+

+ advice, Inspiration, literature, Music, Opinion, Uncategorized, Writing

From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

Not even the Imperial March could come close to being as recognizable and identifiable as the Top Gun theme. Far more simplistic in nature, yet bombastic and upbeat at the same time.

It is such an iconic theme clearly right out of 80s Hair Metal, that you can’t ignore it.

When to Listen: … yeah this is another upbeat writer’s block song. Listen to it either when you can’t figure out what to write about, or immediately after your character succeeds at whatever you’re writing about.

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.

You can also add me on Twitter!

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, non-fiction, Reading, Writing

Classic Cameos #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

“Hi Jim,

I’m currently writing a story dealing with fantasy characters. I wanted to include a couple of classical fantasy characters in my story. I was wondering if you had any advice about how to go about this? I don’t want to get sued by their owners.

Thanks,
Jeremy J.”

Hi Jeremy,

Hi Jeremy, by classical, I assume you’re talking about the creative works of people like the Brother’s Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, etc?

If so, you’re in luck, most of those characters fall under public domain.

“Works in the public domain are those whose intellectual property rights have expired, have been forfeited, or are inapplicable.” Wiki

The standard rule, at least in the United States, is that pre-1923 works are in the public domain. This is… mostly correct, however, determining whether a work has entered the public domain or is still under copyright can be a lot more difficult than this, mostly because copyright terms have been extended multiple times and in different ways. At first, it was a fixed term based on the year of publication with a renewal term, to a term extending to fifty to seventy years after the death of the author. So the claim above is correct FOR PUBLISHED WORKS. Unpublished works fall under Federal Copyright laws and extend to the life of the author + 70 years.

This can differ in other countries, so check your local copyright laws or, as always, consult and attorney.

The best advice I would give is to read the stories that surround the characters thoroughly. I say this because most of those classical characters have been used in movies by Disney or have been adapted and rewritten in other versions. DO NOT JUST USE THE NAMES AND ATTRIBUTES YOU KNOW THE MOST!! I can’t stress that enough.
Why? Because if were to put the dwarves from Snow White into the story and use the names from Disney (Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, Dopey), you will get sued. Those names are not original to the story and are the intellectual property of the Disney Corporation.

Like I said, know your story, know your characters and know what you’re writing. Often times, taking a little creative license with these characters is not only warranted, but 100% necessary to keep the work from treading into intellectual property waters.

Lastly, please remember, I am not an attorney. I have studied the laws, having been published myself, but even I don’t know all of the nuances. My words are for advice purposes only. If you find yourself in a bit of gray area, PLEASE consult an attorney. A little money now is a lot better than being sued for a lot later and I take no responsibility if don’t.

Any thoughts from the reader base? Further advice for Jeremy?

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.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ Heavy Metal, Inspiration, Metal, Music, Uncategorized, Writing

From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

Yes, another Amaranthe song! This is one of my favorite bands!

When to Listen: General playlist. There’s a lot of energy to this song!

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.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, Characters, Fiction, History, literature, Reading, Writing

Fictional Story, Non-fictional People #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

“Hi Jim,

I’ve been reading your blog for quite a while now, and am hoping that you can offer me some advice. I am working on a piece of historical fiction and want to write in some historical characters. These characters would mostly be supporting roles, but I might make one of them a lead. The issue is that some of their family members are most likely still around (this story takes place in WW2). I don’t want to be disrespectful to them, and I definitely don’t want to get sued. How should I approach this?

Thanks,
Kimberly”

Hi Kimberly,

That one is a tall order. A really tall order. Well first of all, I’d advise you to DO YOUR RESEARCH! Make every effort to get the facts right about the person. Learn about their lives, the choices they made, and as much about their personality as possible before you write these characters in. This is a fictional piece, but even so, when you write historical fiction, YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO GET THE HISTORICAL PART RIGHT!!

Next thing I would say to be careful of is if and how you portray someone in a negative light. Again, facts. Go with what you know to be historically accurate. Now should you choose to make one of your historical characters a villain… that’s where things get dicey. In my book, Divinity, I portrayed Pope Leo X as one of my villains, but it was mostly because of his political/spiritual views, which were historically accurate. Plus I had the advantage that most of my historical character are 400+ years old and most of their family lines have long since died out.

