This week on Hide and Create, Diana Rowland, Jordan Ellinger, Moses Siregar and Joshua Essoe talk about making money as a traditionally published author, a tie-in author, an indie writer, and a freelance editor. You’ll hear about our expenses and our revenue streams–we left nothing on the table in this episode!
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Welcome to Hide and Create your online writing workshop and podcast! The show is about the business of writing from the perspective of an indie success...
This week on Hide and Create, Joshua Essoe, Moses Siregar, Jordan Ellinger and Diana Rowland talk about the lies writers tell themselves.
We all do it. We are our own worst enemies sometimes. And sometimes our own worst advocates! The point is, don’t feel alone. We’re with you, and so is every other writer that ever was.
This week on Hide and Create, Moses Siregar, Jordan Ellinger, Diana Rowland, and Joshua Essoe continue the show about short story markets with Electric Velocipede editor, John Klima.
We finish our discussion of with John and pick his brain about cover letters, hooks, what will turn John off of a submission, common mistakes, and where in the world that name came from. You know of what I speak.
Bonus! As requested, William Shunn’s guidelines for short story MS formatting!
This week on Hide and Create, Jordan Ellinger, Diana Rowland, Joshua Essoe and Moses Siregar talk to John Klima, editor and creator of Hugo award winning short fiction magazine, Electric Velocipede, about short fiction markets.
Every so often we will invite a prestigious guest to the show to get a fresh perspective and to pick their brain. John Klima created the speculative short fiction magazine, Electric Velocipede, back in 2001, and has edited several anthologies. We go behind the scenes with John on what he likes, how to submit, going digital, hints and tips, and good short fiction markets to which you should submit your work.
So do you want to know the secret handshake? Do you want to know what an Electric Velocipede is? Of course you do. Let John Klima tell you.
This week on Hide and Create, Joshua Essoe, Jordan Ellinger, Moses Siregar and Diana Rowland discuss the all-important, and absolutely necessary topic of self-editing.
Knowing how to edit your work is just as important as knowing how to write your work; especially as an indie writer author. Even if you plan to turn your manuscript over to a professional freelance editor, you’ve got to do the best job possible on your own before turning it over to your editor. Do your homework: learn your grammar and punctuation, and structure, and fix everything you can. Even be willing to kill your darlings if you need to. Use beta readers. The better the copy your editor receives, the better the quality and more useful the edits you will receive back, and often, the less money you’ll have to shell out.
This week on Hide and Create Joshua Essoe, Moses Siregar, Jordan Ellinger and Diana Rowland discuss writing first drafts.
Here is a shocking admission: after I complete an outline, I edit as I write. It works for me, helps me get in the zone to start a writing session by editing what I last wrote. The trick has been to tame that beast of an inclination and keep my forward progression.
Because this tactic is so filled with pitfalls, I find myself never suggesting it to other writers. It is far too easy to get caught up in the eternal opening; tweaking things, rewriting and working it to death to make it as shiny as possible. I’ve been caught there, I have the MSs to prove it. It does not smell like napalm in the morning. Or maybe it does, depending on what side of that napalm you’re on.
From inspiration to fin, we’ve all got our own processes. Sharpies, dictation, polishing turds, muscle drafts, butcher paper, discoverers versus outliners — on the battlefield that is the first draft, where do you fall?
As announced in yesterday’s post about David Farland’s son, Ben, the Book Blast is here! Please browse the titles and buy for yourself, buy for your friends, and share to everyone you know.
Please note, if you click through the Amazon links embedded below, Dave will get a percentage of ANYTHING else you buy while there!
Kindle Edition
Some people sing at night to drive back the darkness. Others sing to summon it. . . .
Bron Jones was abandoned at birth. Thrown into foster care, he was rejected by one family after another, until he met Olivia, a gifted and devoted high-school teacher who recognized him for what he really was–what her people call a “nightingale.”
But Bron isn’t ready to learn the truth. There are secrets that have been hidden from mankind for hundreds of thousands of years, secrets that should remain hidden. Some things are too dangerous to know. Bron’s secret may be the most dangerous of all.
Kindle Edition
If you are a writer, you may want to consider purchasing David Farland’s MILLION DOLLAR OUTLINES. It has been a bestseller on Amazon for over a month and is only $6.99.
As a bestselling author David Farland has taught dozens of writers who have gone on to staggering literary success, including such #1 New York Times Bestsellers as Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time), James Dashner (The Maze Runner) and Stephenie Meyer (Twilight).
In Million Dollar Outlines, Dave teaches how to analyze an audience and outline a novel so that it can appeal to a wide readership, giving it the potential to become a bestseller. The secrets found in his unconventional approach will help you understand why so many of his authors go on to prominence.
For updates on Ben’s condition, the details of what happened, or to make a donation please visit the site James Duckett was kind enough to build here.
I would like to briefly interrupt our regular schedule today to talk about something that happened last week. David Farland’s son, Ben, age 16, was in a serious long-boarding accident on Wednesday the 4th.
