elizabeth speaks, in your corner, Uncategorized, Writing

In Your Corner : Super Bowl 50 Edition

Will you be watching the Denver Broncos go toe-to-toe with the Carolina Panthers this Sunday? Super Bowl 50 promises to be quite the event, and not just for the teams on the field––or their fans far and wide, or the support teams, or the cities which are represented, or even the disappointed followers of teams that didn’t make it. The Super Bowl, like many other big sporting events in America and abroad, has the power to bring people together. And whenever people gather together, whether it’s for Super Bowl 50 or some other occasion, you as an author have a unique opportunity to gather something else: stories.

My favorite moment in many of the books I read and movies I watch is when a family gets together and the drama ends up spilling into the kitchen. There’s something special about having all the generations represented, with their conflicting memories and versions of reality and worldviews. These moments usually lay the foundation for some kind of resolution later in the story––resolution that smacks of reconciliation, and the importance of family (for better or worse). The Swiss Family Robinson was among my favorite books as a child, and now as an adult I see the same thing happening in Isabel Allende, Kate Morton, Louise Erdrich, and Jonathan Franzen’s books––and the list goes on and on. Some of my best storytelling memories––both as speaker and listener––revolve around my grandparent’s dinner table. These are the moments we can’t afford to miss, as authors.

Am I recommending that you bring an exploitative reportorial mind to family gatherings? No. As writers we do have some obligation to report on reality––whether through the intimations of fiction or the facts of nonfiction––but we are not reporters. (Unless, of course, that is your bread and butter profession.) We do not inhabit those moments as objective observers, but rather intimate witnesses, and participants. These stories have the potential to mean something to your readers (as inspiration for fiction, or the backbone of a memoir) precisely because you’re not objective. They mean something to others only because they first mean something to you.

As an author, you have to strike the balance between participant and recorder. It’s worth noting that some authors do not ask permission of family members and friends before writing about them (claiming that this allows more freedom of expression and less fear of even well-intentioned censorship), while others firmly advocate for asking permission out of respect. I happen to be one of the latter, but I do recognize that it can be awkward to pull people aside to ask if it’s okay if I write down some of their stories. A little awkwardness seems worth it to me, however, to know that I’m doing justice to the wishes as well as the words of the people who inspire me.

A couple of years back, when a relative of mine entered the hospital during her final days of struggling with cancer, my whole family came together––far flung cousins and aunts and nephews and great-grandchildren. People had traveled from the far reaches of the country and in some cases, from abroad. And something magical happened: the stories began to unspool themselves all around us. I’ve never learned so much about my family’s history and legacy as I did in those days––and while it was magical, I wish it had been something other than suffering to have brought us together. This isn’t exactly a recommendation to shout “Carpe Diem!” and add pressure to organize family reunions to all of the other responsibilities you face, but I do hope all of you find a whole host of precious shared moments that are rich with storytelling––whether this weekend watching the Super Bowl, or elsewhere––to enjoy in the coming years.

Always remember: you are not alone. ♣︎

ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 18 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, pre-production specialists, customer service reps and book marketing specialists; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Elizabeth Javor can put you on the right path.

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

Conversations: 1/29/2016

IT’S A NEW DAY! NEW MONTH! NEW YEAR!

Readers Also Have Eagle-Eye Expectations

“Be careful—be very careful—never to misspell, misuse, or make a pronoun error!” This advice came from an experienced writing acquaintance. He had just experienced a lengthy discussion (argument) with an editor who had been assigned “review” his manuscript. This gentleman author used creative spelling in the dialogue segments of one particular character throughout the whole book and the editor wanted it corrected. That was not going to happen! Within the week the author and the publishing house had a mutual parting-of-the-way and the author self-published!

Although I was very excited for my writing friend, I could also see the editor’s perspective. Word usage is extremely important and a skill that we must all develop: GRAMMAR! When I was in elementary and high school, I disliked that word (grammar) a lot! However, I now look upon it more kindly as I’ve grown into the “study of linguistics.”

Have you ever heard someone try to dodge a point being made in a discussion by saying, “Oh, that’s just your own semantics!” It sounds like—and may be meant as—a dismissive statement. However, the person/character who says that is usually doing their best to avoid accepting the other person’s perspective. Here are a few things I’ve learned about linguistics and how this study continues to enhance my writing abilities.

When you and I speak/write in our own language, we use “internalized rules” to shape phrases and sentences that best communicate what we want another person to understand. This is essentially the use of grammar—our personal grammar—acquired since our ears first heard sounds.
Linguistics is the “bigger picture” of the basic grammar we learned in school—those clauses, and dangling participles we had to diagram. Writers who want to communicate to their readers must step into this expanded study and hear their characters speaking phonetically.
Writers of the exceptional and well-received books have learned the rules that govern the linguistic behavior of a characters and/or a group of characters.
AND writers must also accept the challenges of accurate spelling! Words may sound alike, even have similar spellings, however VERY different meanings. (e.g. their, there, they’re)

Systems of Grammar have been with us since the days of Sanskrit which existed in the Iron Age. In approximately 100 B.C. a fella named Dionysius Thrax developed his “Art of Grammar” which appeared closely to the 1^st century Latin grammars. In the High Middle Ages, the Hebrew grammar developed very specific rules, leading into the Middle Ages where grammar was taught—to those of privilege—as a “core discipline” of communication. By the time the Renaissance Period was bringing about world-wide changes, all nations and people groups had some form of “grammar rules” by which to more clearly communicate.

