4 Social Distancing Tips for Writers

Social distancing. That awkward state where extroverts are clingy and crabby because they don’t get to go anywhere and introverts wonder when they will find time to read.

All joking aside, if you are anything like me, you are an introvert.  And we introverts are REALLY good at social distancing.  Maybe a little too good.  So here are four tips for introverts.

1.  Spend Time Writing.  If your kids are home from school or your spouse is home, you may be tempted to pack up your writing for the duration.  But you’re a writer.  Find at least a few minutes a day to write.  Me?  I have a deadline Friday.  I have to get this done.  Feeling stressed?  Try writing something light and silly.  No one will think any less of you!
2. Spend Time Socializing.  If you are sheltering in place with others, especially extroverts, make it clear.  You get time to write and you will also spend time with them.  My husband and I are cleaning up here in the office.  But we are also watching movies that show endurance.  Tonight we watched Midway.  Tomorrow we are going to have to watch something a bit more upbeat.
3. READ!  You probably have books stashed all over your house.  This is the smallest set of shelves in my office.  #1 are my books.  #2 are library books.  #3-4 are books I’ve bought but not read.  #5 are favorites and books I’ve not yet read.  #6 are antiques.  And, yes.  This is the smallest set of shelves.  Now would be a good time to read aloud as a family.  I’ll suggest either When Computers Were Human or Rise of the Rocket Girls.
4. Make a phone call.  With the number of e-mails, texts and messages I get, I seldom call anyone.  A friend and I have promised to change this and call someone every day.  She’s even more introverted than I am but there are going to be people who need contact.

Is there anything I’ve missed?  If so, add it in the comments below.

–SueBE

Four Things Authors Can Do During the Coronavirus Outbreak

For the next 8 weeks, schools and most churches in my area will be closed because of the coronavirus.  Some employers have people working from home.  More will follow.  This means that lots of kids and adults are going to be at home and authors have had their school visits and book events canceled.  Here’s are four things you can do.

Facebook Live.  Are you a young adult author? Set up a time every day and read a chapter from one of your books.  Or teach them how to employ a fun writing technique in their own work.  Your readers can message you with questions and impressions.  Everyone is going to be craving human connection. Give them a chance to interact with you, the author.

Youtube.  Do you have a Youtube Channel?  If you write for younger readers, record yourself reading from your books and post the videos.   If parents or teachers contact you with questions, you can record and Q&A video to post.

Activities.  Recently I learned that the best way to get your book into classrooms and libraries is to write a teacher’s guide.  You create the activities and get the word out and the teachers will request your book.  Now is the time to reach out to the parents of young readers.  Create fun learning opportunities for their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Give Aways.  Host give aways.  It could be a copy of your book or a game that connects thematically with yoru book.  Or maybe the winner gets to pick the topic for your next poem or picture book.   Or you name a character after someone and post the story on your web page.

This is your opportunity to be creative while reaching out to make a good impression on young readers and the adults who love them.

–SueBE

 

 

When a Book Sends a Message without Preaching

Earlier this week, I read Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey.  I have to admit that I assumed it was a young adult novel and the main character a teen.  After all, Esther seemed like a sheltered teen floundering in the big, bad world.  But then I looked at the spine.  It is a library book so it should have said TEEN but it didn’t.  Just the call number –

Fiction

Gailey

Sarah

So I looked it up on Amazon.  Nope.  It is just a novel, published by Tor.  And by “just a novel,” I mean an amazing piece of fiction.

It is clear that Gailey has a  message for the world and for readers who feel they don’t fit it.  There are people like us everywhere.  They may be afraid to speak out.  Those in power may be pushing them to keep quite or at least to be sly.  But they are there.  Just look.

You’ll find them in books.

You’ll find them in libraries.

Librarians will help you locate them.  All you need to do is reach out and take that book.

For the most part, Gailey delivers these messages without stating them out loud.  I say for the most part because the main character is a little dense.  She needs it to be put out there pretty bluntly.

But Gailey delivers it all in the course of a fantastic story.  Esther stows away in the back of the librarians’ supply wagon.  She knows they aren’t happy about this.  She suspects they have something to hide.  But she’s pretty wrapped up in what she has to hide and in getting away from her father before she has to see someone else she loves swinging at the end of a rope.

The world is classic western but there are cars and tanks and it slowly becomes clear that this a post-apocalyptical novel in which a young woman who loves other women learns early on to hide who she really is for the safety of everyone.

Definitely a book that I want to take my time with when I’m not in the middle of a deadline.  There is a lot to learn from only 173 pages.

–SueBE

Three Things You Need to Understand about “Bad” Books

Jane Friedman recently published a post on “bad books.”  You can check out her post, “4 Reasons to Spend Time with “Bad” Books,” here.  This is one of those posts that I’m writing not because she is wrong but simply because I have a different take on the topic.

