A Day In The Life of MFRW Author Ann Raina
Ann Raina lives and works in Germany with cats and a horse. Riding and writing are her favorite hobbies. So far she has written thirteen novels for eXtasy Books with more to come. Her latest series, starting with The Secretary’s Bodyguard, turns around a couple getting into dangerous, life-threatening adventures.
In all of her books she combines romance, suspense, and humorous elements, for no thrilling story can stand without a comic relief.
Connect with Ann on facebook or on her website.
I work in an office. I have a horse to take care of every day. These demands limit my writing time, including on weekends. Therefore I'm used to write wherever I go and have time to ponder ideas, scenes, and character development. I don't leave the house without a notebook and pen.
My latest, now published book was written in four months because the story came up nicely and many characters offered themselves for developing from the series' first three books. I loved adding new characters, and my muse did a lot in creating their backgrounds. With the storyline set and the main characters defined, I used every minute of the day to write the scenes.
It was so much fun, especially the afternoons with my muse -- lots of coffee, cookies, and enough paper to write down essential notes.
Monday, October 17, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
No Motivation for Marketing Your Romances? #MFRWorg #romance
For those of you that are out there killing it in terms of your marketing (you know...writing on your own blog, guest-posting, great Twitter and Facebook presences, a thriving and regular newsletter, a community of people who love your books and share them regularly...), YAY! Good for you.
This blog isn't for you. It's for the rest of us, those of us who struggle with balancing a full-time other career, possibly a spouse and children, the actual writing of the novels, and then marketing on top of all of that.
I do a lot of marketing for my career as a life coach. A ton. But I don't do much at all for my romance novels, which means that those poor little novellas that I wrote three years ago suffer in obscurity and are dying a slow, lingering death. (I've since written four more complete novels and am actively subbing, but that is a subject for another blog.) So I do know what it takes to succeed in the marketing arena, even if I'm not always doing it for my little romances.
My point is, if you are in the same space: I hear you. I feel you.
Most of us already know what we "should" be doing. It's like someone who wants to start exercising. She's not trying to convince herself that sitting all day is healthy. She just can't seem to find the motivation to get out there.
And like our friend who wants to exercise, for us romance writers, marketing is usually one of the last things that we do. It's so tiring. It's a slog. Someone might reject me. People might not like what I post. Yuck!
And yet, there are plenty of people out there in exactly the same boat, and yet, they still manage to find the time to do a good bit of marketing. So how do they do it?
Okay, so let's get down to the nitty-gritty. How do you motivate yourself to keep going with your marketing, even when everything else (including your own thoughts) gets in the way?
1. Find your why
Why, exactly, are you even bothering to market your books? Do you want more money for your next vacation, more readers so that you can spread your message of peace and love and aliens-are-invading, or possibly you just want to have a deeper connection with the readers that you already have?I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's probably mainly so that we can have more readers, more people who buy our books. But what, exactly, does that translate into for you? What are you hoping that money will buy?
Now here's the fun part: Spend a few minutes today writing and dreaming about your the experiences and things that money would buy. If you sold JK-Rowling-like numbers of books tomorrow, what would that enable you to do? What charities would you support? Which vacations would you take? With whom would you spend more time?
Spend 10-20 minutes really getting into the details of what you want from that expanded readership. How would you be helping those readers? What is your message that you want to get to them?
This exercise has been extensively studied by positive psychologists (in terms of increased happiness), but it also really helps to awaken our subconscious mind to possibilities that we might not ordinarily see.
2. Plan, plan, plan
I'm a pantser. I love spontaneity in my life. I would jet off to Europe tomorrow if you asked me to (and gave me a plane ticket. And a babysitter. Minor details.)But for anything that has to get done in my week, including marketing, blogging, and submitting to other, bigger blogs, I have to block it out in my calendar. And then, like a meeting with my boss (who also happens to be me) I don't allow anything to interfere with that time.
Don't mistake urgency for importance
Most of us make this mistake. We see an email pop up and we think we have to answer it. Or a text. That little bell is a Pavlovian response to "oh, someone needs me. I must answer them right now!".But what's truly most important to you? Getting out requests for reviews, or posting a new Facebook meme? Contacting other bloggers for possible guest posts, or answering your mother's phone call during your prime working hours?