You on the other hand are writing about characters that are still fresh in people’s memories. You can’t libel the dead (at least not in the U.S.) so don’t worry about that so much, but there are other avenues that people can take to block your writing or sue. Other things like invasion of privacy can come up.

A good example of this would be back in 2011 when lawyers for the Estate of J.R.R. Tolkien sent a cease and desist letter to author Steve Hillard. They claimed that his novel Mirkwood violated the Tolkien Estate’s right of publicity because, among other reasons, Hillard depicted Tolkien as a character in his book. Hillard of course fought back, but this is really hot water you don’t want to get yourself into.

My personal advice would be to alter the characters. Create fictional ones based on the people you want to use, at the very least if you’re going to be portraying them in a negative light. Then make sure that you put a disclaimer at the front of your book letting people know that it’s a work of fiction. You want to cover yourself as much as possible.

But Jim, I really want this to be as historically accurate as possible. I really want to use the real people. (potential response)

In that case, I would do two things;

First, write your book out. Get everything out on paper so you have your ideas down. At this point, I would consider reaching out to said family members (if you can locate them), and ask them about their relative. Tell them what you’re trying to write and see where it goes. I’ve found that family members of a historical person are usually more than willing to share their info. If however they’re not, then I would seriously consider going back to what I said about changing the character to a fictional one.

Secondly, when all is said and done, consider having a lawyer look over your work. I’m not kidding. A couple of hundred dollars now to have a lawyer look over everything may seem daunting, but it’s better than getting in legal trouble later.

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, be respectful, be accurate, and be VERY careful with how you go about this. Lawsuits for this type of thing are rare considering how many books are published these days, but they do happen.

Good luck, friend. Please feel free to email me again if you need me to elaborate on anything I’ve said.

I’d also invite my readers to venture an opinion as well as to what Kimberly should do in this case.

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.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Opinion, Science Fiction, Writing

The Ins and Outs of Publishing, A Directory of Advice. #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

Okay, so it looks like I’m still getting a lot of publishing questions. These are recurrent questions I get on a regular basis, and while I want to try to respond to everyone who reaches out to me, I don’t want my blog becoming redundant. So I think I’m going to repost this on a weekly basis from now on to help people navigate the publishing world. I don’t really see another way around it.

So if you have questions regarding publishing, PLEASE check below to see if any of this helps you before reaching out. I’m always happy to help, but I may have already answered your question.

Publishing is a tough road to navigate. Please check out the links below. These are previous posts I’ve made about the ins and outs of publishing. They should be of assistance in your journey:

Am I Ready To Publish? This is a must read BEFORE even considering starting the process. I can’t tell you how many authors burned bridges by not being ready.

Editing… There is a Cost That Must be Paid… or is There? You can skip this one if you’ve already had your writing edited (by someone other than you!). However, I’d still recommend reading.

Getting Published… the basics… In this post, we explore traditional publishing vs. self-publishing. Here you’ll get the pros on cons of each and the steps you need to go through in order to be successful in either.

Finally…

Copyrighting my Writing. Am I Protected? This isn’t required reading… however, if you’re concerned about plagiarism, or in the future may need to file a copyright claim, I recommend giving it a read.

Feeling overwhelmed yet? I’d be surprised if you didn’t. The only sage advice I can offer you other than the documents above is simple…

  1. Do not give up. A million “No’s” suddenly become irrelevant if you get that one “yes”.
  2. People will tell you that everyone and their mother wants to publish a book. You’re up against insurmountable odds and a flooded market. This is false. You’re not up against everyone and their mother. Permit me the luxury and I’ll prove this mathematically: First of all, take the entire group of people who want to get published. Now take that number and reduce it by roughly 60%. You just eliminated all the people who want to get something published, but don’t have the time, ability, drive, or inspiration to write. Next, eliminate another 20%. You’ve now taken down all the people who can put pen to paper but can’t afford the time/money to put the work into advertising and getting published. Eliminate another 10% who can’t take criticism and thus aren’t going to be able to get their writing properly edited. Now eliminate another 5% either don’t have the patience for or get discouraged by receiving a series of “No’s” from publishers.
    Now take that last 5% and eliminate all of them, except you. Why? Because they’re irrelevant. You have your writing and they have there’s. Whether or not you get published and how successful you are isn’t about other people’s writing. Yes, in the end, it’s you against one person, you. Whether or not I’ll ever get to buy your book off the shelf depends on you; how much time, effort, and funds you’re willing to put into your writing. So make it good!

