Every author goes through the same thing. You have a pile of fingernails that you've bitten off in a nice neat pile on your desk. You try to get inside the head of your reader, hoping that they pay attention to the parts in your story that you believe you placed so much emphasis on.
You hope that they cheer when you want them to and feel what you wanted them to feel at the appropriate time. But it is nearly impossible.
As a writer, once you realize that everyone is reading your book for different reasons, you will see that not everyone will get the same thing out of your book.
I wrote a light comedic novella named Serial Me, where my character is the opposite of what most heroines look like in a book. She is overweight with low self esteem. She is trying to find Mr. Right while holding onto a job that she doesn't feel worthy of.
I hope that women with weight and self esteem issues will see that they too are beautiful. I hope that they stop worrying about self image and learn that once they accept themselves, others shall too. I should know. I'm in a wheelchair and suffer from many chronic illnesses. You think carrying a few extra pounds around is a possible deterrent. Try having 24 inch rims stuck on the side of your ass.
What will others get from the book? A great light and funny read on a Sunday afternoon. Perhaps someone interested in a high concept novel. Maybe someone looking for a few laughs. Or someone that just wants to size you up as a writer. Competition perhaps? Maybe.
I've noticed where a lot of reviewers will immediately make comment about grammar usage and misspellings. While there are so many horrible books out there that don't even grasp the basic concepts of the English language, there are some great books out there with just a few mistakes.
But there are those comments where the reviewer will berate the author over these errors. But what do you do when your book doesn't have errors?
I read one review where this woman was taking the author to task over grammar. But other reviewers chimed in and said that they could find no mistakes. Surely not as many as the first reviewer mentioned. Then it hit me....
What IF the reviewer didn't know what she was talking about? Novel idea, right? Of course! It makes sense. Most people that claim they know perfect grammar DON'T. What are their qualifications? Do they have a degree in English? Are they professional editors? What made this woman so sure that the book wasn't grammatically correct?
I saw two commercials and ten websites that displayed the word WALLAH! When it's actually written Voila! But you couldn't tell the original authors of these websites that they were wrong. How many people do you think they go on "correcting"?
Don't take it too personal when someone takes you to task over a few mistakes here and there. I've found an error in World War Z but the story was so good, I didn't care. I still don't. The ones that lament the most about how the English language is going straight to hell are the ones that's sending it there with gasoline drawers on.
Unless you're one of those writers that really need to take an English class or two. IF so then stop reading and get there....FAST!
Showing posts with label editing your book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label editing your book. Show all posts
Friday, August 9, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
What Does She See? **Diary of A Sick Chick**
Featuring the poem, "What Does She See?"
Coming soon
Diary of A Sick Chick: Year Two Of Living With Chronic Illness
Available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo in February 2013
Friday, December 21, 2012
How Can You Complain About Free? Kindle Freebies Anyone?
It's something I absolutely enjoy doing when I get up in the morning. I check the Amazon free lists of great books for the wonderful price that can't be beat: $0.00.
With the advent of self-publishing, your cat can become an author in probably ten minutes. People all over the world have probably kicked the idea of writing a novel in their heads at one time or another.
Well some of those people just scratched that off their "bucket" list because sites like Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com are turning your next door neighbors into authors.
Now people from all walks of life can share their life experiences and stories with the rest of the world. The problem for some is that the stories that are being shared are not the most "polished" and grammatically correct as they need to be.
Sure there are lots of Grammar Police out there in the world on patrol, noting every missed comma or misspelled word. But there are some books on Amazon that can make you think that English (or whatever language) is not their native tongue because of all the grammar problems.
There was one book that I read about Lupus that had such a long run on sentence that lasted all the way to the second page before a period was placed.
Some of the novels are just plain unreadable and it's a sad state that displays a lack of education around the world.
But what happens when that book is free?
Some books have typos here and there but you are able to get the general point of the story.
I have a problem with downright mean, insulting, and downright personal attacks on authors when they are giving their work away for free. It doesn't matter if a two year old can do better, it was FREE.
Constructive criticism can go a long way but insulting someone's intelligence doesn't. It just makes a hostile world more hostile.
