Nesly Clerge's Blog: Writing

Question: What is it about a novel that hooks readers? Answer: The characters. Maybe you answered plot instead. A strong plot is necessary, but it always comes down to how the plot influences the main characters and the main characters influence the plot. Character and plot development work in tandem. And the more developed they both are, the better. But character development is primary. Readers want—make that expect—to relate to characters or, at the very least, be curious about what’s going to happen to them. They live the story through the characters.

Most authors apply traditional roles for the protagonist and antagonist, make both as human as possible—no all-bad villains or all-good protagonists, please—but stay with that basic mold. In The Starks Trilogy, I diverged from this protagonist-versus-antagonist method and used another one also allowed: I gave my main character, Frederick Starks, a number of antagonists to contend with, but made him his own worst enemy, putting him in the position of fulfilling both roles. Readers of book one, When the Serpent Bites, who stated in reviews that they didn’t like him, still found him fascinating, still wanted to know what crazy thing was going to happen to him next or crazy thing he’d do, and how his convoluted, often traumatic and sometimes tragic experience was going to get resolved by the end of each book and especially by the end of the third one. Through the union of Starks’s complex (human) personality and the plot, readers rode on a wicked, and sometimes emotional, roller coaster.

This kind of ride for readers has all to do with how authors develop their main characters. They have to decide when, where, how, or if, a character will grow, struggle, or falter as s/he relates to each event, both the nicer ones and the not-so-nice. No character should ever appear as a cardboard cutout who’s missing a realistic personality. However, rather than an information dump about the main characters, it’s better if the author reveals snippets and bits about them through a show-not-tell approach over the stretch of the plot, though sometimes it’s more effective to tell, but not often and not overlong.

A key way to develop characters is to give them conflict. This includes at the levels of physical, emotional, mental, psychological, and even spiritual. And all resolutions do not necessarily immediately follow their appearance in the plot. Since I had three books to write for the trilogy, I had to give readers surprises about Starks (and several other characters) in each book, and had to keep readers guessing and feeling along the way, right to the last sentence of the final book.

Characters in a novel reveal themselves through what they say as well as what they do. To achieve this, authors need to know their characters, as though each is a real person. In fact, it may help to identify a real person or persons—and although not copied exactly—borrow certain behaviors or mannerisms. But know them the author must, because readers will not appreciate a protagonist, or even antagonist, who acts out of character. If an author has developed a character well enough, readers will know if this happens. Characters must stay true to themselves, no matter what’s going on, even in the few-and-far-between quiet times. However, readers enjoy when you occasionally let a character surprise or even shock them. Even if your main characters grow or regress in the story, they still need to be themselves while doing it. If their personality gets altered in a significant way, the author needs to include a darn good reason for it.

Every character is a product of what they think, what they do, even what they eat, drink, and wear—just like us. They have behaviors they demonstrate when in public and, often, others when in private settings. They have external and internal aspects to themselves and in their lives. These drive the plot. The more important to the story a character is, the more developed s/he has to be for the reader. Lesser characters, and ones that make a cameo appearance, don’t require the same depth, just enough for readers to get an accurate sense of them. In the Trilogy, even when only a few basics were provided about minor characters, readers stated they were real to them. This was more than just about such a character’s physical appearance. Their realness was conveyed through their dialogue and actions or reactions.

Most authors create character profile sketches that include every physical aspect of main characters from age to weight, even how they wear their hair. They also include body language, peculiarities (if any), motives, values, fears, their past, gestures, an event that molded the character either as a child or adult, education, friends, enemies, ambitions, strong and weak character traits, philosophy, and on and on, even what their homes look like. However, this fleshed-out character profile is for the author to get the character firmly in mind, not to include every last detail in the story. The point is to know the character(s) so well, that what is significant about them emerges organically as the story progresses. Again, the more significant the character, the more thorough the profile.

While crafting the Trilogy, there were occasions when a return to the past was needed, in order to show how Starks became the man he is or to reveal something about another character, particularly, his wife, Kayla, who also received a character profile. Her character was developed in certain way, which caused one reader to state she hoped this woman wasn’t based on someone I knew.

I’ll never tell.

Nesly Clerge

Also, check out my new novel:

Just as no man is an island, no author succeeds without a team that supports him or her, from typing the first word, to sharing the result of their cumulative efforts with readers. A special thank you to all the folks who supported me throughout this journey; two of my books received the International Book Award for best general fiction of 2017 (Readers’ Favorite double medals – Gold & Silver). I was fortunate enough to meet some very influential people in the industry. To all the eager fans, readers, Goodreads reviewers, bloggers, Facebook friends—I remain extremely grateful and appreciative.

Thank you!
www.Clergebooks.com

Coming Soon

Lust, deception, betrayal, and their inevitable outcomes weave a web nearly impossible to escape in Nesly Clerge’s latest novel. Chelsea Hall is certain her husband is cheating. Again. How far will a wife go when her adulterous husband pushes her to the edge? Some stop at the cliff’s edge. Others leap into the abyss. Garrett Hall wants what and who he wants. His detachment from their relationship leads Chelsea to seek what she needs elsewhere, and onto a path that leads to bliss. What begins as a dream-come-true soon becomes a nightmare when the line between who is innocent and who is guilty soon blurs. Until the horrifying truth becomes clear. And, the question becomes, Who will survive?

www.Clergebooks.com

Be the first one to read and review it before it's published. Send me a message on Goodreads or send an email to ClergeBooks@gmail.com

The Starks Trilogy #2
Nesly Clerge


Secrets and lies force their way to the surface in Nesly Clerge’s newest novel of deception, crime, and buried history. Frederick Starks thought he’d already lost as much as one man could: A beautiful family, the luxurious life wealth provides, success, admiration—all stripped from him in one moment of madness that resulted in a fifteen-year sentence in a maximum security prison. Certain that life has gotten as bad as it can get, Starks contrives a way to rise to the top of the inmate hierarchy. But his assumption is wrong. Amid stunning revelations, betrayals, and violence, Starks faces one challenge after another, until a life-altering event forces him into the most brutal confrontation of all: the truth about himself.

www.Clergebooks.com

Sincere appreciation!

A big thank you to all the folks who read and reviewed my debut novel, When The Serpent Bites.

The novel ranked #4,656 (for the second week of November). It was also ranked #106 in crime fiction, # 281 in crime, and #937 in contemporary fiction. Of course, it has declined in ranking since, but to be ranked in the low hundreds, left me with a radiant, and triumphant feeling.


Amazon ranking for the 2nd week of November 2015!





November issue of Kirkus magazine!

The novel was also selected for the November circulation of Kirkus magazine. Thousands of novels were submitted and thanks to my readers, it made the draft (smiling).

Several readers fell in love with the story. I’m more than grateful for Amanda, Maxine, Sue, Sue1958, Brenda, Veronica, Linda, Dianne, J Kahele, Jami, Nile, Kay, Dawn, Lynn, Tony, Dee, Torrie, Jennifer, John, Patrice, Tracy, and all the folks on goodreads who took the time to read the book and post their reviews. Once again, A BIG THANK YOU!!

If you have not read When The Serpent Bites, it’s on sale for $0.99 until the end of December. Click on the link below and check it out!

http://www.amazon.com/When-Serpent-Bi...

What do most authors hate the most?
Answer: Marketing!

It’s laborious, tedious and discouraging―especially when the results are less than average. I think most self-published authors agree that writing should be their main focus; unfortunately, this is not the reality.

The next time you write a novel, consider SOOP (Something Or Other Publishing) as your publishing platform. This is not your typical self-publishing or traditional publishing platform; in fact, it’s a mixture of the two. SOOP’s approach to publishing is quite unique. The author is kept in the loop and if all goes well, the author receives a publishing contract.



Below you’ll find some information directly from their website!

Here’s how it works:

"The path to becoming a published Author with SOOP is broken down into three phases of activities. Each phase is marked by milestones which are achieved by gathering votes for your Book Idea and successfully completing assignments along the way. Completing the milestones results in free benefits, guidance, and opportunities. Let’s cover the three phases.

The first phase spans from 0 to 1,000 votes, covering basic education on the “3 P’s” of publishing along with exciting activities such as guest blogging on our site, receiving a free manuscript assessment, and developing a social media strategy. Upon gathering 1,000 votes and successfully completing all assignments SOOP will offer the Author a customized contract. While the details of each contract may vary, and are confidential, the Author can expect all production costs to be covered, including editing, proofreading, book and cover design, and global distribution on six continents. While we do not typically pay any advances, even first-time Authors can expect up to a 50% royalty.

With a contract offer in hand, the Author can elect to continue increasing her vote count from 1,001 to 2,000. With the assistance of publishing professionals at SOOP the Author engages in the parts of the publishing process that most authors love the most. A beautiful website is designed for her. She develops a blog content strategy alongside a SOOP professional. A cover is designed with her input. All of these activities ultimately lead up to the production of a Galley Version, which is an advanced copy of her book, the Product, and a Platform that the Author and SOOP can use to get reviews and other forms of attention from influencers.

