The Novel Corner

A Welcome Reminder on Character Development

Anna Drake — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:29:12 +0000

My hat’s off today to author David Farland. A recent post of his reminded me that all stories are ultimately about the development of the main character over the course of the book. Not only must the main character be likeable, but that character must also have a flaw or a shortcoming which they struggle to correct in themselves. Farland describes it as answering the greatest question of who they are. .

In my book, Murderous Relations, I introduce Jessica Chase. She’s a mild-mannered little thing and fairly likeable from the beginning. But she lacks a spine. She doesn’t know how to seize life for herself. She has drifted along in a relationship she thought to be just fine which suddenly ends to her surprise. Then her aunt’s murdered, and Jessica finds herself a suspect, and she knows not what to do.

Now, make no mistake about it, Murderous Relations is a mystery. The solution to the murder stands on its own from the start. But it’s also the tale of Jessica finding her feet and discovering how to stand up for herself as well. It was welcome today, as I’m still wrestling with Murder at Troublesome Creek, to be reminded of the duality involved in all good stories, of the need to complete the tale involved in your plot, right along portraying the growth of your main character.

You may read Farland’s post here: http://www.davidfarland.net/writing_tips/?a=81

Getting to the Heart of It

Anna Drake — Sun, 20 May 2012 07:30:07 +0000

Yes! This second novel of mine, which has been so reluctant to shape itself up into anything resembling my first book, has finally found its true voice. Murder at Troublesome Creek now has a bit of the nonsense and the fun of the first book, which is only important if you like that kind of thing, which apparently a few of my readers do. (Bless your dear hearts.)

Anyway, this is more the way I think of branding–in that each book should mirror to some extent the tone of the book that went before it. And betwixt the two of us getting the next book to echo even in some small way the pattern of the first book is no easy thing.

So am I a bit premature in celebrating this alleged milestone here? Could be–since I’m still working in the first one-third of the novel,.But anyway, Diana Winters is coming to life, as is her mother-in-law, Clarice. And then there’s the killer, plus the potential love interest, who may or may not step forth from the pages to lure the heroine back into the world of happy-ever-aftering,. I’ll let you know when I’ve worked it all out and put the second novel up for sale.

In the meantime, how do you work? I know many people say to begin writing and to write until the book is finished. I can’t do that. I find myself writing and then rewriting until I feel I’ve gotten it right from the beginning. I think my doing so is a throwback to my journalism days. Get the lead right, they used to say, and the rest of the news story writes itself.

Many a night I drove home from a meeting or conflict of some sort composing leads in my head until I’d settle on the exact one I wanted. Then, back at the radio station or at the newspaper, depending upon which one I was working at then, the rest of the story, as they say, wrote itself. It’s a tough habit to break.

Anyway, happy reading and writing,

Anna Drake

Promoting, Relating, and Writing

Anna Drake — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:36:41 +0000

I recently read that the end of the aloof Author is here. It is now, they proclaimed, the era of the Writer, the one who relates to and interacts with readers. On some level, I know they’re on the money. So what are we reclusive writers to do?

Take promotion. I have a tough time promoting myself. And it amazes me, because for years as a journalist I promoted a lot of people and a lot of causes. But when it comes to putting my own best foot forward, I’d rather pull my skirt hem down until no one sees the thing. Apparently, there is something about the “I,” which I’m more comfortable writing about as the “they.”

Not that self promotion can’t be well done. I’ve seen it so done. I admire it most when it comes wrapped with a lot of other thoughts and points and background and not just yelling, “Hey, here I am.” When well done, the link to the book seems to follow as logically “as the day the night.” I admire the writer’s effort and mutter to myself, “Well done.” I need to study their examples more closely and perhaps learn a few tricks to use to help myself.

Then, there is social media in which you are to bond with people you’ve never met. Huh? I come from an age when as a freshman college student I was no longer addressed as Anna but rather as Miss Drake. (Wow, did that make me feel grown up.) Then, later, after returning to college to complete my degree, I discovered even the professors now were addressed by their first names. I’m still struggling to get over that shock.

Still, I’m not opposed to meeting new people. In fact, I’d love to have more followers on Twitter and friends on Facebook and people who feel free to post replies to me here.. And I was thrilled when someone who read my novel tracked down my Facebook Author’s Page and told me how much she had enjoyed my reading my mystery. That was heady stuff.

Then, there’s the question of time. In addition to writing, I keep both a flower and vegetable garden, belong to a card group or two, and enjoy occasionally visiting my children and grandchildren in their far-flung locations. Add to that the need to keep groceries in the house and prescriptions filled, and suddenly time to write becomes precious. And I’m retired. I can’t imagine how people who still work find time to promote themselves.

But I’ve been lucky. I don’t do much self promotion, but on one ebook outlet, at least, my little novel is selling at a rate quite good for me. So I’m lucky because even without spending a lot of time or effort on promotion, my little book is chugging along robustly on its own. And to all of you who have bought the little bugger. THANK YOU!