This gets back to blocking out your time. Turn off your phone, shut off the internet, and get it done.
3. Challenge your thoughts
This is number three, but it's actually the biggest one to take on in terms of our marketing challenges. We have these little fears that masquerade as actual reality, things like "Last time I did a blog hop, no one even commented. It's pointless to even do it."But challenge that thought. Did you truly get zero comments? You probably got at least a few. I also like to remember that everyone starts from somewhere. That all great marketers started out with just one Facebook follower. That all of marketing is a slow build, until eventually it becomes an avalanche.
You can use this process, called thought-refuting, with any of your fears. What are you really most afraid of in putting yourself out there? Once you've identified it, turn that thought on its head. There's always a counter-argument or thought to negate the uncomfortable one.
Something is always better than nothing.
What can you do right now, today, that will get you back on the path? Even twenty minutes of beautiful sharing (sharing - not selling - you know this!) will get you back on that path.Have you struggled with your own marketing? What do you do to overcome it? We'd love to hear from you in the comments!
Erin writes sensual paranormals and historical romances as Erin Moore. In her other life, she's also a life coach, helping women to answer the question of how to add value in their lives and careers in a vibrant and meaningful way, even while navigating the chaos and frustrations of everyday life. She believes that everyone deserves an amazing life of abundance, and her free e-book "Your Kick Ass Life: A Process for Answering "What Do I Do With My Life" is available on her website.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Retweet Day for #MFRWauthor @MFRW_Org Join the Fun
Retweet Day for #MFRWauthor - Join the fun
Don't forget the Rules
Here's to a great day of retweets,
Tina Gayle
www.tinagayle.net
For this month's Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite all Marketing for Romance Writers to set up tweets for their books.
Go into Twitter and create a tweet . Make sure to use #MFRWauthor or MFRW_Org
Once the tweet has been posted. Click on the ... (three dots) in the right hand corner.
This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.
Go into Twitter and create a tweet . Make sure to use #MFRWauthor or MFRW_Org
Once the tweet has been posted. Click on the ... (three dots) in the right hand corner.
This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.
Remember to visit the blog on October 12 and retweet everyone on the list.
Also in an effort to help people find tweets to share of yours, click the ...(three dots) again and pin your tweet to your profile page. This will give you a count of how many people retweeted your post.
Also in an effort to help people find tweets to share of yours, click the ...(three dots) again and pin your tweet to your profile page. This will give you a count of how many people retweeted your post.
Don't forget the Rules
1. Have #MFRWauthor or #MFRWorg in the tweet. (This retweet day is to promote each other and our group.)
2. Do not use profanity or sexual explicit graphics. Keep it clean for all age groups.
3. Return on Retweet Day and click each link and share everyone's post on twitter.
4. Click the G+ symbol on the tweet so you can see where you left off, and to add a little more visibility to the post.
4. Click the G+ symbol on the tweet so you can see where you left off, and to add a little more visibility to the post.
Here's to a great day of retweets,
Tina Gayle
www.tinagayle.net
Monday, October 3, 2016
Fandom on Twitter #UsingTwitter @kayelleallen #MFRWauthor
Everyone is a fan of something, and you can probably find it
on Twitter.
If you like to read about a specific thing, use a hashtag (#)
to search for it. For example, #crossstitch #Hobbit #scifi #recipes. In Twitter,
go to the search bar (upper right) and type one of those. Hit return, or click the
magnifying glass in the search bar. Tweets from anyone who used the term you searched
for will show up. Try it with almost any word (no spaces) and you will see the possibilities.
#amwriting
#amediting
#writing
Popular searches for readers:
#romance
#suspense
#scifi
#comedy
Media Fandoms
But there are other fandoms besides books. Let's talk TV for
a minute Do you follow any shows? These are all on Twitter.
Vampire Diaries #TVD https://twitter.com/cwtvd
Once Upon A Time #OnceUponATime https://twitter.com/OnceABC
The Flash #TheFlash https://twitter.com/CW_TheFlash
Supergirl #SuperGirl https://twitter.com/TheCWSupergirl
NCIS #NCIS https://twitter.com/NCIS_CBS
Meeting Fans
Pick a show or movie that fits the genre you write, and
begin following it. Retweet and share views. You will meet fans of the genre,
and end up with followers. The important thing about this is NEVER to use the
hashtag to promote your books. Think of fellow fans as online friends who are just
as real as friends you'd meet at a coffeeshop or while out shopping. Talk to
them and they will talk back. Don't try to sell them anything. Just be a tweep
(friend/peep on Twitter).
