Creating a short story collection

From indiesunlimited.com

Posted on June 23, 2014 by RJ Crayton
 

Many authors write the occasional short story, but because of their length, may not want to sell them as a single item.
A short story collection is a great way to release some shorts with a word count that makes the price reasonable.
Creating a short story collection is a little different from creating a traditional novel, so here are a few things to consider:

● Collection theme. It’s good to have a general theme for the collection. That helps ground readers in what they’re getting and solidifies the reason the stories are together. A tagline that expresses the gist of your theme can also help quickly sum up the collection in potential readers’ minds. For example, if your collection theme is mysteries, you could use a tagline like, “Mysteries to keep you up all night.” If the theme is cozy mysteries, maybe you use something like, “Cozy up for a night of intrigue.”

● Introductions & TOCs. An introduction is often appropriate for collections. It only has to be about a paragraph and should let the reader know the general theme of the collection. While some people don’t believe a table of contents is necessary in novels, I think a short story collection should have one. TOCs let readers know all the stories in the collection. They also allow readers to easily pick a story they want to start with. If that’s the way they like to read collections, they should easily be able to get to the story they want to read first.

● Story order. While this may seem insignificant, story order does matter. You want to lead with one of your strongest stories, one that readers will devour so quickly they’ll want to keep reading all the rest. Of course, all the titles in the collection should be good, but it’s important to start strong. In looking at short story collections for sale on Amazon, many collections’ one-star reviews indicated the first story the reviewer read was poor. On one collection I saw, a 4-star reviewer noted implored others to give the collection a chance because it starts off weakly. That’s not what any author wants. Saving the best for last doesn’t work in books, because readers tend not to wait that long. (I know I mentioned skippers earlier, but for every person who likes to skip around there’s another who likes to start at the beginning and move to the end.)

● Book Description. Because it’s a collection of stories, you can’t write the typical linear narrative you would craft for a novel description. Short story collection descriptions vary in method, but the first thing you’ll want to do is start with your theme. This is where your tagline can come in handy. Then, provide a few sentences that describe some of the tales in the collection. If you have 25 stories, you can’t describe them all. Pick a few. Some collections list the title of all the stories in the bottom part of the product description (mainly when there are multiple authors); others choose to leave that information to the book’s Table of Contents.

● Cover. As always, check to see what other covers look like for your genre. Romance collections look different from horror. People have varying opinions on this, but I think it’s important to say it’s a short story collection on the cover. Readers should look at the description, but sometimes they don’t. It’s best to avoid confusion with a little clarity on the cover.

● Promoting Your Other Work. One thing marketers suggest is to promote your other work at the end of your book. One way is to put an excerpt from another novel at the end of the newest work. With short story collections, you have to make an extra assessment before deciding if and how much of an excerpt to provide. If the short story collection is very short, you’ll probably want to include as minimal an excerpt as possible or no excerpt. While writers like to promote the excerpt as “bonus material,” readers sometimes feel cheated if half the length of the ebook is an excerpt from another work. The longer your collection is, the more comfortable you can feel adding a short opening chapter from one of your other novels at the end. The shorter your collection, the more you may want to think about it.

Those were the major things to look out for when dealing with short story collections.

To Outline or Not to Outline, That is the Question

This is a guest post by Idrees Patel. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here.
Creative writers are divided into two camps: those who outline and those who don’t: the ones who write straight on and on. Is it wrong to outline? Which method brings the best results?
From the beginning of writing, some people like to write an outline before starting writing. However, there are also many which hate to do so. And then there are some who mix the two methods to create their own method.
But which is the best?
There is no right answer for everyone. You must find your own right answer. Of course, this is the right answer… but an elaboration for it isn’t quite a bad idea.
So here’s the proper answer: outlining works for some people. And it doesn’t for others. The what and why of outlining is a must to know, so therefore, here is…

The What of Outlining

To outline is to draw something of a big picture of your work (it may be anything, a novel, a story, a blog post, a sales letter etc) before starting to write the content. Outlining means to write all the ideas spinning in your mind down to paper and arrange them in a logical fashion to make the actual writing easier.
Still confused? Here is the Wikipedia definition:

An outline is a list of the main features of a given topic, often used as a rough draft or summary of the content of a document. A hierarchical outline is a list arranged to show hierarchical relationships. Writers of fiction and creative nonfiction, such as Jon Franklin, may use outlines to establish plot sequence, character development and dramatic flow of a story, sometimes in conjunction with freewriting.