Let’s open it up to the floor. Readers, do you have any publishing advice for our friend here? Let her know in the comments!

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.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ Heavy Metal, Inspiration, Metal, Music, Uncategorized, Writing

From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

You knew this was coming. I love Amaranthe! It’s a cover, but it’s damn good.

When to Listen: General playlist. There’s a lot of energy to this song!

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.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ Book, fantasy, Fiction, News, Uncategorized, Writing

Drakin, where to buy, and what’s next? #Writing #Fantasy #SciFi

by Unknown's avatar

Hello all!

I hope everyone has enjoyed The Drakin Series!! Please don’t forget to leave me a review on Amazon once you’re done. That really helps me out a lot.

Copies of these books, as well as my others, can be purchased on Amazon by following this link:

James Harrington’s Author Page

They’re also available at Barnes and Noble, as well as many other places where books are sold!

Please feel free to like and reblog this post. Word of mouth helps us writers out a lot!

Drakin: The Story of Raiya

Book Synopsis:
‘ “Abomination, freak, monster…”  You get used to names like these when you have yellow eyes, horns, and scales, but Raiya could have really cared less.

After being forced into exile because of her appearance, Raiya’s mind has been focused on one goal; hunting down the dragon lord that killed her parents. For over thirty years, humanity has been locked in a struggle for survival against a race of dragons that had fallen from the heavens. They took everything from her and consumed the planet in a fierce war. Humanity’s numbers are quickly dwindling, leaving her few options in the way of allies.

What she doesn’t know is that her journey will strike at the very heart of the Red War and uncover truths about her past that she may not want to know. Can she finish what she started while coming to terms with the truths of her origin? ‘

Drakin: The Orphans of Haven

Book Synopsis:

The Red War may be over, but not all wounds have healed. For Sergeant Radley Zall, the nightmares never end. After years of struggling for survival, he finds himself in a dead end job, deporting wayward dragons to the Exclusion Zone. The horrors of his past have left him a broken man, slowing killing himself in a bottle of whiskey. It’s a wearying existence that many former soldiers have been subject to since the war ended, but for Radley, that is all about to change. Throughout his life, Radley’s hatred of dragons has been unmatched until one evening when a small one shows up on his doorstep. The pathetic creature is emaciated and begging for shelter. Her appearance reminds him of his younger self, compelling him to help her. That uncharacteristic decision forces him to confront his past actions— some of which may have contributed to a sinister plot to reignite the Red War and wipe out the few remaining dragons on Earth.

DRAKIN: An Empire of Ashes

 

Synopsis:

Two hundred years have passed, and the Red War has become a distant memory for most. Dragons and humans now live together in peace… but one powerful woman who has been deranged by her own history unleashes her vengeance on a helpless population.

Now, the world’s only hope for survival rests with Kaori, a naïve and wayward princess of the Eastern Empire. Having been disillusioned with her mother’s rule, she discovers a dark secret about her family that will change the course of history forever. She soon crosses paths with Nayeli and Joaquim, a pair of rogues living within her borders.

Their fight for survival takes an unexpected turn as a shadow of from the past reveals that the situation is more dangerous than they know. The fate of billions of lives rests on these three unlikely companions putting aside their differences to stand against the world.

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.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, books, fantasy, ficiton, literature, non-fiction, Reading, Science Fiction, Writing

Addressing Rape in Your Story #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

“Hi Jim,

I have a question that I’m kind of hesitant about. I’ve read about this in some stories, and actually wrote a scene into one of my own, but I’m considering removing it. Basically, one of the evil characters in my story is a rapist… and yes, a rape takes place as part of the plot of the story. I’ve read over it a few times and, while it does fit the plot and the personality of the character, I’m concerned it’s going too far. I’ve rewritten the scene a few times because I don’t want it to come off like a sex scene meant to draw the reader in or anything like that, yet I feel like that’s what’s happening when I describe it.

