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(July 2009 Article) “The
Balancing Act” By: Kelly Moran In
writing vs. real life, we are too often faced with the dilemma of finding the
time for our passion in writing and balancing that with our life outside of
writing. For those authors in large publishing houses, they are bogged down with
deadlines and rewrites. For the small presses and self-published, we are forced
to promote, write, and, well… In
today’s economy, even the larger houses and agents are more selective,
narrowing the field further to break in and are putting more on the writers to
promote themselves to sell books, as the money isn’t there for marketing as it
used to be. So
how to balance all this? Besides writing, I interview authors on my Blog weekly,
put out an average of four reviews a month for Bookpleasures, social media site,
write here monthly, chase my two-year-old twin boys, and work outside of the
home. In other words, I’m swamped. I’m
not Yoda or anything, but I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve that helped. First,
I set a schedule and stick to it as much as possible. The best way to do this is
to evaluate the demands in your life. For instance, if you work nights, set
aside thirty minutes in the mornings to check media sites, read a book, etc.
Then write for two hours. You get the picture. I have discovered how much more I
get done by knowing what I have to do and sticking to it. Second,
don’t get sucked into the social media sites and spend all your time there.
They are excellent tools to meet other writers and future readers, but be there
too often and you’ll disappear into a black void, never to be writing again. Third,
plan work and obligations accordingly. If you know you have a wedding coming up,
a family picnic, or the thirtieth reunion of the first alien abduction in your
neighborhood, be sure to schedule your writing schedule around these things, as
you know about them before hand. Lastly,
things come up. They do. Life is like that. So don’t beat yourself up and
berate your abilities as an author. Take it as it comes and get back on the
wagon. Most of all, even though those characters and plots rarely shut-up, never
put writing before family. Life is too precious. Happy
writing! Kelly
Moran
June 2009 Article “Just
the Facts, Mam” By:
Kelly Moran
I’ve been a book reviewer for quite some time now through Bookpleasures,
and I must say, without a doubt, there is nothing more irritating than when the
facts in a story are incorrect. This can come in many forms from setting, to
language, to professions.
Let me give you some examples. #1- You’re reading a book about
Hmm. Getting my point? Now these are rare and extremely silly examples,
but point proven.
Advice… get your stories
straight. Research your setting by interviewing people who live there. Search
everything from climate to traffic patterns. Research what your characters do
for a living by interviewing people in those fields. Find out what makes the
characters tick. Read psychology books and correlate their past with flaws in
the present. Read body language books. That is the key. Body language can say so
much more than any dialog and makes your characters real to the reader. This
should be done before you write your book.
When writing your book, let your creative juices flow, but when you get
to that dreaded editing and rewriting process, go over that baby with a fine
tooth comb. Trust me, the readers notice. I’ve even found them in bestsellers
books, so worry not you self-publishers, it happens. Sometimes I find it best to
let the manuscript sit for thirty days and then go back to it with a fresh eye.
I notice more that way and can add things that are lacking. I’ve said this
before, and I’ll say it again, get a critique partner. They are invaluable.
As always, best of luck to you. Kelly
Moran
May 2009 Article “Help!
My Imaginary Friends Won’t Shut-up!” By:
Kelly Moran
If you were to ask a writer how they knew they wanted to be a writer,
you’d most likely get a variety of responses. “I
read a lot.” “A school assignment.”
Yada, Yada. Want
a valid way to tell a writer from the general population? It’s the characters.
Yep. Simple as that. Often referring to ourselves as schizophrenic, we have
characters that are constantly talking, plotting, and editing inside our heads.
These characters are not, in fact, figments of our imagination, nor are they
just words on paper. They live, think, breathe- And are very, very real. We cry
when they die. Laugh when they do. Hate the antagonist with the same fervor.
Root for them to win. Fall in love all over again. And the majority of the time,
much to our delight and dismay, they never, never shut-up until they are heard. A
lot of new writers make the common mistake of thinking that because you know
your character so well, the reader audience does too. Not so. Be sure to make a
list of their physical characteristics, their personality traits, accents,
responses, likes, dislikes, and what’s in their heads. When appropriate, add
it to the dialog or plot. Don’t let that very authentic person to you become
one-dimensional to your reader. Make them realistic, genuine, flawed. Let them
tell the story, not you. It is, after all, about them. For
you family and friends of writers, or general book lovers, please be patient.
It’s not necessarily that we would rather type until our hands bleed, or stare
at the monitor instead of attending that lunch date, or slam that third pot of
coffee to crawling in bed. See, it’s because we have no choice. We need to
maintain and grasp that thin thread of sanity, or visit the coo-coo’s nest. On
a last note, the next time you find yourself walking down a busy street and pass
that stranger who is shouting to seemingly nothing, twitching uncontrollably, or
muttering sweet nothings into their own ear- Remember they are either a writer
who didn’t give in to the characters in their heads, or they are just the next
New York Times bestseller at work. Kelly
Moran
April 2009 Article “A
Matter For Review” By:
Kelly Moran As
most of you may know, I am an author. I am also a book reviewer for Bookpleasures,
a staff writer here for Poetic Monthly
Magazine, and I interview authors on my Blog at Blogger.
