In October, I spent ten glorious days in California at various book signing parties and functions.

 

Later, Susan Reeve, Supervising Librarian at the Rio Vista Library, sent this letter:

 

 

The next evening after the library function, I attended a class reunion with one hundred sixty-eight people in attendance. Not only was I allowed to sell books, I had previously sent two hard copies of River Bones, along with two Hawaiian gifts, for a raffle.

 

The Delta Daze Inn in Isleton, California, where I sometimes stay, now carries River Bones. They have a mystery club that comes through several times a year.

 

After that, it was on to other friends' homes and then to my brother's place southeast of Placerville in the foothills. While there, I finally met a friend with whom I had been exchanging writing and editing for quite some time and never met. We clicked, like cherished sisters.

 

I sold one hundred twenty-four books during this trip. Wow.

 

By the time I reached home, I was tired from so many months of planning this trip and finally going. I went to Honolulu for a week of R&R, to purchase some necessities not available on Kauai, and to, of course, promote River Bones even more. But alas, while standing in line in a store, a man behind me coughed. I felt his breath roll past me. He kept coughing. I covered my nose and mouth but by then it was too late. I woke with the next morning with the worst sore throat in memory. It took another week at home before I could get out of bed to learn that another strain of flu from Asia had hit the Islands.

 

So that's my trip in a nutshell. The good far outweighs the illness. I have new friends, got to know former friends even better, and many more are reading my novels. Yes, novels, plural. Some have already purchased one or more of my previously published books.

 

Now it's time to get back to work. Watch for some pictures to show up on my
Web site: http://www.writeanygenre.com .

 

Let it be known that I never have the dreaded writer's block. But sometimes I do get stuck. It may be from working on too many projects at once.

 

I usually work on more projects than I can complete, though my main focus is on one or two at a time. When I'm stuck I play a trick on my mind. I begin working on a different project. Seems my mind can't help throwing out random bits and piece of information for lots of different stories. So all I have to do is work on something else and what I need for the story I prefer to work on then comes to mind.

 

When I'm stuck writing anything to do with a character - maybe dialogue -  I stand in front of a mirror and practice gestalt. That is, I speak the dialogue to myself in the mirror until I sound like the character. Then I include those words verbatim in the story. It also helps to gesture like the character when I speak. Including those mannerisms, too, enhances the character's personality.

 

If anyone were to watch me and not understand, they would think me nuts!

As writer’s we all hope to one day soon have the world reading our stories and books. We must always seek new ways to promote ourselves. In today’s world, the internet is the place to promote, but what in all of cyberspace works best?

 

Presently, it’s Video Trailers.

 

Have you checked out my trailer for River Bones? With the attention this has created for me, I must say, everyone should have one. But before that can happen…

 

You must write a book and get it published. Getting that done is the topic of other postings. At the moment, let’s talk trailers.

 

Your book is published. While the best time to promote any book is in the first 6-8 weeks, word of mouth is slow. Web Sites may never be found if you don’t know how to make Google find you keywords. Same with Blogs. You need to find something far-reaching that people will find before they even find you. A video trailer does that.

 

The main requirements of having a trailer made are:

 

~ Have a book already published because you will need a shot of the front cover. Too, if someone sees your trailer and your book is nowhere near ready to publish, you’ve lost a sale.

 

~ Distill your story line down to a logline of no more than 75 words. That’s the average number of words to stretch a trailer out to two minutes. Any longer and people click to something else.

 

~ Have a 1-2 page thorough synopsis written.

 

Start looking for a person or company who makes trailers. They have their own requirements. It’s wise not to contact anyone about trailers till your book is published or just prior. This facet of the industry is changing so much, so will requirements.

 

Your trailer producer will work with you to get the story line matched with picture stills or a video clip. You will approve everything. Then the producer will send you a mock-up for final approval. Once you give final approval, the trailer is made.

 

Here’s where most people balk. This rapid growing segment of promotion is new but growing. Producers will post your trailer on their YouTube site to advertise their abilities. Therefore, it is your trailer but it also belongs to the producer.

 

One exception is that you may have a trailer made and released to you, but it won’t be posted anywhere. That’s up to you to accomplish – if you’re adept at such things. But as a writer, why not choose a producer that posts their creations – your trailer – on the Net? You get on with other promotional activities.

 

So… some producers post on YouTube and myriad other places. And guess what? You’ve got FREE PROMOTION. Think how many people will watch your trailer on the producer’s site and, all of a sudden, they like your book and will buy it.

 

You, of course, will post your trailer on ALL your sites and blogs and many other places as well.

 

It’s a simple process, but a little nerve wracking in getting it all together. Or should I say a little exciting in getting it all together, and then seeing the final product, your book… IN A MINI-MOVIE!

 

I’ll stop here because I’m already too wordy. In my opinion, trailers are THE most important bit of promotion available today. Got yours?

 

 

Jun 05

Interpreting a Rejection

Published in Uncategorized  by Mele

 

Many people have asked for help with their writing, and I try to get to as many as possible. However, I am finding that most new writers struggle with the same problems.

One of those problems is when to use "said" and "asked." Also when you can use words like "whispered" or "chortled."

I have written an excellent article titled "Let the Dialog Speak" that clarifies the problem without having to read a whole book. It will improve the way you write your stories. See it here:

 http://www.writeanygenre.com/dialogue.html

 

 

Want to wake in the morning with more creativity? Then pay attention to what’s on your mind when you fall asleep.