What do you think?
 
Thanks,
Anonymous by request”
Hello,
Oh boy, all right, so this is a very heavy topic. Before I get started, I want to make something clear to my readers right now. Rape is about as bad as it can get. It’s a crime with the same permanency as death, but it suffering continues long after the act has been committed. It’s something I’ve always believe should carry the same punishment if proven in court. Rapists are evil, period. They are beneath human standards in every way shape and form and understand that what I am about to say is neither a justification nor a glorification of rape. Neither will be tolerated on my site and anyone who does so in the comments will be quickly blocked without recourse. 
 
All right, with that out of the way, let’s talk about this. Rape is an EXTREMELY touchy subject. Unfortunately, in this day and age, the likelihood that you’ve met or know someone who has been raped is high. There is absolutely nothing wrong with addressing it in literature as it has been an issue with every single culture since the dawn of man, literally. 
You’re absolutely correct to be concerned about glorifying it or making it “sexy”. I too have tackled sexual assault in one or two of my books, and it’s a tough proposition each time. If you’re including it in a story to make a character seem more evil or to address it as a problem, which again, is appropriate, you need to address it properly and acknowledge it as a negative. It’s something you’ll need to do intentionally in order to make the reader aware of the very significant implications that comes with such an act. 
Now, that doesn’t mean that the antagonist has to suffer any legal consequences. The sad and bitter truth is that rape only became a crime in many cultures fairly recently (the last 200-300 years or so). So if you’re dealing with a time period or a fantasy universe where such things wouldn’t generally be considered a crime, then you need to find another way to address the problem. 
One way would be to describe what the victim is going through. If the story is from their perspective, then delve into what they have to do to survive. How is the victim steeling themselves against the pain and perceived shame or embarrassment. Deal with the mental and emotional issues that come with it. 
If you’re telling the story from the perpetrator, then deal with the physical harm and the perceived emotion of the victim, but then also delve into the why. Why is the perp doing this? What’s the intended result? Pain? Pleasure? Continued suffering? Go into that. 
Do not just get yourself stuck in talking about the physical act, because that’s how you get into making it sound more like a sex scene, which is a trap too many people fall into.  
 
Finally, what is the outcome? Does the victim survive? If so, how does that person handle it? DO NOT gloss over this part. Victims of sexual assault, be them male or female, are forever changed afterwards. They do not just shrug it off and walk away. 
 
If the victim doesn’t survive, then what happens with the people who know it happened? Does someone go out for vengeance? Knowing someone suffered in that way, especially if it’s a loved one, will have lasting effects on those people as well. 
 
In the end, the best advice I can give you is to treat this topic as the severe issue it is. If you’re going to include it, this can’t be a one and done thing where it happens, and you address it in that scene and that’s it. You need to give it more than that. Such an act has lasting consequences and those need to be recognized. In short, if you can’t dedicate some time and story to this topic more than a few lines, then it may be best to omit it. However, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, this is an absolutely appropriate topic to cover.
 
Readers, do you have any further advice for our friend here? How do you tackle such an intense topic?
 

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.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, books, fantasy, ficiton, literature, non-fiction, Reading, Science Fiction, Writing

Contractions Too Informal? #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

