Giving my Novel Some Much-Deserved Love

Image by fotografierende from Pixabay

Since this pandemic started, I’ve been staying mostly at home to minimize the risk of someone in the household getting sick. Which means I’ve gotten to catch up on some things, like decluttering the house, doing DIY projects, and reading.

I started reading the ebooks and paperbacks I'd purchased but didn’t get to yet. But one book sitting on my shelf that I hadn't read yet was my own book, Circles, that I published back in 2012. I decided to reacquaint myself with the novel that I spent a better part of a year writing.

I sat myself down on the couch and started reading. I read that book all day. When I turned the last page, I took a breath and thought, “Wow, this is a GOOD story!” 

Of course, it was a good story for me because, well, I wrote it – I won't deny that I'm biased here.

I realized that when I published my novel, I didn't give it the love it deserved. While I don't have trouble selling other people's brands, I felt uncomfortable selling my own book. So after my first announcement to social media that I had published a novel, a few book talks, and a couple of gentle reminders that I would have really loved some reviews, I stopped trying. 

But reading Circles again, I realized I sold my story short. My book deserved more pitching than I gave. So, I’m going to ask my novel for forgiveness: I’m going to tell everyone who will listen to read this amazing urban fantasy adventure. Yeah, ok, I admit there might be a typo somewhere in the book, and I managed to repeat a phrase at one point. But my story made me cry. Twice. And I wrote it – I knew what was coming!

If you or someone you know is a reader who enjoys fantastic adventures with supernatural characters that happen in our everyday world, Circles is a must-read. And to prove it, for the next 5 days I’m giving away a free copy of Circles this week only so I can prove to you just how good my story is. If urban fantasy is your genre, or extraordinary adventure is your thing, click this link to get a free copy of Circles.

What’s the catch? I am asking for your email so that I may do two things: 1 – tell you “I told you so” when you discover how awesome my novel was, and even if you read it and decided it wasn’t as awesome as I said it was, hey – it was free! And 2 – to ask you to give your honest review of my novel (even if you hated it), either on GoodReads, Amazon, Apple Books, or other platform you might frequent (Barnes & Noble, Scribd, etc.). You will also be added to my monthly newsletter, however, once you receive the first one please feel free to unsubscribe if you would rather not hear about any further awesomeness from me.

I am convinced that my story is worth sharing and deserves a place on your physical or digital bookshelf. So get your free ebook copy now before the offer goes away in five days!

Where Short Stories Come From

Ever since my first (failed) attempt at marketing my my first novel I have tried a few other times to drum up "buzz" for my work with near-zero success. Is it because my novel was terrible? Absolutely not. I put a lot of time and effort into creating a story I loved to read, so I know there are hundreds of others who would also love my book. But you wouldn't know it by the scant reviews and bottom-of-the-barrel ranking on Amazon. So what's wrong?

So many stories to choose from

I have read more books on marketing than I would care to list, and each one tells me something different about what I could have done better. But no matter what the experts say, patience, perseverance, and purpose are not enough. In an online world infused with millions of different kinds of content that bombard us every day, my novel is just one story trying to be heard among the multitude of other stories vying for your attention.

And that set me to thinking - what if I had a bunch of shorter stories to share with readers, stories that would only take up a few minutes of their time but be entertaining enough to make readers want to try out my longer works? So I got super excited and started thinking about all the stories I could tell. Until I realized every story plot I came up with would morph into something that would take more than a few minutes to read through. As good a writer as I believed myself to be, I was not good enough to tell a short story.

I tired writing prompts, I tried poetry, I tried photo prompts, I even tried to write a 100-word story to submit to an online literary magazine. None of it was working. I couldn't get a story to fit within two 8.5x11 pages. And then one day I browsed through Facebook. A friend of mine would put funny little quotes her son would say on an e-card and post them to her page, which would make their way onto my feed. I had threatened in the past to use her great quotes in a story, but never got around to it. But on this particular day she posted a quote that inspired a humorous story about the power of imagination and friendship.