The first thing that you need to understand about “bad” books is that …

You hate it but someone loved it. One of the women in the book club I attend loves romances.  And I don’t mean the gooey, sugar coated kind.  I mean the rough-and-touble, historic, rapey kind.  Yes, I know rape happened and it still happens, but I don’t feel the need to spend a great deal of time with it  But I love nonfiction with a science bent which she loathes.  She and I both like graphic novels which a third woman barely tolerates.  Thank goodness there are a wide variety of books!  What I consider bad, someone else clearly loved because it is in print which leads us to item #2 for you to consider…

Why was it published?  When you absolutely loathe a book and are certain it is not worth the paper it is printed on, consider why it was published.  What was it about this book that made an editor give it a slot on a limited list?  It is a topic that is generally absent from the shelves although there is a need?  Maybe the character is the hook although the plot didn’t work for you.  Being able to pick out marketable qualities is a skill you can use when submitting your own book.  And last but not least …

What would you do differently?  There is one New York Times bestselling author that I avoid.  The mothers in her books are simply not believable to me, but then I an seriously analytic.  My friend, an accountant, also dislikes her mom-characters.  So I would create a different type of character.  Sometimes I feel like a book should have ended 30 pages before the author finally quit writing.  What would I do differently?  I would write shorter.

All of this can help you understand what you like, how you write, and to whom to send your work.

–SueBE

The Best Place to Write

One of my wrting buddies goes to the library to write.  She lives alone but her spoiled little dog won’t let her write.

I don’t write well in the library.  It is just too distracting.  We have a quiet room but I still look up when people walk past me.  I am VERY easily distracted.  So I work at home in my office.  And that worked great until about three months ago.

Recently, my senior cat has taken over my office.  If I’m not in my desk chair, she will curl up and sleep there.  If I am in my desk chair, she stomps back and forth across me, checking out my glass, lashing pens off the desk with her tail, and generally keeping me from working.

I’m on deadline with a two book contract so Saturday I stood up from my chair and wrote with the keyboard on a stack of library books.  On his side of the desk, I heard my husband clicking away.  Soon he had found a standing desk in the form of a “computer riser.”  Now I can stand up to write with my monitor raised and my keyboard on a stable surface.  And I can lower it to sit down too.

I scooped a whole host of stuff off the desk and dropped it into a box but I can go through that bit by bit and get things reorganized.  I’m so excited to have this new place to work.

Where do you write best?

–SueBE

 

Why Writers Need to Know the Bechdel-Wallace Test

You probably know that March  is Women’s Month but have you heard about the Bechdel-Wallace Test?  It is a test to determine how “female friendly” a movie is.  To pass, a movie has to have:

1. At least least two women characters.
2. The women talk to each other, ie interact in a positive way.
3. And they discuss something other than a man.

Easy peasy, righ?  Maybe not.  In their post about this test, the St. Louis Public Library points out that between 1970 and 2013 only 53% of all movies passed.  That means that one heck of a lot of modern movies are failing.

The books that we write need to pass this test as well, especially if we are writing books for teens.  I say this because I’ve been reading a lot of YA lately and it is amazing how many of these books have female characters slut shaming each other and otherwise cutting each other down.  And while this does happen, it is also important to portray healthy female relationships.

This had been noodling over my cozy. This is a book for adult women so my characters are all middle aged. My detective leaves her husband after she finds him stepping out with another woman.  And she’s seriously angry so it would be easy for me to write her as distrustful of other women and taking it out on them.

Fortunately, I’ve managed to avoid this by giving her several strong female friends.

But something else that we need to keep in mind is that we give male characters strong roles as well.  I don’t remember where I read it but the author discussed how good authors were at giving women nontraditional roles but that they are much less good about giving nontraditional jobs and roles to men.  Hmm.  That’s something I should probably address.

Thank goodness for the opportunity to rewrite!

–SueBE

Three Ways to Avoid Dumbing Down Your Character

I’m not sure how this came up the other night at book club, but one of us remembered a comedy routine about the Amityville Horror. The comedian said that if his house said “Get out!” he would leave.  Right then.  And it would be the world’s shortest movie.  Why?  Because when blood is running down the wall and a disembodied voice says “get it,” it is beyond brainless to ignore it.

And, yet . . . how often do we do this with our characters.  Sometimes it seems like the only way to get your character into some plot-essential “bad place.”  Or so it seems.  Or you could try one of these three ways to move things along.

Desperate situation. Instead of making your character make bad decisions, you can manufacture a horrible situation.  Your character is walking home from school when a storm drives them to seek shelter.  The closest available roof is an abandoned building.  Still seem like a dumb decision?  Throw hail into the storm and shelter becomes life saving.