“Hi Jim,

I was just wondering what your thoughts were on using contractions in narration, for example having the narrator say ‘He wasn’t sure’ instead of ‘He was not sure’. I’ve been told that it’s too informal, and sounds too much like speaking, especially when the narration isn’t in the first person. (There is, of course, always the rather sneaky thing of getting rid of them to increase your word count.) I’ve always used them, but ever since getting that piece of advice, I’ve been wondering whether or not they do take something away from my writing and should only be reserved for dialogue.
What do you think?
Thanks,
Ellen”
Hi Ellen,
Welcome to the writer’s blog. Unfortunately, you’ve hit on one topic that has been a source of controversy since people started writing books. Both sides are right in their own way and both sides are also abjectly wrong. There is no rule governing what’s right and wrong in terms of writing. One person may be turned off by contractions while someone else might think they’re better because they’re less wordy and sound less formal.
I can’t give you the be all, end all answer, as much as I’d like to, but here’s my take on it:
What are you writing?
I ask because this is where it might matter.
If you’re writing a formal piece like a textbook, a thesis, or a scientific paper, I’d say yes. You’d absolutely want to forgo using contractions. That is a formal piece and you want it to sound as scholarly as possible. Contractions simply don’t fit the bill here.
If, however, you’re writing a story, say a piece of fiction, I’d argue that it’s important to connect with your readers on their level. Write in a way they’re used to talking and it’ll be easier for them to read.
Look back on some of the great ‘unedited’ works of old. Mark Twain, for example. He wrote in a way people back then spoke. Today, many people consider his writings racist, but the truth is that he was writing for his time in English that was considered ‘modern’ at the time. Honestly, it’s how I write. If your audience speaks modern English and uses the same idioms,  they’ll have an easier time reading your work.
Now keep in mind… this is not clearance to write like your average texting teenager. When I was a history teacher, I gave no quarter to anyone who wrote ‘2night in da newz’ or ‘u r ther.’ That’s just… well that’s not even English, it’s just laziness.
So in summation, I’d say it depends on what you’re writing. If it’s something formal, scholarly or scientific in nature, I’d say your advisory is correct. Contractions aren’t professional looking or proper. If you’re doing something that’ more intended as a casual read, then by all means use contractions and terminology that people use in every day life.

Hope this helps.

Readers, what do you think? Should Ellen stick to more traditional styles of writing or adopt a more contemporary form?

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.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, non-fiction, Publishing, Reading, Science Fiction, Writing

Minimalist vs. Ornate? #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

“Hi Jim,

My book is done. I’m super excited about getting it published. My question to you is about the cover. What do you think I should go with, a simple cover with maybe a single item as the focal point or a big cover depicting a scene and characters? My artist is really pushing the idea that less is more in the cover.

Thanks,
Reese.”

Hi Reese,

I’m afraid you’ve got me there. I’ve honestly done both and seen success with both. Both covers can attract attention, but they’ll do it in different ways.

The best piece of advice I can give is to go with what feels right, but more importantly, let your artist’s imagination fly. That being said, if you’ve got an artist wanting to go minimalist, take a look at their other work and see how they’ve made either style work. If you like how they’ve done it with work in the past and you’re okay with a minimalist cover, then by all means go with it.

If you want a detailed cover with more intricacy, tell the artist that and have them create something great. In the end, it’s really up to you and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. When you hire an artist, YOU are the boss. You tell them what you want.

Now I’ve seen a lot of covers done both ways and all I can tell you is that you’ll want an attractive cover. You want something that will catch people’s eyes and while a minimalist cover can do that, it’s harder to do in many ways.

The other thing you want to look out for, in this case with an ornate cover is too much detail. If there’s too much going on, your going to make potential readers eyes hurt and they will pass over your book.

I wish I could help you more, but really this is a matter of taste and opinion and I’ve heard arguments on both sides. So whatever you choose, make sure it’s done well.

Readers, what do you think? Which way do you think she should go?

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.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, Opinion, Science Fiction, Writing

Keeping your Readers in the Know #Writing #Author #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

Hi Jim,

I see you’ve got a new book coming out. I’m also working on getting a book published, and I was wondering how you decide how much information you release on your book at a time. Like, if your book isn’t published yet, do you worry about releasing too much information that someone could steal? Or that you may be giving too much away at once?

Thanks,
Mike

Hey Mike, 

Good question, and shockingly timely. The truth of the matter is that, according to copyright law in the U.S., your work is copyrighted the moment you put pen to paper. Now, good luck proving that it’s your work in a court of law without timestamps and hard evidence that you created the work first.

Now, some people don’t care. Unless you’re posting whole chapters online, stealing some elements of your idea are going to be surface-level at best. Even if you could prove that they took it from you, you’d be laughed out of court for trying, because story ideas, themes, etc. aren’t really something you can copyright. (Keeping in mind, I am not a lawyer, so don’t look at this as legal advice! Seek out an actual attorney!)

