Shaun Meeks's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing"
Story endings
There are a lot of elements that can make or break a book. Terrible dialogue, unlikable characters, predictable story, but the one thing that can truly destroy a successful book is an unsuccessful ending. You could be reading a mediocre book, but when you get to the end and it hits a home run, you will walk away satisfied. On the other hand, when you read a great book that has a terrible ending, it ruins the whole experience. For me, as a writer, there are certain things I always try to do when I come up with an ending for my novels and my short stories.
One thing to do is to try and stay away from an ending that is so typical, one that the reader will see coming a mile away. Give them a hint or two of where you are going, then flip it on them and give them something else.
The next thing is that you don't always have to give them a happy ending. Sure people love those endings where everyone wins and evil loses, but some of the greatest and most memorable stories are tragic. Don't be afraid of hurting people's feelings or be called a nihilist, give them a bit of darkness. After all, letting something bad happen to a main character can do two things to some readers; make them care more for them, and appreciate their own lives. Might sound silly, but it's true.
A big one for me is to try and stay away from what I call "The Dean Koontz Solution". What that is, is when you solve the major problem, save the day and defeat the enemy with a gun. The gun is just too easy, a cop out in a way that is starting to be a cliché as "and then he woke up". Try and be original and the read will respect it more.
Also, make it believable. Ask yourself, if you were that character, would you do that? Does it seem dumb or something no rational person would do? Ask your friends if you can't be objective.
And last, end with a punch. The last line should be memorable, something that echoes after the reader closes the book. Don't rush it and don't drag it out, but try to find that great closer than makes you feel as though you nailed it.
One thing to do is to try and stay away from an ending that is so typical, one that the reader will see coming a mile away. Give them a hint or two of where you are going, then flip it on them and give them something else.
The next thing is that you don't always have to give them a happy ending. Sure people love those endings where everyone wins and evil loses, but some of the greatest and most memorable stories are tragic. Don't be afraid of hurting people's feelings or be called a nihilist, give them a bit of darkness. After all, letting something bad happen to a main character can do two things to some readers; make them care more for them, and appreciate their own lives. Might sound silly, but it's true.
A big one for me is to try and stay away from what I call "The Dean Koontz Solution". What that is, is when you solve the major problem, save the day and defeat the enemy with a gun. The gun is just too easy, a cop out in a way that is starting to be a cliché as "and then he woke up". Try and be original and the read will respect it more.
Also, make it believable. Ask yourself, if you were that character, would you do that? Does it seem dumb or something no rational person would do? Ask your friends if you can't be objective.
And last, end with a punch. The last line should be memorable, something that echoes after the reader closes the book. Don't rush it and don't drag it out, but try to find that great closer than makes you feel as though you nailed it.
Looking back after year one
I've been writing short stories, novels, novellas and screenplays for years now, closing in on twenty years if I want to admit it. I piled up these stories in binders, packed them in milk crate or just put them in boxes in my closet, with no hopes of them ever seeing the light of day. Since I was in grade seven and was given encouragement by a teacher, I had always dreamed of becoming a writer, of entertaining and horrifying people with the nightmares I could make up. I remember writing my first few stories, taking time and feeling joy and the silly and demented situations that I came up with, making up monsters and killing people in horrible ways. Reading books by Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, H.P. Lovecraft, Poe and Ray Bradbury showed me how I could hone my skill and add character and humour even to these and still give a fright.
Then, when showing my work to my dad, he told me that there was no chance to ever make it as a writer. He told me the market was too competitive and it should just be a hobby. I wasn't very old when he said it, but it stuck with me and made me think twice about what I loved to do. It wasn't long after that that I gave up writing the first time.
When I hit high school, it wasn't the best of time for me. Being a punk and a skater in a school mainly filled with homies, jocks and rich kids, I was an outcast. I started writing again, but this time I wrote songs. I used my writing then to vent my anger and frustration; lyrics about social injustice, police brutality and typical high school angst. Looking back now, it was pretty terrible stuff, but there was a lot going on in those years. I lived in a violent world (seeing my dad get stabbed and a gun pulled on my mom and sister), watched friends and family get lost in drugs, was robbed and beaten a few times, and a few other things that I one day will actually write about in an ongoing project called Punk’s Not Dead, but that will be far into the future as there are people I know are going to be hurt by what I tell in this one.
