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 |  This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. If it falls this year (2024), then I may stop the whole blogging thing, but that's all a "wait and see" scenario. An index of topics can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. |
| External Writerings V As is the norm, here are the articles I had published last month on Weekend Notes. You will find lots of music, and some movies. I have removed the local events as they have finished. Hope you find something to enjoy! Songs about battles! The original three Star Wars films looked at. My favourite songs from Eurovision 2024. (Spoiler: the song that won is not on this list, and half of this list did not make the finals… Nostradamus I ain’t!) Songs about shouting and yelling. (With a lack of Britney Spears.) Memorialising Roger Corman. Songs about screaming. (And still no Britney.) And, to counter some previous lists, songs about falling silent. Songs that say, “Thank you.” And we finish with songs about butterflies. Clicking on these does help me. Honestly. And you might even find some new songs to enjoy! |
| Publicising Your Book (Work) Another WdC question: How to publicize your book 10, 15 years ago, this was easy! Nowadays… not so much. Not at all. There are so many variables, so I reached out and asked several publishers, trad published authors and self-published authors what works for them now. In all, around 16 people responded to my email, but they are all people doing better in the published sphere than me. Interestingly, the results were reasonably universal. Paid advertising works best. If you are a self-published author, if you are doing personal marketing for a trad-published book that is not going to sell hundreds of copies, if you are hoping to make a large profit, then this option will most likely not be cost-effective. Traditional publishers with a large number of books to sell – be they a large or small business – will benefit from advertising as the cost can be spread across multiple works, but for the run-of-the-mill independent, going-it-alone writer, it is not seen as worth it at all. Having said that, here in Australia some community newspapers charge only a nominal amount for artists to advertise, as well as some newsletters, community papers/newsletters, people’s personal websites, etc. So, if you don’t mind the leg-work, you might be able to find some cheaper options. However, no matter what, this needs to be balanced alongside the money and sales you will get in return and what you have already laid out (if self-published). One free thing is to allow local newspapers, websites, radio stations, even community TV, interview you for actual news articles. (This does include writing guest blogs.) There should be no cost to you (I have yet to be charged for my forays into this in the US or Australia), but as to its effectiveness, the people I spoke to are divided. Personally, I think it is only time it is costing you, and so I would suggest this as a viable option. A personal website is something that used to work really well, but has fallen by the wayside, although indications are that it is on the way back. Swings and roundabouts in this one. The way a personal website works is not through random searching, but if someone buys a book of yours, or an anthology/magazine you have appeared in, or they saw you in mainstream media, and want to know more, especially other works to buy. It comes from referral from an external source. Twenty, fifteen years ago, it was where many authors – traditionally and self-published – got the majority of their sales. Then it fell out of fashion in the mid-2010s. The general consensus is that everyone suffered from “Internet fatigue” and were just sick of looking for things, and stuck with the sites they knew. However, post-COVID lockdowns, things are picking up again. All but one person I interviewed has their own. Find a free website host and, well, go to "20240528 Author Website" . I think I covered everything there!Sticking with the Internet, let’s go to social media. All but 2 of the people I spoke to says it makes no difference. Many use it out of habit, but it no longer results in sales. The problem is, you are talking to like-minded people who would likely have bought your books anyway, and so the effort of advertising results in not much. Twitter was never brilliant for sales; X is worse. Facebook used to be fine, but because of changes to the way Meta runs things and Meta’s relationship with search engines, you are again advertising to friends and relatives who are likely to have bought your work anyway, unless you pay them. Facebook used to be a strong platform; it is no longer. Other sites, though… Now, there is something called “BookTok” on the TikTok platform. This is where TikTokers push a book, and it works for those in terms of sales. There are three caveats, though: 1) the book needs to be adopted by that community organically; 2) the book needs to appeal to a rather specific demographic; & 3) the writer needs to be very open-minded when it comes to comments and interpretations. If you get adopted by “BookTok” – congratulations! You are going to be successful! The biggest downside? The China connection with the site; some “BookTok” successes have found their books pirated in China, meaning they are out of money from a huge market. And, no, China does not care. Discord is a strange one, and only a few I spoke to use it. If you advertise across your Discord communities, then it’s split about 50-50 through those I spoke to as to whether it results in an increase in sales. But, it’s free, the communities tend to be supportive (hence the reason they are in communities), and it certainly can’t hurt. The final big one is Instagram. I left this one for last because it was the most confusing when I spoke to those I spoke to. A group said it was exactly like Facebook, in that it made no difference. The next group said it made a small impact, in that they saw a spike when they put an initial post on the platform. The next group said it worked better than their website for people searching for them and finding older works, so they updated with older works semi-regularly. The