Sgt. Wordslayer : Resistance Training

By C.L. Phillips

Attention!

So, you're back for another SWAT Boot Camp Workout with Sgt. Wordslayer? Say it with me. SWAT: Stop Withering Away Tension. Stand up and give me five jumping jacks. You didn't think writing was all about keeping your butt in the chair, did you? No, today your blood is going to boil in your veins.

Troops, today is Resistance Training Day. You will be tougher storytellers or you will eat your pencil lead. Are you ready for your first test? In your current WIP, in Act I, who is beating your hero? Who resists your hero and makes life more difficult? What? Nobody? No, no, no, that simply won't do.

Resistance is essential for every scene. Nobody wants to read about a weakling getting what they want every time they ask for it. Resistance creates action. Swings and Beats. Conversations with your mother-in-law. Doesn't matter what you call it, your hero needs opposition to grow strong.

What is your hero's number one fear? Make it happen. Maybe she's afraid to spoil her manicure doing the dishes. Or could your swashbuckling hero be afraid of spiders? Doesn't matter how bog or small, give your hero a fear they cannot overcome...yet.

So, pull out the chapter you are currently working on. Got it? Who is actively opposing your hero in this scene? Make the resistance bigger. Put an obstacle in the way. Tap into a fear. Now, how does the hero get around the obstacle? And no fair bringing in the sidekick to solve the problem. Heroes solve their own problems. Start writing. Don't stop until you have 250 new words.

Feeling pretty good about that, are you? Sgt. Wordslayer says, "Take the victory away from the hero. Quickly. Now." Burn another recipe card, get your mother-in-law back on the phone, tell the kids to clean their room. Make the world a more difficult place for your hero. Serve raw kale for dinner. And give me another 150 words.

Stand up straight. Salute your screen and repeat after me. Give. Your. Hero. Doubt. Say it one more time. Give your hero doubt. Nobody likes a know-it-all that never questions their own decisions. Nothing beats inner fear. Expose the hero's thoughts and feelings. How does your hero change their strategy or approach to overcoming the new resistance.

Give me five more jumping jacks. Got that blood boiling yet? Resistance is riction. When two objects come in contact, they grind each other down into a sweltering pile of rubble. Doesn't matter if the two objects are external or internal. It's the friction, the heat, that makes the story.

Is your blood boiling yet? If not, then the odds are your hero is still coasting. Kick the hero in the teeth. Make him tougher. Give her a reason to have a wicked tattoo. Everybody loves the champion's scars.

You there, hiding behind the coffee up. Step forward. Send in a comment with your hero's scars. Share a fear and tell us why it makes your character more believable.

Now pull out your favorite novel, and find the hero's fear. Find the resistance characters. Send us the name of the book, the hero's name, and the fear or resistance characters.

Dismissed!
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C.L. Phillips writes mystery novels while nestled under a hundred-year live oak tree in downtown Austin. Except in August. C.L writes about the the gap between what people want and what they actually do. Broccoli or chocolate chip cookies, anyone? Check out her web site: http://www.clphillips.com/ or find her onTwitter: @clphillips787

So, you want to know about query letters?

By Joyce Tremel

Congratulations! You finally have your manuscript polished to a shine and you're ready for the dreaded query process. Here are some tips to help make your query stand out (in a good way, of course!).

ELEMENTS OF A QUERY LETTER
1.    The Hook—A one or two sentence pitch intended to hook the agent reading your query.
2.    Plot Summary—This is really a continuation of your hook. Your summary should be from one, to at most four, short paragraphs. (One agent suggests making it only three sentences. I think that’s too short.) Remember that this is not a synopsis. The purpose of the query letter is to get the agent to want to read more. That’s it. Somewhere in these paragraph be sure to include the title of the book (in all caps), the word count, and the genre.
3.    Bio—This is where you list your publishing credits and what qualifies you to write this book. Only include credits and experience that are pertinent to the book. For example, if you have a degree in biophysics, there’s no need to mention it if your query is for a cozy featuring a quilter. On the other hand, if your book is a thriller and your protagonist is a scientist, you might want to include it.
4.    Why you chose this particular agent—This paragraph is optional. Some agents want it, others don’t care. If you’ve met the agent at a conference, or if you have a referral to the agent from one of her clients, definitely include this information and move this to the beginning of the query BEFORE your hook/summary paragraph.
5.    Closing—State that you’ll be happy to send them the completed manuscript, or more material, etc. Don’t forget to include your contact information.