But then again, no one twisted your arm to buy it. You picked it up because it was FREE!!! It's like purchasing a fake Coach handbag for one dollar. It looks just like the real thing and feels like the real thing but then five minutes later when the strap breaks, you're ready to ring someone's neck.
There is absolutely no logic in that. What did you really expect? You had your own set of expectations of this purse that LOOKED like a Coach purse so it should BEHAVE like a Coach purse, even when you didn't pay Coach money. You put very high expectations on something that didn't have much value in the first place and have the gall to be disappointed in how your fake Coach purse performed.
Yes, continue looking through the Freebies on Amazon because there are lots of gems out there that have authors with tremendous talent.
But if you happen to download something which your dog could have written better prose, you have no one to blame but yourself.
With the advent of self-publishing, your cat can become an author in probably ten minutes. People all over the world have probably kicked the idea of writing a novel in their heads at one time or another.
Well some of those people just scratched that off their "bucket" list because sites like Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com are turning your next door neighbors into authors.
Now people from all walks of life can share their life experiences and stories with the rest of the world. The problem for some is that the stories that are being shared are not the most "polished" and grammatically correct as they need to be.
Sure there are lots of Grammar Police out there in the world on patrol, noting every missed comma or misspelled word. But there are some books on Amazon that can make you think that English (or whatever language) is not their native tongue because of all the grammar problems.
There was one book that I read about Lupus that had such a long run on sentence that lasted all the way to the second page before a period was placed.
Some of the novels are just plain unreadable and it's a sad state that displays a lack of education around the world.
But what happens when that book is free?
Some books have typos here and there but you are able to get the general point of the story.
I have a problem with downright mean, insulting, and downright personal attacks on authors when they are giving their work away for free. It doesn't matter if a two year old can do better, it was FREE.
Constructive criticism can go a long way but insulting someone's intelligence doesn't. It just makes a hostile world more hostile.
But then again, no one twisted your arm to buy it. You picked it up because it was FREE!!! It's like purchasing a fake Coach handbag for one dollar. It looks just like the real thing and feels like the real thing but then five minutes later when the strap breaks, you're ready to ring someone's neck.
There is absolutely no logic in that. What did you really expect? You had your own set of expectations of this purse that LOOKED like a Coach purse so it should BEHAVE like a Coach purse, even when you didn't pay Coach money. You put very high expectations on something that didn't have much value in the first place and have the gall to be disappointed in how your fake Coach purse performed.
Yes, continue looking through the Freebies on Amazon because there are lots of gems out there that have authors with tremendous talent.
But if you happen to download something which your dog could have written better prose, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
The Sad and Sorry State of Urban Fiction Novels
I may catch a lot of flack for this one but it needs to be said.
I love my Kindle and not a day goes by where I'm not on the Amazon website trying to find new and awesome books to read.
As a Black woman, there is a certain genre that I stay away from, but only because I don't find it very interesting. I grew up very sheltered in a middle class family so I can't relate to many of the stories. It just wasn't my life experience.
I don't consider myself to be some great scholar of the English language and have made quite a few grammatical gaffes myself. It's all in the process of learning and trying to do better as a person and perfecting my craft which is the goal of all writers.
With that being said, I have downloaded a few of these Urban fiction novels out of curiosity and I have not been pleased with what I've found.
I don't mind the violence as much or the liberal use of the dreaded "N" word. But what I do find challenging is to even figure out what the book is about because the sentence structure is terrible with many of the books that I come across. I can overlook typos but when they take up most of the book, it becomes a huge distraction.
Please keep in mind that I'm not speaking of EVERY black author out there that writes in the genre. I'm sure there are many books out there that are well written and edited for clarity. It's just I haven't had much luck finding any.
I reviewed a book yesterday that seemed to have a lot of promise, but I couldn't get past the writing style of the author. Quotes were not used properly so I had a hard time trying to figure out who was speaking.
His book is not alone. It is very easy to identify an Urban book. There is usually some scantily clad dressed woman on the front along with some tough looking men with guns or other weapons in their hands.
