adventure, romance and a smattering of history lessons, this one's got it all. Even work intrigue. I read it in one sitting. What fun! There are seven books in the series, counting this first one plus the one due out May 5, 2016, which you can preorder now on Amazon.

Can't wait to read the rest of them. Enjoy! 

"If your vocation isn’t a vacation, then quit, leap, change careers."

Denise Barker, Author, Blogger, Copy Editor
Books that Build Character(s)

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What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you give someone a book, you don’t give him just paper, ink, and glue.  You give him the possibility of a whole new life. Christopher Morley
The best inheritance you can leave your kids is an example of how to live a full and meaningful life. Dan Zadra

What Is the Basic Word Count for Flash Fiction, Short Story, Novelette, Novella, Novel, Saga?

I've been working on my Short Story Collection #2 and, by some definitions, these three "short stories" are each long enough to warrant the novelette designation.

But it depends on which source you check. I went to my two mainstays, 16CMS and Web11, and neither provided me with word counts per category. And you'll find variations when searching the Internet or while checking submission instructions online.

If you are going the traditional publishing route, by all means go by prescribed guidelines for the line best suited for your work within that house. For instance, a quick search finds at least twenty-one imprints under the Simon & Schuster publishing umbrella.

However, if you are going the Indie route, then research the offerings out there and pick your own standard to go by. After reading several sites, I compiled what I thought was the best of the best with my gut as the official tiebreaker, when needed. Here's my working theory to date:

3–1,000 WC = Flash Fiction	~4 pp. "He died alone" tells a story, brings forth emotions, has the reader asking questions; so must have ≥3WC to start a tale.
1,001–7,500 WC = Short Story	~4–30 pp.
7,501–20,000 WC = Novelette	~30–80 pp.
20,001–40,000 WC = Novella	~80–160 pp. MG readers
40,001–60,000 WC = Novels, category	~160–240 pp. Genres like romance, western, etc.
60,001–90,000 WC = Novels, singles	~240–360 pp. YA, paranormal, fantasy/sci-fi, etc.
90,001–150,000 WC = Novels, mainstream	~360–600 pp. Thriller/horror, mystery, crime fiction
150,001+ WC = Sagas	~600+ pp. Michener's Hawaii, Rand's Atlas Shrugged, Mitchell's Gone with the Wind

As I mentioned above, this is my current working theory, subject to revisions as I refine it. But it works for me. And there are always exceptions, so we can agree upon that.

Oh, and I estimated page counts based on 250 words/page.

One thing to always remember when e-publishing anything other than a novel/saga, be sure to clearly mark same on your cover, in your online description, in your title even. Not all people check the page-length info given on amazon.com and other venues. So readers get understandably upset when purchasing what they think is a full-length novel and getting shortchanged with only fifty pages' worth. Better for them to purchase what they think is a midsize novel of three hundred pages and get one of five hundred pages instead.


LEGEND:
16CMS = The Chicago Manual of Style, Sixteenth Edition
Web11 = Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition
WC = word count
MG = middle grade
YA = young adult

"If your vocation isn’t a vacation, then quit, leap, change careers."

Denise Barker, Author, Blogger, Copy Editor
Books that Build Character(s)

amazon.com/author/denisebarker

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http://bit.ly/KOBODeniseBarkerEBooks

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you give someone a book, you don’t give him just paper, ink, and glue.  You give him the possibility of a whole new life. Christopher Morley
The best inheritance you can leave your kids is an example of how to live a full and meaningful life. Dan Zadra

NaNoWriMo Tips: A Synopsis + Character Photos and Names

I'm a pantster, although one of my romance group authors thinks I'm a hybrid, because I usually have the beginning, the ending and the black moment conceived, just not any of the other stuff.

So take what you know and write out a synopsis, as if you were submitting same to a publishing house. Remember for these, inclusion of the ending is necessary to see if you can deliver a good tale. Regardless of whether you are seeking a traditional publisher or going the Indie route, you can benefit from this step.

So if you have seven major plot points, you are in good shape, IMO. Take them and fashion a synopsis, a summary of your plot in order, maybe expounding on each point with a paragraph or two. Fourteen paragraphs is not unusual. If you check out a few publishing houses online and see what their requirements are (which differ from house to house), a traditional synopsis can range from one page to five.