final group said it works rather well for them. Then there is “BookGram.” If you get adopted by “BookGram” then you are made. Unlike “BookTok”, the demographic is not as restricted and the comments tend to not be as strange, but it is still a requirement that the book is adopted organically by members of that community. Yes, Instagram could be good, it could be useless, tending towards possibly helpful. Next we have “author pages” on websites. These are not personal websites, but pages dedicated to the author. Everyone I spoke to was positive about these, without exception. There are two worth considering: Amazon has the largest platform, and if you are selling on Amazon, it is a great idea. There are two issues – it is difficult to get things published in other countries to appear across all Amazon sites, and some anthologies only appear under the editor’s by-lines, as some small publishers refuse to list all the authors, and Amazon is bound by publishers wants. Still, a good idea. And then there is Goodreads. The Amazon issues do not exist on Goodreads, as publishers must allow all contributors to list books, and it is not geo-blocked or geo-specific. The other good thing is that it is a site for readers, so people are more likely to go there to look for things just to read, and you won’t get lost in the shuffle of them selling everything, like Amazon. It does not yet have the reach of Amazon, but it is getting there. Goodreads also allows friends to share recommendations and authors to include their own blogs. Finally, the very best way, and something that is really only open to writers in North America – the convention circuit. Yes, it costs, but if you team up with other authors, these costs can be shared., But it is the networking, the chance to listen to talks, that sort of thing that makes these so worthwhile. And you might even be asked to join a panel. While I’ve heard sales do not necessarily cover costs, the publicity and people you meet more than make up for it. I do not know about the UK scene, but in Australia there’s the annual comic-cons in most capitals, and we in Adelaide (a city, I should remind you, of more than a million people) have only a book convention, which is cross-genre. Sydney has a spec fic con, a romance con and a general con; Melbourne has a spec fic con; Brisbane used to have a general con, but I don’t think it still happens, and I don’t think Perth has any extras. Cities of less than half the population base in the US and Canada have conventions! So, yes, you have that in North America – if you can, take advantage of it! Having said all that, Australia has the country market scene, and many self-published authors sell enough books at each of these to cover the nominal cost of table hire. However, they will say once you add in petrol and accommodation, it can be pushing it. I will also say, on a personal level, that it seems I have had a small number of sales from writing.com members (and have bought 3 books by members here), so do not ignore the power of this community as well. (Please buy my books!) Final notes: Author photographs are not as important as they were in the 2010s, author bios are now recommended to be short, and if you want to include quotes from reviews, don’t just use one, but don’t put up any more than 5. Just recommendations. And that’s what I have learnt in the past 2 weeks about publicity! |
| Leaving Contracts I have looked at agents and publishers, what to look for, what to avoid, etc. However that leads us to this series of WdC questions: What to do if you don't like your agent and when to jump ship Same as above with your publisher What to do if you disagree with your editor/publisher Okay, first and foremost, if you’ve signed a contract and there is no “out” clause, then you are stuck. Contracts are legally binding, and if you signed one that did not give you (or the publisher/agent) an “out”, then that is, unfortunately, on you. That is something else about Hybrid Publishers – often they do have “out” clauses (it makes them look legitimate), but these often do not come into play until six or twelve months after the contract starts, so disgruntled writers are stuck with them – including having to pay them over and over – until then. Sneaky, but also perfectly legal. If in these situations, a lawyer is your only recourse in the USA. Otherwise, you need to abide by the way of getting out of a contract through the legal system open to you through the terms of the contract. Publishers can be awkward to get out of a contract with. First point of recourse, to my mind, would be to discuss your issues. It might be marketing, it might be covers, it might be editing, but make sure you are clear, concise, not too emotional, and not at all abusive/obnoxious or passive-aggressive on your communications. You might think that goes without saying, sure, but in the heat of the moment, with your “baby” (your work) on the line, sometimes it is not always the case. The reason publishers are harder to break deals with is that they have already invested money into your work, based on the fact you have signed a legal contract with them. As such, you may be required to buy them out of your contract so they have not lost money, for example. However, if the publisher has not come up on a Preditors & Editors site (and if they did, why did you sign with them in the first place?!), word will get around and you may find yourself blacklisted, at least for a while, as a writer hard to deal with. I know the excitement of having that first book published can overwhelm everything else, but you need a clear head. Don’t sign every contract put in front of you. I have refused three in the past 5 years (including one book) because I could see issues arising. So, agents are actually easier as there is less money involved. A simple exchange of polite emails often sees agents willing to let a potential or unsuccessful client go. If, however, they have found sales for you, then you will still owe them whatever moneys are dictated in the terms of the contract signed. This could be a percentage of royalties in perpetuity (a standard clause, by the way, for agents) and so you will never be rid of the agent. But it is also