For Free?!

I am conflicted.

Yes, over many things, and often, I admit; my family will tell you that I'm afflicted with the 'or maybe' syndrome. But hey, it's a great affliction for plot development and I'm working on controlling it in real life. For today, I'm focusing on my conflict regarding Tansy and how to put a price on my blood, sweat and tears (not to mention some gray and missing hair).

In the beginning, I researched what an ebook should be priced at, and let me tell you, there is a LOT of information out there on the subject. And, yes, you guessed it- a lot of it is conflicting! So, I settled on what I considered a modest price of $2.99. All of my friends, family and a few others, decided this was a fair price for all of my hard work and they gleefully purchased a copy for themselves. In the months following, my sales waned. I decided to up my marketing- I tweeted, blogged, and facebooked my little heart out. There were a few more sales. I researched price setting again. Many fellow Indie authors support the idea of the 99 cent read. So, I decided to try it out. I reset the price on Amazon, and did more tweeting and facebooking. My sales rose- quite a bit too! Yay! Happiness that my precious literary child was out to more folks to enjoy. This is when I realized what I'd known all along- that the enjoyment of my work was worth more than the sales she generated. So, now, the conflict. I'm happy to have my book 'for sale' and I'm happy it is being purchased- but would I be happier if I made it free? I don't know! It seems that those 99 pennies make it somehow 'worth' more. But really? Should they? And that, my friends, is the conflict. So, (and I deeply thank all of you who've purchased a copy, really I do!) I'm going to try this- for December only- in the spirit of giving.

I'm making Tansy Taylor available for FREE for the month- starting Black Friday. I mean, if you're giving a Kindle or a Nook to someone- won't it be nice to add some free reading material?? So, this is my gift to all of you who haven't had a chance to buy a copy- because frankly, it really isn't all about the purchase, but the insurmountable joy of seeing my book get downloaded and read. In return, all I really want for Christmas is a review on Amazon- because they make me feel good in about the same way a nice warm chocolate cookie does. (And I don't need to consume any more of those!)

Oh, Deer!

Now, I'm not above admitting that I can be (from time to time) grammatically challenged. Truth is, I've fallen a long way from grace since my high school and college days. In fact, I think it can add flavor to writing styles too- I mean, who uses perfect English in conversation, eh? But there comes a point where I must, MUST draw a line in the sand.



Make sure you check out this site for
 really funny photos for when you're
really ticked off.



That line, my friends, is mispronouncing the word 'ask.'

Ask? You question. Yes, ask.

Somewhere along the way, a good portion of the population of these great United States has decided 'ask' is actually pronounced, 'axe'. Sometimes I've even heard it 'axskes'.

People, really? You say this word and I conjure up images of you 'axing' someone. Let me assure you, they cannot answer any questions after you hack away at them with a sharp tool meant for splitting wood. It ain't gonna happen.

Oh, and by the way- it can go either way with Axe. I just prefer three-letter words!

Check out The Grammarist online to alleviate much of your grammar-related head scratching!

And we're off!!!!!

Okay all you writers, dreamers, and wannabees- It's officially day UNO of National Novel Writers Month- aka- NanoWriMo! Yay!

And... here it is verging on sunset where I am and I have yet to write word ONE. Of course I have about ten different scenarios running around in my big old noggin too. Should I go mystery? Or maybe young adult? Or what about a romance? There was even an idea that walked a little on the naughty side (wink wink). What to do, what to do!

Well, if it's like Nano's past... I will
A) panic and pour a glass of wine
B) panic a little more
C) have another glass of wine, panic a little more...
D) decide to finish the bottle and then writing, as by now I've decided I've nothing to lose and to just get on with it!

So, good luck to thee, yon authors- I have full faith that we will all panic a little, keep the wine and chocolate industry in the black, and most importantly- finish our 50k.

I will post next week what my word count is- any for any of you out there who'd like to be a NaNo buddy- you can find me as Kat37.

What's behind Door #3? sub-plots

Ah, sub-plot, one of my favorite friends. I absolutely love reading a book and getting hooked into a sub-plot; especially when it goes on for a series. When I'm writing, I want to capture that essence, that depth that sub-plot offers a book. After all, isn't sub-plot just a layer of story that lends credibility and realism to your characters? We all have sub-plot in our life. The trick in writing, is finding the right balance- not too much, but not too little.