Fanart
Use the hashtag #fanart and
you'll be amazed at how many talented people there are out there. They love the
same TV and movies as you (or the same video games, etc.). These people have
like interests, and when you appreciate their art, they are more likely to
follow you. Want more? Follow this account. DeviantArt https://twitter.com/DeviantArt (they aren't deviant - it just means alternative).
Why is that important? Because they might end up being your fan. But you have to meet them
first, so get out there and be a fan!
Follows: #scifi #Thranduil #Loki #fanart #MFRWauthor
image credit: Kimberly80 on DeviantArt
About the Author
Kayelle Allen https://twitter.com/kayelleallenFollows: #scifi #Thranduil #Loki #fanart #MFRWauthor
image credit: Kimberly80 on DeviantArt
Monday, September 5, 2016
#MFRWauthor Come Join the Fun of Retweet Day
Retweet Day for #MFRWauthor - Join the fun
For this month's Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite
all Marketing for Romance Writers to set up tweets for their books.
Go into Twitter and create a tweet . Make sure to use
#MFRWauthor or MFRW_Org
Once the tweet has been posted. Click on the ... (three
dots) in the right hand corner.
This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.
Remember to visit the blog on Sept. 7 and retweet everyone
on the list.
Also in an effort to help people find tweets to share of yours,
click the ...(three dots) again and pin your tweet to your profile page. This
will give you a count of how many people retweeted your post.
Don't forget and Rules
1. Have #MFRWauthor or #MFRW_org in the tweet. (This retweet
day is to promote each other and our group.)
2. Do not use profanity or sexual explicit graphics. Keep it
clean for all age groups.
3. Return on Retweet Day and click on each link and share everyone's
post on twitter.
Here's to a great day of retweets,
Tina Gayle
www.tinagayle.net
Tina Gayle
Monday, August 15, 2016
Use a Press Release to Promote your Book! @JimDaddio #MFRWauthor
When MFRW author Jim Daddio released his book The Choice, he knew he needed to get the word out. Jim is the author of six fiction books. He lives in Palm City, Florida with his wife, Jill. His books are available on amazon.com (search Jim Daddio). You can also find out more about him at www.jimdaddio.com. He share how he publicized his book here.
As authors we want to sell as many books as possible. We must be our own self-promoter. We need to tell everyone we meet we are writers and have excellent books available. I recently contacted a local newspaper for the city of Palm City. The paper is printed once a week and placed in over twenty-five thousand mailboxes. They printed my press release. The response has been wonderful.
As authors we want to sell as many books as possible. We must be our own self-promoter. We need to tell everyone we meet we are writers and have excellent books available. I recently contacted a local newspaper for the city of Palm City. The paper is printed once a week and placed in over twenty-five thousand mailboxes. They printed my press release. The response has been wonderful.
Local resident pens his sixth fiction novel.
Jim Daddio, a resident of Palm City, is the author of five fiction novels. Readers who enjoy well-written, gripping mystery novels will welcome the newest offering from Jim. The Privileged, published by Wings ePress, Inc., completes a trilogy featuring private detective, Art Decco
Art is the main character in Las Vegas Dead and Heaven or Hell-A Story of Human Trafficking, also published by Wings. The history of Art's unusual surname is revealed in the stories: his family name, Deccolangelo, was shortened by his grandfather when he emigrated to America from Italy.
The Privileged is an old fashioned ‘who done it.’ When Michelle Thorne Johnston, a wealthy socialite living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is murdered, the police have enough evidence and motive to arrest and charge her husband, Clay.
He immediately proclaims his innocence and hires Art to find the real killer. The reader rides along with Art as he discovers there are several persons of interest who had reason to murder Michelle. But there is something bothering Art: Clay doesn't seem too concerned. He insists that, even if he has to go to trial, he will never be found guilty. He is rich and powerful and one of the privileged.
