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What Storytelling Techniques Do You Use?

February 16, 2015

Storytelling is at the core of who we are as human beings. I’m convinced we’ve been doing it since our Neanderthal beginnings. Still, as ingrained as it may be to the human psyche, it takes a concerted effort to do it well.

There’s a difference between just relating a story, and telling an engrossing tale people will remember. It’s something every author, whether traditional or indie, needs to understand.

Sadly, many wannabes overlook some of the basic techniques.

Set the Stage
When you’re writing fiction, it’s important to set the stage. Tell your readers the place and time the story takes place. They need to know enough of the context so they can understand the story.

It was late August, 1962, when I first saw Albert Parker. After all this time I still remember the year quite distinctly. It was my second teenage summer and, like discovering I had a sexual identity, it was a part of life’s first great transition. I had been waiting months for something special to happen, something magical. Something like having Marilyn Monroe show up on my doorstep.

Show, Don’t Tell
One of the most important lessons to learn as a writer is how to show your story, instead of just telling it. Give us a visual example and make us see it and feel it.

All our senses contribute to a story and help make the experience realistic, as well as entertaining. Use that knowledge, and appeal to all of your readers’ senses.

The day started as a humid, hurt-your-lungs-on-a-deep-breath morning. A blistering sun was rising over the railroad switching yard at the far end of the street. Its red-orange glare filtered through exhausted-looking trees, while sinuous heat ribbons shimmered over motionless freight cars, their rusty shapes defined like so many slumbering beasts.

I was already sitting on the curb under a big oak tree, trying to find relief in occasional humid puffs of air. A battered gray panel truck pulled up across the street, and signaled its stop with a tortuous squeal. An angular middle-aged man slowly unwound from the driver’s seat. Garish sunlight lit the edges of his hair. It made halos of his tight, graying curls and gleamed brightly from the center of his balding crown.

Plot and Conflict
I won’t spend much time talking about plot, other than to say it’s important to construct one because it’s true, even if you want to break or bend the rules, that there should be a beginning, middle and an end to your story.

More importantly, what’s the conflict? What leads up to it? How will it be resolved? You need to make sure to keep the tension going and leave the audience wanting more with each chapter. However, readers should feel satisfied when the story ends, so don’t forget some sense of closure.

Point of View
Also consider point of view. Would the whole story, or even just a chapter, have a more emotional appeal if it was told through the eyes of a child? How would multiple points of view affect the telling of the story?

From my earliest memory all our neighbors said they were glad I wasn’t like my big brother. I never knew how to answer them when they said that. Albert was always there for me. What was wrong with that?

Use a dynamic character. This is a character that is changed by the conflict of the story. Readers love to see the reformed sinner find his way to something akin to success or redemption.
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Tags:award-winning writing, book marketing, storytelling
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Self-Published, Storytelling | Leave a Comment »

Why Do Reviews Matter?

January 21, 2015

It might sound simplistic to ask whether reviews really matter. Every author knows they’re important but I’d venture to guess every indie author who goes through the process of seeking them ends up asking the same question.

Why is this so hard?

Getting reviews can take a significant amount of time, effort and money … and as an indie doing it all yourself, with no publishing house support, you’re bound to ask yourself whether it’s all worth it. Yes, it really is, for one very good reason:

The biggest hurdle any indie book faces is getting discovered.

Consistent big volume sellers like Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, James Patterson or John Grisham are rare in the publishing world and they tend to be viewed as virtual ATM machines.

When their publishing houses announce a new book from one of these stars, the pre-orders alone make them oodles of money.

But that’s not true for most writers and certainly not for indies.

Getting Noticed
According to Publishers Weekly (July 17, 2006) the average book in America never sells more than 500 copies … and those average sales have fallen in the years since that statistic was written.

According to BookScan, the average U.S. book is now selling less than 250 copies per year and less than 3,000 copies over its lifetime. The reason is simple.

It’s crowded out there.

Bowker, one of the main issuers of International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs), reports that over two million (2,352,790) books were published in the U.S. in 2012, which is a million more than the number of books published four years earlier.

More than two thirds of them are self-published books, which is where most of the growth in recent years has taken place. And those numbers don’t include books without ISBN numbers (which many self-published digital books don’t have).

That’s a lot of new books vying for attention.

In a crowd like that, even a book that’s well-written, well-edited, and beautifully crafted may only sell a few copies … unless people somehow learn it’s there.

Reviews Matter
If your book is going to get noticed in that mass of words, you need good reviews you can quote in promotional materials, and you want online shoppers who land on your book pages to see good reviews from readers.

However, if you’re an indie author shopping around for reviews you have to be careful. There are a lot of disreputable operations that will guarantee you a good review for a fee. Guarantee it.

