Category: Uncategorized

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 10/25/13

When talking with a neighbor today, I mentioned my appreciation for novels of “historical” fiction and how much I’ve learned from them.  She asked for an example, and I immediately thought of an exceptionally well-written book about how many Christians—living in Germany at the time Hitler was coming into power—“looked the other way” when facts were revealed about the treatment of their Jewish neighbors.  My neighbor then showed me a book she’d just read, a self-published novel titled Barbed Wire and Daisies by Carol Strazer.  “It is the story of a mother and her children trying to escape the hell of German occupation in WWII,” she said.  “And it’s so visually written that I could almost stumble over the rubble of destruction.”

She continued,  “The sadness I feel today when reading books like that goes beyond the horrific truth of those events because I become even more aware that we humans haven’t learned much from those experiences.”  Then she asked me if I’d read any of the “soldier blogs” that pepper the Internet.  I had to admit that I haven’t.  “These are the real life histories that need to be developed into books,” she stated.  “Only the truth, told from the perspective of these soldiers—these boots-on-the-ground—can make the world taste the dust storms and feel the pain of war.”  After that conversation, I have a lot more to think about.

Personally, as one of the millions of people who breathe in our FREEDOM every day because of the sacrifices of our military men and women—and their families—I can only agree with my friend.  I have no immediate knowledge of what it really feels like when bunk-mates don’t return from a mission.  I never stood to attention at a desert memorial service as my platoon saluted each of the lost soldiers whose kevlars had been placed on their weapons, their dog tags hanging below their helmets as they should have been hanging around their necks.

So, today, I have no specific writing advice to share with you; only the hope that someone who is reading this will begin writing the true stories of the real life histories they’ve lived.  Or, if you’re a writer and know one of our soldiers/warriors, maybe they could tell you their experiences and you could develop the book.  Our world is being forever changed by these events.  We need to know what has happened—from many perspectives—so that we have the real opportunity to make the future better and brighter.

Royalene ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward.
Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 10/18/13

I LOVE Historical Fiction! Not only do I find inspiration, hope, and encouragement when I read these books, but I often become acquainted with a new author (new to me, anyway) who took the leap into self-publishing.  When a writer dives into researching everything from footwear and clothing to politics and mores within a specific time period, readers become their beneficiaries—and learn life survival skills that are easily passed forward within this genre.

The most recent historical/biographical fiction I’ve worked with is set in the late 1800s, early 1900s.  The central character is a young woman who stepped way outside her comfort zone in the world of medicine to become one of only a handful of women physicians in her generation.  I can still picture the scene—during her medical school days—when a cloth screen was set up in the classroom to separate her from her male classmates.  The professor thought it “indelicate” to discuss the subject matter of his class in “mixed company,” and that was his solution.  This was a true occurrence and added to my understanding of how my grandparents thought about male/female relationships and why they often seemed confused—even embarrassed—by their grandchildren.

The huge success of recent TV series period pieces should also encourage the historical fiction writer.  More than other genres, the details that must accurately paint these stories are perfect for film development.  Plus, the characters from days-gone-by are easily portrayed as bigger-than-life, while retaining the elements of humanity with which we can all identify.

I’ve come to discover that good fiction tells a good story, excellent fiction introduces readers to a character they will never forget, and award winning fiction compels the reader to live the life of the characters as they walk through each and every event.  This happens—for me—most often within the pages of historical fiction.

Can any writer become an award winning historical fiction author?  Here is a little quiz that will help you answer that for yourself.

  1. Did you enjoy history classes in school?  Could you picture yourself living in log cabins, or animal-skin teepees, or caves?
  2. Do you like the smell of libraries?  Some current writers do most of their research on the Internet; however, discovering that one “key element” and/or fact among library archives is a real treat!
  3. Can you hear, see, smell, taste, and touch the environment of the time period you’re writing about?
  4. Do you share the same passions of your main character?  Rather than “walking a mile in his or her shoes,” could you walk a thousand miles beside them?
  5. Do you understand the motives behind your main character, his companions and the antagonist(s)?

I’ve known folks who have worked on (and off) on their historical fiction novel for years.  If you are one of those writers, I would like to nudge you (sharply) to GET IT DONE and GET IT PUBLISHED!  Other people may have written about your hero, but only you can tell it with the passion that you hold.

Royalene ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward.
Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized, Writing

October Writing Challenge #3

One of my favorite months is finally here — October! Witches, ghosts, and goblins! Oh my!

In honor of Halloween, each week in October I am sharing a Halloween inspired writing challenge. These challenges are designed to spark creative ideas, help you stick to your writing routine, and provide a little fun in your hectic week. (After all, writing is supposed to be fun, right?)

So far, we’ve done the Spiritual Poetry Challenge and the 15 Minute Challenge. (If you missed it, be sure to check it out.)

