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Four Tips for Naming Your Novel

Who knew naming your novel could be so difficult? Turns out, it can be harder than writing the darned thing. When I began writing, I thought the first title that came to mind would do. I’ve since learned that my idea of a book name that will attract readers is not necessarily the same as my readers’ idea – and they are the people who count! Here are four things to keep in mind when naming your novel.

  • Be Humble.

Admit it, you may not be the best person to name your book. Seek help. Bryan Cohen, an author, podcaster, and coach, offers a course to help writers learn the art of copywriting. Cohen advises brainstorming fifteen ideas for your title, putting them into a poll, and sending the poll to some of your readers. Note, he doesn’t advise sending to your writer friends! I recently took his advice and was surprised to find that none of my favorites resonated with my readers. So, do as I did. Swallow your pride and ask.

  • Be Distinctive.

Jacob M. Appel of Writer’s Digest says, “strong titles are distinctive, but not distracting.” So, how do we come up with distinctive titles? First, we understand that coming up with the title needs our time and attention. Don’t think you can stick any old title on the cover. Use your creative juices here. According to Dictionary.com, Distinctive is defined as having a special quality, style, attractiveness, etc.; notable.  Use unique words that readers will remember. Don’t be a copycat. Come up with something new. If you’re not sure if you’re prospective title has been used, try looking it up on Amazon or use your favorite search engine to see if the name comes up when you type it into your browser.

  • Use the Power of Attraction.

Note: Much has been said and written about book covers, and I’ll talk about that in another post.

But, unless I walk into a bookstore where books are presented with the full front cover, I won’t be attracted to the cover first. I’m usually browsing the aisles when visiting bookstores. All I have to go on there are the titles and author names. Make your title so attractive, someone will pull the book from the shelf to find out more.

The same thing happens when shopping for a book online. The covers are presented in tiny thumbnail pictures that I sometimes can’t make out, but the title, if done right, will scream, “Read me!” I’ll ignore a clumsy cover wherever I see one if the name intrigues me. I’m interested in the words, the story, after all.

  • Be Memorable.

Make a lasting impression by keeping it simple. What have we all heard about first impressions? They last! You want your title to be so interesting that people will hear about your book and remember the name long enough to find it later online or at the bookstore. I’m thinking of a book that came out in 1969 by David Reuben, M.D. called “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex.” How can you forget that title after you’ve heard it once? It’s concise, tells you what to expect, and stays in your head like a familiar song on the radio. Another title from more recent times that sticks is “Gone Girl.” Great name. It sets up questions in your mind immediately.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to come up with a good title. No slouching allowed in this area. The time you spend will be worth it, because a book’s name can make all the difference in your life as an author.

Have other ideas about naming books? Email me!

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Thanks!   Happy Reading!    Happy Writing!

Shirley Holder Platt

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Chick-lit and Romance – Hot Genres for 2018

It’s a new year, and word has it that the hot genres for 2018 will include chick-lit, romances, and stories about women. That’s great news for people like me. I plan to write more stories this year, and I’ll be emphasizing strong women.

Speaking of…Emma Emerging will be out in paperback soon!

I’ve written a book of twelve short stories – one for each month of a year – that I will send free of charge to all subscribers as a thank you for joining my email list. Those who subscribe to my list will also get an email whenever I publish new books. I will not share your email address, nor will I bombard you with emails.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

My third novel entitled The Secrets of Sandy Shores will be released by February. Here’s a sneak preview of the cover:

Subscribe to my email list and I’ll send a notification when the book is available.

Why do we love to read about women overcoming obstacle after obstacle? Perhaps it’s because life continually throws problems in our paths. We like to read about other women finding solutions to the hard situations we all face. It gives us hope, and sometimes, it helps us see answers. When books strike deep chords within us, we resonate – reader to writer and even to characters in the story. Books are safe places to discover new ways to live. We let the protagonist endure hardships, and we live vicariously through her as she falls, picks herself up and goes on to victory. As she learns, we learn.

I hope my stories will resonate with you. I am happy to have you accompany me on this journey. If you find that a story I’ve written strikes a chord in your heart, I’d love to hear about it. Send an email to me at thewriteromance@gmail.com.

