A little give and take

Take a close look at the above picture. Can you guess what all five DVDs have in common?

Perhaps I should narrow it down a little more. It does NOT have anything to do with the original book demographic. So you can cross that off your list.

It also has nothing to do with the characters.

Figure it out yet?

Maybe you should look one more time. Just to be sure.

Here's the answer. Are you ready? All five of those DVDs offered a free digital copy with purchase. (Did the answer surprise you?)

This might not seem like a big deal, but for many buyers, it is. If you watch movies on any kind of mobile device, the choice between a DVD and a free digital copy with the DVD is pretty much a no-brainer. For me, it's what cinches the deal. Why purchase the plain DVD when, for practically the same price, I can get the DVD to watch at home, and the digital copy to watch, well, everywhere else?

Indie authors have something sort of like this. I'm not sure if it's available in traditional publishing (if so, please direct me to it), but the indie version is called:

Not all books/ebooks are enrolled in KM, and even if they are, not all are set up for free when you purchase the hard copy. But you'd be surprised at just how many books are enrolled and how many of the ebooks are free.

I love Kindle Matchbook (link), because it's good for both the author and the reader. 

Author Benefit #1: Additional books in a reader's hands means a higher likelihood of your book being read.

Reader benefit #1: Additional books in a reader's hands means a higher likelihood of their book being read. 

Author Benefit #2: Additional book in reader's hands = higher likelihood of your book being gifted.

Reader Benefit #2: Additional book in reader's hands = higher likelihood of them sharing one of their copies.

Author Benefit #3: The author is saying, Hey, reader, thanks for purchasing this hard copy! You matter to me! As a thank you, I want to give you another version! Keep them both, or give one to a friend!

Reader Benefit #3: The author has just given me an extra copy! I feel special! Shall I keep it? Or give it away? Squee!

There are many other benefits to this awesome feature, but the point is, whether you're an indie author who publishes through Createspace and KDP, or a reader who loves to purchase books from Amazon, Kindle Matchbook is definitely a feature worth checking into. 

For more information about Kindle Matchbook, or to search for participating titles, click HERE. 

Don't leave me hanging

I came across a quote today that totally made me think of Kell's recent Happy Endings post, and had to share: 

Not too long ago, I read a book that made me really sympathetic for the main character. His outlook on life was depressing, he had lost sight of his goals, and he was even ruining relationships by not being honest (because to him, the confrontation just wasn't worth it). As the book progressed, I wanted to grab the guy, pull him aside, and tell him I'd be his best friend. That I'd help get his crap together. I was completely engrossed in the story, and by the time the ending came along, I was ready for closure. 

And yet... I didn't get it. In fact, I wanted to chuck the book across the room when I finished, because it was as though my emotions had been strung along and I was at the top of the roller coaster and the author just walked off, leaving me hanging there staring down at the inevitable drop never to come. 

Is that life? The imperfect ending? Sure, a lot of times it is. But, it's like Ms. Lamott's quote above. Tell me the story of how your character faced the situation, what they felt, and how it made them a different person (for better or for worse). There can be sadness and loss and the frustration of not having things "all together", yes; but at the end, give me closure, not a bunch of tears and an uneasy feeling making me wish I'd never picked up the book.

Plot holes and a simple suggestion

These are my sweat pants. They're falling apart. (I folded one leg over so you could see the back, too.)

I didn't realize how full of holes my pants were until I was getting ready to fold them recently, and saw them lying on the bed. 

Whoa, I thought. Those are practically goners. 

It made me sad.

It also reminded me of my current WIP. With OTH releasing on Monday, I've been working on Flora stuff for months now. With the Flora things being officially out of my hands for a while (whew), I've been able to go back to Cozenage 2. 

It's like seeing the storyline for the very first time. Tons of issues are jumping out at me, demanding my attention. I love it.

A lot of times, we writers spend so much time getting comfortable with our works-in-progress, it's easy to get to a point where plot/character holes are completely missed. The stories or specific aspects of them might be falling apart at the seams, but because we've been buried so deep in everything and know how the WIP is *supposed* to be, we don't even see this.