I’ve heard it said that the Americanized grammar “rules” are no more than guidelines and extremely frustrating to authors of all genres. Personally, I prefer the term guidelines because—like the characters I’m developing—language is a living entity. It grows and changes with each individual person/character and culture. It is up to us—our creative writing ears—to hear and write in the best forms of linguistic grammar that will communicate exactly what we want our readers to hear. ⚓︎

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.

Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena.

Advocacy in Self-Publishing, elizabeth speaks, in your corner, Marketing Your Self-Published Book, Uncategorized, Writing

In Your Corner : Resolutions for 2016 That Every Aspiring Author Should Make (pt 4)

Three weeks back, I launched off a new series for Self Publishing Advisor with the singular goal of answering one simple question:

What’s your goal for 2016?

This question, of course, lay the groundwork for a whole host of further sub-questions that rapidly morphed into a series of tasks I think every author probably keeps in mind as a new year rolls around–and indeed, these tasks make for an excellent New Year’s Resolution list if ever I saw one. Even though a small part of me cringes at the thought of yet another to-do list, I can’t help but recognize that the recoil is somewhat a consequence of semantics: I may not have had much success giving up sweets or processed foods or otherwise accomplishing resolutions of years past, but I fully acknowledge the fact that structured and manageable goals are important and sometimes even necessary things to move a book from ideation to final publication. If we divorce the word “resolve” from its holiday baggage, I think there’s no denying its powerful potential for instigating personal transformation. Just think of its original–and simple–definition:

With a firmness of purpose firmly instilled in our hearts and minds, we have already examined the first eleven of the fourteen total resolutions I propose (click on the links to view the respective blog posts):

This week, I’m going to close out the series with three more:

Writing consultation.
Learn about self-publishing, and
Embrace your style!

Now we come down to the brass tacks.

What is a writing consultation, and how can it help me? Have you ever been stuck in a rut? Is the dreaded “Writer’s Block” a regular or even constant companion of yours? There are untold untapped resources out there to help jump-start or fine-tune your writing and get your book back on track, such as the writing consultation service from Outskirts Press (my employer). A number of other indie, hybrid, and self-publishing companies offer similar services, and there are all kinds of free websites dedicated to the same thing–and the only downside to these free services is the fact that they can be hard to navigate. When you have thousands upon thousands of web pages to filter through for relevant bits of information, where do you get started? Herein lies the benefit of an actual, honest-to-goodness sit-down session with a live human being and professional: a consultation session gives you time with a skilled writer who is also an industry expert in order to address any writing issues you are experiencing. You should also emerge with a great deal of valuable advice and a plan of action for moving forward. A live consultation is the great rut-breaker!

And what’s this about learning about self-publishing? Simply put, the more you know about the self-publishing industry–and the options available to you, the author–the easier it is to find your way forward. Don’t be afraid of the Great Unknown! You can’t afford to not know what you’re getting into, and if you find yourself overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the self-publishing community through web forums or even the experts that your prospective self-publishing platform keeps on hand for just such a moment. They’re there to help! And while I can’t speak for all experienced indie authors, the ones I have had the pleasure to meet and work with are unfailingly kind and generous with their time, advice, and feedback. So: do your research and learn what you’re getting into. Odds are it’s not nearly as scary a process as you may imagine.

Finally, embrace your style! As a writer, you may do things a little differently from the next writer at the imaginary conference table, but that’s what makes you so special–and it is also what sets you apart and what will help you sell books later on. Never give up. Never surrender to self-doubt! Your style and your choices as an author are valid. Not only are they valid, but they’re your greatest strengths and your greatest selling points.

Don’t shrink from your quirks and “what makes you weird,” as one of my old writing instructors used to say. Own them! Play them up! If you’re doing things your own way and you feel like you’re writing the book you want to write, then I guarantee you that you’re writing a superior book.

Always remember: you are not alone. ♣︎

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

Conversations: 1/22/2016

IT’S A NEW DAY! NEW MONTH! NEW YEAR!

Readers Have Deep Emotional Expectations

Yes, readers have emotional and spiritual expectations when they purchase your book. Not only are they looking for the escapism-excitement of cliffhanger stories they want to hear, feel, taste, touch and smell the scenes you’re creating. These are the elements where writers either shine brightly or fade quickly. The story and plot pieces cannot carry a book toward the bestselling lists alone. You may recall my mention of Aristotle a couple weeks ago. His philosophical thoughts continue to offer today’s writers a unique perspective on how to enhance the full reality of a character’s experience by adding uniquely descriptive words—even made-up words—from the following categories.

