Word Refiner
  • Start Here
  • Word Refining
  • Learn More
  • Books I Have Refined
  • Promote Your Book
  • Acclaim from Authors
  • Book Reviews
  • Previous Book Reviews
  • Blog: Words For Thought
  • Highly Regarded Blogs
  • Guest Blogs
  • Contact
  • Hyper-Speller Humor
  • The Hyper-Speller interviewed
  • In memory of Grizz
  • Start Here
  • Word Refining
  • Learn More
  • Books I Have Refined
  • Promote Your Book
  • Acclaim from Authors
  • Book Reviews
  • Previous Book Reviews
  • Blog: Words For Thought
  • Highly Regarded Blogs
  • Guest Blogs
  • Contact
  • Hyper-Speller Humor
  • The Hyper-Speller interviewed
  • In memory of Grizz

​book reviews

Jaben's Rift (Far Land Trilogy Book 1) by G. David Walker

8/1/2020

92 Comments

 
Multi-genre, multi-volume author, G. David Walker introduces us to the first volume in the Far Land Trilogy, “Jaben’s Rift”:
One impulsive step, and a world hangs in the balance.

When an ordinary family vacation in Scotland sends Jason Bennett to Teleria, an extraordinary world of might and magic, his arrival sets the wheels in motion on events that will change that world forever.
In Teleria, Jason is thought to be Jaben, a mysterious figure from an ancient prophecy who is destined to save or doom the world. Through half-truths and misunderstandings, Jason gets caught in a dangerous tug of war between the ruling Circle of Nine and one of his own ancestors from three hundred years in his past. Adding to his dilemma, he finds himself at the center of a conflict between two of the Altered, a small group of godlike beings, one of whom is secretly aiding Jason's ancestor, violating a Covenant that has kept Teleria safe from their influence for over a millennia.

Unable to return home, Jason must learn to use power he isn't convinced he has, keep from triggering a war between the Altered that could devastate the planet, and most of all…survive.

Not quite the summer vacation he had in mind.

JABEN’S RIFT takes the reader on a journey of honor and deception, betrayal and self-sacrifice, as Jason tries to figure out who is telling him the truth and who only wants to use him, before Teleria’s fate is sealed forever.
Picture
This is a fabulous book! I was stunned by the story. Yes, this is a YA fantasy tale, but as a lifelong reader of more than 60 years I loved this story!
The struggle Jason goes through of being catapulted into an unfamiliar land and dimension and having to learn to survive is a tale that has been told in many different ways. The telling is what makes the difference.
This story has a richness that is not always found in your basic, swords-and-sorcery yarn. Sure, there is magic, many different kinds of magic, some are narrow and some are broad and contravene the nature of the world at times. Sure, there is a council of elders, but the Council of Nine don’t always get along or see eye to eye on important issues.
There is politics, racism, discrimination and those who want to control others. There are many different races and types of creatures that don’t always get along. There is a mysterious prophecy that seems to have an unknown origin, but it is accepted by all as the gospel truth.
Then there are the gods, or at least they seem like gods to the inhabitants of the land.
The scene setting is marvelous, the dialogue is quite witty at times. Jason’s growth is spurred by many different problems, some he causes by speaking too quickly. I think the richest parts are the different characters the author has created. They come alive and have struggles of their own.
This is such a good story, “Jaben’s Rift” gets a score of 4.9 stars! 
Picture
You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Far-Land-Jabens-Rift-Book-ebook 
https://www.goodreads.com/-jaben-s-rift 
This book was originally published as “From a Far Land (Jaben’s Rift, #1)” with a slightly different cover.

My review of a second book by the author: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/redemptions-edge 
My review of a third book by the author: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/three-blood-prince 


You can follow the author: 
https://twitter.com/gdavidwalker 
https://gdavidwalker.com 
https://www.facebook.com/Far-Land-Trilogy-Jabens-Rift 
https://www.facebook.com/gdavidwalker 
https://www.goodreads.com/G_David_Walker 
 
Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction.
92 Comments
David link
8/2/2020 09:59:23 am

Mark,
Thank you for such kind words. I'm very happy that you enjoyed the first part of Jason's journey. And thank you also for your eagle eyes and letting me know about those issues (which have since been corrected and the revised manuscript uploaded). You have a gift.

Reply
Mark
8/2/2020 10:09:33 am

You are welcome, David. There is a giftedness involved. The spelling errors jump off the page and challenge me to fight. I have been educating myself about other aspects of the English language for quite a while now.
I really enjoyed your book. I laughed in quite a few places.
First question.
Please, tell us more about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

Reply
David link
8/2/2020 10:26:46 am

Well, there's really not much to tell. My bio has all the interesting bits. I was born in Kansas and by the time I left fourth grade I was living in my 9th town in my 3rd state. Much like Jason, I ended up in strange places a lot, lol. My adoptive father was in construction, so we moved around a lot to wherever the work was. I tend to have this weird dichotomy of hating to be the center of attention but despising being ignored. I was born too late the be the writer I wanted to be, the kind who sits in a corner writing while other people do the marketing and promo. The struggle is real, lol. I love a good discussion, but hate that we seem to have come to a point where no one knows how to engage with others who might have different opinions except to scream at them, call them names, unfriend them on social media, etc... I'm an adherent to the phrase, "I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Okay, well, maybe not "to the death" but you get the idea. ;-)

David link
8/2/2020 10:34:31 am

I really hate when my fingers type a different word than I'm thinking.
"I was born too late TO be the writer I wanted to be..."

Mark
8/2/2020 10:50:22 am

We have a lot in common, David. Though, my step-dad never adopted me or my two younger sisters. Wanting to be loved and accepted is a powerful human desire. Many of us are afraid to be in the limelight because we think others will see our flaws.
It's only too late when you are at room temperature. The day of others handling the promotion and marketing of a book is mostly over. The publishing industry has been turned inside out and upside down by Amazon. The number of traditional publishers has shrunk dramatically in the last decade. It will never be the same.
You are the writer that you are.
I am like you, I like a reasonable discussion, I can't stand the rancor and bitter anger that has replaced talking with another person. I have withdrawn from vituperative public discourse.
New questions.
Are you a full-time or part-time writer?
Are you in the writing business for love of writing or for money?

Reply
David link
8/2/2020 11:15:33 am

Yes, today's publishing is certainly different from what it once was. Authors today must wear a number of different hats, particularly if they choose the self-publishing route, as I did. But even with traditional publishers, the author is largely responsible for the promotion of their material (unless the publishing house thinks they've got the next Stephen King, John Grisham, or J.K. Rowling on their hands). It makes it a little more difficult for those of us who aren't as comfortable putting ourselves out there. But, it is a necessary part of the biz these days; it's unavoidable.
I am a part-time writer. So far, the writing income isn't quite paying the bills, so I've been a programmer for the last 15 years as my main job. Someday, though (*gazing at the sky with my fingers crossed*).
Love or money? Hmm. I do enjoy writing. My goal when writing a story is to allow the reader to leave their problems behind for a while, even if it's just for a few hours. Everyone needs a break from this crazy world once in a while and I hope my books will provide that. I have a Word doc with over 40 pages of ideas and snippets for stories. It's just a matter of getting to it. After a day of programming, my brain is pretty fried. Some nights I just can't seem to get anything down on paper. I recognize that's mainly an issue of self-discipline and I'm working on it.
On the other hand, I would love to be able to make enough from my writing to do it full-time (are you listening movie studios??). So, love of writing or love of money? For now, it's love of writing ('cuz the money ain't there yet, lol), but for an honest answer, I'd have to say the end goal is both.

Reply
Mark
8/2/2020 01:30:18 pm

No doubt about that. The applecart of publishing is upside down and the apples are rolling around in the street.
There are many different hats, not just the marketing hat. If an author doesn't have a cover making hat then they must learn to make one or have one made for them.
Reading is a pure form of escapism for me and many others. We want to be encouraged, entertained, frightened, enlightened, romanced, and made to laugh in turn.
I encourage authors to set aside an hour, two or three to write daily as much as possible. I know that life sometimes has other plans for us. I also encourage the indie author to set dedicate an hour or two every week or every other week to focus on marketing. There are so many different ways to market a book.
New questions.
Does your work, or past work if you are retired, have any influence on your writing?
What inspired you to write this book?
Why did you choose this genre, or do you feel the genre chose you?

David link
8/2/2020 02:29:30 pm

Very appropriate that you brought up the cover art. I did the first two versions of the covers for the trilogy myself originally. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. When I decided to rename the trilogy and the books, I contacted a graphic art company (pronounced: people who know what they’re doing), and I’m very pleased with their work. I can definitely tell the difference between pro work and amateur. I’ll be using them again for a book I hope to release later this month (or at the very least, early in September), also fantasy, called Redemption’s Edge.
The only real influence my work has on my writing is to motivate me to write faster, lol. But seriously, since my focus is more on fantasy than sci-fi, working on program code doesn’t really have a lot of elements to incorporate into that kind of story. If I do a sci-fi story with the right plot line, then it might help a little.
I started working on Jaben’s Rift quite a few years back. It was actually originally published in 2010. At the time I started working on it, I was an AutoCAD draftsman, and I was just looking for something to do in my spare time. Working toward a career in writing wasn’t part of the picture back then and I wasn't in any hurry to finish it. I wrote a bit here and a bit there as the mood struck. It was just something to do. As I got further into the story, I decided to turn it into a full-length book. Then, it got a little more involved, and it became a trilogy. So, now I’ll be releasing another fantasy this month or next, and I’m working on two other books at the moment, one an urban fantasy, and one a light sci-fi. I say “light” because it’s actually based here on Earth, but involves essentially immortal aliens who had their memories wiped and were exiled to Earth for crimes on their home world. Not a lot of sci-fi other than their backstory. The working title is Sentence: Terra. The fantasy story I’m currently working on also takes place on Earth. It has my kids as the main characters (names changed to protect the not-so-innocent) and several other family members, myself included. It revolves around the Seelie and Unseelie Courts of Celtic mythology. I’m hoping for a trilogy out of that one too, but I’m still plotting it out.
I started out with fantasy because, in fantasy, when you’re creating an entire world, you make up the rules. Good sci-fi, even if on a different world, still has to follow some basic rules and there’s always someone out there smarter than the author willing to point out inconsistencies, lol. So, whether you use warp drive, like on Star Trek, or something a little more realistic for space travel, as in the Ender’s Game series, someone is watching you very closely. Of course, once you establish the rules in fantasy, you have to stay consistent in following them also.
I grew up watching Star Trek and reading tons of sci-fi and fantasy books. I am a Trekkie, although not a Trekker. If you’re wondering what the difference is, a Trekker can quote engine specs for the warp engines from the Enterprise Engineering Manual. A Trekkie just wants to be beamed up and go someplace, lol. I like fantasy because I enjoy escapism. I see enough of this world, I want to explore others, and I invite my readers to explore them with me.

Mark
8/2/2020 06:16:26 pm

Besides the stories that are begging to be told, you are motivated by building a library or back list, which is good. The more books you write and publish the more fans you will have and the more opportunities for expansion by going wide, world wide or other formats by licensing. The longer your books are available the more you will sell. It is an issue of endurance and keeping at it.
AutoCad is an amazing program. When I was a sheet metal worker I took an 8 hour class and was almost able to draw a box at the end of the class. I was tremendously impressed by how powerful the program was.
Sci-fi is my favorite genre with fantasy a close second. I love stories about time travel and dragons, it's a bonus when they are in the same book, like in the Pern series. Your sci-fi story sounds good.
World building and the rule making that goes along with has to be a lot of fun.
You are so correct about sci-fi, somebody is always looking for the inconsistencies within a story.
I grew up on Star Trek also, but I didn't know about the difference between trekkies and trekkers. This is the first time I have heard the term, trekker.
New questions.
You already mentioned self-designing the first covers of your trilogy and how happy you are with the new covers you had made. Who designed the cover of your book? Feel free to drop a link if appropriate.
What do the elements on the cover represent?

Reply
David link
8/3/2020 08:46:12 am

The covers were done by MiblArt (https://miblart.com/). I was very pleased with the design and their quick turnaround time. I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do with the next book.
The composition of the cover is actually a bit of an amalgamation of several different scenes in the book. The overall representation is of Jason’s original arrival in Teleria. However, the castle viewed through the portal is Lore’s Haven, which he doesn’t actually see from the outside until later in the story. The bird is his avian companion, Crin. Crin also doesn’t become an integral part of the story until a while after Jason’s arrival. I just wanted him on the cover.
I may have the differences between “Trekkie” and “Trekker” backward. One is more into the technical aspects of the science, the other basically just wants to go for a ride around the solar system, lol. However, Star Trek, and indeed almost any sci-fi, was and is about possibilities and sometimes, as with dystopian sci-fi, about consequences. I gravitated toward the possibility-oriented sci-fi, imagining a future where we’ve resolved our issues and solved the problems facing our world. Star Trek was groundbreaking in that regard. The original series, aired in the 60s, had the most ethnically diverse bridge crew in U.S. television history to that point. The show dealt with a multitude of societal issues like racism, class warfare, inequality, bigotry of all kinds, poverty, hunger, disease, etc... And it did it in a way that often made us question our own beliefs and choices. It looked at these issues from a more enlightened point of view and did it with thoughtfulness, introspection, and sometimes humor.
Time travel, if done correctly, is a fun little plot device to play with because it also allows the author to explore different possibilities and different outcomes caused by our decisions, both large and small. The movie that comes to my mind (other than Back to the Future) is The Butterfly Effect. I found that to be an interesting story because it explored how the tiniest changes to the timeline can grow into life-altering changes. It kind of makes you wonder how the choices we make today are going to affect us ten or twenty years down the road, or allows us to look back and examine how a choice we made that long ago has shaped who, what, and where we are today.