Think about it, Disney came out with a movie recently about a dragons and a girl named Raya.

Gee… doesn’t that sound familiar?

Drakin-Cover-Poster-Final

Or how about Lionsgate putting out a story about a blonde immortal girl named Adaline that gives up her immortality for love.

Hmm…

divinity9

Now, as curiously close to home as some of this gets, these things simply fall outside the realm of copyright in most areas. It makes for a fun quip, but nothing more. Now, if they’re taking your story a lot more blatantly, that’s something completely different. 

But I’ve digressed from the original question…

For me, I post very little until I have the copyright, ISBN, and legal out of the way. Basically, I submit my work to the copyright office once I have the cover completed. That way, I can add the cover and the interior text to the ISBN for publication. Now you have everything documented, you can release what you want. 
So typically, here’s how I do things to protect myself when doing status updates? This is my formula:

Book is being written: Nothing. I don’t like doing announcements when I don’t even have a first draft down. This puts a lot of pressure on me and if I scrap the project, I don’t want to have to come back later with an explanation to the people who were waiting for the book. 

Book is in draft form and approved by publisher: Initial announcement of a new book coming. 
I release very generic info:
What series. 
What Genre.
How far along we are in the process.
Maybe a little bit about where it takes place in the series… and that’s it. 

Book is in final draft form, legal is underway, cover not done: Minor status update on the book. 
Repeat the previous:
What series.
What genre.
How far along we are in the process. 
A little about where the series takes place. 

Cover is done, everything is submitted for registry and ISBN has been added:
Reveal cover.
Give readers a tentative release date.
Reveal cover blurb.
Repeat the previous:
What series.
What genre.
How far along we are in the process. 
A little about where the series takes place. 

Book is released:
Announce the book is out. Reveal the blurb again. 
Add links to where the book can be purchased, as well as basic info: Copyright, ISBN number, Book identifiers, etc. 
Add sample chapter.

I hope this helps you figure out how you want to keep you readers in the know. Remember, everyone has varying degrees of comfort, so don’t think that what I’m saying is a must or even recommended. Let’s open it up to some of my fellow writers. How do you all handle status updates on your books? Do you not even bother until it’s set to release or do you try to build suspense and anticipation? 

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.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

+

+ advice, Fiction, life, literature, non-fiction, Writing

Give Life to a Book about Life #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice

by Unknown's avatar

“I am currently writing a book about my life experiences how do i give it life i currently have the bones (dates facts) but feel that it’s just a series of events how do i make it into a story? Thank you”
–lostgirl82

Hi Lostgirl82

Have you thought about writing it in the present tense in first person? If it’s something you experienced, then you should be able to write about what you were thinking at key points, how you felt, what was going on around you, etc.

Honestly, everyone has their own writing style, and you can certainly do it however you want, but in terms of writing about life experiences, this is one of the best ways: “So I’m here in the woods with my friends at the camp site. It’s beyond cold out as we sit on the snow-covered ground on the side of Mt. Jefferson. The chills running down my spine are like little needles jabbing me in the back as I begin to wonder how much more of this I can take. It’s at this moment that my friend hands me his bottle of Jim Bean, telling me it would keep me warm as they get the fire going. I take a sip. The hard liquid makes my throat clench and burns on the way down, but at least I don’t feel as cold anymore.”

Now I know that there are a lot of people who don’t want to name names and don’t feel comfortable doing something like this. So really your other option is to create a ‘you’ character and have that character deal with the same experiences. Granted, this would mean turning a work of non-fiction into fiction, but a lot of people prefer it this way.
Either way, be sure to add description and comparisons. Make people feel like they’re there with you. Describe your feelings at different times. The example of what the chills felt like is powerful because it’s something most people have felt at one time or another. Don’t be afraid to expand a little bit too.

There is no rule against adding a little fluff or interpretation to your writing. Put in how you think the people around you are feeling about the interactions you have with them. Once it’s done, be sure to reread it a few times and make sure that it makes sense to you. Remember, it’s not hard facts that people fall in love with when it comes to reading, it’s usually emotion.

I hope this helps.

Readers, what advice to you have to give? Is there anything you would recommend she do to give her story more life?

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.

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side! -Jim

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