Happy New Year!     Happy Writing!     Happy Reading!

Shirley Holder Platt

Great Guide for the new Romance Writer

These days, the market is flooded with “How To” books, and the romance writing field is no exception. If you’re like me, you want something short, easy to follow, and to the point. Romance novels have their own requirements. Readers know how the story should unfold, and stepping out of the box won’t help you here. You can always choose to write a story with a different structure, but you’ll need to call it something else. A family story, Chick Lit, Saga, Thriller, etc… If that’s your story, go for it. But if your target audience is the typical Romance reader, write a romance they’ll love.

I recently downloaded a little non-fiction book by Gwen Hayes. She writes what she calls “kissing books,” and says she’s “saving the world … one love story at a time.” Her romances are on my list of books to read next.

 

I highly recommend the book, “Romancing the Beat: Story Structures for Romance Novels,” or “How to Write Kissing Books.”

 

Ms. Hayes knows her genre, and she knows how to write. Her instructions are clear, concise and to the point. She explains the what, gives you the why, doesn’t stray from her topic, and does it all in a minimum number of pages.  My kind of book! Who has time to read, much less try to follow, a voluminous tome?

Quite emphatically, Ms. Hayes insists that all romance novels have one theme:  “Love Conquers All.” She goes on to explain that your external plot can be varied and probably should be, but a book without the love conquers all theme is not a romance.

About a third of the way into the book, she takes each phase, act, and beat of the three-act structure as it applies to the romance novel and breaks them down in such a way that you can use it as a guide for your own stories. I recently used her book to do just that with a short story I’d been struggling with. The story ended up being one of my favorites! I can’t think of a better recommendation for a “How To” book.

If you want to write romances, get this book! If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to buy the paperback and keep it near your writing space. It may just become one of your most frequently referred to guides on your own journey to the write romance.

Look for the short story referred to earlier in my book of short stories, “What’s Green Beer Got to do with Love, and other short stories,” coming in the first quarter of 2018. Subscribe to my email list and you’ll get a .pdf of the book to download free of charge when it is released. Limited time offer, so subscribe now!

If you’re already subscribed, you’ll get an email with the .pdf sent to you automatically before I make it available to the general public.

Happy Holidays!  Happy Writing!  Happy Reading!

Shirley Holder Platt

http://thewriteromance.com

Books photo credit: Photo by John Salvino on Unsplash

Story Structure – the main building block upon which a story stands

When I decided to write seriously and chose novels as my vehicle for telling a story, I’d never thought about story structure. I had no idea how much I had to learn. I’d written short stories for family and friends over the years and was comfortable with that form. I’d taken creative writing courses, but never one specifically about writing novels.  I thought I’d learned all I needed to know through the millions of books I’d read over the years. I’d even managed to write over 40,000 words for one story and thought it was a good beginning draft of a novel. How wrong I was.

Image of child using building blocks

I excitedly sent that first attempt at a full-length book off to an editor who’d agreed to work with me. Then I got brave and had my first face to face visit with her. She’d read my offering, and I have to say she was very kind, but almost laughed. She said, “I’d call this a good first treatment.” I smiled, nodded, and she kept going. She recommended that I show not tell, outline my plot, define my theme and central question. Lots of things I’d never thought of. I left that meeting with my head spinning.

Photo by Ryan Fields on Unsplash

In the month following that meeting, I read everything she recommended about writing and more. The most basic thing I learned was that story structure is the primary building block upon which a good story stands. After learning the basics of story structure, I now find it hard to watch a movie or read a book without analyzing it. If you plan to write, be forewarned; this will happen to you too!

“Story structure is the main building block upon which a good story stands.”

There are so many books and blog posts about story structure out there that I find it almost impossible to believe I’d missed them. It’s like when you buy a new car. You take your first drive, and everywhere you look there are cars like yours. Before you selected that particular make and model, there were just as many out there; you weren’t keyed into seeing them. That’s how I was with structure.

The majority of romance novels are character-driven stories. Stories that follow, usually, a heroine as she falls in love. Readers live vicariously through those exciting times of meeting a great guy, falling for him, almost losing him, then reuniting for the long run. The main thrust of the book (pun intended) will be about your heroine and the changes falling in love puts her through. Most romance stories follow the basic three-act structure. Basically, in the first “act” you set your heroine up – she meets the hero, act two she works through confrontations and obstacles to love, and act three brings resolution and a happy ending.