That’s for another day.
When I hit grade ten, I realized that regular high school was just not for me. The cliques, the stuck up teachers and the general lack of imagination just bothered me too much. So, with the support of my mother, I left there and went to West End Alternative. Changing schools was one of the best things for me. With a teaching staff that was not only supportive, but encouraging too. It was here that I rediscovered my love to write stories. My English teacher, Lydia, pushed me forward and within two weeks I had finished eight stories, some that will see the light of day sooner or later, the rest, not so much. Throughout the rest of high school, my short stint in post-secondary and moving out in the work force, I continued to write, piling up a huge collection of stories and novels that I still have for the most part. During a seven year period, I wrote five full novels and eighty-two short stories, some which have already appeared in my collections. My dreams of being a published writer were stronger than ever, but I had no idea where to start. So, I only let friends and family read them and was encouraged by their reactions.
Then I met a girl that told me that everything I wrote was garbage and I should just give up and forget it all, that my dream to be a writer was as stupid as I was. I worked harder at first, trying to impress her, only to get insult after insult. She brought back those old doubts that my dad had instilled unknowingly in me, and I felt that she was right. I must be a hack.
This was the second time I quit writing.
It lasted for three years, the span of that terrible relationship.
Then, things turned around when I met Mina, the woman I consider my true muse. The second I told her that I was a writer, and that I wanted to get published, she had my back. She pushed me forward, telling me that I could do it and never letting me doubt myself. She was there with me for my first few rejection letters and was there for the first acceptance letters as well. It took a while for me to shake off the old doubts that had been blooming in me, but she never let me give up. I took time to write new material, careful to let my true voice out, and then within a week, two of my stories were accepted.
That first story, The Soldier, was accepted by Jeani Rector over at The Horror Zine. Originally, I had written it for an anthology called Weird War Anthology, but they decided to pass on it. The rejection was heartbreaking, but I didn’t give up. I loved the story and hoped someone would take it on. I sent it to Jeani, and she gave me nothing but praise over it, publishing it on her website and in A Feast of Frights as well alongside Joe R. Lansdale, Graham Masterton, Joe McKinney, Simon Clark, Ed Gorman and so many other great writers. It was such a catalyst for everything to follow. (On a side note, that Weird War Anthology that rejected it, still has not come out, well over a year after it was due to be released. To me, that rejection was a blessing and I have never forgotten that one door closing means another one opens.).
It’s now been about a year since my first story was published and I must admit that things have moved quickly. Since then, my work has appeared in Haunted Path issue 7, Dark Eclipse issue 7, A Feast of Frights from the Horror Zine, At the Gates of Madness, Zombies Gone Wild, A Six Pack of Stories, The Original Van Gogh’s Ear, Brother’s Ilk, Zippered Flesh 2, The Best of Dark Eclipse and 50 Shades of Decay. And before the full year is up, I still have work to appear in three or four more anthologies and magazines, not to mention my novel. There have been so many positive reviews and emails from people, letting me know how my work has affected them and encouraging me to move forward. I have received emails from writers that I grew up with, admire and respect, telling me that they have read and enjoyed what I wrote, and those ones have truly blown my mind. A year ago, I would never have thought I would be where I am today and now as I look forward, I see a road of possibilities ahead.
So, why have I written this big, long, kind of personal blog? The reason is simple; I know my story isn't all that unique. I know there are writers out there that have been shot down by family and friends, received rejection letters that shattered their world and made them feel like giving up. The writing world is a daunting place, filled with people that will stab you with their opinions and try to fill your head with doubts, but never give up. If writing is what you want to do, as it was for me, then you have to go over those bumpy roads, walk over coals and fight your own demons before you get to where you want to be. Those challenges are there to weed out those that don’t have the heart. Just remember, if you are a writer, write. The only thing that can stop you is you.
Then, when showing my work to my dad, he told me that there was no chance to ever make it as a writer. He told me the market was too competitive and it should just be a hobby. I wasn't very old when he said it, but it stuck with me and made me think twice about what I loved to do. It wasn't long after that that I gave up writing the first time.
