So I’ve gotten a few people asking about it. Honestly this is one of the few times people have actually asked me whether or not I’d be writing a sequel, so tickle me humble.
Thanks to everyone who bought, shared, and enjoyed my book! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it.
Well to put your questions to rest, yes there will absolutely be a sequel to Divinity. I’ve actually posted a few times describing how difficult it was to entertain the idea of writing one, but thankfully I’ve been slowly polishing one for a while that is now ready for review.
Synopsis:
“A soldier fighting a hopeless war, a broken angel torn between three worlds, and the fate of a nation hanging in the balance.
Piero Lorenzi was used to danger. He’d been a soldier since was old enough to handle a sword, but nothing could have prepared him for the journey to come. As the army helps to evacuate a city being overrun by revolutionaries, Piero happens upon a mysterious young woman lying unconscious in the remains of a destroyed building.
This woman holds a dark secret that will lead Piero to gates of Hell itself. Surrounded by enemies waiting in the shadows, he may be forced to make a choice between the nation he fought for his whole life and the one he loves the most.”
More updates to follow soon!
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
If you’re good at something, don’t do it for free!
Okay, let me start off by saying that I’m aware a lot of people are going to disagree with me on this, and I am aware that there are exceptions to this rule. If you want to donate copies of your book to a local shelter, library, or even just throw a few sample copies in public places to get the word out, that’s fine. I do that every now and again.
My issue comes when I see people posting professional writing on here or when you publish on nook or kindle for free. Even if it’s just a hobby, you put in a lot of time and energy into that work that could have been donated to other endeavors. You deserve to be compensated for that even if said compensation isn’t much (your writing, it won’t be). If you think putting your book out for free is a good way to get your name out there and give yourself exposure, while giving the writers an idea of what your write, then post a chapter, or a direct quote from your book, but the entire thing?
I know a lot of authors who have tried to justify that by giving away a book, readers will buy a copy later or will buy the next book that comes out. Admittedly, I haven’t been in the writing circle that long, but I have been here long enough to know that this rarely works unless you have the devil’s own luck. People in this day and age like to cling to their money as if their lives depend on it. Why would they pay for a book when they can get another for free? They wouldn’t. Unless you somehow managed to develop a die-hard fan base, in most cases, they’ll just move on to the next freebie.
“Well it’s not about the money.”
That’s fine, I understand it’s not about the money, it’s not about the money for me either… I’d find a different talent if it was.
But what are you doing by giving it away? You’re devaluing your work for one. In writing circles, it often comes across as you don’t think you’re writing is good enough unless your giving it away. I’ve actually spoken to people about it and they actually believe that no one would read their work UNLESS it’s free. So now we’ve basically given writers an inferiority complex. If you don’t want the money, then put it to good use in some way other than profiting.
Think about it, do you see businesses giving away their products for free? Maybe one or two as a promotional gimmick in a contest, or as a bonus when you buy something else, but never just give it away. You’ll never go into a store and have someone hand you a full product for free. They may give you a sample, or offer you a discount, or even free with the purchase of (insert product), but they’ll never just hand it over to you.
Anyway, that’s all for this round, feel free to post a comment below if you disagree, I would actually like to hear differing opinions on this one and maybe even some success stories.
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
Tor’jahd swooped down and landed on Milton’s arm as he watched Ahir jogged toward him. Tor’jahd glared at Ahir. “What are you doing back so fast boy? Have you already slain those of my kin who came to your city?”
Ahir looked down at the sidewalk. “No, the portal closed before we could get to it.” Ahir looked up and met Milton’s gaze. “We need to work together so we can make sure that this doesn’t happen again.”
Milton grunted. “If the Aureus’Aevum want to leave on their own, I don’t see why that is a problem. As far as I am concerned, this means that we don’t have to see each other ever again.”
“It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Zahir
How long can you continue a story before it has to come to an end? It’s a tough question to answer. Some end their stories when they run out of steam and tire of writing while others end when the story has completely run its course.
Unfortunately, there are those who try to force the story to continue long after it has run its course. Either due to monetary gain or because they simply can’t let the characters go. We see this today, mainly in movies, but also in some literature as well.
Perhaps the most classic version of a forced sequel was the Aeneid. It was a second sequel to the Iliad that, at least in my opinion, did not need to be written. So why then did it happen? Well for starters, this wasn’t written by the same person. The Iliad was Homer’s work while the Aeneid was that of Virgil. It was written during a time of major reforms in the Roman Empire and the poem was meant to reflect that.