We all have those friends- the ones when asked, 'so, how are you doing?' can go on for hours about everything in their life- right down to their feelings on second cousin Mavis' best friend from high school who may or may not have had a giant mole removed from her left buttock. Obviously, MORE sub-plot than we want or even need to know about right? The we have the silent ones- who answer 'fine'; then, a week later punch out their sister in the middle of a fancy restaurant because she caught her cheating on her fabulously hot husband a year ago and just can't take the guilt of knowing anymore. Probably could have used a teeny bit more sub-plot with that friend. Anyway, I give you these examples of real life- or what could be real life, to illustrate a point. Your characters need sub-plot to be interesting. I don't know about you, but I would have loved to have the guilt rolling around in the character's thoughts about what to do with the knowledge of the sins of the sister. It makes her real, and we, the readers, ache to make it all better. We know what she should do, and silently urge her to speak to her sister, then, when it blows up a the restaurant, we share in her pain- and the instant guilt of airing such dirty laundry in a very public place. It adds depth and substance to our story.

So, you say, of course I want my characters to have depth and my readers to feel a connection- but how do I create this feeling- and how do I know if I have too much or too little??

So, let me address the second question first- and I'll say, I'm a poor judge of this normally. I will, unfortunately, or fortunately for some of my friends, sit and listen until the cows come home about all sorts of weird crap and odd relatives. I find it fascinating. However, I know I'm the minority. So, for the question of too much or too little- I rely on beta readers- aka, my friends and my cronies in the Writer's Asylum . They will tell me with all honestly- where they stopped caring and started thinking about what to make for dinner- but even more so, where they wanted to know more. I also can tell most often, since I've trained myself, to look for the more/less factor when I'm proof reading. It can be tricky, but definitely doable.

As for the first question- you may already have this nailed, but if you find your character's lacking, here are a few tricks.

1. Create a diagram of the main characters and their relationships. Build some friction from those relationships. I love me some white/wipe- board action. Storyboarding with circles and bubbles is the bomb!

2. Interview some characters. Along the way, you'll find out something interesting. Maybe your leading lady has an intense fear of spiders and somewhere in the story she has to go into a creepy basement, full of the nasty little arachnids. And, maybe she has to go down there with someone who she doesn't want to know about her fear- say a hot crime fighting partner who might find it a weak attribute or maybe her arch-nemesis from college who will blog it all over the Internet. Use this one characteristic to build a sub-plot into your story.

3. Use a plot generator. Depending on your story type, and what you have going on, it can be fun to use a quirky plot generator for some odd sub-plots. I really enjoy using these during NaNoWriMo as well. You can find them all over the Internet- and there are some posted links here on the side of my blog.

Happy Plotting!!!

Genre Surfing

Genre are sort of like warm blankies. You may have several, lying around your house, but there is that one special blankie that makes you feel all warm and snugglie inside. That's how it is for me and book genres. Whether I'm writing or reading, I'm really most comfortable with mystery, and occasionally I'll venture into romance or even a little science fiction- say if my mystery blankie is in the wash.

Recently, I had the opportunity to read a new genre- steampunk. To be completely honest, I had to look it up to find out what it even was! I review books for Tracy Riva (TracyRiva.com) and the book I received to review was out of my normal 'blankie bounds'. So, just like a new blanket, I tried it out. Low and behold, I think I like it! Now, I can't say that for this genre on a whole, but, I really did enjoy this particular book. It mixes steam-era living, think Old West or Victorian era- with something futuristic- in this case, purposeful genetic mutation. What is created is a very interesting world. (The book is 'The Converted' by C.R. Hindmarsh.) And of course, now it's got me thinking. Would I enjoy writing something akin to this story? It's an interesting thought, taking two very different technologies and juxtaposing them in a story. It's quite a liberating thought, really.

This leads me to my second question this morning- Do you write in more than one genre? There are several big name authors that do- James Patterson, for one. Many authors write under different names for their different genres- take Nora Roberts/ J.D. Robb. If you do write in more than one genre, do you write under different names? I find it interesting, just as a social question as well. Personally, I think I would (will?) write under a different name for different genres. As a reader, it can be confusing to pick up a book (not to name names) called 'The Lake House' and instead of a romance, get a strange mystery/thriller involving winged creatures. (Don't get me wrong- I loved the book! Just wasn't what I was expecting!)

Here's a thought for NaNo- instead of wrapping up in that same tattered blankie- try a brand new blankie out! I think I will- this one may be a little stiff at first, but you never know, it might get soft and snuggly the more I use it!