There are varying pieces of advice on how to fix this (CPs, betas, et cetera), but I've personally come to learn that taking a few months (yes, months--not weeks) away from a project that might *feel* like it's done is really the best. I know that seems like a long time when you're chomping at the bit to get it finished and move on to another project, but believe me, it's worth it. You'll be looking at your work with a pair of fresh eyes and only will plot holes stand out, but it'll also be easier to come up with solutions when you're not burnt out on the storyline.

I like what Neil Gaiman says:

The best advice I can give on this is, once it's done, to put it away until you can read it with new eyes. Finish the short story, print it out, then put it in a drawer and write other things. When you're ready, pick it up and read it, as if you've never read it before. If there are things you aren't satisfied with as a reader, go in and fix them as a writer: that's revision.

How about you? Do you agree with this? If so, how long do you step away from WIP (or finished draft) before diving back in again? 

Is Beta Reading Right for You?

Beta readers... What do they do, exactly? I've compiled quite a list of articles regarding beta readers below, but first, a definition and my take on why they're so important:

When attempting to describe the definition of a beta reader, I came across this. 

Thank you, Wikipedia, for always being so prompt and informative.

So, in a nutshell, writers use betas for feedback. (Betas are a bit different from critique partners, as critique partners--also referred to as CPs--tend to who know their stuff and really dive down into the nitty gritty of a manuscript.) Beta readers don't necessarily have to have a background in editing, or writing. Their job is to look at the manuscript as a first reader. Betas are great at pointing out inconsistencies, especially series inconsistencies writers tend to gloss over/completely miss after reading that 70+ thousand word MS fifty times already (like, But two books ago you said her eyes were orange, not yellow, or whatever).

Betas are our a writer's best friend. Or, at least, my betas are. I'm not saying they're the people you hang out with and tell your innermost secrets, but they are your manuscript's best friend, because their job is to help you make it the best it can be. When I send stuff to my betas, I know they're going to point out things the readers will notice. I expect suggestions, knowing I might not use them all (but better to conteplate now rather than later, once the book is out and changes can't be made, right?). I expect my betas to tell me things politely, but they do have the right to disagree with my decisions, as long as they're tactful about it. It's important to remember that all beta readers are different, and that, if you choose to beta read for someone, it's okay for your personality to shine through. Some betas send back two pages of notes. Some have detailed suggestions on every page. Some only point out their favorite and not-so-favorite things. Some don't say much other than "yay" and "I'm so excited for ____". The point is, reading it and saying, "It seems decent" isn't going to help anyone, nor is sending twenty negative comments per page. 

Last, betas, a lot of times, end up being an author's core team of fans (but it's also okay if they don't). And by fans I don't mean crazy people who squee over you and stalk you online and get confused and think they ARE you (although, I could deal with that); I mean people who are your advocates. Who spread the word about your work, because they get it. Who you can count on in a pinch to read that novella or ask about a character list and if you missed something before sending something off to print. I don't know where I'd be without my beta readers. 

Now that I've explained what betas do, here are some great articles on beta reading that I've come across, as well as a great recent #k8chat (held by Kate Tilton on Twitter every Thursday night at 6:00 EST) regarding beta readers (lots of tips from readers and authors). I'd like to point out that most of these are written for the writer, not the beta reader, but they're still great and will also potentially give you ideas as to what to request as a beta reader (like knowing what format you'd prefer the document in, for instance). 

Another point real quick: it's important to remember that betas are not editors. It is not their job to point out the technicalities of punctuation (though, if that is your forte, you are more than welcome to mention that to an author before beta-ing... they might appreciate catching that stuff before their MS goes to the editor). I think of betas as the person you go to and say, "Hey, do these shoes go with this outfit?" To which they respond, "Well, last month you wore them with this dress, and it kind of goes but you seem to do better wearing these with pants. Oh and those earrings you had on last week would go great with it! That eyeshadow is not working for me at all, though." (Bad example? Oh well.)