So we have several reasons now for forced sequels, and we’ve seen what bad can happen when characters are called back into action from their happily ever after. (See my post about Sequels for more info.)
So when do you let a story end? Well that really depends on what type of story it is, how many characters your plan on introducing, over how long do you plan on introducing these characters, and how much do you plan on putting them through?
Let’s explore each of these, shall we?
First off, the type of story…
If you’re writing a story that’s meant to take place over the span of a few days to a few weeks of time and not proceed outside of that, then it may be best to let it end at that point. It tends to be considered bad form to push it further by creating yet another obstacle at the last-minute when every other loose end has been tied up.
In another instance if this is a story that’s meant to span several years and perhaps different lifetimes, you’re probably not going to have much trouble keeping it going for quite a while.
So when do you end it? Well the answer is simply, when it feels right to you. Once you feel that you’ve tied up all the loose ends and everything is right (or wrong) with the world, then you should have no problem ending it.
I would caution going back after the fact, however. Once everything is complete and all is as it should be, going back with new plot lines that you just thought up can be ill-advised.
If you are tempted to do this, ask yourself this first… Is it necessary to drag out the old characters whose plot lines are complete? Is it necessary to violate relationships that two minutes ago were solid? Would it not be better to create new characters in new walks of life and new stories to unfold rather than taking the easy route?
If you can answer these questions to your satisfaction and keep the storyline going, then go for it. If not, it might be time to start anew.
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
“Hey, I’m curious… I’m starting a new story and I was wondering how far you can take things? Like do you have any opinion on how dark you make subjects? Would you write about murder, rape, torture, etc, and would you limit how much detail or what goes on? At what point does it go too far?”
-(Asked to remain anonymous)
Well reader, it really depends…
(I actually sat staring at the screen for 10 minutes trying to figure out what to write.)
I’m sorry reader… I’m afraid I can’t help you. I’m neither saintly nor scholarly enough to make the determination on what’s going too far, nor would I want the job if I were. Honestly, I’m not sure there is an answer. There really isn’t a rule for that.
Given today’s society and what modern literature is, it seems that the level of sadistic themes and neurotic narcissism throughout keeps getting pushed. As I said in a previous thread, being edgy sells. So if you want to write about someone being tortured and feel the need to drag your reader through every single cut, every drip of blood, every… well all power to you.
That said, there should be a few guidelines. Firstly, refer to topic on Writing Characters You Hate and make sure you’re being edgy for the right reasons. Second look at your target audience. If you’re going with the young adult readers, it’s probably advisable to stay away from anything too edgy.
After that, it really depends on you. In Magnifica wrote about racism and a character being tormented and nearly raped because of that character’s race, but my main character stepped in before it happened. I was willing to bring up and examine the topic, but I saw no need to take it any further. For you, perhaps violence will be a pathway to realism depending on what you’re writing about.
So that’s it. That’s really all I can say, your only limits are how far you’re willing to go and what your readers can stomach. The only piece of advice I can offer is that you ask yourself why. Why am I making this gory, violent, or sadistic? Is it necessary and will it make the story more captivating? If the answer is yes, then have at it. If not, then perhaps a little more thought to the makeup of the story is in order.
Anyway, I hope that was helpful and good luck on your endeavor. I hope to see it in print soon!
What does everyone else think? Should he limit himself, and if so, by what standard?
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
“I would be very interested to know how you personally plan a book. I’m writing my first one and started in a very haphazard way. I’m normally quite good at holding information in my head but since I’ve started writing my book discovered I’m not as good as I thought I was. To begin with a wrote a few notes and launched straight in very quickly realizing I need a chapter plan, which I’ve done and revised a lot. By the second chapter I started losing track of my characters so I started writing character notes. To cut a long story short I now have maps, place notes and details of my magic system I’ve produced all these as I have progressed with the book, I’m getting close to 50k words. I now need a timeline as I found myself losing track where everyone is. I can’t help feeling I should have done this before I started writing!”
Good question… and I’m sorry to disappoint, but when I start writing, there is actually very little planning involved. See when I get an idea for a book, I either select character types from a ‘character bank’ I created with several different character personalities, or I make them up on the spot. Then I start writing.
I think you’re putting the cart before the horse a little bit here. There is such a thing as too much planning. If you put all your eggs into the plan basket, you’ll quickly run out of creative eggs.