“Even though this is my sixth published fiction novel I have to say I am very excited about The Privileged. It is my first 'who done it mystery.' My publisher, Wings epress, is also excited about the story line. The reader will have to wait until the end to find out who committed the crime,” Jim said.
Originally from Meadville, Pennsylvania, Jim has been a resident of Palm City for seven years. He's lived in Florida for over forty years. Thirty-seven years in Fort Lauderdale, three in Clearwater and two years in Orlando.
He added, “My wife, Jill, and I really love Palm City and living in Whispering Sound. We travel to Lauderdale to visit our daughter, Jennifer, and spend several months each year in Richmond, Virginia with our son, Jim, and his family.”
His books can be found on amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. (Search Jim Daddio)
“The Choice” was also featured in The Stuart News.”
Monday, August 8, 2016
Come Meet the Authors of #MFRW_org and #MFRWauthor Retweet Day
Retweet Day for #MFRWauthor - Join the fun
For this month's Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite
all Marketing for Romance Writers to set up tweets for their books.
Go into Twitter and create a tweet . Make sure to use
#MFRWauthor or MFRW_Org
Once the tweet has been posted. Click on the ... (three
dots) in the right hand corner.
This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.
Remember to visit the blog on August 10, and retweet
everyone on the list.
Also in an effort to help people find tweets to share of
yours, click the ...(three dots) again and pin your tweet to your profile page.
This will give you a count of how many people retweeted your post.
Don't forget the rules
1. Have #MFRWauthor or #MFRW_org in the tweet. (This retweet
day is to promote each other and our group.)
2. Do not use profanity or sexual explicit graphics. Keep it
clean for all age groups.
3. Return on Retweet Day and click on each link and share
everyone's post on twitter.
Here's to a great day of retweets,
Tina Gayle
www.tinagayle.net
Friday, July 15, 2016
#MFRWAuthor-to-Author: Breaking into Social Media @Jill_Blake_
Social…what?
My kids are growing up in a brave new world dominated by social media.
Me, I’m still trying to figure out what this whole hash-tag thing is about. Until recently I didn’t have a Twitter account. And when I first opened a Facebook account at the urging of friends and family, it was simply to post: ""If you want to communicate with me, pick up the phone or stop by. Because I don't do Facebook.""
But the virtual world just wouldn’t go away. Friends kept bugging me to check out their Pinterest pages. Or Instagram posts. Email is passé, they said. IM—what’s that? You can still text, but what you really need is photos, videos, check-ins. Right. Do these people not know about all the criminals out there, monitoring FB and Tumblr and Meetup to know when you’re not at home so they can burglarize your empty house?!?
Alas, I am alone in my paranoia. And truth to tell, some of my reluctance to join the digital revolution is fueled by the fact that I am an idiot when it comes to computers. I never quite got over the trauma of having to learn how to program in FORTRAN. (For those of you who were born into a world of smartphones and swipe-screens, FORTRAN is a long-dead computer language from post-IBM, pre-Apple days. It’s what Latin is to the Romance languages that grew out of it. Do they even teach Latin in public school anymore?)
What’s more, I actually like communicating the old fashioned way. I enjoy talking with people face to face. And I especially love writing letters long-hand, putting them in an envelope, sticking on a stamp, and dropping them off at the corner post-office. I grew up reading volumes of correspondence between Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald (sigh!), Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf, Shelby Foote and Walker Percy. Really, how can Twitter or Facebook compare with that?
In quantum physics, there is the law: “like attracts like.” This principle applies to relationships, too.
We self-select our social network—both online and in the real world. As a result, I am marooned on an island of similar-minded Luddites. In our world, “going viral” still refers to a constellation of symptoms including fever, cough, and congestion.
So, until my kids are old enough to clue me in, I will likely remain a social networking illiterate. I will not be plugging my books on a bazillion-and-one online sites. I will continue writing slowly, laboriously, in longhand (at least sometimes). And I hope that the content of what I write will be interesting enough to sell a few books.
How do you use social media in promoting your books?
Contributed by MFRW author Jill Blake.
