Helen Rich's Blog - Posts Tagged "helen-a-rosburg"

You’ve spent months (if not years) writing and polishing your novel only to realize that the ending doesn’t quite work. If you’re not sure what’s wrong, hopefully the following questions will help you pinpoint it.

Does the ending feel rushed? Did you wrap up everything too quickly?

Is it believable?

Are there any loose ends that should be tied up or characters that should be mentioned?

Is it too predictable?
Do the characters behave how you would expect, or do they act in ways that are inauthentic?

Is there too much telling? Does the reader experience the ending with the protagonist, or is the reader told what happened?

Does it seem clichéd? For instance, does the antagonist confess everything, including his motives, to the protagonist in a long monologue?

Remember, the time you invest in revisions will be well worth it. A dynamic ending is unforgettable, and it will leave readers clamoring for your next book.

Great news!

My iPad app for the animated illustrated novella, Angelique, was just nominated for the 2012 Chicago Innovation awards!!! I couldn't be happier. Please be sure to visit my website for more news. I will also be having a huge contest for Angelique. I have decided to give away several iPads. I will be running several different contest in various places, Facebook, my website, Eye on Romance and more. I hope you visit soon and keep your fingers crossed that we come home a winner!

http://www.helenrosburg.com
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/angeli...
http://www.chicagoinnovationawards.com/

Attention, authors and agents:

Medallion Press is currently working toward filling our 2014 list. We’re interested in compelling, memorable stories told in distinctive voices.

In fiction, we’re seeking thrillers, suspense, sci-fi, fantasy, romance, mystery, mainstream, literary, horror, historical, and YA. We also seek YA written by young adults. If you have a manuscript you’d like us to consider for publication, please use our submission form at http://medallionmediagroup.com/submis....

Our nonfiction publications include memoirs and coffee table books, and we want to expand the line. At this time, we consider agented nonfiction only. Are you representing a fascinating nonfiction project? Editorial Director Emily Steele would love to hear about it. Please e-mail a proposal to her at emily(at)medallionmediagroup.com. For completed nonfiction manuscripts, use our submission form at http://medallionmediagroup.com/submis....

We look forward to hearing from you!



Why Choose Medallion Press?

Author-Friendly

Medallion Press is an author-friendly publishing house. When you developed your manuscript, you did so with a freedom of expression in your unique voice. At many publishing houses, the author’s voice gets lost in the development process. But when you sign a contract with us, you don’t suddenly disappear from our contact list only to resurface when it’s time to market your book. You’ll be included in virtually every step of development. From jacket blurbs to cover art to marketing ideas, you’ll keep your freedom to express yourself and keep your original voice intact.

What Box?

At Medallion Press, we strive to create culture, not follow it. That’s why our approach to book publishing is innovative. We think neither in the box nor out of the box. We think, What box? This allows us to remain on the cutting edge of literature, art, marketing, and content delivery.

Distribution

Our distribution partners, Independent Publishers Group (IPG), are the best in the business. Through their expert distribution services for innovative publishers, IPG is a perfect fit for Medallion’s cutting-edge techniques. We collaborate with IPG throughout the entire development and marketing process to ensure that your book gets optimal consideration from industry buyers and maximum exposure to consumers. IPG handles print distribution and provides one of the industry’s best e-book distribution channels to maximize sales opportunities in the digital realm.

Foreign Sales

Not only do we pursue domestic sales, but we also have great representation in the foreign market. We present titles to foreign publishers twice a year at the London Book Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair and have ongoing representation in over twenty-six countries, including Brazil, China, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, and many more!

Independent, Not Small

Make no mistake. We are an independent press, not a small press. From bookstores to libraries, independents to chains, foreign to film rights, local to worldwide promotion, nothing we do is small. Our covers are reputed among the best in the industry. Our editorial staff is second to none. Our marketing efforts are leading the industry into the new age of book promotion. Our independent spirit is strong, and our shoulders are big enough to carry the weight.

Publishing Is a Partnership

We can brag all we want, but in the end, publishing is a partnership. It’s never solely about what we do, what you write, or what our distributors do to put it on bookshelves. Publishing is about all of us working together to create an unforgettable experience for the end consumer. We want our readers to appreciate your work so much that they tell all their friends and family about the new book they must read. That’s our wish, our ultimate goal. We can’t do it without you.

What’s the point of learning grammar and punctuation rules these days? In books, work e-mails, and even tweets, we want to communicate clearly. We want to connect, understand, and be understood. Proper grammar and punctuation are powerful tools to help you do just that.

Particularly when you’re writing a manuscript, you want your ideas to translate clearly to the reader. You don’t want to give an acquiring editor or reader a reason to stumble over your sentences and set your work down.

Here are some little grammar and punctuation rules that will help you make your point.



Modifier placement

When a sentence includes a participle (adjective ending in –ing or -ed), the noun it describes should be placed next to it.



Example:

Walking through the dark hallway, the man was barely visible to her.

Who is walking through the hallway? The reader will initially assume “the man” is, but by the end of the sentence, the reader will know otherwise. The following is a clear, correct construction:

Walking through the dark hallway, she barely saw the man.



Its/it’s

“Its” is a possessive pronoun that functions in a sentence just like “his” or “her” does. (Notice that “his” and “her” are possessive but do not have apostrophes.)

The dog wagged its tail.

“It’s” is a contraction for “it is.”

It’s time to go to the party.

This rule is an important one. Every time it’s used correctly, an angel gets its wings.



Punctuating “however”

“However” can join two independent clauses (subject and verb combinations that make sense on their own). Here are two independent clauses:

She went to the show.
She didn’t pay attention.

Here’s how you join the two with “however”:
She went to the show. However, she didn’t pay attention.

Or:

She went to the show; however, she didn’t pay attention.

If you use a comma before “however” here, the reader will have to circle back to realize you’ve begun the second clause.

Alternatively, you can simply write this:

She went to the show, but she didn’t pay attention.

Most concise:

She went to the show but didn’t pay attention.

Notice that when the second part loses its subject (“she”), it is no longer an independent clause. No comma is needed to separate a compound verb (“went to the show” and “didn’t pay attention”).



Punctuating direct address

When you address someone directly in writing, you need to use a comma to set off the name.

Example:

Hello, Sam.

Now we want you to try something. Exchange “Hello” with “Let’s eat.”

Let’s eat, Sam.

What happens when we delete the required comma?

Let’s eat Sam.

That means something entirely different. Let’s hope it appears in a horror novel.



Lay/lie

“Lay” and “lie” are frequently confused. Here’s the difference.

“Lay” is a transitive verb, which means it must be paired with an object. Example:

He will lay the weapon on the ground.

“The weapon” is the object here.

Here’s what “lay” looks like in past tense and present tense:

Past: He laid the weapon on the ground.

Present: He lays the weapon on the ground.

“Lie” is an intransitive verb, which means no object follows. Example:

He will lie down to sleep.

Here’s what “lie” looks like in past tense and present tense:

Past: He lay down to sleep.

Present: He lies down to sleep.



These are just a few rules that will help you communicate clearly. Take it one rule at a time, and your writing will become progressively clearer.

Which grammar or punctuation rules trip you up? Tell us in the comments, and we’ll help you out. We promise it’s a judgment-free zone here.

Oh, look, an angel got its wings

Writing a nonfiction book requires a tremendous amount of research, but what about novels? Surely you don’t need to do any research for those. You’re just making everything up as you go along, right?

Wrong.

Even though novels feature invented characters and situations, most contain characters with real jobs in real locations with real references to pop culture and geography and products and businesses. Details matter. It’s important to keep the reader immersed in the world you’ve created, but factual errors might yank the reader right out of the story. Worse, they might even make the reader set your book aside.

Below are a few examples of the kinds of details to keep in mind while constructing your fictional—yet realistic—world.



If your story takes place in a real town, it’s usually best to use the actual names of streets, restaurants, landmarks, and the like, but you can always make up names as long as they don’t exist in another city, which might be confusing or appear incorrect. Verify where stores and other businesses are located and mention them accordingly. For instance, your characters can’t stop at an In-N-Out in Vermont or an IKEA in Montana.

Sometimes aspects of your characters’ jobs play an important role in the story. If your protagonist is a cop, you probably need to find out certain procedures he must follow. It’s usually unnecessary to explain most details of his job, but you should portray a reasonably accurate picture of it.

If your characters drive across the country or even across town, make sure it takes a realistic amount of time and the roads they use are correct. It’s also necessary to keep track of time zones and other timing and location issues when they cross state lines or leave the country. Avoid errors like a character flying from Chicago to Dublin on an airline that doesn’t travel that route.

Be aware of happenings in pop culture and when products were introduced. A character can’t use an iPhone before it was invented or listen to a song that hasn’t been released yet. Even if your book is set in present day, you might still need to double-check these references in flashbacks or memories.

In historical novels pay extra attention to realistic dialogue, when things were invented, and historical accuracy. Let’s say you’re writing a book set in 1900. Your protagonist can’t reference the Golden Gate Bridge or offer her child an Oreo. That’s because construction of the bridge began in 1933 and Oreos debuted in 1912. And be sure to check the dictionary for when words and phrases were coined. You just might be surprised.

Of course, most of this research can easily be done online. So if you’re counting on a trip to Hawaii to research your novel, you’ll probably need to come up with another excuse. But, hey, when you start collecting all these unusual facts, at least you’ll be unbeatable at trivia games.

To kick off the New Year, we hope to help you kick-start your novel plans with a little extra inside information. Ever wish you could get inside readers’ minds and find out what compels them to read—or not read? Well, we’ve polled a small sample of readers: our publishing team! (Full disclosure: some weren’t able to participate, but we have a nice little selection for you, if we do say so ourselves.)

Here’s the question we asked our team:
Let’s say you’re at a bookstore browsing your favorite section. You pick up a few books and read a page or two each. Judging the text itself, what one thing makes you want to keep reading and what one thing makes you want to put the book down?

Feel free to read our minds:



1. What makes you want to keep reading?

Emily: A unique (particularly, witty) voice.

Adam: If I’m thrust right into the middle of the tension, especially if it’s left unresolved for later.

Lorie: A refreshing premise.

Paul: Setup. Are the characters, location, story, and writing style setting up a potentially dynamic finish?

Michal: A character, scene, or action that seems unique.

Brian: I like an engaging preface/prologue/introduction that hooks me in.

Brigitte: A tense and suspenseful plot.

Jim: It needs to be engaging me from the start. I’m much like Adam and Brian here. That’s why I loved reading [Road Warrior] Animal’s story.

Ali: I’m with Emily. If it immediately shows me sharp wit, I’m in.

Helen: I keep reading a book if the main characters are so compelling I must get to know them better.

.

2. What makes you want to put the book down?

Emily: Clunky, confusing sentences.

Adam: No sense of atmosphere. All focus on character descriptions with little sense of the environment they’re in.

Lorie: Too much telling instead of showing.

Paul: All of the above, plus no fun or cool character(s) with whom I want to take a journey.

Michal: Drawn-out exposition.

Brian: Lorie and Michal’s answers. I recently stopped reading a novel that fit this description. Also poor character buildup.

Brigitte: Too much character and atmosphere description along with repetitiveness.

Jim: Excessive repetition of story elements, overdone descriptions, and no immediate progression of the story.

Ali: If it’s too generic or predictable, I’ll definitely put it down.

Helen: I will put it down if the first chapter leads me toward a trite, done-too-many-times, formulaic plot.