This week is the short story challenge. Here is how it works.

1) Get inspired. Did one of the challenges from the last two weeks spark some ideas for you?  Use one of those ideas as a catalyst for a short story. If you are just starting the challenges, or you have an idea unrelated to the previous challenges, start a completely new story. It doesn’t have to be based off the previous challenges, but many of you probably already have ideas from working on the first two pieces.

2) Write a 500 word fiction piece  that channels your inner Stephen King. Let the season inspire you to write a mystery or thriller story, even if you usually work in another genre. Stepping out of your comfort zone and writing something completely different can be invigorating and bring new life to all of your work.

Be sure to check back next Wednesday for the next writing challenge!

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.
Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 10/11/13

The Christian Inspirational genre is certainly one of the hottest markets for self-publishing authors.  When someone’s faith mixes with experience writers communicate with their readers in a unique and extremely uplifting way—a way that enriches mind and heart to see possibilities beyond their circumstances.

Although many of the books in this genre are written (or ghostwritten) by well-known people, many more are written by people like you.  Their “real life” topics cross over faith denominations into the “real world” with subject matter such as: liberation from life’s burdens; healing wounded hearts; the gift of beauty for ashes; and eternal security.  No one—literally no one—can tell these experiences better than the person who has lived through them.  However, there are a few unique methods to remember when developing the manuscripts, and they begin with preparing yourself to “tell the truth” to the best of your ability.

Whether you are creating your manuscript yourself, or you’re working with a self-publishing team (publishing consultant, author representative, production supervisor, designers, and production managers), and/or a ghostwriter, here are a few things to remember:

  1. Build the timeline.  Most inspiring stories come from finally seeing a positive—even miraculous—result from some not-so-pleasant experiences.  The timeline (for this one book) is most easily built backwards.  Starting with the conclusion of events will allow you to see all the pieces leading up to that more clearly.
  2. List the people.  Make a list of the people who were connected to this process.  There will be the quickly-remembered ones; there will also be the ones who are only recalled as you work on the next guideline—the “scenes.”  Depending on your decision whether or not to use their real names is not a concern at this beginning level.  What is important is that the roles they played are identified.
  3. Picture the scenes.  Use your wonderfully developed imagination to “see” the scenes (as in a movie).  Such as: When I tell the story of my Mother’s last days on this earth, I can see the CNA—a gentle giant of a gentleman—lifting her ever so carefully from a gurney to her bed.  Any movement—even her hand raising to motion for water—caused intense pain.  However, when he moved her, she experienced NO pain.

When inspirational writers begin their creative process with these three foundational exercises, it is remarkable how quickly their true story is developed.  Filling in the details becomes easy.  Then, once the first draft is complete, the other decisions—such as using the names of the real places and people—are also much simpler.  My suggestions for those choices are twofold:  If there are more than three people (other than you) in the story, consider using fictitious names.  Tracking people down to get permission to use their name can be time consuming and slows down the production of the book.  Also, if the place where the majority of the scenes are centered is too well-known—and would overshadow the impact of the story—then consider “setting” those scenes in a more generic place.

Final thought: NEVER hesitate to tell your story!  There are many hands and hearts out here in the self-publishing world to help you through the process.

Royalene ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward.
Kelly Speaks, Uncategorized

October Writing Challenge #2

One of my favorite months is finally here — October! Witches, ghosts, and goblins! Oh my!

In honor of Halloween, each week in October I will share a Halloween inspired writing challenge. These challenges are designed to spark creative ideas, help you stick to your writing routine, and provide a little fun in your hectic week. (After all, writing is supposed to be fun, right?)

Last week, we started the month with the Spiritual Poetry Challenge. If you missed it, be sure to check it out.

This week, we’ll move on to the 15 Minute Challenge. Your goal is to write about an experience that was scary, suspenseful or mysterious, but you only have 15 minutes to write to it. The story can be true or fictional. Here are the “rules.”

1) Set your timer.

Once you are ready to start the challenge, set a timer for 15 minutes. No working on the story before or after your timer is set.

2) Focus on quantity, not quality.

For the 15 minutes, try not to stress about the details. Just write like the wind. Write whatever comes to mind. Don’t worry about fixing mistakes. Just write as much as you can for 15 minutes. You can always go back and “fix” the story later.

3) Keep going.

After completing the challenge you could do a couple of things. 1) You could be proud of yourself for completing the challenge and taking the time to write. You don’t ever have to look at the story again. You completed the goal. 2) You could let the challenge inspire a new project, such as a self-published mystery novel. 3) You could decide you like the story and choose to go back and continue working on it.

No matter what you decide to do after completing the challenge, be proud of yourself for taking 15 minutes to write. The more you write, the more likely you are to find success as a writer.

Be sure to check back next Wednesday for the next writing challenge!

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.