QUERY FORMAT
1.    Typical business letter format—single spaced, with additional space between paragraphs, no indent, 1 or 1 ¼ inch margins. If sending a paper query, use letterhead with your contact info. In an e-query, put your contact info at the bottom.
2.    For a paper query, use Times New Roman, 12 point font. For e-queries use either Times New Roman or Arial. NEVER use colored ink or a colored font. Anything other than black is unprofessional.
3.    Use white paper only. Don’t use colored paper, fancy stationery, or scented anything. Don’t use e-mail stationery—keep the background plain white.
4.    Include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) for snail mail queries.

MISCELLANEOUS TIPS FOR QUERYING
1.    In the words of Miss Snark, “Query widely.” Never send one query at time. Send in groups of at least ten, but if sending e-queries, be sure to address each agent individually. NEVER cc an e-query.
2.    Research agents. Only query agents who not only represent your genre, but the type of book you’ve written in that particular genre. For instance, an agent may state she represents mysteries, but if you look at her clients’ books, they may all be cozies. If you’ve written a police procedural, your book won’t fit her list. 
3.    Follow the agent’s instructions to the letter. Don’t include any material the agent doesn’t want with your query. If she wants the query formatted a certain way, do it.
4.    Never query until your book is finished.  This means written and revised several times, read by trusted colleagues, and revised again. A first, or even a second draft is not a completed book.
5.    If you get no requests for more material after your first batch of queries, re-evaluate your letter. Try to determine why. Revise and send another batch. Something to remember: Don’t query all your “A” list agents in the first batch. If they all reject, you can’t query them again with a revised letter.
6.    Rejection is part of the process. Don’t get upset when you get form rejections or no response at all. Many agents now go by the mantra “no response means no,” but don’t hesitate to send a second e-query in case your first one was lost. Don’t, however, send a third. And NEVER, EVER respond to a query rejection.
7.    Read agent blogs regularly. You will get all kinds of inside information on not only the agent’s likes and dislikes, but on the publishing industry in general.

RESOURCES

AGENT BLOGS
1.    Query Shark
2.    Janet Reid
3.    Bookends Literary Agency
4.    Nathan Bransford
5.    Kristen Nelson
6.    Miss Snark  (archives only)


SEARCH FOR AGENTS
1.    Agent Query
2.    Publisher’s Marketplace
3.    Query Tracker
4.    Preditors and Editors
5.    Absolute Write Forum
6.    Association of Authors Representatives (AAR)
7.    List of the 20 Worst Agents (avoid at all costs!)

Stage 1 : Story Concept : Begin with the End in Mind

By C.L. Phillips


"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Your subconscious?"

"What do you want?"

"I've got a story idea for you."

Ah, if it were only so easy, right?  Ever have an idea pop into your head, so crystal clear that you start righting, only to finish 80,000 words later?  No, me neither.  I carve big lumps of word stone into story statues.  Clink.  Clink.  I chisel each word into existence by looking at both the positive and negative space.  What is said.  What is not.

Last night, I listened to Gary Provost, founder of the Writer's Retreat Workshop.  Again.  And again.  Gary has a beautiful way of distilling storytelling down to the emotional core.  Something happens to the hero of this story, something significant.  Because it happened, the hero wants something, badly, a prize or a goal.  The hero devises a plan of action, moving closer to the prize.  Forces oppose the hero at every turn.  As the plan of action unfolds, the stakes rise.  Moving toward the goal takes every bit of cunning, strength, and luck the hero can muster.  Still, it's not enough.  The hero hits bottom, emotionally, physically, mentally.  At this bleakest moment, the hero makes a decision to solider on.  The hero learns a lesson, gains more faith, changes internally.  As the hero continues, he's faced with a decision point.  He can gain his prize, his goal, but only if he gives up something he truly loves.  This journey satisfies a need or fills a hole in the hero's psyche.

Every story has each of these elements:
 

Inciting Incident	Story trigger ; what happens to hero
POV Character Goal	Prize or Goal
Strategy	Plan of Action
Conflict	Opposing Forces
Rising Stakes	What happens during the journey to make this more important, more meaningful to the hero - internally? Externally?
Bleakest Moment	Hero is at the lowest point; opposing forces are winning
Lesson	What does the hero learn? How does he change?
Decision Point	What does the hero give up in exchange for the prize or goal? What is the cost?
Hole	What need or emotional hole is filled by the decision? The need was there before the story began, and is the backstory.

What need or emotional hole is filled by the decision? The need was there before the story began, and is the backstory.

Then it hit me.  When you can define these elements, you've got your story idea defined.  One table.  With a quick glance, you see, feel and know what happens in a story.  Imagine what it could do for a synopsis or query letter.  You could boil 80,000 words down to a single crisp paragraph.