It took me a couple of weeks of on-and-off writing and editing, but I managed to get the story under 800 words. I had my own son read it and give me feedback before I finally published it on Wattpad. I've discovered that I can write stories that are both short and entertaining, and my inspiration comes from the everyday lives of people. So now I would like to ask you, my readers, to help me find inspiration for more short stories that I can share with you. If you hear a funny or odd quote, or see a picture of something interesting, message me on my Facebook account, tweet your inspiration to my Twitter handle, or just post it here in the comments section.

Question: How do I inspire my child to write?

It starts with a simple sentence.

Some of my most enjoyable moments were teaching a five-session writing class to elementary students. This is an age where their imaginations are getting broader and more inventive. This is the best time to get them to write those wonderful thoughts down on paper. But not every child I had was very excited to write.

My very first class had nine students, one of whom did not want to be there. On his first day he was adamant that his parents signed him up for the wrong class. I assured him that he was right where he should be and that he would have a great time writing. I could tell he didn’t believe me. The first and second classes were unproductive with respect to this student. While every other student was in their second drafts, he still hadn’t created a single sentence.

And then during the third class meeting, something amazing happened. There was a break in the lesson plan and all the kids were having conversations about their stories. One child made a joke about something, and another child elaborated on it. I let the conversation continue into lesson time, because the joke had somehow morphed into a communal story, with every child adding to the plot – including my writing-resistant student. In fact, he was the most ardent adder to the story, and his fellow classmates would encourage his input by complementing his version with their own.

I finally called the class to order and had them continue working on their current drafts. I then knelt beside my reluctant student’s chair and said, “You added incredible elements to the story you were all sharing. I would love to hear the end of it.” His eyes lit up and he started to talk about his ideas, but I interrupted him. “Wait, wait, I’m going to forget this great story. I need you to write it down so that I can remember it.” And with that, he wrote his story, first draft to finished product.  And it truly was a wonderfully imaginative story with much humor and adventure.

If you have a child who absolutely hates to write, it’s because they haven’t yet found the story that demands to be remembered. And the more you push them to write, the more they may not want to do it.  So what can you do?

Let’s take this from a reluctant writer’s point of view. Writing is boring. There are so many other things he or she could be doing than sitting at a desk with a paper and a pencil. The reluctant writer has not yet discovered the meaning of writing, which is to have fun with your imagination, to go places you haven’t been. But it all starts with a simple sentence.

Be a role model. If you are a reader and a writer, then your child will be, too. Start with a sentence. Sit with him or her and write a letter to a far-off family member, write a journal entry about what you did today. Write a grocery list. Find as many excuses as you can to model writing behavior.

Encourage writing. Encourage your child to write down his thoughts whenever he has something exciting to talk about. Tell him that something so exciting should be written down so it isn’t forgotten. Start with a sentence. And then have him read what he wrote to you, even if it is only one sentence. Never mind if the grammar or spelling is not perfect. It doesn’t have to be, until he is ready to share it with a critical group (such as his class or for a writing contest). My mantra is “as long as I can read it.”  Let your child know that it’s okay to have imperfect writing. He will have time to improve on his writing as he learns to revise and edit his work. And if only he will see his work, what does it matter if he didn’t spell “especially” right.

Embrace technology. Lastly, teach your child to use a computer. When a child has lots to write about, it can be discouraging when her hand starts to hurt. Teach her to type so she can write her story using a word processing program. Teach her how to save her work, and teach her to create new drafts to edit, instead of editing her original work.

Start with a simple sentence. Your child may only want to write a sentence or two without grumbling. But as writing becomes a daily adventure rather than a chore, those sentences will come together into a story of his or her own. Be a writing role model and give encouragement any chance you get. Your child will eventually have that “aha” moment and will want to write about it.

The Fascination With Steampunk

Automaton from Cirque du Soleil's Kurios

When I embarked on this journey to write a story about a young boy growing up in a very different historical version of Hawaii, I knew that I wanted to incorporate the imaginings of an often misunderstood genre - steampunk.