When I hit high school, it wasn't the best of time for me. Being a punk and a skater in a school mainly filled with homies, jocks and rich kids, I was an outcast. I started writing again, but this time I wrote songs. I used my writing then to vent my anger and frustration; lyrics about social injustice, police brutality and typical high school angst. Looking back now, it was pretty terrible stuff, but there was a lot going on in those years. I lived in a violent world (seeing my dad get stabbed and a gun pulled on my mom and sister), watched friends and family get lost in drugs, was robbed and beaten a few times, and a few other things that I one day will actually write about in an ongoing project called Punk’s Not Dead, but that will be far into the future as there are people I know are going to be hurt by what I tell in this one.
That’s for another day.
When I hit grade ten, I realized that regular high school was just not for me. The cliques, the stuck up teachers and the general lack of imagination just bothered me too much. So, with the support of my mother, I left there and went to West End Alternative. Changing schools was one of the best things for me. With a teaching staff that was not only supportive, but encouraging too. It was here that I rediscovered my love to write stories. My English teacher, Lydia, pushed me forward and within two weeks I had finished eight stories, some that will see the light of day sooner or later, the rest, not so much. Throughout the rest of high school, my short stint in post-secondary and moving out in the work force, I continued to write, piling up a huge collection of stories and novels that I still have for the most part. During a seven year period, I wrote five full novels and eighty-two short stories, some which have already appeared in my collections. My dreams of being a published writer were stronger than ever, but I had no idea where to start. So, I only let friends and family read them and was encouraged by their reactions.
Then I met a girl that told me that everything I wrote was garbage and I should just give up and forget it all, that my dream to be a writer was as stupid as I was. I worked harder at first, trying to impress her, only to get insult after insult. She brought back those old doubts that my dad had instilled unknowingly in me, and I felt that she was right. I must be a hack.
This was the second time I quit writing.
It lasted for three years, the span of that terrible relationship.
Then, things turned around when I met Mina, the woman I consider my true muse. The second I told her that I was a writer, and that I wanted to get published, she had my back. She pushed me forward, telling me that I could do it and never letting me doubt myself. She was there with me for my first few rejection letters and was there for the first acceptance letters as well. It took a while for me to shake off the old doubts that had been blooming in me, but she never let me give up. I took time to write new material, careful to let my true voice out, and then within a week, two of my stories were accepted.
That first story, The Soldier, was accepted by Jeani Rector over at The Horror Zine. Originally, I had written it for an anthology called Weird War Anthology, but they decided to pass on it. The rejection was heartbreaking, but I didn’t give up. I loved the story and hoped someone would take it on. I sent it to Jeani, and she gave me nothing but praise over it, publishing it on her website and in A Feast of Frights as well alongside Joe R. Lansdale, Graham Masterton, Joe McKinney, Simon Clark, Ed Gorman and so many other great writers. It was such a catalyst for everything to follow. (On a side note, that Weird War Anthology that rejected it, still has not come out, well over a year after it was due to be released. To me, that rejection was a blessing and I have never forgotten that one door closing means another one opens.).
It’s now been about a year since my first story was published and I must admit that things have moved quickly. Since then, my work has appeared in Haunted Path issue 7, Dark Eclipse issue 7, A Feast of Frights from the Horror Zine, At the Gates of Madness, Zombies Gone Wild, A Six Pack of Stories, The Original Van Gogh’s Ear, Brother’s Ilk, Zippered Flesh 2, The Best of Dark Eclipse and 50 Shades of Decay. And before the full year is up, I still have work to appear in three or four more anthologies and magazines, not to mention my novel. There have been so many positive reviews and emails from people, letting me know how my work has affected them and encouraging me to move forward. I have received emails from writers that I grew up with, admire and respect, telling me that they have read and enjoyed what I wrote, and those ones have truly blown my mind. A year ago, I would never have thought I would be where I am today and now as I look forward, I see a road of possibilities ahead.
So, why have I written this big, long, kind of personal blog? The reason is simple; I know my story isn't all that unique. I know there are writers out there that have been shot down by family and friends, received rejection letters that shattered their world and made them feel like giving up. The writing world is a daunting place, filled with people that will stab you with their opinions and try to fill your head with doubts, but never give up. If writing is what you want to do, as it was for me, then you have to go over those bumpy roads, walk over coals and fight your own demons before you get to where you want to be. Those challenges are there to weed out those that don’t have the heart. Just remember, if you are a writer, write. The only thing that can stop you is you.