Welcome News on B&N Front for Me

Anna Drake — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:58:08 +0000

I couldn’t be more pleased than I am with the news that Microsoft is teaming up with Barnes and Noble. I am one of those rare authors whose sales at B&N far outstrip my sales at any other e-tailer. Some experts say the deal will ensure B&N will be able to compete successfully against outlets with deeper pockets (where I sell less well). Yes, yes, yes, I say.

You may read the article from Publisher’s Weekly here.

And It All Just Keeps on Changing

Anna Drake — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:30:15 +0000

In addition to being, in my small way, a mystery writer, I’m also a big-time mystery reader, so when I learned of the respect being given to self publishing by Lawrence Block, I was very pleased. I’ve read his books. I respect his work. And here he is saying that self publishing can be a savvy decision for writers. I hope you’ll enjoy his post as much as I did. Please check it out here.

Author Branding

Anna Drake — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:38:06 +0000

I’ve read a lot recently about author branding, and it has me thinking–and sweating. Murderous Relations has done well for me, selling a little under $700 worth since I put a price tag on the ebook in December. I understand that my take from the book could be considered insignificant by many. But it represents rather a lot to me.

But as so often happens in life, success brings with it dilemmas. My question becomes how do I match the success of my first book with my next book? From my limited knowledge of branding I understand that the second book must replicate to some extent the style and tone of the first novel. Plus, I would like in some way to signal a tie-in between the two books for the reader at the outset. To that extent I’m thinking about the second book’s cover and more specifically its title.

As readers of this blog know, my envisioned title for my second book was Murder at Troublesome Creek.Now I’m considering using Murderous Intent. I’m writing stand alone books. I can’t list the new book as the second in a series. So I thought perhaps the repetition of the word murderous in both titles along with the use of my author name might trigger a tie-in between the two books in the reader’s mind. But I don’t know. I’m charting a new course here.

So how do you handle branding in your books?

Good Advice for Self-publishing Authors

Anna Drake — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:58:23 +0000

Nearly everywhere I go I find writers asking each other how to sell their books. Recently, I came across an interview with self-publishing romance author, Ruth Ann Nordin. I found the article helpful, insightful, and encouraging. I hope you do, too. You may read it here.

Formatting per Guido Henkel

Anna Drake — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:18:50 +0000

I recently spent several weeks trying to turn out a properly formatted ebook to upload to KDP. That was after I saw how awful my first attempt looked when I punched the “Look Inside” button at Amazon. I was stunned. Some of my paragraphs were centered. Some were not. Some almost looked upside down and backwards. Of course, I’m exaggerating with that last statement but not by much. Anyway, long story short, I needed to put out a better effort at formatting than the one I had made.

Now KDP is not my only publishing platform. I’m also a Smashwords author who has made it into the firm’s Prime Catalog. One of the reasons I like Smashwords is because when I upload a properly formated MS Word document there, its lovely meatgrinder will convert it into a variety of formats before sending my ebook out to all those e-tailers. That’s helpful for someone who is as technically challenged as I am.

But obviously for Murderous Relations to look the way I wanted it with KDP I was going to have to bump up my game. Ugh.

That’s when I stumbled across the excellent formatting advice of Guido Henkel.Henkel’s adbvice is not only clear and easy to follow, but much of it is of the cut and paste variety, which is perfect for people who understand the technical world as little as I do. So without further ado, I’m pleased to introduce you to the formatting instructions of Guido Henkel.

Enjoy!

Free Write Friday; Cash in a Box

Anna Drake — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:39:48 +0000

Reblogged from Magic in the Backyard:

Happy Friday! Read the Introduction to Free Write Friday OR if you’re a frequent flier let’s get started!

Here is your prompt:

You are cleaning out your attic when you find an old dusty box you’ve never noticed before. You open it to find stacks of hundred dollar bills and a note that says, “Here’s your cut, see you in Mexico”.

Who Will Buy My Books?

Anna Drake — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:00:17 +0000

Lately, I’ve been trying to define the reader who I believe will enjoy my ebooks. I know that is rather presumptuous of me, considering I’ve not had many sales — yet.

Anyway, literally stealing a page from Emily Casey’s website (Emily’s link is listed in “Blogs I Follow”), I asked myself, “Who will like my ebooks?”

In a nutshell, I came up with the following answer:

First, you must be female.

(I base this opinion on reactions to a personal column I had to write for my local newspaper a lifetime-and-a-half.ago. During that experience, I decided my writing appealed by a very wide margin to women. I say that because nearly every man in the newsroom groaned aloud when reading my column. Conversely, countless women told me how much they loved my pieces. Ergo, it’s women, yes; men, no.}

So, with that in mind . . .

If you crave a puzzling whodunit . . .

If you like being unable to identify a clever killer until nearly the end of the book . . . .

If you demand an appealing heroine who wants to take action but isn’t quite sure how to do so . . .

If you enjoy reading about people in a rural setting . . .. . .

If you appreciate a wildly Romantic view of life . . .

And if you get off on a darn-good, thrilling story . . .

Then . . . you’ll like my ebooks.

And if you know anyone who fits the above description, please tell her about me and about my books.

Thank you.

Happy reading and writing,

Anna Drake