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?

 

 

 

"Rituals" and "The Last Thing I Do" just got accepted by Silver Boomers: Freckles to Wrinkles. They are planning two anthologies and I hope I am in both. One of my stories is lighthearted about started over at a late age. The other is sad, about a woman depositing her husband's ashes. Actually, the way Last Thing is written, the male and female roles could be reversed.

 

Anyway, I can't believe I'm old enough to write good boomer stories. LOL

 

Jun 05

Interpreting a Rejection

Published in Uncategorized  by Mele

 

 

A woman named Kristen sent an email that knocked me out of my chair. Her exuberance leaped out of her message!

 

 

“I just want to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! What a great site you have. I cannot even express to you, how helpful your site is.

 

“I am going to do a local TV show tomorrow and I thought that I had everything down. I was just looking for some confirmation and your site did just that.

 

“The site itself was informative and to the point. It was eye catching in its design. I didn’t have to click on a bunch of links that were nil to what I was looking for.

 

“I was drawn to look at your other links even though I wasn’t looking for any of it. I was so impressed, I told my husband about how happy I was that I found you! It’s now on our favorites!

 

“My husband and I have www.steverenospeppers.com. We grow, pick, and hand cut our all-natural peppers and we sell to specialty markets

 

“Good luck to you. I’m certain I’ll be visiting again. Great site!”

 

 

It’s a wonderful thing when people take the time to let you know you’re doing something right.

 

 

 

My short story, Pupule, was just published at Haruah. It’s a humorous yet serious look at how some Hawaiians handle problems.

 

Check out my story. It’s at the top of the list on the Haruah Web site. If you like Pupule, please leave a comment. The best loved prose listed on Haruah will be included in a print version.

 

www.haruah.com

 

And, by the way, writers, this is a great place to submit stories. The editors are nice people to deal with.

 

The following is the first reader review I've received for River Bones:

 

Finished your latest book last night. Another wondrous work! Loved reading River Bones.

The psychological characterizations were hauntingly authentic especially the depiction of the psychopath. Your vivid descriptions of the Sacramento Delta transported me and kept me on location throughout this fascinating story. Your novel is definitely a page-turner. The beginning is engrossing. The middle is exciting, and the conclusion is explosive.

~ Elizabeth Sullivan, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Somerset, CA

To have a Clinical Psychologist tell me that I got the characterization of a psychopath right provided an intense Yes! moment for me.

Elizabeth became a fan when she first read my second novel, The Ka. When she learned about my first novel, The Tropics, she bought and read that one too. Now she's read River Bones and has asked to read more of my work.

I am blessed.

 

Never before have I plugged a competitor-friend's novel on the same page/site as mine. However, this friend is special. A Pushcart Nominee, Julie Ann Shapiro's novel is thoroughly covered in the following information. The book cover is at the bottom. Buy it and enjoy it!

 

Jen-Zen and the One Shoe Diaries (SynergeEbooks.com, December 2007, ISBN 978-0-7443-1391-8)

 

Everyone has seen one lost shoe on the side of the road. After experiencing Jen-Zen and the One Shoe Diaries, you will wonder about its untold story.

 

Short Synopsis

A successful photographer is haunted by the memory of a girlfriend he lost and the connection he feels to her while photographing shoes. Jen-Zen and the One Shoe Diaries is a modern Cinderella story filled with love, lost shoes and whimsy.

 

Longer Synopsis

Brad Lynberry is a successful photographer who is haunted by the memory of Jen-Zen. When he finds himself first fascinated then obsessed with lost shoes, Brad’s sister wonders if he’s driven by artistic inspiration or if he’s going off the deep end. The answer comes through encounters with his Grandma who loves birds; a shaman named Red Hawk who tells him to look in the shadows; and Jonathan the art collector, who leads him to Swansea where lost shoes keep popping up in a display of whimsy. Time is running out. Brad must unravel Jen-Zen’s poetic riddles or go mad trying.

 

Back Cover Blurbs

“Haunting and hypnotic, Shapiro's debut novel will long linger in the reader’s mind. JEN-ZEN illuminates the beauty to be found in the dark vacuum of unfathomable personal loss, and inspires.” 

 ~ Michael Steven Gregory

Executive director of the Southern California Writers Conference

 

 “Feeling the blues of sadness, the reds of rage, and all the shades in between…” Jen-Zen and the One Shoe Diaries is vivid with imagery. Julie Ann Shapiro colorfully depicts the realities and wondrousness of relationships through the ethereal sensitivity of Jen-Zen and the longing heart of Brad Lynberry. 