Without further ado, here are some great tips on beta reading (including a couple from the OA blog, too): 

* What is a Beta Reader and Where Do I Find One? via Casey McCormick (@Casey_McCormick) ***make sure to read the comments in this post!

* What is a Beta Reader? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Getting and Giving Feedback on Your WIP via Jamie Gold (@JamiGold) at Anne R. Allen's blog

* The "Art" of Beta Reading via Kati Brown

* An Essential Part of Writing: Critique Partners via Amy Trueblood (@atrueblood5)

* Copy-editing and Beta Readers via Joanna Penn (@thecreativepenn)

* An important tip to keep in mind while BETA READING via Monica B.W. (@Monica_BW)

* Beta Reading Etiquette via Trisha Leaver (@Tleaver)

* Beta Reading Etiquette: How to Give a Critique via Misti Wolanski

* Five Things You Should Know About Working With Beta Readers via Corina Koch MacLeod and Carla Douglas of Beyond Paper Editing

* Beta-Readers and Beta-Reading: #K8chat on Twitter with Kate Tilton (@K8Tilton)

* Agent Q & A part one: Revisions (in which agent Laura Bradford discusses the benefits of a beta reader) via Kell Andrews (@kellandrewsPA)

**This post was originally featured at my blog, Let Me Tell You a Story, but was tweaked a bit to be more applicable here at OA. :)

If you have any experiences, suggestions, or questions, feel free to share them in the comments!

Bread Crumbs & Tying Things Together

I'm currently in the beginning stages of sending Open Thy Heart to betas, and being as this is the second in a series, I've found that not only is there the usual plot/writing stuff to do, but there's also a whole lot of tying things together. Like...

Re-introducing the characters. Reminding the reader as to who feels this way about whom, and why. Pointing out the problems in the previous book and gently refreshing the reader's memory on how they were resolved, and more.

This time, I'm on a bit of a deadline, and have found that the usual, no-rush timeframe of, well, getting this done whenever I want, isn't working so well. (Sad face.) Which means... coffee! (Just kidding. Sort of. Okay, not really.) Which (actually) means... lists! There is nothing more assuring and satisfying than crossing items off a list, especially that very last one, and boy do I have a list to go over. My editor once referred to the little clues given throughout the book that lead to the big revelations later on as "bread crumbs", and I love this description. So, my list currently consists of the laying out of bread crumbs. More importantly, making sure they are

1) consistent throughout the story

2) consistent for the characters

3) leading to proper revelations

4) keeping with the overall plot

5) keeping with the overall plot not only of this book, but with the series

I probably forgot something, but these are the most applicable. How about you? Is there a certain way you look at your storyline to ensure everything's tied up by the end? I'd love to hear about it! :)

(For another good list to go over whilst editing, check out Abby's recent Gesture Clutches.)

Looking at our work in a new light

"Who are you, and how did I
end up in your arms?"

As I prepared to write today's post, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Amy wrote about the same kind of experience regarding writing epiphanies last week.

I'm currently in the process of editing a novella that's due to come out very soon, and something about it has been bugging me. (Imagine the baby in the above photo as the novella, and the guy holding his head as me. The baby/novella is totally confused, and the man/me is like, Arghhh... Now what do I do?)

After receiving the editor's notes and working on it for a couple of days, I knew the thing bugging me had to be addressed, and (nervously) sent an email. Her response turned out to be a great. I let out the breath I'd been holding for over a day. Her suggestion? *Simplify* it. Make it fun. That's it! (You'd think that would have been obvious, but sometimes we get stuck on specifics and try to make too much of things and lose sight of the big picture.)

The flood gates of ideas opened, and suddenly, I knew exactly what to do. That's the good thing about epiphanies: they make for such a pleasant writing experience! Even if more work is necessary, that's okay, because you know the solution. The end is in sight!

I like this quote by Marcel Proust:

The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. 

Here's to new eyes for all of you, no matter where you are in the writing process!

Write what you... want

This goes without saying (or at least, I hope it does...), but today I was watching my youngest daughter play softball, and I turned to my husband and said, "You know what? I need to write about a softball-playing MC."

and then he said,

"You don't know enough about it."