the same as a publisher in every other regard. Buying out of contracts, risking that negative reputation, all of it applies here as well, just that the initial breaking of a contract, before any sale has been made, is easier for both parties. Disagreements! If you disagree with a publisher, try negotiating. I have done this with every one of the books I have had published. Mostly it was to keep Australianisms, but in one case I didn’t like the first cover (they changed just the female figure and it became amazing!). If that does not work, look at your contract. You might have signed these rights over to them. If not, then, yes, always try negotiating, and listen to their reasoning for what they want to do. If you disagree with an agent, the vast majority are open to discussion. What would you disagree with, though? I have a friend who has told her agent not to sell to any company that has ties to Walt Disney. This did result in a book being sold to a lower paying publisher, but the agent was fully aware of my friend’s wishes and it was settled before the agency contract was signed. If that agent had then on-sold to a Disney subsidiary, my friend, under terms of the contract, would have been within her rights to fire the agent without financial recourse. Make sure those contracts do not disadvantage you! (As an aside, Disney and subsidiaries are the worst major company/ies to sign with. I could explain why, but don’t want to rant.) If you disagree with an editor you pay for, then there is nothing to say you have to take on board their edits. It’s just money you’ve wasted, and don’t use them again. If you disagree with an in-house publisher, then you better have a good reason to. Like I said, my desire to keep my work “Australian” has seen me have discussions with editors, and it has nearly always resulted in something we can both live with. Be polite and decent, and you will generally come out okay. So, in the end, everything comes down to the contracts you have signed, and what they say. It is really that simple… and also that complicated. |
| Hiring An Editor Next WdC question: To hire an editor or not. What to do if you disagree with your editor. When to stop editing and submit. Okay… here’s my thing. Hiring an editor or not is up to you. BUT I feel having an external editor is vital for success in traditional publishing, and to be taken seriously as a self-published writer. So, here’s my deal. I started by using a friend who edited my work until I came to realise he was not that good. I used another friend for a while, but when she got married, her husband didn’t like our close friendship. Then myself and a fellow writer decided to do swaps. It was slightly unfair as I would write 2 or 3 long works a year, she would write one every eighteen months, and yet she was quite happy to go along with it, and that lasted for over 20 years. Then she had a stroke, and could no longer do it. So I used a student studying editing and professional writing at TAFE for a couple of years, then she wanted to charge me too much, so I found a local retired writer who does it for me in return for me doing some computer stuff for her. Using an editor has been vital to me being published. And I will state here and now: an editor who relies on Grammarly or the like is a waste of your money and time. Now, when you submit, the publishers will also do an in-house edit. Especially coming from Australia and submitting to US and UK markets, there are differences in style, and not just spelling. So traditionally published will see your work edited twice. And that is not a bad thing. So, what happens if you disagree? Well, with the editors you pay for or use personally, if you disagree with a suggestion they make, then ignore them. They won’t know. However, if you think they are wrong, look it up to make sure. Not online – use Strunk & White or something else decent. If, on the other hand, you disagree with the in-house publisher, you had better have a good reason. You can negotiate – I’ve done it to keep my stories “Australian” – but if you argue every point, you will get quite the negative reputation. As I’ve said before, many publishers talk; this will not go well for you. But if you really do disagree, explain yourself. The final question above I think is more about personal editing, going over works again and again, though it could well be hiring editor after editor – when to stop. This is not easy. Once I’ve given it to an editor or a beta reader, then I stop. But some people use self-editing as a crutch to avoid submitting. It’s a mental thing. If you are going to use an external editor, then rely on them and stop. Way too many will edit over and over again. If you find yourself going back and forth between two phrases in the same spot, if you find yourself just adding words and deleting them, if you find yourself moving sections only to return them, then it’s time to pass it on to an external person. While over-editing is often an avoidance tactic, it can also be an indication of genuine fear. While it’s easy for me to say, you need to trust yourself and at some point let go. And that’s working with an editor. NOTE: I am not going to go into the different types of editor. There are three reasons for this: 1) the different types of editing has different names to different people (Wikipedia and Google are rubbish); 2) too often people do not agree with what various types of editors actually do; & 3) having people look for spelling, grammar, punctuation, context, etc., is what an editor should be doing; story beats can also be done, but that is also what a beta reader is for. IN MY OPINION! |
