How Many People Hate Your Main Character?

Tip of the Day: It's Meet our Agents week at MiGWriters. If you're looking for an agent, you'll want to read these four in-depth agent interviews.

I've been doing a lot of reading lately, and I figured out something about myself. I'm not crazy about books where everyone likes the main character. It's kind of like that quote: "If everybody likes you, you're doing something wrong."

I re-read Stephen King's Needful Things, since I had last read it in high school. The main character is a small town sheriff. There are people who don't like him. Some people don't like him because he's a cop. Some people don't like him because he's nosy. One of the first lines in the book is how the townspeople think he does an alright job but he's no Big George (his predecessor). Is it me, or do you immediately like this guy hearing about who dislikes him?

Naturally, your Big Bad Villain will dislike your main character, but is that enough? I don't think so. And what if you're writing about a character who is naturally nice? That's what I'm doing. My main character Kiri has been trained since early childhood to be pleasant and helpful. Nobody has any reason to dislike her. But she finds out that because she was pleasant and helpful, nobody really believed she was smart or capable. Even the people closest to her didn't think she was capable of more. They don't dislike her, but they don't respect her. (If you're a Game of Thrones fan, think of Sansa Stark. She's always polite and she gets no respect, but watch out future!) I'm still worried that she's winning too many people over too soon, but I'll put that question to my critique partners.

This is also a YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) opinion. Some people don't mind a book where everyone likes the main character, where she goes through life with everyone going out of their way for her, and of course she acknowledges their kindnesses with gracious, meaningful thanks. If that's you, there are plenty of books out there for you. That's not me, though. I mean, check out my picture. Nobody in the books likes Sansa and the Hound, so of course they're my favorites. They have no friends. They create tension. But they are essentially good people (well. probably good, in the Hound's case).

What kind of characters do you like?

-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

Choosing a Cover Artist

Tip of the Day: My newest novel, Afterlife, released today. It's only 99 cents through Sunday. Plus, I'm giving away some Harry Potter souvenirs on my blog. Check it out!

As an indie author, I spend a lot of time on the aspects of publishing that most traditionally published writers never experience. Covers and artwork are a huge part of this. From what I'm told, most trad pubbed authors have little, or no, say in their covers. This is something I LOVE about being self-pubbed. The cover art is in my hands.

It's also one of the parts that terrifies me the most.

I don't have an eye for artwork. I couldn't even tell an artist what I want, really. In my mind, color, shape, contrast, all of that stuff, is just a blob of nothingness. I'm not a very visual person.

When I set out to create my first cover, I perused the covers of a ton of self-pub authors. The one that struck me the most was Ravenmarked by Amy Rose Davis. It's beautiful, isn't it?

I found out her artist was Robin Ludwig. I contacted Robin, told her about my book, and she created the cover for Anathema - a cover that has been highly lauded. Then she took that concept and made my Cloud Prophet Trilogy come alive. Each cover utilizes the same model and background, but just the simple changes (a turn of the head, or removal of a hood) speak so intimately to the storyline. I couldn't have done that on my own. 

For my next trilogy, The Swarm, I went with Phat Puppy Art. I wanted a different feel to these books and Claudia's artwork spoke directly to the heart of my story lines.

If you're interested in self-publishing, I HIGHLY recommend finding an artist to create your cover. Unless you're proficient in Photoshop, don't attempt it. Your cover is the first thing a read will see. If you don't want to come off as amateur, make sure your cover screams professional.

Search through Amazon and find covers you love. Contact the artist for a quote. Some are far more expensive than others. Many times it depends on the amount of manipulation that goes into the creation of the graphic.

Covers aren't the only form of artwork a self-pub needs. I have bookmarks that have been created by Robin, as well as Chris Whigham, a prominent social media manager. My new blog header was created by CP Design.

Without these people, my artwork would be atrocious. I'd probably sell far less than I do. I am so grateful to have found such incredible designers!!!!

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

7 Clues to Winning You is Out Today!

Tip of the Day: Check out Kristin's first book, A Match Made in High School too. 

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO MY FRIEND KRISTIN WALKER!!! 

Kristin Walker's newest super funny contemporary book, 7 Clues to Winning You, is out today.

From Goodreads:

When a humiliating picture of Blythe goes viral, she's instantly the target of ridicule at her new school. To salvage her reputation, Blythe teams up with Luke to win the Senior Scramble scavenger hunt. But Luke is an unlikely ally and potentially can't be trusted.