After doing these things, and after a bad experience, I thought that this may be
a good topic for this month’s article, (and hopefully to not bore you
senseless.) Let’s
start with my bad experience. (Drum roll.) Awhile back, a friend of mine from a
social media site alerted me to a negative review on Amazon
about one of my books. Intrigued, I went to check it out. It was, in fact, not a
negative review, but a slam on me. It was apparent that said reviewer had not
read the book and was interested only in slamming me. This probably wouldn’t
have bothered me, except said reviewer put words in my mouth that I did not say,
which was of concern. I contacted Amazon,
and they removed the review. This person then went about setting up a Blog to
ridicule me and further put inaccurate words in my mouth. After the support of
friends and family, I just let it go and said reviewer has been mute. What
did I learn from this? Never provoke crazy? Oh yeah, that too. But seriously,
don’t let it get you down. It has always been my opinion that when you put
yourself out there as an author to be reviewed, you have to be able to take the
positive and the negative. Not everyone is going to like your work. Simple as
that. And reviews are just opinions. Take the advice and criticism, and use it
to better the next book. Of course it was my reputation that concerned me at the
time, it dawned on me afterwards that no one would have taken it seriously
anyhow. Not to mention, negative reviews can have as much of an impact on sales
as positive ones. I
have reviewed small press, self-published, and large mass market authors alike,
positively and negatively, through Bookpleasures.
The bottom line, they all thanked me. That is my advice to you. Thank the
reviewer for their insight and time, and move on. In
interviewing authors on my Blog, I like to ask the question: How
do you handle the negative reviews you receive? I’ve gotten a variety of
responses from: “I don’t read them”
to “I cry”, and “I
take the advice” to “It’s
only opinion.” We are human. It hurts when a bad thing is uttered about
our precious pages. But remember, this too shall pass. Lastly,
here are some reviewers for you who like small press or self-published authors:
Bookpleasures, NovelTalk.com, Kasey’s View Reviews, Midwest Book Review,
Bookfetish, Authors on the Rise, Front Street Reviews, Reader
Views, Simply Romance Reviews, Fallen Angel Review, MyShelf.com,
Romance Readers Connection, RomanceReviewsMag.com, & Romance Reviews Today. Best
of luck to you! Kelly Moran
March 2009 Article “To
Social Media Site or Not To Social Media Site” By:
Kelly Moran In
today’s day and age of internet technology, with update your status, post a
bulletin, and you have a friend request pounded into your cranium, it begs the
question… To do it, or not? Does it really help sell a book? Can it make me a
better writer? Is it worth the invested time? Is it safe? And how do I handle
being interviewed if asked? Well,
folks, I can’t answer that. (Insert irritated grunt here.) Seriously. What
works for one, may not work for all. Social media sites don’t come in a
one-size-fits-all package. But, rest assured, if you know me at all, I’m going
to give you my vested opinion and what I found worked for me. First,
a little background on me. I am an author of several published books of fiction,
to which are mainly self-published, and I am in the dreaded process of agent
seeking. (Dum, dum, dum.) I am also an award-winner, a book reviewer for Bookpleasures
and interview authors on my Blog. I am networking on several social media sites
currently. Now,
here’s the break-down. (Got your notebook handy? Go ahead, I’ll wait.) I
find social media sites to be very helpful, especially in those instances for us
authors who are not on the best-seller lists. If you are self-published, from a
small press, or simply looking to become an author in the future, social media
sites can be very useful if done correctly. Correctly? you ask. Yes. There are
do’s and don’ts that apply here. Whether it be Myspace, Facebook, Twitter-
It matters not. It has also been known to help the big authors connect with
their readers. #1-
Your profile picture should be a professional looking one. It doesn’t need to
be a paid studio portrait, but you shouldn’t use the one from your
twenty-first birthday when you were about town in a drunken stupor singing I
Wanna Be An Airborne Ranger! #2-
It is okay to promote your work on sites. In saying that, I mean to post your
book photos in groups, to announce in bulletins or notes an up-coming release,
to make it your status update. It is NOT, let me repeat, is NOT okay to cram it
down ones throat. No one wants a pushy person on their friends list, and it
makes you come off as annoying. #3-
Always respond when someone contacts you. If you get a wall post, email, new
friend, etc- You should comment back. People like to be acknowledged and know
that they are not just a random number to you. #4-
Always be conscientious of what you say and do. Remember everyone on these sites
can see and react to what you do. You want them to like you and be interested in
your work. #5-
Keep your security settings high. You want people, if possible, to see your
profile, but not have access to your innermost secrets, (Like that bedwetting
episode from 3rd grade.) Hide your email address, don’t post the
year you were born, or your phone number. Common sense- right? I thought so. Even
if you are technologically inept, these sites can be pretty simple to use. Get
the hang of it before you go public. Make sure your profile is ready before
going forward, and that you are comfortable with the site. I found it most
helpful to check the sites once a day, or every other, for emails and posts. I
found readers that related to me and my work by following the rules above. Quite
possibly, some lasting friendships and writers groups, too. Lastly,
the interviews. Interviews are a great way to get yourself out there and gain a
larger target audience. If you are seeking to interview authors like I do, keep
the interview questions short and under ten. They are busy people, too. Be
professional and ask things that people would want to know. Deliver what you
promise. Promote the interview on the media outlets. And do not hound people to
interview. When being interviewed yourself, you want the reader to remember you.
Let me rephrase that… You want them to remember you in a good light. Be
professional. Thank them for their time. Don’t give one word answers, nor give
a page length repertoire on the meaning of page 5. Be yourself, it is what
you’re selling after all! Now,
onward soldiers to the great internet unknown. Best of luck! Kelly
Moran |