The Benefits of Hearing Your Book Read Aloud

Don Massenzio's avatarDon Massenzio

Oops Word on Big Red Button Correct Mistake

This tip has to do with something I learned from a fellow author and reinforced as I was trying to record an audio book version of one of my novels. It may sound silly, but you can greatly improve your work by reading it aloud or by hearing it read aloud to you.

This can be a tedious exercise, but it is well worth it. I’m going to pass on an anecdote from that fellow author I mentioned earlier. It was a situation that could have been embarrassing at best and disastrous at worst.

She had written a middle school age book. All of the spelling, punctuation and grammar were pristine and she was ready for publishing. On a whim, she put the book through the ‘Speak’ utility that is part of Microsoft Word (I’ll show you how to set that up later).

What she found was, in one spot…

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Phases of a Story: The Solid Foundation

Yahoo Image Search

This week is going to be an experiment coming from an odd idea that I had.  Stories go through phases just like matter.  You have the idea, outlines, first drafts, final drafts, published versions, and other phases in the middle.  So, I was wondering how stories are similar to the three main phases of matter.  This could easily fall flat, especially when I get to the Gas post on Friday.  *pauses for laughter*  Anyway, let’s dive right into this and touch on the easiest phase: SOLID

Aside from books being something you can hold, the thing we look for the most with a story is how solid it is.  Similar to matter, you need the pieces to be densely packed and organized for the whole to maintain its shape.  One part falters and you can watch the entire structure crumble.  We talk about stories with a lot of physical, solid-based words as well.  How often have you heard an author talk about creating a strong foundation or compare the process to building a person with all the physical parts?  I’ve even heard a few authors talk about their books as if they put together a house.  So, the connection the solid phase of matter is pretty easy to make.

One way to create more solidness in a story is with planning, but this isn’t necessary.  Yes, an outline can create a clearer path for an author, but you can get a similar effect from simply following your whims.  It really depends on the person.  We’re looking at the result too, which is a story that has very few holes.  That’s the major goal for an author.  We want consistency and continuity to avoid creating a tapestry that is unraveling with every chapter or page.  Now, you can’t make it entirely unbreakable because everything has a weak point.  Somebody could easily tear your story apart if they put their mind to it, which is a threat shared by all stories.  Instead, you design it to withstand most of the attacks like a fortification wall around a castle.  Sure, those with explosives or a battering ram can get through, but you’re protected from kicks, arrows, swords, and anyone who thinks a headbutt can finish you off.  Again, solid doesn’t mean 100% unbreakable, but sturdy enough to survive most assaults.

Seems I keep coming back to a construction type of mentality here, which isn’t too surprising.  This is how a lot of authors act even if they don’t realize it.  We’re putting pieces together to build a whole.  Characters, settings, subplots, main plots, emotions, action, humor, dialog, twists, and so much more are merged to create this single entity that we hope will stand tall.  Yeah, I wasn’t as scientific as I thought I’d be here, but this one is fairly straightforward.  This is why I mentioned a foundation in the title because nearly everything stems from this solid core.  As complicated as it is to create, it’s pretty easy to figure out in this context.  You need this solid part for the story to be coherent and readable.

What do you think about comparing a story to the solid phase of matter?

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Saving your Privacy

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

In my last post, I described the moves companies take in their fight against fake news. That post raised some privacy issues; issues I will further explore in today’s post. Namely, I list here 15 default settings you could change to safeguard your privacy, courtesy of the Washington Post. And the best part? It will only take 15′ of your time.

Have you ever visited an eshop, only to see ads popping up on Facebook about the very same items you were shopping for? This is made possible thanks to various tracking methods. But it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

As the article points out, some of their defaults are plain crazy. Google saves a map of everywhere you go. Amazon makes your wish list public — and keeps recordings of all your conversations with Alexa. Facebook exposes to the public your friends’ list and all the pages you…

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Do You Flume?

Staci Troilo's avatarStory Empire

Ciao, SEers. Happy Monday!

Over the course of our time together, you’ve probably come to realize I consider social media a somewhat necessary evil. I know writers are supposed to use it, but so few of us use it consistently and creatively enough. I often feel it’s a waste of time, but if I don’t do it, I feel guilty. And when Google announced G+ was going away, I was relieved. It was one less platform for me to neglect.

