Discover Your Writer's Identity

In a previous post, I talked about your writer's identity.

If you want to write, you must figure out your writer's identity. 

Exactly what is a writer's identity?

It's your authorial voice, the genre in which you choose to write, the ideas you express, the words you use, and your skill in conveying your story vision.

All of that plus you must possess the narrative skills that enable you to craft a well written piece of fiction.

Today, fiction of every genre is vibrant and exciting, with excellent characterization. Most of today's best writers work in genre fiction, not the so-called literary fiction.

How to Find Your Writer's Identity

Read widely so you'll discover the kind of stories you want to tell. Find a niche that allows you to tell those stories. That's writing on your own terms.

Write a lot—thousands and thousands of words. Simply write. One of my favorite literary authors Larry Brown and bestseller thriller author Dean Koontz both said virtually the same thing: "You must write X number of words before you'll ever write anything worth publishing."

No one knows what X is because it's different for every writer. Practice makes perfect or, at least, better, even when it comes to writing.

Takeaway Truth

Learn from the books you read. Learn from the writing you do. Get better with everything you write.

Do You Write for Today's World?

Do you write for today's world?

That may seem like a weird question, but think about it.

Have you read any books that seem dated either by the pacing, narrative techniques, language, or other elements?

Do you constantly bemoan the lack of quality in today's books?

We all live in today's world. We must write for the time in which we live. It doesn't matter if your writing is as exquisite as Bronte or Austen or any of the brilliant writers of yesteryear if the times in which you live don't support that style of writing.

If you want to be a professional writer, write for your peers. That doesn't mean to dumb it down, but it does mean to not be intellectually snobbish and disdain the common reader.

Most of those we revere today as renowned authors were considered genre—in other words, commercial—authors in their day.

Today's readers want well-plotted books. They want books that move. Never be guilty of being all flash and no substance, i.e., sparkling sentences that have no relation to the forward motion a novel should possess.

Takeaway Truth

Discover your identity as an author. You do that by writing. A lot.

The Keeper Shelf

Canadian author William Robertson Davies once said, "The great sin is to assume that something that has been read once has been read forever.”

If you have a "keeper shelf" either digitally or books on a real shelf, you know what he meant.

We have our favorites that we turn to again and again, and each time we discover something different in those well-read words.

The new Netflix production of Dune made me think about this. That book is my younger daughter's favorite. She reads it nearly every year since she first read it when she was fourteen.

For me, my keepers are a motley bunch with books from every genre. Here are a few of the books you'll find in my bookcases.

The Good Earth by Pearl Buck

Watchers and Lightning, both by Dean Koontz

A Rose In Winter and Shanna, both by Kathleen Woodiwiss

The Ninja by Eric Von Lustbader

O. Henry Short Stories

Lord of Always by Cynthia Wicklund

Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Open Season by Linda Howard

my 12th grade English Lit book

Dark Corners by Elaine Raco Chase

Jane Austen's books

Zane Grey's books

and SO many more.

The interesting things about rereading books is the older you get, the more your vision of that book changes. The words haven’t changed, but the experience you’ve incurred with every additional year changes you so what you get from the book will be different each time.

Takeaway Truth

I always think that reading a book again is like meeting an old friend after a long absence and being amazed at how your friend has changed.

Does Marketing Sell Books?

Authors are always perplexed about what sells books.

Back in the days when most of us were published by big companies, we never really had to worry about marketing to sell books.

We thought that was the publisher's job. They knew what was best.

Then we jumped on the indie publishing band wagon. At first, it was glorious. There was such a huge demand for ebooks from readers who embraced the new form of reading.

Of course, fast forward a few years, and there are millions of ebooks out there. How can an author draw readers to her books? That's the question that befuddles thousands of very good authors.

What Does Marketing Do?

First, what it doesn't do is sell products regardless of whether the product is widgets or books. 

If that's true, why do huge companies spend so much money on marketing and promotion?