I pulled out my dog-eared copy of Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly, determined to find each of these elements in the story.  I did.  That wasn't the exciting part.  The exciting part was when I found the main character, Mickey Haller saying, "I had come four hundred miles for five minutes but those minutes were devastating.  I thin the lowest point of my life and professional career came an hour later..."

There it was, the Bleakest Moment, chiseled out of the story stone, exposed for anyone to see.

Gary Provost said, "Do this analysis on fifty books, and then you'll be able to plot."

Sisters-in-Crime is a supportive community for emerging writers.  Let's take this blog one step further.  Join me on this journey of analyzing fifty best sellers.  One down, The Lincoln Lawyer, forty nine to go.

Copy the table, grab your favorite best seller (it can even be your own), and post your analysis in the comments for this blog post.  Let's see if we can hit fifty in two days.

Write on!
=======
C.L. Phillips writes mystery novels while nestled under a hundred-year live oak tree in downtown Austin. Except in August. C.L writes about the the gap between what people want and what they actually do. Broccoli or chocolate chip cookies, anyone? Check out her web site: http://www.clphillips.com/ or find her onTwitter: @clphillips787

SWAT Boot Camp : Object Obstacle Course

 By C.L. Phillips


Attention!

Well novelist, I see you are back for another SWAT Boot Camp session with Sgt. Wordslayer.  Remember what SWAT means?  Stop Withering Away Tension.    Know what else SWAT means?  Stop Writing Average Things.

Grab your pencil and a notepad.  Step back from the keyboard.  What?  You don't have a notepad?  Where do you write down the snippets of conversation you overhear in the coffee shop?  Where do you scribble down all the little ideas you have?  You better have a notepad.  Something small.  Shove it in your pocket or purse, or inside your bra.  I don't care.  But do not ever leave home without it.  If I catch you without your notepad, I'll smoke you.  Ten verbs.  I promise.

Now drop and give me five ordinary objects that serve as clues in your current WIP.  Quick.  Five objects.  Murder and mayhem require physical clues.  Get cracking.  What?  You're not writing that kind of novel?   Tough.  Pretend.  You're a mystery novelist, remember?  Now give me one unusual object.  Hey, you there in the back, stop feigning writer's block.  You're not allowed to think during this exercise, so it's impossible to have writer's block.  Look around the room.  What do you see?  Write down those five objects.

Quick, now drop and give me five outstanding verbs.  New ones.  No cheating by using the verbs you've used before.  Chop, chop.  You're not writing the great American novel.  Verbs, people.  Now.  Got 'em?  Did you write them down?  Or are you simply reading and pretending to follow along?  Don't be a wanna-be.  Writers write.  So write.  NOW.  (This is where you scream at the top of your lungs, YES, Sergeant Wordslayer.)  Good.

Now, pair up the five objects with the five verbs.  And pull one more verb out of your...head ...for the unusual object.  Got it?

Now for the obstacle course....take your object and verb pair, and give it a symbolic meaning.

What?  You don't understand me?  Let me explain.  Make your object mean something more than what it is.  Every great mystery is filled with symbols and deeper meanings.  How in the world do you expect to write the next DaVinci Code or relegate J.K. Rowling to the dust bin with a one-dimensional story?

Oh, so now you're crying, "why didn't you tell me this first?  My object isn't special enough."  That is exactly the point.  Nothing is special until you make it so.  Until you give the reader a reason to care, every word is flat, meaningless.  Anything can be a symbol.  The more common the object, the easier it is to hide in plain sight.  The more common the object, the higher the probability your reader has this same object in their home.

Examples, you want stinking examples?  Okay, I'll give you my examples, but in return I expect you to post your list of objects and verbs in the comments for this post.

Objects:  oak tree, phone, tennis ball, newspaper, door, first edition of Tom Sawyer ( the unusual object)
Verbs :  whistle, row, share, bark, intimidate, sooth
Pairs :  oak tree whistles, phone barks, tennis ball rows, newspaper shares, door intimidates, first edition soothes
Meanings :  oak tree - silent strength, phone - love, tennis ball - adventure, newspaper - insight, door - opportunity, first edition - legacy

Are you ready for the final step?

Pull out your current work in progress.  Today, we're going to Whip that WIP in shape with a little Sniper Object Training.  Grab a chapter or ten pages.  Get out your pencil.  Quickly now, go through the pages and circle all the objects.  OBJECTS ONLY LADIES and GENTLEMEN.  And no, this doesn't mean every single noun on the page.  But it could.  You decide.  Yes, gosh-darn it.  Make a decision.  Circle the objects.