Plus, it helps to see where you have glaring logic flaws, or holes where nothing much is going on. Not that you can't go with it, as is, flaws and holes and all; you just need to be prepared to work each out as you navigate NaNoWriMo. 

Also, if you love Pinterest, as I do, find a good depiction of your hero and heroine. Post them online. Or print out one of each for your computer desk. Remember: a picture is worth a thousand words. Find one that propels you to write about the person in it.

While you are at it, peruse your baby name book collection (or telephone book or obituary pages) for the main characters' names. If doing a romance, it really helps that they go together well in the same sentence, like Barbie and Ken. Just something to keep in mind. I started a list of preferred male and female names, A to Z, from one of my baby name books. Haven't finished that project yet and still have other books to go.

Above all, remember to have fun with the whole process, y'all!

Denise Barker, author + blogger + copy editor

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Emotions in Writing

Two research projects intersected into a wonderful revelation for me. While I was studying one of Nora Roberts's free short stories downloaded from her official website--to search for why her writing so mesmerizes me--I also made a list of some of my fave movies to look for the similarities--to see what I both sought and found in those books and films--as that is most likely my writing niche.

But I was looking at genre and situation and plot and other such elements trying to find that unifying cord that screamed, "Denise, this is your (one) true place, theme, genre."

I know. Seems I should already be aware of this as I understand me best, right? Not so much here with this specific insight. Plus, I wanted the clarity. All the goal-setting tips say so and, as an author, it helps to have a guiding principle. Both for writing in general and for each special project. I read somewhere that a problem with a story is either tied to the author or the tale (or maybe a little of each). Having a target in mind should clear the way from both angles.

Yes, I write romantic suspense novels with some wry humor thrown in for good measure--although one of my CPs just the other week described my writing as more mainstream and not strictly romance. Good! After all, Nora Roberts is my mentor, my hero, my benchmark. She changed the landscape of the romance genre, expanding it, incorporating elements from the other categories.

Plus she elevates her imaginings from the superficiality of sight-based-only romances to dig deeper, sharing beautiful insights into humanity and psychological glimpses into her characters' minds. It is not about who is merely beautiful and rich; Nora adds layers fully fleshing out her characters to become alive and yet real with foibles and insecurities and fears as well as goals and dreams.

I believe she's covered all basic genre themes while under the romance umbrella writing as Nora Roberts, or under the futuristic police procedurals writing as J.D. Robb. Luckily for me, her brand of horror is lightly handled and swept away fast (the child incest/molestation, the graphic murders), which allows me to keep reading her stuff over these speed bumps of utter disgust.

More than one of her stories has magic, paranormal elements, mystery, women's fiction, action, adventure, glitz, police procedure, murder, mainstream psychological insight, comedy/humor, love and some horror; appearing in contemporary, future, western and historical time frames; from domestic settings to foreign; on land or on sea or on another planet.  Did I miss anything?

Which brings me to this post about my revelation.

Certain emotions are tied to certain genres: such as fright with horror, HEA love with romance, wonder with fantasy, humor with comedy, etc. But with new crossover books and universal authors like Nora, we have blending going on, such as paranormal romantic suspense and chick lit and steampunk and new combos brewing even now.

Here's my latest light-bulb moment: We seek more than just one emotion in our movies, in our reading. The particular films and fiction we choose--and still like after viewing and reading--hit those spots we want to have stirred up. Those "bad" selections are simply markers of entertainment focusing on another set of feelings we do not wish to relive.

For me, it is horror in the strictest sense. I do not like to be surprised or scared. Yet, The Mummy (movie remake with Brendan Fraser) doesn't frighten me in the least, no matter being branded as a horror. But I refuse to see The Silence of the Lambs or Hitchcock's Psycho--even though I already know both punch lines.

Another particular taboo is sad movies that make me cry. And cry. And cry some more. I'm not a crybaby. Life can cause enough tears and sadness which we cannot control. Who needs more of our own election?

Still, one of my favorite movies is P.S. I Love You which is a real tearjerker. Somehow I can occasionally rewatch that flick. Maybe because the love overshadows the grief by a tad? Yet, there is another big-name author whose books have been made into movies and the sadness is to such an intense level that I cannot handle it.