Let’s talk about act one. You’ll need a dynamite opening that will grab your reader’s attention and make them curious about what’s to come. Soong, she’ll meet the hero, which will set her on a new course. This is called the inciting incident. She is now on a new path. She may have some second thoughts, but by the end of the first quarter of the book, she’ll be on her way to love. At the end of the last chapter of act one, she’s set up for the obstacles she must face going forward.

Act two will encompass half of the book. You’ll need to place hurdles that she must overcome. These can be internal or external – or both. Your readers will follow as she unblocks each impediment. She’ll face at least two by the middle of the book. Then, right around the halfway mark, throw a new snag that will change her direction. This will keep your reader interested. We all love books that surprise us, right? It’s been said that good writers torture their characters. Act two is where you get to do this. After the twist at midway, she’ll face another obstacle, get past it and then comes one that is a total disaster. This will be a very low point in her story that will lead to a crisis. She’ll be sure that she’ll never have the hero’s love. Leave her there at three-quarters of the way through your story on a climactic note that will have your reader turning the page to see how she overcomes this stumbling block.

Act three will continue building on the last disaster/ crisis until you bring the story to its climax. She’ll figure out the miscommunication; he’ll vow his never-ending love. Bring them together with a bang. This is the climax. Your heroine’s high point. That should come at about the ninety percent mark. Everything after that is easy going. Clean up loose ends, have your couple overcome any outstanding obstacles together. You’re almost there. Now comes the denouement. Here, you’ll wrap it all up to leave your characters and readers with that much anticipated happily ever after.

Sound easy? Maybe not at first, but with practice that structure will become ingrained. Even those of us who aren’t outliners will find ourselves following these basic patterns.

Here are a few books and blog posts that will help you if you’re struggling to make all those words on the page come together into a coherent and compelling story.

Super Structure: The key to unleashing the power of story by James Scott Bell

5 Secrets of Story Structure: How to Write a Novel that stands out by K.M. Weiland

Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 core competencies of successful writing by Larry Brooks.

What have you learned? If you have a favorite book about Story Structure, Contact me and let me know!

 

5 Tips for the Pantser in You

Hello, my name is Shirley, and I’m a Pantser. Did you ever feel like you needed a group session because everyone you know is an outliner and you aren’t? If so, welcome to my world.

Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

I’m a Pantser, and I’m proud of it. Some of us are just not cut out to be outliners. I know, I know, conventional wisdom will tell you this is wrong. But really, is it? One of the most highly recommended books for people learning to write is Stephen King’s “On Writing.” He’s a pantser! So, yes. It’s OK. Give yourself a break, pat yourself on the back. Take a deep breath. Stand up and proclaim to the world: I’m a Pantser and proud of it.

Just because we’re pansters doesn’t mean we have no idea what we’re doing. Here are five tips to help the Pantser in you create a fabulous story.