The Price of Art
This may seem like a rant to some, but I assure you, it is not. The other day I was on Facebook, one of the most vapid social media sites out here in the interweb, and saw someone complaining about the cost of ebooks. The person posting claimed that any ebook priced over $1.00 is a rip off and that he encourages people not to buy it. Being the person I am, I posted on his comment, stating that I have a 400+ page ebook right now selling for $1.98 and that it is a bargain at that price. His response was, “you are part of the problem with your corrupt greed”. I would have loved to respond to him, but the comment was deleted, soon followed by his account.
You might just chuckle and say “Troll!”, but this is not the first time I have heard such a sentiment. I have heard people complaining about the cost of books, ebooks, music, etc. for a while now, so you have to ask yourself, what are you willing to pay for art?
In the case of a book, here you have weeks, months and in some cases, years of a writer’s life in front of you. There is literally blood, sweat and tears in those pages, especially in the case of an indie writer. The publishing world is a harsh place and finding someone to put your work out into the world is more difficult in many ways that actually writing. But to many, writing is not an easy task either. Finding time to write between your “real” job, social life, eating and sleeping can be a task in and of itself. Then there is coming up with a story, believable characters, setting…it’s all work and art. So when someone complains and says that it should be free or next to free, they obviously aren't really taking it all into consideration.
Imagine you go to work, do your 9 to 5 job and at the end of the week your boss says, “Oh, your job isn’t worth more than $1. You should just do it for free.” Then he gives you nothing for your entire weeks’ worth of work. That’s what it is like for us, hearing this comments.
Sure, with the self-publishing world becoming a little too big for its britches, there are a lot of stories, novellas, novels and collections making it out there that are not very good, even terrible. The market has been flooded over the last little while with people that haven’t ever fought through rejection letters, that have taken this new road without a chance to hone their art and these writers almost make the argument about work being free legitimate.
Almost.
Many of these writers do give their books away for free, not just as a promotion, but all the time. And if they are giving it away and people are rating it and recommending it, this work that is not just sub-par, but totally substandard, where does that leave the rest of us?
The problem is, there are plenty of great writers out here that work hard to put out the best work they can, only to have people more willing to pay $5 for a coffee at some artsy fartsy coffee bar that will last them only minutes, than on a book that will open their minds and last forever.
The same goes for music.
For paintings and sculptures.
Hell it is even the same for hand-fashioned clothes and tattoos.
We live in a world where people want it fast and cheap, but what do we sacrifice in the long run for that? Quality? Craftsmanship? Do we give up true art in order to have it cheap or free? I hope not. I hope that there will always be a group that wants a well-made, hand crafted corset that might cost a fair bit, than the one made by slave labor that comes apart in a month or two. I hope we see a day where people are buying music of artists they enjoy and want to show support to instead of just downloading it for free and making them give it up all together. I as for writers, I hope to walk into a Starbucks one day and know that the guy sitting there, sipping on his over-sized, overly expensive coffee, reading a book on his (insert ebook reader of choice), paid a fair price for the story he is reading and supported the work that went into it. When you drink your fair-trade coffee and eat your fair-traded chocolate, I hope you are reading a fair-trade book and listening to some fair-trade tunes.
You might just chuckle and say “Troll!”, but this is not the first time I have heard such a sentiment. I have heard people complaining about the cost of books, ebooks, music, etc. for a while now, so you have to ask yourself, what are you willing to pay for art?
In the case of a book, here you have weeks, months and in some cases, years of a writer’s life in front of you. There is literally blood, sweat and tears in those pages, especially in the case of an indie writer. The publishing world is a harsh place and finding someone to put your work out into the world is more difficult in many ways that actually writing. But to many, writing is not an easy task either. Finding time to write between your “real” job, social life, eating and sleeping can be a task in and of itself. Then there is coming up with a story, believable characters, setting…it’s all work and art. So when someone complains and says that it should be free or next to free, they obviously aren't really taking it all into consideration.