A native of Philadelphia, Jill Blake now lives in southern California with her husband and three children. By day, she works as a physician in a busy medical practice. By night, she pens steamy romances.
blog ~ http://jillblake.blogspot.com/
twitter ~ https://twitter.com/Jill_Blake_
Google+ ~ https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JillBlake/posts
FB ~ https://www.facebook.com/jill.blake.3386
Amazon ~ http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00B1ZIHKS
Goodreads ~ https://goodreads.com/author/show/6899971.Jill_Blake
Jill Blake's newest release is Sweet Indulgence (The Silicon Beach Trilogy, Book 2).
BUY LINK - Free on Kindle Unlimited!
Becca Markham spent the last six years trying to please everyone else. Now it’s her turn. She ditches her cheating boyfriend, quits her high-stress job as a software engineer, and decides to transform her life-long love of baking from a part-time hobby into a full-time business.
Leo Kogan spent years scrambling to escape a life of poverty. Now a successful surgeon, he needs just one thing to complete his American dream: the perfect woman. But making the leap from casual friends to lovers proves harder than he expects.
Despite a sizzling attraction, Becca and Leo don’t have much in common. Especially when it comes to love and money. She’s looking for sex without strings; he wants a partner for life. She stakes her future on a risky new business; he’s obsessed with financial security.
My kids are growing up in a brave new world dominated by social media.
Me, I’m still trying to figure out what this whole hash-tag thing is about. Until recently I didn’t have a Twitter account. And when I first opened a Facebook account at the urging of friends and family, it was simply to post: ""If you want to communicate with me, pick up the phone or stop by. Because I don't do Facebook.""
But the virtual world just wouldn’t go away. Friends kept bugging me to check out their Pinterest pages. Or Instagram posts. Email is passé, they said. IM—what’s that? You can still text, but what you really need is photos, videos, check-ins. Right. Do these people not know about all the criminals out there, monitoring FB and Tumblr and Meetup to know when you’re not at home so they can burglarize your empty house?!?
Alas, I am alone in my paranoia. And truth to tell, some of my reluctance to join the digital revolution is fueled by the fact that I am an idiot when it comes to computers. I never quite got over the trauma of having to learn how to program in FORTRAN. (For those of you who were born into a world of smartphones and swipe-screens, FORTRAN is a long-dead computer language from post-IBM, pre-Apple days. It’s what Latin is to the Romance languages that grew out of it. Do they even teach Latin in public school anymore?)
What’s more, I actually like communicating the old fashioned way. I enjoy talking with people face to face. And I especially love writing letters long-hand, putting them in an envelope, sticking on a stamp, and dropping them off at the corner post-office. I grew up reading volumes of correspondence between Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald (sigh!), Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf, Shelby Foote and Walker Percy. Really, how can Twitter or Facebook compare with that?
In quantum physics, there is the law: “like attracts like.” This principle applies to relationships, too.
We self-select our social network—both online and in the real world. As a result, I am marooned on an island of similar-minded Luddites. In our world, “going viral” still refers to a constellation of symptoms including fever, cough, and congestion.
So, until my kids are old enough to clue me in, I will likely remain a social networking illiterate. I will not be plugging my books on a bazillion-and-one online sites. I will continue writing slowly, laboriously, in longhand (at least sometimes). And I hope that the content of what I write will be interesting enough to sell a few books.
How do you use social media in promoting your books?
Contributed by MFRW author Jill Blake.
A native of Philadelphia, Jill Blake now lives in southern California with her husband and three children. By day, she works as a physician in a busy medical practice. By night, she pens steamy romances.
blog ~ http://jillblake.blogspot.com/
twitter ~ https://twitter.com/Jill_Blake_
Google+ ~ https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JillBlake/posts
FB ~ https://www.facebook.com/jill.blake.3386
Amazon ~ http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00B1ZIHKS
Goodreads ~ https://goodreads.com/author/show/6899971.Jill_Blake
Jill Blake's newest release is Sweet Indulgence (The Silicon Beach Trilogy, Book 2).
BUY LINK - Free on Kindle Unlimited!
Becca Markham spent the last six years trying to please everyone else. Now it’s her turn. She ditches her cheating boyfriend, quits her high-stress job as a software engineer, and decides to transform her life-long love of baking from a part-time hobby into a full-time business.
Leo Kogan spent years scrambling to escape a life of poverty. Now a successful surgeon, he needs just one thing to complete his American dream: the perfect woman. But making the leap from casual friends to lovers proves harder than he expects.
