Hello, good people! Today is October 28, which means there are only 3 days until NaNoWriMo! I will be participating this year, and my goal is to finish a book … Continue reading My NaNoWriMo Goals
Category: author tips
Every Hero Needs A Handicap
Did you ever read the story of Achilles? He was one of the greatest warriors in Greek mythology. He fought against the Trojans in the Trojan War. His one weakness … Continue reading Every Hero Needs A Handicap
NaNoWriMo Success Stories
Next month is NaNoWriMo!! National Novel Writing Month. It’s a great time to finish that novel that you’ve been writing. I’ve had a few inquiries regarding NaNoWriMo and whether or … Continue reading NaNoWriMo Success Stories
Different Seasons: The Use of Time in Fiction
How do you know when Summer has changed into Fall? How can you tell? There are a few signs: the leaves begin to change color, the temperature becomes cooler, and … Continue reading Different Seasons: The Use of Time in Fiction
The Importance of Prequels
Most of us are familiar with a “sequel”: a body of work that continues the story from a previous body of work. But what about the story before the story? … Continue reading The Importance of Prequels
Building An Audience Through Free Books
One of my favorite lines from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” It’s a line spoken by Heath Ledger’s Joker, … Continue reading Building An Audience Through Free Books
Last Lines and Last Impressions
Some writers feel the first line is the most difficult line to write. Personally, I think it’s the last line. The ending. The finale. Once you get started writing a story, sometimes, the flow is so effortless the story seems to write itself. Then, you reach the conclusion, and everything that has occurred has to be tied up nice and neat with a little bow. Or not. You can do that, too.
How should your story end? With a twist? An explosion? A murder? Should it be happy or sad? Idealistic or realistic? Will the story end with a statement, or a line of dialogue? Some writers will say you should never end with dialogue. My suggestion? Do whatever you feel is best for your story. One of my personal favorite ‘last lines’ comes from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby: So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
Here’s a few of my ‘last lines’.
The two of them began to laugh, as the morning continued.
The Witch of Fulton Lane seems to have a happy ending, right? I’m not going to give the ending away here, but this last line comes across as a pleasant one.
We will be okay.”
It seems fitting that Fortune Oyama, the main character in the Fortune’s Wing series, gets to have the last line in Fortune’s Wing: Flies Again. I’m including this line because it doesn’t indicate how the story ended. This could be a positive ending or a negative one. Maybe he saved the world, and maybe he didn’t. Or, maybe he changed it. The only way to know, is to read the story!
And as Nick and I harmonized the opening verse to Come For the Wake, Stay for the Funeral, I thought, this is our moment; this is our time, and nothing can stop us now…
Yes, it’s long, but it’s a fitting end to a great story (and I’m not just saying that because I wrote it). There are many elements in Our Lady of Righteous Rage. The story deals with a group of friends growing up and starting a band and a business together. They deal with crossing the line between childhood and adulthood, divorce, uncertainty, self-esteem (and a lack of it). The last line is a reflection of a long struggle to achieve a much desired goal.
As a writer, you don’t want to leave your reader with a disappointing ending. But the ending needs to fit the story. So if it needs to be sad, make it sad. If you want to end with dialogue, do it. Give your story the ending you feel it needs.
First Lines and First Impressions
Ah, the opening line of a book or short story. The attention-getter. It’s the line that sets the tone. It can draw you in, or leave you feeling completely uninterested. Every first line I have ever written, have terrified me. Why? Because I know they will either be good, or awful. I mean, who can top It was the best of times, it was the worst of times? Sheesh.
As a writer, you want your first line to have enough impact so your reader will not only be drawn into the story, but have an idea of what kind of story they’re about to get into. But you don’t want to give away too much. It’s like watching a movie you’ve never seen before, and being able to guess what’s going to happen from the very beginning. It’s not easy to do, but sometimes, you get it right. Below are the first lines of some of my books.
Was it a dream or was it reality?
Fortune’s Wing begins with a reoccurring dream it’s protagonist Fortune Oyama has been haunted by. He has visions of a ruined world; a world he couldn’t save. The heart of the story concerns the fate of the world: will it be destroyed or will it be saved? Will things carry on the way they always have or will there be dramatic changes? All of these questions can only be answered by the one who possesses The Wings.