But trust me, they’re a waste of your time and money. No one gives them any credibility at all because their words of praise are worthless, except, perhaps, as a salve for your ego (and I won’t even bother to mention any of them here).

However, there are some really good book review companies. Most of them also charge a fee for their time; but notice I didn’t say anything about them giving you a good review.

No reputable company will promise you a good review.

Some Reliable Review Sources
When you deal with a reputable company you get an honest, well-written review delivered for a set price, on a set schedule. In most cases, they publish it on their web site and distribute it through other channels. You can also use the review (or an excerpt) in your promotional materials.

These companies may differ in the fees they charge and how they distribute their reviews, but none of the reputable review companies will promise you anything but the truth … and an honest review sometimes hurts.

Before deciding to use any company, make sure you understand exactly what they offer and read some of their reviews so you have some idea of what to expect.

More importantly, before you seek any review at all … try to write a good book.

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I knew you were going to be curious, so I’ve listed six of the top review sources that the industry (not just me) consider reliable:

Kirkus Reviews has long been considered the gold standard in book-reviewing companies. Kirkus Reviews of traditionally published works are published, whether they are good or bad, and Kirkus is known for some pretty harsh reviews.

Kirkus now also offers its reviewing service for indie books. However, as an indie (and only as an indie), you have a choice: keep your review private or publish it, without charge, on the Kirkus web site. Bad reviews never have to see the light of day. You can chalk it up to an expensive learning experience.

If you choose to publish it, you can then use it in promotional materials and Kirkus will distribute it to Google, Barnes & Noble, Baker & Taylor, and other venues. It could also appear in the Kirkus magazine or email newsletter.

Kirkus Indie Reviews charges US$425.00 for standard service (7-9 weeks) or US$575.00 for express (4-6 weeks). You send in your book by mail, or by uploading a PDF or Word document, and receive a review of 250-350 words.

But the review will be good only if your book is.

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Blue Ink Review works much like Kirkus, but was founded more recently and deals exclusively with indie books. Their fees are and timelines are in the same general range as Kirkus: US$395.00 (7-9 weeks) or US$495.00 (4-5 weeks).

If you choose to upload your book as a PDF (rather than sending a printed copy), Blue Ink Review charges an extra US$19.95 to cover the cost of printing a paper copy for their reviewer.

Like Kirkus, Blue Ink’s reviews run 250-350 words. Once you receive your review you have ten days to choose whether to keep it private or allow it to be published (note that by default it will be published – to keep it private you must notify the company by email). Blue Ink also distributes their reviews through Ingram, Publishing Perspectives, and Self-Publishing Review.

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IndieReader.com is a popular web site devoted specifically to indie books and issues related to indie publishing. The IndieReader.com review fee is US$100.00. Their reviews are guaranteed to be at least 300 words long, with a rating from one to five stars, delivered within 8-10 weeks. Their reviews are posted on their own site, on Amazon, and on iDreamBooks.com.

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Self Publishing Review is another specialist web site devoted to indie publishing. They offer reviews for US$75.00, with a minimum of 500 words delivered within one month. Their reviews are posted on their site, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and, in some cases, the personal blog of the reviewer. Like Kirkus Reviews and Blue Ink, Self Publishing Review also offers the option of keeping the review private if it isn’t favorable.

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Publishers Weekly is widely read by publishers, editors, librarians, and agents … and it also offers an indie book promotion package that at least offers the possibility of a review.

PW Select is a supplement to Publisher’s Weekly that comes out six times a year. For US$149.00 you can purchase a promotional announcement in PW Select that will include basic information about your book. Included in the price of your fee you also get a 6-month digital subscription to Publishers Weekly.

However, not all indie books submitted will be reviewed. Only about 25% of the books that appear in PW Select will be selected to be reviewed, and there’s no guarantee your book will be one of them. Neither can you opt out of having a bad review published.

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Readers Favorite is the fastest growing book review and award contest site on the Internet. It reviews books for all the major publishing houses, as well as indie authors.

They will post 4- and 5-Star reviews on popular trade and social media sites, to help readers discover your book. Lesser-rated reviews will not be made public, but they are sent directly to the author as information they can use to improve their writing.

Readers Favorite will review your book for free, but they also sponsor a highly competitive annual contest covering multiple genres that you can enter for a fee (generally less than $100, depending on how many genres you select).

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My books have garnered some terrific reviews. You can see the stories I have available by using the Amazon link below.

You’re also invited to visit my web site, BROKEN GLASS, or like my Book of Face page. You can also follow my shorter ramblings on The Twitter.

**********

Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.