I had another "discussion" with an author over her book (which shall remain nameless). She marketed as a true story about a mother who loses control over her children to the streets. But from the very beginning, you could easily see why the mother lost control. She was violent, often had physical confrontations with people in the neighborhood, and yelled and screamed at her own children. Then she was "flabbergasted" that her children turned out to be killers. When I pointed this out to her, her answer was simply that black women have to raise their children differently, a myth that I've heard from many other black people.
Really? Children should never watch their mother go "upside someone's head" with a baseball bat, constantly use profane language, and scream at them on a daily basis. Children will act out the things that they see at home.
If an alien from outer space touched down and wanted to know what Black people were like, downloaded a few of these books on his kindle, he would have a very low opinion of us. It is just downright disheartening. Yes, I find it wonderful that black people, young and old, are finding ways to creatively express themselves. Not only are they using their talents, they are also creating material for other Black people to read and enjoy. Many young people are actually READING more!
But if they have THIS to look up to, then we have a long way to go. One can read Zora Neale Hurston and see the type of slang that Blacks use to communicate with each other, but there is a clear message in her writing that can be enjoyed by everyone.
A lot of the Urban fiction have gangbanging, prostitution, drug dealing, and just over the top violence. Is that all there is to Black people? I understand that it is apart of the genre "urban fiction" but some of the stories aren't even put together that well and the point of the story is just lost.
Most women in these stories are gold digging hussies that strip for a living. The men are pimps, gangbangers, and drug dealers. It's like a thousand black writers wrote the same story over and over again just under a different name and cover.
So I stay away from this genre. Hopefully I'll find a gem out there that I can write about and give a glowing review to. Hopefully we can do better and put out material that people from other cultures can enjoy as they learn about us as a people.
And it is not gangs, drugs, sex, violence, and money. We have a rich history and that needs to be center stage.
I love my Kindle and not a day goes by where I'm not on the Amazon website trying to find new and awesome books to read.
As a Black woman, there is a certain genre that I stay away from, but only because I don't find it very interesting. I grew up very sheltered in a middle class family so I can't relate to many of the stories. It just wasn't my life experience.
I don't consider myself to be some great scholar of the English language and have made quite a few grammatical gaffes myself. It's all in the process of learning and trying to do better as a person and perfecting my craft which is the goal of all writers.
With that being said, I have downloaded a few of these Urban fiction novels out of curiosity and I have not been pleased with what I've found.
I don't mind the violence as much or the liberal use of the dreaded "N" word. But what I do find challenging is to even figure out what the book is about because the sentence structure is terrible with many of the books that I come across. I can overlook typos but when they take up most of the book, it becomes a huge distraction.
Please keep in mind that I'm not speaking of EVERY black author out there that writes in the genre. I'm sure there are many books out there that are well written and edited for clarity. It's just I haven't had much luck finding any.
I reviewed a book yesterday that seemed to have a lot of promise, but I couldn't get past the writing style of the author. Quotes were not used properly so I had a hard time trying to figure out who was speaking.
His book is not alone. It is very easy to identify an Urban book. There is usually some scantily clad dressed woman on the front along with some tough looking men with guns or other weapons in their hands.
I had another "discussion" with an author over her book (which shall remain nameless). She marketed as a true story about a mother who loses control over her children to the streets. But from the very beginning, you could easily see why the mother lost control. She was violent, often had physical confrontations with people in the neighborhood, and yelled and screamed at her own children. Then she was "flabbergasted" that her children turned out to be killers. When I pointed this out to her, her answer was simply that black women have to raise their children differently, a myth that I've heard from many other black people.
Really? Children should never watch their mother go "upside someone's head" with a baseball bat, constantly use profane language, and scream at them on a daily basis. Children will act out the things that they see at home.
If an alien from outer space touched down and wanted to know what Black people were like, downloaded a few of these books on his kindle, he would have a very low opinion of us. It is just downright disheartening. Yes, I find it wonderful that black people, young and old, are finding ways to creatively express themselves. Not only are they using their talents, they are also creating material for other Black people to read and enjoy. Many young people are actually READING more!
But if they have THIS to look up to, then we have a long way to go. One can read Zora Neale Hurston and see the type of slang that Blacks use to communicate with each other, but there is a clear message in her writing that can be enjoyed by everyone.