When most people hear of the term for the first time, images of Victorian garb, goggles, metal wheels and cogs, ray guns, and flying dirigibles may be the images that come to mind. But as a written genre, it can become so much more. Steampunk takes the glorious age of the Industrial Revolution - poverty, pollution, progress, and all - and asks the question, "What if it still existed?"

Jules Verne may be the earliest author to give voice to such a question with his classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. His futuristic submarine and weaponry were fine examples of how far the technology of the Industrial Revolution could take humanity. Today, we have television shows that have celebrated the "Age of Steam," such as Warehouse 13 and Doctor Who. You can even find examples in movies: Wild, Wild West, The Golden Compass, or Howl's Moving Castle. Even video games have embraced elements of steampunk as with .Hack//G.U., Bio Shock, and Order: 1886.

Kurios performers atop the tent

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to watch Cirque du Soliel's Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities. It was an amazing visual display of steampunk and I was happy to have seen it. The stage design was exquisitely laid out with Tesla-coil-like devices, bronze colored machines and towers, and Edison lights scattered throughout. The costuming ranged from mad-scientist lab gear to Victorian holiday travelers, to odd automatons and fish. Yes fish.

I enjoyed the show from start to finish, and reveled in being immersed in a humble scientist's steampunk dream. What if science could change the way we lived? In the scientist's dream, we would have robots that helped us, modes of transportation that would takes us anywhere we wanted to go, we would discover amazing new sea creatures, and see the possibilities our world has to offer.

I hope I can follow such an imaginative world with my own. Hawaii, as a self-governing monarchy, came to an end in 1893. But what if it hadn't? That is the question my imagination answers, while also adding "What if Hawaii embraced industry, with sugar cane being its primary driver?" These questions set the stage for my characters, giving them a home within which to roam and have an adventure. While my novel may not take you to the world of steampunk that is strictly Victorian in nature, it still embraces the idea of a cultural shift in the face of rapid progress; I want you to experience this world from a unique perspective of island life and Asian influence.

Searching for lost history : the forgotten Mango Tree Camp

From Hawaii State Archives

When I set out to write my current project about a young boy living in a steampunk alternate history of Maui in the 1930's, my initial question had been, "What if the Hawaiian Monarchy had never fallen?" This was the question that drove my setting, and fueled my 9-year-old son's imaginative character building as he helped me cultivate the story.

I wanted a mango tree to be the anchor to the theme of the novel, a story about perseverance, self-assurance, and growth. And it was modeled after a tree that lived in my grandmother's back yard, next to a house built by my great grand-uncles in an old plantation town. And so, a mango tree was born in the pages of my outlined draft and it's branches encompassed the characters.

Introducing the Write Life!

I wanted a way to engage with my readers and have a conversation. So I fumbled my way through Hangouts On Air to come up with a way to do just that! Posted below is my impromptu attempt at my very first Write Life! episode. And it just so happened I had a viewer who asked questions! That was my highlight right there.

In addition to this video, please scroll down to find some links related to what is discussed. I hope you find it entertaining and helpful, and I look forward to you joining me in future Hangouts On Air.



Books featured in this episode:

• Hawaii and its People - A. Grove Day
• Waimea Summer - John Dominis Holt
• The Inferno - Dante Alighieri
• Make Comics Like the Pros - Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente
• Chi's Sweet Home - Konami Kanata

Websites to visit:

• My online bookstore - MamaManga.com
• Site for freelance writers - Blogmutt.com
• Informative site on steampunk - Airship Ambassador
• A wonderful little museum that I'll be visiting - Bailey House Museum

If you have any questions about this episode, or have a question you would like answered on my next episode, please let me know in the comments section.

Enjoy, and write every day!

The commitment to write

A conversation with a friend

It's just after lunch and I am multitasking my time between completing an outline, cleaning (more like finding) my office, and figuring how to create an interactive On Air Hangout on Google+. Amidst all of this I find time to sneak onto Facebook every so often to check in on my feed.