Reply
Mark
8/3/2020 09:50:42 am

Thank you for sharing that link. There are a lot of talented people out there.
Gene Roddenberry was far ahead of his time with Star Trek. I loved that show as a kid.
I do enjoy time travel stories, it's my favorite sub-genre of sci-fi. The possibility of time travel is still debated by many. Some dismiss it outright because we have seen no credible evidence of time travelers in our time coming from the future.
I am nearing 67 years old, I can see the effect of some of my decisions from much earlier in my life. There is always a consequence to a choice is quite real for me.
New questions.
Was it hard to come up with the title? What was the process?
Were the character names difficult to develop? How did you choose them?

David link
8/3/2020 10:47:34 am

Time travel is fun to play with and debate, but it has its share of problems. For example, the “grandfather paradox” wherein, if you were to go back in time and somehow cause the death of your own grandfather before your parent was born, how would you ever exist? And if you never existed, then you wouldn’t have been able to cause his death, and back and forth. I would never say it’s “impossible” as so many of the things we once thought were impossible are commonplace now, but time will tell (get it? lol) I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that at some point we might be able to “view” the past rather than actually travel to it. After all, we do that already (viewing the past) when we’re looking at the stars. We’re seeing them as they existed when their light began the years-long and centuries-long journey to Earth rather than as they are at this moment in time. Some of those tiny points of light we see tonight might not even exist anymore. And, regarding the lack of time travelers from our own future, I would imagine if they’re technologically advanced enough to time travel, then concealing themselves from our detection is probably child’s play, and may even be mandated to avoid changing their own timeline. Like I said, it’s an interesting topic, and I enjoy discussions on it so long as it doesn’t move into quantum physics and the like, where I am woefully out of my depth.
Jaben’s Rift began as a general “what if” discussion with a co-worker. I had the glimmerings of a story, and then just spitballed a title. The title is actually how Jason Bennett got his name because I needed the similarities between his name and Jaben in order to generate the confusion and suspicion we see on the part of the Circle. The product today is the result of a circular journey. The story originally began as “Jaben’s Rift.” When I decided to turn it into a trilogy, I called it the Jaben’s Rift trilogy and the first book was titled “From a Far Land” which is part of the prophecy central to the story. I’m afraid the full meaning behind that doesn’t get explained until the end of the third book (*evil laugh*). Then, when I recently decided to rename the trilogy and the books, book one became “Jaben’s Rift” once again, with the trilogy becoming The Far Land Trilogy.
Character names. I wish I could say I had some clever way of coming up with the names, but really, for the most part, I just start making strange sounds with my mouth until something sounds like it might lead to a name, lol. Then I start working on spelling and revisions until I find a result I like.
Bothan McFarland’s name was chosen for a reason, but as far as the Telerian names, they were just hit and miss. There are fantasy name generators online that I’ve used for inspiration before, but I’ve never gotten an actual name that I’ve used from one.

Mark
8/3/2020 11:20:00 am

The grandfather paradox is much discussed. Some writers deliberately break that. "Man In the Empty Suit" by Sean Ferrell comes to mind. I reviewed it at the end of July, 2017.
Quantum physics is a fascinating topic also. Some scientists recently did a time travel experiment using quantum bits and said that the timeline is self-healing at that level.
I love how an idea has grown into an entire world. Great story.
New questions.
What other books and genres have you written?
Have you entered any writing contests?
Have you won awards of any kind for your writing?

Reply
David link
8/3/2020 11:55:29 am

I once thought I had the grandfather paradox resolved by using the theory of the multiverse, but there were still problems even with that model. It’s a fun topic. Just thinking about it during this discussion has led me to a place where the universe is sentient and prevents altering the past by creating “temporal antibodies” to attack time travelers (temporal viruses?) who may interfere with past events. That would go along with the self-healing timeline you mentioned. Thus, time travel becomes an “enter at your own peril” venture. Fun, fun.
Other than one, the three books comprising The Far Land Trilogy are the only books I’ve actually put “out there” so far. The other is self-help book entitled “Life 2.0” which I recently released. As mentioned earlier, I’ll be releasing Redemption’s Edge within a few weeks. My biggest flaw is that I’m a slow writer. Full time brain-frying job, two kids, etc, etc… Now that the kids are almost grown and will be moving out eventually, I’m hoping I can get more writing done. Plus, I have good starts on those two other books I mentioned. I admit, I envy those writers who can crank out four, five, even six or more books each year.
Unfortunately, my inner critic (to paraphrase: We have met the enemy and he is us) has prevented me from entering any contests so far. Thus, no awards have been received. However, I may enter Redemption’s Edge in one or two just to see what happens.

Reply
Mark
8/3/2020 12:07:30 pm

Interesting thoughts. That reminds me of a mis-phrased song title, "I am the Virus (Walrus).
Having a full life means the writing is slower, family comes first. While we don't know the future, it's important to be invested in the present as it seems necessary.
I am in awe of people who put out multiple volumes a year also. It's a good strategy to build the back list, though.
We all struggle with the inner critic, I call him the inner liar. His purpose seems to be to tear me down at every opportunity.
New questions.
I noticed that your book is in Kindle Unlimited. How is that working out for you? How many books have you put in KU?
Have you ever gone through the query process, seeking an agent or submitting directly to publishers or did you go straight to indie publishing or self-publishing, and why?

David link
8/3/2020 01:27:35 pm

Currently, all four books (The three Far Land Trilogy books and Life 2.0) are available via KU and KOLL (Kindle Owners’ Lending Library). It tends to come in waves. It’s interesting checking the pages read stats from time to time. Amazon tracks the page reads in KU and KOLL and pays the authors a percentage out of Amazon’s KDP Select Global Fund, the amount of which varies from month to month. So, readers can read free and the authors still make a little for their work. Additionally, since this seems a good point to bring it up, Jaben’s Rift will be free for Kindle starting tomorrow through Saturday (8/4 – 8/8).
I think I submitted Jaben’s Rift to a half dozen or so agents, back when it was first written and called From a Far Land. Got some interest from one agency, but it didn’t pan out. I’m not the type to submit to 100 different agents. I truly admire those with that kind of perseverance and patience, but it’s just not me. Plus, with the landscape of the publishing world undergoing the transformation it was in at the time, I just figured I’d get the book out there and move on to book two. I did send Redemption’s Edge off to Tor/Forge about 5 ½ months ago. They’re one of the rare “bigger” publishers that will accept submissions directly from authors. Haven’t heard anything back, so I’ll go ahead and put it out there myself and move on to the next books.
The thing is, in today’s publishing world, the pros and cons of self-publishing vs traditional publishing almost offset each other. Traditional publishing probably still wins out, but Indie publishing is closing ground quickly. And with more and more of the marketing work falling on the shoulders of the author, more authors are choosing Indie. We can hire editors and eagle-eyed proofreaders, such as yourself. We can commission cover art. If we choose to, we can even publish print versions of our work that get listed in the catalogs bookstores order from to stock their shelves. And then, if we can generate the sales, the royalty rates for indie are miles higher than from traditional publishing. On the downside of that, indie publishing doesn’t offer any advances on books, like traditional publishing houses do, but even the amounts of those advances are coming down and in almost all cases the author doesn’t make any additional money until they’ve “earned out” their advance, which means they’ve sold enough books for their earned royalties to cover any advance they were paid. On top of that, traditional publishers often want to see that authors have already built a following before they’ll show any real interest.
An example of that is Amanda Hocking. After numerous rejections, she went the self-pub route. She made over $2 million in Kindle sales before a publishing house offered her a multi-million dollar contract. Hugh Howey, the author of the Silo series, was also quite successful as an Indie before signing with a traditional publisher. It’s not to say these were overnight Indie success stories. There was a lot of hard work and rejections involved in their stories. But it does show it’s at least possible.

Mark
8/3/2020 03:08:56 pm

I am glad to hear that Jaben's Rift will be free starting On Tuesday, August 4th through the 8th. That is wonderful.
You are very right about the publishing world changing. A big thank you to Amazon for that. I don't think the changes are done either. There has been a tremendous contraction of the large, traditional publishers and the smaller ones also. I think that will continue because the profit margins are so slim now and have been for quite a long time.
The advances are mostly gone also, just like you described. Not only that, the publisher may decide that next year will be better for a particular book and decide not to release it until then. That means no sales and probably no advance also. The author can get a lot of nothing for the privilege of giving up many of their Intellectual Property rights for the length of time specified in the contract.
If the agent or publisher has a shady side, the author may lose all of their IP rights for a very long time, if not forever. That in my mind is the worst scam.
There is a new business model taking shape, Brandon Sanderson used a Kickstarter to raise several million dollars to publish a deluxe bound edition of one of his books. Here is a copy-and-paste link: https://kriswrites.com/2020/07/29/business-musings-the-kickstarted-game-changer-part-three-licensing-copyright-contracts/
Rusch and her husband offer a class on how to run a kickstarter. This might be the final nail in the coffin for many more traditional publishers.
New questions.
What are the main advantages of being self-published as opposed to getting a book deal?
Do you think independent publishers can produce a book as good as mainstream publishers?

Reply
David link
8/3/2020 07:25:34 pm

In my opinion, there are a number of advantages to Indie publishing.
Time: Almost as fast as you can write it and edit it, you can publish it. With traditional publishers, you could wait up to a year, maybe even more, before you see your book for sale.
Control: You call all the shots, from the story line, to the cover art, even how much to charge for it. A content editor for a traditional publisher may tell you that you should do something else with a character, scene, or plot line, even if you don’t agree. You get little if any input on the cover art, and the publisher sets the price and, via contract agreements, your royalty percentage.
And speaking of royalties: With a traditional publishing house, your best rate may be 10%-15% of the retail price, depending upon the format and genre. Using Amazon KDP for comparison, the royalty rate for the author is either 30% or 70% for Kindle books depending upon the retail price.
Possibly most important: diversity of stories. Let’s be honest, publishing houses are in the biz to make money, so they’re going to lean toward the more “marketable” stories. That’s why you’ll sometimes hear them referred to as “gatekeepers.” With Indie publishing, there are no limits. You can put anything you want in your stories, and the market itself will decide what it likes. Remember, J.K Rowling was rejected many times before someone finally took a (very profitable) chance on Harry Potter.
Now, to be fair, there are also some aspects to Indie publishing that some might consider “downsides.” Total control means everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is up to you. Editing, proofreading, cover art, any illustrations, formatting, uploading, and more. All of that and their associated costs (if you have someone else do them) are up to you. The cost comes out of your pocket (consider it an investment in yourself). As far as marketing, that’s going to fall mainly on the author’s shoulders either way.
There are no advances with Indie publishing either. With a traditional publisher, typical first-time author advances these days are running anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to twenty thousand, maybe more if they really like your stuff or if you have name recognition to drive sales. So, you get that cash up front (usually in installments), whereas in Indie publishing, you have to make the sale of the final product before you see the income.
Do I think independent publishers can produce a book as good as mainstream publishers? Absolutely, especially now that Indie publishing is coming out of the shadows and losing some of the stigma it used to have. Today’s Indie authors are taking the time to hone their craft and really learn the business. They’re investing in editors, proofreaders, graphic artists and more to make sure they’re putting out the very best product possible. As good as mainstream? Oh yeah. In some cases, even better. Unfortunately, there’s still a bit of disdain some have toward Indie published novels, especially among some reviewers, contests, and best seller lists. It’s really unfortunate because they’re only preventing themselves from enjoying some really well done stories and material that the big publishing houses might consider too “outside the box” for them to take a chance on. I mentioned Amanda Hocking and Hugh Howey in my previous answer. They were Indie before being signed. Let’s be honest, they didn’t just suddenly take some writing courses and became “good enough” to be traditionally published. They proved that they were good enough to be traditionally published while they were still Indie. They’re not alone. There are a lot of good writers out there just waiting to be discovered.

Reply
Mark
8/3/2020 07:35:39 pm

Great answer! You nailed it. With traditional publishing you lose so much control, get less money and do the marketing. That is it in a nutshell.
New questions.
What are the three most important considerations for an independent author to be certain of when signing a contract with an independent or hybrid publisher?
If a new writer asked you for one piece of advice to be a good writer what would you say?

David link
8/3/2020 08:38:53 pm

Let me preface this by reminding everyone that I’m self-published, so I’ve never actually dealt with a publisher of any kind other than KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) which is more of a process than an actual publishing house.
Have said that…
Number one, without a doubt is, if the publisher requires you to pay any of your own money to them (for example, you purchasing a set number of copies of your own book) before they’ll publish your book, turn around and run for the exit. Some publishers offer services such as editing or graphics that you can purchase, but always at your own discretion. You can have them do it, contract the work out to someone else, or do it yourself. The big traditional houses will have all of that done in-house at no cost to you, but some of the smaller publishers may offer them as paid services. The bottom line is that the money always flows FROM the publisher TO the author. Anything that REQUIRES an investment from you to the publisher before they’ll publish your book is a scam. It's what's commonly known as a vanity press. Run away.
Make sure you understand the royalty structure, payment process, and their reporting schedule. Royalty rates often vary based upon the number of sales. You’ll need to be able to read the reports to verify your payments, and you’ll want to know when to check your bank account (or mailbox) for your royalty payments.
If they offer an advance, make sure there are no provisions where you might be required to return it. Most of the time, advances, once paid, never have to be returned, but it’s not unheard of. Don’t get caught by surprise.
One additional item: Make sure you understand the publisher’s returns policy. That is, what happens if a customer buys the book but then returns it? Does that come out of your proceeds or does the publisher eat the cost? This can often be based upon the length of time between when the book was first published and when the customer returned it. Ideally, there would never be any returns, but there usually are at least a few. This also includes unsold copies bookstores may return to the publisher.
One piece of advice for a new writer? Oh my. I’m not sure if there is only one piece. If I had to pick the most important, I’d say hone your craft. Make sure you’re doing everything possible to put out the best product you can. Don’t rush it and put out a half-finished product. Take courses, either online or in person. Watch videos. Read blogs. Read books, both on the craft of writing as well as books in your own genre. Make note of what you like in the genre books, what the author did well. Read not just for enjoyment, but to analyze what works and what doesn’t, and then incorporate what you learn into your own writing.
Okay, no. I can’t stop at one, sorry. Grow a thick, THICK skin. No matter how good the material you put out is, someone will tell you they hate it. Hopefully, they'll be a little more tactful than that, but it happens. Be prepared. No story appeals to everyone. And, quite frankly, that person giving you the one-star review may actually be another author trying to bring you down (or at least your average rating). It’s sad that there are people out there who feel the need to be derogatory toward something just because it’s not their cup of tea, or because they need to attack the “competition,” but again, it happens. Don’t get discouraged. If more people like it than don’t, you’re doing just fine.
If at all possible, invest in editing, cover art and proofreading. I say “if at all possible” because, although investing in those services is worth every single penny, sometimes those pennies can be a little hard to come by or are needed for other bills and expenses. But if you can scrape enough extra pennies together, professional third-party editing/proofreading and good cover art can make the difference between someone buying your book and/or recommending it or not. Trust me, you will never find all of your own mistakes. You know your story too well. You need impartial eyes to find the little things.
I’ll stop there.