A lot of the Urban fiction have gangbanging, prostitution, drug dealing, and just over the top violence. Is that all there is to Black people? I understand that it is apart of the genre "urban fiction" but some of the stories aren't even put together that well and the point of the story is just lost.
Most women in these stories are gold digging hussies that strip for a living. The men are pimps, gangbangers, and drug dealers. It's like a thousand black writers wrote the same story over and over again just under a different name and cover.
So I stay away from this genre. Hopefully I'll find a gem out there that I can write about and give a glowing review to. Hopefully we can do better and put out material that people from other cultures can enjoy as they learn about us as a people.
And it is not gangs, drugs, sex, violence, and money. We have a rich history and that needs to be center stage.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
The Urban Fiction Plague Part One
Lately, I've been in an Urban fiction mood. I used to read Urban Fiction back in the day but stopped since my tastes changed and I began a career in writing for myself. It's also safe to say that because I lived a sheltered life, I really didn't find myself relating to many of the plots that are characteristic of such fiction...especially in my adult years. I have moved away from the inner city and I live in a small town.
I recently decided to give Urban Fiction a chance because...well why not? Some of the plot lines are interesting and I discovered new and exciting authors that are really talented and I enjoy their work.
But as I began my search for good urban fiction, I began to see the same patterns all over again. Here are some of my complaints that are going WRONG in that particular genre.
1. Books With "Bitch" In The Title
You'd be amazed (maybe not) about the amount of books out there with the B word in the title. Gangster Bitch, Gangsta Bitch, Baddest Bitch, Welfare Bitch, EBT Bitch, Light Skinned Bitch, Wannabe Bitch, Stupid Bitch, Dime Piece Bitch.....so on and so forth. Some of the titles are a bit facetious but you get the drift. Every book has this Baddest Bitch character where she is the best looking girl on the block and all the men want her. She has a banging body and her skills in the bedroom can't compare.
2. There Is A Drug Dealer Named Nino....ALWAYS
Yes. No UF book is complete without a drug dealer named Nino. In fact, if he isn't Nino, then you need at least a few drug dealers scattered throughout the book. If the book is heroine based, then there is a good drug dealer (if there is such a thing) that really cares for the heroine and her children. They just want her to see the error of her ways or choose him over the big black ugly drug dealer that once made her eat Jell-O off the floor and beat her senseless.........yeah...some of these plot lines.
3. Light Skin, Long Hair, Don't Care
The heroine of these books almost will never be a short dark skinned girl with "nappy" and "unruly" hair. Nope! Her hair, thanks to her so called Indian heritage, will sport long hair draping down her back. She will have pecan colored skin so she will definitely pass the paper bag test. (If you don't know what that means, then put down one of those books and read some real African American literature) She is flawless and always the baddest bitch in the game (see example #1)
I'll be posting a part two to this series. It really is disturbing sometimes when almost all of the UB books are literally the same! Same plot lines and same characters. One would think that this is all UB has to offer when there is so much more to Black culture than bad bitches and drug dealers.
I'm looking forward to the day where an author can let some of these stereotypical characters go and craft an ingenious story with characters that I can believe in. That will be an author worth reading. Until then, the situation looks hopeless.
Urban Fiction writers out there. Let's get some new material. Think outside the box. And for the love of God, if you write one more drug dealer named Nino into your storyline, I'm bashing my Kindle against the wall.
I recently decided to give Urban Fiction a chance because...well why not? Some of the plot lines are interesting and I discovered new and exciting authors that are really talented and I enjoy their work.
But as I began my search for good urban fiction, I began to see the same patterns all over again. Here are some of my complaints that are going WRONG in that particular genre.
1. Books With "Bitch" In The Title
You'd be amazed (maybe not) about the amount of books out there with the B word in the title. Gangster Bitch, Gangsta Bitch, Baddest Bitch, Welfare Bitch, EBT Bitch, Light Skinned Bitch, Wannabe Bitch, Stupid Bitch, Dime Piece Bitch.....so on and so forth. Some of the titles are a bit facetious but you get the drift. Every book has this Baddest Bitch character where she is the best looking girl on the block and all the men want her. She has a banging body and her skills in the bedroom can't compare.