Finished?

Ok, that was the easy part.  Now, go back and write a new verb with each object.  You know what's coming next, right?  Yep, you've got to give the object a meaning. 

Now, I want you to reach inside your brain.  Slap that huge ego of yours.  Repeat after me.  "The only person that cares about my WIP is ME."  Now stand up and scream at the top of your lungs.  "I WILL NOT SETTLE FOR MEDIOCRITY."  Wave your arms in the air.  Get that blood flowing.  Scream, "I AM THE SYMBOL QUEEN."  Or King, as your gender dictates.

And yes, a recipe card can be a symbol.  But it better be a darn good recipe.  Scratch that.  It better be molecular gastronomy.  Remember, you are the only one that cares.

Why are we TARGETING OBJECTS?  Because when objects become symbols, the object transports the reader to the emotions you want the reader to experience.  Symbols are the Humvees of the novelists desert.  Put some gas in your tank and put three symbols in your WIP.

And if you dare to reply to this post, give us your objects, verbs, meanings, and symbols.  Remember, writers write.  Post your answers to this drill.  Get on the SWAT Team.  And at the risk of giving you a fat head, pat yourself on the back.  You've completed the Object Obstacle Course.

Dismissed!
========
C.L Phillips writes mystery novels while nestled under a hundred-year live oak tree in downtown Austin. Except in August. C.L writes about the the gap between what people want and what they actually do. Broccoli or chocolate chip cookies, anyone? Check out her web site: http://www.clphillips.com/ or find her onTwitter: @clphillips787

The Rule of Threes

 By C.L. Phillips

"Knock. Knock."

"Who's there?"

"Fiction novelist."

Fixin' novelist who?

"Not fixin'.  Fiction."

Raise your hand if you spend more time "fixin'" your work than anything else. We start out with high hopes for our concept only to realize creating the story requires more rewriting than we ever imagined. And does anything suck the life out of you faster than rewriting?

So what do successful novelists do? They work on more than one project at a time.  But you already knew that. Many people say the only difference between a writer and a published author is the published author never quits. But I don't believe that.  I believe published authors master the Writer's Lifecycle and the Rule of Three.

What is the Writer's Lifecycle?  Let's make it simple - four stages, each with entry and exit criteria.  Stage 1 is Storyshaping. Stage 2 is Content Development. Stage 3 is Polishing. Stage 4 is Querying.

You might have a dozen ideas floating around in your head. These are Stage 1 ideas, the concepts you play with and eventually shape into a project you want to move forward. Anything with an outline or more than 5,000 words is a Stage 2 project, one where you develop the content. After you have a completed draft, or better yet, a full second draft, you have a project in Stage 3, the part of the pipeline where you rewrite and rewrite.  Maybe you get reader feedback.  You take a Stage 3 project to workshops and polish the daylights out of the first fifty pages. In Stage 4, you steel your nerves, take a stiff drink of your favorite liquid courage and query until you are successful.

 Here's another way to view the Writer's Lifecycle:

Stage 1 :  An idea; a story concept
Stage 2 :  A story concept with an outline or 5,000 words
Stage 3 :  A completed first or second draft, something you would take to a critque group
Stage 4 :  A query-ready novel, synopsis, and query letter

Stage 1 is your idea sandbox.  You might have a hundred ideas in Stage 1.  But how many of those ideas are you willing to develop? One thing is certain, you won't develop all of these ideas at once, so the other three stages are dedicated to real production.

The Rule of Three says, "Have at least three projects in production."  That means have at least one project in Stage 2, one in Stage 3, and one in Stage 4.  Why?

Because every business has a product pipeline.  Nobody puts all their eggs in one basket, and even if they do, they have new products coming to the market.  Did Facebook claim success when they shipped the first version of their product?  No.  Did James Patterson stop with his first series of books?  No.  And for an author with one series, do they stop with one book?  No.  They keep developing projects.  They keep pushing products into the marketplace.

Businesses either grow or die.  If you don't have a product pipeline, you are doomed to certain death, or you have a wonderful little hobby.  Me, I want a writing career.  This means I must think about my writing projects like a business.  Always have something in development, test, and production.

What would happen if you divided your efforts across different projects, each in a different Stage of the Writer's Lifecycle?  You could easily and intelligently discuss the status of each of your projects to a publishing professional or agent.  You could recharge your creative juices by working on different projects simultaneously without guilt.  You could measure progress and success incrementally rather than reporting the number of rejected queries.