Tags:book marketing, reviews, self-publishing
Posted in Author Review, Award-Winning Fiction, Book Promotion | 2 Comments »

Do You Still Make Resolutions?

January 7, 2015

I gave up making New Year resolutions a long time ago. Couldn’t see the sense in any of it. I never managed to keep most of them anyway, despite my best intentions.

The only one I ever came close to keeping was my promise to go on telling stories, as long as I could. The artistic side of me knew I could keep that one.

I’ve always doing enjoyed creative things, and the ancient art of storytelling is especially well suited to artistic exploration. No special equipment is needed beyond the ability to use words, and a whole lot of imagination.

In our fast-paced, media-driven world today, storytelling can be a nurturing way to remind people that mere words are themselves powerful, that listening is always important, and that meaningful communication between people is an art.

I continue to practice my storytelling. I’m about 25,000 words deep into the third book of my Reichold Street trilogy, but I’ve hit one of those moments when I just want to walk away for a while and give the characters a chance to tell me where it’s going.

So, I tried something else.

I wrote the following little story in about 15 minutes last night. It’s short enough to be something I’d do at a reading, which may be the best way to hear it. A couple of people have told me it’s a very emotional piece. I’d love to know what you think of it.

==========

Holiday Lights
© R.L. Herron

I liked the twinkling lights. They reminded me of Caroline. She had always enjoyed the holidays and the lights.

“Put some in the front,” she had cajoled me one year. “I think the white ones would be pretty draped over the railing.”

So, even though the thermometer had barely made it to seven that day, I waded through the snowdrifts and draped white twinkling lights over the rail.

“Perfect,” she said.

Caroline laughed when I plugged them in, and clapped her hands together like a little girl. Her blue eyes sparkled and she danced. Suddenly I didn’t feel so cold any more. I had made her happy, and that meant a lot. That meant everything.

I still put the lights out front every year, red over white, just like she wanted, even though it was getting harder for me to reach the higher branches on the tree.

Maybe I’ll skip that last strand, I thought, although I knew I wouldn’t. I’d wrestle the ladder around and use one of those ‘grabby-things’ to help me reach the top branches, no matter how long it took.

It didn’t matter how cold it was, or how much snow had fallen. Every year it was worth it. Once the lights were on, I felt good and warm again, even if I was still standing outside in the snow.

The holidays were over now, but I still turned on the lights. Just one more night. I knew when the time came to finally turn them out for the year the happy memories of my Caroline would once again slip into the shadows, and I wanted them that one night more.

My neighbor, Mike, walked over as I went down the driveway to get the paper.

“Pushing the holiday a bit, aren’t you John?”

“What’s wrong with a few lights?” I asked.

“It’s January twentieth,” Mike said. “Christmas has been over almost a month.”

“January twentieth?”

“Yeah, John, everyone’s getting ready for Valentine’s Day and the stores are already pushing Easter.”

I knew Mike would never understand why the lights were so important to me. “Well,” I said, “Just one more night won’t hurt anything, will it?”

The look he gave me was one of resignation. “John, as far as I’m concerned you don’t ever have to take them down … but the holiday is over and it looks a little silly.”

“I guess you’re right, Mike,” I said. “Just one more night.”

He sighed, and I could tell he was thinking “Silly old man” as he trudged back up his own driveway shaking his head. I watched him until he disappeared into his garage and the door started down.

I didn’t go inside right away, even though my breath left frosty plumes in the air. I stood at the end of the driveway and admired the lights, remembering how much Caroline had enjoyed them. It seemed hard to believe she’d been gone already for three years.

I missed her terribly every day, but she seemed so much closer when those twinkling lights were in the tree and on the rail that I was like a little kid, filled with excitement, when I put them up. I hated to take them down.

“See, Caroline,” I’d say when I’d wrestled the boxes out of the attic, “the lights are going up again.”

When they were strung and I threw the light switch, I’d stand there looking at them from the same spot in the living room she’d always stood to admire them. I always felt good at that moment.

Then, every night, when I turned them on again, I’d say those words to her, even though she wasn’t there.

“See, my love, the lights are on again.”

The wind picked up and blew the chill air around my scarf and down my neck. I shivered, and knew it was time to get back inside, but I stopped near the front door to look once more at the lights … and at the empty spot inside the front window where she used to stand.

The lights had always made her so happy, and I was happy, too, when she was.

It felt wrong to want to cry.

* * *

**********

My books have garnered some terrific reviews. You can see the stories I have available by using the Amazon link below.

You’re also invited to visit my web site, BROKEN GLASS, or like my Book of Face page. You can also follow my shorter ramblings on The Twitter.

**********

Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.