"As Long As You're Dreaming . . ."

While you're dreaming of getting published and holding that beautiful book with your name printed on the front cover, think about what all that means. I think some people believe all they have to do is write the book and then sit behind a table once in a while and sign a few autographs. They couldn't be more wrong.

As the release date for my book, The Keeper of the Crystor, gets closer, I've been giving a lot of thought to the marketing plan and what kind of image I want to portray to my readers. After attending a book launch party hosted by my publisher this weekend, I realize that there is a lot to selling a book. Not only do you have to be available for those book signings, but you also need to be willing to speak in public, make presentations to schools or universities (depending on your genre) and even teach your craft at writer's conferences.

There's also a lot of traveling involved. Unless you have someone who can afford to fly along with you, this could be a very lonely job. You think sitting behind a computer all day is lonely, try three weeks going from one city to another, living in dumpy hotel rooms and flying with a plane full of strangers. Sounding more glamorous by the moment, isn't it.

My point is this--plan for it. While you're waiting to hear back from that agent or editor, think things through. What will my platform be? Can I really get up in front of people and sell myself and my book? Is there someone who can tag along to make the trip easier and more exciting? What can I do now to make my book sell better? Set up a blog or website? Facebook or Twitter? How can I sell my book before it is even accepted for publication?

Thinking these things through and getting started now will put you ahead of the game. When that agent comes to you and asks, what do you have to offer, you'll be ready. When you give that pitch at the next writer's conference and the editor pops up with a wild question about marketing, you'll stand out in the crowd as being prepared and confident.

So, tell me. What will you do? Do you have a unique twist to your marketing plan? Is there something about you that is different enough to stand out in the crowd? And last but not least, what will you tell people about yourself?

Tension on Sesame Street

This week marks the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. I remember watching it as a kid. I loved Bert & Ernie, I had a coat with oscar's face on the back of the hood, I was a Sesame Street girl! But when I heard about this anniversary, the first thing I thought of was the storyline between Big Bird and Snuffy. Back in my day, everyone on Sesame Street thought Snuffy was Big Bird's imaginary friend because none of them had seen him.

I remember watching as Big Bird would insist he was real, but the people would just patronize him and begin talking to thin air to appease him. I was a witness that Snuffy existed. I would watch as him and Big Bird talked and then Snuffy always disappeared when someone was just about to see him. "Turn around, Gordon, he's right there! There's Snuffy!" I would shout at the screen to no avail. Big Bird would get sad, and I would tell him it's ok, cuz I believed him. That storyline had me glued to the T.V. It's only after all these years that I realize why. It's because of the awesome tension that existed. Everyday Snuffy would get so close to being seen, I knew it was going to happen eventually, and by golly I was going to be there watching when it happened.

Now think of the books we read and our different reactions to them. Have you ever read a book where you thought, "I already know what's going to happen, this is dumb"? Then have you read another book where you still know what's going to happen but you can't wait to see it unfold, in fact your are glued to the storyline? So what's the difference? It's the tension. Every story needs it. The tension is directly related to the characters and the plot. I guess you would say it's what ties the two together. You need a plot that produces tension and you need characters that create emotions for the readers that cause them to react to the tension.

Tension is an emotion, therefore we need to play to emotions when we write tension. So many books try to up the tension by adding action, or disasters, but those alone do not produce the type of tension you need to hook an audience. The action or plot is important but only by how it directly affects the characters. 1) by creating characters that the readers relate to and can understand 2) you have to let the reader in on the character's emotions and 3) the character's reaction to the problem has to be born from emotion, which means it's not usually the logical answer. As long as the reader understands the character's reasonings for their actions, the tension will increase.

So next time someone asks you where you learned how to write such great tension in your stories, you can say you learned it on Sesame Street.

The chicken or the egg

There is a much debated question in the world of writing (well, perhaps not "much debated" but at least discussed) and that is: Does reading begat writers or do writers just love to read? In other words, are we writers because we have spent our lives reading, thus informally studying the art of stringing words together and growing to love the art. Or, do we love to read because we love the written language, connect with it and have always had a writer mind inside of us?

What are your thoughts? What came first for you? The love of the written word or the love of transferring thoughts to paper?

