Author Kimberley Griffiths Little on Deep Point of View


"Remember: Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow
after your characters have run by on their way to
incredible destinations." Ray Bradbury, WD
Do you write romance novels? Historical fiction? Mysteries? Whatever your genre, you strive to create a close personal relationship between your main character and your reader. To shed light on this topic, at a recent New Mexico Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, SCBWI Regional event, Kimberley Griffiths Little presented the workshop, “Close Third Person or Deep Point of View, DPOV.” Kimberley has written many Young Adult novels, such as Returned (Forbidden), Forbidden, Banished (Forbidden), and for Middle Grade, When the Butterflies Came and The Time of the Fireflies. Also, as Kimberley Montpetit, she has self-published The Executive’s Secret, Unbreak My Heart, and many other books.

As Kimberley described DPOV, it is capturing your main character from the inside out. What she “knows, sees, hears, feels, experiences—filtered through her world. DPOV creates an immersive reading experience. In DPOV we see more of who the character is.” Add to that a writer’s greatest prize: DPOV is how you gain THE VOICE.

Boot out the Narrator
I received one of the first drafts of my first book back so fast from a beta reader it wasn’t funny. There were few notes, few edits. But in huge letters on the first page she wrote: "GET RID OF THE NARRATOR! Then send it back to me."

Oh my, was I in a world of rewrite! I think all authors would agree that finding that voice, showing and not telling the story, nixing the narrator, takes practice and experience. Also, I’ve talked to writers who agree that even in later stages of revision, "telling" and "the narrator" crop up and have to be banned. It has certainly happened to me. Examples offered at the workshop:

Narrator: She wished she could whisk back in time and redo the last few minutes.
Without the Narrator: Too bad life didn’t come with an undo button.
Narrator: He had to think hard about what to do next.
Without: What should he do next?

DPOV in Action
According to Kimberley: Become your character. Live inside your character’s mind and heart. Immerse yourself by staying in your character’s point of view. Take your reader on a journey through your character’s experiences. Want to see how? Here goes:

Shallow: Desiree’s skin prickled with pleasant excitement.
Deep: Shadows loomed. The place reeked of ancient secrets. Desiree’s skin prickled.
Shallow: He could see the tip of the dog’s nose peeking out of the closet.
Deep: Barry stepped through the door and entered the room. “Aha! There you are!” The tip of the dog’s nose peeked out of the closet.

DPOV is not italicized. According to Kimberley, italicizing thoughts takes the reader out of DPOV.

With italics: Jane looked out the window. Wow! Look at that sunshine and dew sparkling on the roses. What a perfect day for gardening. I’d better go get my tools.

She went to the garage and scanned her shelves. Now where did I put my gloves and trowel?

Without: Jane looked out the window. The dew on the roses sparkled in the morning sunlight. Wow! Would there ever be a better day for gardening?

Humming, she hurried into the garage. Her gaze searched the wooden shelves. Where had she stored her gloves and trowel?

Avoid “Pitfall Words”
Do a search in your manuscript and look for “pitfall words:” Think, Know, Feel, Realized, Caused, Made. Focus instead on the senses and play-by-play action in the NOW: Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, Sound, Emotions.

Word No-No’s that create narrative distance:
  • Saw, considered, made, caused
  •  She felt: watched, thought, realized, wished, decided, wondered
  • Avoid prepositional tells: with, of, in
  • Beware the IT Trap. It’s vague—(What's vague? The It Trap! There, that's better!) What does IT mean? Namely, that substituting "it" instead of specific nouns and descriptions isn't nearly as dynamic. 
  • Choose power words
Workshop Tips Served up on a Platter
  • Overuse of “to be” verbs
  •  Don’t summarize: Write the scene 
  •  Share from the inside out rather than a “watcher’s” perspective
  •  Research physiological reactions 
  •  Write moment-to-moment
  •  Break up long description with an action; break up internal dialogue with action
  •  Don’t name the feeling—Show the feeling by physical effects on the body, thoughts in keeping with that particular emotion: ASK HOW YOUR CHARACTER WOULD REACT
  •  Everything can’t be written in DPOV. Your reader sometimes needs distance to relax, such as your character reflecting and telling friends.
A word of thanks: Experienced and successful authors like Kimberley and others in our New Mexico Regional SCBWI chapter, who take the time to attend meetings and events and share their expertise, are appreciated by our members. Thank you, Kimberley, for sharing.
To learn more about Kimberley, visit: www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com
Image courtesy of: https://www.goodfreephotos.com
It all started here!