David link
8/3/2020 08:41:12 pm

As if to prove my point, I even went back and reread my answers before posting them, and still missed this:
Have said that...
Should be
Having said that...
*sigh*

Mark
8/4/2020 10:01:28 am

That is great advice! Run away from a vanity publisher. Make sure you understand the royalty structure. Be certain about all provisions of an advance. Who will pay for the returns? Those are all important things. It sounds to me like having a lawyer would be essential for an author considering a publishing contract. There are a lot of very sad stories coming from authors who did not get a contract.
Your advice to a new author is spot on. Learn the craft. The more money that a writer invests in themselves and their book will pay off in the long run. There are some well-seasoned editors who will tell a new writer presenting their first novel to put it in a drawer and write the next book. The first book is such a learning process, the second book is always so much better than the first book.
A thick skin is absolutely necessary. I tell authors that they need at least one bad review. If nothing else, it proves that all of the good reviews aren't coming from their mom and her cats. Trolls delight in leaving a bad review, sometimes they even admit to not reading the book. Those reviews are obvious and deserve no response ever. Other negative reviews can actually be helpful, occasionally. They need careful consideration because they might have exposed a minor flaw. Every book has an audience, it also has a non-audience, those that the book is not written for. Every once in a great while a non-fan will read a book and they won't enjoy it, they may not even finish it. That poor review is not a worry also.
I will speak to editing and proofreading. They are very important. I read and promote a book almost every week of the year. I find spelling errors in all of those books. Once a year, I find a book without spelling errors; unless I had already proofread it. This average of one book a year has held for the last 5 years.
New questions.
Is using Twitter and other social media part of your marketing strategy?
How was the experience publishing your book with Amazon?

Reply
David link
8/4/2020 11:04:22 am

Yes, reviews can be a tricky field to navigate, knowing which ones to pay attention to or not. One thing I would say is, if you see multiple reviewers raising the same issue(s), even if the reviews are mostly positive, you might want to look into what they’re saying to see if it’s something that can be improved. On the other hand, I once got a one-star review which read “It was horible (sic). I want to die.” Needless to say, I didn’t lose a lot of sleep over that “review,” one-star or not.
An online presence is as close to a “must have” as anything in the author arsenal. If a reader finds an author whose writing they enjoy, they often want to have a way to “connect” to the author, to keep up to date on new material coming out in the future or get information on other books and stories the author may have written in the past. This can be done via a website (another “must have,” even if it’s just a blog) or through social media.
Regardless how one may feel about social media, it’s very important to at least have a presence on it, as the vast majority if your readers will look for you there. Personally, I have a Facebook author page, a Facebook page for the Far Land Trilogy, and a Twitter author page. The one problem I’m seeing on social media, particularly Twitter, is the almost overload of posts and tweets. With Twitter, I can’t get the image out of my head of throwing a snowball into an avalanche and hoping someone farther down the mountain can spot my snowball as the avalanche rumbles past. But, even if that’s a valid observation, anything that allows your readers to connect with you, get information from you, or reach out to you is helpful. If they like Twitter, they’re going to look for you there, so you probably need to be there. As I’ve stated before, my biggest problem is my discomfort at the feeling that I’m pushing myself into someone’s face. It’s something that I’ll need to work on.
Publishing via Amazon is remarkably easy to do, and it’s free. They have lots of materials and tutorials you can use to walk you through the process. I originally did the trilogy when KDP (Kindle) and CreateSpace (print) were separate entities in Amazon. (They’ve since rolled the two together.) Life 2.0 was done after they combined the two services, and I believe it was even easier than before. Based upon their processes, for most people, the hardest thing they’ll actually have to do is to write the book.
I will point out that Amazon like to get their authors into Kindle Select, which means the ebook is exclusive to Amazon, no publishing it on other platforms like Smashwords or Barnes & Noble. Print can be done anywhere, but Amazon likes to keep the ebooks on their platform. It’s not a requirement, but make sure you read the “fine print” when your creating your ebook if you plan to also publish it elsewhere.

Reply
David link
8/4/2020 11:21:02 am

Yes, I see them. I really hate typos. :-/ lol

Mark
8/4/2020 12:56:23 pm

I certainly agree with you about having an online presence. A lot of authors are on twitter and a lot of readers are two, often they are the same. Writers also read. There is a strong movement to support indie authors among authors.
According to many mavens, a website is essential for an author. Perhaps the most important part is to have a means for fans to signup for a newsletter. These are readers who want to know as much about the author's books as possible. Fans need to be encouraged and cultivated. Some publishers won't talk to an author unless they have a mailing list of a few thousand. This represents some guaranteed sales to the publisher.
That picture of a snowball in an avalanche is apt. One way to work around that is to encourage people to click on the bell icon on your Twitter account, then the fan will be notified of your tweets.
I understand that discomfort. The thing that helped me get over it a little bit is that people want to hear what I am offering, otherwise they wouldn't follow me. So I try to offer a mix of information and humor.
While Amazon is the biggest part of online book sales, there are many other platforms. I recommend that authors go wide, because there are a significant number of people who refuse to do business with Amazon, they shop on other platforms. It seems to be the best move in the long term according to very successful authors.
New questions.
Have you thought about offering a large-print edition of your books?
Have you thought about doing an audio book?

Reply
David link
8/4/2020 01:51:18 pm

At the time I was publishing the trilogy, ebooks were the up and coming next big thing, so I was focused more on the ebook formatting than anything else. The print versions came after, but I have to admit, a large print version of the trilogy never came to mind. It may be because about 75% of fantasy readers are 50 and under based on market studies. Readers above that age tend to gravitate more toward horror, mystery, biographies, history, and memoirs. With the under 50 crowd also being the largest users of ebooks, most of which allow the user to adjust the font size, a large print fantasy didn’t seem like a priority. Even today, studies show more older adults than ever are using ebooks, partially for the ease of use. They don’t have to try to separate pages for turning, they simply tap or swipe a screen. That, plus the ability to adjust the font size to your own personal preference is bringing more of the 50+ crowd over to ereaders or ereader apps. Of course, it is something to keep in mind should Jason Bennett ever take his place beside Harry Potter.
It’s a similar story with the audiobooks, albeit with a possibly different ending. When the trilogy was first published, audiobooks were more of a fringe medium. However, recent trends indicate that the audiobook market share is going to be growing over the next decade or two. But even knowing that, the average price of creating an audiobook can be from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending upon the quality and number of words in the book. That’s quite a few pennies to scrape together, especially for a poor author who has to rearrange his budget to come up with a couple hundred dollars for cover art, lol. Still, if the trends are to be trusted, it may be something I’ll have to start saving towards.

Reply
Mark
8/4/2020 02:43:31 pm

Not nearly enough authors are involved with market studies. Good job.
Audio books are exploding world wide, especially in third world countries. Very many of those countries use English as the official language of government and commerce. English is taught in the schools from the early years. In the last decade many of those countries have brought the internet in and a bulk of the citizens access the internet through their cell phone. English audio books have seen serious growth in those markets and many others also.
Yes, it can be quite expensive to have an audio book made. Many posts have been written about that. I have links to a number of them on my Highly Regarded Blogs page. Search Penn and audio books, that will get you started. She even wrote a blog about DIY audio books.
For another angle on audio books, I had the pleasure of having a man who makes audio books during one of my interviews. Here is the link if you are interested. https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/heir-to-a-prophecy-by-mercedes-rochelle-narrated-by-kevin-e-green Copy and paste or search in the box below.
An audio book could be a good subject for a kickstarter. That would be more effective if you have a newsletter and a mailing list, of course.
New questions.
Do you have a favorite book by another author or just favorite authors?
Did you have a favorite book as a child?

David link
8/4/2020 03:48:58 pm

Thanks for the link to the info on the audiobooks. I’ll have to check it out.
My favorite books are the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever series by Stephen R. Donaldson. Most I’ve heard who have read this series either absolutely love it or simply can’t stand it. To each his own, right? It does have its dark moments, but I think his world building in the series is extraordinary. I can see some of his influences in the Far Land trilogy, although the way Covenant gets to the Land is a little different than how Jason travels to Teleria. Some others I’ve enjoyed over the years have been the Chronicles of the Cheysuli series by Jennifer Roberson (I also liked her Sword Dancer saga), the Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony, the Ender’s Game books by Orson Scott Card, 1984 by Orwell and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Oh, and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books by Douglas Adams. Mustn’t forget those.
As far as a book from my childhood, the only one I can really remember involves a human boy raised by aliens, but I can’t remember the title for the life of me. Oh, and Charlotte’s Web. I read that more than once when I was younger.
I’ve read a wide range of different titles and authors over the years, but my favorites have almost always been fantasy or science fiction.

Mark
8/4/2020 05:41:35 pm

The Thomas Covenant series were a favorite of mine for quite a long time. They were displaced by The Dragon Riders of Pern by McCaffrey.
I was in awe of the world created by Donaldson also. It was very rich! Yes, it had some dark moments also.
I read Atlas Shrugged and at least one more of Rand's books. But I never got around to reading Adams' book. When my friends were reading that I was reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. I read a lot of Asimov's works including Foundation, I loved that series. Frank Herbert's Dune was really good for me also. I went on to read the next eight books or so.
We both have read widely and science fiction and fantasy are my top two favorite genres in that order.
New questions.
Which of your books is your favorite, and why?
Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?

Reply
David link
8/4/2020 06:33:29 pm

I enjoyed the Pern series as well as the Dune series, although with Dune, I have to say around God Emperor of Dune I started losing interest. Although, I did still like it enough to be outraged by the 1984 movie adaptation, lol. I understand there’s another adaptation slated to be released in December of this year, so we’ll see how that one does. Another series I liked, which I forgot to mention in my last answer, was the Elric of Melniboné series by Michael Moorcock.
Okay, new questions. My favorite book of my own is always going to be the most recent one I’m working on or ready to release. That’s because I see writing as an ongoing learning process. Each writer has their own strengths and weaknesses. For me, each new book is an opportunity to enhance my strengths and work on my weaknesses, so I feel like the writing is going to be better with each successive story. I’ve also forced myself to get out of a bad habit I developed when writing Jaben’s Rift. Every time I would sit down to work on it, I would read everything I’d written before. Everything. By the time it was done, I’d probably read the entire book, in whole or in part, at least 60 times. I was tired of looking at it, lol. Now I’ll still read the most recent chapter or two to get back into the flow of the story, but that’s better than the entire book up to that point!
Energizing or tiring? I’ve heard other writers say similar things akin to what I’m about to say. When I begin a new book, I’m out of the gate like a race horse. I’ll blow through the first ten or twenty thousand words, full of energy and enthusiasm. But the further I get into it, the slower it seems to come out until, by the end, it’s almost like slogging through mud. I’m sure part of that is because I’m more of a “pantser” than a “plotter” so I spend a significant amount of time while writing wondering “where do I go from here?” I do know the major points of the story, points A, B, C & D, but how the characters get from point A to point B is often up in the air. I like to say, sometimes I write just to find out what happens next. So, I’d say it both energizes me (in the beginning) and tires me out (by the end).
I’m not sure any “healing” or “spiritual” component accompanies the actual writing process for me. I mean, it’s very satisfying to write that last line, or the words “The End,” but the biggest boost I get is when someone tells me they couldn’t put it down, or that they were completely engrossed in the story. Those types of comments let me know that I helped that person get away from Earth for a while. My writing helped them forget what they saw on the news or the bad day they had at work. For me, that’s the main goal, and I can’t think of anything more satisfying, healing, or spiritual than that when it comes to my stories.

Reply
Mark
8/4/2020 08:26:49 pm

I don't recall reading anything by Moorcock.
I have heard many writers say something similar to what you said. I can really understand why it would get tiring. Here are two ideas.
First, since you are more of a pantster, by your own admission (there goes a couple of questions out the window), write an outline of each chapter after you write it. Make it as detailed as you need it to be a refresher.
Second, when you are writing stop in the middle of a chapter, even though you know exactly what you want to say. When you come back to it, the words will very likely flow out of your fingers and onto the screen. Make a short note when you stop so you don't have to worry about losing the ideas.
Knowing that someone has benefitted from your writing is a wonderful feeling. I love that feeling also.
New questions.
Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?
Has your life turned out differently than expected or planned?