First of all, if you want to be a successful writer, Facebook needs to go away while you are in writer mode. However, I was able to catch  a Messenger notification from an old friend from my anime convention days. Although we keep in touch through Facebook posts, we rarely use private messaging so I was curious to see what was up.

Writing: With a little bit of help from my friends

Mystery Cover!

I am in the mad-dash-final-draft-edit-before-my-editor-edits-and-I-need-to-edit-the-final-version-to-publish stage of my novella. It was supposed to be ready for readers by the end of September, but unfortunately I was not able to follow my editing calendar. What is it with me and calendars? Anyway, A Demon Born will be ready by the second week of October and I look forward to many comments and reviews!

Which brings me to today's post. I can write to my heart's content, but if I want to share my work I understand that my story (while it makes perfect sense in my head) must make sense to other readers. So I would like to thank the beta readers that helped locate all sorts of character development flaws, continuity issues, and other random things I would have normally not caught on my own. And now that I have reworked nearly the entire piece and practically rewrote two whole chapters, I hope I didn't create more problems. I will leave that to my editor to decide.

I was a little stumped on a discriptive problem I was having in a scene, and so took to Facebook and Twitter to ask for inspiration:

Not easy to get responses on Twitter, especially when you have 200+ tweets coming at you every hour, but I got a couple of responses from FB and I would like to say thank you, I was inspired and you shall see your suggestions in action (if you get my novella). Again, thanks to my friends I was able to improve my writing.

I'm going to ask for more inspiration now - You walk into a cafe where the wait staff are dressed as Victorian maids and butlers. Your attention is drawn to one thing, what is it?

My goal is to create stories worth reading. First, it has to be a story worth telling, so if I don't like to tell it who's going to want to read it? But once I discover a story I feel compelled to share, I want it to be the best possible reading experience. Every writer should have a band of friends with the guts to tell you where your story went south. Or north. Winter is coming, after all. They don't need to be best friends, or even good friends, but they need to be readers.

Writing: Know your history

Strahov Monastery - photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

When you write non-fiction, it is important to have your facts straight. Being able to reference historical information to support your writing is essential. If you're writing about the future of publishing, be able to discuss publishing's past. If you're writing about a CEO's rise to power, give credit to events in that person's youth that put her where she is today. If you want to be considered an expert on molecular biology, reflect on the various people and theories that make up what the science is today.

But if you are writing fiction, history is meaningless, right? Let's leave out the obvious historical fiction and modern adventure/thrillers that rely on knowing past events. Would you still need history to create an epic fantasy that takes place in a fantasy realm, like J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit? Or how about a grand work of science fiction like Frank Herbert's Dune? Neither novel takes place on Earth, or in a time that we know, so is history all that important?

Mid-week update and the art of serialization

From Villagebooks.com

Today was a wacky day. Due to a wind storm, my kiddo didn't have school, so I wasn't very productive. I have three days to finish chapter 5 and I'm having trouble fleshing out where I want to end it. So, I am now awake while the rest of my family is asleep, pounding out the rest of the chapter.

As I'm doing this, I come to the realization that writing serially is downright difficult. I think about the manga artists in Japan that have to come up with fully formed chapters with words AND images each week. Never mind the fact that I can't draw, even with the rough outline I planned, filling in the blanks and coherently blending each chapter to the one before (not to mention - as a prequel - it should match the original novel as well), it is still a last-minute rush to the Saturday finish line.

I could say that I'm complaining about the short writing time, but really I see it as an amazing challenge to improve my writing. After all, this serial novella's deadlines are self-imposed, so I have no one to complain to but myself. The only disappointment I have so far is that I have not gotten any feedback on my chapters, which is a way I could gauge where my strengths and weaknesses in the storyline are. How do I know I'm getting better? Or, am I getting worse?

I chose to serialize a short story on Wattpad for roughly the same reasons most authors serialize their work: to satisfy current readers of  Circles who asked for more, to attract new readers with something entertaining, and to engage readers in a conversation about what works and doesn't work in the story. Of all the reasons, I was most excited about the third one. I wasn't expecting extensive critique, but I certainly wasn't expecting crickets chirping.

