Tag: book series

Posted in authors, book editor, Books, indie authors, publishers, self-editing, writing

Character Traits Based On Their Zodiac Sign

Posted on by There for You Editing

Everyone talks about how their zodiac sign “makes” them. For instance, I’m a Taurus and always tell people that’s why I’m so stubborn. I’ve created a short description of each sign for you to use. Perhaps your next MC will be a stubborn editor!

•Aries loves to be number one, so it’s no surprise that these audacious rams are the first sign of the zodiac. Bold and ambitious, Aries dives headfirst into even the most challenging situations.

•Taurus is an earth sign represented by the bull. Like their celestial spirit animal, Taureans enjoy relaxing in serene, bucolic environments, surrounded by soft sounds, soothing aromas, and succulent flavors.

•Have you ever been so busy that you wished you could clone yourself just to get everything done? That’s the Gemini experience in a nutshell. Appropriately symbolized by the celestial twins, this air sign was interested in so many pursuits that it had to double itself.

•Cancer is a cardinal water sign. Represented by the crab, this oceanic crustacean seamlessly weaves between the sea and shore, representing Cancer’s ability to exist in both emotional and material realms. Cancers are highly intuitive, and their psychic abilities manifest in tangible spaces: For instance, Cancers can effortlessly pick up the energies of a room.

•Roll out the red carpet, because Leo has arrived. Leo is represented by the lion, and these spirited fire signs are the kings and queens of the celestial jungle. They’re delighted to embrace their royal status: Vivacious, theatrical, and passionate, Leos love to bask in the spotlight and celebrate themselves.

•Virgo is an earth sign historically represented by the goddess of wheat and agriculture, an association that speaks to Virgo’s deep-rooted presence in the material world. Virgos are logical, practical, and systematic in their approach to life. This earth sign is a perfectionist at heart and isn’t afraid to improve skills through diligent and consistent practice.

•Libra is an air sign represented by the scales (interestingly, the only inanimate object of the zodiac), an association that reflects Libra’s fixation on balance and harmony. Libra is obsessed with symmetry and strives to create equilibrium in all areas of life.

•Scorpio is one of the most misunderstood signs of the zodiac. Because of its incredible passion and power, Scorpio is often mistaken for a fire sign. In fact, Scorpio is a water sign that derives its strength from the psychic, emotional realm.

•Represented by the archer, Sagittarians are always on a quest for knowledge. The last fire sign of the zodiac, Sagittarius launches its many pursuits like blazing arrows, chasing after geographical, intellectual, and spiritual adventures.

•The last earth sign of the zodiac, Capricorn is represented by the sea goat, a mythological creature with the body of a goat and tail of a fish. Accordingly, Capricorns are skilled at navigating both the material and emotional realms.

Posted in authors, book editor, Books, indie authors, publishers, self-editing, writing

Character Actions: The Building Blocks for Emotional Complexity

Posted on by There for You Editing

Every action has a purpose

1. To create suspense

Otis did not back down. He stepped forward, a twig cracking under his shoe. A cricket chirped. He aimed the gun at Nicolas. Sweat trickled down Otis’s forehead, burning his eyes. Otis clicked the trigger.

Previously, this paragraph began with the sentence, “Otis clicked the trigger.” None of the sentences building up to this moment were there, and with no buildup, there’s no suspense.

2. To emphasize a point made in dialogue

Ed lunged at Otis, snatching the gun from his hand.

“Gotcha!” he said, mirthfully waving the gun. “Now we have knives and a gun. And we’re bigger.” He flexed his bicep. “Guess who’s gonna win.”

Although flexing is a pretty obvious display of someone’s strength and size, the action highlights Ed’s obnoxiousness and leads readers to dislike him even more.

3. To add tension between a character’s words and emotions

“Not even how you used to spend your Friday nights?” The hint of a smile formed in the corners of Mrs. Thompkin’s lips.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shelly said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Although Shelly claims innocence, her nervous gesture implies that she’s hiding something.

Picture the scene as a movie in your mind

When you’re writing a scene, you’re painting a picture for the reader. Before you can accomplish this, though, the picture must be clear in your own mind.

Imagine each scene playing out in your head. Visualize the setting. Where would the character be standing right now? Where is he in relation to the other characters? Are they crammed together in a tiny room, or are they scattered about in an auditorium?

Thinking about scenes in these terms help to simplify the process of creating more believable characters and situations.

Revealing a character’s emotions through action need not be viewed as some mystical process but can be as simple as checking items off a list:

•What are others’ perceptions of this character?

•What is the character thinking and feeling?

•How is the character interacting with his/her space?

•What is the character physically doing (or not doing) at this moment?

