KarenMusserNortman
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A Writer's Primer

2/25/2014

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I seem to be in a muddle. Part of the problem is that this is the Information Age, and there is so much out there about writing, publishing, and marketing, that one can spend most of one's time reading that instead of writing, publishing, and marketing.

But I have run across some very helpful resources recently
that I want to share with anyone even thinking about writing a book. A real gem is the book, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. The authors cover twelve problem areas that give novice writers help in fairly short and to-the-point chapters with exercises at the end. I keep my copy, festooned with stickies, at hand whenever I write. I have also recently gone through all three of my books and made edits based on Browne and King's advice.

Another recent read was Writing the Cozy Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen
, a short and inexpensive (.99 for Kindle) overview of things to help build a good story in this genre.

An old friend that I also keep at hand is Plot versus Character by Jeff Gerke.
Gerke especially has a practical method of developing characters who don't all look alike.

Every self-publishing site, for example CreateSpace and Smashwords, has pretty good tutorials as well as community discussions about formatting and publishing both ebooks and print.

Marketing is a whole new breed of animal for which most writers haven't bargained.
It is especially daunting to me, but I am finding a lot of help in Intent to Sell: Marketing the Genre Novel by Jeffrey Marks. Marks does an excellent job of providing a machete to hack through the electronic jungle.

A recent blog by writer Elaine Orr (the wonderful Jolie Gentile series of cozies) hits the nail on the head in a nutshell (how's that for a mixed metaphor?) with a bulleted list of marketing dos and don'ts.
The point that I especially need to remember is:
Set limits. Whatever you choose for Internet marketing, make a commitment not to do it more than a set amount of time each day. You could spend a morning going from link to link.
http://elaineorr.blogspot.com/2014/02/best-bets-for-marketing-books.html

Finally, some amazing changes are occuring in the publishing industry, both self-published and traditional. A recent report sums up this revolution: http://authorearnings.com/the-report/

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Happenin' Stuff

2/20/2014

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First, it's bargain days for Bats and Bones. For the time being, the Kindle version is only $0.99. Cheaper than gas! I don't think you can even buy a pack of gum for that anymore. Anyway, if you haven't read it and need something to remind you of warmer weather and how scary felonies can affect summer fun, here's your chance.

Order now
Tomorrow, February 22, I will be at the QCCA Expo Center in Rock Island, IL for a book signing at the QC RV and Camping Show. USAdventure RV has kindly given me space and I will be there from about 11:00-2:00. Need a new camper, or just a book to read about it? Stop by!

Finally, don't forget about the Camping Hint contest. Entry form is in my last post, below. I've received some great hints already.
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Hey, Campers! Another Contest!

2/12/2014

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After several months of distraction, I am back to working on Frannie and Larry's next excursion into murder, Grilling the Suspect. Meanwhile, I'm collecting hints and recipes to include in the "Happy Camper Tips." If you have a camping tip that has worked well for you or a great recipe, share it in the comment section of the form below. Winning entries will be included in, and receive a signed copy of, Grilling the Suspect when it is published. Hey, it's not a cruise on Carnival, but I'm only thinking of your health and safety. Judges' decisions may be flawed but will be final. Sort of. Deadline is March 31, 2014.
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A Taxing Week

2/6/2014

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So, the end of last week I was zipping along on our taxes and stopped to do a couple of upgrades including one to the operating system. Long story shorter, by Saturday I had nothing but a black screen. Two trips to Cedar Rapids and four days later, I had my laptop back, but missing a few items.

MacHeadQuarters was able to save all my documents, but since everything had to be removed and applications reloaded, I lost all my email contacts, all emails except for the previous two weeks, all bookmarks in Firefox, and had to reload Scrivener, iPhoto, Apple Pages, and Office. These things are all replaceable (except the old emails) but will take time. The Big Glitch:
Pages has been "upgraded." And ruined.

I used Pages to format my books for printing and found it simple and direct. It was very easy to set up facing pages with the margins, headers, and footers one needs for a published book. But since it is a historical fact that the human race can never leave well enough alone anything that works, Apple decided to remove the facing pages feature and several other
pluses to a rather resounding outcry from writers and publishers. The reviews online for this "upgrade" are stunningly bad. I have been an Apple fan (or 'Mac-Nazi' as one old co-worker called me) for 30 years. Each of my Apple computers has lasted at least ten years and was replaced only because it was out of date. So this was my first repair experience
, and so far has been better than expected--except for the Pages thing.

Now, until I can find a copy of Pages 4.3, I am stuck with Word. And to quote another writer, when you try to work with headers and footers on facing pages in Word, that's when "Joker Word comes out of the shadows."
Sigh.


Anyway, it was back to the taxes, which have been completed. Not without a few annoyances: Why do you have to know how heavy your vehicles are, for example? But they are filed, and the second chapter of Camping Can Be Murder has been posted on the Florida Outdoors RV site.


Meanwhile, our house is for sale, which necessitates keeping things looking somewhat respectable. And every time I open a closet or drawer, I think 'What can I get rid of?'
Various other tasks nag at me when what I really want to do is get back to work on Frannie's next adventure, Grilling the Suspect.

And then, there's the weather...


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    Some random thoughts about writing, camping, and eating.

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