This last term at SHU (I start posts off like that a lot, don't I?), graduating student Traci Castleberry did her teaching module on e-books and e-publishing. One of the points she brought up is that there's good writing and bad writing in both traditional publishing and e-publishing. I admit to being one of those who pooh-poohed e-books for quite a long time. Over the last year, however, I've been re-thinking my stance. With the growing number of reputable e-book publishers (see the EPIC website for a pretty comprehensive list) and the technical advances in the field (Kindle anyone?), e-books are becoming a rather viable market. Recently author Daniel Oran released his second novel, Believe, as a Kindle-only title and ended up getting as high as #4 on the Kindle Bestsellers. Now, whether that says more about his writing or his .99 price tag, you'll have to decide for yourself. But with Amazon's high profile, being on any of their 'Bestselling' lists would be a coup in itself. I think the e-book business model is a good one on the surface. Low overhead, lower pricing, higher profits. However, the flaws are similar to what the music and movie businesses are battling right now. Currently, there's not really an easy way to get a print book into digital format, aside from audio books. Once they're being produced digitally, how will pirating be handled? And is it really any different than passing a favorite book around for other people to borrow? These are difficult questions. Those of us who are die-hard, let-me-hold-it-in-my-hand, book lovers want to believe that print books will always be around. The hard truth, though, is that the generations coming up now don't hold the same love and--dare I say--nostalgia for them. These kids are being raised on MySpace and Facebook, being entertained by tiny screens playing their favorite tv shows, and perpetually hooked into the net via smart-phones and MP3 players on steroids. Why would they want to lug around a big paper book? These are realities we have to face. When it's all said and done, I'm still a bit unsure about e-books. It's definitely a growing niche. I just wonder if it will outgrow us.

Share this post :

So this residency at SHU we had literary agent Donald Maass as our guest speaker. Aside from being a total fangurl (I want him, bad -- erm, as my agent, of course!), I got an immense amount of information from his seminar. He did a very pared down version of his Writing the Breakout Novel workshop. Aside from having decided that as soon as my finances will permit, I'm going to take the full workshop, I also realized that half my novel contains no-no scenes.

In his Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook (which is fantastic), Maass suggests that all scenes which take place in a kitchen, a car, a shower, etc be cut along with any scenes involving the serving or drinking of coffee or tea as well as the smoking of cigarettes. His reasoning is that these sorts of scenes tend to tone down the tension of the book. I think, in most cases, he's absolutely right. Not all cases, of course. And he acknowledges this himself by giving a couple examples of good scenes in those settings or with those elements. In each, though, there is an element of tension that gets ratcheted up by the scene, rather than toned down. And that, I believe, is his point.

If there is a scene that must absolutely take place in a kitchen, make sure the scene serves the greater purpose of the story: to make the reader want to read on, to make the reader care. It's all about tension, he says. I daresay, he's right. And that's not just me being a fangurl! :) I'd love to hear what others think about this!

Share this post :

When I first started writing with an eye for publication, I hadn't taken any writing courses, no fiction classes, nothing. I was really flying by the seat. I started out submitting mainly to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, then also to Cemetery Dance and other short story markets. I always got rejected, but I often got little notes that really boiled down to, "I liked the idea, but it just didn't grab me."

I remember thinking, "How do I do that? Tell me how to grab you!"

Looking back at those old stories *cringe* I recognize why the writing wasn't doing any groping. Most of my sentences were passive. Certainly, that wasn't the only error, but it accounts for the sagginess of the prose. Now, when I'm revising manuscripts (especially the old ones), the first thing I do is track down errant "to be" verbs. Here's how I do it (in MS Word):

• Edit -> Find
• Checkmark the "Highlight All Items Found In: Main Document"
• Type the word "was" in the search field
• Click the "Find All" button
• Once the words are found and selected, go to the Highlighter function button and highlight the words an obnoxiously bright color

Then I do the same thing for: were, be, being, been, wasn't, weren't, and any other passive verbs I can think of. Once they're all highlighted that garish pink, purple or yellow color, I go through the document highlight by highlight and see whether the sentences affected can be improved and made more active. Usually it's pretty easy. It's just a matter of dropping the "to be" verb and changing the -ing verb to an -ed verb.

For example: Selina was careening through the underbrush. becomes Selina careened through the underbrush.

The active verb makes the sentence immediate and engaging. And that's what grabs your reader. String together a slew of active sentences and you have a riveting paragraph. Make your paragraphs strong and active and you've got yourself a much more publishable piece!

Ah well, here's my first post on my shiny new WordPress blog! I really like the feel of the WordPress world. So, what can you expect here? Mostly, we'll look at writing, both the craft and the business. There will probably be random postings from me, as well. I ramble sometimes. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. You might like rambling right along with me! I'm currently a final-term student at Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction Program. I've completed the first draft of my thesis novel, a supernatural thriller called Soul Cavern, and am working on revisions now. In the WPF program, I've learned at least 10x my weight in writing knowledge and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in breaking into the publishing industry. It's particularly geared toward commercial (genre) fiction -- as far as I know, the only MA program in the entire country which focuses on SF, Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Mystery/Suspense, YA/Children's, etc. I'm also a gadget-girl and software junkie, so expect some suggestions with a techie bent. I've found a lot of great software to help writers' productivity and record-keeping. I'll be sharing those as well! In the coming weeks, I'll be adding links to the sidebars. I'm interested in fostering a community for writers and aspiring authors, so many of the links will be geared towards assisting writers. But I can't guarantee there won't be plugs for writer friends! ;) At any rate, welcome to my blog! Feel free to nose around, make suggestions, comments, or ask questions. I don't know everything--not by a long shot!-- but someone is bound to know!

Share this post :

About the author: Venessa Giunta is a writer of supernatural and other slightly off-beat tales. In her writing life, she's tried to write "straight" stories. Those mainstream, slice of life vignettes. She tries. She really does! But ghosts, vampires, aliens, zombies and various other odd creatures always seem to live in the stories she tells. She's beginning to think it's pheromone related. About this blog: Here, we'll be talking about lots of different things pertaining to both the craft of writing and the business of writing. We might even go off on a tangent about history, the weather, the internet or -- dare we push the envelope? -- politics. Mainly we'll center on fiction writing, genre writing, but we may also delve into freelance opportunities and non-fiction. Really, it's whatever strikes my fancy. Hopefully, it'll strike yours too!