This was me, then:



Of course, he wasn't saying I couldn't write. He's quite the supportive guy. He wasn't *trying* to be negative at all. But, like so many do, he immediately thought that since I've only watched my girls play but don't know all of the technical stuff, I really shouldn't be trying to write about it.

To which I say...

WRONG.

We see "write what you know" so often (true, it's good to do, it works--I can't just presume I know what life in Belgium is like and write like I do), but at the same time, it's okay to step out of that box and do research. It's okay to push the envelope a little and strive to learn about things you might not know much about. It's okay to educate yourself in order to be a better writer.

So, that's the point of my post today. Short and sweet, and to the point. Write what you want, folks. Write what makes you happy. And at the end of the day, you'll not only be proud of what you've accomplished, but you will have had a good time doing it. Isn't that what makes writing worth it, in the end, anyway?

Greatly improving your vocabulary

Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say infinitely when you mean very; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something very infinite. ~ C. S. Lewis

Hello, fellow writers! The other day, Angelica shared an article in our OA group forum about word choices and how some words can be used so much, their true meanings no longer hold value (more on that article in a bit); and it got me thinking about how those words can become crutches to the actual story and characters and whatnot in our writing.

For instance, what if every time something great happened I said the word great?

"Great," she said.

"It looks great," he told her.

"Great job," he told his kid.

"I think it went great!"

You're all great and the greatness that comes from your great uncle Peter means you've inherited great traits; gee, isn't it great? 

These potatoes are great, too. Please pass the bowl this way.

When using the same word over time, we slowly (though unintentionally) diminish its meaning until it really isn't that great at all. In fact, it's barely even nice at times. It's like saying soda... when you say, "I'd like a soda" you don't really mean a soda, you mean Coke or Dr. Pepper or Sprite or diet something. But soda is just soda and if all anyone ever said was soda, then the people serving could grab whatever kind of soda they wanted and the people could be drinking Shasta or Mr. Pibb instead of the real thing, but who would know the difference? (Hmm... Perhaps that's not the best example.)

Let's use one of the words in the actual article: awesome.

It's so awesome to know that all of you awesome writers do such awesome work and appreciate the awesomeness that is Operation Awesome. (What?)

I, for one, definitely use that word way too much. It seems the only two words I ever use for my (much loved) cover artist are awesome or amazing. Not that she isn't both of those, because she is, but wow, there you go... those are the two words mentioned in said article (I promise--it's coming!) which means it is time for me to find some new ones!

So when Angelica threw stupendous out as an alternate choice for awesome, I had to laugh, and agree, because it really is more exciting and unique, don't you think? And then I thought for a bit and decided that when my next cover is revealed *cough* *Monday* *cough* I'm going to tell everyone how splendiferous Hafsah is. Because she is.

Here is the article. (Thanks for being so patient.)

Before you click on it (or after you do and come back), I'd like to ask you all to participate in sharing some fascinating, inspirational words that we may not normally use in writing or conversation (but totally can). Let's expand our vocabulary beyond amazing, people!  See you in the comments!

Writing: Breaking out of the white mold

photo courtesy of Frerieke via Wikimedia Commons

Hi guys. Today we're going to talk about diversity. Not because I'm trying to be politically correct or because I think this is a heated topic (in fact, I almost *didn't* bring it up because it is a heated topic), but because the more I see YA covers the more I see white females and a whole lot of white males and the more books I add to my TBR the more I see how many white females lead YA literature (that I, myself, read, too--I want to be clear about this). So the reason for my post isn't to stir anything up; it's to ask you, as writers, what you think about it. (I have no idea what the demographics are for authors (white versus everyone else) but to me, white authors seem to take precedence in the media. It's just how it is.)

So. Diversity. Recently, I got addicted to CW's Arrow. Lovemuffin and I watched a ton of shows back to back for an entire weekend, and were only a few episodes in when I observed that almost every scene had a white character right alongside an African-American. This has changed a bit as the series has progressed, but at that point I was like, "Wow. This is so cool." (Keep in mind that I don't watch TV ever, really, so perhaps this is now the norm. If so, whoops.) But to me, seeing both in almost every scene was proof that this wasn't some coincidence; their show was seriously trying to make it happen.