Instagram

Kids today are much savvier when it comes to social media. My son couldn’t care less, but my daughter loves it. She’s even an ambassador for some company on her Instagram account because they love the look of her posts and the way she uses the app. In short, she’s awesome at it. And I’m not. Hence the following conversation between the two of us:

Her: Mom. Seriously. Your…

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Volunteers Needed for War of Nytefall: Rivalry Release (Aiming for April)

Dr Evil

As I’ve mentioned, I’m aiming to release War of Nytefall: Rivalry in April.  Just need to tighten up the manuscript by some quick run-throughs, write the blurbs, test the blurbs, and get the cover art.  Yeah, I know it sounds like a lot, especially when you add this blog tour in there.  Anyway, here’s the deal:

I am going to try to make special posts for each volunteer.  If there’s a specific topic you want me to write about (vampires, fantasy, writing, etc.) then let me know in the comments.  Otherwise, we can discuss something or you’ll leave it in my hands.

A big reason I’m asking early is because I want enough time to write these up and make this a big return.  Even though I’m more teacher than author these days, I’d like to put real effort into my book releases.  That means I need more time.  So, drop a comment to volunteer and thanks in advanced.

(Sorry about not having a specific date in mind, but this is my first release as a teacher.  I’m not sure how easily I’m going to balance this act, so I’ll admit that it might be a little clunky.)

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Guest Post – Are Character Interviews Worth the Effort? – T R Robinson

eranamage's avatarLibrary of Erana

Are Character Interviews Worth the Effort?

Guest post by T. R. Robinson

I first came across character interviews here in Alex’s Library of Erana blog. There have been a couple elsewhere but the majority have been here. Now for a bit of honesty: My initial thought? ‘Silly and pointless.’ As a consequence, I simply glanced (not even sped read) through a couple and thereafter ignored them. I now feel a little ashamed. It is not usual for me to make such determinations prior to fully investigating the validity and seeking to comprehend people’s motivations. Why I did not do so in this instance I am not sure. I suspect it may have been I was new to authoring and probably, as most when first setting out on a new career, felt under pressure to complete a work and to interact in social media. Time pressure in…

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Goal Post: Getting Right to the Point

I’ve been sitting here for about ten minutes thinking of what to say.  This week has been emotionally and physically draining.  I’m writing this post on Thursday night just because I want to focus on spending time with my son during the weekend.  I’ll still be responding to comments and social media, but it won’t be my top priority.  Sorry . . . Paused again to stare at how the skin of my hands can look almost scale-like.

The only writing I did was a single section I had 4 hours free.  I couldn’t play music because I was in a library and took the wrong headphones.  It was the set for my iPhone, which don’t hook up to my laptop.  So, I can’t be certain of how the scene went and I’m having some trouble with Clyde.  He’s much more mellow in the 4th book because of things that happened in the 3rd.  It’s kind of creepy to me because I never imagined him like this.  Makes me wonder what the rest of the story will be like, but it’s going to be a really slow process.  I plan on using the weeknights to work on War of Nytefall: Rivalry guest posts.  More on that tomorrow . . . I’m running out of steam.

Look, I’m going to be honest without revealing the whole story.  Again, I can’t without causing trouble.  That personal issue that’s been plaguing me since August has taken an ugly turn.  Even saying this can be taking a step too far.  All I can say is that it isn’t a situation that I’m in full control of and it could get worse long before it gets better.  It might take most of the year to settle.  The reason I’m mentioning it at all is because I know people are curious as to why my mood has been odd.  There’s no more gung-ho, happy, full-time author, but what could be described as a battered man here.  That isn’t far from the truth and I’ll be emotionally limping along for a while.  Getting too close to speaking, so I’m just going to say that this was a bad week for me.  It isn’t looking like I’m going to be having a really good week in a long time.

Well, there is one issue I can talk about even though it could be gross.  Seems I’m developing an allergy that gets set off when I go from cold to hot.  This might even be the reason behind the patches on my legs.  The itching became full-body and I finally got some Benadryl.  One pill and I was fine within 15 minutes.  The drowsiness means I can only use it at night after my son is put to bed and I have nothing else to do.  How ridiculous is it that this isn’t the worst event or news of my week?

Goals of the week?

  1. See Lego Movie 2 with son.
  2. Buy Lego set and build it with son.
  3. Make homemade quesadillas.
  4. Play a little Lego Star Wars 2.
  5. Extra reading time.
  6. Get more volunteers for War of Nytefall: Rivalry.
  7. Maybe write a little War of Nytefall: Eradication.
  8. If son is more interested in playing with his toys, I’ll work on guest posts.
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Candy’s Clothing Emporium: All Garments Are Enchanted

Legend of Zelda tunic

Welcome to our little corner of the shopping world.  Okay, it’s a thirty story tower with a large neon sign at the top.  I assure you that it isn’t a problem for planes because they always see it.  Now, we have . . . Yes, I’m Candy.  My mother happened to love candy and everyone I know says that I’m sweet.  Don’t judge me for being six feet tall and built like a bodybuilder.  Where were we?  Ah, we were about to discuss your unique, one-of-a-kind outfit.  Let’s start from the inside and work our way out.

