My advice to writers is 'Never say you can't write.'

I took three creative writing courses in 1983 in college but never dared hold a breath that I would one day write a book.

So I was content to write poetry and short stories.

But in 2011 something happened and before I knew it, my first western frontier eBook, Was It Fate Or Destiny? was written.

I should have stopped writing after that, having accomplished what I believed was, 'the impossible.'

Had it not been for my best friend saying to me; "Hey, when you write your next book, make me a gunfighter." I would have never tried to write a second book.

Now, here it is 2014 and I am beginning to write my 20th western frontier eBook.

My point friends is that you have it in you to be a writer, just like it was always within me. I just didn't know how to let the 'Genie' out of the bottle so to speak. I believe the most intimidating thing a writer faces is how can I convert my finished manuscript into a formatted eBook that looks professional all on my own?

Well, I can help you in that area. I created a ebook format for beginning authors and it costs you nothing but an e-mail request. You merely swap out the book cover photo, the copyright info and it's already page numbered for you at page 1 when you get to the Chapter 1 page. It doesn't get any easier than that.

If I can just help one writer along their journey than my post here was worth the time taken to type it.

Good luck to you all.

Raymond Cook

@ Raymond Cook

Thank you! Practical guidance is always welcome. Especially from someone who has been down that trail.

I really like your website. It appeals to anyone who likes western fiction and it's user friendly design makes it very easy to browse and order your books. (And hats off to you for the John Wayne Commemorative Page. I like his movies and I love his values.)

For anyone looking to have their own website, this is the one to emulate.

http://www.WesternFrontierEbooks.com/

Use graphics to show your own genre but do what Raymond Cook has done: Keep It Simple!

Hello GD Deckard:

Thank you for the kind comment.

At one time I was scared to death to post my poetry on the web fearing the type of comments I might get. But after casting my fear aside, I dove in and over the years I got to see me grow as a writer. I will never get rich off of what I try to capture with my imagination but then, that is not why I write. I write because it makes me happy. To be appreciated now and then and make a few bucks is enough.

95% of all new writers will never be published because they are to a publisher, an UNKNOWN author. If just one of my books was found in a book store, not one person browsing for their next book purchase would know if I was a good or bad writer. It is very, very risky for publishers to take on a new writer.

Can it be done? Sure! But a writer must wear a thick turtle shell when it comes to:

1. A standard generice rejection letter,

2. A more in-depth critical rejection letter, and

3. A brutally honest and long rejection letter.

Let me give you an example:

Had I submitted my first book, "Was It Fate Or Destiny?" to 100 publishers and received 100 rejection letters I would have sat down my pen and stopped writing.

Because I chose to EDIT, EDIT and EDIT my books and put them on Amazon and my author website, I continued to write 18 more books.

Does it make me an expert? NO!

Does it mean I know more about writing than anyone here? NO!

It simply means I have a good 'Muse' in my mind and she has served me well.

Writers should always want to help those who are trying to be the best writer they can be.

I don't know what I can offer but if I can share what I have learned I'll be happy to.

As for my author website, it is undergoing a homepage makeover of which I am greatly excited, plus my newest book will be added to my website.

I have looked over many, many other author websites and they all had things I liked or didn't as I am sure some folks will say about my website. But it's the best I could afford to have created.

Writers tip:

I always try to go to sleep thinking about the book I am writing when I am awake. I have been able to jump up out of bed and write down countless parts that were merged into those books. Your imagination only has to be nudged a bit to help you out.

Have a great day friends and never set your pen down.

Raymond

Hey, Raymond The Writer, I've read several of your comments. You sound like a wise old owl. Welcome to the site.

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I'm an old owl also (sixty-eight), not so wise, perhaps. Opinionated for sure. 

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I've been writing my never-ending-tale since around 1985. Along with other stuff. And working two jobs much of that time. I still have hopes of finishing it. I'm in semi-retirement now, only one job. My husband says I can afford to retire and write full-time, but the thought makes me nervous. I don't think we have enough in the 401K. 

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As long as I can hold onto my not so very arduous job, at a compositor giving me access to all the free books that I could want - some really marvelous stuff that, except for seeing it move across my desk, I never would have known existed, what a perk, eh? - I'm sticking with it. They'll have to kick me out the front door. I'm a kid in a candy shop. 

--edited by Mimi Speike on 11/2/2014, 1:52 PM--

Word Blending

It happens when I rewrite again and again. My writing processor blends my words. Like running a good salad through a blender, the distinct tastes of individual ingredients are lost. The result is tasteless.

The moment of revelation came this morning when I sat down to rewrite the opening of my story. Common sense editing, changes made for clarification and grammar corrections all sounded fine when re-read. But changes made solely to "improve the writing" came out flat. Stale. Over processed.

Unprocessed writing, like a fresh salad, has more zing.

