Authoring Onward

Nobody likes to be scammed, right?

Yet, there are sooooo many scams that target writers. Where there are people with dreams, there is someone looking to take advantage. From vanity presses that charge out the wazoo to folks imitating real agents (and hurting both authors and legitimate agents!) there are plenty of sharks in the water.

Luckily, there are also lifeguards. Richard C. White came on the show and talked about Writer Beware, the anti-scam committee of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and their efforts to expose the scams and educate writers about red flags. We talked about what do look out for in publishers, services, and more. Have a listen.

Learn more and get in touch with folks at Writer Beware:

Website: https://sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/

Blog: http://accrispin.blogspot.com

email: beware (at) sfwa.org

More about Richard:

Richard’s website

Richard C. White is the author of the “For a Few Gold Pieces More” collection of dark fantasy short stories being released by Musa Publishing.

Along with writing Fantasy and Science Fiction, Rich has been bitten by the “New Pulp” bug and has several stories coming out by Pro Se Productions in the near future. The first of his, “Notes in the Fog” has been released in the “Charles Boeckman Presents: Johnny Nickle” duology in May 2013.

He also is a media tie-in writer, having written for Star Trek, Doctor Who, and The Incredible Hulk. His novel, “Gauntlet Dark Legacy”, was the best-selling tie-in for his publisher in 2004.

Richard is also active in writing organizations, being a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers. Additionally, Richard serves on the Writer Beware committee for SFWA.

A former soldier, who was stationed with the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Richard also works as a Technical Writer/Analyst for a defense contractor when not working on his latest story.

P.S.: Grab my free course to break your writer’s block!

Hi, and welcome to a quick tips episode this week. I talk about the power of using writing streaks–i.e. writing every single day–as a motivating factor to get you more words and maintain a connection with your manuscript.

Streaks are also great for all kinds of habits. Laura Vanderkam, time management expert and author, talks about them in her books and multiple podcasts. If you’re a time management nerd like me, I recommend checking out her work.

I’d also love it if you’d respond to my listener survey! I’d like to learn a little more about who listens to this show, so I can tailor content to fit where you are in your writing careers.

(function(t,e,s,n){var o,a,c;t.SMCX=t.SMCX||[],e.getElementById(n)||(o=e.getElementsByTagName(s),a=o[o.length-1],c=e.createElement(s),c.type="text/javascript",c.async=!0,c.id=n,c.src="https://widget.surveymonkey.com/collect/website/js/tRaiETqnLgj758hTBazgd2pdtKt3Rrm7Tcs9vuQmc8ZBvrVGIqWHM873PAyJQ5pa.js",a.parentNode.insertBefore(c,a))})(window,document,"script","smcx-sdk"); Create your own user feedback survey

I’ll be back next week with another author interview, and we’ll be talking about how to avoid scams that target writers. Don’t miss it!

Don’t struggle with Writer’s Block! Get my free Break Your Writer’s Block Course.

Have you changed your writing process lately? Maybe you used to plot extensively and now you wing it a little more. Or vice versa.

I’ve changed my process in writing my latest novella. I dictated my first drafts for the longest time, but this time I’m typing on my laptop more. Maybe next time I’ll switch back. Maybe not. It’s working for now, so why not go with it?

The most important thing is to keep the words flowing, so go with the flow! Embrace the changes that happen naturally as you change and grow as a writer.

I reference the program Write or Die in this episode. No affiliation with this program. It’s just something I have used and found helpful.

Looking for ideas to shake up your process? Try my free Break Your Writer’s Block course. Shaking things up is a big part of busting blocks.

Hello again! I’m back from our socially distanced trip to my parents’ house and back to podcasting!

Today, I’ve got an interview with cozy mystery author S. C. Merritt, who writes stories set in a small Alabama town full of quirky characters. Her latest–full of movie stars, stills, and secrets–comes out tomorrow. Get Moonshine and Murder here!

I’ve also got something special to share with you all today, a free minicourse on breaking through your writer’s block. In three short lessons, learn some techniques to get you putting words on the page, even on the tough days.

Some of the resources I mentioned in the episode:

Both Reedsy and Draft2Digital offer free formatting tools for both ebook and print.

There are a lot of great online conferences nowadays. One upcoming conference that I know of (and will be speaker for) is the Virginia Writer’s Club Symposium on August 1-2.

About S.C.:

S.C. Merritt is a Cozy Mystery Author whose stories feature southern female sleuths, plots with a twist and a little sprinkle of romance. The Sweetwater Springs Southern Mystery Series is set in a small Alabama town full of quirky characters, delicious restaurants and lots of murder. Yummy recipes are included in each book!

When not writing, she is traveling, watching classic movies and tv shows or collecting flamingos.

She lives in Mississippi with her husband and miniature Schnauzer, Izzy and dreams of living in a tropical locale someday.

Find more from S.C. on her site.

Hello from the road! The Dowell family is taking a very careful, socially distanced trip to see my parents…and basically not leave their house the whole time we are there. Wish us luck! We have packed so, so, so many disinfecting wipes.

Today, we’ve got a repeat guest, children’s author Rinda Beach. This time, she’s talking about how she created her latest book, Lake Fun for You and Me, which is both a picture book with a story and a journal with prompts for kids to write and draw about their own lake experiences. If you’re writing a book with an interactive or journaling element, this is the episode for you!