Linda Wilson, a former elementary teacher and ICL graduate, has published over 100 articles for adults and children, and six short stories for children. Her first book, a mystery/ghost story for children 7-11 years old, will be published in September 2018. Currently, she is hard at work on Book Two in the series. Follow Linda at www.lindawilsonauthor.com.

Write for Magazine Publication #5



Writing for Magazine Publication is a great way to monetize your writing and test your topic for readership interest. This series offers tips and ideas for magazine publishing: a list of genres or categories and where we find ideas (posted 5.25.18), research tips (posted 6.25.18), standard templates for essay and article pieces (7.25.18), query letters (informal known to editor 8.25.18) and (formal query tips 9.25.18), formatting for submission, and copyright definitions.

Essays are all about the writer, but articles are all about the reader. An essay is an opinion piece: an analytical or interpretative work with a limited point of view. However, an article is non-fiction text presenting information to the reader.

In prep for writing our query letter, be sure to revisit your research of the particular magazine you want to pitch.  To gauge how you approach the magazine and determine their audience, you’ve:
1.    Thoroughly read a few copies of the magazine, including advertisements
2.    Found the editor to address your query in the masthead.
3.    Copied the submittal requirements and reviewed them point by point.
4.    Visit and read the magazine’s website.
5.    Read the market listing in Writer’s Market

Today, let’s talk about a formal query written to an agent or editor new to you. 

Do Tips:
•    Our goal is to present a query letter in a professional manner that is clear and concise. It should be one single spaced page with block paragraph format.
•    Use customary typeface and font: Times New Roman, 10 or 12 point, and one-inch margins.
•    Demonstrate you are knowledgeable about the specific magazine you are contacting.
•    Query letters are a call to action, so be specific from the first line of your letter, thus honoring the editors time.
•    Include some biographical information to show your personality and voice, but don’t go overboard.
•    Always follow the submission guidelines specific to the magazine you are querying.
•    Thank the editor for considering your query and always include your contact information (name, address, phone number, email address and website if you have one).
•    Wait the noted response time before contacting an editor to follow up on your query. (refer to the submittal guidelines)

Not for the Query Letter Tips:
•    Discuss pay rates
•    Mention that your work is copyrighted
•    Don’t hint you are willing to rewrite the piece

Kerrie Flanagan’s new book and Informative Links:
5 Things You Need to Know to Write for Magazines:   http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/42-FE2-WriteforMagazines.html   Know the Reader, Know the Magazine, Know the Style, Know the Submission Guidelines, Know How to Write an Effective Query Letter.
and her new book --  “Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing”  by Kerrie Flanagan

http://www.writersmarket.com/assets/pdf/Query_Letter_Clinic.pdf     *includes good and bad letter samples

 https://www.writersdigestshop.com/query-letter


Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts.
Visit her web-blog: Deborah Lyn : My Writer's Life

Write clear & concise, personable yet professional.
Know your reader.
Use quotes & antidotes.

An Important Skill for Every Writer



By W. Terry Whalin

About 25 years ago, my phone rang and it was an editor for a publishing house in Chicago. He asked, “Can you write back cover copy?” The back of a book contains enticing words which sell the reader on the contents inside the book. To write these words involves a specialized writing skill that I have learned.

“Absolutely, I can write back cover copy,” I said yet inside I was trembling because at that point I had never tried it. I received the assignment and the publisher sent the manuscript for the book. I had several days to skim the contents of the book, and then craft the words for the back cover. The payment was a modest $50 per book and in that period I wrote several dozen back covers. There was no publishing “by-line” or credit for my work but I gained valuable experience and increased the diversity for my writing.

Many writers have never tried copywriting or considered it. Possibly you are one of those writers and I want to give you some encouragement to learn this skill and highlight a resource with some additional instruction. Brian Clark, known as copyblogger, defines copywriting as, “one of the most essential elements of effective online marketing. The art and science of copywriting involves strategically writing words that promote a person, product, business, opinion, or idea, with the ultimate intention of having the reader take some form of action. So, whether you're looking to sell something or to build traffic by earning links from others, you’ll need to tell compelling stories that grab attention and connect with people so that they’ll respond the way you want.”

Whether you are writing a book proposal or a query letter or an ad for your website or a sample back cover for your book or any number of other types of writing, learning copywriting will help you put power and persuasion into your writing. Every writer needs this skill. If you are a fiction writer you need to learn good storytelling skills--and nonfiction writers need to learn to tell stories. In addition, every writer needs to learn to add the power of copywriting to their set of skills.


