P.H. Solomon's Blog, page 323

Scrivener is a widely used software among writers and people who write frequently. Since it is used for a wide variety of reasons the software is extremely versatile. It can be used for developing fiction and non-fiction books. Also it can be used for short stories, articles and other forms of shorter writing projects. You can download a trial copy here.

Additionally, the software can be used to manage writing projects so it’s up to the user to adjust their development habits to suit what they are writing. Scrivener easily allows writers to break their books into chapters and scenes using the Binder. But not only can these be divided easily they can also be moved around in the scheme so that it serves as a functional outline tool which allows an author to re-organize edit by simply moving containers around. This makes for great structural editing on a book.

Among the uses some people put Scrivener to is blogging. After all, a blog is really just an article written for a website. With the research folder in the Scrivener’s Binder writers can develop their ideas with references, artwork and a host of other files that can be added for use later or just reference. I, and many other, use this to “cast” characters with photos of real people to help visualize their fiction.

But as a blogging tool, Scrivener is much more powerful than just developing a blog. If you are planning a blog series, Scrivener is very handy for the reasons noted above. Folders can be created in the Binder that represent individual blog posts. It’s a great way to write a post which is what I’m doing now. I’m also using Scrivener in just the way I’m describing to develop two new blog series which I will start this week. I anticipate the work-flow to be very organized and organic so that my posts will flow into one another and read consistently throughout each series.

However, there’s more to this organization than just a simple way to develop a whole series of posts. I can also look ahead with this basic organization to develop the content further than the blog. If I see that the posts are useful and there is more information to cover I can easily add more posts than I’ve already planned – or reduce as needed. Additionally, I have a ready-made outline to further develop these into short e-books for publication. Since Scrivener also compiles content into e-book formats I can save the blog posts as Word, pdf or full e-book formats. Of course there is other pieces to fit with the content such as cover and proper formatting but with Scrivener I have my content ready to develop into something else beside blogs.

Available at Amazon, Smashwords and All Major E-Book Vendors!

If you haven’t tried Scrivener, why haven’t you? If you already use this powerful software what other tips to you have for its usage? I’d love to hear from you so won’t you leave a question, idea or strategy in the comment section? I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today!

Thanks for reading!

PHS

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Cover art image licensed from iStockPhoto.com

Clip art licensed via Microsoft Office

Filed under: Blogging, Creativity, Editing, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Planning, Self-publishing, Social Media, Tech Tips, The Black Bag, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: blogging, creativity, Facebook, Indie Publishing, Marketing, P. H. Solomon, Planning, Scrivener, Short Stories, Social Media, The Black Bag, Tips, Twitter, writing

PHS:

Interesting tips on writing psych thrillers – and in general! Re-blogging on Archer’s Aim.

Originally posted on C h a z z W r i t e s . c o m:

If you’ve read This Plague of Days, you know I go for unique takes on familiar genres. This is how I cut new grooves in an old record and made new word music.

1. There are no new ideas, but I have novel ideas that play with reader expectations. Always do the unexpected (usually within the confines of the genre, but certainly not always.)

2. Make it meta, commit and have fun with it.

3. Break the fourth wall and talk to the reader. Sure, Italo Calvino did it plenty. Why not you? (But not so much there is no story.)

4. Focus the psychological in psychological thriller on the protagonist. Done right, the reader will share in the pain and therapy.

5. Be the main character (yes, you!) and put ‘em through the Poisoned Corridor of Shame and Rusty Carrot Scrapers. 

6. Sift in some weird facts readers won’t think are true…

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Photo used in The Bow of Destiny book trailer

I finished a crowdfunding campaign in September which was intended to complete my first novel entitled, The Bow of Destiny. Here’s the sample trailer I used for campaign.

As you can see, the artwork conveys a message but as stated in my campaign I needed high-quality cover-art for the book. This is one of my milestones for the book so I decided to use what I raised for artwork since the book won’t go to my editor until late November.

I contacted Chris Rawlins to work on my cover-art since I liked a similar piece by him entitled “Robin of Loxley”. I felt this image suited my concept very well so I teamed with Chris to develop a similar piece that fits The Bow of Destiny. Take look at some of Chris’s work which I think is fantastic. Before I post the actual cover, I’ll share an interview with the artist so look for that on November 7th at a later time to be announced.