Death is another element I avoid. Yet I love Murder, She Wrote and J.D. Robb's In Death series. Probably because we don't even know the dead guy.  I'm emotionally separated enough from the deceased stranger to care only about justice, a theme, instead of knowing the victim and harboring personal thoughts of revenge for the death of my best friend, my lover, my family.

It is okay if I learn more about the unknown person as long as it is in dribbles throughout the tale, well after the initial murder, as in the case of J.D. Robb's books.

But my same CP mentioned above said I should do more with the characters who die in my books. No. Not my main genre. Not my style. Not my forte. I am not so equipped. I'll leave it for others to handle artfully.

So the death of one of my major characters in a current WIP is a footnote basically.  I've led my readers through two hundred pages getting to know this person and they will be hit hard by the death, even though we all know it is coming.  But is in the background.

My psyche can only process it that way.

Therefore, if you are looking for gory deaths--with chapters full of details on how the villains tortured and mutilated their victims, the bad guys' anger increasing after they pushed their punishments too far, causing their playthings to die, bringing to an abrupt end all the other wonderful pain and misery the evil ones had planned to inflict--you won't find that in my books.

However, if you are like me and crave love and action and adventure and suspense and comedy and wonder and mysteries--whether regarding murder or learning something (think House, M.D. or Numb3rs or the Discovery Channel)--then that is what you should write as an author and read as a fan.

Incorporate all those elements you seek in your entertainment within your own creations.

It is not about one genre, even a crossover.

It is about emotions. In multiples.

Once I made that link, I'm now seeing it vividly as I again enjoy, yet like a first timer, my beloved TV shows, fave movies, endearing books.

My empirical data proves my own theory.

This new praxis frees me from the rather restrictive genre definitions or even various plotlines. Too narrow. My focus is on a higher level. A universal bond. Through emotions.

I can now easily dissect Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb while remaining within her storytelling spell.  She evokes sympathy, empathy, love, jealousy, anger, while stirring up themes of justice, love conquers all, the good guys win at the end. Right in line with my own thinking.

It shouldn't amaze me, but it does.  Something this elegant, this . . . simple, yet grand--well, it boggles my brain. As discussed on this blog before, a mind once opened to a new distinction, a nouveau idea, has had its boundaries stretched, never to go back again.

Wow!  What a wonderful discovery . . . To my readers, this may seem like a "Well, duh!" moment.  And they usually are. What seems complex is simple. Our answers are hidden in plain sight.

Wow.

Denise Barker, author + blogger +

Freelance Copy Editor, http://bit.ly/freelanceCE

Good Ole Boys, a love story at http://amzn.to/GoodOleBoys

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There Are No Rules to Creating Fiction

Gasp!  Blasphemy coming out of the mouth of a freelance copy editor?

It is a fine line that I straddle.  So, here goes.

There is "fact" (circumstances, subject to change) and then there is "truth" (universal and invariable).

Yes, I concede that there are grammar and punctuation rules, those insightful keys to perfect our communication.  Well-established foundational tenements to effective writing.  Nouns, verbs, apostrophes, etc.  All in black on white.

If you have that, as a novelist, you can break some/most/all those ancillary idioms of supposed writing rules.  Like incomplete phrases in your work.  And starting a sentence with a conjunction.  Or ending one with a preposition.  Which I have done below.  At least twice.  Ha!

I love this quote and it finds a perfect place about now in this post, so I will share it:  "You are remembered for the rules you break."  Douglas MacArthur.

Actually I found several quotes that voice my viewpoint.  Regardless, even if I were the only one who thought this way, yet I felt convinced and had my supporting defenses, I would proceed.  After all, it is my writing.  My choices.  My decisions.  So we each need to choose our own path.

I'm a member of the stupid-rules-can-be-ignored club.  Like rules based on greed, for instance, should be replaced by those which serve the common good. 

I also believe there are rules, and then there are overriding rules. Like gravity may exist as a rule in nature, yet an airplane (or a bird) have both shown there is another law in nature that gravity succumbs to.

And certainly our genre dictates some degree of formality or another of casualness.  In a scientific textbook, I would think formality might serve you.  Still, some laypersonese would help get a convoluted theorum across, as well.  Just look at Charlie's examples for Don et al in Numb3rs.

