The Perfect Novel...

Picture taken from here

A really interesting read! I'd love to see an infograph done about the biggest selling novels/best rated novels of all time.

What do you think makes a perfect novel?

Moti... Motiv.... Motivati... Motivation!

I really need to get myself sorted, it's getting quite bad. I've started writing three big stories now, three possible novels, and each time I write so many words and get bored of it, realise it's so bad I can no longer continue, and give up.

This is my third or fourth attempt and so far it's getting better. I've done proper characterisation, I've got a good supporting cast, a setting, a theme, a moral, a plot...

But still, something's trying to get me to press 'delete' on everything I've got and start over.

The Importance of Theme in Story Writing

I'll be honest. In the past few weeks I've been suffering with a serious case of writer's block. I planned out this series of books and wrote about ten thousand words before I came down with it.

I had some ideas, not great ones or bad ones, but some ideas. I wrote a few stories for my Burrst. It was getting anything longer than a few hundred words and worthwhile down on paper, or Word, that was the problem. The more I couldn't write, the more agitated I got, the more agitated I got, the less I could write. Then...

Planning Stories Vs Winging It

What kind of writer are you?

Do you plan everything about your story to the last detail? Character bios that cover every detail of their lives? Plans that include all minor details of the plot like every subplot, conflict, argument, downfalls, outfits worn, weather, strangers they pass in the street, what pants they wear?

Or do you wing it, and have the major scenes in mind and you set on your merry way and bash at your laptop until you have 50,000 words, hoping everything fits together nicely and letting your characters decide what happens next..?

Can You Self-Publish With Smashwords AND Amazon?

I've been reading a lot recently about how great Amazon is. Currently, I self-publish all my ebooks using Smashwords and I find they're okay. I get enough regular downloads to keep me happy. I hadn't considered the possibility of self-publishing with Smashwords and Amazon until yesterday. With more readers, more downloads and sales, more profits, why wouldn't you?

Here are some things you need to really think about before doing this...

Naming Your Fictional Characters

Naming your characters is an absolutely vital part of every story you write, no matter how short or long. Like naming a child you must think long and hard about it. Here are some things to consider when undertaking the task of naming your precious child-characters....

Feedback from Readers

One of my favourite things about writing (apart from the obvious - actually writing...) is getting feedback! Knowing that someone has read through your work, and liked it enough to say something nice is really wonderful. Every ebook I read I try to remember to comment about it, as I think everyone deserves a confidence boost at regular intervals....

How to Write and Self Publish eBooks for Free!

My new eBook! Full of great advice for newbie authors or even authors who are stuck in a rut.

"So, you like writing. Now what? This guide has everything you need to know about becoming successful. I will take you through getting inspired for an idea, how to plan, write and edit, how to make an ebook cover (for free, using Paint or similar), how to make a trailer video for Youtube and how to market yourself to get as many readers (and profit) as possible!"

Download Here!

Let me know what you think!

Jess 

How to Make Your Own eBook Cover Using Paint

I make all my own ebook covers using Paint. The best thing about it is no cost and it's pretty easy once you get to grips with Paint's tools. It can look really effective if done right. And, FREE! No loss to you meaning maximum profit (if your ebooks are for a price. Mine aren't.).

It's easy once you know how, and I'll take you step-by-step through the process with screenshots of an example to help you get inspiration and to actually create your perfect cover.

I'd Recommend You Try Burrst...

For all aspiring writers out there, if you've never visited Burrst, I would definitely reccommend you do so as soon as you can!

It's an amazing site for those who want to improve their skill as a writer, gain some feedback or to get some inspiration. The site is full of talented people who write amazingly well for being unknown, mainly dark and dramatic stuff that gets you thinking or gives you the chills.

New Story

I'm not sure of the length. I'm not sure of the ending. I'm not even sure what happens after the first few paragraphs but I've started a new story!

It's a tongue-in-cheek apocalypse story, told by an omnipresent, sardonic third person. So far, everyone hates pandas and Nina Chalk has sold her invention for ninety five million.

I've posted the first few chapters to an amazing site called Burrst (more about that later) so click here if you'd like to read it!

Let me know what you think! :)

Jess

*EDIT 27/07/12* - read at your own peril!! Reading it back, I realise it's rushed and nonsensical. It's currently under complete reconstruction. Thank you, Burrst!

My First Sale!

I am SO happy!

For anyone that's visited my Smashword's page, you'll have realised that all my ebooks are free. They've all got a decent amount of downloads (from my last check I'm still not J K Rowling!) but I like writing and I'd happily always do it for free.

However...

A Site About How to Get Characterisation Right

Found a great site for all things about story writing. As we all know, characters are one of the most important things in our stories and having memorable and believable characters are key. If they are too 2D, they will soon be forgotten or even disliked. Have a read, I learned new words about story writing, such as "Spaghetting"

http://www.darcypattison.com/characters/character-checklist/

Hope this helps you like it did me!

Jess

Networking Your Blog...

If you also use Blogger and want easier facilities for your readers to be able to share your posts with their friends very easily, I just found this code that adds a floating bar with the main social networking sites added on. There's usually the bar at the bottom of all posts anyway but I find it too small and unnoticeable, whereas this one follows the reader's scrolling up and down the page.

An easy tutorial for how to add this can be found at MyBloggerTricks, also really handy for other widgets and gadgets and tips to make your blog professional.

If you have any questions you can email me at j.s.cambrook@live.co.uk

Hope this helps!

Jess

Writer's Block and How To Overcome It

Writer's block affects us all at some point, but the worst feeling is when you really want to write something, anything, but you can't think of a single thing to put down on paper. I've been there a lot, but I've learned from it and I now have a few fail-proof options for when it does happen.

Here are the three best things I always do when my mind decides to stop working and I need a few ideas for a new story to start writing...

A List of Songs That Help Me Write...

In case you hadn't noticed already, I'm really into music, books and film. I especially like combos of two or three, so when I'm writing, music really helps inspire me.

I'm a no-lifer and I like to have playlists that I can listen to in different moods. I literally have Peaceful, Relaxing, Happy, Sad, SAD, Party, ... It helps when you're trying to write certain scenes.

Listening to James Blunt while trying to write about an exciting day in a theme park probably won't work out well.

Here's some great recommendations for your own playlists...

Top Tips for Creative Writing

I've spent hours Googling, Binging, Yahooing and Asking Jeeves... "Top Tips for Creative Writing."

The answer was deceptively simple, and annoyingly right...

Slooooowly Trying To Deal With Smashwords

So I've got seven free ebooks on Smashwords. They've been ready to distribute to the other ebook selling websites like Apple etc. since March. Still not on there. I hate writing complaints too, but I think more people download from Apple than they do Smashwords. So for now I'm waiting and waiting for them to distribute.......

Nothing important, just needed a rant :)

How To Make A Free Video Teaser Trailer for Your eBooks Using Windows Movie Maker

I've decided to make a video trailer for my most popular ebook, Salvatore, to hopefully gain a few more readers. It's an interesting idea that I've never properly considered before. I posted it to my ebook's Smashwords page (<- click there if you'd like to see it) last night, and I’ll let you know how successful it is as a marketing tool.

If you want to make your own video, here are some tips you should consider while planning to make it as professional and effective as possible, and my own example to help you along...

Twitter

Twitter's supposed to be really important for promotions etc. but I really can't get to grips with it. I like Blogger for ranting/writing really long posts, but who really cares what I'm eating, when I'm going to brush my teeth, or where I'm going so much that they'd like a 120 character post every few minutes about it?

Probably best left to the celebrities.

Jess