| Story Ideas More questions from WdCers! Where to get story ideas How to tell if your idea is a short story or a novel or a series Nothing like something simple, huh?! Where to get story ideas Okay, where. This is something writers get asked a lot – where do your ideas come from? On a personal level, there are 3 main areas. First, and most commonly, I see something and ask myself, What if…?” Being one who writes mainly in the speculative fiction field, this makes sense in my case. Sometimes, it’s a memory, sometimes it’s something I see, sometimes it’s a newspaper article – could be anything. But that question is what gets me. Second, the lyrics of songs have been known to suggest stories. And the stories can be weird. ‘This Ole House’ by Shakin’ Stevens suggested a zombie story, for example. And third, I tell myself, “I wouldn’t have taken it that way.” This is when I read a story, see a film, watch a play, whatever, and think the story had a component I wouldn’t have included. Or maybe I think it has a flaw. Or maybe I think the idea is great but the execution was all wrong. So I simply rewrite it. Now, I have not done this too often, but often enough to include it here. Like what, you may ask? Well, one Stephen King story springs to mind because I sold my version as well… That’s me, though. Where else can ideas come from? Dreams are common. I have sold a story based on someone else’s dream! He told it to me, I took the idea, wrote it, made it creepier, and – voila! – a sale. Prompts work for many people. It might be a word, a phrase or something longer, like a quote or a poem. Or it might be visual. But many people rely on prompts to spark their creativity. Overhearing a conversation has worked for a few, taking it into strange directions. Some create a character first, then try to work out what would happen to them. Some even see a person who is a complete stranger and just write what they think their backstory could be based on how they look and act, and then set a story around that person. In a similar vein, some create a location first, then try to work out what happened there. And, again, they can even take a place they see but do not know, and write what they think its history could have been, its backstory, who lived there or worked there or died there, and use that as the central story. Now, some people have a message they want to push, or have a theme they want to investigate and write to that. I personally dislike stories written that way, but if it floats your boat, so be it. How to tell if your idea is a short story or a novel or a series Okay, when it comes to me – I don’t think about it. I have an idea, I write, and how long it is is how long it is. That does mean I have a lot of works that are a difficult sell because of their weird length. But that’s the nature of the beast. So, first, I think the more characters and the more side-quests, the longer the story. In general. But it was what is going to happen that dictates if it is a short story, novella or novel. Going into write something of a certain length can be fraught with danger, especially in a first draft. I would say just write and use subsequent drafts to reduce it or extend it to a length that you can sell. If you are not looking at selling, then why does length matter? Just write the story as well as you can and let the length fall where it may. Now, as to a series… if you set about writing a series, especially if it is the first long work you are writing, you are setting yourself up for failure. Sorry. People who set about writing series from the word go tend to fall flat in the middle. Now, if you are a detailed plotter, you can plot out your story with all the beats, including sub-stories, etc., and that can often tell you how long something will be. If it looks short, add a complication. If it looks long, remove an obstacle. This could be where you see you have a series going, but each book needs to be a story of its own, as well as leaving an open ending for the next instalment. Having a book that is just filler between other volumes sells the reader short and says you are writing for the sake of writing a longer piece. But if going for a series, plot the entire series out before even beginning book one. That way you know where it’s going and have a plan to end it. Of course, that is all my opinion. So, those are my answers to those two queries. |
| Traditional v Vanity Publishers Another day, another WdC question. Here’s the question from a WdCer (whose name I forget… sorry!): How to tell the difference between a traditional publisher and a vanity publisher. Okay, first, some definitions. Self-publishing is when the writer is in control of all aspects of the work’s publication. They pay for the editing, the cover, the hard copies, the marketing, arranging the e-books, hiring the narrator for or recording the audiobooks, everything. The writer goes out of their way to get the best deal, does all the leg work, everything. They also then keep all moneys made (unless sharing with a narrator), and after costs have been covered, it is all profit, no extra costs. A traditional publisher charges nothing. They need to think a story has a chance of selling, and they then accept it. They will supply in-house editing. They will arrange a cover artist. They will format for e-book. They will arrange audiobook completion (if they do audiobooks). The writer is most often involved in decisions and there are some things that are negotiated (editing and covers, though you should not be charged), but the publisher takes the entire financial risk. For that reason, the publisher takes a larger chunk of the moneys the book makes because they have costs to cover, and then a business to maintain. If a writer does not have an agent, most trad publishers also negotiate for ancillary properties on behalf of the writer (e.g. film, graphic novel, etc.). A vanity publisher charges, but also supplies services, and has a submission process. Yes, vanity publishers can reject books, because, like a traditional publisher, they should see some return for their effort. In the strictest sense, a vanity publisher can start from a reading fee. Any publisher that charges a reading fee is considered a vanity publisher, as they keep your money even if they reject you. A publisher that charges “only” for editing after accepting a work is also a vanity publisher. But, generally, they will supply a contract that outlines what they will pay for, what the author must pay for and what is a shared cost. Things like cover, editing, formatting, etc. are all things that can be part of a money contract. Usually, it is the marketing where the vanity publisher really gets their money. ADDENDUM: After writing this, I discovered there are some Vanity Publishers that do not have a real submission