It’s always fun to catch up, and we haven’t done one of these for a while, so…
What are you reading?
Fiction or nonfiction?
Genre?
What are you enjoying most about the book?
I’m deep into HOLLOW KINGDOM by Kira Jane Buxton. Normally, I steer clear from Apocalypse type novels. I’ve never even watched an episode of the Walking Dead. What attracted me to this funny, off-beat, heartwarming story was not the cover, or blurb, or industry praise. It’s narrated by a crow. Brilliant!
To master the art of writing we need to read. Whenever the words won’t flow, I grab my Kindle. Reading someone else’s story kickstarts my creativity, and like magic, I know exactly what I need to do in my WIP.
“Read” is the easiest writing tip, yet one of the most powerful. And here’s why.
READING BENEFITS OUR WRITING
READING IMPROVES BRAIN HEALTH
Narratives activate many parts of our brains. In a 2006 study published in the journal NeuroImage, researchers in Spain asked participants to read words with strong odor associations, along with neutral words, while their brains were being scanned by a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine.
Brain scans are revealing what happens in our heads when we read a detailed description, an evocative metaphor or an emotional exchange between characters. Stories, this research is showing, stimulate the brain and even change how we act in life. — New York Times
Whenever participants read words like “perfume” and “coffee,” their primary olfactory cortex (the part of the brain that processes smell) lit up the fMRI machine. Words like “velvet” activated the sensory cortex, the emotional center of the brain. Researchers concluded that in certain cases, the brain can make no distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life. Pretty cool, right?
4 TIPS TO READ WITH A WRITER’S EYE
1. Look for the author’s persuasion tactics.
How does s/he draw you in?
How does s/he keep you focused and flipping pages?
What’s the author’s style, fast-pace or slow but intriguing?
Does the author have beautiful imagery or sparse, powerful description that rockets an image into your mind?
2. Take note of metaphors and analogies.
How did the metaphor enhance the image in your mind?
How often did the author use an analogy?
Where in the scene did the author use a metaphor/analogy?
Why did the author use a metaphor/analogy? Reread the scene without it. Did it strengthen or weaken the scene?
In a 2012 study, researchers from Emory University discovered how metaphors can access different regions of the brain.
New brain imaging research reveals that a region of the brain important for sensing texture through touch, the parietal operculum, is also activated when someone listens to a sentence with a textural metaphor. The same region is not activated when a similar sentence expressing the meaning of the metaphor is heard.
A metaphor like “he had leathery hands” activated the participants’ sensory cortex, while “he had strong hands” did nothing at all.
“We see that metaphors are engaging the areas of the cerebral cortex involved in sensory responses even though the metaphors are quite familiar,” says senior author Krish Sathian, MD, PhD, professor of neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and psychology at Emory University. “This result illustrates how we draw upon sensory experiences to achieve understanding of metaphorical language.”
3. Read with purpose.
As you read, study the different ways some writers tackle subjects, how they craft their sentences and employ story structure, and how they handle dialogue.
4. Recognize the author’s strengths (and weaknesses, but focus on strengths).
Other writers are unintentional mentors. When we read their work, they’re showing us a different way to tell a story—their way.
Ask, why am I drawn to this author? What’s the magic sauce that compels me to buy everything they write?
Is it how they string sentences together?
Story rhythm?
Snappy dialogue?
How they world-build?
Or all of the above?
I don’t know about you but I’m dying to jump back into the book I’m devouring. 🙂 What’s your favorite tip?
Wishing you a safe and happy Memorial Day! In between cookouts and family get-togethers, squeeze in time to read!
Looking for a new series to love?
FOR TODAY ONLY, all four Grafton County thrillers are on sale!
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The pandemic changed the reading and/or writing habits for many.
Some readers stopped reading anything too real or violent and turned to lighter storylines, or at least stories with a HEA or uplifting ending.
Some writers couldn’t inflict as much pain, emotional and/or physical. Other readers and writers didn’t change a thing.
Did anything change in your reading and/or writing habits? Please explain.
As a reader, are you a loyal fan? Let’s test that loyalty. 🙂
Suppose your favorite author switches genres, from gritty thrillers or sci-fi to YA or HEA romance.
Would you continue to read their books?
What if they never returned to the genre you love?
“Depends” is not a complete answer. Please explain.
You’ve just committed the perfect murder (all that research finally pays off!), but to be successful the cops can’t find the corpse. Your DNA, a stray hair, fibers, or fingerprints might lead them back to you.
Where will you hide the body?
Hint: it’s the location of the book you’re reading. Get those creative juices flowing! Where in that location will you stash the evidence?
