tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14446875817934325222024-03-12T19:16:12.139-04:00Dear Readers!Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.comBlogger448125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-38827281458946366042015-12-22T09:23:00.002-05:002015-12-22T09:23:35.903-05:00Happy Christmas!I almost can't believe Christmas is upon us! Doesn't it seem like yesterday that it was 2005? LOL<br />
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As the years slip by like months...Support each other. Love each other. Care for each other.<br />
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Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!<br />
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susan meierSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-14260413517023602742015-11-13T08:07:00.001-05:002015-11-13T08:07:11.660-05:00Happy Holidays...Once the Pumpkin Spice Latte hits Starbucks, I know my favorite time of year is here.<br />
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I've mentioned this before, but I'm a true lover of great boots and even greater sweaters. I love the smell of baking muffins, the taste of coffee flavored with pumpkin spic creamer, the sound of the wind as it picks up the leaves and tosses them into the neighbor's yard.<br />
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I love fall. <br />
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This year, Thanksgiving falls on my daughter's birthday, so we're having a celebration dinner. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie...everything she loves. The house will be toasty and smell like the perfect dinner. Plus, I have some surprise gifts for her.<br />
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After Thanksgiving, I'm ready to roll into shopping. I'm not much of a shopper. Not a fan of crowds or waiting in line to check out. But I don't notice any of that when I'm Christmas shopping. I love piped in music. I love the candle scents of pine and cinnamon apples. I love hunting down gifts that will mean something.<br />
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I also like a good holiday party. LOL And I love Christmas eve. I love the sense of anticipation that something wonderful will happen on Christmas morning. And then I love the fact that something wonderful always does happen on Christmas. It can be something as small as that moment when you sit back on the sofa, watching everyone laugh and open gifts. Or as big as the reminder that for Christians the holiday is about so much more than gift giving and another pumpkin pie.<br />
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So enjoy the fall. Don't miss it because you hook into Christmas too soon. Then enjoy Thanksgiving. Really pause for a few minutes of gratitude. Then shop till you drop. Absorb the wonder of the anticipation on Christmas eve. And really celebrate Christmas. Be as generous as you are grateful. And take a minute to look around and enjoy the holiday that brings joy to our hearts and love to our families.<br />
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Happy Reading...<br />
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susan meier<br />
Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-36158256940251660782015-09-03T11:18:00.003-04:002015-09-03T11:18:49.322-04:00Welcome to Harmony Hills
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happy September!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the best things about digital publishing is that we
can change any book at any time, and we decided to shift the Donovan Brothers
Novels from sexy to sweet! We’ve even given them new covers. So if you’re
someone who likes her romance on the sweet side, <strong><em>all THREE Donovan Brothers
Novels are now sweet.<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong><em>HEAD OVER HEELS FOR THE BOSS!</em></strong>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fantasizing about the boss is one thing. Falling in
love with him is quite another...<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Isabelle Cooper's in big, big
trouble. Her flower shop? Well, it was just bought by the man she’s had a crush
on forever. Her new boss, Devon Donovan, is a tall glass of melt-in-your-mouth
hotness. The problem? Devon is definitely not interested in love. No ifs, ands,
or buds about it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Devon knows Isabelle has been
crushing on him since college, but buying her business shouldn’t be a problem.
Not only is she his employee, but as the eldest Donovan brother, he’s too busy
protecting the family fortune for romance. But tomboy “Izzy” is all grown up
now. And he’s finding it impossible to resist her, no matter how hard he
tries...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.entangledpublishing.com/head-over-heels-for-the-boss/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.entangledpublishing.com/head-over-heels-for-the-boss/</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5 out of 5 stars<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Such a charming adorable book! I read this in one
sitting. I loved all the characters in the book. I absolutely love the Donovan
family!!! (Melissa Joseph Goodreads Review)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5 out of 5 stars<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I absolutely loved this book! Susan Meier always
writes characters that burrow into my heart stay with me long after I’ve turned
the final page, and she absolutely knocks it out of the park in Head Over Heels
for the Boss. Filled with witty banter, great small town characters, and two
people you won't be able to resist as they embark on a journey of
self-discovery, Head Over Heels for the Boss is a great read you won't want to
miss!</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Sharon Saracino, Goodreads
review)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Read all three of the Donovan
Brothers Novels!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiXR9fHjnMkod-pvktwjob3e15J_yssPvdmnL6l_CeGd5eC9Ws8n23qzrVQW3XX4uVKew1OM3rvn5-9feocFQnVKaTEGMPIa9STFMfUo63uqwrkM2hitXEpmX8jWjAmMctEOHUrACiqTH/s1600/HerSummerMarine_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiXR9fHjnMkod-pvktwjob3e15J_yssPvdmnL6l_CeGd5eC9Ws8n23qzrVQW3XX4uVKew1OM3rvn5-9feocFQnVKaTEGMPIa9STFMfUo63uqwrkM2hitXEpmX8jWjAmMctEOHUrACiqTH/s200/HerSummerMarine_small.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finn and Ellie’s story HER
SUMMER WITH THE MARINE<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.entangledpublishing.com/her-summer-with-the-marine/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.entangledpublishing.com/her-summer-with-the-marine/</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VvJ9CAMIDB1t9H3WczkGNULk79KSLt80d2ifedvYa39xFHOq4ZAkwtSs1iO4CpsmWHQs_XfmqpeyNXmRzVF-nrWxkglRviy3Fh1rXdLmeppJe8G5OKa-x0HA3gqOetcmvX0myor8L9KW/s1600/ChasingTheRunawayBride_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7VvJ9CAMIDB1t9H3WczkGNULk79KSLt80d2ifedvYa39xFHOq4ZAkwtSs1iO4CpsmWHQs_XfmqpeyNXmRzVF-nrWxkglRviy3Fh1rXdLmeppJe8G5OKa-x0HA3gqOetcmvX0myor8L9KW/s200/ChasingTheRunawayBride_small.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cade and Piper’s story
CHASING THE RUNAWAY BRIDE<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.entangledpublishing.com/chasing-the-runaway-bride/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.entangledpublishing.com/chasing-the-runaway-bride/</span></span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Devon and Isabelle’s story
HEAD OVER HEELS FOR THE BOSS<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.entangledpublishing.com/head-over-heels-for-the-boss/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.entangledpublishing.com/head-over-heels-for-the-boss/</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happy Reading!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">susan meier<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-75730740675750941372015-06-22T09:54:00.001-04:002015-06-22T09:54:23.458-04:00Free Online Read<div align="center" class="style7" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<img height="152" src="http://susanmeier.com/images/VineyardsCalanetti.jpg" width="500" /></div>
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A MARRIAGE MADE IN MONTE CALANETTI</div>
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Last year, when HQ asked me to be a part of the Vineyards of Monte Calanetti continuity series for Harlequin Romance, I had to juggle my schedule to make it happen. Who wouldn’t want to be involved in a series of books that take place in the beautiful vineyards of Tuscany, Italy?</div>
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<img align="right" alt="Bride of the Italian Boss" border="1" height="229" hspace="5" src="http://susanmeier.com/images/bridefortheItalianBosssite.jpg" vspace="5" width="145" />My book, the first in the series, A BRIDE FOR THE ITALIAN BOSS releases July 1. It’s the story of temperamental chef Rafe Mancini and Dani Tate, a teacher who falls in love with Tuscany as well as Rafe and must choose between the life she knows and the life she wants…if only Rafe wanted her the same way she wants him.</div>
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Since you have to wait a looonnnng month for A BRIDE FOR THE ITALIAN BOSS, you’ll be pleased to know HQ invited me to write a prequel to this series which they are putting up, one chapter at a time, as a FREE online read at Harlequin.com.</div>
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This is the story of Mic, Rafe’s protégé, and his former love Liliana. These two lovers never lost their feelings for each other in eight years…but can they forgive the past?</div>
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As I tell the story as Mic and Liliana, you’ll meet charming (but gruff) Chef Rafe and see the inside of Mancini’s a few weeks before Dani Tate arrives.</div>
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A MARRIAGE MADE IN MONTE CALANETTI is a fun story, but the entire VINEYARDS OF CALANETTI mini-series is full of fun and emotional romances that will have you on the edge of your seat until you sigh with satisfaction.</div>
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Here’s the link for A MARRIAGE MADE IN MONTE CALANETTI<br /><a href="http://www.harlequin.com/articlepage.html?articleId=2024&chapter=1" style="color: #333333;" target="_blank">Harlequin</a></div>
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Join us five days a week for a new chapter each day, and while you’re at Harlequin.com, skip over to the message boards to chat about the story and even ask a question or two!</div>
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Until next time, happy reading…</div>
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<img alt="Susan signature" height="45" src="http://susanmeier.com/images/susansignature.jpg" width="150" /></div>
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PS<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://susanmeierexcerpts.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-bride-for-italian-boss.html" style="color: #333333;" target="_blank">Here’s the link to the excerpt</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for A BRIDE FOR THE ITALIAN BOSS</div>
Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-70690317791273840672015-04-25T09:21:00.002-04:002015-04-25T09:21:44.329-04:00It's a confusing world out there...<span style="font-size: large;">It's a very confusing time to be an author. Most of us who love to write are writers because we are introverts. We spend a lot of time in our heads analyzing life and then putting the results of our analysis into stories. We're deep thinkers. We love people. We hope our stories give you a new perspective on a thorny problem...or maybe just a new way of looking at things. We hope our stories inspire you.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To be able to put all that into a story, all that thinking, all that time...we need some alone time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But, we're told by agents, editors and pundits...you don't have that luxury anymore. You need to be on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google Plus, Instagram....Tell readers what you're doing, what you're thinking, how you feel...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All of which doesn't just take away time for writing, it also feels like I'm giving you bits and pieces of information that hasn't had enough time to gel in my brain.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So to avoid telling you things about a book that might change, lots of authors have taken to false personas. It's a way to "be somebody" in public, while you race to figure out your next book and get it into the hands of readers. You see a lot of pix of author pets. You see a lot of "quotes" authors found in books or on the internet. You see a lot of I'm-eating-eggs-for-breakfast posts.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And that's cool. I look at that sort of like a place holder. It's like authors (including myself) saying, Here I am! I haven't forgotten you. Here's something that interests me. Hold on until I'm done with my book and I can get back with real information about the story, the cover, my inspirations!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But I've also seen a lot of interaction that upsets me...both as a reader and a writer. I received an email yesterday on a loop of authors who are supposed to be friends. I read the post as a personal request for help with something, and I did as the post requested. But two people had questions. Those questions went unanswered...meaning the author wasn't actually on the loop, chatting with us...which led me and probably everybody else on the loop to realize we'd just answered a cross-posted request for help, which wasn't personal at all. Almost like being spammed by someone we considered a friend.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As an author, I recognize this woman was/is busy. I cut her some slack. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But if I were a reader, thinking I was getting a "personal" request for help...realizing that post had been cross-posted to other loops, other friends, perhaps thousands of other people when it read like a personal request to a group of intimates...I might have been insulted. Really insulted. Maybe even insulted with a dash of embarrassment because I was too simple (or trusting of the author) to realize that.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So the world of reading and writing is probably every bit as confusing to readers as it is to authors.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And I'm guessing that when you, a reader, gets an email from an author, you've been burned enough that you automatically believe it's the same email that's been sent to thousands of other readers. Even messages that look personal, could be a "form" email of a sort, thanking you for signing up to a newsletter or thanking you for liking a post...whatever.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So the system that was meant to bring readers closer to authors isn't really bringing us closer at all. Yes, some days you will know what I had for breakfast. :) You WILL see pictures of my cat Sophia because she's beautiful. I will show you my covers. You will know bits and pieces about my stories and how I feel about them. But really there will always be a distance between us....</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And maybe that's a good thing? I'm not incredibly cool. I have my interesting moments, but in general I'm a normal person...except that I think about things most people don't have time to think about. I ponder the stuff that really matters. I root around for the real meanings of things. So that my stories grab you, enrich your life, make you think about things differently.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I can do that for you because I'm not a socialite, dashing around New York city sipping champagne. I'm not always on vacation in some sunny locale. I'm not a baker, painter, revolutionary...I'm a thinker.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And thinkers aren't always online. :) Our pix wouldn't thrill Instagram. Our hair sometimes looks like Einstein's. We forget to eat or eat a lot of fattening takeout because we forget to cook. We shop from catalogs. When we do get out we ask a lot of questions that seem personal or intrusive because we're curious -- in a good way, not a gossipy way. In short, we're introverts who love to read, to think, to ponder.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But -- if you read and love my books -- maybe that's a good thing?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Reading</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">susan meier</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-42445778534548750422015-04-19T13:17:00.002-04:002015-04-19T13:19:57.652-04:00Hey, it's my birthday this week...I gave up posting blogs about writing mostly because I've already taught every lesson that needs to be taught on writing. Look at those archives! LOL<br />
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But the behind-the-scenes reason I wanted back the time I was spending on those blogs was to give myself time to live my life.<br />
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Right now, some of you are frowning. If you're breathing, aren't you living your life? Yes. LOL So maybe I don't want to say that I wanted time to live my life as much as to appreciate the life I was living.<br />
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This morning, watching Oprah's SUPERSOUL SUNDAY with a guest who spoke on living mindfully...I also played Words with Friends! LOL We live in a society that applauds being overly busy, multi-tasking, being scheduled to the hilt. But at the end of the day, how much of the day do we remember? How much is worth remembering? And -- more importantly -- what did we miss?<br />
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I don't really want to miss anything anymore. I want to read in the sun. I want to learn to cook. When I'm lucky enough to be in a conversation...I want to listen.<br />
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So in this happy week as I add another year to my age, I want to be present, mindful, of all my wonderful blessings, as well as the inflammation in my knee and the beginnings of gray I see in my hair. Not to go nuts over the fact that I'm aging. (The alternative is worse. LOL) But if life is a journey of experience, then the whole point is to experience it. :)<br />
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Happy Reading (in the sun)<br />
<br />
susan meier<br />
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If you're a writer, looking for a writing lesson...the archives are all yours. :) Enjoy.<br />
<br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-19206918275062610792015-03-09T10:10:00.001-04:002015-03-09T10:10:41.649-04:00Dear ReadersI spent a bit of time over the weekend working on a new series I plan to write...2 years from now! LOL<br />
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Lots of authors get asked why they write the books they write, choose the subjects they choose or just plain how do they come up with their ideas. For me, the answer is a lot of thinking.<br />
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A subject has to resonate with me. The Donovan Brothers Novels (which I wrote for Entangled -- working on the 3rd book now) are about three brothers who had survived abuse, beatings, from their father. When they turned eighteen, each went into the Marines -- and grew up. No longer fearing for their lives and "motivated" by drill sergeants, LOL, they became men and returned to their hometown to help their mom get away.<br />
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There's so much great stuff in redemption stories. Even though these brothers were technically redeemed BEFORE the start of the book, my challenge was to see how that would play out when they fell in love.<br />
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Or even if they could fall in love. <3 p=""><br />
Every writer figures out her own process -- usually as she's writing -- and even now I can's say I have my process down pat. It's always evolving.<br />
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But...<br />
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I do like time to think about my stories. I want to find the best way to tell every characters' story. I want to come up with the best scenes, the best angles, the best themes to investigate. And for me that takes time.<br />
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Still, I love that part of storytelling. The "pondering" time. Because I'm not just sitting around staring out the window wondering. Even as I write book 3 of the Donovan Brothers Novels, I'm getting down to business with my next Harlequin -- writing a synopsis and character motivations. I'm even close to writing the storyboard -- as well as pondering that "new" series that I won't write for two years. LOL<br />
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Because that's what writers do. We're always thinking about something. Wondering why. Which is probably why you're so intrigued by our stories. They aren't just off the top of our heads. We write about things we're curious about, and hopefully we satisfy your curiosity too!<br />
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Happy Reading.</3>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-36239109261921075952015-02-09T01:00:00.000-05:002015-02-09T01:00:08.769-05:00Saying Goodbye to Writing PostsIt looks like the writing post I put up two weeks ago will be my last. :( <br />
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I haven't necessarily run out of things to say, but I did notice that I was repeating myself. A LOT. LOL<br />
<br />
Just about everything I know is now archived and can be easily accessed.<br />
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It's been fun doing these writing posts, but it's time to move on.<br />
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Enjoy the archives and good luck with your writing.<br />
<br />
Happy Monday and Happy Reading...<br />
<br />
susan meierSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-27636733598254126412015-02-01T00:00:00.000-05:002015-02-01T00:00:00.840-05:00Release Day! HER BROODING ITALIAN BOSS!Happy Release day to me! I hope your go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your favorite bookstore and add HER BROODING ITALIAN BOSS to you TBR pile!<br />
