Entry for March 13, 2010
SPACE:THE LAST FRONTIER
Marketing space is considerable. If you follow the book stores marketing technique, you will find the space you might want to stake out.
The shelves are labeled with genre names, categories and authors. If you write non-fiction, your book might fit in the science category, like Astronomy.
Inspirational is a whole 'nother animal.
In every case of writing non-fiction you have to be able to clearly explain your subject. Experience, education and belief system as in Inspirational writing are a very important part.
Fiction I will get into more later, but
Sci-Fi is a very different fiction genre. I think cartoonists and movies of future life-styles or in the case of the story concept of
Battlestar Galactica have a prophetic quality to their 'vision'.
When I watched the original Buck Rogers movie in the theatre, I totally ignored the wire stretched out pulling the space ship across the stage. I never dreamed about space ships until I saw the movie.
(No, I am not answering questions about how old I was.)
You decide what market your story fits. You must research by becoming the reader. Read the types of books interesting to you.
After all the blood, sweat and tears put into your book, then you have the labor pains marketing your book.
Keep writing!
Sincerely,
The Editor
©2010
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Entry for March 12, 2010
SPACE: THE NEXT FRONTIER
Mysterious Unknown Space
I asked yesterday, "What do you want to know?"
Consider a mystery.
Do you want to be led clue by clue and have the main character solve the mystery? The Sherlock Tales are this kind of mystery.
Modern day Bruckheimer series like the CSI television programs show the crime and then CSI lead character with supporting actors show you the clues and then draw a conclusion.
The stories must cause the reader to reach into the unknown space for more information. Page turners. When you go to commercial in a television program, the set-up for the next clue must make you want to come back from the bathroom and reach into the space with your mind.
I have read a book in one day and into the morning because I couldn't wait to see who did it.
Again I say, "Read your manuscript outloud!"
If it is infinitely endless and goes nowhere, you must add the twist. Suspense.
Remember the classic movie where the whole audience says in unison, "Don't open that door!"
Create that moment in your story and readers will look you up.
Keep writing!
Sincerely,
The Editor
©2010
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Entry for March 11, 2010
SPACE: THE NEXT FRONTIER
White Space (continued)
Now consider the reader. You are writing to please your reader. It has been said that what you like to read is usually what you will like to write.
The reader's white space is the page of expectancy.
What base are you providing for your reader who will come back again to you writing? The mystery reader is building a base of readers that want to see the same style when they get your next book.
Genre is a French word that describes a story catagory.
Look it up in the dictionary, don't take my word for it. You do the homework necessary to provide you reader with the style they will come to expect in your writing.
Poets read other poets to get to know their favorites. Then they can follow that poet's style or generate their own, but it has to follow the rules. You can get it by reading other famous poets. Take a class or two on poetry wouldn't hurt either.
Or go to a
The Society of Urban Poets club meeting.
If you have a gut-feeling about a story, follow it. You feel the reader's yearning for the story. Reporters are out there looking for the next news lead. Earthquake stories are on top right now. Next week it will be something else, but the "nose for news" is sniffing for the new story.
What do your reader's want?
What you want?
You are creating stories for YOUR audience.
Fill the white space with good writing.
Keep writing!
Sincerely,
The Editor
©2010
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Entry for March 10, 2010
SPACE: THE NEXT FRONTIER
White Space
You may have heard of white noise, which is static received when the stereo is right alongside the correct dial position.
White space could be considered the blank page before you get tuned in to the right station; i.e., writing your specific story. Static could be note cards, sentence fragments written as a starter idea and thoughts you have about the story.
Sometimes it is better to write an outline, if it works for you. I find that just writing as far as I can go in the allotted time makes the story come together
faster.
I prefer to correct the misspelled words as I am writing.
Some words may be spelled correctly, but the word is out of context.
The word
processing program will not catch them in a spell check later.
Edit your story at the very end. It is best if you let it get "cold" for a few days.
Then when you get back to the story, read it out loud to yourself for clarity.
You will hear what goes through the reader's mind.
Make the white space into a story that catches the attention.
Keep writing!
Sincerely,
The Editor
©2010
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Entry for March 9, 2010
SPACE: THE NEXT FRONTIER
Writer's Space
Now I shall deal with the natural space.
The same type of organization goes on with the writer's space. You need an area pleasing to you.
It must not be so comfortable that all you want to do is kick back and relax.
The writer's space must be a work environment.
Games and entertainment are only for break time. Really, I have to get a break. Twelve hours in front of the computer on some days is not all work and no play.
It might not be a twelve hour day, if I didn't take breaks. But I do many related jobs on one day and
I have to clear my mind to start the new task.
Other days are devoted to creativity when I get on one project and use my imagination to design and innovate.
If you are writing in small time slots, sometimes a table and chair are sufficient to get the job done. Others may write on the commute.
You can produce a rough draft on the bus, but then you need a workspace completely free of interruptions to edit and tweek your manuscript.
Get off the cell phone. Leave it in the other room or turn it off. Your work / writing is important or it is not.
Work on the story in the folder. Compartmentalize. Keep a record of your efforts so you can find a bit of a story later. Most professional writers keep index cards and files with clippings to trigger their imagination for a new story.
Research is important. A file cabinet is not a luxury. Writing is nice, but professional novelists, even short story writers generate stacks of paper with their stories. Rough drafts printed out, the next draft, on and on until it must be sent out.
Supplies are vital. Sufficient paper stored in a dry, clean cabinet or box will be consumed quickly, if you are writing and sending out your work consistently.
A computer printer will use ink quickly. Make your printer use the draft setting. Your ink will go farther. Sometimes you might use the other side of the paper to print another copy. Just be sure to mark a big X on the wrong side.
Keep postage and envelopes handy. Nothing worse trying to make a deadline and the post office closed and the postage machine is out of stamps.
When you send out a query or stories be sure to keep a record of the contact.
It will help to you track your work.
Keep writing!
Sincerely,
The Editor
©2010
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Entry for March 8, 2010
Space: the Last Frontier
Writer's Space:
Usually we think of space in the natural realm. Space is also the ideas going on between the writers ears.
Yes, Virginia, writers do think before they write.
Ideas have to have room Too Gro. Too much going on in the brain tends to clutter the imagery and imagination for the writer.
Writer's space must be quiet and organized for that reason.
Space in the brain should be thought of the same as the computer memory. Organize your thoughts, keep them on track.
Close folders not in use. Do tell your brain what to think. Do not accept garbage in your storage bank. Someone putting you down for writing is an unacceptable entry in your personal computer, your brain. Keep it open for good information.
You tell your brain what you want to think and how you want to think it, when you want to think and write. Your brain will do what you tell it with the space you allow it to use.
Just like you might use index cards to outline your story, using the white space on the cards, your space will organize so you may access the ideas in an orderly manner.
Work on only one story at a time. Close the folder before you go to the next story idea.
Organize any work that you have to do in this manner and it will help you in all areas whether you are a parent or student.
Deal with your space. Remember all those web sites that use the name space in their titles.
One of the most important things to the individual human being is space.
Make it your best frontier. It will change the potential of you and your writing. You can't measure the potential of a writer.
Every time you learn something new, your success potential changes.
Keep writing!
Sincerely,
The Editor
©2010
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More to come!