Despite a sizzling attraction, Becca and Leo don’t have much in common. Especially when it comes to love and money. She’s looking for sex without strings; he wants a partner for life. She stakes her future on a risky new business; he’s obsessed with financial security.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
#MFRWauthor Come Support Our Author's Books on Retweet Day #MFRWorg
Retweet Day for #MFRWauthor - Join the fun
For this month's Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite all Marketing for Romance Writers to set up tweets for their books.
Go into Twitter and create a tweet . Make sure to use #MFRWauthor or MFRW_Org
Here's to a great day of retweets,
Tina Gayle
www.tinagayle.net
For this month's Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite all Marketing for Romance Writers to set up tweets for their books.
Go into Twitter and create a tweet . Make sure to use #MFRWauthor or MFRW_Org
Once the tweet has been posted. Click on the ... (three dots) in the right hand corner.
This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.
This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.
Remember to visit the blog on July 12, and retweet everyone on the list.
Also in an effort to help people find tweets to share of yours, click the ...(three dots) again and pin your tweet to your profile page. This will give you a count of how many people retweeted your post.
Don't forget and Rules
Also in an effort to help people find tweets to share of yours, click the ...(three dots) again and pin your tweet to your profile page. This will give you a count of how many people retweeted your post.
Don't forget and Rules
1. Have #MFRWauthor or #MFRW_org in the tweet. (This retweet day is to promote each other and our group.)
2. Do not use profanity or sexual explicit graphics. Keep it clean for all age groups.
3. Return on Retweet Day and click on each link and share everyone's post on twitter.
Here's to a great day of retweets,
Tina Gayle
www.tinagayle.net
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
#MFRWauthor Retweet Day on Twitter
Retweet Day for #MFRWauthor - Join the fun
For this month's Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite all Marketing for Romance Writers to set up tweets for their books.
Go into Twitter and create a tweet . Make sure to use #MFRWauthor or MFRW_Org
Here's to a great day of retweets,
Tina Gayle
For this month's Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite all Marketing for Romance Writers to set up tweets for their books.
Go into Twitter and create a tweet . Make sure to use #MFRWauthor or MFRW_Org
Once the tweet has been posted. Click on the ... (three dots) in the right hand corner.
This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.
This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.
Remember to visit the blog on June 8 and retweet everyone on the list.
Also in an effort to help people find tweets to share of yours, click the ...(three dots) again and pin your tweet to your profile page. This will give you a count of how many people retweeted your post.
Don't forget and Rules
Also in an effort to help people find tweets to share of yours, click the ...(three dots) again and pin your tweet to your profile page. This will give you a count of how many people retweeted your post.
Don't forget and Rules
1. Have #MFRWauthor or #MFRW_org in the tweet. (This retweet day is to promote each other and our group.)
2. Do not use profanity or sexual explicit graphics. Keep it clean for all age groups.
3. Return on Retweet Day and click on each link and share everyone's post on twitter.
Here's to a great day of retweets,
Tina Gayle
Friday, June 3, 2016
Wordy Phrases and How to Find Them #MFRWauthor #amediting @kayelleallen
I'm going to wear my editor hat today and share tips I use on finding words that don't work as hard as you want them to. Every writer has pet phrases used to get the story from the head to the screen (or paper) such as "she rolled her eyes" or "he wet his lips." Some phrases are clichés; others are stock fillers we use while we're developing a scene. We figure we'll edit them later.
The problem is, we forget they're there. They become part of the background noise, and we fail to see them. Sometimes, even helpful words can slow down our writing, and take away the punch of a well-written sentence. How do we find them when they become invisible because we've seen them too often?
One good way is to use a program like SmartEdit. This software provides things such as an adverb list, repeated phrases, words, and usage of clichés. It shows dialogue tags and more. The Author's Secret is not affiliated with them, but I recently found this program myself and feel it's tightened up and strengthened my writing. I recommend it.
While a program is helpful, a simple list of your own no-no words will come in handy. I compiled a list of oft-used phrases that author friends report are their crutch words. Some of them are mine too. Here's the list.
Phrases to Consider
Substitute gender pronouns (his/her, etc.) when searching.