As someone who is very active on Twitter and Goodreads, I've noticed that many of the teens I interact with or follow or "squee" over stuff with are *not* white. And, I've noticed that they read the same things I do. Which means they too are not reading much about characters like them. And that, I think, is  quite unfair.

I have one series where almost every character is a different nationality specifically because I wanted it to look like a skin rainbow when the entire group hung out. My other series? Well, let's just say I saw them all as white Cali kids. Of course, neither of these make me (or anyone else) a better or worse author, but after watching Arrow I got to thinking: How hard would it be to throw in a nationality or two (even as secondary characters), and why don't we, as a society, do it more often?

Like I said, this post wasn't to start anything, but to see what you guys think. Sometimes books are best written to where the readers can decide for themselves what nationality a character is. But, I tell ya what: I can't even imagine how frustrated I would be if almost every book cover and character showed a Portuguese girl (when I am so *not* remotely Portuguese at all). It would probably be fine at first, but after years upon years of this, I'm pretty sure I'd be like, "Can't they find anyone else to put on their covers? Don't they know there are many more people in this world besides girls with dark hair?"

The mic is on! I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)

***Note: It occured to me days after writing this post that I had seen another post recently about diversity by Aimee Hyndman. You can check it out here.

Dialogue tags: Which side are you on?

Dialogue should simply be a sound among other sounds, just something that comes out of the mouths of people whose eyes tell the story in visual terms. ~Alfred Hitchcock

Recently, I've been working on a novella for the Flora series. The books in the series are in the main character's point of view, but this novella is in someone else's--it bridges the gap between book one and book two. Being as the character isn't from "here" (he's from a place where they are yet to use electricity, and the clothes are different, and they speak differently, et cetera...), I'm writing from a different point of view than I'm used to. And, in trying to make this character stand out on his own but not be boring, I'm finding myself more aware than ever of dialogue tags and the way writers use them. Which, of course, made me wonder what most of you all do, and if you're as aware of them when reading as you are when you write.

Screen shot from Dictionary.com

To me, the word conversation pretty much says it all... people don't stare at one another, deadpan, their voices monotone, when they interact in real life.  When they respond, they interact, they shout, they whisper, they stand up straight, they cower, they crouch. To say he said without adding anything, always, can (in my opinion) make a read feel stiff.

I've seen fellow writers on a few different sides over the years, including:

*Never do anything other than he said/she said because the readers are smart enough people to get what's left unsaid.

*Throw every description available out there, because the reader will appreciate it.

*Hey--whatever works and is necessary to make a great story--do a mainly she saids, along with a few glowers, a few grimaces, a few chuckles...

As a writer, I am on the "whatever works" side; but I do think it depends on the book and the characters and the author's voice. 

How about you? Have you ever found yourself pulled from a story because of specific dialogue tag use? What do you prefer to write? I'd love to hear about it in the comments! :)

If I Speak True blog tour + #giveaways

Hi guys! It's here--it's finally here! If I Speak True was officially released on Monday, and I wanted to share it with all of you (plus, there's a couple of giveaways, including a DVD of Ever After at Kristalyn's, paperback/ebook giveaways and an Amazon gift card)! But first, the blurb:



Dahlia Kennedy's sixteenth birthday marks a decade of mysterious dahlias arriving and strange, lonely dreams of being in a forest. The only difference this birthday, however, is that for the first time, someone is there with her. And he's practically from a whole other era. The more often Dahlia visits Rowan in his land of Ambrosia, the stronger their connection grows. But... is Ambrosia real? Is he real? What is going on between the two of them, exactly, and why does he insist that she keep it to herself? As secrets usually go, however, it's only a matter of time before everything comes out. And when Dahlia finds out the truth of who Rowan is, who she is, and how he really feels -- it’s beyond anything she could have ever imagined. (Add to Goodreads | Purchase at Amazon)