process, but accept all works. That is getting increasingly worrisome, to be honest. So, I have an issue with Vanity Publishing, and recommend people avoid Vanity Publishers at all costs. I will not – as in never – recommend someone use one. I have seen editing that looks like it was done by a twelve year for whom English was their third language. And in marketing – I have seen someone sign a contract saying they’d cover 50% of all marketing. Great, but suddenly she was hit with bills for thousands of dollars because the publisher claims to have put adverts in magazines, set up stalls at conventions, all sorts of things. And I know many who were ignored when it came to their covers. Worst of all, many cannot get their books on Amazon because Amazon knows a scam when they see one (eventually). However, the writer signed the contract, and so it is all on them. Here’s how the convention worked. The VP had 6 authors, and all had books, all signed contracts to pay 50% of marketing costs. The convention cost the publisher money. They then charged all 6 authors 50%. If the convention cost $1000, they would charge 6 people $500 each, getting $3000. Even after paying the convention fee, they would still make $2000. No cost to the VP, all profit. Yes, the books were on sale, and copies did sell, but not enough for any one author to get their money back. I will not talk about self-publishing. But I will say this: you know how much it is going to cost, and you are in charge. Self-publishing, in the long run, will be cheaper than Vanity Publishing, no matter how much the initial VP offer is enticing. If choosing between the two, go self-publishing over Vanity Publishing every single time. So: How to tell the difference between a traditional publisher and a vanity publisher. If they charge money and also say they are going to supply some of their own money into a publishing venture, and they make you submit first, they are a vanity publisher. If they charge you nothing and give you a royalty, they are a traditional publisher. If you pay everything yourself and are aware that is the case, it is self-publishing. Hope that makes sense. |
| Author Website More questions from the WdC blogosphere! What should an author include on an Author Website? Now, this information comes from a short course I did in 2021, the first in-person writing course held by the state’s writer centre post-lockdown in our state. Here’s the list of things. To start with, find a free website host. You can pay if you wish, and this can be offset against tax… but you need to earn enough from your writing to pay tax in order for that to be the case. On page 1, put a photo. Some writers do not like their photos being out there (me!), so have a picture of something to do with your writing. Your latest book is a good second choice, if you have no books or no photo, then make the picture writing related (say, a picture of your dog typing). Make sure there is a clear navigation area on the first page, and a bit about you, about your writing, the sort of general introductory information to let people know what they have come across. There are two schools of thought on if you put links to your available books on the front page. First is that it means people can find the works quickly; second is that it makes the front page way too cluttered. I tend to opt for the second, but there is no reason why you cannot list the books on page one with an explanation links are on page 2. So, yes, page 2 is links. Books, use the cover images as the link portals to where people can buy the books. If you have an external blog, link that. How many books you have or appear in could make this stretch over more pages. Don’t get carried away; older works, make the images smaller. Goodreads author page, Amazon author’s page – link them here as well. Oh, this is not where to link your social media. If you are self-published and are selling your own writing on your website, then page two should be your shop page, not a page where people link out to get the books. Get the shop as close to the opening page as possible. The general thought about blogs is that there should be one in your author website, and that comes at the next page. And the blog should be updated at least fortnightly. Let your readers know you’re alive. Now the next bits are personal. Some authors have a page of photos – pets, where they’ve travelled, from cons they’ve attended, panels, things like that – some authors have a page where they plug the publishers who have published them and their writer friends, some have a Q&A page… and some have more than one of these. But do be careful how large your website is, or else potential readers could be put off. And the final page is normally a contact page. This is where you link your writing social media. Be careful of linking personal v professional socials. Most webhosts allow you to have a contact portal so you do not have to put your email address online. NEVER put your personal telephone number, address or any bank details on your webpage! I hope that helps someone! |
| Using Real People In Fiction Another request from the WdC community. When can we use real people in fiction? Great question! Before I begin – I am not a lawyer. This comes from my dealing with publishers, doing writing and the law in both my professional writing diploma and my creative writing bachelor’s degree, and a formal meeting with the legal centre for writers in Australia. If in doubt, contact legal advice in your own jurisdiction. First, let’s look at living people. There, the simple answer is: if the person is in the public eye, then you can use them. It really is that simple. It has been tested in courts in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia. What is the public eye? Literally anything where they have put themselves into that sphere. Movies, TV, music, politics, YouTube, sports, anything where their photograph or video footage is willingly included, or where they share their real life. Also, convicted criminals are fair game. A few phrases to be noted there: put themselves – the person has to have made the choice to be a public figure willingly – there has to have been no coercion share their life – even without