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Happy Monday!<br />
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From busy Susan Meier! :)Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-23181172191799497022015-01-26T01:00:00.000-05:002015-01-26T08:27:04.508-05:00Characterization<span style="font-size: large;">I got a book recommendation a few weeks ago and immediately ordered it because the topic was Characterization. One of my bugaboos. Sort of. After you've written sixty books, you know how to do everything. But I'm still seeking refinement. I will ALWAYS seek refinement. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, I bought this book expecting to be wowed or at least enlightened, but before we were out of chapter one, the author/teacher said something like...a great plot doesn't make a great story. It's only when characters' goals and motivations drive the conflicts associated with the plot that your story really comes alive.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, duh.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Romance writers have known this forever.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's why we focus on goal, motivation and conflict. It doesn't matter how crafty your twists and turns, if they don't significantly impact the CHARACTERS and somehow raise the stakes...Romance readers say, "Meh." Whatever.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I used to laugh at how blatant action/adventure movies were with their motivations...We must steal 60 cars in one night or our leader's brother will be killed by a gangster. Or "You killed my wife...I'm coming after you." Or...Let's not forget TAKEN. Daughter kidnapped. Daddy goes after her.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The movies spend most of their time on the shoot 'em up, car chases and fist fights with kicking and head butts. But my husband buys into the premise every time. "Well, yeah. I'd be pissed if someone took Sarah." (Our daughter.) He puts himself into the shoes of his action heroes because he understand their motivations...no matter how cliché. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Your reader wants to do that too. She wants to believe your hero's reasons for not wanting to commit and your heroine's reasons for not wanting to fall in love again. She wants to feel them fall in love. And feel them fight it because their experiences have taught them that love can be painful.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">She wants to believe your sleuth when he can't walk away from the murder he investigates. She wants to believe the motives of your mainstream heroine or hero. <em><strong>She wants to believe</strong></em>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And the only way you can make her believe is by creating strong goals, motivations and conflicts. Characters who have a real journey. (Let that last line sink in. Think about it. Do your characters have a REAL journey?)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So don't just come up with a "this happens, then this happens, then this happens" plot. Have your plot evolve logically from your characters, their hopes, their dreams, the barriers to those hopes and dreams, and the actions they take. And you will have a much better...dare I say compelling...story.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Monday</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">susan</span>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-31081427472428723472015-01-19T01:00:00.000-05:002015-01-19T01:00:06.489-05:00Structure, structure, structure...What is three-act structure?<br />
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Simply put, it's the beginning, middle and end of your story. (BTW, don't get too complicated with how you think about things and they'll be a lot easier to understand!)<br />
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But the three acts aren't even. The first act is like a setup that ends with a decision or an action that turns the story on its ear and usually gets it going in another direction. It's usually one-tenth of the story. In a category romance, about thirty pages. In a bigger book, about forty. (YIKES) But it can be longer or shorter. There are no structure police. :) You will not go to jail if your setup takes longer or doesn't take as long.<br />
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i.e. In THE BABY PROJECT, the hero and heroine are made co-guardians of his half-brother in act one, which ends with them deciding to live together for the baby's sake. We also find out in act one that the heroine had a baby who died and she worries about her ability to care for another baby. Not because she's not competent, but because holding a baby brings back memories that devastate her. The hero doesn't know how to care for a baby either...but they don't yet have a nanny and two people really would be better than one.<br />
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So we end chapter one on a turning point...They decide to live together.<br />
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Act two is all about the results of the decision/turning point at the end of act one.<br />
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In THE BABY PROJECT it's what happens when the hero and heroine live together. <br />
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But in act two we also have the story's mid point...That's another turning point. In a lot of romances, the hero and heroine sleep together at the mid point and that changes how they feel about each other and also changes their circumstance.<br />
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From there it's a sort of tumble to the black moment which is usually the end of act two.<br />
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Which means that act three, like act one, is short. Misery without each other. Decisions. (Should I go back to my old job, my old life, my mom's basement? Or maybe should I leave this two-bit town and find my real destiny?) Followed by a point where the hero or heroine realizes (because of something that happens) that they made the wrong decision in dumping the hero/heroine...and then a happy ending.<br />
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Some people dress up act 3 with a Hollywood ending. A great/grand gesture made by the party in the wrong to win back the party in the right.<br />
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Other publishers like a more emotional ending. I done you wrong, but I am back, please don't shoot me...Love me.<br />
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Suspense authors have a whole different thing going on in act three. They have to solve the suspense problem (sometimes by killing the villain or rescuing somebody the villain took hostage); they have to fix the romance; and they have to debrief. <br />
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But essentially that's structure.<br />
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Why was/is that so hard? It isn't. Not if you use it. LOL But if you don't know about it, or if you let your characters runaway with your story...Yikes. You can have a mess on your hands.<br />
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Does structure ruin the free flow of your story? Read what I wrote above. I didn't give you the iron hand of the law that would make your characters puppets. Structure is just like a spine or a framework. Or maybe a tour guide. It doesn't boss you around. It just shows you the way to keep your story tight and on track.<br />
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Some people, Michael Hague, for instance, will give you a little bit more of a guide or a fence. I love his stuff! He's at storymastery.com. Get his plot template. You will love it.<br />
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The trick to this is realizing that you don't have to hit exact pages with things like turning points or act endings. You just have to be in the ballpark. :)<br />
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But trust me...in the end...you will be glad because you will have a clear, readable story.<br />
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Happy Monday<br />
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susan meierSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-32418468086397349252015-01-12T01:00:00.000-05:002015-01-12T01:00:01.332-05:00Second week in January...Do you know where your New Year's resolutions are?I stopped setting New Year's Resolutions when I discovered the power of goals. The interesting thing about a goal is that you have more of a chance of reaching a goal than powering through a resolution. Why is that?<br />
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Well, for one thing, goals should have a deadline. I will finish the draft of my book before May 1 is more of an instruction (which motivates) then the vague resolution ... This year I want to draft a book. Or this year I resolve to draft a book. You can procrastinate all year and suddenly find yourself face to face with December and nothing written on your book. Goals give you a deadline.<br />
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I will polish my draft before June 1 is much better than...I resolve to polish my draft.<br />
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Goals must be specific and time bound. In other words, a goal has to be stated clearly enough that you have no trouble understanding what you are to do. :) Time bound means you give yourself a deadline. Because a goal without a deadline is only a wish. (And if you see this quote online attributed to somebody like Oprah...Know that I came up with this about 20 years ago. LOL)<br />
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The same is true with ... I resolve to lose weight this year. Really? How much weight? By when and how do you intend to accomplish this?<br />
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Contrast I resolve to lose weight this year with ... I will lose 12 pounds by April first by going to the gym three times a week (with my trainer...) and using the lose-it app to track what I eat. <br />
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You can easily see which one will actually get results.<br />
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I gave myself 3 months to lose 12 pounds...a pound a week and I gave myself a plan: Work with trainer, use lose-it app to track what I eat. (There's nothing like accountability!) And I fully expect to see those pounds gone. Not by magic, but because I have a deadline and a plan...but I also know exactly what I am to do. Lose 12 pounds. :)<br />
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Or how about...I resolve to be happy. Yikes. How do you measure that? What's your deadline? And what are the specifics? How do you define happy?<br />
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Contrast that with...I will play golf with my husband and our friends once a week from May 1 until the end of September. <br />
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What does playing golf have to do with being happy? Well, it makes me happy to be with our friends and especially happy to spend time with my husband!<br />