Hear those crickets?

So, I conclude that the absence of feedback means my current work is not engaging enough. As such, I must turn up the volume. I don't know how I will do that just yet (as I have no commented compass to guide me) but I do know that I have yet to successfully grasp at the art of serialization.

And you may think, dear reader, that this is a ploy to guilt you into posting commentary about "A Demon Born" (it is), but it is more an acceptance of the silent gauntlet thrown at my feet. I accept your challenge to give you something worth commenting on!

Writing romance is a gift

As Valentine's Day approaches and I frantically put together little gifts for my son's classmates, find the right greeting card for my husband, and set a reminder to tell me it's Valentine's Day on Friday, I am forcefully brought to face a discouraging fact - I am not a romantic.

I have never wanted roses for Valentine's, or any occasion (although I'll take a box - or a bag - of chocolates any day), I can't do fancy romantic dinners because I end up choking on the cost of an entree, and as much as I believe I am a good writer, I can't put romance into words.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good snuggle in front of a fire and write love post-its on occasion. But when I think of romance, I think steamy passion. I think Harlequin Romance novels. I also think cliched "girl-meets-boy-and-love-is-more-complicated-than-it-needs-to-be." This is because that is what my romantic premises turn out to be.

Writing romance is a gift that I sadly do not have. It just isn't my voice. I will never be Nora Roberts or Heather Graham. Which is why you don't see very much (well, none) hot mess going on between the main characters of my novel. But what I, hopefully, have a voice for is the expressiveness of love. My characters may not be romantically involved, but there is a love between them nonetheless. It is expressed in the concern and respect that they come to have for each other, and shown in the acceptance of who they are and choosing to work around the difficulties that comes with acceptance. If they happen to get intimate later, as some of my readers hope for, it might not be steamy Harlequin-worthy fare, but it would be romantic.

Love is a spectacular thing. It starts off small, has it's ups and downs, and - should it survive all the downs - becomes something larger than one's self. You are no longer just "you," but "us." And often that love grows to include more of "us." And because of this, love has to include compromise, acceptance, and respect. Yes, it can be shown in a bouquet of flowers, a fancy dinner, and romance-novel-worthy sex. But long-lasting love must go beyond that.

On Valentine's Day, and any day you feel like it, do more than produce a display of gifts. Show someone you love that you care by sharing the days trials and tribulations, rejoicing in the triumphs of goals reached, making a simple meal and enjoying it with conversation instead of a TV show. Extend that love to your friends by dropping them a note, or a call just to say hello. (Or write them into your novels!) Let them know that they are in your thoughts.

I may not be a romantic, but I do know about love. I am reminded of it every moment I spend with family and friends. I may not be able to write a romance novel worthy of the New York Times, but even the quiet moments between characters will stir the heart. That is what I write - the quiet moments between two people that create an unbreakable bond. There is my voice, and it comes from experience.

Happy Valentine's day to my family, to my friends, and to all who give me the means to write with joy...

4 reasons why Pete Carroll inspires me

Now, I am not a fan of football, I would rather watch soccer or hockey. But ever since the Seattle Seahawks organization took a chance on USC coach Pete Carroll, I have been inspired as a writer by the happiest coach in the NFL. Well, what does an NFL coach have to do with writing? Let me give you four reasons.

From espn.com, look at that smile!

1. Coach Carroll is a writer. He did write a book, Win Forever: Live, Work, and Play Like a Champion. But that isn't what I am referring to. He is the author of a young, undeterred team that big names in the NFL said would not make it. The Seahawks took a coach no one else believed in and basically told him to have at it - write the story of a new team. And he did.
   
   He chose his characters with as much care as any author looking to tell a great story. He picked a quarter back that was too short, a legally deaf fullback, and other "inexperienced" players. This band of misfits (to loosely quote Richard Sherman) became the driving force of the story's plot - players that other teams didn't want, coming together with chips on their shoulders and ready to prove something.
   