David link
8/5/2020 09:19:57 am

Readers can only immerse themselves into a story if they can connect to it and to the characters living out the events in the story. And to connect with a character means the reader has to care what happens to that character. If the reader doesn’t care what happens to your protagonist, they’re not going to be reading that particular story for very long, and even if they read the entire thing, they’ll forget it fairly quickly. The way you get your readers to care about your MC (main character) and other characters is by allowing them to see the emotions of your characters, allowing them to empathize and connect with your characters. You show the characters fears, flaws, quirks, anything that a reader might see and go, “Oh yeah, I feel that way too!” The best, most memorable stories create connections between the characters and the readers. They evoke emotional responses from the readers, and the only way to do that is to show the emotions of the characters. Even the minor characters. There’s a scene in Jaben’s Rift involving a minor “throw away” character who gets killed that I still to this day have a hard time reading, simply because, even though she was a minor character, I still knew all about her and what kind of person she was. Authors have to know their characters “intimately” in order to show the characters’ emotions to the readers. Without emotion, a story has no life.
Has my life turned out as planned? I had to chuckle a little bit at that one. My first thought was, does anybody’s? John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Truer words were never spoken. I suppose the biggest detail to that question would be to specify when the “planning” was done. If we’re talking about plans made when we were kids, I’d say very few kids grew up to be cowboys, doctors, firefighters, circus performers, etc… To be fair, some did, but that’s probably a very low percentage. Even the plans we make in high school and college usually end up getting changed due to some “plot twist” that happens in our lives. I never planned to be a writer, but that’s what the “plan” is now. I did have a strong interest in computers and programming in high school and that was my first major in college. But that changed, and I went through a merry-go-round of careers before finally ending up as a programmer some three and a half decades after graduating from tech school with an associate degree in auto body repair. Throw in working in Las Vegas casinos, playing in a rock band (planned to be famous there too), running a family retail business, working on a production line and as an AutoCAD Special Projects draftsman, and it’s been quite the ride. To be fully honest, my “plan” was to be a wealthy philanthropist by now, but we see where those plans led, lol.

Mark
8/5/2020 11:16:46 am

That is a great answer to the importance of tapping into the emotions of your characters. We are creatures with deep emotions as we live out our daily lives. The connections we have with other people must have an emotional context of one kind or another in order to be enduring. We have a name for people who do not have a connection with others, psychopath.
That is a great quote from the eminent philosopher, John Lennon. I love it and know it to be true. I had the same plan" when I was a young adult, I wanted to be able to live on 10% of my income and give the rest away. It did not happen. There was this really cute girl.... We will be married for 44 years later this month.
New questions.
Have you ever done NaNoWriMo?
Are you an under-writer or an over-writer? When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much?

Reply
David link
8/5/2020 11:54:16 am

I’ve always wanted to try NaNoWriMo, but, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m a slow writer. Another wise philosopher once said, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” I have nothing but the utmost admiration and respect for all those prolific, creative writers who can do that month-long sprint, but I am very aware of my limitations. I plan on giving it a shot someday, but just not now. Maybe after the Jaben’s Rift movie comes out, lol.
As far as under-writer vs over-writer, I’ve been both. The version of Jaben’s Rift that is out there now is a bit over 109K words, but that is probably 25% shorter than the original first draft. On the other hand, the first draft of Redemption’s Edge came in at a little under 59K words. Although that still, technically, puts it at a novel-length book, it’s on the short end. By adding a little more to the story, I’ve bumped that up to just over 70K words, a figure I feel a little better about. A commonly accepted maxim is that you should use just enough words to tell the story. Although the story in Redemption’s Edge was technically told with 59K words, I didn’t really want to put anything out there quite that short, so I fleshed it out a bit with some more information and details about the MC’s journey. Anything shorter than that, and I almost feel like I’m shortchanging the reader.

Reply
Mark
8/5/2020 02:24:08 pm

Being aware of the type of writer you are NaNoWriMo would be challenging. You could surprise yourself possibly, it would be an interesting experiment and experience for you.
I am not surprised that you are finding the sweet spot for your novels. You are growing in skill with each book and the process is important. I imagine it will get easier for you as time goes on.
I think you made a wise choice with Redemption's Edge. A reader does get accustomed to a certain length of a genre of books as well as the individual writing of one author.
New questions.
Did you cut mostly descriptions, action, dialogue or whole chapters?
Did you save the parts that didn't make it into the final version?

David link
8/5/2020 05:40:10 pm

Most of what was cut from the first draft of Jaben’s Rift was unnecessary description. Some dialogue and character interactions were removed, but no entire chapters. There was one passage which was heavy with description, if I remember right, I dropped that from 1,100 words down to around 300, by either eliminating overdone prose or taking certain elements and adding them later on in the story when they were needed. The passage read much, much better after “trimming the fat.”
Often, newer writers will believe they need to give their readers all of the information about the world they’re creating or its history right up front in one huge mass of prose. This is the dreaded “data dump.” Prologues got a bad rap in part due to the fact that authors would use the prologue to give a “history of the world” lesson. It’s almost always better to only give the reader what they need to know at that particular point in the story and then give them more bits and pieces of info as the need arises. I say “almost,” but there’s no circumstance I can think of where it’s a good idea to put a data dump anywhere in a story, especially right at the beginning. In the beginning, you’re trying to introduce your characters, trying to give your reader a reason to care about them. They don’t need the history of the character’s world for that, just the details pertinent to the character’s current situation.
Sometimes it can be difficult to eliminate certain passages, or what’s often called “killing the darlings.” The “darlings” are those passages that we are so proud of ourselves for coming up with, whether they’re interactions, descriptions, dialogue, or whatever. The problem is, the cleverest bits, if they don’t serve to move the story forward or enhance it in some way, simply don’t need to be there, and can actually distract your reader from what you want them to focus on.
I didn’t save too much of what I got rid of. There were one or two scenes and a bit of dialogue that I added to my story idea document. So, I guess that wasn’t as much “killing the darlings” as it was boxing the darlings up for possible recycling later, lol. The rest of it was simply overdone prose. Wordiness. Tossed into file 13 and good riddance.

Mark
8/5/2020 07:16:09 pm

I understand the data dump. It would be a problem for me if I was to write a book that took a lot of research. That would be me, trying to share all the wonderful research I found at the same time. I used to get lost in our ten pound dictionary when I was a boy. It was about six inches thick, Webster's Unabridged Illustrated Dictionary. I could spend an hour or two in that beast with no problem.
I haven't run into a data dump in a long time, excluding science fiction. A few of those have had sections that were really close to being overwhelming.
The problem I have seen more often is a new writer, detailing common actions to the point of boredom. Describing how a person leaves the house and goes to work in four or five paragraphs.
I have never met the editor that is supposed to have told an author that they should throw out the first chapter and start with the second. That is where the action started. Voila, no more info dump.
I have heard that term before, 'kill the darlings', that is a great description of what and why. It's very important now to make every word pay it's way. Most authors do a good job of that. Every once and awhile I find a word that seems unnecessary and report it to the author when I am proofreading.
New questions.
Do you prefer dialogue tags or action beats in your books?
What do you do to flesh out the characters for your stories?

Reply
David link
8/5/2020 08:31:41 pm

Ah, yes. We had the full Encyclopedia Britannica in print, along with all of the editions of the Childcraft books. I spent many hours turning those pages. Especially when doing reports for school.
I actually did some freelance work editing for a small publishing house in Florida for a year or so. On one of the books I did I had to do almost what you described. Rather than the entire first chapter, however, I strongly suggested to the author that she needed to lose the first few paragraphs and bring that info in later on in the story and begin the book with the action and dialogue that took place in the later paragraph.
Yes, excessive description can certainly bog down a story. I read one book that actually had a rather interesting premise, but the author insisted on describing every little detail in every scene all the way down to the pencil the MC was using. I persisted and finished the book because of the interesting premise, but what should have been an enjoyable read ended up dragging terribly.
Interesting that you bring up dialogue tags vs action. I actually wrote a blog post on that very topic entitled “He Interjected, She Exclaimed (Or He Said, She said).” In it, I examined the work of three very successful, award-winning sci-fi authors and how they handled tags vs action. All three had won Hugo awards and two of them had also won Nebula awards. One of the authors used only action and “said” in their dialogue. At the other end of the spectrum, the third author used dialogue tags even more than “said” and often used adverbs to modify “said.” The second author fell in between the others. So, even the “experts” are divided on that, both authors and the folks who hand out the awards. For myself, I prefer to use action whenever possible to indicate emotion. Otherwise, I’ll use “said” or nothing at all, so long as it’s clear who’s speaking. I’m not adamant about never using adverbs, although I do consider them a last resort.
To flesh out a character well, the author has to know the character better than the reader ever will. In my books I’ll try to establish a little of the character’s history and past experiences without drowning the reader in details, and I’m also a fan of inner dialogue to show the character’s inner thoughts. But the biggest reason the author needs to know their character better than the reader is to keep the character’s actions consistent and to be able to explain why a character may have done something “out of character” for them. An example of this would be in the Hunger Games books. Without giving any spoilers away, toward the end of the series, Katniss did something I found completely out of character for her, to the point of it being almost irritating. I didn’t understand it, so I visited some discussion boards. There, I found I wasn’t the only one annoyed with that particular narrative decision. However, an astute reader explained why they thought Katniss had done what she did. Once I read the explanation, it made perfect sense to me and I could once again sleep easy at night, lol.

Reply
Mark
8/5/2020 09:35:09 pm

I think we had the Childcraft books also. We had a general encyclopedia set and a gray, 10-volume set of encyclopedias about science.
Most authors have the start with action and dialogue down pretty well. It's usually a tense moment also.
I understand why you finished the book, I have been there.
That blog sounds fascinating. Would you like to share it as a guest blogger on my website? I would expect you to put links to your website in, of course.
While you are looking over the other guest blogs on my website, look for one by Rick Hall about a tool he built to help ensure that characters are psychologically congruent. It is a wonderful bit of programming. You might appreciate it on more than one level.
New questions.
Do you base your characters on people you know or have met, or is it easier to just invent them completely?
If you used a close friend or family member in a book, would you tell them or make sure that they wouldn't recognize themselves in the story?

David link
8/6/2020 09:56:57 am

Other than a specific exception, which I’ll mention in a moment, I’ve never based any of my characters on real people I’ve known or met. I like to start with a “clean slate” when I’m dreaming up my characters. That’s not to say I’ll never do that in the future, but I haven’t done it so far.
With one exception…
I mentioned previously that one of the books I’m currently working on does feature family members. Myself, my wife, both our children, my brother-in-law, and my mother-in-law are all characters in the book (with mild name/appearance differences). They all know they’re in the story. I started writing it for my kids (now much older than when I originally had the idea). The kids are the main characters, with everyone else having “recurring roles,” lol.
I would normally shy away from using friends or family as characters, simply because relationships are often fragile, unpredictable things. For example, suppose I have my BF as the hero of a story I’m working on, but one day we get into a massive argument over who the best team in the NFL is. So, in the next chapter, I kill their character off for revenge because they picked the Broncos over the Chiefs, lol. Now, I have to take the story in an entirely different direction.
And there’s also always the possibility that the friend could misinterpret or disagree with their characterization in the story, which can lead to hurt feelings and misunderstandings. Each writer has their own way of coming up with characters. If a writer wants to use people they know in their story, more power to them. It’s just not for me.

Mark
8/6/2020 11:11:49 am

I am sensing a theme, most authors don't like to base characters on family or friends in any specific way. Your reasons echo that of many other writers.
As a side note, I am the basis for a character in a book written by a client/friend. My character is a secret bad guy being controlled by the antagonist. My character has a change of heart and is killed by the antagonist. The author explained the character's arc to me and I agreed to it. For me that was fun.
You are right, close relationships can be fragile and need to be guarded and protected.
That family book sounds interesting. I bet your kids and grandkids will enjoy it.
New questions.
Which is more fun to write, the protagonist or the antagonist, and why?
What is one thing you hate about your protagonist and one thing you love about the antagonist?

Reply
David link
8/6/2020 11:53:52 am

If I ever did decide to use someone I knew as a character, I would almost have to include that person in the story plotting process to make sure nothing hurt their feelings or offended them. They could probably have a little fun with it too, having “themselves” doing things they could (or would) never do in real life.
The one big plus to using family members (especially my kids) in the book is that I can nail the relationships and create more realistic interactions and dialogue. I made sure to keep all the family members in the book I’m currently writing on the good side. Helps keep the peace, lol.
Both heroes and villains can be fun as long as you realize no hero is 100% good and no villain is 100% bad. It’s their complexities, flaws, and self-justifications that make them interesting. A good example of this is the character of Thanos in the Marvel Avengers movies. Thanos truly believed his intentions were noble and in the best interest of the universe. That made him a much more complex and interesting villain than simply some evil Dr. Badguy.
As far as Jason (my protagonist goes), he’s a little bit of a smart a….um...aleck. It makes for some amusing interactions and gets him into a bit of hot water as well. Fortunately, his attitude changes by the third book. For Bothan, the big bad, if you’re on his good side he’s a great guy. Friendly, fun, hospitable. Sadly, very few characters in Jaben’s Rift are on his good side, at least not for long. And he’s Scottish, so that’s a plus, lol.

Reply
Mark
8/6/2020 12:43:18 pm

I think that would be fun for a friend or family member to be involved in the process. With a slight modification it could also be a nice incentive for a fan to have their name or a name they pick from a small list in a story.
Sentient creatures, human and otherwise, are a mix of good and bad. We all have our self-interests at heart and are more likely to choose those most of the time.
The arc of Thanos was interesting, he cared for the little green girl, I forget her name, and raised her as a daughter.
Having Bothan be a distant relative of Jason was brilliant plot point, it increased Jason's conflict quite a bit in the first book.
New questions.
What is your writing routine when you sit down to write?
Do you write in a straight line or do you write whatever the muse provides for you at a given moment?