Try this:
Put your chapter structure and revisions on the back burner. Leave the plot flaws, misspellings et al for later. Now, you’ve got your story idea? START WRITING!!! Get your ideas down on paper before you do anything else. Write out your story ideas so that you have them etched in stone FIRST. When I first sit down to write, I don’t plan everything out. I don’t even necessarily write my scenes in order. If I have an awesome idea for a climax or an ending, I write those first. If I have a great idea for a romantic encounter, I’ll write that. Feel free to use placeholder character names if you haven’t decided on the characters yet. You can always fill in the blanks and change the names later.
Don’t be concerned with what it looks like or how coherent it is on the first run through. You’re not getting the first draft published. More than likely, you’re going to have at least 2 more drafts (sometimes as much as 6 for me) before you’re done. Once you have your ideas down and you’ve filled in the blanks, then go back and worry about chapter structure and fixing plot holes. Be sure to reread your story a couple of times as making sure the whole thing makes sense should be the priority. See my steps below:
How I write:
So now you’ve got your bare bones down. Your characters have a beginning, climax, and ending. Awesome! You may or may not have loosely decided where chapters go, but that doesn’t matter at this point.
Now add your subplots, character and location descriptions, developments, and character relationships. This is the meat that needs to be added to the bare bones to change it from a draft into an actual story. You’re getting there.
Now start separating the books into chapters and perspective change markers (if you use them). This is where you need to start planning the book structure.
By now you should be on your second or third draft. Be sure to reread your story a couple of times. This is where you fix plot holes and by the third or fourth read-through you should be fixing your run-ons and spelling/grammar errors.
So now you’ve got your story. If you’re trying to write a novel, it should be somewhere in the realm of 80k words (my rule). Anything less is a novella or short story. Now, have someone else read it. In fact, have 2-3 people read it. They’ll each catch plot holes or grammar errors that you may not have.
Once you’ve corrected their mistakes, do one more read through. Polish up anything that you feel is weak and put the final touches on. THIS IS NOT THE PLACE TO ADD SCENES OR SUBPLOTS! If you really must, you’re going to need to go through all that proofing again, so make sure your book is completely done before handing it off. At this point, you should only be fixing minor errors and weak points.
And… that’s it. Once the final revisions have been made, you’re done. You’re book should be complete and good to go.
Hope this helps Eric, and feel free to email me if you need me to elaborate on any of these points!
Readers, what do you think? Do you think Eric is planning way too much, too early, or is this a reasonable thing to do early on? Leave a comment below!
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
So you’ve created the perfect character or characters. They’re everything you wanted them to be. Their personalities are perfect, they’re well-liked by your audience, and everything is going well. Then as you get deeper and deeper into your writing, you begin to feel like you’re living through their experiences with them. Suddenly, you’re protective of that character and your writing becomes far more cautious.
I’ve had this happen to me and wound up having to go back and rewrite a lot. At first I thought I was the only one, but over time, I’ve seen it a lot in young adult writers, and a lot of fantasy work. It get’s fairly obvious as the story goes on how the author feels over a particular character, either they aren’t allowed to grow as much as they could, or they’re coddled in the story.
Writers, if this is happening to you, stop. Back away for a moment and reread your work. It’s okay to let bad things happen to a character, even if that character is one you really like. You’re not going to hurt anyone because that character is just that, a character. You didn’t create a real living person as much as it my feel like you did. Trust me, after actually having children of my own, I’ve seen the difference.
Learning to detach yourself from the story and be the author, instead of a participant is very hard to do, especially when it’s a story that you really enjoy, but to a point, it is necessary. Otherwise, the story will be too safe, and trust me, that’s not what you want.
They say that sex sells… well… it does… to a point, but lately sex hasn’t been selling as well as edge has. What do I mean by edge? Well specifically the amount of unorthodox risks a writer is willing to take. Some dark realm that no one else has visited and the joy of seeing just how far you can get away with pushing things before people say you’ve gone too far. That’s what readers like in this day and age. Protecting you characters and writing a safe story for today’s YA and adult populace won’t be well received.
If you have any questions or need further elaboration, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thanks friends, catch you on the flip side,
Jim
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
So you’ve all heard me talk about what inspires me to write. You’ve heard about how I draw my characters’ moods and scenic tones from music, and what part the melodies play in terms of the emotional direction of an individual scene.