So what can marketing and promotion do?

It can call attention to a product. In other words, if you pay for advertising, you're engaging in  marketing and promotion, and that means you’re buying exposure.

Exposure brings readers’ attention to your books. That may result in sales. At least, I hope it does because just about every author I know buys ads.

Best Practice

If you can afford it, spend money on advertising, but make sure you target the audience most receptive to your particular books.

Always think of exposure as the desired end result of your marketing and promotion. Remove "sell books" as your goal.

Takeaway Truth

Changing your mindset about the marketing issue should make you feel better.

Review: Counterpart

Darling Hubby and I watched Counterpart, an American science fiction television series starring J. K. Simmons.

Before I go further, I could actually make this a one-word reviews, that word being, "Wow!"

Created by Justin Marks, Counterpart was first broadcast on Starz, a premium cable network, on December 2017.

The TV series ran for 2 seasons with a total of 20 episodes. The last episode aired February 2019.

Amazon Prime picked the series up February 2020. I can't believe it took this long for me to find it.

Amazing series which is no surprise since it stars J. K. Simmons who is amazing in every role. I've been a fan of Mr. Simmons since his first appearance in the original Law and Order series.

Finding a series as intelligent and compelling as Counterpart is like finding a diamond in a pile of coal. The series is smart, unpredictable, and has unanticipated psychological twists and turns that keep you guessing.

The evil that some characters indulge in is chilling, the brainwashing is rampant, and the parallel world is puzzling but oddly familiar.

Here's a tip, pay close attention so you always know who is from what dimension.

If you're not an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can still watch Counterpart by purchasing episodes or the entire seasons from Amazon.

Takeaway Truth

Most interesting and intelligent series I've seen in a while.

How the Months Got Their Names

Today, you're recovering from all the Happy New Year hoopla yesterday. I'm sure you're smart enough not to be hungover, but you're probably tired.

Many of you are savoring a cup of good coffee and cruising the internet while you relax. After all, 2021 was as tough as 2020, the beginning of CoVidfor entertainment

Since we're in the first month of the new year,  here's something I found interesting. You may find it informative if only to add to your treasury of trivia knowledge.

How the Months Got Their Names

January was named for the Roman god Janus who was protector of gates and doorways. Janus is always shown with two faces—one looking into the Past and one looking into the Future.

February was named after the Roman Februalia which was a month-long festival of purification and atonement. The Latin word februa from which Februalia derives means to cleanse.

March was named for Mars, the Roman god of war. This month which brought spring was the time of year for war or military campaigns that had been interrupted by winter to resume.

April comes from the Latin word aperio which means to open or bud. This was the month when plants began to grow again.

May was named for Maia, the Roman goddess who ruled over plant growth, and for the Latin word, maiores, meaning elders, because this was the month elders were celebrated.

June was named for Juno, the Roman goddess who was the patroness of marriage and the well-being of all women, as well as deriving from the Latin word juvenis, which means young people.

July was named in honor of Julius Caesar (100 BC—44 BC), who in 46 BC with the assistance of Sosigenes, created the Julian calendar. His calendar was the precursor of the Gregorian calendar that we still use in today’s world.

August was named in honor of the first Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar (63 BC—AD 14)who was the grandnephew of Julius Caesar.

September comes from septem, the Latin word meaning seven. In the early Roman calendar, this month was the seventh month.

October comes from Octo, the Latin word for eight because in the early Roman calendar, this month was the eighth month.

November comes from novem, the Latin word for nine because this was the ninth month in the early Roman calendar.

December comes from decem, the Latin word for ten, because this was the tenth month of the early Roman calendar.

Takeaway Truth

I wish you a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year!

Looking for a New Year romance? Try Last Chance New Year, a sassy, sexy romance about a woman who takes a leap of faith and goes after the man she loves. Only 99¢ for a fun way to recover from yesterday's festivities.

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Takeaway Truth

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