Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Announcing a New Story!
Labels:
creative writing,
free book,
novelette,
science fiction,
writing
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Past, Present, and Future is an 11,000 word digital standalone exclusive, due out on February 29th and will be published by Loyalty Press.
The price will be free. That's right, free. This is partially to apologize for my lack of new material published in 2015 (it was a big year for me), but also for the fact it's taking me a lot longer than I would have hoped to get a draft ready of December's sequel, July. At this point, The Brooch of Storisvaria will probably be ready first... So I'm sorry, and I hope you can enjoy this in the meantime.
Past, Present, and Future began life as a piece in my still-in-progress short story collection, The Profane and the Sacred and Other Stories. After it became much longer than I would have wanted to put in a short story collection and it became clear I wouldn't have a new novel to present in 2015, I have chosen to publish it separately for everyone to enjoy.
The story is about a soon-to-be modern college freshmen, Melanie, discovering that she has the rare and amazing ability to Jump to two times other than her own. One is Victorian England, and the other a space station orbiting a devastated Earth far in the future. As more and more complications come to light, Melanie finds herself faced with an agonizing choice.
Again, Past, Present, and Future is due out on all major digital platforms on February 29, 2016. Be sure to pick up a copy!
To Pen Name or Not To Pen Name?
Despite the fact that I use a pen name, I actually advocate using your real one if at all possible for a number of reasons and to avoid several complications.
In my opinion, authors should really only use a pen name for one of the following reasons:
- You have an extremely common name (i.e. John Smith).
- You have written a book or write in a genre that you don't want connected to you for personal or professional reasons. (Example: if you primarily write children's fiction but want to try your hand at erotica)
- You share your real name with a reasonably famous author (this one's my issue and why I use a pen name).
- Previous books you have published have had a negative reception and you're trying to restart.
- If you really, really just hate your name, are transgender, or are better known by a nickname.
Bonus Tips:
- While it used to be true that books written by certain genders in certain genres didn't sell, I think this trend is largely going away and so it is not necessary to use an opposite-gendered name, unisex name, or initials. However, if this is still an issue for your gender/genre, you might choose to use a pen name.
- If your name is difficult to spell or pronounce, you might want to use a pen name, even though I personally think it's better to use that uniqueness to help build your brand and stand out from the crowd.
- It's an extraordinarily bad idea to use a pen name to hide from people (Examples: while writing non-fiction that lambastes real people or to avoid breaches of publishing contracts). You will likely be found out and could be sued for libel or breach of contract.
If you're self-publishing, it's really nothing to use as many pen names as you want. It will, however, make it harder to build an audience with readers because there will not be as much name recognition. Book marketing is largely personal these days, so consider how you will accomplish that if you don't want people to know who you are.
If you are publishing traditionally, using a pen name is a little more involved. You do not want to only use your pen name when communicating with your agent or publisher. Make it clear up front that you want to publish your piece under your pen name, but again, use your real name for all formal communication. Advances and royalties can get complicated if you use a pen name as well.
For registering copyright, you can use your pen name or your real name. It is generally recommended to register so both names are on record, but if you can only pick one, use your real name for maximum protection.
As for how far you should go with an assumed identity, I think that is up to the individual author to determine. For example, if you are writing under a pen name of the opposite gender, it might be pertinent to come up with a vaguely factual fake biography for your back cover. Jury's still out on how appropriate it is to use opposite gendered pronouns. Don't claim credentials you haven't earned or outright lie. Major lies, if discovered, are likely to make readers lose faith in you.
So that's what I have to say about pen names. Agree? Disagree? Anything I missed? Any interesting pen name stories? Be sure to say so in the comments!
Things I Will Never Include In A Story
Have you ever noticed that ONE thing that could happen in a story that makes you roll your eyes or even put the book down? Sometimes, an element that can even make you never pick up the book again?
- Love triangles
- Amnesia storylines
- Jesus allegories
- Not passing the Bechdel Test (might not apply to short stories)
- Bad futures
- Epilogues that take place in the future
I'll update as I think of more.
Do you have any themes or plot twists that you would never include in YOUR story?
Do you have any themes or plot twists that you would never include in YOUR story?
Happy Halloween (And Some Other Stuff)
The thing is, Halloween proceeds National Novel Writing Month by a day. So I will be holed up in my room starting tomorrow in the little spare time I have, typing away for most of November. My NaNo profile is here: http://nanowrimo.org/participants/kumaokaasan, where you can follow my progress and check out the novel I'm working on as my project. I will do my best to be active on the site, but with some changes at my work and trying to complete NaNo, I probably won't be updating this blog much in November.
In December, I plan to have a giveaway on GoodReads of some signed copies of December, my newest novel. (hehe) More details on that to come, and I promise I'm working on July, its sequel. ... Just not in November. *sigh*
Introduction
I've migrated around the Internet a little when it comes to my blog for a variety of reasons, but hopefully this one is here to stay.
I began working on Imagine Someday, my first novel, in 2007 or so, and it was finally published on June 5, 2013. It was soon followed by December, my second novel and the first book in The Souls of the Stars Saga, in August 2014. I have a BA in creative writing and history from Knox College and I also work as a freelance writer. While I mostly write science fiction and fantasy, I've also branched out into most other genres, including historical fiction and literary fiction. I write short stories, too, and my first collection, Hobo Zombie and Other Stories, was published in September 2013.
But the main purpose of this blog is to talk about my life experiences and my writing, as well as sharing my expertise and tips with others. I'll also talk about the media I enjoy and why I enjoy it.
I own a small press called Loyalty Press. The official website of Loyalty Press is here: http://loyaltypress.weebly.com/
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