Here’s the list of posts I’ve drafted so far. If anyone can think of anything to add, please let me know. These are for new writers, either never been published or new to publishing. I am not going into marketing and book promotion. This is more about writing the story.
I will start posting these later this week, and I’ll post one a week.
1. Starting with an Idea
2. Picking your Genre
3. Backstory
3. Point of View
4. Characters are the Heart of the Story
5. Your Setting (aka World) – The Character is Always Key
6. If The Scene Doesn’t Add to the Story, Throw It Out
7. What if You Get Stuck
8. What to Do If You Don’t Know What Comes Next (this does piggyback off the one above)
9. There is No Perfect Time to Write so Write Today
10. What if You Never Finish a Story?
Ruth Ann Nordin's Author Blog 
I look forward to reading them.
Do you think I should post them on Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors? I’ve been debating it.
Maybe. It’s up to you. I usually know with the articles I plan to write if they’re made for Self-Pub Authors, but these are your articles, so you’re the best judge. And I trust your judgment.
I probably should. I assume the writers over there are already familiar with these things, but maybe there’s a new writer who reads the posts that I don’t know about.
There’s always that possibility, that’s true.
I love this list Ruth… this will be a big help to not only new writers… but others too! Can’t wait to read your posts 🙂 BTW I just wanted to let you know also, that the Podcast Interview that I was privileged to have with Joanna Penn is now up. Here’s the link: http://rawstorylife.com/009-interview-with-joanna-penn-how-to-live-a-great-story-as-a-authorpreneur/
How awesome! I’m going to check it out. 🙂
Honestly, I think a lot of seasoned writers could benefit from the posts, too. 🙂
I actually get scared at the thought of seasoned authors reading the posts. LOL I guess I figure they know more than I do. I’ve avoided writing these types of posts in the past because I feel inadequate, but when someone who hadn’t written anything yet asked, I was a lot more comfortable. One type of post I do not want to do is an editing one. Every time I see someone doing a post on editing, there’s usually someone who points out a mistake the person made in the post.
You ARE a seasoned author.
That’s too funny about people pointing out mistakes on editing posts. I saw something like that in comments on something the other day that was totally unrelated to writing. Someone had made a smart remark about someone’s spelling or grammatical errors in their comments, and they had made errors in their own comment., Which someone, of course, had to point out. So the whole discussion was about that instead of the real topic, which was whether or not women should nurse their babies in public. LOL
Oh LOL on what the actual discussion was supposed to be about.
It is funny, but it’s also sad. The whole intent of the post is missed by diving into topics that don’t matter. I’ve never cared if a post or comment has a typo in it. I figure people are typing fast, and as long as I know what they mean, I’m able to understand what they’re saying. I’m able to read a book without the “editor’s eyes”. I read fiction to enjoy myself and nonfiction to learn. I don’t read anything to pick it apart. I know some people say they can’t help it, and I feel sorry for them. If you can’t enjoy or learn something because of an error, you’re missing out on a lot of good things. I’ve heard of people who never finish writing a book because they go over and over it for fear of having a single error. I don’t want to live like that. I also don’t see any reason to pick on someone for an error. We’re all human. Humans make mistakes. I wish there was more grace and less criticism circulating through the world.
But yeah, I won’t do an editing post. My advice to new writers is to have people who know what they’re doing go over their stories before they publish it. By the way, I still need to get a picture of The Forge up on this blog. I’m going to make a note to do that on my calendar so when I format my next book on my Windows computer, I can save the image on my dipstick (aka flash drive) then upload it to this Mac.
I am so looking forward to your blogs. Thank you for taking the time for doing this.
God Bless!
I hope you find them useful. I have read your comment on the Facebook thread, and I plan to answer it over there tomorrow. You gave me a good idea for another post. 🙂
Awesome, I am glad I was able to help. 🙂
I think this is a great idea but you may need a seperate blog for it. What I would really be interested in is tips on putting books onto the various e readers. Things like programs for formatting and how to select a publisher or how to self publish and sell books on Kindle & Nook. would be extremely helpful.
To be honest, the last thing I want to do is start another blog. I already have four (one is private), and I can’t juggle anymore than that, so the posts are going to have to go here. These particular posts are for people who are thinking about writing a book or just got their feet wet. Since I’ve had a few people who already follow this blog ask me about how to start up a story from an idea, I think this is the best blog for these particular posts. I’m not going to do this all the time. I have about ten posts total, and I’m doing one a week. Once I’m done with this series, I’m done. This won’t be a common theme over here.