visual, if a person is active on any public social media. In the case of convicted criminals, they may be used, but cannot be depicted committing crime unless details of their case are public. This is official details, not newspaper reports. If, on the other hand, a person goes by a name only and has not released a picture or any personal details to the public, just their art (as it is usually artists who do this), then they are not fair game. You can mention their art, and the fact they created it, but not use them as characters. Banksy has, though lawyers, successfully sued a few writers in the UK. Details have been made private, but I believe at least one was a fiction work. Now, here is where you have to be careful. Even in a work of fiction, if you portray a person as something they are not, then you can be done for libel. This gets murky. In Australia, it is based on “the pub test” – what would a person at the local pub think or believe. If you wrote a story where David Berkowitz (the ‘Son Of Sam’ killer) kills someone, the pub test would not count that as libellous; if you had him mastermind the September 11 attacks, then, yes, that would be libellous because no-one in the pub (“in their right mind”) would believe he did that. Note, can be done. If I wrote a story where Barack Obama became a superhero and stopped an alien invasion, then he could get me for libel, but the chances are, because he is portrayed as heroic, he would not bother. Like I said, murky. There is another caveat. If you portray a convicted criminal as doing something, and then the conviction is overturned and they are exonerated, then they can do you for libel, even though it is retroactive. It has not happened to a work of fiction, to my knowledge, but the legal recourse is there. The only way you can get away with it is if you call it parody, and it can be proven as such. For example, Team America; World Police. Sean Penn tried to get them for defamation; he failed. Alec Baldwin, on the other hand, offered to dub in his puppet’s lines himself. That did not help Penn’s case, by the way… The only way to get around libel laws is to have written permission from the person. A classic example is Ben Elton’s book Chart Throb, where Prince Charles is a central character. He gave his written permission to Ben to include him in the work. Where he is a singer on a reality TV talent show. Seriously. It is a great book. Now, this is only for works of fiction, and so only covers depictions of real people. Non-fiction works have their own set of libel laws which vary not only from country to country, but jurisdiction to jurisdiction. I am not going to even begin to look at non-fiction here; please consult a legal professional. Okay, dead people. Talk about murky! If a person is long dead (antiquity through to Georgian era), then use them to your heart’s content. However, if you use a famous person and it goes against what people know of a person, even if in parody, then most traditional publishers will send you on your way, and a place like Amazon has been known to refuse to stock books like that. One that springs to mind was a book portraying Joan of Arc as a literal prostitute. Self-published, no website would carry it and I am guessing the writer has a fine collection of unsold books in their attic. This was not a work of pornography, by the way. Porn has its own rules and I have not looked into them. And won’t. Don’t ask about it. More recent dead, where there are still family members in direct lineage alive, then assume everything for a living person holds, although the portrayal would have to be very off for a case to fit. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter never copped any flack for using the former president. Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood had a few complaints, but no legal action was raised. I could only find one case where a book was find to have libelled a dead person – an Australian book that depicted former PM Gough Whitlam as a Communist assassin who killed Harold Holt was self-published 2 years after his death, and two of his sons sued and had the book pulped. The defence was that it was a work of fiction; the court found that was not good enough. Maybe a case of too soon, but who knows? In fan-fiction, see "20240303 Writing Fan Fiction" for general guidelines, but there are so many real-life ships going on in ao3 and ff.net that lawyers could have a field day. However, it seems that so long as it stays on the fan-fic sites, it is ignored. However, US legal advice is that if someone does decide to go after shippers, then they would win. But the Streisand Effect and fan backlash could make it completely not worthwhile.On a personal note, I used WWE wrestlers as characters in 2 fan-fiction works that I have sold. I received permission from WWE at the time. But that could be murky as to if it was based on real people, because it was based on the characters portrayed – the wrestlers, not the real people behind the personae. So, basically, if using a real person, be very careful. Or get their permission. Or, in my opinion – don’t do it. |
| Words: Cultural Differences/Neologisms Sticking with suggestions for the blog from WdC users! This is about using different words. I have already covered using foreign words ("20240516 Using Foreign Words" ), so what is this about? Two things.Cultural Differences People who read my newsfeed posts are often confused by the way I put things. This is because (in case you weren’t aware) I am from Australia. As I have put it before, we are two nations separated by a common language. And add UK English into the mix, and the same words can mean three different things, especially when it comes to slang. Now, I am not going to list the specific differences here; they are too numerous to bother with. However, you need to be aware of it. For example, a biscuit in Australia is a cookie in the USA, and is a baked cookie in the UK. One word, three different things. We don’t use the word cookie. The UK uses the word cookie for US biscuits. The only place you see cookies in Australia is in a Subway. What you in the US call a biscuit we call a savoury scone. The British tend not to have savoury scones. In Australia