Given that, it seems inevitable that I would do a top ten list. Now keep in mind, this is all personal preference and it’s what inspires me to write, so if you don’t agree with me and don’t get why I draw inspiration from these tunes… well tell me why! Leave a comment.
Let’s begin.
10. Loretta Mckennitt – The Mummer’s Dance.
So this song hold the #10 spot as… well I just recently discovered this one. However, patron readers of my blog will understand why it sits on my list. I have a very sordid history with this song that just came to a conclusion a few weeks ago. Since then, I’ve been listening to it so frequently that my wife had to shut it off before it drove her insane (sorry hun ):) I find this song very mystical, which when writing a fantasy world, is something you want. Especially later in the song when it almost sounds like they’re whispering.
9. Stratovarius – Destiny
This song should come as a surprise to no one who knows me. This song was my gateway into the world of Epic/Power Metal. It’s long and by the end you’re not certain that you’re still listening to the same song. It has everything, ups, downs, an entire choir, an orchestra, a harpsichord, etc.
The singing could be a little better and they don’t harmonize as well as they could, but other than that, this song is definitely key for me. I usually listen to it when writing a battle scene.
8. Rhapsody of Fire – Magic of the Wizard’s Dream
Always been a fan of Luca Turilli’s work. So when I found out that he was doing something with one of my all-time idols, Christopher Lee… Let’s just say that I was overly excited.
I was, thankfully, not disappointed. This song is hauntingly beautiful and one I mostly listen to when writing ominous scenes of a story, but will sometimes listen to at other points as well. By nature, Christopher Lee has a very imposing voice, but he does seem to struggle a little bit keeping pace, even so, this song is definitely a major source of inspiration.
7. Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcL—4xQYA
This should really be of surprise to no one. Set aside the controversy surrounding this song, it still remains perhaps the greatest rock song of all time.
6. Dragonforce – City of Gold
So this one was a tough call. I listen to a lot of Dragonforce when I write. Songs like the Warrior Inside, Starfire, Heroes of Our TIme, etc. may have all at one time filled a spot on this list. However, this is the one I’ve been listening to the most as of late and it is… admittedly… one of the few really good songs off of DF’s most recent album. This helped me put the final touches on Divinity and is still one I listen to when I write. I don’t have a particular piece of writing that I really focus on when listening to this. This is one that is sort of all-encompassing.
5. The Beast Dies / Transformation / Finale – Beauty and the Beast OST
Yup, Disney made it on to this list, and really, why not? Some of the best classical musical numbers came from Disney movies and this one is no exception. Paw Dugan, the Music Guru called this one ‘the most fantastic musical number that no one remembers’ and frankly, I agree with him. This is victory in the face of tragedy music. This is what you listen to when you think all is lost, but yet there is still a glimmer of hope. This is what you write before your main hero’s final triumph (if they have one). Everything about this piece is epic, it goes from low and solemn to upbeat and lively. When someone talks about classical music, THIS is what I think of.
4. Fairyland – Score to a New Beginning
Think Stratovarius Destiny, and then increase everything by 10. This is something I listen to at pretty much any point during my writing. This song is like watching a musical. It tells a story in itself and the change-ups are very well done. This song is an omni piece that can be listened to whenever inspiration is needed, regardless of scene, mood, or what the characters are experiencing.
3. Avantasia – Forever is a Long Time
Another tough call and honestly, I was going to go with something off of Avantasia’s Metal Opera, but I couldn’t decide which song. So I went with none. This is the song I listen to the most that isn’t part of that album, but really any of their music will work. Tobias Sammet, the lead singer of Edguy is the creative genius behind this music and he does not disappoint.
2. The Lion King Soundtrack – King of Pride Rock
Yet another one that should really not be of any surprise. Lion King was one of my favorite Disney movies of all time and this song embodies everything that is right with that movie. They couldn’t have chosen a better note to end on. As it is in the movie, this is the song you listen to at the end, or rather right before it. When the final battle is over and the smoke slowly begins to clear to expose the tattered ramparts that remain. When it may still be unclear who won. Before the final reveal, THIS is what you listen to.
1. Shaman – Blind Spell
This is a song that has never failed to cheer me up. EVER. It remains my #1 favorite of all time and it’s something I listen to after accomplishing something I never thought I could, or I’m just very happy. This is, I guess you could say, my victory song. I love everything about it. The tempo is great, the uplifting melody is incredible, and the voices are right on. The amount of power behind this song is through the roof and it comes highly recommended by me.