Finally, as I recorded my intro and outro for this episode, I thought I’d be back next week with a regular episode, but as I coped with work and travel, I’ve had to reassess. So, I’ll be taking my first week off of podcasting since last year. Talk to you all again on July 8th!

About Rinda:

Rinda never planned to write. She was a second-grade teacher who read and told stories, until the night a bat paid her a visit. It inspired her to write. She learned how to edit, thanks to SCBWI, writing classes, and critique partners. Rinda substitute teaches to stay connected to today’s kids. She uses her knowledge and imagination to write stories for them. Her website features a weekly blog and book review for kids. She expanded her career to open a company, Beach Girl Press. Visit Rinda at www.rindabeach.com

The last couple weeks, I have been forced to watch Frozen and Frozen II more times than I can count.

I mean, they’re great movies, but couldn’t the kids pick something else to love for a while?

Anyway, as our family is stuck on a Frozen loop for a while, I took the opportunity to see what I could learn as a writer by analyzing the movies, specifically analyzing to see which sister fulfilled the protagonist role in each movie.

Yes, Anna gets more screentime in Frozen, but it’s not as clear cut as that. A protagonist or co-protagonist performs certain functions in a story.

So if you’re writing co-protagonists, if you’re trying to determine which character you want to be a protagonist in your story, or if you just love the Frozen movies, have a listen to today’s episode.

If you aren’t familiar with the plot and don’t mind spoilers, here’s IMDB’s synopses for Frozen and Frozen II.

And I’d also like to link to K.M. Weiland’s information on writing character arcs. Explore her website, podcast, and books for a wealth of information on character and story structure.

So, do you agree with my analysis? Why or why not? If you’ve got kids, what movie are they obsessing over this summer?

I know many of us writers are ambitious; we read everything and want to write in more than one genre. But how do you handle your career when you do that?

That’s the topic of today’s episode with Cassandra Morgan, who also writes under the name C.P. Morgan for reasons we discuss in the episode. We chat about pen names, email lists, writing books that could fit in multiple genres, and even more.

* Bonus info: We chat about WordPress Multisite in the episode. For those interested in this complicated, though powerful, setup, here’s some info: What is Multisite?

About Cassandra/C.P.:

When she’s not rescuing orphan kittens or voice acting for villainous purple mermaids, Cassandra can be found creating worlds of magic, suspense and friendship.

A lover of doughnuts and a self-proclaimed Coffee Connoisseur, Cassie hails from a family of writers, authors and journalists. Writing is literally in her German-English-Belgian blood (though we’re not sure which one to blame).

She lives in NW Ohio with her hubby, five fabulous felines, and any number of foster kittens.

Find out more at her sites:

Cassandra Morgan

C.P. Morgan

Hi, folks. In addition to this pre-planned episode on repositioning a book, I want to include some links to support black authors and their books. At this time, it is especially important to hear and uplift their voices.

As writers, it’s crucial that we do our part to support black voices, love one another, and create a world where we all get respect, no matter our color.

Black authors, thank you for your beautiful voices. I am listening.

Past episodes of Book Echoes featuring black authors covering many different subjects:

Episode 53: Diversity in Children’s Books with Tonya Duncan Ellis

Episode 54: Live Author Events with Tonya Duncan Ellis

Episode 38: Board Books, Tie-In Products, and ISBN Warnings with Treena Wetsel.

Episode 33: Diversity and Children’s Books with Dorena Williamson

Travel Writing for Kids with Angie Stubbs

Interview with Marti Dumas, Middle Grade Author

Some book lists featuring black authors:

(Far from exhaustive. I’ve focused on the genres I know well.)

African American Literature Book Club

Crime Writers of Color

The Brown Bookshelf (focus on children’s books)

Goodreads List of 2020 Science Fiction and Fantasy by African Americans

This week, Tonya Duncan Ellis is back on the show, this time to talk about doing live, in-person author events. It’s a topic she has loads of experience with. I think you’ll get a lot out of hearing her wisdom on this topic today.

Alas, sitting here in late May 2020, in-person events are cancelled for the foreseeable future,  but one day they will be running again. Now is the perfect time to start planning your event strategy for when these things do come back.

Today’s episode is full of great tips. Enjoy!

About Tonya:

 

 

Tonya Duncan Ellis has had her nose in a book since she learned to read, so it’s no surprise that she’d one day become a writer. She is author of the Amazon best selling Sophie Washington children’s book series, a former journalist, and a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Fluent in French, Tonya loves learning about other cultures and has traveled to 49 states and 20 countries. She lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and three children.

Find out more from Tonya at her website.

Hi, folks.

Today on the show, I chat again on the importance of diversity in fiction with prolific children’s author Tonya Duncan Ellis. We talk about the importance of children seeing diverse representations in their fiction as well as how we, as writers, can all uplift and promote diverse books and authors.

Tonya will be back next week, too, to chat about running live author events.

About Tonya:

 

 

 

 

Tonya Duncan Ellis has had her nose in a book since she learned to read, so it’s no surprise that she’d one day become a writer. She is author of the Amazon best selling Sophie Washington children’s book series, a former journalist, and a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Fluent in French, Tonya loves learning about other cultures and has traveled to 49 states and 20 countries. She lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and three children.

Find out more from Tonya at her website.

In the episode, we mentioned an illustrated infographic about representation in children’s literature. It really brings home the point in a way that merely looking at the numbers can’t. I found it online and here it is below.