•How are others reacting to this character’s words and behavior?

•How is the character trying to hide his/her emotions?

Conclusion

“Show don’t tell” is a rule we’ve all heard a million times and grasp intuitively, but it can be hard to pull off, especially in longer works where we’re juggling plot, dialogue, etc.

Luckily, just as the five senses can be utilized to create more dynamic descriptions, character actions are the building blocks for richer characters with complex emotions. Although the process of developing these characters is a straightforward one, the end result will be organic characters that stay with the reader long after the story is over.

Reblogged from: here

Posted in book editor

4 Tips to Balance Writing and Social Media

Posted on by There for You Editing

A couple of weeks ago, I did a post on Why Writers Should Spend Time Offline. That post spoke more generally to the importance of unplugging, but this post focuses more on day-to-day writing/social media balance.  There’s also a little bit of a story behind my motivation for both of these posts.

Regardless of where you are in your writing journey, there’s a lot of emphasis on building an author platform these days. You may have even heard that it’s never too soon to start. That’s something I would agree with. Followers will absolutely help you out when it comes to selling or promoting a book, so the sooner you start building your account, the better off you are. But, if you’re not careful, it can be really easy to let that social media eat up a lot of your writing time and energy. This is something I know all too well.

A few months ago, I realized I was spending way too much time online. Checking my phone and social media accounts had become a compulsion. I also found it was getting in the way of my writing and my life. I knew I needed to do something to right the ship. It turned out that when I focused solely on managing my time on social media, my overall internet time cut down across the board. I didn’t want to ditch social media entirely–there’s a lot I like about it–but I did want it to take less time and be less of a distraction. If you find yourself spending more time on social media than you’d like, here are four tips that really helped me cut back without disappearing entirely.

1) Only check in at specific times each day

This was one of my first techniques. I had gotten into the habit of jumping on Twitter and scrolling anytime I had a free minute. Then I’d inevitably find myself following a thread of tweets, doing more research on something I’ve read, or contemplating a response to a mention. I also found myself mindlessly and taking “quick breaks” from writing or work just to see what was happening. So one of the first things I did was limit the time I went on social media. I picked three times a day–once in the morning, afternoon, and night to check-in online. Each check-in was no longer than fifteen minutes long.

2) Limit the devices you’re logged into

Of course, limiting your social media check-ins is a good plan, but it can take some serious self-control. After all, you’re breaking a habit here. I caught myself mindlessly opening Twitter on my browser on several occasions. What helped was to limit the places I was logged into. I work on my computer a lot, so being logged into the social media on there made it way too easy to get distracted and sucked back in. So for me, my phone made the most sense. Now when I use social media, it’s almost exclusively from my phone.

And if you’re thinking, “Well, Meghan, that sounds great, but what’s to keep me from constantly checking my phone?” Here’s tip 2a). Before I started cutting back, I checked social media on my phone so much that I often burned through my battery by the end of each day–sometimes sooner. Perhaps you’ve been there? To keep my phone time and social media time-limited, I found it really helpful to play a game with myself to see how long I could make my battery last. For whatever reason, that really helped me stay off my phone and cut down on social media time in the process. I went from charging my phone at least once a day to only every three days.

3) Only log on when you’re posting something

After a few weeks, I had gotten pretty good at my three times a day check-ins and I was ready to take it to the next level. I decided I would definitely check-in once a day to see what’s going on (like I said, I do like social media), but aside from that, I only log on when I have something to post. This was when the habit really broke for me. Now from time to time, I actually forget my once a day check-in.

4) Make your posts purposeful

When it came to posting, I found I spent way too much time thinking of and writing posts. I posted more frequently then than I do now, but I was also sporadic. Some weeks I’d post three times a day and then nothing for a stretch. Once I decided I wanted my accounts to have more of a theme (which is writing), it got a lot easier to post on a fairly regular schedule. That’s not to say that I don’t share other stuff. I do–but I try to focus my regular content on my theme. This has given me a focus and has made it easier to come up with posts.

I also try to plan and write a lot of these theme posts ahead of time, which means I don’t have to constantly remember to write and post. Later app has made doing this on Instagram really easy. Once you have a (free) account you can log in on your computer, type your Instagram posts out, save them, and schedule notifications to be sent to your phone so you don’t forget to post. I used to tap out my really long #WritingWednesday posts in the app, one letter at a time. I love writing those posts, but it took forever! And sometimes my post would be too long and Instagram wouldn’t post it the caption which would make me very sad!

Finding this app has made me so much more efficient and saved me a lot of time. I don’t post nearly as much as I did in the past, but I’m much more consistent, which has helped be maintain a good balance.

Re-blogged from A Well Told Story