2. There Is A Drug Dealer Named Nino....ALWAYS
Yes. No UF book is complete without a drug dealer named Nino. In fact, if he isn't Nino, then you need at least a few drug dealers scattered throughout the book. If the book is heroine based, then there is a good drug dealer (if there is such a thing) that really cares for the heroine and her children. They just want her to see the error of her ways or choose him over the big black ugly drug dealer that once made her eat Jell-O off the floor and beat her senseless.........yeah...some of these plot lines.
3. Light Skin, Long Hair, Don't Care
The heroine of these books almost will never be a short dark skinned girl with "nappy" and "unruly" hair. Nope! Her hair, thanks to her so called Indian heritage, will sport long hair draping down her back. She will have pecan colored skin so she will definitely pass the paper bag test. (If you don't know what that means, then put down one of those books and read some real African American literature) She is flawless and always the baddest bitch in the game (see example #1)
I'll be posting a part two to this series. It really is disturbing sometimes when almost all of the UB books are literally the same! Same plot lines and same characters. One would think that this is all UB has to offer when there is so much more to Black culture than bad bitches and drug dealers.
I'm looking forward to the day where an author can let some of these stereotypical characters go and craft an ingenious story with characters that I can believe in. That will be an author worth reading. Until then, the situation looks hopeless.
Urban Fiction writers out there. Let's get some new material. Think outside the box. And for the love of God, if you write one more drug dealer named Nino into your storyline, I'm bashing my Kindle against the wall.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
"Chapter Books" on Amazon
Okay.....
What exactly is a "chapter book"? A chapter book, my friends, is a book that costs 0.99-$1.99 USD and has a length from 25-55 pages long. It's marketed as a "series". But what you're paying for in essence is just a chapter or two.
What's wrong with this?
Nothing, I suppose. But in the reviews, I've noticed that this angers a lot of readers. Especially when unknown writers tend to do this. Why should a customer pay 0.99 for a chapter and have to continue paying in order to finish the entire series? There are plenty of books out there that are equitably priced and you get the entire story in one read.
I've read some amazing "Chapter books" out there but I'm letting you know authors, you take the risk of alienating future buyers.
If you're interested in writing a series, then do so. But give your readers more than just a few chapters at a time.
What exactly is a "chapter book"? A chapter book, my friends, is a book that costs 0.99-$1.99 USD and has a length from 25-55 pages long. It's marketed as a "series". But what you're paying for in essence is just a chapter or two.
What's wrong with this?
Nothing, I suppose. But in the reviews, I've noticed that this angers a lot of readers. Especially when unknown writers tend to do this. Why should a customer pay 0.99 for a chapter and have to continue paying in order to finish the entire series? There are plenty of books out there that are equitably priced and you get the entire story in one read.
I've read some amazing "Chapter books" out there but I'm letting you know authors, you take the risk of alienating future buyers.
If you're interested in writing a series, then do so. But give your readers more than just a few chapters at a time.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Amazon Authors! What's Up With All The Serials?
Yes Harry Potter was an exceptional example of a successful series, but if you're not a known name, then your series won't be worth the paper that it was written on.
Yeah, I'm kind of cynical about them, but hear me out first.
Within minutes, my cat can become an author on Amazon and publish whatever she wants to basically. I don't have a problem with that at all. It's just that publishing serials doesn't work for the average reader.
When you're new, you want to write an amazing story from beginning to end. When you write a serial, you don't want to leave out so much that the reader HAS to purchase the second book in order to find out what happens. If this is your first time, what if you suck? You're almost guaranteeing that they won't come back.
New writers need to find their audiences in different ways than teasing their audiences with books that are sixty six pages long and that have titles that say this is "Book #1 out of 60 of the Dragon Knight Baby Specials"
Huh?
Have you even built an audience yet with the more traditional route?
What makes you so sure that I'm going to stick with you long enough to read through the second book all the way to your sixtieth?
It's presumptious.