For me it was reading. I've loved to read as long as I can remember. And even though I'm writing now, I feel like reading is still just as important to me. I try to read a book a week. It stimulates my creativity and helps me refine my writing skills.

Uh Oh, There's a Monster inside Me!

This is going to be a rather informal post because of NaNoWriMo. I've been doing a lot of thinking about the post and have spoken with many of my close writer friends and we all have agreed on the same thing.

When we are so focused on writing and expect to get some in and find that we can't because of spontaneous events such as the needs of our children (even if they are regularly scheduled like making dinner) or maybe other things that are out of our control, it is that the beast of impatience, frustration and quick to anger, erupts.

I know this happens to me for sure. I feel awful when I do that because my family needs me and I let my writing take precedence over them at times and it causes problems--especially when I put my writing first. It is so hard to put it aside since I love it so much and yes, I guess I am addicted to it!

The Lord counsels all things in moderation. And we can't serve two gods. Ahem. (I'm hiding my head here!) I have pondered the importance of controlling my worldly passions (writing, writing and writing!) and the only thing I can come up with is to put a tight leash on the times when I write.

I've made it a point to keep to writing when my kids are at school and or when they are all in bed. I have to force myself to resist the temptation go past a decent hour as well. All this is done through the Lord's help of prayer and scripture reading.

I hope that I don't fall into that trap of writing over family or over the important things again (the Lord, church, friends). I don't want it to overwhelm my life and have me forget what life is really about!

I'd like to leave you with this neat verse of scripture that isn't exactly related to the topic above, but oh so fitworthy of writing--if you keep in mind your critiquing group as both receiver and contributor.

It is found in Mormon 9: 31

"Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been."

NaNo Writing

Since I've been dreadfully sick for over a week now, I'm not sure anything I write will even be understandable. My head is cloudy. So I'm going to use my post as a shout out of encouragement to everyone who is participating in NaNo this year.

If you haven't started yet, it's not too late!

And, if you are participating in NaNo, why are you reading this blog? C'mon! Write, writers, write!

Exciting News!

Finally! After 9 miscarriages... our family has had its wish come true!

The newest member of the James Gang shall be born in the spring next year!

And to all of those who have missed us--well we're back. Officially this week. We have our own house. Our own computer. And most importantly our own internet! YAY!

I've missed you all! Thank you for your patience and your wonderful posts! You girls ROCK!

Now may we all embrace the power of prayer--and the amazing blessings you can receive through the Lord! Love you! Jenni

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo - The name alone makes me want to run from the house screaming, "I can do it!" For those who have no idea what this unusual combination of letters means, it stands for, National Novel Writing Month. It is a challenge for all writers to write at least 50,000 words of a novel within the 30 days of November. If you don't write on Sunday, this comes out to approximately 2500 words a day. Breaking it down a little further, at 250 words a page, that's 10 pages, double spaced a day.

Are you up for the challenge? Can you do it? Why not give it shot?

I've decided, along with many of my writing buddies, to accept this challenge and work on my romance novel, Forever In My Heart. Come join us by signing up at the website listed above. Make sure you look me up and list me on your buddy list, then let me know so I can add you to mine. That way we can cheer each other on. My user name is "CKBryant". Hope to see you there.

By the way, have a Happy Halloween!

World Building

I am still processing all the wonderful information from the online writer's conference that I went to. One of the classes I took was on world building by Christine Amsden. She highly recommends "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Orson Scott Card. One thing she had us do is interrogate our idea. Here's my interrogation of my middle-grade fantasy story:


My idea is a Dream World

Q: What does it look like?
A: A reflection of earth during the Dark Ages complete with castles, etc.
Q: What is different about it?
A: There are portals throughout the world that lead to people's dreams.
Q: What makes it special?
A: It serves as a battleground between good and evil.
Q: Can you expand on that?
A: Valuce knights fight to keep Tumbre knights from taking over the waking world one dream at a time.
Q: Is that the best you can do?
A: There is one portal that Tumbre hopes to find to release nightmares into the waking world.
Q: Is that the best you can do?
A: One girl holds the secret to the portal and she doesn't know it.