Imagine you go to work, do your 9 to 5 job and at the end of the week your boss says, “Oh, your job isn’t worth more than $1. You should just do it for free.” Then he gives you nothing for your entire weeks’ worth of work. That’s what it is like for us, hearing this comments.
Sure, with the self-publishing world becoming a little too big for its britches, there are a lot of stories, novellas, novels and collections making it out there that are not very good, even terrible. The market has been flooded over the last little while with people that haven’t ever fought through rejection letters, that have taken this new road without a chance to hone their art and these writers almost make the argument about work being free legitimate.
Almost.
Many of these writers do give their books away for free, not just as a promotion, but all the time. And if they are giving it away and people are rating it and recommending it, this work that is not just sub-par, but totally substandard, where does that leave the rest of us?
The problem is, there are plenty of great writers out here that work hard to put out the best work they can, only to have people more willing to pay $5 for a coffee at some artsy fartsy coffee bar that will last them only minutes, than on a book that will open their minds and last forever.
The same goes for music.
For paintings and sculptures.
Hell it is even the same for hand-fashioned clothes and tattoos.
We live in a world where people want it fast and cheap, but what do we sacrifice in the long run for that? Quality? Craftsmanship? Do we give up true art in order to have it cheap or free? I hope not. I hope that there will always be a group that wants a well-made, hand crafted corset that might cost a fair bit, than the one made by slave labor that comes apart in a month or two. I hope we see a day where people are buying music of artists they enjoy and want to show support to instead of just downloading it for free and making them give it up all together. I as for writers, I hope to walk into a Starbucks one day and know that the guy sitting there, sipping on his over-sized, overly expensive coffee, reading a book on his (insert ebook reader of choice), paid a fair price for the story he is reading and supported the work that went into it. When you drink your fair-trade coffee and eat your fair-traded chocolate, I hope you are reading a fair-trade book and listening to some fair-trade tunes.
Some updates
It's been a while since I posted any sort of work update, so here I am to do one. Right now I have quite a bit in the works and ready to come out. Between now and the end of December I have four releases due out. My story Perfection Through Silence will be in Fresh Fear, which is edited by William Cook. My story Despair will be in Someone Wicked, which is edited by Weldon Burge and JM Reinbold. My story Give Me Convenience will be in Miseria's Chorale, which is edited by David Nell.
I will also be releasing my third collection, Dark Reaches at the end of December-early January. This one will be featuring 16 stories. A fair bit are new ones, while others are collected from anthologies I have appeared in over the last year. There is also a little hidden something in it for those that like to hunt around. This one is currently in the editing process, and should be ready pretty soon.
On top of that, I am still waiting on release dates for three other short stories and the final release date for my new novel, Shutdown.
And with all that going, this month I am taking part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I had to start this one from scratch and as it stands I have finished 20,000 words in 7 days. Not too bad. The novel I am working on is The Gate at Lake Drive and is the first novel in the Dillon the Monster Dick series. If I can keep the pace up that I am currently on, the book will be ready for editing by the end of November. And it seems as though that will happen. This is the first novel I have ever written that seems to be writing itself. It is full of monsters, demons, quirky townspeople, shady salesmen and burlesque performers. It's strange, cheesy, scary and funny. A bit of noir and a a whole lot of strange.
And as I do that, I have started to put together my forth collection, Salt on the Wound, and I am writing five new short stories for different anthologies that seem fun. Better yet, they pay well; always a good thing.
There are a few more little bits of exciting news here, but they will have to wait until things are confirmed. Can't wait to share it with all of you.
I will also be releasing my third collection, Dark Reaches at the end of December-early January. This one will be featuring 16 stories. A fair bit are new ones, while others are collected from anthologies I have appeared in over the last year. There is also a little hidden something in it for those that like to hunt around. This one is currently in the editing process, and should be ready pretty soon.
On top of that, I am still waiting on release dates for three other short stories and the final release date for my new novel, Shutdown.
And with all that going, this month I am taking part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I had to start this one from scratch and as it stands I have finished 20,000 words in 7 days. Not too bad. The novel I am working on is The Gate at Lake Drive and is the first novel in the Dillon the Monster Dick series. If I can keep the pace up that I am currently on, the book will be ready for editing by the end of November. And it seems as though that will happen. This is the first novel I have ever written that seems to be writing itself. It is full of monsters, demons, quirky townspeople, shady salesmen and burlesque performers. It's strange, cheesy, scary and funny. A bit of noir and a a whole lot of strange.