David link
8/6/2020 06:58:12 pm

The thought has crossed my mind from time to time to have a contest, after finishing a book or story, where the winner of the contest becomes the MC of the story. All it would really take, if the story was already complete, would be changing some names and descriptions. Maybe someday. I do think it would be fun, but it would, in my opinion, lend itself better to an urban fantasy or sci-fi rather than a true fantasy. I do have ideas for those genres, it’s just a matter of getting to them.
I don’t really have a writing routine, per se. I just sit down at my desk, read the most recent paragraphs or chapters to get back into the mood and flow of the story, and then just start typing. After I do that enough times, I get to type “The End” and move on to the next project. I’ll let my most recently finished project sit for a few weeks while I work on the next one, and then pull the finished one back out to start editing.
Oh dear, what kind of writer am I? I am that most pitiable breed of writer, the linear pantser, lol. I touched on “pantser” vs “plotter” in an earlier answer (and apparently, hijacked a couple of your planned questions, for which I sincerely apologize). But since it’s out there now, I tend to write in a linear fashion, partly because, as I mentioned earlier, although I know the major plot points when I start writing, a lot of what happens between point A and point B is thought up as I go, i.e. the “pantser” method, or writing by the seat of one’s pants. Remember one of my favorite sayings: Sometimes I write just to find out what happens next.
That means it’s a little more difficult for me to jump ahead and write a different scene when I hit a block in the writing flow. In that way (among others) I envy plotters, who have most, sometimes all, of the events in their stories summarized before they begin writing the actual manuscript. Plotting lends itself much more to jumping around in the story and writing different scenes from different points in the story as the mood allows. For myself, a pantser, I’m a bit at the mercy of the muse. I think I just get too eager to get started writing to take the time to set up a plot summary, so I just jump in and go. Once in a great while I’m able to write a scene that’s farther down the road than where I’m currently at in the story, but not often. I definitely see the advantages of plotting, but, so far, everything has been the other camp. I need plotting therapy, lol.
Oh, and the little girl’s name was Gamora.

Mark
8/6/2020 07:34:54 pm

There are many ways to engage with fans. Letting them vote on a choice of covers, or the color of a certain object on the cover. One author told me how she ordered a bunch of paperbacks and then discovered more errors in the manuscript. She despaired at first. She took one on a hike and worked on finding all of the errors she had missed when she was in the wild. It rained while she was out there. The book got a little wet. She had a contest, on Facebook I think, whoever promoted her book to friends the most and she had to be tagged in all of the posts would win the book. When two people were neck and neck she got worried, but finally one person pulled out a win with the most posts and she sent them the book, which they loved. She wound up giving a lot of the books away with a note about the errors, in contests, leaving them on buses, in restaurants and little free libraries.
Many writers have a similar routine when it comes to daily writing. Review, write more.
You sound like a hybrid, part pantser and part plotter. It works for you, obviously. I will never tell an author they are writing the wrong way. Don't worry about those questions, I have lots more.
The dreaded writer's block seems to afflict many writers at one time or another. I have heard many different solutions of course. Getting outdoors is a common solution, doing a simple chore can release the muse, one author said she like to bake a cake. I have also heard that working on a different project is used by some authors and others recommend writing about the problem apart from the project, while others suggest taking some time away from writing for a week or two. I think every author has to find what works best for them.
That is the green girl's name, thank you.
New questions.
Which is more important to a story pace or flow? How do you control it?
Did your writing process change much from your early writing to your current book or did it stay the same?

Reply
David link
8/6/2020 08:08:01 pm

Well, both are important, of course. But for me, personally, flow is more important. The elements and scenes of a story need to flow, if not seamlessly, at least logically. That’s part of the reason I find myself re-reading my own material so much, especially to begin the next writing session.
Pacing is important too, but I can accept small time jumps of a few days, weeks, or even months with the assumption that nothing of consequence took place during the skipped time. Different people will have different opinions of course, which is why it’s important for authors to try to handle both appropriately.
As far as my writing process, other than taking it more seriously than I did at first, when I just considered it something to do in my spare time, nothing really has changed. I just sit down to do it more often than those years ago. I do find myself gravitating toward plotting a bit more now, so that’s another change, I suppose. We’ll see how it goes.

Reply
Mark
8/6/2020 10:10:54 pm

Breaks in the logical flow of a story can be quite jarring at times. Unless it's story about time travel. Then those things can be expected, but it still has to follow some kind of logic, even if only in parallel time lines.
Some kind of plotting makes sense to me, even if it is after the fact; especially for a series of books. Having a well-laid-out plot would make finding a particular scene or event much easier.
I recall one writer, I forget who, that said they liked to write the last chapter or two first. That way they could be certain where the rest of the book was going to go and get plenty of foreshadowing and hints planted.
New questions.
Now that your book is published, is there anything about it you would like to change?
How do you think your book relates to the world we live in today?

David link
8/7/2020 09:08:22 am

I’ve found that, once I get about halfway through pantsing the book, then I try to put on a plotter hat and lay out a basic plot for the rest of it. By then, most of my characters and their relationships are fairly well established, which makes it easier to “predict” their actions and interactions down the road. I know I’m not the only writer who, at some point in their story, has had a character look up at them from the page and go, “Really? You really think I’d do or say that??” That’s the part about knowing your characters better than the reader will. Sometimes they surprise you. Sometimes you learn surprising things about them even as you write them.
I don’t think there’s anything about the story itself I would change. I’m fairly pleased with it. It’s not Hemingway, but it’s acceptable. One thing I might have done would be to flesh out the characters a bit more. I do go into some backstories of other characters in the second and third books, so the readers will get to learn a bit about them. It’s funny how that can change perceptions of a character’s actions, so maybe a couple of them I should have pulled into the first book, but I’m not so worried about it that I’m going to rewrite them. I would tell you about how one reader’s opinion about a character drastically changed after she “got to know” him better, but that would require giving away a spoiler, so you’ll just have to read it and learn about him on your own, lol. When I say “fleshing out” I’m talking about quirks, foibles, fears, etc… that affect the character. Maybe give Bothan a weakness for kittens or something like that, lol. But the story itself I’m okay with.
Because my aim is to help people forget about this crazy world we live in for a while, I’m not going to use my writing to address specific politics or issues we’re seeing in the news. However, I do try to make my character’s actions more realistic. For example, in some fantasy, the “ruling council” is portrayed as always being in total agreement. The “good” races all get along, and the “bad” races all work together to defeat the good ones, and every member of a particular race feels and acts the same way. To me, that’s just not realistic unless the society portrayed is one like “Brave New World” where everyone is taught the same things from cradle to grave. As you saw in Jaben’s Rift, Teleria’s Circle of Nine don’t always see eye to eye. The Shanthi, a race that has come to value honor above anything else, got that way because certain members of their race chose to use their unique abilities in rather dishonorable ways. That cast a bad light on the Shanthi as a whole, so they made honor paramount in their society. Of course, that’s not to say they’re all honorable. (Minor spoiler, you’ll find that out in a big way in Reborn, the third book). The Shanthi don’t trust humans. Yellowtooth and Ferrin don’t get along even though they are both considered “good” races. I try to show realistic reactions and interactions. That’s about as close to relating to this world as I’ll get. There are plenty of other excellent writers out there who can weave modern political themes into their stories. That’s not my goal. I just want to help people forget about the problems they see and deal with in their day to day lives and take a trip somewhere else.

Mark
8/7/2020 10:50:41 am

I didn't realize how true I spoke that you are a hybrid pantser/plotter author. You might be the first author I've had the honor of interviewing that writes in that way. I think it makes a lot of sense.
I have heard from quite a few authors that at some point they catch a lot of flack from a character. The character usually wins and the author can see the difference.
Bothan getting all gooey over a kitten is a wonderful personality quirk. It makes me laugh.
One of the things I liked so much about your book was the characters and races had conflicts at all levels. There was no uniformity of thought or action. A wide range of emotions are expressed by many characters.
I think the Shanti might be my favorite race in your book. Not just their emphasis on honor and community, but their fighting skills and tracking abilities.
New questions.
Do you have a classical author or poet, you admire?
What popular modern authors have influenced you?

Reply
David link
8/7/2020 01:20:23 pm

I suppose that depends on your definition of “classical.” If you’re talking about Homer, Aristotle, Plato and the like, then I’ll have to confess, I haven’t really done much reading of theirs. Briefly touched on Iliad like most high school students, but not much else. I was heavily into Greek mythology when I was younger however, although I doubt that qualifies as classical reading. For some “newer” material, I’ve read a bit of Poe, a touch of Shakespeare, that sort of thing, but I admit, I need to expand my reading list to include more of those eras.
“Popular” can be relative, depending on who or what groups you ask. But, if I focus on authors that I personally like, then I’d probably describe my writing as some strange combination of Stephen R. Donaldson, Piers Anthony, and Douglas Adams, with a generous sprinkling of Jennifer Roberson for good measure. I think Donaldson’s world building is phenomenal. Anthony has a sense of irreverence I find amusing. He can also be a bit naughty in his stories, an aspect I generally don’t include in my writing. Douglas Adams’ grasp of the ridiculous is wonderful, and I really enjoyed Roberson’s Chronicles of the Cheysuli series (the Cheysuli were a mystical race who could shapechange into animals) as well as her Sword Dancer series. I’m sure there are any number of other authors who have shaped my writing style, but those four come to mind first.

Reply
Mark
8/7/2020 01:30:16 pm

Our reading habits were very parallel in high school. I read the same required authors and stories. Most of it was not very interesting for me. I wanted to read more sci-fi or Lord of The Rings.
I have read Donaldson and Anthony, but not the latter two. I would enjoy them without a doubt.
New questions.
If you could meet your favorite author, what would you ask them?
What software do you use to write and publish your books, and why do you use those?

Reply
David link
8/7/2020 01:51:57 pm

Oh, wow. Hmm. I’ve never been one of those who had a list of questions to ask authors, actors, historical figures, etc... Just regular conversation would be enjoyable. But since the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever is my favorite series, I’d probably ask Mr. Donaldson how he came up with the idea to have his MC (Thomas Covenant) afflicted with leprosy. His diagnosis and fight with the disease is a major, major part of the story and how he reacts to the events and people he deals with. It gives a level of complexity and pathos to the character which otherwise wouldn’t be there. I’d want to know if it was just an idea Stephenson had or if he knew someone in his life that he had, either directly or indirectly, based Covenant on.
As far as writing software goes, I’m just an old-fashioned Microsoft Word guy. I purchased Scrivener once, but never got around to diving into it. I’ve heard lots of wonderful things said about it, but Word was always sufficient to my needs. And since I bought Scrivener, I’ve had to replace my PC. The one I have now doesn’t have an optical drive (I wasn’t paying attention). So, if I want to load Scrivener onto this one, I’ll need to purchase an external optical drive. I’ll probably buy one anyway at some point. Maybe then I’ll give Scrivener a test drive.

Mark
8/7/2020 03:50:29 pm

I would want to sit in on that conversation with Donaldson also. I thought about that a lot when I was reading the books.
Many authors use MS Word. It is ubiquitous in offices and at home. I use it also. I love the commenting feature for my proofreading because I don't like to make changes to a manuscript.
I have heard Scrivener is a powerful application and it has a steep learning curve. The few authors using Scrivener that I have interviewed have confirmed that. They sing its praises. I suspect it has been updated quite a bit since you bought your disk.
New questions.
I know there are many ways to build the outline. Do you do it all on the computer or do you get analog at some point with post-its or note cards?
Do you have defined space for writing at home, or are you a coffee-shop writer?

Reply
David link
8/7/2020 04:10:51 pm

I do everything on computer. I did buy some note cards once when I was considering trying my hand at writing a screenplay, but for the books and stories, everything’s in a document. Other than that, the last time I used note cards was in my debate class in high school, lol.
I do have a home office where I do most of my writing. If I’m going to be traveling and think I might do some writing while I’m away, I’ll move the manuscripts onto a laptop and take it with me. I know more and more writers are turning to online applications like Google Drive, but I haven’t taken that leap yet. PC, laptop and flash drives are my main tools. And since I live in a small town, there really isn’t an actual coffee shop like Central Perk to hang out in.

Reply
Mark
8/7/2020 05:24:32 pm

I signed up for debate in high school, my best friend was on the team and very good at it. I had strong misgivings because I stammered a lot all through my school years. He sold me by saying he would help me. My first outing was pretty poor, I did not have a clear idea of what I was doing. Then I missed a meeting and was off the team. I felt relieved.
Quite a few authors use google drive, I am not comfortable with that also. I do all my work on my laptop. I do have my important files saved in the cloud nightly, plus I save my current project as an attachment to an email draft each night.
I can read anywhere, in almost any environment, if the story engages me deeply. Proofreading is another story, I need a good deal of quiet and being alone works the best. I don't even listen to music.
New questions.
Do you listen to music or have the TV on when writing at home, or do you need quiet?
Action, dialogue, or narration; which is easiest to write?

David link
8/7/2020 05:53:01 pm

Yes, I’ve done the email attachment method quite a few times also. Even if it accidentally gets deleted from the receiving address, it’s still usually in the Sent folder of the sending address, so it works pretty well. Or I'll back up the doc on a flash drive every so often, especially if I've done a sizeable chunk of writing.
For writing, I find having the TV on is a bit of a distraction, more of a hindrance than a help. I will, on occasion, have music playing, although most of the time quiet works better for me. It mainly depends on what sort of scene I’m writing and if everything is flowing nicely. If I’m having difficulty figuring out which way to take a scene or even what the next scene should be, I’ll turn on some music just to let things churn in the background of my brain, see if the melodies stir anything up from the sediment of my thoughts, so to speak. Usually, it will either be the 70s, 80s rock I grew up listening to (Styx is my all-time favorite) or Celtic folk music. What I listen to mainly depends on what type of scene I’m trying to write. The classic rock will help with the scenes having more action, whereas the Celtic folk helps with a quieter scene (unless I'm listening to pipes and drums, lol). But if the juices are flowing and the words are pouring out with no problem, then even the music is a distraction and gets turned off.
Action, dialogue, or narration? This may be the easiest question you’ve asked so far, lol. Without a doubt, I find dialogue easiest to write. I enjoy playing with the interaction between characters, especially if there’s a bit of light sarcasm involved in the discussion. Descriptive passages would be next, followed by narration and action/battle scenes. With the battle scenes, I often find myself researching to see if a certain move or tactic I want to include is even feasible or something that could possibly show up as a normal move in a battle. Granted, when magic is involved, it’s pretty much “do as you please” so long as it stays consistent with how it’s been used in other parts of the story, but actual swordplay or battle tactics I’ll take the time to verify if I’m unsure.