Are you dumping the evidence (latex gloves, murder weapon, etc.) with the body?
If no, what’s the distance between the evidence and the corpse?
Pick one or answer them all — your call!
What’s the scariest book you’ve ever read, and why?
Did you expect to be frightened or did the author surprise you in some way?
What’s the scariest movie you’ve ever watched, and why?
Have you ever written a story meant to frighten readers? Did you pull it off?
By SUE COLETTA
When we first begin our writing journey, our dreams often overshadow the realities of working as a professional writer.
Which publishing path we chose (self-publishing or traditional) doesn’t make a difference. The products we produce do.
For those of you who are at the early stages of your career, let’s take a look at 7 Hard Truths of Working as a Professional Writer.
For the professional writers in our TKZ family, please add your truths.
Truth #1:
Writing consumes us. We decline more offers for lunch than we accept. We could analyze one sentence ad nauseum, and still not be happy with it. To an outsider, at times we may look like we’re staring into space, but our mind is whirling with ten different scenarios after a character did something unexpected or our storyline banged a hard right instead of a left, even though we’d planned the milestones in advance.
Truth #2:
When you work from home, friends and family assume you have time to chitchat. No matter how many times you mention your deadline, book launch, or any “author” subject, many will breeze right over it with, “Yeah, so, anyway …”
I’ve tried using signs or mugs as a clear signal not to interrupt me (see above pic), but there are those who still barge right in, whether by phone, text, or (gasp!) in person. Not in a callous way; it’s because they don’t understand the amount of brain-power required to plot and successfully execute a novel.
Writers always have multiple balls in the air at once. Yet, from the intruder’s perspective, they think there’s no harm in breaking our concentration for a minute or two (or five or ten), that we can simply return to where we left off as though the disruption never took place.
Easy-peasy, right? Wrong. Interrupting a writer should be punishable by death! At least fictionally. 😉
Truth #3:
Writers spend hours alone in our fictional worlds, and we like it that way. To write professionally, we must be comfortable behind the keyboard. Buy a nice comfy chair; you’re gonna need it. Many professional writers work six or seven days per week, and some hold down full-time day jobs as well. Not everyone has a supportive spouse or makes enough money to write full-time yet.
Truth #4:
Our writing process won’t make sense to anyone but other writers. Don’t even try to explain how a certain song transports you to fictional place or why you have two tiny squares (no more, no less) of chocolate every day as your reward while you read your new favorite thriller.
Writers, did you know daily chocolate* is good for your health? It certainly is, and here’s why:
*I’m referring to a small amount of daily chocolate. Everything in moderation. Too much of anything is never a good idea.
Truth #5:
Our debut is just that, a starting point. It’s where our publishing journey begins. For the first time, the public will read our words, and it’s a terrifying experience akin to standing naked for all to judge. I’d love to say it gets easier, but it doesn’t. I’m as nervous for my thirteenth book to release as I was for my debut. Maybe more so, because the dream of becoming the next “overnight success” isn’t still obscuring reality.
Truth #6:
Many professional writers have health problems. Our bodies weren’t meant to hunch over a keyboard all day, every day. This position can lead to slipped discs, narrowing of nerves in the neck and back, joint issues, carpel tunnel … the list goes on and on.
Remember to take good of yourself! Buy the proper tools of the trade, like an ergonomic chair, a keyboard and/or mouse with wrist support, a sit/stand desk or have the option of switching from the desktop computer to a laptop. Exercise breaks help, too.
Truth #7:
Write for love, not money. The sad truth is, until we build a backlist, writers can’t survive on royalties alone. We can supplement our income in a variety of ways. Some writers coach, some appear on panels or do guest speaking, others offer online courses or webinars. My favorite is mingling with readers at book signings. I make most of my income from May to December. Memorial Day through Labor Day are my busiest time of year, with book signings every weekend.
By studying my area, which is a hotspot for vacationers, I’ve learned where I should appear and when. Year after year, I return to the same venues around the same date. Gone are days of sitting around an empty library, hoping for reader to approach my table, but it took time, consistency, and patience.
There are no shortcuts. Anyone who claims otherwise is lying to you.
***
I haven’t even broached the subject of marketing, piracy, or endless “buy my book!” emails from total strangers who expect you to promote “the book that’ll change the world!” to your audience. You might be surprised by how many new writers believe that, and I seem to attract all of them.
All that said, I love this profession. There’s nothing else I’d rather do.
What are some other hard truths of working as a professional writer? If you’re beginning your writing journey, is there something you’ve wondered about but never had the chance to ask? Now’s the time.