   There were the requisite hardships that the characters had to overcome, like injuries and not making the first cut. And then there was the build up to the climax: an exceptional 2013 season that took them to the Super Bowl and did what everyone thought they couldn't - they won. Pete Carroll wrote a story that had all the elements of a must-read novel.
   
   Every writer starts off as undiscovered talent. A few get noticed by the big names in publishing, but many accomplished writers make their living in the "little leagues" of small presses and self publishing. And a few of them, most often having been passed up by the big names, do so well that it takes the publishing world by surprise and the big guys are left to wonder "What did we miss?" Pete Carroll is my inspiration that one day, I will have a story that will make everyone notice.
2. Coach Carroll is enthusiastic about his story. From the first day I saw this man through my TV, I was captivated by how different he was from other NFL coaches I observed (when I was actually watching a game). Where other coaches have severe looks permanently plastered to their faces, or throw the biggest fits that put my 8-year-old to shame, this man always had a smile on his face. Even when he looked concerned, he never looked angry at his team. And when he spoke to his players, he always seemed encouraging rather than demeaning. When things were going their way, he jumped and whooped and celebrated with the rest of them.
   

   

   from News-record.com

   
   It soon became clear that Carroll thought of the Seahawks as family. And like any fatherly (or motherly) figure, when you are proud of your family's accomplishments, you want to share them with others. I would see snippets of pre- or post-game interviews on the news and I just could not help emulating his contagious smile! Even when a game did not go well, this man never disparaged his team or ever looked angry - just disappointed. Even in the face of defeat, he always found something positive to say.
   
   Writers should be enthusiastic about their craft. You worked hard to create a compelling story. You suffered through the butchering edits, the harsh critiques, the late nights of writer's block to make a plot work or a character believable. Share the experience of your story with everyone! It's your baby, your family member, and it has grown and changed and ready to make you proud. Carroll has inspired me to be able to share my experience as a writer and introduce my work to people with as much enthusiasm and positivity.
3. Coach Carroll embodies perseverance. You have to believe in something so wholeheartedly that you would be willing to stick to your guns even when the road is difficult and the reward seems so far away. If forming a team that "experts" said would never make it, and standing with that team every day until every one of them believed they deserved respect, and then proving the "experts" wrong in spectacular fashion isn't the embodiment of perseverance, I don't know what is.
   
   The first time he became a head coach for the NFL, first for the Jets then the Patriots, both teams eventually fired him after short stints because he did not produce immediate results. After a successful run at USC that ended badly, Carroll was hired on by the Seahawks and given a second chance. And four years later, look at his accomplishment. Through the difficulties and triumphs he went through in his coaching career, he made it to the end result he was looking for. And he isn't anywhere near done yet.
   
   A writer must believe in the story he or she has to tell. Writing the story isn't always the hard part, but rather what must be done after the it is written. You have to make readers believe in your story just as much as you. There will be times when no one is listening, times when someone gives you bad press. But if you believe in the world you've built, others are going to believe in it too. I want to be like Coach Carroll, to persevere through the difficulties of being a writer so that I can be recognized for my work.
4. Coach Carroll has a following. Since its first use in 2002, Centurylink Field has been considered one of the most difficult stadiums to play an away game in because of the noise. There are a lot of die-hard Seattle fans out there, many of whom have been season ticket holders for years. But when the Seahawks hired Pete Carroll, the team wasn't the only thing evolving.
   
   I only started seriously watching Seahawks football just to see the happiest coach ever do his job. But I did notice that the stands gradually seemed more crowded, more Seahawk blue, more vocal, and more into the game. In 2011, I got to watch Marshawn Lynch make an amazing 67-yard run that caused fans to shake the ground so hard it registered on the seismograph at the University of Washington. But all I cared about was how Carroll walked the sideline giving every one of his offensive players high-fives and then giving Lynch a hug. He was happy and you knew it. And I became a 12 that day because I wanted to see this team and the coach that believed in them succeed.
   