  1. Understand story structure inside and out. Someone like Stephen King can skip outlining, because he’s studied what a good story is made of and written so many novels that it is inherent in him. He does it automatically. You need to have the basics of story structure ingrained, so that, when you sit down and your story flows, it takes a form your readers can follow and enjoy. For more on story structure, see my next post.
  2. Know your characters and make them come alive. Readers want to relate to your characters. They want to feel their emotions, agonize over their quandaries and feel the excitement of the ride as they over come the obstacles you put in their paths. Make your characters real by giving them a full range of flaws along with their loveable quirks. If you’ve given yourself time to get to know them, it’ll show. There are worksheets galore to help flesh out your characters, or you can simply have a make-believe interview. If you run low on ideas, browse through the list of character traits at the website at ideonomy. Traits are categorized by positive and negative for your convenience.
  3. Ask yourself, “What if…” Something like: What if this wonderful three-dimensional character I’ve created fell into a manhole and found themselves in an underground steampunk world? That should get your juices flowing. Write about what comes to mind until you slow down. Then ask again: What if she met the man of her dreams in this steampunk world but had to get back to the surface because her best friend is in trouble and needs her. Keep asking what if until you’ve got a whole story.
  4. Write now. Edit later. You’ve admitted it. You’ve said it out loud. Now let go and follow your muse where it leads you. Don’t strive for perfection, just get the story out of your head and into the world. Follow your characters’ hearts. Describe their world. Give them obstacles and watch as they work themselves around, under and over them. Discovering is one of the best things about being a pantser. You get to be the reader and the writer. Let the story take you over. Doing this will keep it fresh and fun – something I find indispensable to my pantser mind.
  5. Be prepared to self-edit and re-write. Go into it with the knowledge that you will have to spend time at the end to polish your jewel. This may not be your favorite part, but never leave it out. You’ll have saved time at the beginning by plunging right into the grit of your story. But it’s like the old saying about paying now or paying later. Pantsers pay later. And that’s OK. Just don’t expect your first draft to be a finished masterpiece, and you won’t disappoint yourself. You understand story structure. Your characters are fully fleshed out. You’ve put them into amazing circumstances and they’ve come out just the way you hoped they would in. Now it’s time to take a close look and fine tune your timing.  Make sure the story fits into a proper structure. If you did your homework up front and studied story structure, you’ll find each story fitting in with less and less effort.

Now, repeat after me: “I’m a Pantser and I’m proud of it!”

Comments? Contact me.

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Being an indie author doesn’t mean you’re alone.

It’s the day before Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., and I have much to be thankful for. My debut novel, “Moon Songs” is now for sale on Amazon. I can’t tell you how exciting it is to finally have a book published. It’s a life-long dream come true. I’ve learned so much in the months since I retired from corporate America. Deciding to be an independent “indie” author was my first step. I thought that would be so much easier than trying to find a traditional publisher. Well my friend, I’m here to tell you – there is no easy way.

Here are a few things I learned about writing and publishing a novel:

1. Being indie doesn’t mean you go it alone. There are lots of people involved if you do it the right way.

2. You need an editor. I found mine by serendipity. She’s a friend of a friend. Isn’t that the best way? She taught me more about story structure in a few hours than I’d managed to absorb through a lifetime of reading.

3. You need a good cover. Luckily, I have a sister who’s an artist. She graciously painted and donated the artwork for the cover.

4. There’s a proven method for writing a novel. I needed to learn the ins and outs of writing a novel, and for that I have Joanna Penn’s course, “How to write a Novel” to thank. Don’t you just love a name that tells you exactly what you’re going to get?

5. There are the amazing people out there who so graciously offer free advice to new writers. People like K. M. Weiland whose Helping Writers Become Authors was and continues to be invaluable. And Mark Dawson with his podcasts and Self Publishing Formula. If you’re aspiring to write and self-publish, I highly recommend that you check these people out. Click on the links above and you’ll be taken to their websites.

6. You can’t just write and publish a book. You have to promote it.

7. The best way to let people know you’ve published a new book is through a targeted email list.  That’s why I’ve started a list and have a goal of adding 100 people by the end of this winter. If you’d like to subscribe, click here. I’ll only email information about new books I publish. I promise I won’t send a million messages, and I will never share my list with anyone.

I’ll never sit down to read a novel again without being aware of all the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into the book.

Help me get to my goal of 100 subscribers by the end of this winter! Click here to join my email list.

Happy Reading, Writing, and Thanksgiving!

Shirley

13 Dates by Matt Dunn – a laugh out loud read.

When you read a lot of romance, especially if you’re like me and will buy the ninety-nine cent specials online, you get a mixed bag. Some writers make you cry with their honest portrayal of agonizingly sad situations we humans get ourselves into. Others keep you on the edge of your seat, sitting up all night turning page after page, dying to know what happens next. And then there are those rare and wonderful books that make you laugh out loud. I’m talking hold your belly, snort through your nose, laughing. Those are my favorites.

So imagine how happy I was when I found a new author (to me) who is capable of making me spit milk through my nose. That’s right, folks. I’m talking hilarious. The author is Matt Dunn, and the book is entitled “13 Dates.” Seriously folks, you’ve got to read this story of a lovable, but bumbling guy named Noah. He falls hopelessly in love while standing in line at a Starbucks. When he tells his co-worker that he’s in love, he’s told that love at first sight doesn’t exist. That you can’t know if your love is real until you’ve had 13 dates. It’s a fact garnered from a teen magazine, so it must be true. Right?