Writers write.  Successful writers keep writing even after an agent or editor says yes.  Outrageously successful writers have a way to spread their precious creative capital across multiple projects.  Do you?  Post your system in the comments for this article. Let's collaborate and find a way to help each other move forward.

The Rule of Three. Try it. Does it work for you?

Write on!
________

C.L Phillips writes mystery novels while nestled under a hundred-year live oak tree in downtown Austin. Except in August. C.L writes about the the gap between what people want and what they actually do. Broccoli or chocolate chip cookies, anyone? Check out her web site: http://www.clphillips.com/ or find her onTwitter: @clphillips787

Organize the blogs you read with Google Reader

by Lisa J. Jackson

Do you follow several blogs? Do you find that keeping up with a lot of blogs to be time consuming? Google Reader can help.

Google Reader is one of many helpful Google tools that help people with their productivity. It is an automated interface that organizes your subscriptions to news sites and blogs in one place.

You can easily have the news and updates on subjects of interest delivered to your e-mail. You can read through them at your convenience. I find it just as easy to log into Google Reader and view unread blogs and news directly from there.

1. Subscribe to the news feeds and blogs you want, then read the new postings and updates whenever it’s convenient for you. If some content doesn’t interest you after a while, simply unsubscribe.

2. It’s easy to keep track of the feeds you have already read and those you haven’t. Google Reader shows unread items in bold.

3. Whether the site or blog you follow updates daily, weekly, or monthly, you’ll get the notices of new posts right after they happen.

 4. You can also search for new and interesting content through Google Reader without taking hours of surfing the Internet. Let Google Reader do the work for you; even sort blogs and news into categories/folders for easier reference.

If you’re on the go a lot, well, you can access Google Reader from your phone, from any computer, or add a gadget to iGoogle.

If you already have a Google account, you’re ready to go. Sign in to Google Reader with your Google username and password.

Otherwise, getting a (free) Google account is painless. Go to Google Reader and sign up on the spot. Help for Google Reader can be found here.

Google strives to make its interfaces as user-friendly as possible. There are help files and step-by-step instructions available to get you set up and proactive.

If you’d like a hands-on introduction to Google Reader, check out the Google Reader Tour. You can also visit the Newbies Guide to get a handy walk-through of the basics of Google Reader (including shortcuts and scripts) and RSS feeders.

I find it incredibly handy to see all the unread blog posts in one spot. I’m still floored by how much time it saves me on a daily basis.

If you haven’t discovered Google Reader, why not give it a try. If you are already using Google Reader, have you discovered anything you’d like to share with our blog readers?

========================

Lisa J. Jackson is an editor, author, book coach, consultant, Big Sister, cat owner, and chocolate lover. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has a blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to chat with writing professionals on a weekly basis — and you can too!   Visit her web site!

IS "KINDLING" FOR YOU -- Part II

The Nuts and Bolts

by CJ Lyons

Being a cyber-klutz, I thought this would be the most difficult part of self e-publishing, but it actually was quite easy (if a bit tedious and time-consuming).

All the major e-pub sites have guidelines available.  All you need to do is to follow them.

The major e-pub sites I used initially were: Amazon, Scribd, and Smashwords.  I also loaded my books onto Lulu after several readers requested an avenue where they could purchase print copies. (Note: since books printed by POD technology are more expensive, I kept the price on the print books as low as I could, so I essentially make no profit from these sales, they’re more to generate good-will.)

The charge to authors to use these sites' basic services is nothing.  All provide more customized services (such as purchasing ISBN numbers, marketing packages, etc) for a fee.

Step one: create an account at the sites you’ll be using.  Through this account you’ll upload your books, track sales, make any revisions to your final product, and, at some sties, interact with customers.

Step two: read each site’s guide to formatting and follow it closely.  For all the sites I worked with, this basically came down to stripping all formatting from a Word doc of your manuscript and then exporting it in the format the e-publishing site requires. 

I found the Smashwords guide to be very thorough and in-depth with a lot of trouble-shooting tips, so I start there, transforming my Word doc to a document suitable for Smashwords and then simply export it as a html file for uploading to Amazon.

This step is the most time-consuming because you need to go through every line of the manuscript ensuring that no errant formatting remains behind and that the resulting manuscript is readable. 

Step three is almost as equally tiresome as step two.  You need to upload the re-formatted manuscript to each site and proofread it (yes, again!) to ensure that nothing is lost in translation.

Step four: add cover art, a description, tags, and set a price.  This is where using more than one platform comes in handy. 

