Interview with Author Meg Wolfe: How Do You Write?

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: MegWolfe]

After I’d read An Uncollected Death and An Unexamined Wife by Meg Wolfe, she let me pillage her brain for thoughts on how she pieced together the stories, the mysteries, the characters.

How long did it take to sort the plot details for book 1? Creating the bits of the mystery, I mean. A month? A year?

It took me sixteen months to write that first book—there were two two-month spells where I couldn’t do any writing because of health and family problems, but of course I kept stewing it over in my mind even when away from the computer. There was a lot of time spent on learning to plot, then changing from a four-part to a three-act structure, which “felt” better to me. I was also learning to use Scrivener.

I developed the characters along with the plot. It really is character-driven. What happened was that I had many, many strands of interrelated stories that I braided together, changing and tweaking details by working backwards, then forwards again. The last third, Act III, went really quickly, once I got the first two acts properly braided. The same thing happened in the second book, and in this third one, as well. The second book took me a little over eight months to write. This one has taken me ten–I had some health problems again during the summer which really slowed me down.

Why the French Resistance? Special existing knowledge on your part, or just interest?

… more … “Interview with Author Meg Wolfe: How Do You Write?”

You’re Not Getting Your Writing Done Because You’re Building the Wrong Habit

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Tom’s cat. No, it’s not a tomcat.
Editor Tom asks how we manage to start writing projects without bedeviling ourselves.

Short version: make it a habit.

Slightly longer version: make it the right habit.

Full version:

After 18 months of experimentation (following 18 years of dabbling) I’ve made writing my habit. It’s part of my daily routine.

Every morning, Best Beloved and I have our tea and a chat. Then, I go downstairs and write one scene (+/- 1,000 words is where mine seem to fall.)

… more … “You’re Not Getting Your Writing Done Because You’re Building the Wrong Habit”

Blip Glitch

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

If you subscribe to this blog via email you saw an incomplete post earlier in the week.

Until the real version of my interview with Meg Wolfe is ready for next Wednesday’s post, why don’t y’all go visit her site, read about her books, and formulate some questions for the comments section of the aforementioned Q&A next Wednesday, eh?

The Ten Commandments of Book Selling (Guest Post by Alex Zabala)

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: Alex Zabala]If you are an author, here are some tips for selling books on Amazon. There is no silver bullet for success. I can’t guarantee you will sell books if you follow my Ten Commandments. However, failure is almost surely guaranteed if you don’t have a successful plan. Keep in mind that it’s a tough world out there. It’s very difficult to sell books.

These commandments are written in order of importance and production sequence: … more … “The Ten Commandments of Book Selling (Guest Post by Alex Zabala)”

Blog and Newsletter Hiatus

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

In order to focus on my mystery writing I’m letting myself off the hook round these parts.

While I will pop in now and again with a post or a newsletter, I don’t plan to stick to a schedule as I’ve done for a number of years.

If you need help selfpublishing your book, Someday Box will still be right here ready to provide the support you need. Just give us a shout.

Adding a MailChimp Newsletter Signup Form to Your WordPress Theme

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

[image: blow-your-own-horn]Last week I wrote a geeky article I hope makes it easier to choose a WordPress theme (short version: it’s about look and feel, not how it works.)

Since the origin of this series of posts was a conversation about your newsletter being the most important marketing tool you have, this week, we’ll go over the basics of adding a MailChimp newsletter signup form to your WordPress site. (There are other newsletter tools. I think MailChimp has the right balance of power and simplicity. The concepts here apply adding any code to your WordPress site to varying degrees, so you can mentally stretch them to include other newsletter tools if that’s your preference.)

Overview: … more … “Adding a MailChimp Newsletter Signup Form to Your WordPress Theme”

Your Author Website: Choosing a Good WordPress Theme

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Big fan of WordPress. I use it for all my sites and for Spinhead’s clients’ sites as well. As a writer you’ll note the correct use of apostrophes in that sentence. (See below for the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org and trust me, you want to know this.)

Choosing a theme seems to be a massive roadblock to beginners.

Let’s blow that up and shovel it into the ditch, eh? … more … “Your Author Website: Choosing a Good WordPress Theme”

How I Write

Posted on by Joel D Canfield

Or, more accurately, how I begin the process of moving toward my books.

Planning is a left-brain process. Creativity has to have a healthy dose of right brain. You need both. The apocryphal Hemingwayesque “write drunk, edit sober.”

[image: many-books]

Here’s a very short version of my story-generating process, which thus far has given me good results blending left and right, analytical and creative: … more … “How I Write”