And now, for the blog tour:

Blog Tour Schedule January 27^th – Kristalyn Thornock at The Sarcastic Palmtree (Release Day/DVD giveaway)
January 27^th – Cassandra at Cassandra Lost in Books (Release Day)
January 27^th – Meg at Book Groupies (Release Day)
January 28^th – Kaitlin at Reading is My Treasure (Review)
January 28^th – Lisa at Dizneeee's World of Books
January 29^th – Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer (Author Interview)
January 29^th – Cheyanne at Cheyanne Young (Author interview)
January 30^th – Eugenia at Chasm of Books (Author Interview and Review)
January 30^th – A. Kerr at Kerrific (Review)
January 31^st – Jenna (JL) at Avid Reader Musings (Writing Playlist)
January 31^st – Ella Johnson at Mymcbooks Blog (Spotlight/giveaway)
February 1^rd -- Eugenia at Chasm of Books (Shaver dream cast)
February 3^rd – Heather Rosdol at Buried in Books (Review)
February 3^rd – Rachel at The NerdHerd Reads (Dreamcast)
February 4^th – Penny at One Writer's Journey (Author Interview)
February 4^th – Dana at Dana Square (character interview)
February 5^th – Beverly at The Wormhole (Author interview and book promo spot)
February 5^th – Kaycee at My Crafty Zoo (Deleted scene and recipe)
February 6^th – Kimberly Lim at Kim's Reading Lounge (Review)
February 6^th – Dianne at Oops! I Read A Book Again (Review)
February 7^th – Janie Junebug at Women: We Shall Overcome (Guest Post)
February 7^th – Jodie at Books for Company (Lyrics written for If I Speak True)
February 7^th -- Colleen at Cici's Theories (Plant meanings and their correlations to the characters)


Thanks for sharing in my excitement, guys! :)



About the author: Jessica L. Brooks resides with her husband of over sixteen years, three awesome daughters, and a plethora of pets in Central California, where fog, frost, triple-digit heat and various items of produce arrive bountifully, depending on the season. She has an affinity for both coffee and owls, and loves to connect with fellow readers and writers on most social networks like Goodreads, Twitter and Pinterest. You can also connect with her on her blog, Let Me Tell You A Story. Jessica shares reviews for her favorite books on Afterglow Book Reviews, spreads writing and author love for independently-published authors at Indie Ignites, and salutes all writers (no matter what stage in their writerly journey) at Operation Awesome.

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Copyright laws and writing: Not the best combination

Today we're going to talk about music and writing and being inspired and then not being able to share that inspiration because of the big C: copyright laws.

I know I'm not the only one who's ever been inspired by a song and written a scene around it, because I've seen writers galore over the past few years share their "writing playlists" and favorite songs and explain why this or that music lead them to write something that made a big difference to their story line. We, as creative beings, naturally find inspiration in music; in the rise and fall of our emotions as we go along for the lyrical ride and see the pictures in our mind's eye that the ride provides. Problem is, most of the time the very music that spurred us to new creative heights can never even be shared in our books, due to copyrights.*

First example: I've read a book on more than one occasion where a character referred to the classic Beatles birthday song as, "the Beatles birthday song" (I had to do this, myself, for If I Speak True). I'm going to be honest here. At first, I was annoyed. What the heck was "the Beatles birthday song"? Why not just share what they were talking about? But a little further into my writerly years, I figured it out. (Okay, actually, just recently, when my editor was like HEY YOU CAN'T SAY, they say it's your birthday -- that's copyrighted!**)

Example number two: The song everyone's sung about a thousand times before reaching adulthood? (Hint: The lyrics start like this: Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday to you...) That's copyrighted as well. Shocking, I know. And I guess there's a bit of a disagreement there. (Click here to read more about the song sisters Patty and Mildred Hill wrote in the late 1800's that's being challenged in Federal Court.)

So of course, with us being writers, we get all deep and try to find ways to refer to the song instead of flat-out quoting it, hoping our readers will understand. (Or is that just me?) But if we're wanting our books to be timeless (not all, of course are written to be so) and not easily dated, then there's got to be a better resolution to this problem.