- all the (also all of the)
- back against
- back to the
- be able
- both arms / hands
- can't wait
- come to
- did you
- do you think / want / need
- ducked his head
- every part of
- going to
- have no (look for: have no time, have no idea, have no reason, etc.)
- he opened / pulled
- his cheek
- his fingers / fingertips / hands
- I have
- I / you want
- I / you will
- look at
- on the floor
- outside of (outside is fine on its own)
- up against
- wet his/her lips
- you want (also look for what you want, what he/she wants, etc.)
Whatever you write, don't forget to run a spell check, and have a peer check your work. A good editor can help you find and eliminate crutch words, and suggest precise language, but your own experience and attention to detail can make their job easier, and save you money in editing fees.
Do you have a list of your own? Feel free to tell us about it in the comments. If you've found this post helpful, please share it on your social media.
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Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas
YA (older young adult), action adventure, science fiction, military science fiction, genetic engineering, space opera, space marineHeat level: Mainstream
Download the first full chapter.
YA (older young adult), action adventure, science fiction, military science fiction, genetic engineering, space opera, space marineHeat level: Mainstream
Download the first full chapter.
Two enemy warriors: one human, one immortal. Different in belief, alike in spirit, marooned together on an alien world.
Imprisoned and in isolation over a year without food or water, the immortal Pietas survives. Though broken in body, his intellect and will are intact, thanks to Six, the special ops warrior who captured him, but kept him sane. The warrior had no hand in his deprivation and, like Pietas, was betrayed by his own kind. When Pietas is abandoned on an alien world with nothing but his honor--and Six--he must find and rejoin other immortal exiles. After centuries of war, Pietas detests humans and kills them on sight, but he is too damaged to continue on his own. Though he despises needing help, he allows Six to nurture and restore him to full strength, and then accompany him. As they cross the planet together on foot, the immortal begins to wonder if he has found his first human friend, or if Six is loyal only because Pietas could keep the others from tearing him to shreds. This human will either be his closest living friend, or the one whose betrayal will trigger all-out vengeance by the most powerful immortal ever born.
Immortal. Warrior. Outcasts. Traitors took everything. Except their honor.
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Amazon http://amzn.to/1R8DAbb
Amazon print http://amzn.to/1SSmueB
CreateSpace http://bit.ly/boc-origin-cspGoodreads http://bit.ly/boc1-good
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Follow Kayelle Allen's Amazon Author Page and get one alert from Amazon when a new book is available. Sign up for AuthorAlarms and the app will send you one email when Kayelle releases a new book. You can add and remove authors at any time.
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Amazon http://amzn.to/1R8DAbb
Amazon print http://amzn.to/1SSmueB
CreateSpace http://bit.ly/boc-origin-cspGoodreads http://bit.ly/boc1-good
---
Follow Kayelle Allen's Amazon Author Page and get one alert from Amazon when a new book is available. Sign up for AuthorAlarms and the app will send you one email when Kayelle releases a new book. You can add and remove authors at any time.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Meet the Authors of Marketing for Romance Writers - Monthly Retweet Day #MFRWauthor
Retweet Day for #MFRWauthor - Join the fun
For this month's Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite all Marketing for Romance Writers to set up tweets for their books.
Go into Twitter and create a tweet . Make sure to use #MFRWauthor or MFRW_Org
Here's to a great day of retweets,
Tina Gayle
For this month's Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite all Marketing for Romance Writers to set up tweets for their books.
Go into Twitter and create a tweet . Make sure to use #MFRWauthor or MFRW_Org
Once the tweet has been posted. Click on the ... (three dots) in the right hand corner.
This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.
This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.
Remember to visit the blog on May 11, and retweet everyone on the list.
Also in an effort to help people find tweets to share of yours, click the ...(three dots) again and pin your tweet to your profile page. This will give you a count of how many people retweeted your post.
Don't forget and Rules
Also in an effort to help people find tweets to share of yours, click the ...(three dots) again and pin your tweet to your profile page. This will give you a count of how many people retweeted your post.
Don't forget and Rules
1. Have #MFRWauthor or #MFRW_org in the tweet. (This retweet day is to promote each other and our group.)
2. Do not use profanity or sexual explicit graphics. Keep it clean for all age groups.
3. Return on Retweet Day and click on each link and share everyone's post on twitter.
Here's to a great day of retweets,
Tina Gayle
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