It was early; around six in the morning.
Not my strongest line. But the rest of the paragraph makes up for it: Veronica Entienne watches her cousin Val pack a few last minute items into her bag. This much is clear: she’s going somewhere. And that’s the most important factor in Valentine: Va’s road trip to L.A. to save her father.
When I was twelve years old, I fell in love with rock n roll.
There are a few things you can take away from the first line in Our Lady of Righteous Rage. One, this is going to be a story with musical elements. Two, it’s a coming-of-age tale (the narrator makes a statement about something that happened when she was twelve, giving the impression she’s older now). Three, music is very important to this person, especially rock n roll.
“If you take this much, you’ll feel better, but if you take this much, you’ll see God.”
This is the opening line to a book I’m working on, titled Barrin Heights. I’m not one hundred percent sure of where this story is headed, but I can tell you it’s going to be supernatural.
First lines: as writers, we don’t always nail them. But you can’t expect success every time. You can’t learn from success; you can only learn from failure.
I’m Just Gonna Leave This Here….
Yes, I know I’ve said this several times before: Xlibris is an overpriced POD publisher! Since I published my first book with them (back in 2009), they constantly email me, and on occasion, call me, to see if I’m interested in publishing another book. I will never use their service again. But, for those of you who want to give them a try, let me share the price list they emailed me last week:
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STARTER PROGRAMS |
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Publishing Program |
Regular Rate |
Discounted Rate |
Payment Option |
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Basic (max of $300 discount) |
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$449.50 |
FULL PAYMENT |
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Professional |
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$749.50 |
3 Installment |
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Custom |
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$1,049.50 |
3 Installment |
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VIP PUBLISHING PROGRAMS with EXTENSIVE MARKETING |
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Premium |
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$1,999.50 |
3 Installment |
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Executive |
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$3,899.50 |
3 Installment |
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Platinum |
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$7,649.50 |
3 Installment |
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SPECIALTY PROGRAMS with ILLUSTRATOR |
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Ballad (10 Illustrations) |
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$1,099.5 |
3 Installment |
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Dreamtime (20 Illustrations) |
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$1,599.50 |
3 Installment |
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Fairytale (50 Illustrations) |
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$2,999.50 |
3 Installment |
This is a SALE. These prices will be available through the end of February. So, the choice is yours: pay Xlibris, and sacrifice a car payment or mortgage payment for a month.
Linking Ebooks and Printed Books on Amazon
Whenever I shop for a book on Amazon, one of the things I like to check, is if the book is available as an ebook. There are many titles I will purchase printed copies of, and there are a few titles I purchase only in ebook form. When you search for a title on Amazon, and click on it, you should be able to see all the available formats in one place (ebook, paperback, hardcover). Having to do another search to find other formats can be a bit of a hassle.
As a writer, I use Amazon’s KDP service to publish my books. This means all of my titles are available on Amazon. When you publish your book with KDP as a printed book, you have the option to make it available as a Kindle book as well, and vice versa. You can also link both formats, so they will appear together, whenever someone searches for that title on Amazon. Every now and then, a mistake happens, and the formats will not be linked to one another. Even if you select “Link Books”, your books may not be linked. Luckily, Amazon can fix this for you, in Author Central.
Author Central (for those who do not know) is Amazon’s site for authors who have books that are available in Amazon’s store. Here, authors can update Amazon’s list of their books, upload a headshot, and include a link to their blog. You can also check sales information for your books and keep up with customer reviews. If you’re having trouble linking your books to one another, here’s what you can do:
First, I recommend deciding which of your books need to be linked, and having the ISBN or ASIN numbers ready. At the very bottom of the Author Central page, click on “Contact Us”. This will take you to another screen.
Under “Select an issue”, select MY BOOKS
Under “Select Details”, select UPDATE INFORMATION ABOUT A BOOK
Next, select UPDATE SOMETHING ELSE
Next, select I WANT TO LINK ONE EDITION OF MY BOOK TO ANOTHER EDITION
Select how you would like to be contacted (email or phone call). I recommend email, because a space will appear, where you can enter the title of your book, along with the ISBN and ASIN numbers that need to be linked together.
Give Amazon about 24 hours. This is an easy fix, and they will contact you when it is complete.
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