Mark
8/7/2020 07:51:46 pm

A number of writers have told me they use music to stimulate their muse. They choose the type to match the scene, just like you do. A few have even gone so far as to include a playlist for each chapter or character in the back of the book.
I loved the dialogue you created, it made a very big difference. I think dialogue is the best way for a reader to learn about the characters and the back story, the latter in dribbles to keep the tension at an appropriate pitch.
Magic is an open field, limited only by the author's interpretation, most of the time. Weapons and tactics have real world analogs and most authors try and respect that for the readers' sake. You made good use of tactics in the story. As an ex-military guy I appreciated that.
New questions.
Of the five senses which is the easiest to write and which is the hardest?
Have you ever participated in theater in some way, acted, behind the scenes or written a play?

Reply
David link
8/7/2020 08:46:15 pm

As far as the actual writing, I’m not sure any of the senses are really more difficult to write. Each sense has its own set of adjectives, of course, but it’s just as easy to discuss how sweet, tart, or crunchy an apple is as it is to describe its color. The issue is that some senses are focused on more because we’re more aware of them. Sight is predominant because that’s the sense that gives us the most information of which we’re aware throughout our day. I say “of which we’re aware” because smells can go unnoticed. Not unsmelled, but unnoticed. But some might be surprised to know that smell is the sense which is most closely associated with memory. Smelling an apple pie can remind us of our grandmother, which can then lead to a chain of other memories, followed quickly by the emotions associated with those memories. Sounds can be ignored (Trust me, I worked in Las Vegas casinos for several years. Anything can be ignored if you’re exposed to it enough, lol.). I would wager that the vast majority of description in fiction is about what something looks like.
In order of how often the senses are referred to in literature, my guess is it would probably be sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Touch and smell might be pretty even, depending on the genre and the story. But often, poor ol’ taste gets completely left out, which is unfortunate because it can be a very powerful evoker of memories and imagery as well, especially because of how closely it’s connected to smell. The more sensory information we can weave into our stories, the more full and compelling they can be. Sometimes we get so focused on how our scenes look and sound that we forget there are three other senses standing in the back with their hands up saying, “Pick me! Pick me!”
Ah, the theater! I’ve participated in a number of school plays, a few times even making it out on stage (but few speaking parts). I had some speaking parts in a couple of church plays (of course, the pool of actors was much smaller, lol). I even wrote a play once for church. I got to be the director for that one. That was fun. However, being part of the amateur acting scene has been pretty hit and miss with any kind of significant roles being few and far between. I’m okay with that. I tend to prefer being behind the scenes. That’s why I decided to become a writer instead of an actor. I’m NOT ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille. (A lot of folks won’t get that reference, lol.)

Reply
Mark
8/8/2020 10:48:32 am

A lot of writers that I have interviewed think that smell and taste are the most difficult to write. Not being a writer, I didn't present the opposite case. You have done that quite well for me. Thank you.
Smell is very powerful, it can trigger wonderful memories or it can set off PTSD. A woman I know asked her new husband to change his cologne because it reminded her of an abuser from her childhood. I find it interesting that a reduced ability to distinguish scents is one of the signs of possible covid-19 infection and Alzheimer's disease.
Aah, the theater, the footlights and the applause! I am glad you enjoyed your time in the theater. My experience is almost as wide as yours. Cecil says that is an old reference.
New questions.
Do you think your experience in performing arts has helped you as a writer?
What kind of marketing are you doing or planning on doing for your book?

David link
8/8/2020 11:31:27 am

I think most of the difficulty comes from the fact that so many of us don’t actually pay that much attention to smell and taste as we go about our lives. Even when we’re eating. If we often have the same meals, say we’re on a dietary regimen where we’re eating the same things or same types of things on a daily basis, we tend to ignore the taste after the first bite verifies that it tastes like what we expect. After that, sight and sound take over when we’re chatting with friends, reading or watching the news, scrolling social media, etc… Smell is similar. The only time we really notice it is if something different tickles our olfactory nerves. Then we take notice. But if we’re writing a scene and really take the time to imagine the full scene, to put ourselves into it, it’s probably not as hard as some may think. I tried to touch on both taste and smell in my scene where Jason eats the calintha fruit in Jaben’s Rift (among others). I wanted to describe the full experience for the reader.
As far as my experience in performing arts goes, I don’t really think what little I’ve done has had that much of an impact on my writing. I would say what’s had the most impact are the books I’ve read and the shows and movies I’ve watched. Often, when I’m writing a scene, I imagine how it would play out on the big screen (yes, it’s a dream of mine to see an actual depiction on the screen of a Manarach or a Dokal). I think we’ve become such an experiential and sound bite society, where we want to vicariously experience events, but not take too long to do it, writers are going to have to give that more and more consideration. The deep cerebral and philosophical fiction books are still going to be around, but I think most fiction is going to have to evolve just a bit in order to capture and hold readers’ attention who are used to quick quotes and twenty second stories on the news and the big flash-bang of special effects in the shows and movies they watch.
Marketing and promotion is my Achilles’ heel. Like I said earlier, I hate feeling like I’m shoving myself into people’s faces. I’ve done paid promotions in the past, but having started my writing career with a trilogy, until I get this next book out, I’ve really only got one book to promote, the first one of the trilogy, Jaben’s Rift. Putting out social media posts about the same book over and over just makes me itch, lol. Hopefully, once Redemption’s Edge is out and I can go back and forth, I’ll start being a little more outgoing with my social media promotions.

Mark
8/8/2020 01:41:41 pm

That is a good point. I hadn't thought of it in that way. The familiar loses a lot of its appeal sometimes. Beyond the initial taste that confirms what we expect, it's tally ho!
I think almost every author dreams of seeing their work on a big screen. However, that doesn't happen very often. Half of Hollywood seems focused on reworking the successes of the past instead of looking for new ones. Many authors don't realize that there are more opportunities than before. With the advent of multiple streaming services, the search for marketable content is starting to increase. Authors at some point will be recognized as content creators and the streamers will be looking to them for something new and original. Besides the licensing opportunities the streaming services represent there are other opportunities also: plays, audio books, audio theater, graphic novels, TV series or movies, and foreign distribution in English and translations.
Some authors are really good at painting the mental picture, it can seem like a movie in your mind. Some genres and scenes fare better than others of course.
Attention spans seem to be shrinking alright. Or maybe it's the realization that with so much content available, why waste my time on something that is second rate.
Almost every author has problems taking off the creative hat and putting the business hat on, but it's so important to do that for long term success. It's so opposite of the creative process, writing the first draft is a very solitary part of the work. After that is complete then others are brought in to bring the book to completion like beta readers, cover artists, editors, proofreaders, formatters perhaps. The circle slowly grows while rewriting the book and continues to grow after publication with reviewers and maybe promoters.
There are so many ways to market a book. I encourage authors to take advantage of the 'local author' angle and pursue promotion opportunities that include being interviewed in a local newspaper, speaking before a high school or college writing class or club, being interviewed by local cable access or a school-based radio or TV station. There might also be opportunities to speak to a civic group such as Rotary or Lions. In these situations you are considered an expert and people want to hear your message.
If there is a sizeable tourist trade where you live, buy some cardboard, countertop displays for your books. Glue a picture of the cover on the inside and ask to place them at places where tourists congregate such as restaurants, museums, gift shops, and other local attractions, including independent book stores. Some chain bookstores like to bring authors in to talk about their book also. You might be able to sell them at a discount or on consignment. Always keep a box of books in the trunk of your car, you never know when an opportunity to sell one will arise.
This would be a good time to begin building interest in RE. Talk about the problems in the hero's journey, opportunities taken and missed. There are many ways to engage the fans.
New questions.
What kind of marketing has worked the best and the least for you for your books?
Speaking of marketing, why did you pick me to help promote your book?

Reply
David link
8/8/2020 03:13:49 pm

Hollywood these days seems to be more averse than ever to taking risks with an unknown story or source. What they’re failing to realize is that “rebooting” an already successful movie or show is a risk unto itself, and maybe even a bigger one at that. If the movie was successful, then the fan base has already displayed what it likes. Changing that has rarely worked well, and the more popular the original, the more risky trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice is. Reboots should be few and far between. Sequels are a safer option, but even that needs a new story or screenplay. At this point, I’m really not sure if the trend of doing reboots is an aversion to risks, or if it’s simple laziness not wanting to find or create new story lines. There are a lot of very creative screen writers out there. In my opinion, each reboot just robs one or more of them of an opportunity to shine.
As much as I’d love to see a video adaptation of Jaben’s Rift, the special effects budget required might make it a little prohibitive for a streaming service, considering the characteristics of some of the races I’ve created. Or at least unless and until it becomes as popular as, say, The Witcher. I’ve got an idea for a story which wouldn’t take much in the way of special effects. I’m just working out the plot and the stakes in my head and trying to decide whether it will be a story, book, or screenplay. With a minimal amount of equipment, I might even be able to film it in our small town. I’d just have to break it up into episodes for online consumption. (And now you’ve got the rusty wheels in my head turning.)
The “local author” angle tends to work better in larger towns. Living in a small town in SW Missouri (pop about 7,000), where there isn’t an abundance of fantasy fans, the returns on that angle aren’t nearly as plentiful as they might be in a larger city. I may see if I can spin that angle when Redemption’s Edge is released. We’ll see how it goes. I’ve spoken to the high school writing group before. It’s a little unnerving, lol. The best opportunities we have around here are the annual events and town fairs held in the surrounding small towns where vendors, merchants, and authors can set up tables to sell their stuff. I’ve done a few of those. Once Redemption’s Edge is out, I’ll probably start hitting them again, but with the Covid situation, even those opportunities are more limited.
The marketing that’s worked best for me is probably the online promotions timed to coincide with the days I can offer Jaben’s Rift for free on Amazon. My hope is that readers will enjoy Jaben’s Rift enough that they’ll want to continue Jason’s journey in Broken Covenant and Reborn. I’ve tried Amazon Ads and Facebook Ads, which some authors have had great success with, but they didn’t seem to work out for me. I also had the books temporarily at a chain bookstore in a town about an hour away. Unfortunately, the chain was Borders, which is no longer in operation. The struggle is absolutely real.
As far as how I picked you, your tweets worked. After connecting on Twitter, I checked out your site. I thought your rate was very reasonable (even more so now, after experiencing the process) and your reviews are engaging and well thought out. I’m very glad I spotted your snowball in the avalanche, lol.

Reply
Mark
8/8/2020 04:21:58 pm

Life is a lot like the real estate business, where the three most important factors for selling a property are location, location, location. Even though the internet levels that playing field in a number of ways, some things cannot be changed.
Doing those town fairs and such are a good opportunity. Of course, they take away precious writing time on those days.
We have been forgetting to mention that Jaben's Rift is free on Amazon and today is the last day!
Ads are difficult and Amazon doesn't make it easy. Francis Williams, author Honor, and I talked about that at some length in the interview just a few weeks ago. Those ads are also the subject of more than one blog post. Dave Chesson at Kindlepreneur.com has written some great stuff about maximizing that opportunity.
Thank you. Making this interview process fun, informative and engaging meets my goals.
New questions.
How did you know when your book was finished?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of Jaben's Rift?

David link
8/8/2020 05:08:32 pm

Yes, today is the last day to get the Kindle version free. Since it’s enrolled in Kindle Select, it’s always available for free for Kindle Unlimited (KU) members and via the Kindle Online Lending Library (KOLL). The free promotions make it free for everyone.
As far as knowing when the first book was finished… Once I had resolved the major conflict, I just had to write a couple of scenes to wrap everything up. After that was done…The End. Book one (Jaben’s Rift) wraps up the arc for that book. Books two and three (Broken Covenant and Reborn), while each has their own villains, they’re both part of a larger arc.
Jaben’s Rift took several years to write. But, as I noted, when I started it, it was just something to do in my spare time. I wasn’t working on it consistently, just when I had nothing better to do and as the muse struck. I wrote both of the next two books combined in less time than it took to write Jaben’s Rift by itself. I’m still working on getting my speed up for my writing. I just hate writing the bad first draft, no matter what all of the writing experts say to do. By the time I have a first draft done, I’ve probably edited and rewritten everything I've done up to that point multiple times. I’m told that’s a bad habit, but it’s just my process.

Mark
8/8/2020 06:31:01 pm

You made a slow start writing the first book. It sure turned out well.
That is good production, getting the two follow-up volumes done in less time than the first.
You are not the only author that hates a bad first draft. I have met quite a few. Granted, I am not a writer, but I keep hearing that trying to write a near-perfect first draft is a good way to send your muse packing. Apparently, too much attention to detail can derail the inspiration that is needed to get the first draft out of your head. As long as your process works well for you, I will not criticize it. Your books speak for themselves and quite well at that. I can hardly wait to read Reborn.
New questions.
How many drafts did you go through to have a ready-to-publish manuscript for Jaben's Rift?
Do you get ideas for future books while writing a book?