Imagine the worst skateboarding accident you can without cars, or guns, and there you have it. His list of injuries is staggering: brain trauma, internal bleeding, bruised lungs, blown eardrum, broken pelvis, broken tailbone, crushed vertebrae, cracked skull . . . He is currently in a coma.
His family does not have insurance.
Dave is one of the best guys I know. He’s mentored, and taught, and helped out more students and aspiring writers than any person I know. Personally, I would not have been as happy or as successful without him. I know I’m a better person for having him in my life; let alone a better writer and editor. He’s one of the good guys. He’s one of the ones who honestly cares.
Turns out that early estimates of the medical bills are as staggering as the injuries, so we are helping with a book bomb on Ben’s behalf.
You can learn more about Ben’s condition, or simply donate to the Wolverton family here.
WHAT IS A BOOK BOMB?
A Book Bomb is an event where participants purchase a book on a specific day to support the author, or, in this case, a young person in serious need: Ben Wolverton.
WHAT BOOK SHOULD I PURCHASE?
David Farland’s young adult fantasy thriller NIGHTINGALE has won 7 awards, including the Grand Prize at the Hollywood Book Festival–beating out all books in all categories. It is available as a hardcover ($24.99), ebook ($7.99), audio book ($24.99), and enhanced novel for the iPad ($9.99).
You can purchase it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and on the Nightingale website.
Or, you can get the enhanced version, complete with illustrations, interviews, animations, and its own soundtrack, through iTunes.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Some people sing at night to drive back the darkness. Others sing to summon it. . . .
Bron Jones was abandoned at birth. Thrown into foster care, he was rejected by one family after another, until he met Olivia, a gifted and devoted high-school teacher who recognized him for what he really was–what her people call a “nightingale.”
But Bron isn’t ready to learn the truth. There are secrets that have been hidden from mankind for hundreds of thousands of years, secrets that should remain hidden. Some things are too dangerous to know. Bron’s secret may be the most dangerous of all.
IS IT GOOD?
In short, yes.
Authors such as James Dashner (The Maze Runner), Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn), and Paul Genesse (Iron Dragon series) all praised it. Nightingale has 4 and a half stars on Amazon. But just go buy it tomorrow and find out for yourself.
WHAT IF I ALREADY OWN NIGHTINGALE? OR I’M NOT INTERESTED IN IT?
If you are a writer, you may want to consider purchasing David Farland’s MILLION DOLLAR OUTLINES. It has been a bestseller on Amazon for over a month and is only $6.99.
As a bestselling author David Farland has taught dozens of writers who have gone on to staggering literary success, including such #1 New York Times Bestsellers as Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time), James Dashner (The Maze Runner) and Stephenie Meyer (Twilight).
In Million Dollar Outlines, Dave teaches how to analyze an audience and outline a novel so that it can appeal to a wide readership, giving it the potential to become a bestseller. The secrets found in his unconventional approach will help you understand why so many of his authors go on to prominence.
Get it on Amazon, or on Barnes and Noble.
Check out the reviews. Is it worth it? Again, yes.
CAN I JUST DONATE MONEY?
Yes. You can donate money to Ben here. Or you could purchase a book as a gift for someone else!
I WANT TO HELP BUT I DON’T HAVE ANY MONEY!
The best way you can help is by spreading the word of Ben’s donation page and the book bomb tomorrow, Wednesday April 10th. Share it on facebook, twitter, pinterest, your blog—anywhere you can.
TELL ME MORE ABOUT BEN. WILL HE BE OKAY?
David Farland has been keeping everyone posted on facebook. Subscribe or friend him to get up-to-date information. At the moment, Ben is stable and appears to be improving.
Thank you! Just keep those wishes, hopes, prayers, flowers, cheers and skols flowing.
Today on Hide and Create Jordan Ellinger, Moses Siregar, Diana Rowland and Joshua Essoe talk about inspiration.
Can you write while you’re not inspired? Some say writing is a job and you don’t have to be inspired to do it. You just do it. Because you have to. Some things in this writing life don’t need inspiration — if you can’t find your voice or can’t get the words flowing, you can edit, you can promote, you can work on a blog piece. There is always something to do.
But where does inspiration come from when you need it? Where can you find that spark to light the fire of your creativity?
All over.
Do me a favor. Next time you go out, keep your eyes open. Cast out your idea-net and go trawling. I guarantee that if you pay attention you’ll see or hear or taste things that will inspire plots, characters and wonderful, specific details.
This week on Hide and Create, Diana Rowland, Moses Siregar, Joshua Essoe and Jordan Ellinger discuss Mary Sues and Marty Stus.
Who are these super awesome people? Why, they’re you! They’re the best. We all love them. A little too much. They can do everything! In fact it kind of bugs me how perfect they are. It probably bugs you too.
Here are some tips to tone those characters down, and how to use this technique for the forces of good instead of evil.