   

   

   honoring the 12th man

   The 2013 season was the year of the 12's. Never before have I experienced an entire community of fans so ardent in their support for a team. But I believe it is because the team acknowledges that they are nothing without their fans. The 12's have their own page on the Seahawk website, and they are publicly thanked at the end of every game. As a writer, I don't want just a bunch of people following me on Twitter or Facebook. I want to engage with them, hear from them, and feed off their energy just like the Seahawks and their happy coach feed off the 12's. I am inspired to acknowledge the contributions of my fans, no matter how small, so they will continue to be my support. 

So, there you have it, four reasons coach Pete Carroll is my role model as a writer. The story he has written for the Seahawks franchise will always be a memorable one. His real-life characters inspire me to create characters of my own that readers will want to root for - to become my story's 12's. He has taught me to be patient and push through, to "always compete." Thank you Coach Carroll, and congratulations on winning the Super Bowl!

The public persona dilemma of author branding

Finding time to create and maintain a "brand" is a tedious task. I did it when I started my bookstore, and it was hard then. I had to determine my niche, create a logo and style that matched what products I offered, and draft a marketing plan that outlined my goals. But as a writer, I'm not branding a store that sells books, I'm branding myself and the writing I create. Yet I still have to define what my niche is, what my style is, and what my marketing goals are. Yuck. (This is a long one!)

I read up on how to create an "author brand" and a "writer's platform" and my eyeballs about popped out. It was overwhelming to think I am now a product, and my name is my brand. It nearly gave me a panic attack. This is because I am not, ever been, or most likely will not be an attention seeker. I knew this going into a writing career, and I knew that the goal WAS to get name recognition. But, like most first-time authors I'm sure, there's that tiny ray of hope that "if you write it they will come" and you, the writer, will not have to do much in the way of self-marketing. Unfortunately not all of us can be J.D. Salinger or Thomas Pynchon. Sigh.

So, flipping through my January edition of Writer's Digest, I came across an article "Branding Like a Master," which talked about how writing legends self-branded. It was a great piece and very relevant to my situation. It also forced me to take a REALLY hard look at who I am and who I want the public to see. I grabbed my handy-dandy notebook (come on, you know this...who has little kids??) and started jotting down ideas for my own path to legendary. Ppffth!

1. Know what your individual writing style says about you, and lean into that.  My whut? I have no idea what my writing style is. I'm certainly not a "lean, hard, athletic" writer like Hemingway was once described. So then what am I? I would like to think that I am witty and engaging, as hopefully evidenced by this blog post. But my style is supposed to be consistent, so can I consistently - and successfully - show the public that I can be witty and engaging?



From Trailend.org

2. Throw great gatherings.  Now, I love parties. If I had the time and Martha Stewart creativity, I would have a party once a week. But this would be just family and friends. What this article talks about are the soirees that literary greats like Gertrude Stein threw. If I could invite famous people that would show up, I think I could relax on this whole author branding thing. So where do I start? Apparently, I need to attend more writers' conferences and host online chats with talented colleagues. Hmm, let's see..."Um, hello Mr. Koontz and Miss Atwood, you don't know me but I follow you on Twitter. Would you like to join my Google Hangout?" Yeah. But I do know talented writers. They are just like me, still unknown with a lot to share. We SHOULD all get together in a public setting, at the very least for moral support!
3. Live your work.  The subject matter of legendary authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald often mirrored their lives. I would prefer to not be memorialized as the author of loosely moraled characters who lived a loosely moral life, as Fitzgerald was, but then what does my life say about my writing? My novel Circles is about the consequences of choice (and in tandem, who gets to decide what those consequences are). So, is my life all about the choices I make? That sounds a bit underwhelming, since every day is basically a series of choices: what to have for breakfast, what task on your to-do list gets done first, what brand of shampoo are you going to buy, should you also buy a bag of M&M's while you're at it. Instead, maybe my public image could be about being responsible for decisions made? (If I buy that bag of M&M's I will 1 - have to share it with my husband, 2 - have to share it with my son, or 3 - eat them all myself, most likely in one sitting, and feel very sick.)
   