So that is my list, hope you all find something awesome to listen to from reading this, and if not, feel free to post your own sources of inspiration in the comment section below.
“Marketing is a big one! I’d love to know more about that. My book will be free for all, so I’m trying to figure out how best to handle that. But that’s a very specific situation.”
-Thesarahdoughty
Excellent question.
So you mentioned that your book is going to be free… personally I always say that if you’re good at something, don’t do it for free, but that’s up to you. If your goal is simply to get your name out there and your first work is the sacrificial lamb to accomplish this goal, all power to you. Just remember that once it’s out there, it’s out there permanently and if you change your mind, it could hurt your sales.
But that’s not the advice you came here for, is it?
So marketing… well since your book is free, I’d suggest going the free route. As any good economist would tell you ‘an investment with no return is a poor investment.’ (Which is probably why people hate paying taxes so much these days!)
In the book industry, there are 5 words that sum up marketing; Word of Mouth is Everything.
So how do you spread the word? Well the good news is that you’re already halfway home. You’ve got your blog going. Refer back to My Interesting Blog on how to help spread that around. Other than that, if you’ve noticed, on the left hand side of my blog page, there is a link to my books’ Facebook page, The Creative Works of James Harrington. On that page are links to where to buy my books as well as links to this page and my twitter account. You’ll want to link any page you create so that what appears on one will appear on them all. Personally, I use this blog as my flagship page because it’s easiest to create posts here and have them flow to places like Facebook and Twitter. In addition, you want to link every page you create to where your book is available.
A site that has helped me gain a following is known as Copromote . There, I use my twitter account to spread word about other people’s work and they do the same with mine. It is a way to get your book a much wider exposure. Also, ask that your readers leave reviews about your book. The more positive reviews, the more appealing your book will be.
BookCrossing.com is another site to help advertise your book. I have tried it, though with not a ton of success, but I have heard that others make it work.
Make sure to create yourself a profile either here, amazon, or somewhere else. You’ll notice that my books’ Facebook page, in a way is my profile. It has info about me up there as well.
What to avoid:
Well… really I’d be careful about any paid advertising, there are many out there that are reputable, but also many that aren’t. I’d also recommend avoiding using the paid promotion Facebook offers. Many people have said this before, and I feel the same way; using that tool will get your page a lot of likes, but few sales.
Finally, start early, like before you’ve published your book tell people about it, what to expect from it, but keep your audience as bay. Some people say 1-3 years, but I’d say 6-8 months would suffice. People don’t have very long attention spans these days.
I hope that this was helpful, Sarah! If you have any further questions on marketing or would like me to elaborate on anything a little more, don’t hesitate to send me an email.
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
“…They say that horror comes from the uncanny. The evil things lurking in the backs of our minds. Those creatures seldom compare to the torments that insecurity and shyness impose upon their respective victims, do they?”
-Bad Nog
Hi Bad Nog,
Phew… quite a loaded question. Now we’re getting into the psychology of evil. Are their demons worse than the ones they inflict? Well to answer that, let’s take a look into what causes evil. What makes bad people tick? Well, I’ve touched on this a little in the past, but we can certainly delve into it a little more.
First, let’s take a look at the different types of bad guy…
The sociopath: This is one of the most common bad guys we know. The classic bad guy who is bad because… well why not? There is no rhyme or reason to his madness, he likes pain and he likes inflicting it on others. Not much else to it. Maybe there are a few screws loose, maybe not.
The philosophical bad guy: This is usually a more learned bad guy. We’ve seen this a couple of times more recently. This is the bad guy who has studied the human condition, psychology and philosophy, and is often extremely intelligent. Over time, after years of research or experience, he’s come to the conclusion that he has to be evil to maintain so preconceived notion of balance. It doesn’t really seem like this bad guy enjoys what he’s doing and may often regret it, but to him, the evil is a means to an end.
The bad guy of circumstance: So this is a bad guy who has a justified reason for it. Often, this is the bad guy that most sympathize with. They’re most of the time not rotten to the core. They’re doing what they’re doing to save someone or something they care about. People often gravitate towards this type of bad guy because they’re the most realistic and most people could see themselves in this circumstance if the situation was right.