Perhaps it's his Shakespearean witticisms that reel Blythe in despite her better judgment . . . or maybe she just craves the thrill of the game. But as the hunt progresses, their relationship heats up. Soon their madcap mischief spirals out of control. Blythe is faced with arrest and expulsion, among other catastrophes - until Luke shows her what the Scramble (and love) is really about.

What People are Saying:

"In this hilarious account of a girl's reluctant adjustment to new circumstances...Walker (A Match Made in High School) focuses on Blythe's regrets and changing attitude... The vibrant, first-person narrative captures the humor and heartache of Blythe's predicaments." - Publishers Weekly

"7 Clues to Winning You is a definite winner for any contemporary fan! I loved it! This is exactly the kind of YA I need more of in my life. I want more of these kind of stories. Funny light yet deep and thought provoking. I hope you'll all give this book a try!" - Princess Bookie

"A clever, well-woven plot with a loveable cast of quirky characters and a sprinkle of Shakespeare. Kristin Walker's latest laugh out loud book will leave you wanting more." 
– Kristina Springer, author of The Espressologist and My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours


My Thoughts:

Yep, that last blurb was from me. :-) I adored Kristin's newest book! It's on the long side at 317 pages but reads fast because Kristin has such a great and hysterical voice. She first won me over with her debut book, A Match Made in High School, which is a tears rolling down your cheeks from laughter kind of book. And her latest did not disappoint. While I loved her main character Blythe, I have to say the two elderly woman she befriends at the nursing home are by far my fave. Just read it, you'll love it. Promise. 

Find it now on Indiebound, Amazon, or Barnes and Nobles. Follow Kristin on twitter at @Kristin_Walker or visit her Web site www.Kristin-Walker.com.




Kristina, Miss Author in Action

Talking to the People (or People Helping People)

Tip of the Day, Librarian Edition: Thinking of a career in public librarianship? Go to your local library and ask the reference librarian on duty some questions. We love to talk about our careers, and will take your inquiries as reference stats. Bonus!
On Saturday, I was a panelist with four other public librarians who spoke to a group of Masters in Library Science graduate students at the University at Buffalo. It was a great experience and I was honored to be asked.

I got a lot out of the Q&A format, and I hope the students did as well. My perspective of my career broadened by listening to the students' questions/concerns, and the responses from the other librarians around western NY.

For example:
--one panelist has been a librarian on four continents
--one had to stand between an angry husband with a gun and the man's wife who worked at the library until the police arrived
--one talked about the need for librarians to listen to what the public wanted, not just to tell the public what we will provide
--one discussed the library's role in being useful to refugees
--one had a cool local history program, where historians talked about old objects and collections important to the region
--one talked about loving the creativity allowed in her job
--and I, of course, talked about needing passion for your job, a forward-thinking apporach, and the idea that one must always try to keep oneself relevent in librarianship as books and access to information continues to change.

What questions would you have for a public librarian about her field?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Gotta love "advice" by chocolate

Tip of the Day: if you are donating blood and think you can get by with a large snack instead of eating an entire meal, you are wrong. Trust me!

Okay, so it's been kind of a long week already. Whenever I'm feeling exhausted or like I'm about to start pulling my hair out in frustration, I do what any normal person does when they need to relax: I indulge in a few (okay, tons) of Dove chocolate. Not only that, but I do it while watching The Biggest Loser, but I guess that's a topic for another day.

Anyway, not sure when they started including the little inspirational sayings on the Dove wrappers, but the person who thought of it is a genius. It's brilliant marketing and incentive to keep going. I'm sure I'm not the only one that treats them like a fortune and if I don't like my first one I try again.

I have to tell you this latest bag of chocolates really wants to see me accomplish my dreams!

In fact every other quote (or promises as they like to call them, since apparently they are promising you that anything can be accomplished by just eating chocolate...which now that I think about it is a very valid point) seemed to be about fulfilling dreams.

"Live your dreams"

"Dare to dream"

"Daydreaming is free"

"Follow that dream wherever that dream may lead"

"You are the star for which all evenings wait" (which of course is telling me I'm a writing superstar, right? Which I equate to following dreams.)


So what's my point?

Yeah, I don't know either. Just that if you are feeling down, get yourself some Dove chocolates and it will instantly boost your moral. Or at the very least give you a laugh! Who wouldn't smile at the cheesiness of "If you live in the present, every moment is a new beginning" or the profoundness of "Wisdom has two parts 1) having a lot to say, and 2) not saying it."