Stick with your first book and knock them dead with that one. Join book clubs that deal with the subject matter that you're writing in. Smooze book club owners. Talk with other writers. Utilize social media. Create a blog. Read other books in the same genre. Read books in other genres. Completely immerse yourself in the world of writing. Find out what the experts are doing. Find out what the idiots are doing and then, don't do that.
Then if you think you've got what it takes to write a trilogy (and God help you if you don't) go for it. It better be damn good and damn worth it.
A writer should never go into a project thinking that they want to create a series off the bat unless they are under a contract to do so. You, as the inexperienced writer with no base, have no clue that people will give a crap about what you write. You could very well be wasting your time.
Write that first novel but leave a little room at the end to possibly create a teaser. Then wait damnit. Wait. Check the reviews. Have other people professionally critique your work. Mull some ideas over in your head for a possible part two of the series.
Have you ever seen any of the Pirates of The Caribbean movies? The first one was genius but then the scripts became some overloaded with such nonsense that even Johnny Depp threw up his hands and said, "I don't even know what this means!"
You're in the business of writing and entertaining people. You want them sitting on the edge of their beds while their spouses are asleep waiting to jump up at any moment and scare the daylights out of them. You want them rooting for your characters! You don't want the main character in the middle of the scene that YOU wrote saying, "What the fuck is THIS shit?" It's not good.
Concentrate on what makes a great story. Concentrate on how to tell a great story. Then go from there. If you're new in the game, the trilogy will come much further down the line. Captivate your readers and then you shall build a great and loyal audience. They will follow you wherever you go from there.
Yeah, I'm kind of cynical about them, but hear me out first.
Within minutes, my cat can become an author on Amazon and publish whatever she wants to basically. I don't have a problem with that at all. It's just that publishing serials doesn't work for the average reader.
When you're new, you want to write an amazing story from beginning to end. When you write a serial, you don't want to leave out so much that the reader HAS to purchase the second book in order to find out what happens. If this is your first time, what if you suck? You're almost guaranteeing that they won't come back.
New writers need to find their audiences in different ways than teasing their audiences with books that are sixty six pages long and that have titles that say this is "Book #1 out of 60 of the Dragon Knight Baby Specials"
Huh?
Have you even built an audience yet with the more traditional route?
What makes you so sure that I'm going to stick with you long enough to read through the second book all the way to your sixtieth?
It's presumptious.
Stick with your first book and knock them dead with that one. Join book clubs that deal with the subject matter that you're writing in. Smooze book club owners. Talk with other writers. Utilize social media. Create a blog. Read other books in the same genre. Read books in other genres. Completely immerse yourself in the world of writing. Find out what the experts are doing. Find out what the idiots are doing and then, don't do that.
Then if you think you've got what it takes to write a trilogy (and God help you if you don't) go for it. It better be damn good and damn worth it.
A writer should never go into a project thinking that they want to create a series off the bat unless they are under a contract to do so. You, as the inexperienced writer with no base, have no clue that people will give a crap about what you write. You could very well be wasting your time.
Write that first novel but leave a little room at the end to possibly create a teaser. Then wait damnit. Wait. Check the reviews. Have other people professionally critique your work. Mull some ideas over in your head for a possible part two of the series.
Have you ever seen any of the Pirates of The Caribbean movies? The first one was genius but then the scripts became some overloaded with such nonsense that even Johnny Depp threw up his hands and said, "I don't even know what this means!"
You're in the business of writing and entertaining people. You want them sitting on the edge of their beds while their spouses are asleep waiting to jump up at any moment and scare the daylights out of them. You want them rooting for your characters! You don't want the main character in the middle of the scene that YOU wrote saying, "What the fuck is THIS shit?" It's not good.
Concentrate on what makes a great story. Concentrate on how to tell a great story. Then go from there. If you're new in the game, the trilogy will come much further down the line. Captivate your readers and then you shall build a great and loyal audience. They will follow you wherever you go from there.
Monday, November 5, 2012
The Teacher's Pet--Amazon Standings
I'm number one in sexual abuse.
Spread the word. You or someone you know has a life that has been touched by sexual assault or rape.
Download this book for free today.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
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