 ~S. M. Murdock

Member, Bewildering Stories Editorial Review Board

 

“An endearing poetic love story; romantic longing made sublime through creative expression, and the heart of it, a mystery as in all true love stories.”

 ~ P.M. Boekhoff

Author, World View Ecology

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brief Reviews

"Jen Zen and the One Shoe Diaries is a far-reaching story full of lyrical beauty...It’s part mystery, part poetry. It has elements of magic realism and surrealism. Author Julie Ann Shapiro has a knack for capturing the essence of relationships and all their uncertainties. At times, Brad’s relationships (with Jen Zen, his grandmother, mother and sister) are a comfort. Other times they are a web, ready to ensnare him. In the end, he learns to see life from his own perspective, without the comfort of a camera’s lens to distort it, and he realizes that the challenge of a relationship is what makes it worthwhile."

~Kim McDougall, Editor, Between The Cracks

 

"This is a singular book, original in voice, thoughtful in tone. The shoes seem to be telling Brad something. Jen-Zen has had an accident and is trying to communicate from somewhere beyond. Can Brad use his photographer’s art to rescue his true love?”

~ Scott Barnes, Editor NewMyths.com

 

"It starts with a harrowing ordeal that challenges Brad's emotional well-being and is soon transformed into a riveting mystery. A whimsical romp following a trail of single shoes culminates into an extraordinary journey into the human heart."

 

~Mark Lagamayo, Amazon Reviewer

 

" In the novel, Jen-Zen & The One Shoe Diaries, Brad and his own shoe obsession are tied to his search for connection and love in, and beyond, the shoes themselves. His very rendering the shoes as art in his photographic collection, dubbed Shoe-sophy is something artists, shoe-lovers, and readers can relate to, but it is the mystery that will keep you reading. Find out what happens to Brad and Jen-Zen in this enthralling, modern-day mystery of love, romance, and shoes."

 

~Great New Books

 

Availability

 

Jen-Zen and the One Shoe Diaries is published by Synergebooks.com in paperback, ebook and CD-Rom and is available at Amazon.com, Amazon Kindle Store, Fictionwise.com and other distributors.

Recent Press

USA Today – March 11, 2008- "Short Kindle supply is keeping e-book fans waiting."

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-03-11-kindle_N.htm

 

North County Times - January 27, 2008 – Feature Story, “One Shoe At A Time –Encinitas Writer's Novel Sees Magic In The Ordinary”

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/01/27/books/9_13_441_26_08.txt

 

 Also, here is her website: http://www.julieannshapiro.com.

 

Here are links to the book on her website,  chapter one and chapter five or take a sneak peak at Brad's dharma of shoes and Jen-Zen's mysterious poetic musings. Learn the fascinating Deja-vu-like back story of Jen-Zen and the One Shoe Diaries.

 

 

 

 

 

Book tours may become an event of the past.

 

As fuel costs rise and affect every aspect of our lives, fewer people will travel. That means writers going on book tours as well. But I've scheduled yet another because I had air miles accumulated.

 

 

I’ve returned from my trip to see my son. It was only the 2^nd time in seven years. We’ve vowed to shoot for once a year from now on. However, it will have to be some place other than Las Vegas. The triple pollen count made me very ill. It affected my very healthy, robust son too.

 

It's wonderful how good things happen to offset the bad. Seeing my son was the best. Then while using my son’s laptop, seeing my new novel, River Bones, show up on Amazon was another thrill. We celebrated, all the while, coughing and choking with sinus problems.

 

Oh well, next year we will meet in another location with cleaner air… like Venus or Mars, maybe in outer space.

 

Last week, I attended a memorial service for one of my best friends. Like everyone else, I sat with my numbness waiting to hear someone say something that would ease my pain.

 

A hospice minister who attended my friend in her last hours spoke. The purpose of his talk was to console the living. He said he once had to speak to a third grade class whose teacher, Miss Cooper, had passed away.

 

The pupils were all quiet and sad. He asked them, “Does anyone understand where Miss Cooper went?”

 

All the pupils were silent, except one little girl who first watched as no one reacted. Suddenly her hand shot up and she waved frantically. “I know where Miss Cooper is. Can I tell?” she asked, excited and still waving.  “Can I tell?”

