Writing Tips From Authors
()
About this ebook
Dear reader, regardless to whether you are a budding writer, or a successfully published author, I hope you enjoy reading the stories, interviews and shared advice from some very talented people. I hope you find the information in this book not only interesting but also insightful. Perhaps you will take something interesting from this book that will assist you on your own writing journey.
On behalf of all the authors involved, thank you, I hope you enjoy reading the book.
Authors
David Bishop – The Woman
Suzy Turner - The Ghost Of Josiah Grimshaw
Ella Medler – Blood Is Power.
Kenneth Hoss - Deadly Storm.
Patricia Puddle – Ominous Love.
Tarek Hassan Refaat – Ribbons & Heels
Elaine Raco Chase – Double Occupancy.
Sasha Kildare – Dream Walking
Barbara Watkins – Thorns Of An Innocent Soul
Glenn Starkey.- Solomon’s Men
Donya Lynne - All the King's Men
Carlyle Labuschagne – The Broken Destiny
Carole Sutton – Flash Harry
Thom Locke.- The Ming Inheritance
Suz Demello – Desire In Tartan
Tabitha Ormiston-Smith – Gift Of Continence
James Eggebeen - Foundling Wizard (Apprentice to Master)
S. M. Hineline – Hunting
Solease M Barner – Secrets Of The Ghosts
Emerald Barnes – Read Me Dead
Michelle A Horst – Vaalbara. The Land Of Shadows
Peggy Holloway – Time and Time Again
Patti Roberts – Paradox – Bound By Blood
Lavinia Urban – ERIN. The Fire Goddess. The Beginning
Annie Miles - Misled
Tiffeny Moore – Past Unleashed
Read more from Patti Roberts
Little Book Of Tips For Descriptive Writing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Witches' Journal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSurviving Tracy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Believe. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOnce Were Friends - A Prologue: About Three Authors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Writing Tips From Authors
Related ebooks
7 Essential Writing Tools: That Will Absolutely Make Your Writing Better (And Enliven Your Soul) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTell Me <How to Write> a Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So You've Written A Book. Now What? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow To Write A Novel In 6 Months Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A to Z How to Write a Romance Book for Total Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing Tips for Authors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFiction Writing: How to Write Your First Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writer's Block: The Top Ten Best Methods For Overcoming Writer's Block and Increasing Your Creative Productivity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Myths: The Write Mindset, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings30 Days to The End Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting 101: How to Write for Yourself & Share with the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Improving Your Craft for the Professional Writer: Business for Breakfast, #18 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWrite the Perfect Read - The Fiction Edition: Make Readers Happy While Propelling Them to the Last Page Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSo You Want to Be a Writer: How to Get Started (While You Still Have a Day Job) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLive Writing: Breathing Life into Your Words Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The FORMULA For Writing Fiction That Publishers Will Like Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Write the Perfect Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Art & Craft of Writing: Secret Advice for Writers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Write a Book for Beginners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Write A Novel The Easy Way Using The Pulp Fiction Method To Write Better Novels: How To Write, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Write A Short Story in 7 Days Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Pimp My Fiction: Write A Bestselling Novel By Learning Powerful Writing Techniques Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Tidy Guide to Writing a Novel: Tidy Guides, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFour Seasons of Creative Writing: 1,000 Prompts to Stop Writer's Block Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Tips For Writers: Authors Unite Book Series, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Insecure Writer's Support Group Writing for Profit Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Plot Dot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Creating Characters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFiction-Writing Modes: Eleven Essential Tools for Bringing Your Story to Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Personal & Practical Guides For You
Sex Hacks: Over 100 Tricks, Shortcuts, and Secrets to Set Your Sex Life on Fire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kama Sutra: The Book of Sex Positions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ultimate Guide to Cunnilingus: How to Go Down on a Women and Give Her Exquisite Pleasure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide for All of Us Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Lost Art of Handwriting: Rediscover the Beauty and Power of Penmanship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Kick Someone's Ass: 365 Ways to Take the Bastards Down Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Draw Faces Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Change Your Clothes, Change Your Life: Because You're Worth It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tidy the F*ck Up: The American Art of Organizing Your Sh*t Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Joy of Gay Sex: Fully revised and expanded third edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Book of Clean: Tips & Techniques for Your Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5World's Best Life Hacks: 200 Ingenious Ways to Use Everyday Objects Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Vanilla Book: S&M Wisdom to Improve Your Everyday Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legally Stoned:: 14 Mind-Altering Substances You Can Obtain and Use Without Breaking the Law Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ultimate Guide to Kink: BDSM, Role Play and the Erotic Edge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Book of Home Organization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Old Money Book: How to Live Better While Spending Less: How to Live Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Field Guide to Knots: How to Identify, Tie, and Untie Over 80 Essential Knots for Outdoor Pursuits Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Witch's Grimoire: Create Your Own Book of Shadows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Do I Do If...?: How to Get Out of Real-Life Worst-Case Scenarios Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Writing Tips From Authors
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Writing Tips From Authors - Patti Roberts
FACT
Stephen King has published 49 novels and counting, all of them bestsellers. He has sold more than 350 million copies of his works. According to Forbes, he earns approximately $40 million per year, making him one of the richest writers in the world today. His acclaimed nonfiction book, On Writing, was also a bestseller. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.