In the third phase, which goes from 2,001 votes to 3,000, is all about getting tons of exposure for an author and her book. These promotional items include a PR launch, radio appearances, and an email campaign to voters. All of these promotional activities build up to a fantastic book launch.
What does it cost to enroll in our program?

SOOP is waiving all fees for it’s Certified Professional Author Program. Beginning in January 2016 SOOP plans to charge $25 per month / $250 per year for participants in the program. Anyone enrolling before now and January 1, 2016, will be granted an entire year, free of charge, which is plenty of time to progress through Phase 1, and land that Publishing Contract you’ve been dreaming of."

It’s a very interesting concept! I think I might give them a try, and if I do, I’ll definitely let you guys know.

I am not affiliated with SOOP, I just wanted to share some valuable information. Visit their direct link for more information.
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http://soopllc.com/

If you think this was helpful, please post a comment, tweet it, facebook it or share it with other authors.

www.Clergebooks.com

Have you guys heard of bookbub? It’s one of the top discounted book vendors and authors are fighting to gain acceptance into their programs. BookBub’s results are solid and their result-driven campaigns have made them extremely popular. Both traditional and self-published authors are more than eager for a spot; however, they are highly selective. I’ve spoken to authors that have noticed a tremendous jump in sales and reviews as a result of acceptance. I also personally know several authors that have been rejected on many occasions. For more information about bookbub visit their website at www.bookbub.com

Bookbub's requirements are listed below:

Once we confirm your submission meets the minimum requirements, it will be reviewed by our editorial team. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we unfortunately aren’t able to feature every book we’d like to include in the BookBub email. However, our editorial team takes great care when selecting those titles they believe will appeal most to our members. These are some of the main factors they consider during the review process:

 Price point: Deals at lower price points and free deals are more appealing to our subscribers, and therefore more likely to be selected by our editors. We rarely feature books priced above $2.99.

 Professional presentation: We look for books with professional and appealing covers.

 Customer Reviews: Customer reviews and ratings help our editors get a better sense of how other readers have responded to your book, and our editors are generally more likely to select books with higher numbers of customer reviews. However, there is no specific "minimum requirement" for reviews, and they are only one factor out of many that we consider.

 Critical reviews: Write-ups from trusted editorial sources can also help us evaluate your submission. Same goes for awards, bestseller lists, and other accolades.

 Retailer product page: Because we direct our members to the retailer product pages for the books we feature, we want to ensure they have a good experience once they arrive. We look for product pages that are informative, clear, well-written, and error free.

 Subject matter: Certain genres and subgenres perform better with our readers than others. There’s a chance we simply don’t have the right category for your title right now or that the particular subject matter of your book isn’t as good a fit as others in the same category. However, we’re constantly expanding and adding new lists, so stay tuned for updates.

 Date flexibility: We have a limited number of spots in each category, so indicating that your dates are flexible makes it more likely that we’ll be able to include your title.

Note: If your submission is not selected and you would like to resubmit your book for consideration in the future, please wait at least four weeks before doing so.

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I saw this post on G+ and wanted to share it with you guys. I am not affiliated with ForeWordz―I just wanted to share.

Crystal Ponti originally shared to Promote Your Book!

*IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN DECLINED BY BOOKBUBS...READ ON!*

Hey everyone! My name is Crystal, and I launched this community a few years back to help authors connect with readers and share their books. An author and publisher myself, I know how difficult it can be generating awareness and growing a readership. That's why I'm very excited to announce my latest venture called Forewordz. The more I network with authors in all genres, the more I hear how awesome BookBub is, but how incredibly difficult it is to get accepted by them. There are other competitive services, but most do not understand the needs of authors and what really attracts readers to download a book. We're building Forewordz to be extremely author-centric, which in turn will generate excitement with book lovers. There will be daily deals like you get with BookBub and others, but authors will share why they think readers should download their books. They'll create the pitch that helps sell the reader. In addition, with each book listed an author will be able to include a link where people can sign up for their updates - this will help authors build the most critical element of book marketing...the email list. Sadly, you never know who is downloading your book via BookBub. It shouldn't be that way. There are a bunch of other perks which will be detailed on the website when it launches (over the summer?). Right now, I could use your help in getting the word out and encouraging people to sign up. Here's the link:http://www.forewordz.com. *In the early days of the launch, I intend to take the listings that you post here and include them FREE as part of our daily deals.* So please keep posting! Thank you!

www.clergebooks.com