 

The minister asked her to stand and face the class.

 

The girl was already breathless and paused a moment. She kept smiling and wasn’t unhappy like the rest of her classmates. Then she began. “Miss Cooper is okay where she is. She helped a lot of people, ran here and there… did lots of things for us. She traveled back and forth, always busy.”

 

The bubbly little girl kept talking on and on, extolling the virtues of her late teacher. At one point, she frowned and paused before resuming. “After a while, Miss Cooper had to rest because she got tired sometimes. Sometimes real tired and she had to rest some more. One day she was far from home and wasn’t sure where she should go to rest. She was far from home and didn’t think she could make it back. About that time, our Father came from heaven. He saw Miss Cooper being tired. He said to her, ‘It’s time for you to rest. You’re closer to my house than your own. Why don’t you come into my house to rest?’”

 

A sad expression cross the third grader’s face. Then she smiled happily again. “So that’s where Miss Cooper lives now… in our Father’s house.”

 

____________

 

I’m grateful for the innocence of one wise little third grade girl.

 

 

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

 

 

Time and again, the value of good editors has proven itself out. I wrote what I thought was a dramatic synopsis of my upcoming novel, River Bones. The publisher's "polish team" used my suggestions but changed it. They said twice as much in 200 words as I was able to say. In addition, their version is much more alluring.

 

This is the synopsis that will appear on the back cover of the paperback and on the inside flaps of the hard cover jacket:

 

A mystery surrounds the lush orchards and farmlands of California’s Sacramento River Delta. As Sara Mason returns to her hometown in order to start a new life, she learns that a serial killer is terrorizing its residents.

 

Despite battling the memory of the drowning deaths of her younger sister and alcoholic parents, Sara is determined to make peace with her past. However, she soon learns that the elusive psychopath who strangles his victims, snaps their necks, and then buries each along with a dead animal, is now stalking her. Sara’s attempt to rebuild her life is hindered even more by the discovery of skeletal remains both on and near her property. She must move out as the criminal investigation focuses on suspects like the gravedigger Crazy Ike, a cat-killing vagrant, a Peeping Tom, and several others who may be connected to the twenty-eight victims. After several attempts on her life, Sara discovers critical clues and bravely volunteers to be a decoy for the sheriff’s department.

 

Sara Mason is a woman whose destiny has brought her back home, but her decision may lead her down a path lined with danger and straight into the arms of a madman in this captivating thriller.

 

____

 

Here, too, is an excerpt that will appear on the back of the hard cover jacket:

 

“Come see this,” Johanna said. The deputy led her into the garage. They peered out the back windows into the field where other deputies began putting down yellow, tented markers.

Sara pressed her forehead against the glass, angled her gaze downward and, repulsed, jumped backward. “Who the hell does he think he is?” Below the window lay a hole in the ground the size of a grave. She could only imagine for whom.

Johanna pointed. “See that?”

Sara looked again, stunned by what she had missed. “Who does he think he is?” she asked again, screaming. A dead cat almost the color of the soil lay at the bottom of the excavation.

“He didn’t intend to do you in though. At least not last night.”

“Is that a joke?”

“No, look. The hole’s only a foot deep.”

The excavation was only the depth of a shovel scoop. “The graves already found were a lot deeper than that,” Sara said.

“This may not be the serial killer’s work,” Johanna said. “There’s no evidence that any of his victims were stalked before they went missing.”

“This could be someone else?”

“A copycat sicko, maybe, who likes to taunt.”

 

 

 

The Second Worst Thing that can happen to a writer is to have a computer crash, and crash so badly that the hard drive is inaccessible. That's what just happened to me. Got it fixed; crashed again. I bought a new computer, in fact, a work station.  However, the new monitor may be faulty and have to be replaced. We're working on that. Too, I learned there is now a box you can put your old hard drive into, plug it into the new PC, and retrieve all your data that's more valuable than gold. Things are looking up.

Oh yes, the First Worst Thing... ? Getting rejections, of course. Rejections are not repairable, at least not with the rejecting editor.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

A while ago, many writers attempted to write stories using dialogue only. Of course, I had to try. It may have been only a fad because I've not seen many pieces written in this manner.

 

In these stories, narration is excluded, absolutely. The scene, setting, action, character descriptions, moods/emotions, and everything else, must be exposed through dialogue. This, my first effort, was published in Gator Springs Gazette.

 

 

 

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.