The book is about Noah’s pursuit of his dream girl, Angel. She believes in living life to the fullest, every day. Every. Day. No compromising. So, Noah has to come up with more and more elaborate dates to keep her around. He’s convinced that she’ll be in love with him by the 13th date.

I haven’t laughed so much while reading a book since the first time I read a Janet Evanovich’s “One for the Money,” with the adorable Stephanie Plum character. By the way, that’s a series you should not miss.

But back to Noah. The book is narrated by Noah, whose internal ramblings can be as funny to read as his experiences getting ready for and going on dates. He’s got a lovable landlord, runs an art gallery that ends up selling…No, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Get the book. You’ll be so glad you did.

I’ll be reading everything I can find that Matt Dunn’s written. He’s that good. And I don’t know how it took me so long to find him, because he’s got quite a lot of material out there.

Here’s Matt Dunn’s author page. Let me know if you like the book as much as I did!

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Contact me!

Happy Reading,

SHP

 

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

So You Want to Start a Blog?

If you’re like me – starting out in the writing world/deciding you’ll self-publish and thinking you need to have a blog – you’ve watched podcasts, YouTube videos, read books, and articles until your head is about to explode. You’ve probably realized that writing is only one of the many skills you’ll need. The advice I’ve found says you need an author webpage; a blog; an email list and a way to increase it; an editor; a cover that’s professional and will catch reader’s attention in a few seconds; a way to format and upload your book…

That’s a lot! Today, I’ll share a few things I learned when starting this blog. Maybe they’ll help you bypass a few of the roadblocks I’ve hit.

  1. If they say it’s easy – DON’T BELIEVE THEM. Have you heard the old axiom, “If it were easy, everybody would be doing it?” There’s a reason it’s an axiom. Note: This point does not apply if you are under the age of 12. For everyone else, trust me, you’re going to have to apply yourself to get this done.
  2. If they say you can do it in 30 minutes, give yourself 3 days max. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
  3. It’s worth it. Persevere. If nothing else, you’ll learn a little about patience. And if you are worried about your brain in old age, the learning will stretch you and keep your brain flexible and strong.
  4. It can be done. If I can do it, anyone can.

Now, for some practical advice:

  • Find a guru. I followed Scott Chow’s guide and it was awesome. Here’s his “How To Start A Blog Today” site: https://www.theblogstarter.com
  • Read it all through first. Then start and not a minute sooner.
  • If you use BlueHost and WordPress – don’t be afraid of PlugIns. They are your friends, and a lot of them are free.
  • When you think you’ve got it all sorted out and have published your pages/post(s) – test it again on a different device.
  • This is a big one folks: Only share your link after you’re sure the URL gets you where you want to go. I shared mine too soon and the cache system on my friends’ and relatives’ devices kept sending them to the unfinished site. Spare yourself this agony. If I’m too late, check out this site on clearing caches: https://kb.iu.edu/d/ahic.

Hope this helps. If you have a comment,  contact me.

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Thanks and happy blogging!

ShirleyP

Hello to all hopeless romantics.

My first post! Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Romance can be a lot of things. Here are some things I find romantic:

  • A dramatic table setting with candles, lace, fine china and crystal,
  • A picnic blanket by the river with paper plates and plastic cups,
  • A husband who gets up to check on the crying baby in the middle of the night, even though it’s not his “turn,” because he knows you’re dead tired.,
  • A woman who washes and waxes her husband’s truck when he’s on the night shift,
  • Standing in the driveway, holding hands with the one you love, watching the moon rise,
  • Seeing rays of the sun wash through winter’s barren trees,
  • Kissing your grandchild for the first time,
  • Adopting a stray kitten.

Tell me your idea of what romance is by contacting me.

If you have a favorite romance novel, send me the name of the book and the author.

As for me, I’ve written two novels and am in the middle of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. As soon as December rolls around, I hope to start editing the story. When all three books are ready, I will publish on Amazon. If you’d like to get a notification when the books are out, let me know. Contact me!

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Happy Reading and Writing!

Shirley