Raymond - So glad you found your muse - and have set her free. I think if I didn't write or edit every single day, I would implode (or my muse would at least pack her bags and find someone else to inspire).

GD - Word blending. I hear you. Although I do believe that editing is just important (maybe even, at times, more so) as the writing, I also believe that you can edit something to death. There have been lots of discussion threads here on Book Country about the importance of grammar - and grammar is important (without it, what is language?) - but strict adherence to grammar and sentence structure and word usage could lead to the type of writing used in textbooks (sometimes I wonder how I stayed awake through college and graduate school!). Yes, it's grammatically correct and conveys meaning/tells the story, but does it captivate the reader?

It's like the difference between the eh cup of coffee I had yesterday evening at the closing of the Day of the Dead celebrations in my neighborhood and the cup of Mexican coffee I had on Friday while helping the artists in residence set up the main altar for the Dead. Both had caffeine, both kept my hands warm and me awake. But the Mexican coffee danced across my taste buds.

Good writing dances across the reader's mind.

Dwight V. Swain: Techniques of the Selling Writer

............................................

Why your reader reads

.............................................

         Your reader reads fiction because it creates a pleasurable state of tension in him, line by line and page by page . . .

          This is the reason why a writer's approach to his story must be double-barreled. His reader must be captured and held by what's offered him at this moment: not the whole; not the ultimate pattern, but the present experience. Immediate and continuing involvement is what counts. Reader attention must be seized right now.

          What seizes attention?

          Tension. All attention is based on it . . .

          The thing that creates . . . tension . . . is fear.

          What creates fear?

          Danger.

          What is danger?

          Change.

Re: Editing to death.  Yeah, I've certainly done that. I'm very much in favor of following the rules of grammar and punctuation, but sometimes, particularly with Spark, which was the only thing I've ever had professionally edited (why? because I wasn't paying for it, obviously), there were times when I felt like the perfectly reasonable changes she was suggesting were taking the fun out of a passage, making it standard, accessible, losing all of the quirk. She said as much:  we want this as reader friendly as possible.  I wasn't against that. I want readers to find it friendly. But usually my favorite friends are pretty quirky. And challenging, too. That's part of what I like about them. Sometimes too much is sacrificed in the name of making reading easy. 

 (For the record, my editor at Lycaon didn't insist.  When I went to bat for keeping the oddness in some passage or phrase, she was usually quick to say it was my choice and they wanted me to be happy.)

@Atthys: You have a brilliant editor! Why do I say that?

First of all, she knows the market and wants your book to be as accessible and customized for that readership as possible. However, she also realizes that a certain quirkiness of style is part of your authorial charm (I wholeheartedly concur, by the way) and lets you make the call--"Stet!--where you feel strongly about letting your original prose stand as written. She didn't coach against your own instincts.

Or as Stephen King puts it: Ties go to the writer.

On a personal note: I am thrilled to hear that Spark will see print soon. Damn good book; I believed in it from your earliest draft posted here on Book Country. Let us know when it's released!

--edited by Carl E. Reed on 11/6/2014, 1:08 PM--

@Carl.  Ties go to the writer.  I like that. 

Yeah, it was an interesting experience being professionally edited – frequently infuriating, often ego bashing. There were times during the process where I had to remind myself that they already said they liked it and wanted to publish it.  But overall, you are quite correct.  What she suggested was usually reasonable (and I did remove some of the quirks that, on reconsideration, were probably a quirk too far) and useful (there were more than a few continuity problems I had missed) and when I made a case for keeping pretty much anything, she backed off quickly. I learned a lot, and while there are a few things I miss from earlier versions, nobody else will.  

As far as keeping you all posted, the ebook is supposed to come out in March, and I'm sure I'll be blabbing it up big time around then. 

@Atthys

Go for it, Atthys! We all wish you the very best!

Avoid alliteration. Always. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous. The passive voice is to be avoided. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed. Do not put statements in the negative form. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague; They're old hat; seek viable alternatives. - See more at: http://www.bookcountry.com/Community/Discussion/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=8589936562#sthash.tVLaO1UC.dpuf

I gotta be honest, I’m not 100% in agreement with this. I mean, these are very good rules of thumb—these are traps that many writers fall into…often. However, I’m hesitant to speak in absolution, because there are always exceptions.

The alliteration one…can’t think of an exception at the moment J. Alliterations can be good for poems, but in prose it can be a mouthful of a read.

“Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.” This is a bit overgeneralized and doesn’t take into account varying circumstances. For instance, if the longer word is more specific than the smaller word and the circumstance calls for the more specific word, then the longer word may be the best option. You just want to be careful not to swat a fly with a jackhammer, so to speak. A simple example of when to use a longer word might be grew and develop. While they can mean the same thing, there are many contexts where develop is the more appropriate word choice, such as The CEO developed a plan to bring the company into the black financially is a better fit than The CEO grew a plan to bring the company into the black financially. There are better examples, but hopefully the point is clear (and yes, I realize the author could say devise, but you get my point).