 

Research has proven that the mind uses it’s most recent daytime images and thoughts to create dreams. So, too, the mind produces the mood with which you wake after sleeping.

 

No matter what story you work on, do not think about it as you fall asleep. Instead, before going to bed, do something to put you in a relaxed state. Play some soothing music, preferably without vocals, which can plant new thoughts. Yoga, maybe? Or walking? If you're one of those people who fall into bed exhausted, then concentrate only on your breathing. Then trust your mind to work on what’s necessary since you’ve put it at ease.

 

The state you wish to create for your mind is one that you have not directed. The mind knows what’s necessary, better than you know what’s important. Get into the habit of allowing your mind to work for you.

 

You’ve heard the saying, “I’ll sleep on it.” Then the person goes about doing something else. In the morning, the answer comes. It’s the same principle. Trust your mind.

 

 

 

One of the joys of living in Hawaii is wearing a muu-muu any time I wish. The dress is very loose fitting, knee or floor-length, and in colorful aloha prints. Anytime I think I'll be spending hours at my computer, I change into a muu-muu.

 

I tried sitting at my desk all day wearing street clothes, like shorts and a tee, jeans, or a regular dress. Doing so reminded me of the discomfort I felt when wearing sleek suits to a business office where one's grooming and appearance is so important. Now, most waistbands are too binding when sitting, actually making me feel like I'm strangling my creativity. Any discomfort is a distraction.

 

Writing is a personal thing for me. When I write, I feel everything I create and often act out the gestalt of the characters. That is, I speak the parts or play-act the scenes to assure the words flow like ordinary conversation. I read the whole story out loud and move around a lot and gesture. The more we writers experience and feel what we write, the more likely we are to convery the emotion and meaning of the story to the reader.

 

So feeling constricted is out of the question. My writing wardrobe is meant to dress my Muse comfortably. In these island climes, the muu-muu is perfect.

 

 

This article appeared in Mississippi Crow Magazine. 

 

 

 

The Internet is a wonderful place. That is proven time and again.

 

I met a man on the Net who lives in Ireland. He runs a Web site called The Universal Favour Bank. Michael encourages those interested to investigate the principles of The Favour Bank and put them to use for a better life.

 

My own nonfiction story, For the Smallest of Favors, posted on the Favour Bank site, is a good example of how the principle worked in my life. I've experienced many more examples I could write about. Chances are, you've also experienced the Favour Bank at work.

 

The Favour Bank site is simple to use, the stories short and easily read, the simple principles easy to understand and may give you a big Aha! experience.

 

 

From The Universal Favour Bank site:

 

"At the Universal Favour Bank, favour deposits are made without expectation of repayment. However, the Universe (God, the Source, the Divine, the One, the Spirit, the Creator, the Supreme Being, All-That-Is) will repay the favour with abundant interest when needed.

 

"Cash deposits to the Favour Bank can be easily made on any street corner, the cashiers are disguised as beggars. Small non-cash deposits to the Favour Bank can be made in ways such as giving up a seat on the bus to an elderly person of a few words of encouragement to someone who needs them, or a simple sincere thank you. Examples of bigger non-cash deposits to the Favour Bank would include looking after an elderly parent or voluntary work, parents (especially mothers) are continually making large deposits to the Universal Favour Bank."

 

 

As I mentioned above, following the principle of NOT expecting any glory in return, Michael desires no limelight for himself. He's passing along something that works for him and that he has seen work all over the world - and I must say, it also works for me and has been for a long time. I just never before recognized events through this perspective.

 

In fact, I see him and I meeting as a favor returned from The Favour Bank because this man does not advertise himself and yet we have met, just when I needed a favor... or two....

 

Check out http://favourbank.eu to learn how to improve your life.

 

 

 

Only twenty basic faces or facial structures exist throughout the world. I read this somewhere and it caused me to look deeper at the characters about which I both read and wrote. Fortunately, many variations of these twenty faces exist.

 

One story I read described the heroine as a raven-haired beauty with emerald eyes. Since we draw upon personal memories of people who resemble these descriptions, that one caused me to imagine a stately woman with black hair, green eyes, and a milky complexion.

 

Some time later, I read the same simple description in another story. Wow, this woman gets around.

 

In order to create characters that are not mirror images of all the rest, we need to further define them, maybe give them some quirks.

 

What if the raven-haired beauty with green eyes had a birthmark on her cheek? Not a dark one, but noticeable enough as to make her feel insecure from childhood on? That would make her different in so many ways. Her insecurity might cause her to have a timid personality, something she needed to overcome in her adult years.

 

Suppose she was so high-strung that she stuttered when excited, stuttered to the point of getting on people's nerves. Her personality would certainly be different than that of a demure beauty with a birthmark.

 

If this woman was perfect in every way, and doted upon as a child and her beauty exemplified, she would have a different outlook, perhaps an overweening personality. She would have different life obstacles to overcome.

 

A single quirk can define the personality of any character.

 

We writers must make our characters different from all the rest, no matter how common they begin. The ways we make them different affects their personalities. And what is a character without a distinct personality? Be diligent and give your characters variances, but be careful to give them the types of quirks that will define their persona as needed in the plot.