Now there are some out there who would criticize such a bad guy. They’d say that there is always a choice and while that’s true, when someone you care about is suffering, or could be hurt or killed, and the devil is standing there offering a deal, it’s not so easy to turn it down.
The victimized villain: This is someone who was not always evil, probably wouldn’t be evil if their life had taken a different course (which brings up nature vs. nurture), but unfortunately has seen horrors throughout their existence that have conditioned them to this point. Perhaps they are driven by revenge, mad at the world for being tortured or watching a loved one die. Perhaps they’ve been psychologically tormented to the point where their mind is twisted.
The narrative villain: This is the bad guy I take the most issue with. Think Javert from Les Miserables or pretty much any law enforcement officer in a gangster movie. Essentially, he’s the villain for no other reason than the author has decided to make the bad guy the ‘moral right’ in the story. So basically it sucks to be the real good guy.
So let’s take into account all of the above and go back to your original question are their demons as bad as the ones they impose on their victims. Unfortunately, all I can say is maybe… because it really depends. You have to look at what kind of damage the villain is doing vs. the damage that has been done to them.
If we’re talking about one villain and one victim, then we need to look at the mental demons that the bad guy is suffering from and are they worse than the ones being inflicted?
Keep in mind, this is not to try to justify actions or let a villain off the hook. I’ve always been a proponent of holding people responsible for their actions. This is simply to explain the why.
Anyway, I hope that answers your questions Bad Nog. Good luck with your writing!
-Jim
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me. jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
“Hello
I began writing my blog a bit more than a month ago and I’m writing fiction. I chose to write it publicly on wordpress mainly because I’m a bit insecure about my writing and I want some honest advice and feedback from people who aren’t my family.
Maybe you could give me some advice on how to make myself (or my blog) more interesting or presentable so that I’d be able to attract more people?”
-Minxed.
Well early bird catches the worm. Thank you, Minxed for being the first to ask a question.
So this is the big money question when it comes to blogging. How do you get people interest? What makes the successful blogs so successful… well… hard work. Blogging is like doing charity work. You get out what you put in. If you just write, post, and forget, you’re not going to get very far. To blog, is to be a part of a community of people with different opinions, goods, ideas, and thoughts to share. Once you’ve posted your own work, go out, check out some other blogs, give someone an opinion, offer advice, or give some criticism in the comment fields. I often like to share stores that other people write as a way to help boost their audience. That’s a really good way of building your community and it will attract people to take a look at what you’ve got going on.
In terms of actual blog appearance and content, the best advice I can give to make people want to come to your blog is to offer something new. If you do book reviews, do something off of the beaten path. Perhaps a little known indie author, or something you read on another blog, perhaps. If you’re just straight up writing and creating a story that you want to share with the world, congratulations, you’re already half way there. Not everyone can do what you do and that will make your blog more unique.
Personally, I’d recommend having the first couple of chapters written and polished BEFORE submitting the first one. When I submitted one of my stories on this blog… granted I never finished the story, but when I started, I made sure I had two chapters written ahead of the ones I was posting.
Another thing I’d recommend is to spruce up your page a little. Right now, you have one of the basic designs that wordpress offers. I’d consider adding images and creating a background. If you have any skill with paints and a brush, you should have no problem creating something you can use.
If not, there are plenty of free/public domain images available on the web.
Another thing that always catches the eye is the cover. Don’t just post the story without a cover. When I check out stories to read under the Reader section of wordpress, the stories that I give preference to are the ones that have an attractive cover. I know the old adage says ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ and that’s very true, but you’re more likely to draw your readers in with an awesome looking cover as a featured image. Below is an example of the cover to my book, which I used as the featured image of any post related to this book’s release.
Cover design by Brett Warniers!
Hiring an artist for $200-$400 may seem daunting, but if you’re really into it, a great design will make all the difference.
Readers, what do you think? Do you agree with my advice and/or do you think that there is more Minxed can do to attract readers? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Minxed, if you have any further questions or would like me to elaborate on the above points, please feel free to email me: jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
Thanks friends, catch you on the flip side,
Jim
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
Hello all, so as time goes on, my advice blog is getting bigger and bigger. Unfortunately, as with all things, you run out of topics to give advice on. If anyone has any questions about writing, publishing, my stories, etc. etc. please feel free to post a comment or email me at jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com . I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Note: I only write blog pieces once a day, so I may not be able to get to them all, but if I don’t feel free to repost them and I’ll try to respond personally.
James Harringtons Creative Work 