Blog Alert - The Case For Writing Poorly, Or Using Straightforward Prose - ILBNH

Blog Alert - The Case For Writing Poorly, Or Using Straightforward Prose - ILBNH

Peta at Insert Literary Blog Name Here* acknowledges herself a literary snob. She says: "I am irritated by clunky prose, drawn out of stories by dry dialogue, and find words like “ain’t” only a few ellipses short of repulsive. I pride myself on being able to craft a good sentence. I’ve also been known to spend hours crafting that one sentence."

So it's a delicious irony that she devotes a powerful and persuasive post to the importance of connecting to a mainstream audience through a straightforward and unpretentious style.

Her motivation is at least in part commercial (a personal irony for me, as I'm non-commercially oriented - but I largely agree with her advice in any event. I think accessible writing is good writing).

In her intro she says: "Writing is a numbers game–the more books you sell, the more money you make. If you write fast, it’s even better. Getting a book out every year for ten years (Jasper Fforde’s goal), if you sell enough, could be quite lucrative (and your hourly rate might actually approach positive numbers). Yet writing, good writing, takes time to craft. Story, characters, and prose itself do not happen overnight, particularly if you’re fond of tight dialogue and polished writing. But here’s the secret: not all readers are writers, and a lot of them don’t care about your perfectly polished prose."

Me, I could care less about money numbers or books per year. But audience accessibility is important apart from all that. More readers = more impact. If I'm writing to tell a story, I want the story heard.

Peta develops a provocative case for an accessible style, along with tips.
Check it out.

-Steve

Major Life Changes - Blog Changes

My apologies for being gone these past weeks. I've been in the hospital with a major medical issue. For the moment, I'm back in reasonably good health. But this is a serious condition and I'm going to be on a schedule of follow=up treatments to try to prevent a recurrence - but there are no assurances.

This means changes in the patterns of my work, life, and online activity. And what those changes will look like is not clear yet. I'll try to keep up the blog, but it will become more sporadic and less regular.

I'll still try to check in from time to time with resource reviews, alerts to good posts on other blogs, and maybe some of my own reflection on the game, business, recreation and/or hobby of writing. (My own orientation has always been non-commercial and non-career. This will be even more so now that I'm sick). Of course, your mileage may vary.

Hope to maintain some stimulating output.

-Steve

How to Create a Simple Writer Blog - Guide to Literary Agents - Peta Jinnath Andersen (Guest Post).

How to Create a Simple Writer Blog - Guide to Literary Agents - Peta Jinnath Andersen (Guest Post).

Twice in one day! This must-read is a guest post on Guide to Literary Agents, hosted by Chuck Sambuchino. Again, we continue the trend of "less is more". This post is a basic intro to a complex subject. Admittedly, it leans heavily toward WordPress, while I myself am a Blogger guy. But, it's all good. I would recommend anyone who reads this intro to check out available intro posts for Blogger, as well as the lesser known platforms. Sorry I don't have any links available now - but I'll be keeping my eyes open.

Within the last few days I highlighted a post by Eric on Pimp My Novel who advocated the author blog as the center of a writer's online presence. I agree with his point, though I have to admit I don't have one (yet). But I also don't have my first novel even half finished. And I have a day job.

'Nuff said for now. Check out this post here.


Check out Chuck's entire blog at www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/


-Steve

Blog Alert - Do You Own Your Characters or Do Your Characters Own You? - Nathan Bransford

Blog Alert - Do You Own Your Characters or Do Your Characters Own You? - Nathan Bransford

It's been a while since I found a "must read" on Nathan's blog, but this one is. A perennial debate on writer's forums is "Character Driven? Or Plot Driven?". The consensus (here) seems to be a balance, with a bit of a lean toward the characters. The comments are all over the map, from extreme control freaks, to extreme character-driven anarchy. But there's a nice lump about 1 SD from the mean in the character direction. (Just showing off - I really have no idea where the lump is :).

Check out the post here

Check out Nathan's blog at http://blog.nathanbransford.com/.

-Steve

Blog Alert - Website Wednesday (Author Websites) - Pimp My Novel - Eric

Blog Alert - Website Wednesday (Author Websites) - Pimp My Novel - Eric

This is a consise and useful post about author websites - an overlooked subject in the midst of the social media feeding frenzy. Eric presents a strong case that the author website is the natural center of a writer's online presence. He gives a few good tips for making the website work and avoiding common pitfalls.

There isn't a lot I can add. Eric's "Bullet View" (tm?) points give a good intro to a subject that could easily run much longer. Less is more!

Check out the post here!

Check out Eric's complete blog at pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/.

-Steve

Blog Alert - Do Small Press Credits Hurt My Chances? - Mary Kole - Kidlit.com

Blog Alert - Do Small Press Credits Hurt My Chances? - Mary Kole - Kidlit.com

This is an issue I have not seen discussed much - especially as framed here. Mary addresses the issue in a succinct post which, however, carefully avoids the issue of self-publishing. The bottom line is that credits from small presses can't hurt your chances - although they may not help.

The one piece of advice I would add is ALWAYS be guided by a prospective agent's submission guidelines. His or her stated preferences about listing writing credits should always trump any general advice.

Mary hints that she may have a longer post upcoming that will tackle the general question of self-publishing. We're waiting!

Check out Mary's post here.

Check out Mary's blog at www.kidlit.com

-Steve

Blog Alert - How To Write About A Real Location If You Haven’t Been There - Joanna Penn

Blog Alert - How To Write About A Real Location If You Haven’t Been There - Joanna Penn

This post appeared today on Joanna's blog, The Creative Penn. I think some of these tips probably exist elsewhere, but Joanna's post is concise, readable, and well-organized.

Who hasn't struggled with how to get more realism into a fictional setting? I'm currently trying to write a scene that takes place in a semi-exclusive neighborhood, in a home people of my income bracket usually would not be invited to. What to do? My own bright idea was to Google and browse real-estate listings in the price range of interest. Plenty of good pics, including interior shots.

Joanna has compiled a wide ranging set of strategies for researching grographic locations.

Two I like especially:
Surf Flickr and Travel blogs.
Google Maps Street View.

Honorable mention: Interview someone who has been there.

Want to know more? Check out the post!

-Steve