Here is what a typical outline may look like:
The abuses of television:

• How children stay late at night and don’t do their school homework
• How they hamper their eyesight by watching too much TV
• How bad programmes have a dangerous effect on teenagers
• How they dedicate too much time to it instead of taking part in useful pursuits

And so on. The general opinion is that by doing outlining the writing process will become easier. Why? Because we now have a roadmap which we can follow. Or not…

The Advantages of Outlining

1. Not getting lost. This is clearly the biggest advantage. Some SOTP (seat of the pants writers) hate outlining. They write without having a roadmap and this is fun for some time. And then… the inevitable happens. They don’t know what to write anymore. In contrast, having an outline means that writers always know what to write.
2. Deciding whether your work is good or not. If you don’t know how your story is going to end or go on, then you don’t really know whether it is good or not. It would be painful, wouldn’t it, to discover big plot holes and flaws after having written 50,000 words. Whereas if you outline you know instantly what flaws there are, and you can correct them easily.
3. Straying off the outline if you get a better way. If you are writing and then suddenly get an inspiration and think that the outline was poorer, you are entirely free to stray off the outline. It’s just that, an outline. This way you can compare the two ways, and decide which is better. You couldn’t do this if you didn’t have an outline.
4. Writing with a sense of flow. You know how this will go on. After finishing this, you know you’ve got to do that. Then there are no messy unorganized chapters and scenes (or whatever you’re else you’re writing). You get a sense of flow, and your work will be finished faster.

The Disadvantages of Outlining

1. Spoils the mystery and the fun. Okay, sometimes you may not want mystery and you may not want any fun. In that case, you should ignore this point. But for fiction writers, some don’t want to outline because they feel they cannot use their creativity and it takes away all the fun if you just fill it up. To solve this problem, Randy Ingermanson revealed a new method – the Snowflake method. It does let you outline, but doesn’t let it spoil your story.
2. May not be as good as you first thought. If you get a complete different idea for your story later, your outline is pretty much useless work. Therefore, you should try to get all the best ideas from your brain and commit them down to paper to avoid this problem.
3. Just doesn’t seem to agree with your writing style. Some people find it hard to write from an outline. They want their writing to be creative: as creative as possible. I’m one of those writers, although I sometimes write few of my ideas so that I don’t forget it. Lengthy outlining doesn’t work for some, although it does for others. It’s useless to find a one-size-fit-all outlining method, simply because there’s no such thing.

Conclusion: Undecided, no right answer for everyone

It all comes back to square zero. There are ton of different writing methods and processes, even different outlining methods. But don’t just try to use one because it happens to be popular or famous. It may not work for you, and cost you a whole load of precious time.
Only use the method which your brain seems to like. My writing method is a bit of a mix: not an outline and not a SOTP. Maybe yours is too; or maybe you like outlining in its most literal sense. Or maybe you hate it and just like to write freely. Take your pick and have fun. No reason to write if you don’t even like your writing method.
Outlining works for some people. Some famous authors can’t write without a lengthy synopsis. If you’re an outliner, you’re in good company. And of course outlining doesn’t work for some people. If you’re a SOTP, you too are in good company of famous authors. Finally, if you choose to be creative and mix it up a little, you’ll find plenty more authors with your method. Just write with which you’re most comfortable.
So that’s it. After having learned the advantages and disadvantages of outlining, it’s your choice whether you choose to use it or not. It doesn’t really matter as long as you enjoy writing. Write and love it.
About the Author: Idrees Patel is a 13 year old blogging about creative writing tips at Writers’ Treasure. Check out his free series, Creative Writing 101: a beginner’s guide to creative writing.