I start by publishing my books on Smashwords because if they are qualified for their Premium Catalogue, then they'll be distributed to a variety of channels including the Sony, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and if you want, Amazon Kindle stores.  You can also inexpensively purchase an ISBN for each book. 

Smashwords also has an easy to use coupon generator, which is perfect if you're trying to target certain groups and want to measure your success. 

I preferred to distribute to all of the channels through Smashwords except Kindle—that I did myself.  I wanted the ability to control the Kindle channel myself since I knew it would be the one with the most sales.

Step five: Hit publish and you’re done!

Additional considerations for authors with previously published works.  There are many companies who will "package" your books for you, converting them from electronic files or even scanning the actual book pages to create an editable electronic file.  Some also provide services such as editing, formatting, cover art creation, and publishing to a variety of e-stores.

Do your research and compare prices.  Many will give you references to check.  Also, make sure that you do not sign any of your author's rights away when you contract with these services.

What about the money?

Some authors may choose to give their work away for free in order to gain new readers or as a promotion tied to other books.  But most of us will be hoping to earn some income from our e-published books.

Joe Konrath believes that the price point you set is the key.  “Make your books impulse purchases by keeping the cost low.”

When I first self e-published, I experimented with a variety of prices ranging from $1.99 to $3.99 a book.  I found no real difference in the average sales on Smashwords, but the $2.99 books were the best selling on Amazon.

Since Amazon has recently increased their royalty rate for authors to 70% of books priced $2.99-$9.99 (with some caveats, be sure to read their agreement for more information), I revised all the prices on my Kindle books to $2.99.

One thing I have noticed during my eight months of e-pubbing is that Amazon out sells all other formats by at least 10:1.  Yes, those Kindle readers, love, love, love to buy books!!!

Even though the Smashword sales lag behind Amazon’s, I’ll continue to use them because of the ability to distribute to the other major e-stores such as Apple. Plus, Smashwords offers inexpensive ISBNs as well as the ability to generate coupons.

The bottom line

It’s not a huge amount of money, but I’m on track to make more in a year than I would if I took any of the offers from NYC publishers that I’d received for these particular manuscripts.  All with no expenses incurred other than my time and a few dollars for the copyright, ISBNs, and the stock art I used in the cover design.

As Konrath says, “E-books aren't a substitute for print books. Your results may vary. But this is a very exciting time to be an author. It's free to post books on Kindle. For the first time in history, we can potentially reach a wide readership, all by ourselves.

Just make sure you're giving those readers something they'll enjoy.”

I firmly agree.  In fact, I plan to upload my first "free" Amazon book in the near future as a promotion to help boost sales of my new release.  I also plan to experiment with using a penname for manuscripts that don't fit my brand.

Self e-publishing has its place in an author’s career path, whether to keep a backlist alive, to try new genres and markets, to use as a promotional tool in conjunction with traditionally published books, or to generate a little income on the side.

Thanks for reading!

CJ

======================================
Resources:

JA Konrath’s blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing

US Government Copyright Office

Amazon’s Digital Text Platform

Scribd

Smashwords

Lulu

=======================================

As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about.  In addition to being an award-winning medical suspense author, CJ is a nationally known presenter and keynote speaker. 

Her first novel, LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), received praise as a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller" from Publishers Weekly, was reviewed favorably by the Baltimore Sun and Newsday, named a Top Pick by Romantic Times Book Review Magazine, and became a National Bestseller.  Her award-winning, critically acclaimed Angels of Mercy series (LIFELINES, WARNING SIGNS, and URGENT CARE) is available now and the series finale, CRITICAL CONDITION, hits stores November, 2010.  Her newest project is as co-author of a new suspense series with Erin Brockovich.  To learn more about CJ and her work, go to http://www.cjlyons.net/.

SWAT Boot Camp -- Sniper Verb Training : TARGET "And"

By C.L. Phillips

Attention!

Well novelist, I see you are back for another SWAT Boot Camp session with Sergeant Wordslayer. Remember what SWAT means? Stop Withering Away Tension. Now drop and give me five verbs as a warm up. Quick, pick up a pencil. What? You don't have a pencil? Then write it in blood. After all, you are a mystery novelist, aren't you. Hey, you there in the back, Cozy Writer, this means you too.

Five verbs. Fast. Top of Mind. Quickly. Five More. Don't you dare use any form of "to be", do you hear me? (This is where you scream at the top of your lungs, YES, Sergeant Wordslayer.) Good.

That wasn't too tough was it? Now, pull out your current work in progress. Today, we're going to Whip that WIP in shape with a little Sniper Verb Training. Grab a chapter or ten pages. Get out your pencil. Quickly now, go through the pages and circle all the verbs. VERBS ONLY LADIES and GENTLEMEN.