I have been working on this book for almost 2 years now and I still learned something about my world by doing this exercise. It was great!! You should all try this exercise. Alot of you are writing fantasy, I know you are! So ask yourself 3 Questions about your idea and answer them in the comments sections. For those that aren't writing fantasy or sci fi, ask questions about your plot or idea concept. I think you will be amazed at what you find out!

Writing Priority

From the LDS Storymakers: Writing Secrets, A Comprehensive Guide to Writing Fiction & Nonfiction in the LDS Market, page 121, and with Tristi Pinkston's permission, I have copied a fun test for you to take.



"Think about this: no matter how busy your day gets, you make time to go to the bathroom, right?

"But I can't help it!" I hear you say. "I have to go to the bathroom!"

Yes, exactly my point; and serious writers have to write.

. . .

1. Would you get more satisfaction out of writing four pages of the story that's been running around in your head for months, or watching television?

2. Are you able to ignore the telephone when it rings while you're busy with something that's important to you? (Like writing?)

3. If you had planned an afternoon of writing, and you got a phone call in the morning asking you to come to the school and help with an activity, would you be able to say, "No, I'm sorry, I'll be working"?

4. Would you rather write than browse through a magazine?

5. Do you carry on long phone conversations? Would you be willing to cut your phone time if it meant finding time to write?

6. Have you ever gotten so caught up in writing that you forget to eat?

7. Would you rather write than watch a video/DVD?

8. Do you carry paper with you wherever you go? (Okay, we'll draw the line at taking it into the swimming pool when you swim your laps.)

9. Are you willing to invest time to learn how to organize your things (this means getting id of whatever you don't need)?

10. Can you identify necessary tasks that you could do more efficiently? (For example, instead of cutting up a chicken and frying a few pieces at a time, couldn't you just toss the whole darn bird onto a pan and back it? It's healthier for you, too.)

11. Are you willing to insist that your family or those you live with share household, hard, and car maintenance responsibilities?

12. Do you take showers or baths for a longer time than it actually takes you to get clean?

13. If you computer is down, do you tell yourself there's no way you can write?

14. Do you regularly go window shopping or brows your way through the mall?

15. Do you find yourself running to the store several times a week for things you forgot?

16. If you're the first to wake up, of your own accord (crying babies and alarm clocks don't count), would you rather get up and write in the quiet moments before anyone else wakes up, or would your rather give in to the alluring Mattress Monster for a few more moments of unconsciousness?

Okay, now tally up your answers. Give yourself one point for every "yes" you answered on the first 11 questions, one point for every "no" from 12-15. (I'll give you 16 for free.)

If you have 10-15 points, you're a writer, and your goals are well within reach. Just validate your writer status.

If you have 5-10 points, you have potential. You need to look at the places that are stealing your time and see if you're willing to do some rearranging.

If you have fewer than 5 points, well, then writing may just stay a pleasant daydream, unless you really want to shift gears and rev up your writing engine.

. . ."

The First Five Pages, by Noah Lukeman

"The ultimate message of this book, though, is not that you should strive for publication, but that you should become devoted to the craft of writing, for its own sake. Ask yourself what you would do if you knew you would never be published. Would you still write? If you are truly writing for the art of it, the answer will be yes. And then, every word is a victory."-- Noah Lukeman, The First Five Pages.

In memorium of the book, consumer reviewer RLoughran says, "I believe that superior writing will, eventually, be recognized and published. Agonizing over publishers or agents or sales of books you have in print is hell; real writers are in it for the writing. The First Five Pages reminded me that if I control what I can--working at writing a superior book--I have a chance at publication."

Isn't this message inspiring? I have not read this book yet, but I have attended a class that was based around some of its principles, and I have heard many good things about it. Noah Lukeman is a literary agent in NY and he says the outstanding quality of your book must be apparent in the first five pages. Sounds like a great read... I can't wait!

I'm going to quote it again, just because I love it so much:

"ASK YOURSELF WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF YOU KNEW YOU WOULD NEVER BE PUBLISHED. WOULD YOU STILL WRITE? IF YOU ARE TRULY WRITING FOR THE ART OF IT, THE ANSWER WILL BE YES. AND THEN, EVERY WORD IS A VICTORY."