As for my style, which this post evidences, I'm very much a conversationalist in my writing.  I write like I speak.  With stops and starts, and rabbit trails.  Yet I hope I've corralled all the ramblings more so when blogging, due to the shorter length involved.  [I know.  My blogs are longish.  But compared to a 400-page novel, not so much, right?  It's all relative, as they say.]

Maybe my opinion will free some frustrated authors out there trying to abide by the manifold sundry rules and being stifled in the process.

Again, I revert back to my love of NaNo.  Hang the rules, gag your internal editor and just get your story down.  You separate the creation part from the editing phase so your muse doesn't die an instant death.  That works for me anyway.

I wish for my thoughts and opinions to give hope to any struggling authors claiming writer's block affliction, when it is really too-many-rules-heaped-upon-the-author-spoil-the-creation syndrome.

You can even switch POVs in your story, such as first person becomes third person or vice versa.  If the reader is not confused, you have effectively and successfully changed your overall POV.  That's all we can ask for.  In support of this theory of mine, see this great post by the Snowflake guy, Randy Ingermanson, here:  http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2012/05/16/perfecting-that-pesky-point-of-view/.

As a romance author, I write in dual-third-person POV.  After all, a romance takes two and I give equal weight to both my hero and my heroine.  My main characters follow a separate character arc, each one growing.  For those of you who write in other genres, this POV may never be applicable to you.

But if you are following the welcoming light cast by Nora Roberts--who embraces (or started?) the dual-third-person POV--then you and I share a common mentor. Also consult Leigh Michaels' book which has a section on this romantic POV at http://www.amazon.com/On-Writing-Romance-Craft-Novel/dp/1582974365/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_4.

To summarize, I see my writing path somewhat like the inalienable truths I hold in my heart.  There's a hierarchy involved.  Yes, I do not believe in armed robbery.  But who knows what I am capable of if a kidnapped loved one were being ransomed with a ticking clock counting down the final two hours?

Wow, my internal movie theater just clicked on with some interesting clips and previews . . . .

And back to my original idea for this post.  Remember, the Bible says that God searches our heart, for our intent.  One of the liars in the Bible is memorialized in the Hall of Faith.  The harlot, yes, the harlot Rahab who lied on purpose to save the spies from certain death.  Check it out yourself in Hebrews 11:31.

That's the place where you create from.  Your true self.  The rules be slammed.  Isn't that more freeing and energizing than all the crippling folderol you may hear otherwise?

Now, take your newfound (or renewed) freedom and go tell that tale residing within.

Denise Barker, author + freelance copy editor
Good Ole Boys, a love store
A Copyediting Checklist for Novelists

What Do Readers Choose to Read?

This is a related post from the one earlier today.  Something within that first blog stirred my need to know.  So I did more unscheduled research and came up with the following interesting info.  My apologies for any errors or math miscalculations.  Believe me, they were not intended.  However, with that caveat, here we go.

As authors we should consider this:  What are our potential readers reading?  What genres do these Kindle Million Club authors encompass?  Does offering a huge selection of books to the public help generate these one million books sold?  

Restricting this discussion to the Kindle Million Club authors, here is a thumbnail overview:

Line No.	Kindle Million Club Author	Novels Published to Date*	Genre
1.	D. Baldacci	22	Thriller**, Children's
2.	A. Hocking	9	YA Paranormal
3.	S. Meyer	8	YA Vampire Romance
4.	S. Larsson	3	Thriller
5.	J. Patterson	48	Thriller
6.	Nora Roberts	209	Romance
7.	Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb	42	Thriller
8.	C. Harris	12	Vampire Thriller
9.	Lee Child	16	Thriller
10.	S. Collins	8	Children’s, Sci-Fi
11.	M. Connelly	25	Thriller
12.	John Locke	12	Humorous Thriller
13.	K. Stockett	1	Historical
14.	J. Evanovich	45***	Humorous Thriller, Humorous Romance
15.	G. R.R. Martin	14	Fantasy, Sci-Fi

* -  no short stories or anthologies counted (at least not on purpose)