we have a pumpkin scone which has no comparison anywhere else. One language… Now, because Australians are inundated with UK and US pop culture, we understand what these things mean. It does not work in the opposite way, so when USians try to write Australian characters, they often get so much wrong it is actually embarrassing. If you are writing another English-speaking culture, do not assume that we are all the same. Would someone from New York like to be called the same as someone from Salt Lake City? Really? Well, it’s the same with us. Don’t be afraid to ask. It becomes even more interesting in countries where English is a second language and the way English has evolved over time in those countries. Hong Kong is a great example. HK English has a lot of differences that come across as idiosyncrasies, and yet are simply cultural differences. As a final thing, if looking at an international audience (which I do), try to avoid local words and phrases unless in direct speech. And, I say again, do not be afraid to ask. Most people from other countries don’t bite. Neologisms A Neologism is when you coin a new word. Shakespeare did it. A lot! Many science fiction writers do it. So… why do some seem right and some not? Okay, I am going to sort this into four fields: Nonsense Words Made famous by Lear and Carroll (think Carroll’s Jabberwocky), nonsense words are whatever you want them to be, and their meaning could be anything, sometimes gleaned through context and sometimes left hanging. Whatever sounds right can be used. Or not. It is nonsense, after all. Contemporaneous Words I have done this in a published story and got away with it. How? Because for a word to be accepted it has to come from three bases: 1) an indo-European language; I use Greek and Latin and the words tend to make sense; 2) an Asian language adapted into a more Anglicised form (a lot of scifi neologisms come from this base); & 3) named after a person or brand name (e.g. band aids). For the word to work in a contemporaneous setting, the meaning of the base words needs to make sense. For some examples, see "St Patrick's Day Celebrations" , and at the bottom I have explained where the words come from.If using a person’s name, it must make sense in context. In Australia, a furphy is a bad rumour; this comes from the family name Furphy because they owned water trucks around which people would talk and gossip. There is nothing etymological about it, but it makes sense in the context of Australian culture. Future Words This is, of course, for those with a science fiction base. First, adding “star” or “space” to something is not going to happen; we have space stations, but we just have artificial satellites, not space satellites; Voyager and Voyager II were interstellar communications craft or man-made satellites, not space bots. There is a good chance that the culture which develops the future tech will name it, or it will be named after the company. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the vessel that takes the people to space was the Pan-Am Orion II Spaceplane (yes, space, but it was the 60s). But it was first named Pan-Am… a company that no longer exists (be so aware of that!). There was a craze for calling things like plexiplas for see-through plastic in science fiction in the 50s and 60s (and, let’s be honest, 70s and 80s as well). Looking at what we call things now, it would be clear plastic. Plexistrong was the name given to spaceship glass in a Lionel Fanthorpe novel; today it’s called toughened glass. So, don’t be too different. I did mention already that more and more science fiction writers use Asian language-based words, especially from Japan and, more and more with their expanding space programme, from India. All of that makes perfect sense. Having said all that, there is no reason why your space opera can’t have adapted names to make it futuristic. Personal drink dispenser became PDD or Personal DD in the space shuttle programme. It was basically a water bottle with a straw that directed the water to the back of the throat. Important tech, but the fancy name was not anything out of the ordinary. Oh, and space programmes use initialisations all the friggin’ time. Fantasy Words While some people take these as nonsense words, and that can be fine, there must be a rhyme and reason to the use of words if it is based on a language you have created. Give your towns a common ending or beginning or even syllable, for example. This not only gives an in-world reason for the names, but helps the reader identify if something is a town or person. If a word means something and a person’s name means the same thing, then a variation of that word should be there somewhere. It’s little things that make your world feel more fleshed out. Personal example: In a recent novel, the family of scribes all have a name starting with Zac, which tells you not only are they related but when a word for communal story came up, I called it a zacal. In the world’s context, it makes sense. So, yes, you can make up words and languages, but languages do follow rules and have an internal logic. And I can point you nowhere better than Tolkien’s languages in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. He developed entire systems, with vocabs and declensions and conjugations. Not everything he created was included in the books, but it was all there in the background. So, I think that covers cultural differences and neologisms. Just some things to make your stories come more to life. |