Reply
David link
8/8/2020 07:42:58 pm

How many drafts did it take? Hmm. That’s a little hard for me to say. I know probably the majority of authors write a first draft and then save it as a first draft doc and then, after revisions, they save that version as a second draft doc and so on and so forth, but I’ve never really written like that. For the most part, I work from the same document from start to finish. Unless I make a major change, there is only one Word doc. If I make a major change, then I might save that version off, but it’s not my usual process. Now, I may go through that doc a half dozen times or more making revisions, so I suppose each of those trips through the manuscript could be considered a draft.
I can’t say that I’ve gotten a lot of ideas for future books when writing a current one. I’m usually pretty focused on the manuscript at hand. I’ll get ideas when watching shows or movies (maybe a one-off of something I see), from lines of dialogue, or even things I see when out and about in town or on the road. Sometimes ideas will just pop up out of nowhere or I’ll dream something odd and, if I remember it well enough the next day, I’ll get an idea from that. Of course, interacting with other people or even watching other people interact can sometimes plant the seeds of a new idea. They say conflict drives stories, and there’s certainly a lot of that going on these days, so story ideas are probably coming hard and fast for a lot of writers.
Of course, there are also times when I have what I first thought was an original idea and then see something very close to it on a show or movie. I still write those down, but they’re probably not getting used. I keep them around to try to generate new ideas; instead of random number generators, they’re random idea generators. Or there are some ideas I think are good ideas, but the generic story underpinning it may be cliché or overdone. For example, I wouldn’t think right now would be the best time to come out with zombie stories. A few years back when Twilight and Vampire Diaries were at their height wouldn’t have been the best time to put out another vampire story. That’s not to say those are automatically bad stories, it’s just that there’s a risk of market saturation and reader overload before the books actually start making traction. Timing is important as well, especially if you’re using a premise which is growing in popularity. It’s best to be ahead of the curve rather than behind it.

Reply
Mark
8/8/2020 08:52:17 pm

You are not the only single-draft writer out there. Many authors write in a similar fashion. As long as it works, keep doing it that way.
Some authors get lots of new ideas while writing, a few complain that it is distracting them from the current WIP. I have suggested they keep a notebook of story ideas, no more than one page per idea, so they can make a few general notes for the future. It is amazing how easily those flashes of brilliance can dim quickly. A lot of your ideas come from things or events in your environment. I know one author who regularly is visited by her muse at 2:30 am, nearly every morning. She keeps a pad and pen at her bedside always. Another author reported getting her best ideas in the shower and frequently lost them before she could get them down on paper after getting dressed. I suggested she get a Space pen and a pad of waterproof paper, she reported success.
There are a very limited number of plots that people write, some say 20 and other as few as 12. While plots and themes are very common, it's the individual slant or telling that every author brings to the table. While I am not a fan of vampire stories in particular, I have read several and each is quite unique. Next week's promotion is the most unusual vampire story I have read to date.
That is funny that you mentioned stories about Zombies, I am proofing one this week. It's quite good.
I think that is a very good move to write those ideas down. A random idea generator is brilliant. You just never know when it will provide the right leverage.
New questions.
A lot of new authors struggle with finding beta readers. Because, after the first draft is done, fresh eyes and feedback become very important.
Do you have alpha-readers and/or beta-readers to help you smooth out some of the wrinkles before publishing? If you don’t, why?
If you do, how did you find them?

David link
8/8/2020 11:07:10 pm

For those shower ideas, one way to help remember them until they get written down is to say them out loud. It’s the same logic as saying a person’s name out loud the first time you meet them to help you remember their name (I’m terrible with names).
I prefer to find beta readers among the group of people I know. Don’t ask me why because I really couldn’t tell you. As reserved as I am with marketing, I’m just as reserved, if not more, asking strangers to read my material before it’s published. I generally ask my friends on social media if they would be interested. I don’t have a set group of beta readers like some authors do (which I think is an excellent idea). Beta readers are very important in the writing process because something that might have made perfect sense to the writer when they were putting it to “paper” might not make sense to a reader. That’s mainly because the writer knows their characters and the world they’re creating intimately, whereas the reader will not, so it’s easy for a writer to take something for granted which is not as obvious to a reader. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any beta readers for Redemption’s Edge, so I’ll be taking a chance with sending it out into the wild fresh as a newborn babe and hoping I haven’t fallen into the trap I just described.

Mark
8/9/2020 09:56:42 am

I have a problem remembering names also. When I first meet a person if we talk for more than 30 seconds I use their name several times in the conversation. It helps a lot to retain their name in my memory. Using that same trick to keep an idea might work quite well.
As long as your friends are willing to give honest feedback that is great. Some authors use family members and they know who they can trust to give constructive criticism, others eschew that practice and prefer to work with people they don't know.
I curate around 20 lists on my Twitter home page. These lists represent people who provide services for authors. Yes, one of those lists is for beta readers. I have 44 members on that list. Check their requirements and help yourself.
New questions.
Do you ask the beta readers to read through more than one draft of the manuscript?
At what stage in your writing process do you bring in the readers?

Reply
David link
8/9/2020 10:50:47 am

I have some very astute folks that have beta read for me in the past. Yes, they’re friends, but they also understand that I need honest feedback (and sometimes they can be brutally honest), so they give it to me. I appreciate an honest critique with constructive criticism as much, or more, than someone simply saying, “It’s awesome! I love it!” Don’t get me wrong, I like to hear that too, but there’s almost always something that can be improved upon in a story, and that’s what I’m looking for.
As far as how many times I ask them to read it, I know that some people only like to read a book or watch a movie once. I’m not one of them, but I know they’re out there, so I only ask them to read through once. If they choose to read through more than once, I’m okay with that, but I don’t expect it. That’s also because I want their initial reactions to the story. Basically, with beta readers, I’m more interested in first impressions than I am in detailed analysis (that’s for reviewers, lol).
By the time I get to the beta reader stage, I’ve gone through and edited and proofread the book several times. It’s probably still not perfect, but I don’t want the readers distracted by numerous typos or other errors if I can possibly avoid it. Of course, the best way to ensure that would be to have it edited first, but if I were to end up making major changes to a manuscript based on beta reader feedback, then the editing I paid for will have been partially wasted. So, beta reading comes before any professional editing.

Reply
Mark
8/9/2020 11:31:56 am

You are certainly blessed with your beta readers. They are serving you and your fans perfectly. It also sounds like you have more than one. I think that is a great idea also. Four to six pairs of fresh eyes are an ideal number in my mind.
That is exactly where I have thought the readers should land. You want to have your story and plot pretty well tightened up before the editing process starts.
New questions.
Do you give them an e-version like a PDF or a hard copy you printed?
What kind of questions did you ask them to get the feedback you wanted or do you let them provide feedback without particular questions?
Do you reward the alpha/beta readers in any way particular?

David link
8/9/2020 12:15:52 pm

Yes, I’m pretty happy with the feedback I get from them. And I’ll take as many beta readers as I can get. The more the merrier, they say. Having more eyes on it also returns a wider range of opinions. If I have several telling me similar things, it’s probably something I need to take a closer look at.
The first time I had beta readers for Jaben’s Rift, I gave them a bound printed copy. However, since the nearest Kinko’s (or any print shop at all for that matter) is 35 miles away, I’ve since used PDF files for beta readers. It’s cheaper too for the financially challenged writer.
I mainly ask them to let me know if anything doesn’t seem right, or if something sounds contradictory, if anything throws them out of the story, and just their overall general thoughts. I ask them to let me know if they spot any typos or mistakes as well, but I’m more interested in how they react to the story by this point. For the most part, I get good feedback, although I did once have a couple of readers who got the manuscript and then I never heard anything back from them despite several email reminders. Oh well, it happens. We’re still friends, I just know not to use them for beta readers in the future. If they’d even have said something came up and they couldn’t get to it, that would have been fine. The complete lack of response, however, got them removed from future beta reads.
I’m always happy to gift the Kindle version and/or give a signed print copy in exchange for beta reading. I wish I could do more, but that takes us back to that financially challenged issue, lol. If things start taking off, I’ll be happy to up my game for my beta readers.

Mark
8/9/2020 12:56:23 pm

You identified the most important issues. Getting knocked out of the reading spell is all too easy. I go deep into a story, it's very easy to ignore the world when I am under the spell of a good book. A spelling error can knock me right out. I can return to the story of course, and quickly at that, but when I encounter a lot it gets a little bit harder to maintain the involvement.
A signed print copy is a nice gift for a beta reader, I feel. A tangible thanks and reminder that they had a part in making the book so good.
New questions.
Do you belong to any writing groups, virtual or otherwise?
Are there any writing groups for the genre you write in?

Reply
David link
8/9/2020 02:02:47 pm

I’m a member of the Missouri Writers Guild and the Springfield (MO) Writers Guild. Other than that, and a few Facebook groups, I’m not really involved in any writing groups. To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure how much I would have at this point in my writing journey to contribute. I know those groups are just as much for learning as for teaching, but I don’t want my “contribution” to be all one way. Perhaps after a few more books, I’ll believe I have enough experience to help someone else.
There is actually a major group for my preferred genres, the SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America). But, at this point, I don’t believe I’ve fulfilled their membership requirements. Once I have, I will be applying for membership. Hopefully, that won’t be too terribly far down the road. I'm sure there are quite a number of other scifi and fantasy author groups, but I haven't really done a lot of research.

Reply
Mark
8/9/2020 05:32:16 pm

You have demonstrated a good deal of knowledge in our chat thus far, I believe you are well qualified to help another less experienced writer in any of those groups. There is always going to be someone who knows less than you and someone who knows more. You don't have to know everything to share the knowledge you have now.
I am a big believer in sharing knowledge. When I started my second career, going from retail to construction, I knew almost nothing. After a five-year apprenticeship I had learned a great deal and shared my knowledge at every opportunity.
I forgot about SFWA. I subscribed to the Writers Beware blog by Victoria Strauss, she and the crew do some excellent work. They are connected to the SFWA, if I recall correctly.
If you joined every group out there you may get very little written ever again.
New questions.
Going back in time, did you do any kind of creative writing, even back in grade school?
How early was it that you realized how powerful words can be?

David link
8/9/2020 06:10:14 pm

I don’t recall doing a lot of creative writing in school, other than assignments. I was heavy into sports back then, so most of my spare time was spent playing basketball, baseball, etc… In college, I started trying my hand at song writing. Recorded a few for private listening, but nothing ever really came of that. It wasn’t until I began Jaben’s Rift that I really took an interest in writing fiction and creating new worlds for readers to explore. Since then, the desire to create has continued to grow.
I imagine the first real time I discovered the power of words would be when I joined the debate team in high school. I learned how words can evoke emotions and imagery as well as how to spot logical inconsistencies and how to see both sides of an issue (a skill which often appears to be in decline these days).
It’s not necessarily an answer to the question, but I touch on the power of words in this little snippet I wrote:
Creator of worlds
The fiction writer is a creator of worlds and a purveyor of dreams.
In his mind he sees things that no one has ever seen before, experiences events never before witnessed, for until he has dreamed them, they have not yet begun to exist.
With her words she brings her visions into our world, into the hearts and minds of those souls who pore over every sentence and every paragraph of her creation. Each letter is an atom in that newly born world, each word a molecule, each sentence an object to be touched and examined and remembered.
With every person who experiences the creation of the writer, the vision expands. Each reader sees this new world in a different way, no way in error, but each different, as if an alternate universe were being created for that world every time someone new reads the writer’s words for the first time.
And whether the reader approves or disapproves of what they have read, they too are changed forever by it. Perhaps a great deal, or perhaps minutely, but changed nonetheless, for the writer’s words have now become part of the reader’s being. They have been tucked away among the cells and neurons of the reader, giving birth to new thoughts and ideas that are sometimes discarded as meaningless daydreams…
…and yet sometimes change the world of the reader forever.

Mark
8/9/2020 06:50:26 pm

I was a quiet kid. I liked reading. That set me apart from almost all of my peers, growing up in a very small town. I participated in sports to connect with my peers, though I was not good at any of the sports. I got hurt a lot. I did manage to letter in football, but only because I was the equipment manager and took care of the towels. I was that nerd.
Creator of worlds is a wonderful snippet explaining how important the task of the writer is. I like that quite a bit. Thank you for sharing that. We are changed by words, whether we are conscious of it or not.
New questions.
What is the most important thing you learned from publishing your latest book?
What are three things, that you wish you knew before you wrote your first book?

Reply
David link
8/9/2020 07:39:04 pm

The most important thing I’ve learned? Everything. In fact, I’m still learning. It would be so hard to pick just one thing as the “most important” since so many things work together.
Make sure the story’s tight. Inasmuch as is possible, don’t leave anything in there that doesn’t move the story forward or expand upon your world or your characters.
If you can possibly afford it, get a professional editor/proofreader. You’ll never find all of your own mistakes.
Again, if you can afford it, have professional cover art done (speaking from personal experience here). Unless you’re a trained graphic artist, you’ll be amazed at the difference between homemade and professional, and people really do, quite often, judge a book by its cover.
Grow a thick skin. Not everyone is going to like your work, and that’s okay. Just be prepared.
Learn everything you can about marketing and promoting your book(s). There are countless blogs, articles, and videos out there for this. Even if you go with traditional publishing and get accepted, you’ll still be carrying most of the load for getting the word out about your book.
If I had to pick one, this would be it: Keep writing! The best advertising you can do is to write another book. Hone your craft and keep pushing yourself to put out a better book than the last one (no matter how good the last one might have been).

Three things I wish I’d known before writing my first book. Hmm. I could just as easily say “everything” to this question too, but let me think…
I wish I’d know how much self-promotion would be involved once the book was out. I still find that very daunting.
I wish I’d known the value of a good cover. Comparing the first two versions of the Far Land Trilogy covers (which I did) and the new ones is a little embarrassing.
I wish I’d known the value of professional editing and proofreading.
Those three were probably the biggest “thorns” in my side with the first book. I believe most of that has been sorted out now, with the possible exception of self-promotion (still working on that).