And as I do that, I have started to put together my forth collection, Salt on the Wound, and I am writing five new short stories for different anthologies that seem fun. Better yet, they pay well; always a good thing.
There are a few more little bits of exciting news here, but they will have to wait until things are confirmed. Can't wait to share it with all of you.
Down on the Farm...a peek
So, there have been a lot of people asking what Down on the Farm is all about. Some want to know if it's a short story, or a novella or a novel. Others -weirdly- wonder if it's a kids story.
Well, let me tell you.
First, the book is a novelette, which is in between a short story and a novella. It's about 11,000 words long, or 74 pages. That's why the print copy is only about $5 and digital is around $1.
Years ago I did some work for the city in the Coroner's Office. When I was there, I was part of the cleaning crew and body removal. Not the best job, but it was interesting to say the least. I'd been thinking about getting into forensics at the time and began to read up on it. One of the things I read about, was a place known as The Body Farm.
If you haven't read Down on the Farm yet, this is the central setting of the book. It's a place where doctors, scientists and anthropologists study death and decay. If that isn't enough to get you interested, here's the opening of the book:
"Her father had been a farmer. She remembered how his coarse hands felt on her cheeks when he would wipe away her tears and would tell her to “buck up, Kiddo” whenever she was hurt. That’s what he’d always called her. Kiddo. Never by her first name, Nadine, or what her friends or mom called her, which had been Naddie. To her dad, it was always Kiddo.
She missed him a lot, especially when she grabbed hold of her tools and went to her own farm. Not that the Farm where she worked actually belonged to her, but she was one of the heads there, so she always referred to it as though it were her own. After she had parked her car and had a quick coffee and muffin to get her through until lunch, she grabbed her tool kit and a camera and then headed over to the fenced off area that lead to the farm. She unlocked the padlocked gate and as soon as she stepped onto the grounds, she was welcomed by that old familiar scent.
Death.
Most people that visited the building close to the Farm never knew what lay beyond the gate where she worked with a team of doctors and anthropologists. Some had heard rumours of the work, and on hot days, the wind would carry the scent of their crops, which caused so many to wince. Unlike her dad’s farm, the Body Farm didn’t grow life, but housed the dead. At that moment, the Farm housed twelve bodies, all in different states of decay and with numerous variables added to them so the doctors could measure rates of decay better. One man was fully clothed in a track suit, while there was a woman nude, tucked into a plastic garbage can. There was a teenage boy clad in nothing but boxers and a wife beater partially buried under leaves and an elderly man that had been encased in a slab of concrete. Three nights before, one of the doctors had conducted fire tests on different body parts and Naddie could still smell the distinct odor of cooked flesh in the air."
Copyright © 2014 by Shaun Meeks
Down on the Farm is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.Down on the Farm
Well, let me tell you.
First, the book is a novelette, which is in between a short story and a novella. It's about 11,000 words long, or 74 pages. That's why the print copy is only about $5 and digital is around $1.
Years ago I did some work for the city in the Coroner's Office. When I was there, I was part of the cleaning crew and body removal. Not the best job, but it was interesting to say the least. I'd been thinking about getting into forensics at the time and began to read up on it. One of the things I read about, was a place known as The Body Farm.
If you haven't read Down on the Farm yet, this is the central setting of the book. It's a place where doctors, scientists and anthropologists study death and decay. If that isn't enough to get you interested, here's the opening of the book:
"Her father had been a farmer. She remembered how his coarse hands felt on her cheeks when he would wipe away her tears and would tell her to “buck up, Kiddo” whenever she was hurt. That’s what he’d always called her. Kiddo. Never by her first name, Nadine, or what her friends or mom called her, which had been Naddie. To her dad, it was always Kiddo.
She missed him a lot, especially when she grabbed hold of her tools and went to her own farm. Not that the Farm where she worked actually belonged to her, but she was one of the heads there, so she always referred to it as though it were her own. After she had parked her car and had a quick coffee and muffin to get her through until lunch, she grabbed her tool kit and a camera and then headed over to the fenced off area that lead to the farm. She unlocked the padlocked gate and as soon as she stepped onto the grounds, she was welcomed by that old familiar scent.