Don't make me wait, get going.

Finished?

Ok, that was the easy part. Now, go back and put a square box around all the ANDs, ands, and ands. You get my point right?

Now, I want you to reach inside your brain and pet that tiny little ego of yours. Remind yourself that only the truly gifted novelists are willing to slay their own words. Repeat after me, "I'm special. I'm a great writer except when I choose weak, sniveling, spineless verbs." Set fire to a recipe card or something. It's time for war.

Rewrite every sentence with circles and squares. That's right. None of this "He looked at his watch and reached for the phone." Or, "He turned to his left and grabbed the box of Cheerios and sat down at the breakfast table."

Why are we SNIPER KILLING these sentences? Because in most cases you are saying what you see, as if it were in a movie. Not what you mean. Not what builds tension. Unless you are using AND to separate a list of nouns, you must seriously consider how "and" neuters tension in your sentence.

Do you agree? You can argue with Sargeant Wordslayer...but beware, if you are wrong, you will have to submit a list of twenty five totally awesome verbs, which you will subsequently inject into your WIP.

Don't believe me? Pick up a best selling author's book and highlight all the ANDS in the first ten pages. I challenge you to find more than five.

Dismissed!
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C.L Phillips writes mystery novels while nestled under a hundred-year live oak tree in downtown Austin. Except in August. C.L writes about the the gap between what people want and what they actually do. Broccoli or chocolate chip cookies, anyone? Check out her web site: http://www.clphillips.com/ or find her onTwitter: @clphillips787

SWAT Boot Camp for Novel Beginnings

By C.L. Phillips

You're a successful writer and novelist. So why are you constantly reworking and tweaking your first ten pages? Oh, I get it. If the first ten pages don't hook your reader, then you might as well go home, right.

So what are you doing about it? Besides gnawing on your fingernails? Do you need a little tough love from Sargent Wordslayer's SWAT Boot Camp for Novelists.? What? You don't know Sargent Wordslayer? Sure you do. He's that little voice in your head screaming, "this is the best you can do? Drop and give me twenty." At least, that's what he says to me.

Sargent Wordslayer's SWAT Boot Camp, that's SWAT - Stop Whithering Away Tension, kicks your opening chapters into shape. Sargent Wordslayer doesn't care about your fears or phobia's. He turns introverted middle-grade poets into vampire thriller writers. He can turn you into a world class, ass-kicking word-bashing samurai. But do you have what it takes?

Test yourself. Take out your first ten pages. Read them quickly. Now, put them away. Really. Turn the pages over. Better yet, take those first ten pages and put them in the freezer. Get a Popsicle while you are there. Sargent Wordslay encourages the use of sugar in all forms.

Ready?

We're going to put your hero in the three opening scenes of famous books. You're going to take the details of your story and insert your characters and try to make it work. Let me give you an example. You are writing a mystery (obviously, or you wouldn't be here, now would you?).

Example One: Ordinary day turns to....incoming danger. Put your hero into a scene like the opening of Micahel Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer. Your hero is going to work. A normal day. S/he gets a phone call. Something unexpected happens, and you are off to the races. Sargent Wordslayer says "Get that iincoming bomb in the first 150 words."

Example Two: Get the story problem in the first line. Example, Diana Gabaldon's Outlander. The first line. "It wasn't a very likely place for disappearances, at least at first glance." Give Sargent Wordslayer six new first lines that foreshadow your story problem...now! Get writing. You've got three minutes. Put that Popsicle down and get cracking. No looking around the room. Write, golly-gosh-darn-it.

Example Three: Pick a fight. Check out Harlen Coben's Deal Breaker. Make your hero pick a fight with a throw-away character so we can bond with his righteous indignation, ability to protect the weak, and possibly admire his mental acuity and muscular body. Sargent Wordslayer gives bonus points if you can make the fight happen in two pages while simultaneously demonstrating your hero's internal psychological flaw and one endearing little quirk.

Did you do it? Or did you just read about it? Sargent Wordslayer says, "Private, print this blog post out and tape it to your forehead until you do it." You'll feel better. Promise.

Write on!
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C.L Phillips writes mystery novels while nestled under a hundred-year live oak tree in downtown Austin. Except in August. C.L writes about the the gap between what people want and what they actually do. Broccoli or chocolate chip cookies, anyone? Check out her web site: http://www.clphillips.com/ or find her onTwitter: @clphillips787

Zooming With Twitter

by Julie Hennrikus

This past April, Krista Davis provided a great service—a two part Twitter lesson on the Cozy Chicks blog. (Read part one here and part two here). She is also part of a Guppies team encouraging Twitter use by hosting Friday tweetups. Lists Krista has created on her Twitter page (like this list of writers) help Guppies (and others) jump in and find people to follow.