One thing I want to mention, while I’m thinking about it. I took a look at your page Highly Regarded Blogs, and I didn’t see this one on there, although it’s entirely possible I missed it (I’m good at that). You might check out Kristen Lamb’s blog (authorkristenlamb.com). Kristen is the author of a book called “Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a Digital World,” an outstanding book for authors today and how to use social media and how to engage with your readers (and potential readers). I apologize if you already had it listed and I just missed it, but I wanted to put that out there.

Reply
Mark
8/9/2020 08:10:30 pm

You picked the cream of the crop! There are so many things that have to come together to write and publish a good book that sells. Some things are more obvious than others. Your list is perfect.
In terms of marketing there is always something new that can be tried or something in use that needs adjusting. Nothing is a set it and forget it type of thing. The market is fluctuating all the time. I remind authors that promotion and marketing are much closer to an ultra-marathon than a sprint.
The old adage of not judging a book by its cover is only that. We do judge a book and everything else by its first impression, its cover, for a book. The cover can convey so much more about the book than just a title on a blank page. Those two elements must work together and complement each other to be effective.
Keep writing. YES. Keep writing. So many are one and done. Yet, there are still a million new books published each year. the more books an author puts out the better the chance of being noticed by more people.
Thanks for taking a look at the Highly Regarded Blogs page. I have a number of Lamb's posts linked to, I do not know if her book is one of them. I will say probably not, though she does mention her books I don't recall a post that was specifically dedicated to a book she wrote. Thanks for endorsing that book. Good to know.
New questions.
Do you have a hero, real or fictional?
What is the most valuable piece of advice you have ever received from another writer?

David link
8/9/2020 09:00:06 pm

Do I have a hero? I had to think for a while on that one. I believe we’re surrounded by heroes every single day, from single moms working to provide for their kids to firemen running into burning buildings. The men and women in our military who enlist to serve and protect their country, the guy working two jobs in order to put a roof over his family’s head, grown children taking care of aging parents, all of these and more are heroes to someone, and that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. I admire and recognize all these and more as heroes, but (and this probably sounds terrible) I don’t think I can say I think of anyone in particular as “my” hero. I know it’s an odd distinction, but that’s really the best answer I can come up with. Even if I don’t have anyone whom I consider to be “my” hero, I have nothing but admiration for anyone who is willing to sacrifice themselves, their needs, or even their wants and desires in order to provide for or protect someone else. Those folks are all around us. They’re not hard to find if we just open our eyes.
I’m not sure I’ve ever actually received a piece of advice directly from another writer. I don’t know a lot of writers personally (I’m in a small town. There aren’t a lot of us here.) I pick up their advice from their blog posts, articles and videos. So, like I mentioned in my last answer, the best piece of advice from those sources is probably going to be to just keep writing, keep churning out books and stories as quickly as you can or as slowly as it has to be, just so long as you keep writing, keep moving forward. The more you write, the better you’ll get, and the greater chance of being found by readers looking for exactly what you’re putting out there.

Mark
8/9/2020 09:20:45 pm

I understand what you mean about being surrounded by heroes. There are so many that will only be appreciated by those they serve, most of the time. sometimes, due to infirmity, even that appreciation will never be verbalized.
Keep writing, keep learning the craft and keep improving. You can't beat that for simplicity.
New questions.
You have published a number of books. You are writing more. Are you writing anything strictly for your own pleasure, not necessarily planning to publish it?
What are common traps for beginning writers?

Reply
David link
8/9/2020 10:43:29 pm

So far, everything I’m planning to write will be published. The closest thing I’m working on that would be for my own pleasure would be the story I’m writing with my children as the lead characters and other family members as other characters. I suppose I’m doing that for myself as much as I’m doing it for them, but the plan has always been to publish it once it’s finished. I’m just not sure when that will be. Other than that, everything I write is in the hopes it helps readers forget their problems for a while.
There are a number of “traps” beginning writers need to be careful to avoid.
Don’t be in too much of a rush to publish. Just because you’ve finished the first draft (and that is an accomplishment of which you can be proud), don’t assume it’s ready to publish. There are still things left to do, editing, proofreading, revisions (yes, you may decide to change your story even after the first draft is done). Take the time to create the best product you can. First impressions are important, especially with readers.
Don’t get discouraged if you’re not able to write every single day, or if you don’t hit a certain word count every single day. Write what you can when you can, even if it’s only a few sentences. Just keep writing. Yes, you’ll hear a lot of writers say that you should write every day, at least a little. If you can, that’s great, but don’t beat yourself up if you have to miss a day or two here and there. The important thing is to keep going back to it. Ideally, you would be able to set aside a set time each day to write, but not all of us have that luxury. Life happens.
Don’t get bummed out if your first book doesn’t hit the best seller charts. Keep writing. Practice makes perfect and the more material you’ve got out there, the more likely readers are to find you.
There’s a lot of other advice out there for beginning writers, but everybody is different. There is no such thing as a “one size fits all” approach to writing. New writers need to find what works best for them.

Reply
Mark
8/10/2020 10:19:54 am

That family book will be appreciated for a long time.
This is great advice!
When the idea of e-books first started to gain popularity, a lot of people tried to take advantage of the opportunity and churned out books with no regard for quality. Amazon didn't care, they made money for every book sold. A lot of people were turned off of e-books, some permanently.
Having the goal of writing everyday is a good goal. Reality has a way of intruding on our best-laid plans, it's best to roll with the punches.
Quite a few new authors have experienced that rude awakening when they check the sales on Amazon for days after publishing. They can't believe that their book isn't at the top of the bestseller list. They are the victim of their own unrealistic expectations.
New questions.
Do you think a strong ego is an asset or liability for a writer and why?
Can you describe the demographic of your ideal reader? Who is the person most likely to buy your book?

David link
8/10/2020 10:46:39 am

I think that depends on what you mean by a strong ego. If you’re going to put your work out there for the world to see, you’re definitely going to need some sort of strength. I think you need to have a strong sense of self-confidence. Realize up front that not everyone is going to like your work, and some people who won’t like it won’t have any qualms at all about telling you they don’t like it and why. On the other hand, if someone puts work out there who thinks they can do no wrong and has difficulty accepting criticism, even constructive criticism, they might find the world of publishing to be a bit more than they can handle or want to deal with. The ability to accept criticism or poor reviews and still keep writing is very important. Be strong enough to realize that different people will have different opinions, and that’s okay. The most popular books out there have one-star reviews, so be ready for it. it doesn’t mean your writing is bad, it just means it didn’t appeal to those particular people. Keep writing.
I don’t really have a target demographic that I have in mind when I write. I write what I like, and I just hope others will like it too. The Far Land Trilogy is considered YA (Young Adult) because the protagonist is a teenager, but I’ve had a number of older readers tell me they enjoyed the story as well. My goal is to create a story that everyone can enjoy. Of course, that’s not always possible, but if I can get readers from all points along the age spectrum that say they like something I’ve created, I’m happy with that.

Mark
8/10/2020 12:09:23 pm

That is a very thoughtful answer and quite true. Your phrase: "The ability to accept criticism or poor reviews and still keep writing is very important." encapsulates the idea perfectly.
Every book has an audience, those that will enjoy the story and the way it's told. The reverse is also true, there are those readers who don't normally read in that genre or don't like the style of writing. They are the main source of one-star reviews, not including the trolls who should never be included.
I have enjoyed many YA books, especially when the protagonist shows some growth in the arc of the story. That improves the three dimensionality of the character, because growth should come from working through difficult crises. Your book measured up quite well in that regard. Jason experienced many different emotions resulting from the various encounters and grew in the process.
New questions.
Do you have anything you consider to be your writing lucky charm?
What is the biggest obstacle you face in writing?

Reply
David link
8/10/2020 01:23:45 pm

It’s funny that you mention that “there are those readers who don't normally read in that genre.” I had a lady who didn’t particularly care for Jaben’s Rift, partially because “I, personally, am not into far out ‘magical things’.” I found it odd that she even read the book, since part of the description mentions Teleria being a “world of might and magic.” She still gave it an okay rating though, so I can’t really complain about it. At least it wasn’t a one star, lol.
I don’t really have anything I would consider a writing lucky charm. I’ve never been one to hold to lucky coins, rabbits’ feet, or other talisman type objects. I don’t have a writing routine that I go through (unless obsessively rereading my most recent prose before starting up again is a routine, lol). I pretty much just sit down and start beating on the keyboard. However, if you know of any writing lucky charms, I’m more than willing to give them a test drive.
Ugh, my biggest obstacle. I actually have a couple. One is a combination of my job and a lack of time. I know lack of time is a pretty lame excuse, but that’s why I combine it with my job as a programmer. It’s a brain drain and I’m essentially on the edge of burn out with the entire career field. By the time I get off work, my grey matter is fried and all I want to do is lie down and switch the brain off. By the time I’m in a mental state for writing, it’s basically time for bed. That combined with having two grown children and a grandchild living with us really makes time a premium. But even with that, it’s up to me to make the time and, to borrow a phrase, just do it. I’m working on it. Of course, if a million or two folks would just buy Jaben’s Rift, that problem would be solved. :-D
The other is that I struggle to sit down and write if I’m not feeling inspired, if the muse has taken the day off. Most advice will tell you to write no matter how you feel, and that is good advice, but it’s just a real battle for me to write when I’m not feeling inspired. I almost always have several different projects going at once so that, if I’m stuck on one, I can work on another. But still, if the muse is silent, it’s a big obstacle for me to get anything down on paper (paper being a Word doc, lol). So, if I have to pick just one, the missing muse would be the biggest obstacle for me.

Reply
Mark
8/10/2020 02:39:39 pm

I have heard of similar reviews from other authors. She bought it, read it and left a review. That is a win in my book, yours also, I imagine.
I can appreciate the brain drain aspect of your job. That causes me to respect you even more for writing and publishing your books.
We lived in our previous house for quite a long time. Our three kids grew up and started college, got married and such. One year they had all moved back in, we had seven adults and three small dogs living with us. Only two bathrooms also. It was an adventure.
Having multiple projects to work on is a good plan for dealing with writer's block, according to many authors. It makes sense to me. Sometimes, you just have to close the computer and do something else unrelated. The muse gives you no choice.
New questions.
Do you see an advantage of writing under a pseudonym, why or why not?
Are there any issues that are peculiar to writing this genre that might not apply to other genres?

David link
8/10/2020 03:44:23 pm

I could see an advantage to using a pseudonym in a couple of situations. If the author wished to keep their personal life and writing life separate so they could go to the store without being mobbed, that would be one way, at least until someone put the pseudonym and RL name together. Or, if an author was already established in one genre but wanted to also write books in another, they could keep the two separate so as not to confuse their readers. Since scifi and fantasy are often linked together, that’s not as much of a consideration for me. But if I wanted to put out mysteries, romance or erotica, or anything significantly different from scifi and fantasy, I might want to do those under a different name.
One could argue that fantasy is easier than other genres more based in our real world. In fantasy, authors can pretty much make up their own rules, their own races, their own places. But if I’m writing a mystery based in Chicago, then there may be certain landmarks or streets and roads to which I’ll have to refer. If I’m not familiar with Chicago, that makes the job a bit more difficult. I’ll have to research, dig into Google Maps or Google Street View to get an idea of the city. Plus, depending on how long it takes to get the mystery published, certain landmarks or businesses might not even exist by the time the book is in front of the public. That’s not a problem with fantasy, or even off-world or far future scifi. On the other hand, setting up realistic societies and character/creature interactions might take a bit more thought in fantasy and scifi, but I’d say all genres have their own unique challenges.

Mark
8/10/2020 04:30:07 pm

I know of at least one author that has used different pen names for different genres. She has them all gathered together on one website. I assume she has a different landing page for each pen name with an auto-redirect to the main website, but I don't know for sure. I would imagine that she is hoping for some readers to crossover to another genre or two.
One could argue that a fantasy doesn't have to meet certain expectations that other genres do, and it would be a reasonable argument. But fans of fantasy have their own expectations about the books they love and as long as those are met everyone is happy in Muddville. I think fans of fantasy have different expectations, but no less stringent in any way. I do agree, each genre has unique restrictions.
Last questions.
Do you think it important to read books in the genre you write in?
Do you ever read books in other genres? Why or why not?

Reply
David link
8/10/2020 04:53:06 pm

It is absolutely important to read books in your chosen genre. You can learn a lot from other writers, see where the current trends appear to be leading, see what’s going on in your neck of the literary world, and get exposed to different writing techniques. Going along with that, it’s also important to read other genres as well. The vast majority of stories are about human interaction and conflict. Conflict of one kind or another is the driving force behind most stories, regardless of genre. But each genre may address these conflicts and interactions just a little differently than the others.
I used to read a lot more than I do now, simply due to the time constraints I mentioned earlier, and reading about conflict and interactions in other genres can help us expand how we handle those kinds of conflicts and interactions in our own stories. Some of the simplest writing advice I’ve heard is six simple words: Read a lot. Write a lot. The more we expand our reading horizons, the more we can expand our writing horizons.

Reply
Mark
8/10/2020 06:47:22 pm

Read a lot. Write a lot. Those six words make a lot of sense. None of us can whip out a book a month. But writing short stories can be quite helpful for learning to improve writing and master conflict and terse but effective dialog. Entering contests can go a long way to improving writing skill.
I have thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and we have had a lot of people come sit around and enjoy it also. You have provided some great answers to my questions, very thoughtful answers.
I have another promotion starting tomorrow, so I thank you for your time and look forward to doing this again. Take care and keep writing.

David link
8/10/2020 06:52:18 pm

It's been a pleasure. I've had fun. I hope you and everyone who stops by has a great week and great reading.




Leave a Reply.

    Who am I?

    An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller.  I am a husband, father, and grandfather.

    Contact

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

"I'm very pleased with all your efforts. Twitter promotion and proofreading were beyond what I expected with a book review. Your suggestions throughout the process of refining both books helped me immensely. I look forward to working with you again."   A.E.H Veenman “Dial QR for Murder” and “Prepped for the Kill”