** - "Thriller" includes mysteries and police procedurals

*** - some of Janet Evanovich's novels counted here were co-authored

NOTE:  The children's genre is skewed as I was ignoring it at first, like I did the short stories and the anthologies--based on the fact they are probably not novel-length books, may not be necessarily offered via Amazon (such as articles, another category I overlooked, would most likely be published in magazines, periodicals, etc.) plus any anthology purchase could be deemed due to another contributor's name on the cover.  Hence, not part of why these authors made Amazon's Kindle Million Club.   However, it shows up for Collins as her bibliography has more books in that genre.  I plan to update this category with more research later (hopefully not today as I am already so off track--ha!).  At that time, I'll add the appropriate entries where needed and a confirming postscript at the end of this entry.

The million-sales-generating genres include crossovers so here's that tally per the authors referenced above, starting with the most desired/bought and working down to the other favorites:

     9 Thrillers/Mysteries/Police Procedurals, including the two mixed genres noted below

     3 Romance, including the two mixed genres noted below  /
3 Humorous, including the two mixed genres noted below

     2 Young Adults  /  2 Science Fiction  /  2 Humorous Thrillers  /  2 Children's

     1 Paranormal Romance   / 1 Historical  /  1 Fantasy / 1 Vampire Thriller  / 1 Humorous Romance

Remember, these numbers here indicate genres shared among these Kindle Million Club authors, not the number of books written.  If I have the genres wrong, then my math here is inherently erroneous, so take that into account.

Obviously Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb has the greatest number of books written to date among this selection of novelists.  Even adding together all the other authors' publications from the chart above, I come up with roughly 223 novels compared to 251 just by Nora.  That is incredible.  As author Nora Roberts, she has written 209 romance books.  Under the J.D. Robb pen name for her In Death murder series, she's created another 42.

Still, you have a debut author making this list with her lone contribution (K. Stockett).

So just because you aren't as prolific as Nora or have a humongous backlist to convert to e-book format, you can still accomplish great things with one individual story.

The other single-digit-book-producing authors here have trilogies--or a quadrilogy--going for them (Hocking, Meyer, Larsson, Collins).

The beginning of the double-digit producers (covering 11-19 books) seem to be replete with authors doing a longer series.  Look at Harris with her book/TV series, Child's Reacher series, then Locke's two series with his start on a third, ending with Martin who has one series among his other standalone books.

For authors offering twenty-something books to choose from, we have the series theme popping up again, with Baldacci's four (counting the children's series) and Connolly's three.

Nobody considered here has thirty-ish books published.  They either have less or more.  So we jump into the forty-plus-books-published category:  Patterson and Evanovich.  They both have embraced the book series, too.

Also, per our Kindle Million Club author listing, you can be traditionally published or Indie-published, as Hocking and Locke attest to, and still make the cut.

To recap, here's what readers want based on my personal analysis of Kindle's Million Club authors. 

A great entertaining read, first and foremost would be my generic answer, whether (1) hundreds of books prolifically written throughout the decades (keep 'em coming) or (2) a standalone adult novel, your first even, in whatever category (every one of these extraordinary authors started with Book One).  (3) Both traditionally and Indie-published authors appear in this list.  Top-selling genres include (4) Thrillers, then (5) Romance and Humor genres.  (6)  Create a series, at least a trilogy, but longer is better.  (7)  It is okay to mix genres.  Plus, as you see fit, (8) add in these elements:  fantasy, paranormal, vampire and/or sci-fi; (9) feel free to write to these audiences: young adults and children; and (10) they want more serious reads first and lighthearted reads second.

One final point.  No matter what genre of book is selling big at the moment, no matter what genre of movie is drawing record numbers at the theaters, no matter what genre of TV show is a huge hit, write from your heart.  Write what you want.  Write what you are drawn to.  If it happens to be the current "thing," so much the better.

Just as I am compelled to do this research and these two blogs today no matter what my To Do list may dictate, sometimes you gotta go with your gut.  Trust your instincts.  If they are nudging you now, then now is the right time to do it.

Like Kathryn Stockett's "differences" stand out among the other authors within Amazon's Kindle Million Club on so many levels (it's her debut novel, it's the only historical on the list, she made her one million in sales from one single book--that's a big following), she could be deemed the anomaly.  So could one of us someday.

And that's it.

For now.