All of this helps get people started. But for many the question remains: why?

Krista Davis: Lots of reasons!

·         Twitter has the ability to reach more people than any other single promotional idea outside of extremely expensive TV or radio advertising.

·         It's free, which makes it affordable for everyone.

·         Unlike other social media, there's little expectation of interaction.

·         Tweets must be 140 characters or less, so it's not time-consuming.

·         Authors can target audiences and readers through the use of hashtags.

·         A lot of social media churns in the same circles of writers. Twitter zooms outside of those circles and reaches a broader audience.

Question: You intersect foodies and mystery readers with your tweets and your blogs (especially mysteryloverskitchen.com). Do you feel that the cross promotion helps grow your followers? And is that helpful?

KD: Absolutely. Branding is key to marketing mysteries these days. In my case, I don't have to look far to see the explosion of interest in food. When Julia Child had her show, no one would have ever expected that we would see an entire TV network devoted to food. Not all the people following Top Chef and Food Network are fascinated by mysteries, but there is a group where the interest in food intersects with enjoyment of mysteries -- that's my audience!

What is your most interesting RT*?

I once re-tweeted a tweet about storing a severed body part in the crisper of the refrigerator. We were having a Guppy chat on Twitter when I saw it, and I thought it was hilarious. That tweet was retweeted all over!

*An RT, or retweet, is a way of repeating someone else’s tweet to your followers. And it may get retweeted to others. And so on, and so on.
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National Bestselling author Krista Davis writes the Domestic Diva Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime.  Her most recent release is The Diva Paints the Town.  The Diva Cooks A Goose will be in bookstores in December.  Learn more about Krista's books at her web site  and visit her on Saturdays at  the Mystery Lovers Kitchen blog , where she blogs on Saturdays. Follow her on Twitter at @KristaDavis.  She promises to follow you back!

J.A. Hennrikus is a Guppy and on the board of the NE Chapter of Sisters in Crime.

Pictures, Prompts and Poetry: What's your secret weapon?

By C.L. Phillips

"My name is Sara and I'm a writer. It's been 12 days since my last writer's block."

Admit it. You'd sneak into a twelve step program for writers if it banished writer's block. So what do you do when the muse goes on vacation? After you've cleaned your desk, polished the stove, eradicated every cobweb in your house? How do you bootstrap your creativity?

I've got a new book with a thousand pictures. I'm on page three. I open the book, and write a five hundred word flash fiction story using the picture as my writing prompt. If you twist my arm, I'll tell you what the pictures are about. Hint - I was inspired by a recent best seller.

A dear friend, Patricia Lee Lewis (http://www.writingretreats.org/), posts a writing prompt each week on her blog. Each prompt comes with a time limit. You pick up the pen and write like a demon, usually for twenty-five minutes. Something magical happens as my fingers sprint against the clock with each word, shoving my writer's block into the corner. I simply do not have time to mess with the resistance. Instead, I smash it on the head and press on.

Sometimes I use these prompted writings in my current project. More often, I find after the exercise that something clicked in my brain. My characters start chatting to one another, and I'm off to the races. Writer's Block vanquished.

And what do I do when pictures and prompts fail? Poetry. Yep, that's right. I *cough*gag*spew read poetry. Not that I would ever admit that to my friends. Usually Robert Frost. Something about good fences or the road less traveled. His poetry tumbles around in my brain like the scrubbing bubbles on a bathtub, taking the ring of self-doubt and confusion down the drain.

As with any secret weapon, there's one final instruction. Do it when you first arise in the morning. Before life invades. At least, that's what I've found. When I prime the creativity pump, first thing in the morning, it never runs dry. As with any personal advice, I'm sure your mileage will vary.

What's your secret weapon? What exactly do you do to keep your creativity pump spewing like an oil rig in the Gulf? Oops, maybe I could have picked a better analogy. Better yet, while you are laughing, hit that comment button and share a little of your own magic. Like all good 12 step meetings or Weight Watcher meetings, the best advice comes from those on the path.

Write on!
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C.L Phillips writes mystery novels while nestled under a hundred-year live oak tree in downtown Austin. Except in August. C.L writes about the the gap between what people want and what they actually do. Broccoli or chocolate chip cookies, anyone? Check out her web site: www.clphillips.com or find her onTwitter: @clphillips787