For many years I’ve read and reviewed many how-to-write books on a wide variety of topics—but I’ve never seen a single book on writing back cover copy—until I read Shelley Ring’s excellent book, HOW TO WRITE BACK COVER COPY THAT SELLS.

In seconds, every author needs to capture the attention of their readers. The back cover of your book are some of the most important words written to sell your book—in the bookstore or online. As Ring explains in her book, “Each chapter of How to Write Back Cover Copy walks you step-by-step through the creation of your copy package. Putting together the copy package first allows you to cement your non-fiction ideas and message, work through your fiction plot, develop your character arc, and strengthen your motivation. Much like a synopsis, writing the summaries first also keeps you on track as you complete the book or fiction novel.” (Page 6)

Ring has written back covers for traditional publishers and indie authors. Whether you are writing nonfiction or fiction, you will learn valuable insights in this well-crafted book. I loved the appendix which contains simple templates every writer can use for key aspects of the creative process. I highly recommend HOW TO WRITE BACK COVER COPY THAT SELLS.

Many writers need this skill of copywriting. Have you studied copywriting? How did you learn this skill? If you have other resources, please let me know in the comments below. 

Tweetable:

It is an important skill for every writer. Discover the details and resources here. (Click to Tweet)


-----
W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. His work contact information is on the bottom of the second page (follow this link).  One of his books for writers is Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, Insider Secrets to Skyrocket Your Success.  He lives in Colorado and has over 205,000 twitter followers.
 

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Try This for A Creative Start to Your Day

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, it's good to start your day with a little creative writing practice.

It gets your juices flowing—so no matter what you spend time writing the rest of the day, the writing seems to come easier.

Plus, if you try this on a regular basis, you'll get better at writing dialogue, using sensory details, and creating dramatic tension in your work.

Here's what to do.

Get a new spiral notebook and use it just for your creative writing practice.

I say "practice" because most of what you write in this notebook won't be full-fledged stories, just snippets of stories.

Still, the longer you stick with this morning writing practice, the more creative you will get.

And, after a while, you'll find that you might be writing complete stories using the prompts.

If so, good for you.

But the main purpose of the prompts is just to give you some creative writing practice every day.

Here are some visual and written prompts to help you get started:
1. "Where are we going?" Evan asked his sister.
"You'll see," she said.

2. Nathan frowned. "You never told me you had a cat," he said to Martha. "I'm allergic to cats."
3. Logan had waited all day for Lacy to text him. But there was still nothing from her. What's going on with her, he wondered.
4. Maggie sat looking out at the water. Her dog, Max, sat next to her. Her boyfriend, Richard, had dumped her this morning when they met for breakfast.
"At least you'll never leave me," she said to Max.
5. Casey wanted to keep running forever. But she knew she'd eventually have to stop running and go back home and face everyone.


First thing every morning, choose one or more writing prompts and spend just 15-20 minutes writing in response to the prompt(s).

Make a commitment to do this for one week and see what happens.

Try it!

Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 35 published books and a writing coach. Visit her website at www.writebythesea.com for more articles and resources about writing. And, for daily tips about writing, get your free subscription to The Morning Nudge at www.morningnudge.com.

How to Reboot

It's inevitable. Every now and then you need a personal or professional reboot. 

Whether you just survived some massive stress, like moving - I know that one really well - or illness; need to refocus or revamp your business - yup, know those, too; or have to climb out of a rut (post-summer or otherwise), there are a few steps you can take to get back on track and move your work forward.

1. First things first, take a deep breath. Now, take another one. Before you can move forward, it's essential to acknowledge that bump in the road. It's more than likely it came from outside sources and, hence, is not your fault. Allow yourself ample time to get your head back on straight, and do whatever rituals you need to refocus. That could mean extra me-time, meditation, binge tv-watching, exercise, or taking up a hobby. Do something that makes you feel good and productive, as that will help to get your engine going.

2. Once you are settled out, regroup mentally. Remember your mission: what do you do and why do you do it? By the way, if you need to, now would be a great time to revamp your mission. 

Next, think of what you can do to get back on track. Make a list of at least 10 things.