Lay/Lie: Moribund, but Not Dead Yet

by Maeve Maddox

Although fighting what may be a losing battle, enough careful writers and speakers distinguish between the verbs lay and lie to make their forms and uses worth our attention.
The verb lay, meaning “to place” or “to put,” is a transitive verb.
A transitive verb is one that takes a direct object. (The prefix trans means “across.” The action of a transitive verb travels across from the subject to the object of the verb.)
Here are some transitive verbs with their objects:

The woman put a rose in her hair. (verb “put” direct object “rose”)
The soldier laid a wreath on the tomb. (verb ” laid ” direct object “wreath”)
The catcher threw the ball to the first baseman. (verb ” threw ” direct object ” ball “)

TIP: In order to identify a direct object, take the verb and ask the question “What?” after it. Ex. Put what? Answer: “rose.” Placed what? Answer: “wreath.”
The verb lie, meaning “to recline,” is an intransitive verb.
An intransitive verb is one that has no object. The action, in a sense, goes nowhere. It stays with the subject.
Here are some intransitive verbs:

The man lies on the green bench.
We play in the park.
The baby slept for three hours.
My sister sings.

You can add any number of adverbs or adverb phrases to an intransitive verb, but it still has no object. Ex. My sister sings in the choir. My sister sings very well. My sister sings flat all the time.
To be sure there is no direct object, take the verb and ask What? after it. Ex. Play what? No answer. “in the park” tells where the playing went on.
Confusion between lay and lie arises from the fact that the past tense of LIE is spelled the same way as the present tense of LAY.
LIE (to recline)
Present: Today I lie in bed until noon.
Past: Yesterday I lay in bed until noon.
Present perfect: I have lain here for hours.
Imperative: Lie down, Bowser!
Present participle: lying

LAY (to put or to place)
Present: Today I lay the table.
Past: Yesterday you laid the table.
Present perfect: I have laid the table every day this week.
Imperative: Lay the table, Charlie!
Present participle: laying
(NOTE: Conjugated like lay is the verb lay with the meaning “to produce an egg.” It can be either transitive or intransitive. The verb lie wih the meaning “to tell an untruth” has the forms lie/lied/(have) lied/lying)
As long as there are editors, publishers, and clients out there who do recognize and observe the difference between lay and lie, it’s probably a good idea for the professional writer to do the same.

Lay vs. Lie: What’s So Hard?

by Maeve Maddox

A Google search for “lay lie” brings up 482,000,000 hits, most of them links to articles that explain the difference between these two verbs. You’ll find two of my own attempts at enlightenment in the DWT archives (here and here).
One of the most astonishing things about this pair of verbs is how long they have been in common use with more or less the same meaning. The earliest example given for lay in the OED is from a translation by Alfred the Great (849-899). The earliest for lie is from the Homilies of Abbot Aelfric of Eynsham (955-1010).
English speakers have been mixing up transitive lay with intransitive lie for a long time. All school textbooks and style guides printed during the past hundred years or so contain sections explaining the usage, but millions of English speakers continue to say,

Lay down Fido.
The body was laying in the alley.
I laid on the deck for an hour.

The most usual error is to use lay intransitively, but some poor conscientious souls–aware that lay is often the wrong choice–are falling into the error of using lie transitively:

‘You got him,’ said Tinker, lying the piece down. –Unnatural Habits by Kerry Greenwood, a Phryne Fisher Mystery, Poisoned Pen Press, 2012, page 227.