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You could also add: I will take the third week of August off and go to the beach with my husband.<br />
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That's another goal that's more concrete than resolving to be happy. Going to the beach makes me happy. So I set the goal of going to the beach with the end result that I will be happy. :) <br />
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But notice something else...Specific goals help me to plan my year. If an editor says, How about if we make your deadline August 25, I can say, I'm going on vacation that week. Our deadline either needs to be the week before or two weeks after.<br />
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Do you get the picture? Goals have served me very, very well...especially last year when I had to write almost five books. <br />
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So take those resolutions that are making you feel either confused or like a failure and language them so that they are specific, measurable and time-bound. <br />
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And see if your year doesn't become more productive!<br />
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Happy Monday...and Happy Reading!<br />
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susan meierSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-82963699381199505582015-01-05T01:00:00.000-05:002015-01-05T11:20:04.595-05:00Now that the holidays are behind usNow that the holidays are behind us, we all need to get back to work. Actually, I got exactly 3 days off. And not back to back. Too many deadlines, too little Susan to go around.<br />
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Anyway, what are my tips for getting back into the swing of things after a bit of a lull?<br />
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1<strong><em>. Read your synopsis!</em></strong> Don't try to go back to work without knowing what you're working on. I've done that. I've written tons of pages I had to cut because I thought I knew my story but I got ahead of myself in the action or took the story in a wrong direction. Don't do that. Read your synopsis.<br />
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<strong><em>2. Be ruthless about your schedule</em></strong>. Set a starting time and stick to it. Habits are your best friend when it comes to getting things done. Figure out the best time of the day for you to write and get your butt in the chair and create the habit of getting your butt into the chair at the same time every day. Before you know it, you will automatically walk to your computer at your scheduled writing time and you will be ready to write.<br />
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<strong><em>3. Let yourself go.</em></strong> Now that you've read your synopsis and know the direction of your story, don't be a stickler for perfection. Give yourself permission to write an awful draft. Or, if you're like me, write an awful scene or two that you can polish the next day before you write that day's portion of dirty draft.<br />
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<strong><em>4. Give yourself some deadlines.</em></strong> Wow. Deadlines served me well last year. Knowing that if I missed one deadline my entire schedule would fall like dominoes, I scrambled to always get things in on time. Especially proposals. Proposals can (and usually will) be changed. Editors will have comments. The story might have gelled more fully in your brain by the time you actually sit down to write your book. So do your best work, but also don't over-think. Give yourself deadlines for finishing your proposal, your draft, your first polish, your final draft and you will get where you want to go.<br />
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It doesn't matter if you're a full-time writer or someone seeking to write her first book, these four things will get you back to work at top speed in no time.<br />
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Happy Monday...and Happy Reading!<br />
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susan meierSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-77751099186564327752014-12-29T01:00:00.000-05:002014-12-29T01:00:00.106-05:00Happy New Year! Some advice...<span style="font-size: medium;">This is a blog I posted about a year ago...I read it (to remind myself of a few things) and realized this was some perfect "new year/new start" advice...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Happy New Year! Enjoy! ...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">A few weeks ago, I had a bad cold and spent a Saturday and Sunday in bed. If you know anything about weekend TV, you know I was bored to the point of tears and ended up watching a "special" about Garth Brooks. But, man, am I ever glad I did. The show was designed so that Garth himself didn't do much talking. His friends talked about him, his work ethic, etc. After a while I started making notes. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And here they are ...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><em>8 things about Garth Brooks that might change the way you write.</em></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><em>1. He loves music and wants everybody to love music.</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">That sounds pretty simple, until you really think it through. Because he loves music he promotes well...but he also writes, produces and sings the best songs. <em><strong>The best songs.</strong></em> And what does that mean for his audience? He doesn't shortchange them. They always get the best.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So...If you really, really, really love WRITING and your genre, you should be looking for the best ideas. You should be doing YOUR best when you write. Your love of writing (or your genre) should shine through your work.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><em>2. He has respect for other musicians and songwriters.</em></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">You have to have a healthy respect for what you do and everyone who does it in order to be your best. If you only half-heartedly love romance, I genuinely believe it shows in your work.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">If you're working hard, if it takes you months to write a book, if you study writing, if you tear your scenes apart again and again to make them perfect...So are your peers. Lots of people are working full-time jobs and writing. Lots are caring for kids, elderly parents or disabled adult children. We should never, ever, ever discount the trials and tribulations of other writers.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">It just plain makes us better people to be kind to each other. And God likes that. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><em>3. He has a good range.</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Garth might be a country singer, but his songs transcend the genre. Because of #4...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><em>4. He loves telling a good story.</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">That's so true. His music is all about storytelling. And he does it well. He picks subjects that resonate, and he makes them vibrate with reality and emotion. Literally. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I heard Elton John talk about storytelling and music once and it totally changed the way I looked at music. He said smart songwriters tell a story because people love stories.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Well, lucky us! That's our business. But that takes us back to not shortchanging your audience (something I talked about a few weeks ago in the Hybrids blog), to figuring out what they like to hear, to learning to write well...so your story is the best it can be.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><em>5. He is an entertainer.</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And so should we be. People get a show when they go to see Garth. People want to be entertained when they read our books.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So many times we get caught up in word counts and craft that we forget we're entertainers. Nora Roberts wasn't afraid to break a few rules. Suzanne Brockman took regular romance "hook" or trope stories and turned them on their ears. Laura Kaye's writing vibrates with sensuality, even as her characters charm you to death. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">When I pick up a book, I want to be swept away. And it took me a few books (like 20 -- sometimes I make my younger self sound like a real idiot) before I realized, as a reader, I wasn't special. All readers were like me. A book doesn't have to have tons of action or ideas that transcend the norm. The writer simply has to take her genre or subgenre's conventions and use them to entertain readers.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">We are entertainers. So...entertain. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><em>6. He has a respect for his audience (very much, his friends said, like another successful guy...Frank Sinatra)</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">The pundits used to tell us our audience was bored housewives. We now know that's not true. Our audience is lawyers, doctors, accountants, engineers, secretaries, nurses, business owners...Everybody. You should appreciate the fact that a reader picked up your book. You should give her her money's worth. But most of all, you can't talk down to her.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Readers are very smart. If you write poorly, they will spot it. If you don't research, they will know. If you don't like what you're doing and "phone in" your book, they'll see it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And they won't come back. So even your books with the tightest deadlines have to be your best work.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">(I'm talking to myself here because I'm a week late and tempted to write fast and get this turkey in. Instead, I slowed down...God help me...to make sure the book is the best it can be.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><em>7. He's never afraid to be passionate.</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And don't we love that? Being passionate, I think, is part of being a good entertainer. And we're all in the entertainment industry.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I love category romance. :) I love the point in the story when the tension is so tight you know it could snap. The story could change. The characters could do something they regret. It puts me on the edge of my seat.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">That's what I want to see in books I read. That's what I want to get into my stories when I write. Granted, I'm not always successful...but I'm not afraid of that passion. Not afraid to confront it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">In fact, smart romance writers use it! We are, after all, in the passion business! LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong><em>8. Even with success he remained a nice guy. :)</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Ah, would that we all could be. Sometimes I think it's easy for the uber successful to be nice guys. Let's face it. They're making the money. Readers are stroking their egos. Their Facebook fan page numbers are through the roof. Amazon loves them. Agents call them out of the blue. Editors call their agents and ask them to write something for them...