Horrible choice.  You need your straight A character to skip school.  That’s not going to be a natural choice for most straight-A kids so you need to create a situation where they have to make this bad decision.  What could it be?  A message from a friend asking for help.  A humiliating event in the cafeteria makes them flee for home.  Create something that plays into your character’s weakness.

Playing dumb. Your character isn’t dumb but for some reason decides to play dumb.  Why would that be?  If my son couldn’t be the best, he wouldn’t even try and almost flunked AR in 2nd grade because of it.  Your smart character is accused of always showing others up and decides to let her friends solve the next problem that comes up no matter what.

Needlessly clueless characters are so frustrating.  Instead, create a situation where the only choices are bad ones and your character is struggling for a way out.

–SueBE

Why You Need to Know about CCO Images?

How do you use social media?  Whether you spend time on Twitter or Facebook, Instagram or reading blogs, social media tends to be read and swipe.  You only have a few moments to catch someone’s attention.  One way to do that is with an amazing photo.

Even if you can find the perfect photo online, you can’t just grab onto it.  You have to make sure you aren’t violating someone’s copyright.  One great way to do this is by using copyright free or CC0 images.  CC0 is short for Creative Commons 0 meaning that this image (or text or song) has been made available for creative use with zero restrictions.

Where do you find CC0 images?  You can search for things that are Open Access.  The Smithsonian recently made millions of their images available through open access.  You can find out more about that here.  I often find photos on Pixabay.

One of the best things about CCO images is that you can use them however you want.  This means that you can use them as is.

From the Smithsonian

From Pixabay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or you can crop them.

 

 

 

 

 

Or you can add to them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But most importantly?  You can be as creative as you want without stepping on another creative’s toes.  How cool is that?  Now, go have some fun exploring.

–SueBE

 

4 Things to Remember When Facing Feedback

Admit it. What you really want to hear when you give your critique group your manuscript to read is “we love it!” or “send it in!”  And when you send that piece to your editor?  “I’ve already sent it on.  You don’t need to change a thing.”

Of course, I’m writing this after combing through editorial feedback on chapter 1 and the outline for a new project.  There weren’t an excessive number of comments and concerns but addressing them will require a new paragraph, a new quote and new research and possibly a new sidebar.

Depending on how your day is going, feedback can be really hard to take.  Here are 5 things to keep in mind when you are getting feedback.

You asked for it.  Whether you sent something to your editor or took it to critique group, you asked for it.  No, really.  You did.  Giving them your work is an indication that you want feedback.  Think of it as cause and effect if that helps.

They are trying to help.  Your editor and the members of your most excellent critique group all have the same goal.  They want to help you create something spectacular.  Writing is a highly personal craft so you may being seeing criticism when really they are just giving you friendly analysis feedback.

Maybe they just don’t get it. There was one writer I used to exchange work with that I finally quit asking for feedback on my fantasy.  Whether it was high fantasy or magical realism, she just didn’t get it.  And that’s okay.  I am really not the person to approach for feedback on a board book.

They may know something you don’t know. No matter how much you’ve read, you haven’t read everything.  They may have recently read something that is informing the feedback that they gave you.  And if that feedback is from your editor that something may be other works that are about to go to print.  My editor knows the overall look and tone of the series and her feedback can help me match this.

Very few writers can create something stunning without feedback.  Getting it is only the first step.

–SueBE

 

 

Three Ways to Tell Narrative Nonfiction from Informational Fiction

Narrative nonfiction tells a story that is 100% factual and true.  Informational fiction will have a significant amount of fact but it will also contain sections that are obviously fictional.  How do you tell them apart?  Here are three tests that you can apply.

Impossible elements.  No matter how many facts you can glean from a book that is informational fiction, there will often be parts that are obviously impossible. For an example of this type of storytelling, check out Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Jamey Christoph.  The story is told in first person plural (we) from the point of view of the wall.

Fictional characters.  Another test is whether or not there are characters that are fictional.  This isn’t a new book but one of my all time favorite graphic novels is Clan Apis, the story of a bee hive.  The bees are anthropomorphic and as soon as you give bees human traits you are writing fiction.

Tells a story that is 100% factual.  Even if the picture book you are reading tells a story and uses dialogue, it can still be nonfiction.  The deciding factor is whether or not it is 100% factual and true.  If that is the case, you are are reading nonfiction even if the author uses metaphor and simile.  Vibrant scenes?  That’s still nonfiction too as long as it is 100% true.  Not sure? Check the author note or other backmatter.

There are so many great books of both kinds.  Here are a few you might explore.

Narrative Nonfiction

When Jackie Saved Grand Central by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Alexandra Boiger

Pies from Nowhere by Dee Romito

Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World to Laugh (and Cry!) by Gary Golio, illustrated by Ed Young

 

Informational Fiction

When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

Hawk Rising by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Brian Floca.

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

The Turtle Ship by Helena Ku Rhee

 

You can add your book suggestions below in the comments!

–SueBE