--Emily, Miss Querylicious

Author Intrusion (Excuse Me!)

Tip of the Day: Rhonda Stapleton is offering her awesome plotting workshop in June. I've taken it and I highly recommend it.

I've been thinking about author intrusion a lot lately. In my humble opinion, those are the spots in your writing where someone can tell you're writing it. These are places where the reader can be pulled out of the story with just a word because the word doesn't fit the storyworld. Instead, it's a writer's shortcut. Your character gets to say or think something she wouldn't normally think or say so that you can get information across to the reader.

Also in my opinion, a lot of long synonyms for "said" count as author intrusion. I don't know about you,  but I talk to people. Occasionally I yell at my kids or whisper to my spouse, but I have never pronounced, stated, proclaimed, or queried anything. These words pull readers out of the story because they're being used by the author to tell you something (how the character is speaking) without using a word the character herself would use. The word is invading from outside your storyworld.

Here's an article from The Editor's Blog: http://theeditorsblog.net/2011/12/13/weed-out-author-intrusion/ on author intrusion. It points out that another form of author intrusion is giving people of a different time period a mindset and attitude that the characters would be unfamiliar with. This doesn't just mean that your Regency debutantes shouldn't think to go out without a chaperone. This applies to novels set in the future, too, something I'm struggling with. Again, it's me wanting to tell you things my main character doesn't realize. I can't have her going around thinking, "Unlike in the early 21st century in the First World countries, a college education is now uncommon." She'd just never think that.

Roni Loren's writing blog also has a great post called Author Intrusion: 12 Pitfalls to Avoid. I love her pitfall #5: Burly Detective Syndrome. This is when characters "think" of each other by their occupation or physical description so you don't have to type their names over and over again. Just stick to one name per character, please. Once you start calling one person "Vera" "the redhead" "the librarian" and "the mother of three," I no longer have any idea who you're talking about. Vera thinks of herself as Vera, so let's leave it at that. I don't wake up in the morning and think, "The spunky brunette brushed her teeth and thought about authorial intrusion." Maybe I should. I'm also thinking of dubbing in the soundtrack to Charlie's Angels to make my life more exciting, but I'm totally off-topic now.

Anyway, author intrusion. I gave you some of my pet peeves. I know you have some, too. Here's where you get to complain about them in the name of helping our manuscripts.

-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

Fright Fest

Tip of the Day:  Want a chance to win an e-ARC of my upcoming novel, Afterlife? Click here to enter!

"When you're working on a book do you ever become paralyzed by fear?"

A writing friend of mine PM'd me over Facebook a couple days ago looking for an answer to this question.

I'm not sure if she expected me to say: "No! Writing is all flowers and hearts! I flit from page to page with joyful abandon, sure my perfect prose will win the Pulitzer!" *cue sparkles and butterflies*

Here's my actual answer: "Afraid? TERRIFIED 24/7. I am scared <bleep>less every time I write, every time I edit, and every time I publish a book. I am convinced everyone will hate it. I think every phrase is awkward. I am sure people are laughing at me behind my back.

Is that what you mean? lol. I think that's how we creative types define normal."

I think everyone needs to hear this once in a while. All writers are insecure. If we waited to feel good about our writing before continuing a project then I'd bet the only books on the shelf would be from literary luminaries like Snooki (who may have an incredible book - I don't know, I haven't read it).

 (I'd also really like to go on record and say that she could be a lovely person in real life. I'm talking REAL life, not that "reality" junk that's shown on TV.)

I think that confidence in writing becomes an even bigger minefield in self-publishing. SELF-PUBLISHING IS CRAP! DON'T SELF-PUBLISH! MICROSCOPIC BUGS WILL EAT YOUR BRAIN WHILE YOU'RE SLEEPING IF YOU SELF-PUBLISH! Isn't that what Jodi Piccoult said? ;) lol

Just because I self-publish, it doesn't mean I'm vain. I'm seriously insecure. I self-publish because I love telling stories. Are they perfect? Doubtful. But if I don't tell stories then it's quite possible my brain will explode and, really, nobody needs to clean up that mess.

No one writes because they have complete confidence in themselves and their work. We write to exorcise the demons. We write to express ourselves. We write to give others a piece of our souls. Is there any greater gift?

Give fear the finger and keep writing. 
-Megg Jensen
(feel free to quote me)

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber