Ivy Keating's Blog - Posts Tagged "newblog"

Today, I was inconvenienced. I had to wait to pick someone up, and there was no parking. I pulled down a side street and sent a text message - 'I'm here...'.

As I waited, I started to get annoyed. I like taking photos of nature for my social media. So, to pass the time, I drove slowly down the block. Just yards down the road I discovered a lovely stream, a quaint bridge, and a large lake with rock features and ducks - who knew?

My bad mood lifted! It made me think how negative emotions can obstruct our ability to reach our goals, but there are things we can do to lift our spirits. Here are three ways to move on with J.O.Y..

'J' is for 'justify' your feelings. We all have suffered disappointments. Tell yourself it's okay to feel upset, sad, or any other way.

'O' is for 'options'. Help yourself move away from negative feelings by thinking about 1 or 2 things you can do to change the situation. Even making a small list can help you realize things can change.

'Y' is for 'you', as in 'you can do it'. When we feel vulnerable it's harder to act. If you can think about the options you have and make a small start you will move yourself on to feeling better.

**I wish everyone Happy Holidays and the skills to keep that happiness all year round! **

Years ago, I learned a trick for what to do if I couldn't fall asleep. The solution was to stop trying. Get up, walk around, even turn on the light, and then - after a few minutes - settle back in bed and close my eyes. It worked!

I think the reason this trick was successful was because it took the focus away from the pressure and the negative feelings of not being able to do something. Negative feelings stifle productivity.

Did you ever notice how sometimes the best ideas come to us when we're not trying? While submitting my second novel for consideration an agent asked me what inspired the story. My answer was the Great Lakes. What an odd answer for a fantasy novel with magical creatures, but I remember thinking about the lakes and wondering what kind of imaginary world could be built around them. Without pressure or doubt it's easier for ideas to flow.

If you are trying to start a project or find yourself having trouble finishing one, ask yourself if negative thoughts are blocking your ability to succeed. If you have to refocus, step away from the project, even for 10 minutes, and come back to it. This simple action may be all you need.

When it comes to reaching goals, the importance of networking should not be overlooked.

Networking is the act of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional contacts. It can also help us generate fresh ideas.

The extent one can benefit from this varies. There's a sentiment-It's what you don't know that can hold you back. As you're working toward your goals, seek out others in your field. Chances are you will discover something that can help you that you may not have known to look for.

An example of a site that has fantastic networks for writers is Goodreads! To find the best ways to promote 'Camouflage', I searched for Goodreads' groups that discuss promotions. For finding an agent, I like the network "Query Tracker" because writers share their experiences. These sites do not push an agenda. Instead they encourage dialogue. In reading this blog, you are networking because there's an opportunity to share comments and ask questions.

No goal can be reached in isolation. Finding a good network can be an invaluable resource.

Recently I had a request to do a blog on how I promote 'Camouflage'. I'm happy to share some of the things that work and how I go about organizing them.

My background is in social work and I like to set up any challenge in a structured goal attainment way. First I define my goal. Then I do research to discover the best way to get results, and then I try what I discover.

In this blog I'd like to focus on the goal of increasing sales. 'Camouflage' is sold primarily online as an eBook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple iTune. Any promotion I run has to send readers to these sites.

After I define my goal, I do my research. I constantly search for the best promotional sites and then go to Kboards to see if anyone has had experience with them. Here's my favorites for science fiction and fantasy: Bargain Booksy, Booksends, EreaderCafe, (their last minute option) and The Portalist. BookBub is supposed to be terrific but they are expensive. A great strategy is to line up a few promotions in a row. This will help you climb in rank on Amazon.

I also promote my book for free by reaching out to bloggers, and I contact magazines and newspapers to write articles featuring 'Camouflage'. The New England landscape inspired my story and I mention this to interest local publications. My bank allowed me to set up a table with my book and information about my social media. Getting the word out always helps increase sales.

I hope this answers some questions about promotions. I am open to answering questions and anyone may email me directly through my website, ivykeating.com.

If motivation is the general desire to do something, then it's probably not lack of motivation that prevents us from reaching our goals.

The following are three common reasons we put off doing something we say we want to do.
1) There are aspects of reaching the goal that we don't like.
2) We don't know where to start.
3) We don't have a clear path to reaching the goal, so we become overwhelmed.

Here are a couple tricks to get you over the hurdles above and back on the path to success.

Usually there are elements of any activity that we love and some we do not. Take, for example, writing a novel; you may love crafting a story, but you may not enjoy editing it. Take a moment to think about why each step is necessary. Acknowledge "editing" is not your favorite. Then, try the Premack Principle and plan to do something you like after you complete the undesirable task. Modifying the environment may help, too. Keep your favorite drink handy or a book that inspired you on your desk as you continue to work.

If getting started is difficult, think about the very first step you need to take. Focus on it alone. A book can take years from conception to publication, but it starts with pressing the letters on the keyboard.

When we feel overwhelmed, it's hard to act. A great way to combat this is to put together a step by step plan. Break-down a huge task into manageable pieces. Finding a publisher or an agent is hard, but the first step is to create the book-then do a ton of editing-then create a query letter-and then look up publishers and/or agents that work with your genre. If you're not sure what to do next, researching the subject will give you the confidence to proceed.