Magical underwear isn’t something people like to talk about, but you need them to complete the ensemble.  Of course, we don’t put any offensive magic there because you don’t want an accident.  Defense is the better way to go, but others put some sensory magic on there.  Not the kind you just thought.  Aside from small force fields and elemental protection, you can have these garments sense movements or create a radar-like area around yourself.  All of the spells are constantly on as long as you’re wearing them, so no activation words are required.  We currently have a sale on enchanted thongs, which haven’t been selling as well as we’d like.  Those we do sell tend to have a warmth enchantment.

Socks are not included in the above category because you can do a little more with them.  It isn’t really more than speed and agility enhancements, but people can be unique with some requests.  Last year, we created socks that left an icy path on the ground to stop pursuers.  It’s going to be a holiday special in a few weeks.  Now, you have to factor in shoes as well for this stage.  You don’t want to have a sock spell that destroys your shoes because then you can lose your feet.  We recommend getting one of our combo deals and make sure the enchantments work together.  For example, the person who made the icy socks had them with spectral shoes that allowed him to make parts of his feet incorporeal.  It helped that he had prehensile toes, so this might not work for you.

Accessories like belts, ties, and scarves are minor, so we’ll talk about this in the back.  Let’s move on to the pants.  As you will see with the shirts, the list is very long.  Physical enhancements, elemental charges, transformation, defense, and whatever else you think can work for your legs.  Flight and levitation are possible and two of our biggest sellers.  I believe we have a fresh delivery of animal limb spells too.  These would fall under transformation and are quite simple.  You can turn your lower half into that of an animal such as a dolphin or a cheetah.  They have the abilities of that animal, which are altered to accommodate the human form.  For example, you could run as fast as a cheetah even though you lack the rest of their physical attributes.  Another option for pants are dimensional stepping.  We used to put these on shoes, but the spells wouldn’t always take the entire body because of the smaller objects.  With pants, all of you can simply step through a gateway and go wherever you want.  There is a liability form to fill out for this product.

Shirts are probably the most versatile because you can cast just about anything on them.  I have multi-limbs, stone armor, spike defense, and about thirty tomes worth of selections we’ve created over the years.  Discounts are currently on short-sleeved tops because they’re out of season.  Keep in mind that some spells on work on the covered parts of the body, so you would need to be careful with your arms.  I see you noticed our special dress shirt package.  Every button holds a different minor spell, but the emphasis is on minor here.  You can’t put anything very powerful into such a small objects, so people do this more to be fun at parties.  For example, one button might grant temporary ventriloquism while another can emit a light strobe.  Magicians love these for obvious reasons.

So, what do you want?  Yes, I know it’s a lot to decide on.  How about we show you more with a fashion show?  Just sit right there and I’ll be back down the runway.  Oh, you thought an attractive woman would do it?  Well, that’s just rude.

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Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

Staci Troilo's avatarStaci Troilo

Ciao,amici! It’s that time again. A quick wrap-up of the week, and a little discussion about writing. Hopefully you’ll join in at the end.

This week was a hodgepodge for me. I wrote, I revised, I edited. I read and wrote reviews. I created graphics. I even tried a different tactic to get AMS ads to work for me. (I haven’t quite given up yet, but as of this moment, it’s not working.) Amazon, if you’re reading this (and we all know you aren’t), please give authors access to run ads for their work. Not all of us self-published, so we don’t all have titles on our dashboard. You’ve already written code allowing us to claim titles as ours on our author profiles; transfer that ability to the marketing end of things. PLEEEEASE.

As usual, my pleas will fall on deaf ears. Or uninterested ones. Sigh.

So, yeah, I was…

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The 2019 Author Interview Series Featuring Tracy Kauffman

Don Massenzio's avatarDon Massenzio

header - tracy kauffman

I’m happy to feature author Tracy Kauffman in this edition of the 2019 Author Interview Series. It’s interesting to see which questions authors select from my list to reveal a bit about themselves and their work to those of you that read their interviews.

Please enjoy meeting Tracy Kauffman.


tracyk.

  • What do you think are the elements of a good story?

I believe descriptive words  relay the story so it makes the reader feel they are there instead of being told the details of the story.

  • Do you view fellow authors as competitors, allies or are there some combination of the two? Why?

I believe other authors are allies because they can help each other in so many ways.  Authors know how to get their work done, published, marketed etc…. It’s always good to keep your author coworkers as friends and allies.

Marketing

  • What marketing technique have you found to be the…

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