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Sigh. I could be nice if I were on top!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">That's what we all think. But the funny part of it is, the people on top have greater struggles than those of us hovering in the middle. There's constant expectation. Not just from their publishers, but from readers...AND THEMSELVES. When you are on top, you want to stay on top and there are thousands of wannabes nipping at your heels.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So whether you're on the top or in the middle or just starting out, know this:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">You're going to have bad days. There will always be somebody who is doing better than you are. You will question your talent. There will never be enough hours in a day or days in a deadline...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">That does not give you license to be mean.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">In fact, given that we're all in this together, being nice to people is a way to form support groups, critique groups, lifeboat groups and make the friends who may someday save you. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">But being nice is just plain the right thing to do. Jealousy, meanness and condescension only make you sadder than you already are. In other words, you're hurting yourself. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So grab your talent by the handle and get going. Don't worry about what anybody else is doing. Don't think you're better than anybody else. Don't worry that you're not getting the recognition you deserve. Just write your best book. Enjoy the process. And be a well rounded person. Enjoy your family. Love your spouse. Go fishing (or swimming or bingo playing or shopping). Have other passions aside from writing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Because nobody's ever clearly the best. Rankings change. Genres go in and out of style. Things like Facebook get invented and change everything. :) Don't be so one-dimensional that you can't be happy unless you're the best. :) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And think of Garth Brooks. :) Be passionate, love your industry, love your audience, love your craft, love your peers, be a storyteller. <em>A great storyteller</em>. Be proud of yourself. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Happy Reading...And happy new year! May 2015 be your best year ever. Be blessed and be a blessing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">susan</span> Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-33406016771090494562014-12-22T01:00:00.000-05:002015-11-24T16:56:54.060-05:00Layering demystified<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>This tidbit appeared in a much longer blog published in February or so. It's not complicated...Since we're all probably close to having holiday brain. LOL</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;">Layering...</span></em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The trick to having a layered character is to give him an interesting, difficult, or jumbled up past, something that kind of collides with the heroine's story and affects both of them...as well as the romance. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">In <strong><em>Daring To Trust the Boss</em></strong>, the hero was a former foster child, who was almost obsessive compulsive in the way he dressed and behaved, not wanting ever to look like someone who didn't fit into the billionaire world he'd edged his way into.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">The heroine had been sexually assaulted (she got away before she could be raped) by the town rich kid, who, of course, was never prosecuted. She embarrassed and humiliated herself by coming forward, then the people of her little town harassed her, saying she'd lied about him attacking her and was only trying to extort money from him.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">So we have a 3-tiered hero. Former foster kid, who isn't comfortable with who he was or is, and who isn't sure he (the real "he") fits anywhere.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">And a harassed heroine, determined to make her way in the world...but also very determined to be herself, the real person she is, because if she doesn't, then the old boyfriend wins.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">He's hiding behind a façade. She's "out there."</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Notice how many layers there are to that. And also notice that they all relate to things that happened in their pasts. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">You don't "tell" readers every detail of their pasts on page one. It's your job to make sure your conflict is strong enough, deep enough that at least one aspect can slowly reveal itself. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In <strong><em>DARING TO TRUST THE BOSS</em></strong>, we held back the idea that he didn't know himself, that the life he lived was a façade. Then being around her, he begins to long to be himself; he yearns to be with her because she likes the person he is underneath all his polish. But he fears letting go.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Do you see how "layered" that is? How slowly revealing these things makes his character more complex? </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">She, at first, doesn't trust him. Then once he lets her take over a big project and she gets a taste of the freedom of having the money and authority to be the business person she always knew she could be, she soars. Because she's ready. And that only makes him want what she has -- that confidence and freedom -- all the more.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Now...All that is a very long way of saying that a book is about steps...Journey Steps (I call them...even do a workshop about it) of two characters going from who they are at the beginning of the story to who they are at the end of the story.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Your book could be set up like my old Sil Romances used to be. A cute premise, close proximity, banter, flirting, near misses with sex, conflict ...but if you don't have those layers of character that come from things that happened in their pasts, then the story really is only a surface story.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">What your editor wants is for you to go from the cute meet, set up, cute premise, banter, flirting story to one that has something in the characters' backgrounds that takes readers deeper and involves them in the characters' lives in a real, genuine, personal way.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And that's layering. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Monday...and Happy Reading!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">susan</span></div>
Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-86638415657116775902014-12-15T01:00:00.000-05:002014-12-15T10:23:14.466-05:00Storytelling<span style="font-size: large;"><em>Again, this nugget I lifted from a longer blog I wrote earlier this year. I'm still so far into deadline mode I worry that I'll never get out. LOL</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></em><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>I love this! THIS is my philosophy of writing.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em><br /></em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>Enjoy...</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Anybody can write a book. All you've got to do is think up a plot, give your characters some arcs, divide it into scenes and get it into your computer, and eventually onto paper. But how many people do you know who really know how to tell a story?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In my younger days, I had a friend who was a joke teller. It didn't matter where we were, fifteen minutes into any party or wedding or even funeral, my friend would have a crowd around her. Laughter would spill out into the room and her crowd would grow. Because her jokes were good? Some were. But, really, her jokes were good because she made them good. She knew set up. She knew how to deliver a punch line.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">In thirty seconds, she could draw you in and then hit you with something that would cause you to belly laugh.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">That's storytelling.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">I talk about this a lot...especially after I judge contest entries...published or unpublished...because I think a lot of us "get it" that we have to be craftspeople, but few of us realize that, somewhere along the way, our process has to involve that magical part of us that knows how to lift the mundane into the sublime.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Is there something about your story, the way you tell your story, or your characters that lifts all those words on the page from the expected? Is there magic in your story? Have you every really tried to write beautifully? To create characters so real you expect them to show up for Christmas Eve supper?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you've only ever crafted, if you've never let yourself look for the magic...give yourself that gift in 2015. Don't just be a writer. Be a storyteller.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Reading</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">susan meier</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">BTW <strong><em>HER SUMMER WITH THE MARINE</em></strong> is still FREE! Don't know how long it will last, so grab it while you can!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.entangledpublishing.com/her-summer-with-the-marine/">http://www.entangledpublishing.com/her-summer-with-the-marine/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-39121006442595707632014-12-08T01:00:00.000-05:002014-12-14T06:04:24.990-05:00What to do when you're too tired to think...<span style="font-size: large;">I have two proposals due this month, a story to write and ... well, there's a major holiday in here too. So as I mentioned last week, I skimmed all my blogs and came up with some short, but helpful things I'd said this year that bear repeating...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">When you are too tired to think, you can do your manuscript a great disservice. You can delete good stuff and keep bad stuff...and not even know you're doing it. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So what do you do when you're too tired to think?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1. Step away. Get so far away from the computer that you can't even see it! Don't tempt yourself to work when you're too tired.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Give yourself options of ways to rest your brain. Normally housekeeping is my go-to mundane activity to heal my brain. Yesterday, it wasn't cutting it. Why? I think because it was still part of a routine. And my brain wanted something different. My something different and your something different could be two totally different things. Some people like bubble baths. Some people shop. Some people eat out. There are lots of things you can do to rest your brain. Write a list of 20, give yourself choices so you really will rest your brain.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Once you've decided what you're going to do...throw yourself into it. Forget your book. (Buy the popcorn!)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Remember to move. My trainer is a very smart woman. She can take one look at me and know when I need to push physically to help myself mentally. If you don't belong to a gym and/or don't have lots of workout tapes, ride your bike, take a walk, run up and down your stairs! LOL Do something to get the blood flowing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And most of all #5...don't be mad at yourself for needing a day off. I usually work six days a week. Lately, I've been working seven. How fair is that to my poor brain?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Taking a day off rather than pushing can usually reap the reward of a fully cooperative brain the next morning. It worked for me. :) Don't push yourself so much that you hit that wall that totally stops you...maybe for a long time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy reading...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">susan meier</span>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-85852083270237326282014-12-01T01:00:00.000-05:002014-12-01T01:00:00.145-05:00Focus<br />