The kind of posts you’re talking about (which is far more in-depth) are issues I (and the other contributors) have already posted on. That particular blog is geared for writers who have more experience in this area, and we get down to the nitty gritty on formatting, marketing, publishing. Rami does a good job of breaking down the details of writing in some of his posts. Here’s the blog: http://selfpubauthors.com
Here’s the link for ebook formatting and print formatting: http://selfpubauthors.com/category/book-formatting/page/3/
What, specifically, do you want to know about self-publishing and traditional publishing? That is a broad topic, and we have many posts on those two things, but they are pieces of the larger puzzle. So if you could be more specific, it would help.
Markting is another broad range. In a nutshell, there is no magic bullet when it comes to selling a book. First book in a series free is one of the best tools to use, frequently getting new releases out there is also helpful, having a positive attitude helps, and making the book attractive and as polished as possible also works in your favor. Those are the overall basics from what I learned. How to use Amazon and B&N’s algorithms or keywords, etc to boost sales is something I haven’t figured out.
Thanks for the links. Your blogging about writing will be helpful. I have story ideas but have never actually completed anything so that is where I really need to start. I think for really learning how to self publish and sell ebooks a workshop is what would be most helpful. If you ever hear of anyone doing that maybe you could post the information on your blog. It amazes me that you write as many books as you do, maintain your blogs and still respond to everyone who sends you comments and questions.
Writer conferences are probably one of the greatest sources of self-publishing and traditional publishing information there is because you get to talk to (and listen to) people in the industry. Talking to editors and publishers have been the biggest benefit I’ve gotten from them since you’ll find out things from them that isn’t easy to find online. Plus, if you have your heart set on traditional publishing, you will have a much better chance of getting your foot in the door if you meet them. In addition to learning about the industry, you also build connections.
In regards to conferences, you can also get great insight into self-publishing. If you ever get a chance to go to a workshop by Mark Coker, definitely do it. I might have been publishing with Smashwords since 2009, but I learn something new when I go to his workshop at a conference. I just checked Smashwords and found a series of video workshops. I didn’t know it was there until just now. 🙂 Here’s the link. You can check whatever video interests you: https://www.smashwords.com/about/supportfaq#vids. If you can’t make the conferences, this will be the next best thing.
Now, there are times when traditional publishing makes sense. I have four books now with a small publisher. I wanted to diversify (in other words, not to have all my eggs in one basket with self-publishing everything). If you don’t want to handle the process of finding an editor, a book cover artist, a formatter, or publishing it yourself, a publisher is a huge plus in this area. If you are more of the “I want to do it myself” and don’t mind either doing the work yourself or hiring people to help with the process, then you might be better suited for self-publishing. It’s really about your comfort level. With a publisher you can have some control (like in the content of the book and a say in the cover), but with self-publishing, you have total control over the process.
Lorna Faith recently posted an interview with Joanna Penn about being an author and publishing trends. Joanna’s really good about seeing what’s coming in the future. file:///Users/ranalaska/Desktop/009%20Interview%20with%20Joanna%20Penn%20–%20How%20to%20Live%20a%20Great%20Story%20as%20a%20Authorpreneur.webarchive
I’ll stop there. I know this is a lot to take in when you’re new to it. It took me two years before I felt comfortable with what I was doing.
Thank you for all of the information.
I just found another source of workshops. These are similar to online classes. Dean Wesley Smith has been in traditional and self-publishing for three decades (I believe), so he knows what he’s talking about. He does charge for the workshops, but the instructor (not sure who you’ll get) will give you individual attention. http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/online-workshops/
He also wrote some articles for writers on his site. There are too many to even mention, but you can browse around his site to see if any of his posts interest it. There’s a lot of information. I typically read an article here and there as time permits.
I’m so excited you’re writing this series! I love it!
I’m an avid reader. I read a lot of different genres. I’ve even found some pre-published authors who’ve displayed their work in progress online. I can skim over the mistakes and still enjoy the story. I read so much, that I have two libraries from which I download ebooks. Of course, I have my stock of favorites I come back to time and time again.
Writing is something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I’m so looking forward to your posts.
Cheryl Rose.
Very awesome, Cheryl! I hope you give writing a try. 🙂 You have a head start with all the reading you’ve done.
I’m the same way. I go over mistakes whenever I read them, too. What I like most about reading other people’s books is that I don’t have to do the work of editing. 🙂