If you're putting off reaching your goals, try modifying your method--it's likely you have all the motivation you need!

Characters in novels do not need to follow the same strategies for good communication that we do; they'd be boring if they did. In books, we want to see emotions take over reason and heated exchanges. It's one of the most enjoyable things about reading. We can loose ourselves in the drama. But, do these players have to follow any rules?

Of course they do. Here are my top three communication rules for characters:

The first is, they must stay within the confines of the story. A writer can have a scatter-brained hero - but, a character's way of communicating, no matter how quirky or interesting, cannot derail the reader from the plot or cause unnecessary theatrics. Dialogue must fit seamlessly into the story-line and make sense within the setting.

Characters must listen, but not in the same way that people do. They can choose to respond, ignore, or interrupt, but they must stay within the constructs of their personality. In my book, 'Camouflage', Chief Dermott is not always going to listen politely to his superiors--they are going to have it out!

Lastly, a character's dialogue must sound authentic. People have an established way of speaking that varies with few exceptions. This is even more important for book characters. Any communication that sounds unnatural can pull the reader out of the story. If you're a writer, reading the dialogue out-loud can help you detect awkward discourse.

We love outrageous characters, but even the most dysfunctional ones must adhere to certain guidelines. Fortunately, the rules we follow for "good" communication are different then the ones in books - giving those compelling players room to let loose.

Boo!

Did I scare you? No, of course not. That's because there's no context here for a fright. This October's blog is on one of the best ways for an author to create drama!

On occasion, I've been asked to read other writers' works. The first thing I may notice from a new author is head hopping (changing from one character's point-of-view to another), but the other frequent mistake is that they often write situations that sound good but are not grounded in the moment. A trick to solving this problem is to write with 'mindfulness'. Through mindful writing an author can achieve a dramatic effect.

To write with mindfulness, the author must think about what the character is actually doing, hearing, seeing, and feeling - plus what is actually taking place in the setting. If an ambulance goes by, the character turns her head. If she thinks someone is following her, the quicker she steps. If she notices the branches on the bare trees look like gnarly fingers reaching down, then maybe if someone yells "Boo!" she'll jump!

Every action is grounded in the reality of the moment. It's never a beat ahead or written simply because it sounds dramatic.

When moving the plot along don't skip to where you want it to go. Take the reader there by allowing them to see and feel things through the reality of the moment. This awareness helps create a seamless narrative. The reader will not be distracted by inconsistencies, and this in turn sets the perfect platform for the creation of drama.

It's a few days before Thanksgiving, so this is the perfect time to tell about my mistake with a "Turkey Vulture".

I try to be mindful not to write anything just because it sounds good. But, my editor caught me doing just that.

In my mind, a turkey vulture is a big, scary bird. It's wingspan is up to 72 inches, and some in the species are larger than vultures. They're bodies are dark, brownish-black, and they often sit high in trees with their wings spread. The sight of such a bird overhead must mean trouble. I referenced them as a bird of "prey".

This was my mistake. I said it simply because it sounded good. But turkey vultures are, in fact, not birds of prey; they are opportunistic feeders.

To the plot of my novel--it made no difference. But, the mistaken reference took the reader, my editor, out of the story to make the correction. Anything that distracts the reader from the plot is something a writer must avoid.

The turkey vulture gave me a good reminder to proof-read carefully, and always write for accuracy-never just to sound good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The holiday season can be a very festive time. But, expectations to be joyous can make us feel stressed. This year, especially in the face of the pandemic, we may need a little help to stay merry and bright. Here are three things to try in any situation that gets you down.

1. Stay in the moment. On the road to any lofty goal, whether it's enjoying the holidays or publishing a book, try not to focus on all the variables ahead but what's actually happening now. Being in control is comforting; think about what you can do in the moment and take things one step at a time.

2. Reframe the situation. This is something I learned from Social Work school. Try to think of something negative in a different way. For example, instead of saying, "It won't feel like Christmas if I can't see my relatives," try, "I'm going to be really creative to connect with my relatives."

3. Take the next step. When we're down about something it may be hard to move away from what's upsetting us. On the path to our goals, there are often disappointments and setbacks. But, try to remember - that's all they are: bumps in the road. The best way to feel better is to think what's the very next thing you can do to move forward. It's amazing how one small move in the right direction can gain momentum.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, with good health and goal attainment! - Ivy

Before a book is published, a copy editor can improve the story by enhancing the writing. It's one of the last steps before a book goes to print. I find this interesting because you might think it's the story itself that would face additional scrutiny, but it's actually elements of the written word.

A common mistake is word repetition. I usually catch redundancies when I reread a page. My second book is going through copy-editing now. Even with all the previous edits, the word "like" was overused, and this will have to be corrected. But, why are these repeats a problem?

Books let readers lose themselves in a world created by the author. Most novels will take hours to read, and good writing is the conduit for an entertaining story. Word repetition can be boring and uninspired. It can also be distracting if it garners attention.

When you're writing, challenge yourself to finding new words and different ways to say the same thing. This one fix will benefit not only the structure but also the readability. Remember, not everything bears … repeating.