<strong><em>Because I have several projects due before 1/1, I went through my past blogs and chose bits and pieces of longer blogs to post this month. They are short...we're all busy in December...but have at least one important concept.</em></strong><br />
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Happy Reading...Enjoy the post...</em></strong><br />
<strong><em><br /></em></strong><br />
<br />
Time management lovers (myself included) can tell you a million ways to squeeze in another ten minutes of writing every day. Or we'll show you how to carve out blocks of time so you can write five pages, one page at a time, in between running your kids to soccer practice and dance class. We tell you to keep a notebook (small one) in your purse or pocket so that every time good ideas come to you, you can jot them down. I even recommend doing lists of twenty on the run, over the course of days, so that my bouncing brain can draw on multiple inspirations at church, the supermarket, a park, or from people I find at those places...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But the truth is, there are times when I really need to focus. I can't proofread quickly. I like to weigh every word. But you can't weigh every word when you have a cat on your lap, supper simmering and your smart phone pinging away with new Facebook messages.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
When drafting, I can write a page and then do dishes. Write another page and vacuum the living room. Write another page and feed the cat. But when I revise, or proofread, or even read for continuity and consistency as I'm writing, I need a quiet room. I focus. I sink into my book. I [sometimes] pretend to be one of the characters and experience the book from his or her point of view.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I give my book all of myself, my attention, my focus, my dedication, because when a reader opens my book I want HER (or him) to give it all of her attention.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So think about that this week. When a reader opens your book, she slides into your story. She focuses on your characters. She falls into your world. If you haven't submerged yourself into the book before her, looking for inconsistencies or things that might jar a reader...she will find the things you missed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Yikes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Happy Monday<br />
<br />
susan meier<br />
<br />
<br />Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-41421623683517482932014-11-24T01:00:00.000-05:002014-11-24T22:35:45.011-05:00Gratitude<span style="font-size: large;">This month I had two books release. Having two books out in one month seriously almost made me crazy. LOL ... Wait. I shouldn't laugh. Book launches are hard. And I was tired. My mom's in transitional care after being deemed too weak to have the heart surgery she needs. And I have a book due 12/1.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But amid the noise of everything that needs to be done...too much...and my worries...too serious for me to breathe some minutes...I heard that still small voice that said, Susan, do you know how lucky you are?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Lucky? I'm so busy and so stressed I barely get two minutes to myself. There isn't time to realize how lucky I am to have talent, to get to do what I love to do, to see my name on book covers and to get letters from readers who say my stories are magnificent...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ah...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Maybe I am lucky?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Actually, when I stop long enough to think all this through, I KNOW I'm lucky.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So this week rather than give you a tip or a tool to make your writing smoother or easier, I'm going to suggest you walk to a mirror, look yourself in the eye and remind yourself that you are lucky.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I don't care if you've just been rejected.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I don't care if your last book didn't sell and/or all of your ##s are dismal.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you have the talent to tell a good story, and you have a computer and can steal a few hours a week to whisk yourself away to another world...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You are lucky. You are blessed.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Thanksgiving</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">susan meier</span>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-78981061454381449512014-11-17T01:00:00.000-05:002014-11-17T01:00:00.085-05:00It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas<span style="font-size: large;">I only said that because I'm hoping to have a book and a proposal done by Christmas. LOL If I get them done, that will be a happy, lucky day for me. And I have a Christmas release THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS. Not to mention today's $.99 release CHASING THE RUNAWAY BRIDE. For $.99? ...go buy it. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">When I'm in the throes of deadline after deadline...which I will be until June 1, 2015, I have discovered that two things will keep me from going off track. Those same two things will give me "something to write" every day.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What are these magnificent things?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The one-line story summary...It's a book about a shy heroine who only makes sensible decisions because of her life as a foster child, who meets a temperamental chef who sweeps her off her feet, but she's terrified to commit to him.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And story high points.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">These are the framework of your story. So even if your storyboard goes wrong or your synopsis suddenly becomes irrelevant -- because, as the story took life as you wrote it, something took an unexpected turn -- you can keep your story on point (even with the new direction) if you lead it back to your one-line story summary and/or your story high points.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For instance, in my story about the Italian chef, the hero kissed the heroine before he was supposed to. LOL But I didn't panic. I knew the next high point was to be that she told him she was already engaged and I used the kiss as the event that causes her to tell him. Then my story was back on track. Except the first kiss in the synopsis now became the second kiss. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If, however, I have a character make a decision that goes against the one-sentence story summary, I might actually delete the scene. If my shy character who only makes sensible decisions suddenly decides to go skinny dipping long before her character arc allows for her personality to begin changing...I axe that baby. Why? Because if you lose your connection to the one-sentence story summary, you lose your connection to the story.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm all for characters helping the story along with unexpected behavior. But note...The temperamental chef's unexpected action FIT the one-sentence story summary. The heroine going skinny dipping did not.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">That one-sentence story summary should be the heart of your story. It should be the essence of the story you want to tell...if you go against that...you have a totally different story.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You don't want that...At least you shouldn't. When you wrote that one-sentence summary, it should have made your heart sing...if it didn't...maybe that version of the story wasn't the one you wanted to write?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Plus, if you can find the heart of your story before you start writing, you can save yourself a lot of woe. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So chew on that. And go buy my $.99 book. </span><a href="http://www.entangledpublishing.com/chasing-the-runaway-bride/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.entangledpublishing.com/chasing-the-runaway-bride/</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But stick to the heart of your story...Oh, and btw, if you don't like the heart of your story...or don't feel it's strong enough, I'd keep working on THAT before I wrote. Know that heart and your writing day will become a lot easier. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Monday...and Happy Reading</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">susan meier</span>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-73766254888023071002014-11-10T00:30:00.000-05:002014-12-29T07:58:51.925-05:00The Scientific Benefits of 20-Minute Writing SprintsWith a couple of deadlines looming, my friend Tamara Girardi volunteered to share her experience and wisdom on sprints. With NaNoWriMo on deck, it's the perfect time to think about productivity.<br />
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Thanks,Tamara!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The Scientific Benefits of 20-Minute Writing Sprints <span id="goog_1024440391"></span><span id="goog_1024440392"></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Guest Blog by Tamara Girardi<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The camaraderie
of sprints such as #1k1hr on Twitter (which encourages you to write 1,000 words
in an hour while other writers on Twitter do the same) has always appealed to
me, but staying committed for the full hour proved difficult. I wanted a drink.