Here are some project ideas to get you excited about your work.
- Refresh your LinkedIn profile
- Revamp your website
- Play with visuals: take photos or design graphics you can use for social media and blog posts
- Design and get new business cards
- Start a new blog post, book, or marketing campaign

There are also ongoing items you can do, as well, to reignite your visibility.
- Send "Hi, how are you?" messages to current and past clients and prospects
- Post helpful tips and resources on social media 
- Find events and attend them
- Reconnect with old friends
- Check HARO (helpareporter.com), and respond to  queries related to your expertise.

3. Jump in with both feet. Check your list. Pick a big-picture item to work on. Plus, do at least one of your ongoing items each day..

Whether you work for yourself or someone else, use this as a guide to get out of a rut and get back on track. If you work on your reboot consistently, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you can get things going again.

What do you do when you have to refocus and reboot? Please share your experience and any tips in the comments.

* * *

Debra Eckerling is a writer, editor and project catalyst, as well as founder of The D*E*B Method: Goal Setting Simplified and Write On Online, a live and online writers’ support group. Like the Write On Online Facebook Page and join the Facebook Group.  She is author of Write On Blogging: 51 Tips to Create, Write & Promote Your Blog and Purple Pencil Adventures: Writing Prompts for Kids of All Ages, and host of the #GoalChat Twitter Chat. Debra is an editor at Social Media Examiner and a speaker/moderator on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.

Are You a Writer, a Freelancer, or an Entrepreneur?


I read a great article in a newsletter from AWAI and it made me think. I know I'm a writer and freelancer, but, am I an entrepreneur?

Not according to this article. Find out if you are.

The Very Best Label for Where You Are Now as a Writer
By Mindy McHorse, Six-Figure Copywriter and Executive Editor of Barefoot Writer

Do you consider yourself a freelancer or an entrepreneur?

Or both?

And do you openly call yourself a writer? What about in public?

Those three terms — writer, freelancer, and entrepreneur — get tossed around a lot in our world. I do it myself in the copy I write for biz-opp clients, merging and massaging those labels as if they're interchangeable.

But they're not. While they are certainly related, each title comes with a sort of hard-won victory over your own self-esteem. (Speaking of titles, now you can have the title of VerifiedTM when it comes to writing the most in-demand projects clients ask for these days. You can find out more here.)

A victory that pushes you forward to reaching your writer's life dream. So, let's look at each step and see how they relate to your writing career.

Step #1: Calling yourself a writer is the first step. If you're like every writer I know (including me), you had to overcome self-doubt before you could look a stranger in the eye and declare, "I'm a writer."

Step #2: The next step is officially becoming a freelancer. You can't call yourself a freelancer till you have clients who pay you. Finding those clients and landing writing jobs they'll pay for adds a couple more rungs to the self-esteem ladder.

Step #3: Once you're on that ladder, doing writing work you love, getting paid for it, then you're an entrepreneur.

After all, you're creating your own destiny. You're working hard to make money on your own without anybody telling you what to do or how to do it. You're a free thinker. Your skills are bankable. Your writing is a valuable resource worth paying for.

And since all those things fall under the umbrella term of entrepreneur, that's what you are. Right?

Well, not necessarily, says marketing guru Seth Godin.

Seth did an interview a few years ago where he talked about the difference between a freelancer and an entrepreneur. In his view, freelancers get paid for their work. Meaning, they only get paid when they work.

But, according to Seth, entrepreneurs build businesses bigger than just themselves so they can get paid when they sleep.

Seth sees freelancing as an essential step in the journey to entrepreneurism.

I see it as … negotiable. For writers like us, anyway.

Take the great Bob Bly, for example. He still freelances for clients (and charges hefty professional fees for doing it). But he also runs his own email newsletter and e-book empire that makes money for him while he sleeps.

Same with our beloved Nick Usborne. He freelances for big-name clients, and he's got his Money-Making Website on the side pulling in money at all hours of the day. To date, he's made over $350,000 working only 1-3 hours a week on his "hobby."

I don't think it has to be an either-or thing. If entrepreneurship were the end game, I'd be beating myself up right now for only being a freelancer for the last 10 years. When the truth is, I've made great money and great friendships working solely for clients.

Plus, while I've been busy raising a family, it's given me the space to let someone else worry about keeping the ball rolling with consistently scheduled emails and a marketing calendar and whatever else my clients do.

As for me? I'm content to just write. For now, anyway. That could change … but the point is, don't let yourself get weighed down by labels. Figure out what it is you're after — what matters to you and fuels you to pursue paid writing — and go after that. Maybe it'll change in the coming years, and maybe it won't.