| Readers (Of Your Work) So, when I asked for suggestions for this blog, these two questions came up: The difference between alpha and beta readers and when to use which How to get and instruct alpha and beta readers to get the results you are looking for Now, these are readers people use before publication. It might be before posting it on WdC (Wattpad or ao3 or whatever), before self-publication or before sending it off to an agent or traditional publisher. They are trusted readers who offer feedback, but they are also very different. Okay, first and foremost – I rarely use alpha readers. Very rarely. In fact, out of the 50-odd novels and novellas I have floating around the world looking for homes, one had an alpha reader. On the other hand, I would suggest that a beta reader is essential before any form of publication. While I tend to use them only for longer works and poems, I probably should use them for short stories as well. Anyway, that is all well and good. But… what are they? Alpha Readers An alpha reader looks at the work in all its first-draft glory. The work is filled with typos and formatting issues and is as it has come, either from the plan, from the mind or a mixture (plotter, pantser, plantser – "20240120 Plotting and Pantsing" ).An alpha reader does one thing and one thing only – does the story make sense? They find plot holes, they find places where the character’s name has changed, they find areas where the bad guy clipped into a situation they couldn’t have, when the people get from Adelaide to Melbourne by foot in three hours, things like that. They have a knowledge of the genre, a knowledge of the world and a knowledge of tropes. An alpha reader does not do any editing. They don’t tell you you spelt hammer with three m’s on page 351. That is not their job. They are there solely to tell you if it works as a story. They should also tell you which bits work really, really well. There are two issues with an alpha reader. The first is that, as I said, they need to know the world you are using. That means an alpha reader should also read any ancillary information, especially in the case of created worlds. That takes dedication. The second is that if you use multiple rewritings and drafts and tend to add information, an alpha could create confusion when it comes to future drafts. Basically, though, an alpha reader will tell if the story works before you hit editing. Alpha readers do not need detailed instructions, just ask them, “Does this work?” Beta Reader A beta reader comes in right at the end point. You’ve written your drafts, you’ve had the work edited, and you think it might be close to ready to be set loose on the world, so you get a beta reader to go over it all and see what you missed. A beta reader looks for things an editor might have missed. I have discovered my editor has a problem with lay/lie because of beta readers! So, spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, etc. But they are not there to be line editors. Their main job is to read the book or story and see if it works as a whole. And it is always good to ask beta readers questions. Is character X too two-dimensional? Are character Y’s actions in chapters 12-14 in character? Is the pacing right in chapters 8 through 15? Does the ending drag on too long? Does the world make sense? Does the start of chapter 2 come across as an info dump? These are the sorts of things a beta reader can help with. Beta readers also tell you factual errors or things that do not make sense from a world point of view. I need to be aware of this because Australia is different to the USA, and I tend to sell in the USA. And they are supposed to tell you when things work, and when things hit them emotionally and stuff like that. They do look at the positives as well as providing maybe not so flattering feedback. On a personal note, I prefer to use female beta readers. This gives me an idea if i have female characters portrayed realistically. If I have gay characters, then I use gay beta readers. And I have used Indigenous beta readers for a few stories were Australian Indigenous people were main characters. But nearly all my IRL beta readers are female. I am male and straight; there are things I am not going to know or understand or get right. I cannot see any downsides to using a beta reader. However, if you don’t use a beta reader, then I feel you are not allowing your writing to be all it can be and you are letting yourself down. Critique Partner Now, the thing about beta readers, is that they often do it for free or you pay them something (I tend to pay mine with chocolate IRL). Alpha readers I assume are the same as beta readers. But then there is the critique partner. A critique partner is someone you swap a manuscript with and you give one another feedback, and this feedback is expected to be more on the writerly side of things. As well as doing exactly what a beta reader does, they will also question word choice, passage details and even where passages could be. It is done from a fellow writer’s point of view, not a reader’s. I haven’t used one for a long work, but used to use one for short stories, back in the late 1990s, early 2000s. Then he got huffy because I criticised his work “too much”, he started just criticising mine for the sake of it and, well… I’ve had over 100 pieces traditionally published, he self-published a short story collection and lost over $1000 (this was pre-e-books). I am not alone there, by the way. Critique partners can be a great way to end a relationship or friendship. I would recommend not using the same critique partner over and over. Maybe once a year for short stories, and once a decade for longer works. End-Reader There is one more, and that is the end-reader. This is the person who leaves that one-star review on Amazon. But that reader is out of your sphere of influence. You have put your work into the world and they read it of their own volition, not because they want to help you. An end-reader has paid good money to buy your work. They are entitled to their opinion and owe you nothing. They don’t even owe you a review or feedback. And if they hate it, then that’s bad luck for you. And, this is going to be easy for me to say, but don’t read reviews unless your publisher wants you to read certain ones, or the reviewer is a professional (even then…). You cannot make changes and negative reviews can really shatter the ego. Having said all that, the End-Reader is the most important one. That is your ultimate audience. And hopefully you have crafted a work of art that will give them some enjoyment for at least a while. And that is readers. There are a few. I would thoroughly recommend beta readers, and the end-reader is the ultimate goal. But it is your choice, your call, as to which ones you use. Hey, you might not even want an end-reader, and just write for yourself. I hope this helped. |
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