One of my kids needed a snack, a diaper change, a fill-in-the-blank. Or I
simply lost focus and momentum on my work-in-progress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Recently when I
signed on to participate in NaNoWriMo, I decided I would sprint a bit with
#1k1hr, but then something even better happened. A writer friend of mine and I
started sprinting on our own - for twenty minute spurts. Twenty minutes work so
much better for my brain (and my hectic environment) than hour-long intervals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Science just
might explain why. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Productivity
blogger J.D. Meier promotes 20-minute intervals as <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>very useful
slice[s] of time<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">noting the <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>productive
possibilities are endless, if you can sustain your focus. The key is to know
that sustained thinking takes energy, and it burns out.<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In other words,
the goal is to write nonstop and really push your mind (and your
fingertips/pencil and paper) for 20 minutes. Then, the next piece of science
comes in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To address the
burn out, J.D. Meier says to <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>take breaks to recharge and renew.
Five-minute breaks are a great way to stay focused.<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Research
supports J.D. Meier<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>s advocacy for frequent breaks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>University of
Illinois psychology professor Alejandro Lleras references his research,
suggesting, <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>when faced with long tasks, it is best to impose brief
breaks on yourself. Brief mental breaks will actually help you stay focused on
your task!<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One hour might
not seem like a long task, but for me, writing nonstop for one hour, is
unnecessarily challenging. My one-hour sprints tend to yield around 1,000 words
(as the #1k1hr hashtag suggests), but when I sprinted for three 20-minute
sprints with five-minute breaks in between, I wrote 1,943 words!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That was a
particularly productive session. They don<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>t all go that well,
but it certainly went better with shorter sprints and brief breaks than it
would have with one hour of solid writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For me, anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of course, this
does not suggest you shouldn<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>t participate in #1k1hr. Just don<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>t
feel badly if you have to stop after 20 or 25 minutes for a 5-minute break. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Additional research
supports the value frequent breaks by categorizing our brain modes as <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>focused
mode<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">and <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>diffuse mode.<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">
</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">According to research, diffuse mode is that time when our minds are
daydreaming and wandering, and studies show that <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>activity in many
brain regions increases when our minds wander.<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some scientists
argue that the brain solves problems in diffuse mode, which could explain why
writers are able to progress through their manuscripts more quickly with small
breaks. Perhaps the brain works out manuscript challenges during the diffuse
time, so that when we return to our focused time (in this instance, another
20-minute sprint), the brain can be even more productive than if the break
never occurred. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Perhaps
20-minute sprints aren<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>t your key time interval. Maybe you
work best in 15 minutes. Or 30 minutes. In any case, try to determine what your
most productive intervals are. Take quick breaks in between. Get up from your
desk to grab a drink, throw the laundry into the dryer, watch the kids play.
Transition your mind from focused mode to diffuse mode for just a few minutes
before diving back in for another sprint. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>NaNoWriMo
participants or not, we can all use a little boost in productivity, right? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What is your
sprinting style? How often do you like to take breaks? Share your experiences
with <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>focused<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">and <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">“</span>diffuse<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">”</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">
</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">modes in the comments below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Sites I refer to if you want to link to them: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">JD Meier Blog: </span><a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jmeier/archive/2013/05/31/proven-practices-for-improving-focus.aspx"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Helvetica;">http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jmeier/archive/2013/05/31/proven-practices-for-improving-focus.aspx</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Lleras research: </span><a href="https://open.bufferapp.com/science-taking-breaks-at-work/"><span class="Hyperlink0"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Helvetica;">https://open.bufferapp.com/science-taking-breaks-at-work/</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Bio:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><i>An English instructor for Harrisburg Area Community College</i><i><span style="mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">’</span>s Virtual Learning program,
Tamara Girardi </i><i><span lang="DA" style="mso-ansi-language: DA;">hold</span>s a
PhD in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Letters
in Creative Writing from the University of St. Andrews. Her YA fantasy
DREAMSEER won the 2013 PennWriters Novel Beginnings Contest and is on
submission with agents. Tamara is a member of Backspace, Sisters in Crime, and
PennWriters. Follow her (and challenge her to a writing sprint!) on Twitter
@TamaraGirardi.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-8674304746879919762014-11-05T10:02:00.002-05:002014-11-05T10:02:27.641-05:00Hey guys! I could use some helpI have a new book out from Harlequin Romance...THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS. Harlequin has been losing shelf space so it's not in many bookstores. I'm sort of counting on online sales and it's not doing so well.<br />
<br />
Could you share the cover on your Facebook page? Or tweet about it?<br />
<br />
Catch Susan Meier's new holiday read THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373743122/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1NVNG18EM3PH3VQHYGM8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0373743122/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1NVNG18EM3PH3VQHYGM8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-twelve-dates-of-christmas-susan-meier/1119564021?ean=9780373743124">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-twelve-dates-of-christmas-susan-meier/1119564021?ean=9780373743124</a><br />
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All help appreciated. :)<br />
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The weekly writer blog is below.<br />
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susanSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-60521757121077173722014-11-03T01:00:00.000-05:002014-11-03T01:00:21.872-05:00One trick today<span style="font-size: large;">The guys from DitDat told us at Ninc that posts don't have to be long. They have to be useful.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So here we go with something useful...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We've talked about the could/might/must and should list for jotting down potential scenes for your book and using the list when you storyboard. But what do you do when your idea is just a glimmer?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Do you have a system for "catching" ideas before they run away from you? You should.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To me, there are two ways to get an idea. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The first one is simple. You get a full-blown idea. "The hero and heroine must catch a killer but she's already been arrested for the crime and he's the DA prosecuting her." That's a full-blown idea. When you get one of these, scenes will pop into your head. You know the conflicts just from the one line.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The second one isn't so simple. It's an idea that you get piecemeal. You see a mom with twins and Walmart and you think, "Hmm...I'd like to write a murder mystery about a twin who frames her sister for murder." And from there you get bits and pieces of the idea. You see things that fit into the story, one piece at a time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Do you capture these the same way? (Do YOU even try to capture them at all? Some people don't. They assume their subconscious will work everything out and they end up losing a lot of good ideas that way.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Actually, you can capture both types of idea the same way. You create a form or system and put it in a notebook.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My "idea" page starts with "Gist of the story." That could be "Hero and heroine must catch a killer but she's already been arrested for the crime and she's the DA prosecuting her." Or "I'd like to write a murder mystery about a twin who frames her sister for murder." Though one's the full-blown idea and the other is just a thought, they are both the "gist" of a story.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Then I have a section called Conflicts. In the one case you could fill them in right away. In the other, the very fact that you have a section called conflicts reminds you that you have to ponder these, and as ideas pop into your head you fill in the conflict-related tidbits.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have space for characters and, as ideas come to me, I write them in. I sometimes write out my thought process. ie Should they be identical twins? Do you really want to write about another yellow-haired vixen? Is the hero tall, dark and handsome, or is his lack of physical perfection part of his sexiness? Or his conflict?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Setting is also a good category. For some story types setting is almost a character. But even if your setting is just background, you still have to know what it is. :)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Then I have the section for potential scenes. The could/might/must and should list.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I write these "categories" of story in sections that are about a page or two in a spiral notebook. I don't always have the notebook with me, but I have it with me lots of times. (Because I always carry a big purse.) I may also have more than one story in a notebook. (Because most of us have lots and lots of ideas.) If I do have more than one idea, I put a post-it where one idea ends and another begins. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I do like to talk to myself, so there are a lot of my arguments for and against hero types, settings, potential scenes on my pages...but I know shorthand so anyone who finds my notebook won't think I'm crazy...but also I can fit a lot of words on a page! LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you start a notebook like this, ONE notebook to capture ideas, when it comes time to write your next story, you will be surprised and pleased at how far you've already taken your idea(s).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Monday and Happy Reading...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">susan ... who is hoping that was short enough to please the guys at DitDat. :)</span>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-62977291185516504292014-10-27T08:29:00.002-04:002014-10-27T15:50:32.749-04:00Susan Meier's Sometimes Crazy, Sometimes Spot On Thoughts about the Ninc Conference<span style="font-size: large;">Long title...interesting post. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Ninc (Novelists Inc.) Conference is long and intense. People from the industry attend and for the most part they are the speakers during the day. At night, we have what we call night owl sessions. These are led by authors and frequently are roundtable discussions, not workshops. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There is so much great information at this conference that I take notebooks full of notes. But, invariably, I come away with two or three takeaway points that I can actually implement. So I don't have to type pages of notes to you. This might not even be a long blog. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So what did I learn from the CEO of Sourcebooks, Porter Anderson, Hugh Howey, a little contingent from Amazon, etc?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1. The industry is changing...No, duh, right? Well, this change runs deeper than the fact that authors can now self-publish. Because there are more ways to publish, an author (and if she has one, her publisher) needs to interpret the sales numbers differently. If you sell well in Walmart, for instance, you should be targeting Walmart readers and you or your publisher should make sure tons of your books go to Walmart. BUT...This also means certain types of advertising won't be effective. If you're an impulse buy at Walmart is an ad on an obscure blog site effective? Maybe not. (Okay...Probably not.) However, if the majority of your sales are esales to readers whose impulse takes place when they pick up their ereader or when they read your latest blog (or interview), then the same ads that won't work for that Walmart author will work for you.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But it goes beyond the simplistic. Seriously. Do Indies complain that they only have esales? No. They rejoice. If there's no print copy of their book, or if they have a Createspace book (Print on Demand) for their loyal print readers, they don't stress over what might actually only be a courtesy to their print readers. They focus on the numbers that count.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Which means...in the end...traditional publishers can no longer look at a "sales" number which lumps everything together, they need to break that number down and analyze it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Do they? Will they?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Who knows. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. We need to take a second look at our social media efforts. Readers hate buy my book, buy my book, buy my book...Oh, hell, I'm just going to say it...I HATE buy my book, buy my book, buy my book on Twitter and Facebook. Now, that's not to say, you can't have a post that says, Halleluiah, my book is out TODAY or next week or here's my new cover. What it is saying is that you shouldn't schedule a post every 15 minutes that says buy my book. I know. I know. The first post is going to get lost...but ... You do not want to turn readers off.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So...If we can't hawk our books...How should we be looking at social media?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">After going to a number of workshops given by publicists, publishers and the guys from Dit Dat, I analyzed my notes (You're shocked I know...) and saw a thread that basically says, your social media posts should tell people who YOU are. (For better or for worse, my beer Friday posts may have led many people to buy stock in the company that owns Michelob Ultra.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Readers (ultimately...eventually) are interested in your next book. (Thank God.) But when they see you on social media they are curious about YOU. Day-to-Day YOU. Hey, here I am in my PJs, eating peanut butter toast, about to start my novel.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">You hate that, right? You don't want to see "I'm eating peanut butter toast" from your author friends. You think that's stupid. Yeah, but you know your author friends. You LIVE the same experience. So it's not fascinating to you. But it is to readers.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And like it or not, readers hunt you down on social media for just this kind of tidbit. Not to hear buy my book, buy my book, buy my book.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So how do you sell books to them? With your sparkling personality? Some of you may be lucky enough to do that...LOL...but most of us just don't sparkle that brightly. LOL What we need to do is befriend them enough, or post enough, or post interestingly enough that eventually they go to our website, FIND EVEN MORE PERSONAL STUFF...and eventually go to our books page.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Whew. That sounds like a lot of work. Especially, for one reader.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Yes. But here's the deal. If your book is in Walmart. A small crowd doesn't gather around it, chat about you, say kind things about your last book, and then ultimately clear the shelf of your novel. No. One customer at a time walks up to the shelf. She looks at all the AUTHOR NAMES (Sorry, but contrary to what lots of traditional publishers think, I believe readers first look for author name.) Then she looks at covers and titles...almost simultaneously. ie The cover will attract, then the title will create curiosity...then she picks up the book and reads the back cover blurb...and, well, you know the rest.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My point, though, is that you are selling to one person at a time. You always have been.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So social media is the place where readers befriend you, get interested in or curious about you. From there they may jump to a book site and look at your books...but (according to the people I heard at Ninc) more than likely they will go to your website. Where they still want to know MORE about you, which means...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. The website isn't dead.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And, in fact, it can be your most effective tool. But, readers still don't want to read buy my book, buy my book. They want to see a bit more about YOU, your interests, your life. They want your grandmother's pie recipe. Or a free read. Or a public service announcement like...Support the American Cancer Society...because the very fact that you are kind enough to have a message like that says something about you...in lots of different ways. Maybe even that you knew someone who died from cancer and that's why you support the cause.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So what does all this mean? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, first off...interpret your numbers correctly and, secondly, YOU are the commodity readers want until they buy your book. And even after a reader buys your book and reads it, she wants to know a little sumpin' sumpin' about the person who wrote the book she loved. Why did you write it? How did you get interested in cowboys, space aliens, tycoons, serial killers?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's now a relationship. If you're lucky, it becomes a love match. <3 font=""><!--3--></3></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Now, do you have to tell them everything? The color of your undies? Your addiction to THE BLACKLIST? I say skip the undies and stick with things that can potentially connect you to your readers. A shared love of a TV show. A shared love of crocheting. Or even introducing them to something like the history of firehouses that potentially builds a hobby for them.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GET SO PERSONAL. You don't have to post pix of the grandkids if you don't want to. But that means you need to find other ways to connect with them. Because the key here is CONNECTION...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Oh, crap. It's almost 8:30 and I have to write. So I'm off for now. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But chew on all of that. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And Happy Monday</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">susan meier</span>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1444687581793432522.post-87052728175833201242014-10-20T03:00:00.000-04:002014-10-20T03:00:10.962-04:00On my way to Ninc<span style="font-size: large;">Ninc? What's Ninc?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Novelists Inc. The conference is in Tampa. I leave Wednesday. My capris are packed, along with my tank tops. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So what are we going to do at the Ninc Conference?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, first ,you should know that to become a member of Novelists Inc. you need to have published at least two books. (Sorry, I know the rules have been updated, but I'm not familiar with the requirements pertaining to self-published.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Because everyone in the group is multi-published, there are no workshops on "how to write." It's assumed we all know how to write. LOL Our workshops are on the industry.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">And what an industry it is lately. LOL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There are speakers from Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Audible, Sourcebooks, Writer's Digest, Create Space, Audio Book Creation Exchange, Draft2Digital...not to mention agents, editors, publicists and best-selling authors.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We are going to hear some great stuff...some very technical stuff. So I'll be taking notes...in shorthand. LOL Because there is a lot I don't know!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A friend and I were talking a few weeks ago about using raffle copter to handle our giveaways. We talked about the ins and outs of it and suddenly paused. My friend said, "OMG, who would have ever thought we'd need to know this technical stuff?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well, none of us. LOL But the truth is we do need to know it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So I'm away this week but I should have a doozy of a blog for you next week.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Happy Reading</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">susan meier</span>Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319652591847155422noreply@blogger.com0