Stephen King
About this publication
Dear reader, regardless of whether you are a budding writer or a successfully published author, I hope you enjoy reading the stories, interviews and shared advice from some very talented people. I hope you find the information in this book not only interesting but also insightful. Perhaps you will take something interesting from this book that will assist you on your own writing journey. For those published authors who would like to share your stories with others, you can contact me any time.
On behalf of all the authors involved, thank you, and enjoy the book.
For further information regarding this publication, Writing tips from Authors, you can contact Patti Roberts at pattiroberts7@gmail.com or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PattiParadox
Contents
Fact
Dedication
On the two types of writers
Sites for marketing your books
David Bishop – The Woman (Amazon bestselling mystery author)
Suzy Turner - The Ghost Of Josiah Grimshaw
Ella Medler – Blood Is Heavier (Editor, writer, publisher)
Kenneth Hoss - Deadly Storm
Patricia Puddle – Ominous Love
Tarek Hassan Refaat – Ribbons & Heels
Elaine Raco Chase – Double Occupancy
Sasha Kildare – Dream Walking
Barbara Watkins – Thorns Of An Innocent Soul
Glenn Starkey.- Mr. Charon.
Donya Lynne - All the King’s Men
Carlyle Labuschagne – The Broken Destiny
Carole Sutton – Flash Harry
Thom Locke.- The Ming Inheritance
Suz Demello – Desire In Tartan
Tabitha Ormiston-Smith – Gift Of Continence (Editor and writer)
James Eggebeen - Foundling Wizard (Apprentice to Master)
S. M. Hineline – Hunting
Solease M Barner – Secrets Of The Ghosts
Emerald Barnes – Read Me Dead
Michelle A Horst – Vaalbara. The Land Of Shadows
Peggy Holloway – Time and Time Again
Patti Roberts – Paradox – Bound By Blood (Writer, cover designer, formatting)
Lavinia Urban – ERIN. The Fire Goddess. The Beginning
Annie Miles - Misled
Tiffeny Moore – Past Unleashed
Contact
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all those who spend hours, days, months, even years, with the sole purpose of entertaining others with the written word.
On the two types of writers:
GEORGE RR MARTIN [GAME Of Thrones] says, "I’ve always said there are – to oversimplify it – two kinds of writers. There are architects and gardeners. The architects do blueprints before they drive the first nail, they design the entire house, where the pipes are running, and how many rooms there are going to be, how high the roof will be. But the gardeners just dig a hole and plant the seed and see what comes up. I think all writers are partly architects and partly gardeners, but they tend to one side or another, and I am definitely more of a gardener. In my Hollywood years when everything does work on outlines, I had to put on my architect’s clothes and pretend to be an architect. But my natural inclinations, the way I work, is to give my characters the head and to follow them."
Sites for marketing your books
FACEBOOK AND TWITTER are not enough to get your book out there. Try some of the following.
eBookSoda
eBookArrow
Kindle books and Tips
Read Cheaply
Bknights - Fiverr
Bargain Booksy
Thunderclap
ebookbooster
Goodkindles
My Romance Reads
OHFB (Featured Ad at top of page)
Awesome Gang
Bargain eBookHunter (Not guaranteed)
Pixel Scroll (Not guaranteed)
eBookLister
Booksends
I Love Vampire Novels
Fussy Librarian
Riffle
David Bishop – The Woman.
DAVID, WHEN DID YOU begin writing, and who or what was your greatest inspiration?
I am a writer of mysteries/thrillers/suspense novels. I have read mysteries all my life and always wanted to write them. I needed no more inspiration. I only needed to bring my life to a point where I could find/make/take the time to begin the process of writing fiction. Prior to writing novels I spent twenty-five years as a financial analyst. During those years I wrote a lot of technical financial articles for legal and financial journals, including a nonfiction book which was published, on the subject of determining the value of privately owned businesses or business interests. Then I switched to fiction and loved it, as I knew I would. I’ve not looked back or done anything else since.
Was there a particular book that inspired you? And if so, what was it?
No particular book or author. There were and are many authors I admire and many books with which I am fascinated, but no, my inspiration is as I described in reply to your first question.
How do you overcome writer’s block?