The misuse of lay is not merely an issue that distresses English teachers. Advertisers are aware of it and some of them will go so far as to change their ads when the error is pointed out to them. I’m thinking of a Sleep Number ad in which a salesman in a blue shirt is telling how beds used to be sold. The first several times I saw the ad, the man said that customers were told, “Lay over there.” At some point, the soundtrack was changed. The man now says “Lie over there.” I suspect the agency received a lot of letters on the subject.
For my own part, I’ve become partially inured to the intransitive use of lay. I hardly notice it in the course of daily conversation. The alarm clangs only when I observe its use by teachers, broadcast journalists, advertisers, doctors, lawyers, and anyone else whose occupation requires the use of English for public communication.
I cringe when a medical practitioner tells me to “lay down.” When I’m given printed forms containing the error, I correct them in ink before giving them back.
Noblesse oblige. People who invest 12-20 years getting an education can be expected to master a standard form of their native tongue.
I’m aware that much of today’s standard usage was judged non-standard in previous generations. The verbs lay and lie may eventually become so intertwined that everyone will think of them as the same verb. Until that time comes and everyone has forgotten the distinction, “The body was laying in the alley” is nonstandard English.
Bottomline: Eventually it won’t matter to anyone, but for the present, if you have a professional persona to maintain, you may wish to avoid using lay intransitively when the intended meaning is “recline.”

Good vs. Well, Bad vs. Badly

by Maeve Maddox

 Do you cringe when you ask someone “How are you?” and the person replies,
“I’m good”?
Why?
Perhaps, like me, you are expecting the response to be “I’m well, thank you,” and the “I’m good” offends your expectations.
However, if your complaint is that good is an adjective and well is an adverb, you’re on thin ice.
The fact that well is the adverbial form of good is irrelevant because in this expression, both good and well are being used as adjectives.
Good and well function as more than one part of speech:

The diner is noted for good food. (adjective)
A true statesman is dedicated to the common good. (noun)
You speak French well. (adverb)
He was ill, but now he is well. (adjective)
Life is like a well. (noun)

As an adjective, well is usually used to mean “sound in health,” or “recovered from sickness.” An earlier sense of “prosperous” survives in the expressions “well to do,” and “well off.”
One of the numerous meanings of good is “morally commendable, virtuous.” This definition is invoked by speakers who wish to ridicule the “I’m good” response. For example, in an episode of 30 Rock, Tracy Jordan corrects another character who has said “I’m good” this way: “Superman is good; you’re well.”
Another meaning of good is “satisfactory, unimpaired, not depressed or dejected.”
Although the “I’m good” response still strikes many ears as colloquial at best, it is not ungrammatical.
Speakers who object to the usage are free to avoid it in their own speech, but they may wish to refrain from ridiculing its use in the speech of others.
While we’re at it, this may be a good place to mention a common error with the adjective bad and its adverbial form badly.
Here are some incorrect uses of badly from the web:

Facebook makes us feel badly about ourselves.
I think awards just make the other kids who didn’t get awards feel badly.
Maybe her intention isn’t to make you feel badly, and you’re making yourself feel badly.
I guess I just sometimes feel badly for my extrovert kids.

These are all from commenters and amateur bloggers, but even professional writers fall into the error:

People who go through life applying a measuring ruler against every situation judging its “fairness” will often feel badly and negative because of it. –John M. Grohol, Doctor of Psychology
You must never feel badly about making mistakes…” –Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

In each instance, the expression should be “feel bad,” not “feel badly.”
Badly is an adverb. It must be used with a verb that expresses an action.
Feel can be either a linking verb or an action verb, but when it is used in the sense of experiencing an emotion, it is a linking verb and takes an adjective to complete it: “I feel bad.”
As an action verb, feel means “to handle” or “to touch.” For example, a person who “feels badly” would have trouble learning to read Braille.

Should a Writer Have a Blog?

Originally posted on January 14, 2014 by Carol Wyer from indiesunlimited.com

A reader asked: “I’m curious about one thing in particular, at this moment. How important is having a blog and lots of comments to a writer’s success? Reason I ask: I started blogging almost a year ago, and got sidetracked with blogging. I’m now thinking of changing my schedule from posting twice per week to once every two weeks, just to make more time for my writing projects. ”

How important is a blog to a writer? I began blogging when I was researching for my first book. My main character was a blogger who wrote about the bloopers and bloomers that populated her life. She attracted many followers. At that time, I didn’t really know what a blog was. I set one up, started writing about my life much as my character does, and before I knew where I was, I had hundreds of followers. Many of those followers bought my first book when it was published. I blogged every day. It wore me out and took over my life, so I cut down my posts to twice a week.

