To Change Or Not To Change

In the past, I’ve stressed the importance of having a manuscript professionally edited before publishing it. In my opinion, that is the single-most important thing an author can do (and spend money on). Many a good story has been ruined because it was poorly edited. It doesn’t matter how well you can self-edit, you should never skip this step.

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It’s All In the Headline

Have you ever read a headline and thought: “I really need to read this article?” Or have you read a headline and said to yourself: “Self, it’d be a waste of time to read any farther?” Headlines can make or break a story. Like back cover blurbs on a book, a headline has to grab attention and elicit feelings of wanting to know more.

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Firsts and Lasts – Part Two

Two or three or fourteen weeks ago, I posted some opening and closing sentences from my manuscript entitled On Hallowed Ground. That book is the second in a series (the Grounded series) that has been professionally edited and is nearing its final phase of production before presentation to the world. Stay tuned for more info on that.

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A New Chapter and the Things I’ve Learned

Well, I finally did it; I started a new book. That’s right folks, after nearly 2 years, I’ve starting composing fresh characters in a fresh setting. I was beginning to wonder if this day would ever come again, but – whew – it’s here.

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Book Trailers — Yay or Nay?

So, I’ve finally bitten the proverbial bullet and hired an editor. I’m very excited about this process, although I sort of feel like a fish out of water with all of my seemingly stupid questions and need for clarification. Like anything else, it’ll get easier I’m sure.

And, I’m very excited to make some changes to an already strong manuscript. It just needs that last bit of umph and spit shining. Soon. Very soon, it’ll be ready to make its appearance into the world. (I hope anyway.)

But, enough about that. In my effort to bring this precious work into the world, I’m laying some groundwork to prepare it for a warm and welcoming reception. One of the things I’m thinking of doing, is building a book trailer. Well, not me, actually building it, but having one built for me. A one or two minute video clip of my story for those “visual” people.

Personally, I like book trailers – IF – they’re not too long or too cartoonish. Recently I’ve spent some time exploring the world of book trailers. I’ve found some fun ones, some very steamy ones, some stupid ones and some good ones. I like to see the author’s perception of their own books. That’s what I find intriquing about book trailers.

Here’s a particularly good one (in my opinion anyway), that made me laugh right out loud. I’ve decided to share it here because it’s very clever especially if you close your eyes and just listen. Oh. My. Goodness. What a different experience if you don’t watch. I dare you.

Enjoy!

Here was the blurb about that video: “A young, free-range chicken. A dominating, ravenous chef. A naughty tale of fowl play. If Fifty Shades of Grey left you hungry and lusting for more (more, more!), satisfy your culinary kink with Fifty Shades of Chicken, a titillating collection of tied-and-true recipes bound to make every meal a turn-on.”

Isn’t that fantastic? I wish I’d have thought of it.

So, here’s a question readers: What’s your opinion of book trailers? Do you enjoy them? Do you use them? Do you think I should have one ready to go when my book is ready to “be born?” Do you suddenly have a craving for chicken?

Word of the Day: Babacoote

Fun fact about me: I’ll never look at a chicken the same way again.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, February 2016. Photos courtesy Google Images. Video courtesy of “The Recipe Club” (YouTube)

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Have You Ever . . . ?

Photo courtesy Google Images

You know, when you write something, and then you finish writing it, and then you read it, and then you fix it, and it’s pretty darn good, so you send it to your critique partners, who point out all of the ugliness and you think, “this is crap,” so you change stuff and fix things until you just know it’s a masterpiece, so you send it back to your critique partners, who confirm that in fact your work is “better,” so you give it another once over before shooting it off to your beta readers, who point out some awkward sentences and misspelled words and stuff and then you think, “I suck,” but you put on your big girl panties and read it again, and then you think maybe they’re right, so you fix the weirdness and make some more changes, to the point where you’re really comfortable with this quintesential all American novel, so much so, that you enter it in some writing

Photo courtesy Google Images

contests and hold your breath for the feedback to arrive, and when it does your eyes bulge out of your head, your mouth drops open and steam explodes out of your ears, at which point you think, “who wrote this garbage and why did they think it was good enough to enter it into a contest,” but you stand determined to fix the piece of crap, because you’ve invested months in these strings of words and, after all, you are a writer and you will write, so you edit yet again and then, once more, for good measure, until you’re absolutely sure this is the most awesome thing anyone has ever read, but just to be sure, you beg your critique partners to read it one more time, and they tell you that it’s really good now, so you attach that brilliant prose to your sparkling query letter and e-mail it off to your dream agent, who in turn replies that they’re not interested in your story at this time, but that, as any author knows, all novels are subject to opinion and just because one person isn’t interested, doesn’t mean someone else won’t be, yadda, yadda, yadda, so you swallow half a bottle of tequila and

Photo courtesy Google Images

send the same, less-than-stellar manuscript off to the second most dreamy agent on your list only to receive the same boilerplate rejection letter, which is really just a lame ass, cop out way of saying you’re a loser and your work sucks, but thank you for playing our game, but you refuse to cry any more tears over their drivel and decide that maybe it’s time to bring out the big guns, so you hire a professional editor who sends back your work covered in red ink which justifies what you already knew but didn’t want to admit: “I’m a writer!”

Yeah – that’s where I’m at.

Writing is hard. The end.

Image courtesy Google Images

So, what’s going on in your world? Any positive advice for the bummed out writer? How do you stay positive when querying?

Word of the Day: Viridian

Fun fact about me: My favorite Disney movie is Mary Poppins.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, January 2016. Photos and images courtesy Google Images.

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