Copyright Twitter

4. Be witty. Wait, didn't I just go over this in number 1? According to the article, I need to say things other people are going to want to repeat, like the often quoted Dorothy Parker or Oscar Wilde. I should be sending out witticisms in less than 140 characters, and retweeting and name dropping to the Twitterverse with hopes of finding my own following who will then want to retweet and name-drop me. Well, I tell you what, I am not ashamed to say I retweeted and favorited big names and hashtagged my way into twitter feeds. When the day finally came and I got retweeted, I really did jump for joy (scared my cat) because finally - out of the bazillion tweets that hit the internet that day, someone thought mine was worthy.
   
5. Corner the Market.  Jane Austen cornered her market by writing about what she knew best: the struggles of being an upper-middle class woman. I need to become the public's go-to source for what I know best. Which is...oh dear. Well what do I know? I know writing, but I am no expert compared to the multitude of bloggers, instructors and authors I look to for guidance. I am an avid reader, but there are too many good books I want to read and share. Not to mention reading takes a chunk away from writing. I pride myself on being a supportive and involved parent, but I have my moments. So who is going to look to me for advice? I do know that my passion is getting people engaged with reading and writing. It is such an important part of communication that sometimes gets lost in our 140-character-limit world. I see kids sitting together and texting each other, rather than having a vocal conversation. I read forum posts by adults that sound like a middle-schooler wrote them, with exactly the same attitude. We are losing the ability to talk to each other. Not just to disseminate information, but to just...talk. Would people see me as someone who can bring back conversation through written works?

There was a number 6, but this was where J.D. Salinger was involved and definitely did not pertain to me. But the bulk of the article gave me quite a bit to chew on, don't you think? No, really, what DO you think about my author brand?

Random thoughts on writing a prequel

Wattpad cover art

As a way to get readers interested in my first novel, I decided to write a prequel to Circles to provide a "sneak peek" for those who haven't read it yet.

So I began this creative adventure to write a short story that introduced how Solus, a main character of Circles, came to be a demon. My goal was to write a chapter a week for the next five weeks and have it available through Wattpad for readers to read and comment. Once the short story was complete, I would rework the piece and publish it in its entirety and put it up for free.

Sounds easy, right? Well just like writing 50k words in the month of November is a major feat, so is coming up with a well-written chapter in one week. My fist chapter was a nightmare. On Sunday, I first had to come up with a basic story line to follow. Then I had to figure out how to start it. By Thursday, I had enough of the chapter to get help from fellow writers in my critique group. On Saturday afternoon the first chapter was up.

But once I re-read my live chapter, I had nagging thoughts that something wasn't right. So I skimmed through my original novel and, yep, two very glaring continuity errors right there. At first I was disappointed and upset about the errors, but my goal was to generate interest, not create a new novel. And my intent was to clean it up anyway when I'm finished and formally publish it. All the mistakes I made and will make will have a chance to be fixed later. No worries.

But I was worried. All evening Saturday and all day Sunday, I obsessed over these errors. So much so that I didn't start the next chapter until Monday afternoon. I was unhappy with my published work, all because a work in progress didn't fit perfectly within the timeline of that world. I felt terrible, and entertained the thought that I should stop writing.

What this exercise in writing has done is help me realize I do not like writing prequels. It makes me second-guess my original work and think "I should have changed this" or I should have done this with that scene." I nit-picked my novel for two years before finally saying "enough." Every novel ever written could have been "perfected" in any number of ways. There has to be a moment where a writer finally says, "It's done," takes what was learned and moves on. I needed to move on.

Writing is like life. Life happens, and when things happen that you don't like, you adjust and move on. What happened in the past is "published," what happens next is the "work in progress."  But, like prequels, life can linger on the past, making it difficult to write the future. It is okay to reminisce about the past, romanticize or politicize or dramatize it as much as you like. As long as you remember the past doesn't change, and only your present and future matter.

I say that I will never write another prequel, but maybe I will. Right now, my focus in on my future. I will finish this short story and move on to another. And I will nit-pick this new one to death before I finally say, "enough" and move on. In the meantime, please look for the second chapter to come out on Wattpad this coming Saturday!