My resolution was writing two songs myself, then clipping lines from them and throwing bits of those into the scenes.*** Will it resonate as well with the readers? I'm not sure, but I hope so.  

How about you? Have you written your own songs in order to include those little "moments" in the story line? Listed the title and let the reader go from there? Have you ever been pulled from a story because a song was mentioned? We'd love to hear about it in the comments.

* I was going to share a copyright photo or image here, but all of the ones I found appeared to be under copyright. (The big C was from Wikipedia Commons.)

** For a great explanation of what is usable and considered "fair use" book-wise, check out this post on Jane Friedman's blog, by Brad Frazer; and the Creative Commons website.

*** According to one website, the moment you have officially "recorded" a song, it's already copyrighted. You have every right to then go online and file for a copyright of it. Anybody want to sing a little ditty for me? ;)

Blurbs -- make them work for you

It's that time again. Yep. Blurb time.

While many of you have submerged yourselves in the NaNoWriMo (productive) hole, I've been working on the blurb for my upcoming book, If I Speak True. If you haven't done so yet, writing a blurb is actually a good thing to do during NaNoWriMo, too. It took me a couple of years, but I finally learned that writing the blurb at the beginning of writing a book makes a major difference in knowing which direction the book is going. (Versus having no idea what is actually supposed to happen at all, and writing blind, which can be frustrating.)

So. Here's the universal formula (ish) for writing a blurb (A.K.A. a brief synopsis -- but blurb is less scary of a word than synopsis, right? Ha.)

1) Forget everything detailed you've written and separate yourself from your story. I know, this sounds hard and maybe a little mean, but it's necessary. Yes, it's good, yes it's the best you've ever written (let's be honest, we're proud of our work), but for now, step back a bit and imagine only needing to know a couple of key elements. Then prepare yourself to possibly not use all of those, even.

2) Start your blurb out with the current situation. Is Moe heading to the store to get a cup of Joe when a car falls from the sky, severing his toe? Then start there, using a quick, easy-to-understand summary no longer than a couple of sentences.

3) The issue. Now what? Imagine inserting the word "but" here, then hearing the dun dun dun... because something is about to happen.

Moe heads to the store to get a cup of Joe, when a car falls from the sky severing his toe. BUT.... without his toe, he can't prove he is an alien from Schmoe. If he can't prove he's from Schmoe he can't marry their princess visiting earth, Lady Doe. What will he do? How does he prove this? Where will he go?

Here's where you throw out the problem that gets things rolling.

4) A lot of times the thing the character is set to lose is mentioned here. (Think: stakes.) The more I read, the more I see there aren't always huge stakes, though... life isn't always like that. So use this to work for you, but make sure to pull in the reader and make them go: I need to know what happens after this. Now.

Remember: Make your words count. 

* Anything that stands out or goes with the title/storyline will bring your book back to mind again and again. That's a good thing.

* Don't go all crazy on the adjectives. ("Silly, exuberant, klutzy Moe and his big, swollen, alien toe...")

* Pretend you're watching a commercial for your new book on TV. What would stand out and make you go, I AM SO GOING TO WATCH THAT? Here's an example of an upcoming show I can't wait to see (Notice any key elements that get you anticipating the show's arrival?):


Last, this is the time to show off your writerly voice. Don't let the summary turn into a Ben Stein commercial. Give them a taste of who you are; set them up for what's to come.

Here are three blurbs I really liked -- you can see they're all very different (one is contemporary, one dystopian, and post-apocalyptic).

Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham 17, finally confronts her past. Hannah, the closest adult she has to family, disappears. Jonah Griggs, moody stares and all, is back in town. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future. ~ Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive. ~ Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death? ~ The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Feel free to share blurbs you've enjoyed in the comments!