I’ve never had it so I am a poor source for an answer to this question. I avoid discussions about writer’s block and do not read articles about it, and do not attend writer’s conference sessions where it is discussed. When I have time to write, I sit down, read the prior paragraph of what I am working on and continue.
Do you have a particular word count I try to achieve each day, and do you write every day?
The second part first: I do not write every day. As for word count, again no. I write when I have time and write the number of words I can write in that time. Some days I get up early and start writing at six in the morning and stop when it’s time to go to bed for the night—naturally, except for eating and personal hygiene. Other days I play golf or work out, or use the day supporting the efforts of family and friends.
Do you plot, or write by the seat of your pants?
I don’t plot, so given the two choices, I guess I must write by the seat of my pants. I would guess that all these self-imposed borders such as number of words per day, whether I write better in the morning or at night, when I’m alone, or with or without music playing, the position of the moon and all the rest of that kind of thing may be part of why some writers get writer’s block. My plumber doesn’t only fix my plumbing problems on mornings when it isn’t raining and when the moon was full the night before. He’s a plumber so he plumbs. I’m a writer so I write. When you have time, sit down and do it. Life is often hard enough without our making it harder.
GOING ON VACATION APPROACH TO WRITING: Being a crime writer, I start with the crime itself: the who, what, when, where, and why of the dastardly deed. After that, I decide the protagonist. Next I identify the villain in a broad sense, and then decide how the story ends. I usually write the last scene first, more on that in a minute. Then I go back to the beginning and start writing. Commonly, I change the opening chapter several times in very meaty ways. The last chapter rarely gets changed in a material sense, but is, like the entire story, rewritten many times.
What did I mean by the Going on Vacation Approach to Writing?
No one loads the luggage in the trunk and puts the kids in the back seat and drives off to begin their vacation without knowing where they are going. If they did, the vacationing family would not know if they ever got there. Same with mysteries (and I suspect with romances, westerns, paranormals and all stories). Where is the story headed? If we don’t know, then how does the writer choose the twists and turns designed to get there? Knowing where you are going is always a great aid to getting there. Simple? Right! I told you this writing is not all that complex. Knowing where the story is headed allows the writer to move the hero and the villain and justice, in whatever form the author decides it will take, toward the story conclusion. The clues, the scenes, etc., are all designed to get where the family is going on vacation, so to speak.
My next step is to complete a seven-page bio on each primary character. This bio includes age, where they live, are they straight or gay, are they married? What is that character’s education, profession, special training, etc. Does s/he have children? Pets? Handicaps? Illnesses? Parents alive or dead? Hobbies? Vices? Tics? Talents? What is that person’s appearance? Favorite foods, best friends? All of it. In this step I am inventing people. I want to know these characters like I know my friends and coworkers and neighbors. This way I know how they will speak and react within the context of the story. This also helps prevent all your characters from walking and talking the same as all your other characters. (Doing that will kill the story.)
Okay, I digress. Let me get back to your questions.
What are your thoughts about editing your work?
Absolutely essential. Can you do it yourself, sure, but likely you will not do it very well. Even if you have the skill, which few authors have, you are wrapped up in the story. It is your turf and you will defend it. You will also get caught up in how you told the story, which action verbs you chose, how you might rewrite the scene better. All of this is a distraction to pure editing. I know, you may think that you are an exception and you can edit your own work. You aren’t. None of us is. However, you are the author so you are free to take or reject this advice.
What have you found to be the most successful ways to market your work?
I’ll choose to ignore the obvious list of which places to do it, how to do, how to arrange signings, on which social medias to focus, etc. There is a lot out there on that and if you are at all determined to be a writer you have likely seen some of this already and won’t be able to avoid seeing more of it. So, let me answer this a different way. The most successful way to market your work is to write it exceedingly well. Excellent writing entertains. And those who are truly entertained by it will want to buy other books you have written. They will want to tell their friends about your book. Recommend it to their book club, etc. I cannot tell you the number of times I have read an author’s telling of how they did the same thing(s) to market their book that others have done, but that the marketing didn’t work—when it did work for other authors. If this happens, quit looking at the marketing and start looking at the content of what you wrote. Don’t defend your work as good. Investigate why your work may not be good enough—yet. Then rewrite. I also hear authors say, I don’t care if it sells or not. I write for myself.
Yeah. Right. Sure. If they write for themselves or maybe their family and friends then why spend the time and money to have it published? If we aren’t honest with ourselves, we will never hear the truth. Go ahead, stomp on your own ego, like the rest of us have. Get used to it. You get published and others will stomp on it along with you. Authoring is not for the faint of heart. Now, having said that, authoring is also wonderful and courageous, so if it’s for you, then saddle up and be ready to ride hard. Thought to carry with you. Readers love to read.