Authors, as you plan, write, or edit your novel, we hope this sheds a little light on what at least some readers are looking for.

Now it’s your turn! What makes you want to keep reading a book or set it down for good?

Be sure to visit my website at helenrosburg.com

Book reviewers have an important job: to share their opinions of works they’re assigned to read. Their perspectives are subjective. One reviewer’s idea of what makes a book unsatisfying may be the same thing that makes it great for another reader.

Each of us brings experiences and expectations to the books we read. One of us, for example, may enjoy a raw account of a story while another may enjoy a more literary delivery. A reviewer’s preference may appear in a review.

Being an author and putting your work out there for the world to see is a courageous endeavor. When the first review comes in, it can numb your typing fingers, dismantle your creative synapses.

When you’re able, face that review. Take what you can from it that’s helpful. But do not stop writing.

Your art, your voice, your perspective—these are things that only you can bring to the world. Keep learning. Keep writing. Keep making your art. Because every writer who’s worth reading has faced the fear of failing head-on and won.

For all of us.

Be sure to visit my website http://www.helenrosburg.com

Are you having a hard time identifying why your book lags in certain spots or feels a little slow moving throughout? If so, here are a few areas to consider tightening up.

Dialogue can be a major culprit. If you’re not sure where to start trimming, ask yourself the following questions: Is the dialogue repetitive? Does it overexplain? Is it too wordy? Does it move the story forward? Is it dull?

If your book contains too many lengthy descriptions of characters, objects, or places, readers might skip paragraphs or even entire pages. So cut back, keeping the most relevant passages.

Avoid redundancies. Give readers new thoughts, explanations, and descriptions instead of repeating the same ones.

Using too many long sections of narrative might slow down your story. Try breaking them up with dialogue or an action scene.

Good luck!
Be sure to visit my website for contests www.helenrosburg.com
And don't forget Medallion's website, lots of giveaways going on this year! www.medallionpress.com

Are you having a hard time identifying why your book lags in certain spots or feels a little slow moving throughout? If so, here are a few areas to consider tightening up.

Dialogue can be a major culprit. If you’re not sure where to start trimming, ask yourself the following questions: Is the dialogue repetitive? Does it over explain? Is it too wordy? Does it move the story forward? Is it dull?

If your book contains too many lengthy descriptions of characters, objects, or places, readers might skip paragraphs or even entire pages. So cut back, keeping the most relevant passages.

Avoid redundancies. Give readers new thoughts, explanations, and descriptions instead of repeating the same ones.

Using too many long sections of narrative might slow down your story. Try breaking them up with dialogue or an action scene.

Good luck!

Ensuring consistency in a manuscript can sometimes be overwhelming, especially when you’re working on a series with numerous details and facts, so here are a few tips to keep in mind.



The best way to keep track of details is a style sheet. We compile one for every book during the editing process. It assists the editor and author as they work on revisions, and it’s helpful for the copy editor and proofreader when they eventually work on the manuscript. Our style sheets contain a detailed character list, including physical descriptions, nicknames, and ages; a list of verified words not found in the dictionary, trademarks, and names of stores, restaurants, streets, etc.; a timeline briefly summarizing each chapter and highlighting dates and times; and other notes and useful information. Keep your style sheet handy when you’re writing or editing because you’ll need to update and refer to it often.



Whenever you change something, such as a character’s name or a date, use the find and replace tool to make all the references consistent. And remember, even the smallest change can have a ripple effect, so be on the lookout for other necessary adjustments.



Finally, the key to continuity in your book is to question and verify everything, especially numbers, dates, and times. Also, know your characters inside out. For instance, be sure they drive the same make and model of car and have the same eye color throughout the manuscript. Even if you think you remember details, double-check them anyway.



Be mindful of details, but try not to let them bog you down. If you write a style sheet and double-check everything, you’ll have no trouble keeping the details in your book under control and consistent.