Either way? Your satisfaction should be the priority, not your title.

Life as a moneymaking writer is hardly static. Which means no single path is the right way and no single destination should be exclusively pursued.

Maybe you can be both — a freelancer and an entrepreneur. Maybe call yourself a solo-preneur.

Maybe don't even worry about a label and just make sure you challenge yourself on a regular basis. If that means reaching out to a bigger client for a project worth more money than you've ever charged, go for it.

If that means venturing out on your own with a Money-Making Website or any of the other writing opportunities AWAI connects us with, then go for that.

Just don't stay stagnant. Don't get hung up on categories. Don't worry about what others have accomplished that you haven't, and don't care for a second if what you want to do with your writing skills has never been done before.

Chances are, that's what will make it — and you — a resounding success story.

This article appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc.’s (AWAI) The Golden Thread, a free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available. For a complimentary subscription, visit https://www.awai.com/signup/.

MORE ON WRITING

Freelance Writing Work – The Possibilities

Write for Magazine Publication 
http://www.writersonthemove.com/2018/05/write-for-magazine-publication-1.html

10 Mistakes Made by New and Not-So-NEW Freelance Writers
http://www.writersonthemove.com/2017/11/top-10-mistakes-made-by-new-and-not-so.html

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO SHARE!


 

The Three Most Important Components for Publishing Ebooks

Three Neglected E-Book Considerations 

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers.

A website owner was asked what the “three most important components are for publishing a professionally produced e-book” and he referred the question to me. As long as I was figuring out the answer to this all-important question, I figured I’d pass it along to you but publishing an e-book is harder than reading one so I thought it better to simplify a bit. I took the liberty of qualifying it with an introductory clause and here it is. 

A self-publisher must be a jack-of-all publishing trades and many readers are still not comfortable with e-books I want to tackle the question with those considerations in mind. I also believe in frugal publishing and e-books are ideal for that. So, the three most important components of publishing an e-book are:

1. The cover. Visuals are powerful tools. A great book cover may be even more important for an e-book (even though it's virtual) than for a paper book. It will probably be the only visual a reader will have to connect the reader to the author's (and publisher's) credibility. Self-published authors can do a pretty good job of producing a decent cover using the free app provided by Createspace/KDP on the website. 

2. Great editing. Too many authors and e-book publishers think that great editing is merely the process of eradicating typos, but it's a lot more. It's grammar. It's the conventions of writing (like punctuating dialogue correctly). It's even the formatting. And it’s knowing about the things that your English teacher may have considered correct, but they’re things that tick publishing professionals like agents and publishers off! If an author can’t afford (or won’t!) spend the money for a full-service editor, read The Frugal Editormake corrections as you go and then get a few extra pairs of eyes to give you additional input. 

3. Formatting. I list this last because most e-book services like Amazon, Createspace, BookBaby etc.  make it clear that formatting is essential and provide guidelines for getting it right.  I included expanded step-by-step instructions for formatting your book for Kindle in the Appendix of my multi award-winning book on editing, The Frugal Editor

Note:You should know that when a reader buys your e-book on Amazon, he or she gets to choose what reader format they prefer for his or her preferred device after clicking the buy button. When you use Createspace/KDP, you reach most everyone short of those who refuse to buy from Amazon and you save accounting time tracking different online e-book distributors. You will also saves time reformatting from a print version to an e-book and get distribution and marketing benefits when you use them exclusively. 

PS: The fourth most important component of e-books is marketing. No e-book—no book!—is truly published if it hasn’t been marketed. It’s part of the publisher’s job no matter how it is published or who the publisher is. And if it is self-published, marketing is as much the author’s job as the writing of the book. Everything you need to know to market your book the way a professional would if you had the money to hire her is in The Frugal Book Promoter 

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER


Howard-Johnson is the author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers including the award-winning second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter (where she talks more about choosing and the advantages of winning contests and how to use those honors)  and The Frugal Editor. Her latest is in the series is  How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. Learn more about her and her books on her Amazon profile pagehttp://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfileGreat Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers is one of her booklets--perfect for inexpensive gift giving--and, another booklet, The Great First Impression Book Proposal helps writers who want to be traditionally published. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it will help them convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. In addition to this blog, she helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs at all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor Visit Carolyn at http://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com



What are Project Mood Boards and Why Do You Need One?

by Suzanne Lieurance When submitting your manuscripts for possible publication these days, you’ll probably find that many agents and editors...