The Earth we walk upon brings us many challenges. Will your characters face a hot, dry, throat parched day? Or will they enjoy a cool, crisp, invigorating day? Must they dig themselves out of 18 inches of wet, heavy snow? Or face an earthquake? Tornado?
Water—and having access to clean water—is truly a life or death part of your story whether it is ever mentioned or not. If characters exist in an environment where turning on the faucet and filling the coffee-maker is an every-day occurrence that describes an important part of your story. However, if your character(s) must walk nine miles to reach a well of bitter water, their perspectives (and your reader’s perspective) will be quite different.
The Air we breathe might be hot and polluted or cool and clear. Air quality has become a focal point of governments and life-threatening to people/characters with breathing illnesses. Particles in the air can literally “take the breath away” from someone as if a poison gas surrounded them.
Fire. Readers can enjoy the cozy fireplace flames with your characters or the campfire nights under a clear star-spangled sky. They can also hear, taste, smell and be touched by the heat that comforts them in winter or the heat of flames that explode in a forest fire or burn a home to the ground. Fire is an element that readers both fear and enjoy.
Aristotle’s 5^th element of “life” is aether which we identify today as “outer space.” He imagined that the stars and planets, that make up the “heavenly spaces” we see above us, have an effect and affect on our daily lives. Every character you create will looks UP—at some point in their story—and feel or think something that is unique to them. Something that will connect with your readers.

Over the span of the last 40 years I’ve listened to hundreds of writer/speakers in workshops and classrooms as they talked about the usefulness of descriptive writing. They agree upon the absolute need to incorporate the sounds, tastes, textures, smells and emotional elements of the concepts listed above. However, most such lecturers warn writers not to over-do. MY ADVISE is to LET LOOSE and “over-do” with ALL you’ve got—especially as you create the 1^st draft of your manuscript. If your desire is to give Readers a story they can “sink their teeth into,” then DO IT with clear, concise, picturesque word choices. The whole concept of descriptive writing is to feed and satisfy the readers’ expectations—allowing them the opportunity to live the lives of the characters. Paint a masterpiece image of the people, places and things that make up your story. Every detail will make your book more interesting and more engaging. THEN, by the time your 2^nd book hits the bookstores and online shopping sites, you’ll have created a fan-base for all your future published works! ⚓︎

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

Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer: 11/27/2015

SEASONS Part IV

Thomas Edison once said, “The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” This clear and truthful statement applies to every writer/author no matter what season of life we are in. If you’ve read any of my previous blogs you may remember me writing about Lois Beebe Hayna. This author of poetry, fiction, essay and gardening advice will soon be 102 years young—and she continues to write and publish her poetry.

So how do we who are much younger (yes, if you’re 92, you are much younger) encourage ourselves to keep writing? How do we avoid looking at the winter season of our lives and write for all seasons? Here are a few quotes I’ve saved to encourage myself. I hope they will encourage you, too.

From Laura Ingalls Wilder, who published her first novel at the age of 65:
- “The real things [of life] haven’t changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.”
  - When my characters are arguing with me (the writer), this statement brings them in line.

From C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia series and Screwtape Letters, who wrote until his passing at the age of 65:
- “A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered.” “Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness.”
  - The many layers of meaning within these thoughts continue to help me create authentic characters. Plus, Lewis’ life-journey and his “collection of author-friends” is an example for all authors to consider.

From Alice Ann Munro, a Canadian short story author who, in 2013 at the age of 82, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature:
- “People are curious.…They will be driven to find things out, even trivial things.” “Always remember that when a man goes out of the room, he leaves everything in it behind… When a woman goes out she carries everything that happened in the room along with her.” “…if she let go of her grief even for a minute it would only hit her harder when she bumped into it again.”
  - These statements give me even deeper insights into the creation of characters and the circumstances that can be written for them—the corners to back them into.

After Munro received her Nobel Prize, the Swedish Academy applauded her as the “master of the contemporary short story.” When asked about that statement, she gave writers further encouragement: “I would really hope that this would make people see the short story as an important art, not just something that you played around with until you’d got a novel written.”

So it is that in closing this month’s series of Blogs on Seasons, I hope you’ve been inspired in your own writing life. Being a writer is part of our DNA and becoming the best writer we can be is a life-long process—a process that leads us to be published authors at a variety of steps along the way. ⚓︎

Always remember: you are not alone. ♣︎

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IT’S A NEW DAY! NEW MONTH! NEW YEAR!

Readers Also Have Eagle-Eye Expectations

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Always remember: you are not alone. ♣︎

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IT’S A NEW DAY! NEW MONTH! NEW YEAR!

Readers Have Deep Emotional Expectations

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