Books: Light for writers everywhere

I came across this quote recently on Pinterest, and it's so true. Even though we writers still strive to read for the enjoyment of it, each ingested word strengthens our writing abilities by broadening our vocabulary, smoothing out our plot understanding, and gives us a window into what works and what works even better.

image found on Pinterest

That light enabling us biblio and logophiles (bibliophile, a lover of books; logophile, a lover of words) to continue and come up with new ideas and opinions is, basically a light of experience. We can look back at years previous and see how far we've come writing-wise, and a large portion of that new growth can be attributed to reading. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure most of us can recall exactly which book/s we were reading when inspiration struck and gave us the next "a-ha moment". 

As I was writing Pity Isn't An Option, I was looking for the overall feel of hopelessness and lack not in the present time, but from a different time period. I needed to understand how it was when less was more. My grandmother grew up in an orphanage during the Great Depression with seven of her siblings. Their way of getting by was engrained so strongly upon her that she carried most of those survival "skills" into her adult life. Though she didn't speak much about her upbringing to me, her hoarding the most random and simple things (like rubber bands and hotel notepads and No. 2 pencils) proved that it had to have been hard. When I was little and stayed over, I never could get her to allow the bath water to go past my waist; each sandwich I ate where crust was left on the plate hurt her to the core--I could see it in her eyes; and not eating an entire egg was the worst atrocity on earth. It wasn't hatefulness, or bossiness, it was waste. There was never, ever enough, therefore, you did not waste anything.

This was kind of the feeling I was looking for while writing Pity Isn't An Option. In the readerly path I was on at that particular time, about four specific books not only enabled me to feel that lack by providing the light, but showed how differently people react when faced with same circumstances. Out of those four, two really grounded me in that understanding while giving me a sense of families who worked together in spite of that oppression: An Owl on Every Post by Sanora Babb, and A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly.

What about you? Are there any books in particular that have been your light, your inspiration? Why?

Aloha, Operatives!

Since "aloha" can be used in both farewells and greetings, I thought it was an appropriate way to announce some changes here on Operation Awesome.

Firstly, we bid farewell to both R.R. Russell and Wesley Chu, whose schedules have made it difficult to continue their posts on Operation Awesome. We greatly appreciate their time and contributions, and they will be missed! But keep an eye on those two--they each have sequels in the works to their books released this year.

Secondly, join us in welcoming our newest members:

JESSICA L. BROOKS

Jessica resides with her husband of sixteen years, three awesome daughters, and a plethora of pets in Central California, where fog, frost, triple-digit heat and various items of produce arrive bountifully, depending on the season.  She has an affinity for both coffee and owls, and loves to connect with other readers and writers whenever possible. You can find her on Twitter (@coffeelvnmom), Facebook, Goodreads, or at her blog, Let Me Tell You a Story. Jessica writes YA and adult fiction. She shares reviews of her favorite books on Afterglow Book Reviews, and spreads the writing and author love for independently published authors at Indie Ignites.

PITY ISN'T AN OPTION, a young adult near-future dystopian novel about a guy and girl finding something they thought they'd long lost, is her debut novel. Jessica will be posting every other Wednesday, with her first post on August 14.

AMY TRUEBLOOD

Amy has spent her life surrounded by books. As a child, her fondest memories are of following her mother and four siblings to the library every week to check out spectacular new adventures penned by the likes of Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary and C.S. Lewis. After college, she worked in the entertainment business in Los Angeles and eventually ended up surrounded by books again at Ingram Book Group in Tennessee.

Now a writer living in Arizona, she spends her time doing freelance public relations work and promoting her favorite non-profit event, The Cinderella Affair (www.cinderellaaffair.org).

Her short stories, “Emanate,” and "Unearthed," are part of The Fall and Summer's Edge anthologies published by Elephant’s Bookshelf Press. Her writing has also appeared in Liquid Imagination. When not “chasing the crazy” dream of being published, she feeds her addictions to good TV (Bones, Castle & Fringe), Barnes & Noble and mango ice tea. She blogs at www.chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com and can also be found on Twitter (@atrueblood5). 
Amy will be posting every other Tuesday, with her first post on August 13.


Can't wait to see what these two bring to the Operation Awesome conversation!