I have now been blogging for four years and there are days when I wonder why I am not writing books instead of attempting to come up with new stuff for my blog. I now only post about once a week. The blog has changed identity and is where I entertain other authors, maintain my presence as a writer and keep in touch with my faithful followers.

So, is blogging worthwhile and will it add to a writer’s success? The answer is slightly more complicated than a simple yes or no. You really need to ask yourself why you are blogging.

Marketing people in particular say authors need to have an online presence and blogging allows them to build their digital reputation and drive traffic to their author website. That is easier said than done. First off, a writer needs people to read their posts. They have to work at growing that fan base. I did so by visiting blogs written by women who I suspected were a similar age to me. That in itself took weeks of research and participating in endless blog hops. I left comment after comment about their posts and eventually they trailed over to my blog, where if they liked it, they followed. It took a year of hard work, posting daily, visiting blogs, building relationships and cultivating friendships. If you don’t have the luxury of that time, you’ll be posting into an empty void.

Blogs aren’t the only way to grow a fan base. You can post for other blogs or websites on a monthly basis rather than run your own blog. Or, you could maintain a Facebook page and keep potential readers happy there and get feedback. And, don’t forget Pinterest. It offers enormous potential for attracting readers. (See my tutorial post.)

Some argue that blogging helps showcase your expertise or define your niche. Many authors use it to write small bite-sized chunks of their work. I agree. My writing improved hugely after writing blog posts for a year and my storytelling skills developed. However, this can equally be done using Wattpad. Wattpad is a supportive, viral community of readers to reach out to and expand awareness of your work. It is the world’s most popular e-book community. There is even a chance you will be noticed by a publishing house.

Much depends on the subject matter of your blog. If you write aimlessly about what you did one week and what you watched on television another, or about a book you read, there is no structure to your blog. It needs to follow a theme. I wrote three blogs that attempt to give a positive view of ageing. They are filled with anecdotes and jokes. I try to write posts that demonstrate my ability to write humorous pieces rather than advertise my books, and I hope anyone stumbling upon them will enjoy them.

That strategy has finally earned me attention as a writer. Last year, I was invited to write regularly for the Huffington Post Huff/50 and more recently, for a national magazine.

Without a structure to your blog you cannot connect or find the right people to follow you and hopefully become your readers.

Over the last year, like many who have blogs, I wondered whether it was worth my while continuing. I have made some dear friends through blogging. I have hosted book launch parties filled with games and prizes on my blogs and enjoyed my time as a blogger. I can say that without doubt, many of my debut book sales came from followers of my blog. But in recent years, sales have come from other sources as I experimented with other marketing strategies.

Blogging can be a demanding mistress. As long as you are involved on other social media sites and have a website then you can happily give up your blog. There are other ways to grow your fan base and get feedback on your writing that don’t take up as much time. I am of the opinion, if you don’t enjoy something then don’t continue with it. You are either a keen blogger or a reluctant one. If the latter, then consider a different use for your time.

Obviously, blogging and writing are connected. If you are starting out as a writer then blogging is an excellent way to meet friends who will no doubt support you in your endeavours. However, it will require dedication. You need to spend time cultivating your relationships. You can’t use it merely to advertise your wares. This is where I see a rift. Writers are writers who maintain a blog to help with their writing, whereas bloggers love blogging.

Bloggers are a social bunch. They need you to visit their blogs and read about their lives as much as you want them to drop by and see what you have been discussing. It’s much like having a virtual coffee morning meeting at someone’s house. If you merely want to use your blog to direct people to your writing then think again. Blogging is for bloggers and to be good at it you need to be focused on it. So, over to you. You need to ask yourself these questions:

•  Why do you blog?
•  Is blogging taking up too much time you could put to better use?
•  Does your blog have an identity and/or theme or is it a random collection of posts?
•  Do you enjoy blogging?
•  Have you got sufficient energy and enthusiasm to put into a blog and your other writing projects?

Once you have answered those, you’ll be clear as to how you should proceed.