Death.
Most people that visited the building close to the Farm never knew what lay beyond the gate where she worked with a team of doctors and anthropologists. Some had heard rumours of the work, and on hot days, the wind would carry the scent of their crops, which caused so many to wince. Unlike her dad’s farm, the Body Farm didn’t grow life, but housed the dead. At that moment, the Farm housed twelve bodies, all in different states of decay and with numerous variables added to them so the doctors could measure rates of decay better. One man was fully clothed in a track suit, while there was a woman nude, tucked into a plastic garbage can. There was a teenage boy clad in nothing but boxers and a wife beater partially buried under leaves and an elderly man that had been encased in a slab of concrete. Three nights before, one of the doctors had conducted fire tests on different body parts and Naddie could still smell the distinct odor of cooked flesh in the air."
Copyright © 2014 by Shaun Meeks
Down on the Farm is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.Down on the Farm
The hell of self-promoting
Getting published is a great feeling. You spend all these years writing and writing, hoping that one day someone will notice you, and when that day comes, you might think "that's it. I've made it!". That was sort of how I felt, but one part of the dream that's more of a nightmare is the self-promoting.
This is the age of social media, of everyone trying to pimp and sell their wares to anyone and everyone that is their "internet friend". I never liked the idea of it, and at times I feel cheap doing it, but the reality is, I have no real choice.
I didn't sell my book to a big publishing house as I wanted to, instead it was to a small press, who have been great with me. Anyone who knows anything about small presses know that the resources they have are limited, as most of them are writers themselves. They help with the edits, formatting and landing someone to do your cover, but after that, it's in your hands. These places, for the most part, don't have the money or the time to ship of books to reviewers, get your books into stores, or so much of what a big publishing house can do for you. So at that point, you need to grab the bull by the horns and slam you book in the faces of everyone out on the internet.
Yet how do you do it without annoying people?
No matter what you do, someone is bound to be irritated by it. Some will say one post a year is too much, so ignore them because they were born with a stick firmly in their rears. You just can't make certain people happy.
Now, if you're posting the same link three times a day, yelling to the world "BUY ME!" over and over again, you will really piss people off. There is a difference between promoting and being that person. Everything is fine in small doses.
So instead of just sharing that day in an day out, make sure you share reviews of the book, people showing your book off and any other little thing you can think of to get people to see it. Send that book, even a digital version, to reviewers that will help get your name out there. Sure, they might not work for Fangoria or Rue Morgue, but they still have a lot of people that read them.
So how many times can you post about your book? Just don't over do it. Do what feels right, but remember to sprinkle your feeds with other things too, not just "PLEASE BUY MY BOOK". You can get more sales when people like who you are. I personally will only post once or twice a month, but I also use other sources than just my own feeds. Join groups and pages on places like Facebook that are filled with other writers and readers like yourself.
In the end, self-promotion is like anything else. Less can be more.
Now, go buy my book.
Shutdown
Voting Time!
Well, it's that time of year again. Polls are open to vote for novels and short stories I've written. Right now, I'm on the list for a novel and a short story. Last year, the votes helped me hit second place which is amazing because there were so many great writers on the list, so thanks.
Below I have links to the novel and short story category. All you have to do is click each link, click my story and fill out your name, email address (don't worry they don't spam) and the security thingy. Then, respond to the email and it's good to go. Only one vote counts, so you can only vote once in each category.
And don't forget to check out the other categories. So many talented people on the list!
NOVEL: The Gate At Lake Drive
http://critters.org/predpoll/novelh.s...
SHORT STORY: And Midian Whispered Its Name
http://critters.org/predpoll/shortsto...
Below I have links to the novel and short story category. All you have to do is click each link, click my story and fill out your name, email address (don't worry they don't spam) and the security thingy. Then, respond to the email and it's good to go. Only one vote counts, so you can only vote once in each category.
And don't forget to check out the other categories. So many talented people on the list!
NOVEL: The Gate At Lake Drive
http://critters.org/predpoll/novelh.s...
SHORT STORY: And Midian Whispered Its Name
http://critters.org/predpoll/shortsto...