“Don’t be redundant.” Yes, as a general rule it’s best to avoid redundancy. However, there are contexts where an author might be redundant on purpose, especially in dialogue and introspective thought where purposeful redundancy can help boost characterization.

“Don’t use more words than necessary.” Tighter is often better, yes, but in the context that the extra words are specific to the narrative voice? Making a blanketed statement that having extra words are wrong is a bit short-sighted. Granted, in most cases you want to keep things tight, but more than any of these bullet points of advice, I would advise to consider the traps that many a writer fall into, but never operate in terms of right and wrong, but in terms of what is most effective/less effective.

“The passive voice is to be avoided.” This is just…no. It’s true, when in doubt and most of the time, active voice is best because the plot should be driven through the character. However, there are reasons to use passive voice in novels. First, what’s the difference? When you use active voice, you are indicating that the agent is the most important part of the sentence. In passive voice, the object is most important. This can be useful when you want to conceal the do-er’s identify. For instance, if in the story a character’s car has been broken into, it would make sense to use passive voice to indicate that that character doesn’t know who the culprit is (The car had been broken into). Yes, this IS passive voice. Another reason to use passive voice is to describe situations where the thing doing the action isn’t a conscious entity, such as “the surfer was hit again and again by the wave.” Not saying active voice can’t be used in these situations, but there are plenty of times when passive may be best. The point is, yes, active is most often best because it puts the action in the senses of the character, but to say to never use passive is a bit over the top.

 Otherwise, this list is really good. Frankly, even the ones I mention are good rules of thumb. I just caution writers to avoid speaking in terms of absolution or “rules.”

Here is more of what I mean:  https://authorphilpartington.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/the-rules-of-grammar-and-novel-writing/

Here is more of what I mean:  https://authorphilpartington.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/the-rules-of-grammar-and-novel-writing/ 

Thanks for the link.

Very interesting. 

I break many so-called rules in my writing, and I do it in the service of my literary joke. My story is a down-the-rabbit-hole piece, with earnest tidbits that may make it seem like it's got some understandable goal, but my only goal is let-'er-rip-zany. I pretend to have a plot because that seems to be expected, and I admit it does help to have an X on your story map to aim for, even if you never get there. I do have a destination (or so I tell myself) but it's the itinerant nonsense that I care about. And my end-game changes all the time. 

--edited by Mimi Speike on 9/16/2015, 2:00 PM--

We have had this conversation many times. I do think that the best way to evaluate rules is to read widely, read the best, both contemporary and classic, and see how those authors handle various situations.

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I will say this: If you decide to go rogue, be able to defend your choices. 

--edited by Mimi Speike on 9/17/2015, 2:36 AM--

"I know it ain't right but's how I talk."

Maybe dialogue is the exception to all rules but one: Make it seem *real. Which, come to think of it, may be the only rule to follow.

*Substitute "zany" for "real" if y're Mimi Speike.

*Substitute "bizarre-and-add-exploding words" if you're Carl E. Reed.

*Substitute -well, you get the point. Make it your reality.

--edited by Mercy on 12/1/2015, 9:16 PM--

Hi! I am new to all of this... writing, in general, but also to Book Country. After weeks of searching for resources, I am so happy to have found Book Country. I love this website, the dialogue and the members! This particular discussion has been so helpful and inspiring today.

Now, my question:

How are you sure which genre your book is? I can't decide if mine is "Women's Fiction" or "Memoir". I only have 16 pages (8,307 words). I am not sure if I want to stick to a memoir or spice it up with some fictional parts and characters. Can a book be a mix of the two genres?

Hi, Anne. Welcome to Book Country

A memoir is a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources. So, unless you're writing your biography, then it's fiction. What exactly is your story about? What would make it women's fiction?

@ Mercy

Yup. I try to keep my imagination free of judgment. Not reading books like whatever I'm currently writing is simply a safeguard against theft by an outlaw imagination.

@ Anne Robinson

This is just my opinion but I strongly suspect that genre is more important to marketing than it is to writing. Write what you will. Let your readers or publisher classify it.

Book Country is a great place to post some of your book and ask other writers what they think.

Thank you GD Deckard that is helpful! I am working on uploading what I have so far. I want all the feedback and criticism I can get. Looking for writing groups in my area as well.

Amber - my book so far is about my life after divorce... some trauma, some drama, and how I get by. All true so far and certainly could be entertaining enough but I feel like it may turn fiction as my imagination gets in the way. I plan to stay focused on women in their 30s and 40s navigating dating, parenting, career, and life after divorce. I have also thought about interviewing several other women and making it more of a self help?

Anyway I do appreciate your advice again GD - I have been trying to do just that.... just write and see where it goes!