I’ll reveal the newly designed cover on November 10th so be sure to check in on that day to see the cover. Want a sneak peek? Sign-up to receive my blog digest via email where the cover will appear early. As a bonus you can receive a free e-book copy of The Black Bag by liking my Facebook page and using the “News and Blog Signup” tab there to join my email list. By being on this list you will receive the digest of my top posts and latest updates and much more.

Photo from the book trailer for The Bow of Destiny

It’s exciting to finally meet this milestone and I’m happy to share it with you. Make sure to check back on Nov. 10th to see the cover where I’ll also share some details about the book and links to my prequel series – What is Needed.

I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today!

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Filed under: Cover Reveal, Creativity, Crowdfunding, Crowdsourcing, Fiction, Indie Publishing, IndieGoGo, Marketing, Rave Review Book Club, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: Announcement, Cover Reveal, Coverart, Facebook, Indie Publishing, Marketing, P. H. Solomon, Pinterest, Short Stories, Smashwords, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, What is Needed, writing

PHS:

Time passes differently in the world of fiction writing. See these tips to handle the passage of time. Re-blogged on Archer’s Aim!

Originally posted on Nail Your Novel:

Do you learn your storytelling from movies as much as from prose? Many of us do. While certain principles translate well between the two story media, others don’t.

I’ve already discussed a few general points in a previous post – scenes with a lot of characters and shifting point of view  , dialogue   and description. Today I’m going to look at passage of time (modelled here by Dave).

When is it?

One of the key questions when we come into any scene is this: when is it happening?

Movies and prose handle this in different ways.

Suppose your story features a man who’s refurbishing a derelict bar. In a movie, it’s shown with a sequence of scenes. In one, he is getting to work, pulling old cupboards off the walls and uprooting obsolete appliances. In the next scene, it’s clean, the floorboards are sanded and he’s opening…

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PHS:

More tidbits from Garrett Addison on The Traveller – re-blogging on Archer’s Aim!!!

Originally posted on Beth Mikell:

If you love mystery and suspense, here’s a little treat for you. In helping RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB PROFILE, PROMOTE & PROPEL Indie Authors, I’m hosting Author, Garrett Addison today. Join me in welcoming him as he travels on his Blog Tour. Get cozy and settle in for a few moments…

Enter the world of an unnamed family man struggling in his pursuit of a work/life balance. Too much travel at the whims of his tyrannical boss, known variously as Stalin and ‘the Anti-Christ’, has left him failing at work and at home, but after his wife prophetically warns that his next trip will be different, he is suddenly a world apart from his usual self. Confident, capable and unafraid of his manager, opportunities abound as he embraces his altered state away from home.

What begins as a quest to reclaim his career and satisfy his ego soon descends into…

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Today I welcome Garrett Addison, author of The Traveller, as host to the Rave Review Book Club Spotlight Blog Tour. Garrett has received great support in the spotlight so check out the club and see what they can do for you and tell them I sent you. With that note, take it away, Garrett!

A main character to love hate.

As an Indie author I figure there’s almost an expectation that I’ll be brave enough to try something different in my writing.  Perhaps I’ve got it wrong, sure, but I’m inclined to think that you’re way more likely to discover something different with the works of Indie authors than those of traditionally published authors.  That said, regardless of whether the writing is ‘different’, it still needs to ‘work’.

Expectations aside, I really wanted to try something when I wrote ‘The Traveller’.  It occurred to me that the exploits of my nice guy family man taking a walk on the wide side wouldn’t endear him to many readers.  The obvious thing for me as the author would have been to soften his actions a little or add something else to make him more likeable.  It’s probably amongst the many must-do’s of ‘Writing 101’: your readers need to ‘love’ your characters.  Purists will argue that ‘love’ is a bit of a stretch, and it’s probably closer to ‘care’ or ‘empathise’ but anyway.

I thought about it, a lot.  Why can’t I have a really unlikeable hero? What if my ‘good guy’ was a complete bastard?  Could I make readers want to turn the page?  That was a challenge too delicious to ignore, so I got brave.  I wrote my main character to be an angry, arrogant, philandering, vengeful, self-absorbed guy, devoid of anything likeable.  He’s not really an anti-hero … he’s just a bastard.  Then I got even braver and told my story in the first person.  Readers: welcome to the world of a bastard.

Have you ever driven past a vehicle accident and you just couldn’t help yourself from looking?  That’s how I liken my un-named main character in ‘The Traveller’; he’s a veritable ‘car wreck’.  Told in the first person, it feels like a personal account and the reader has little choice but to come along for the ride inside the head of ‘The Traveller’ as he takes his walk on the dark side.   Sure I’m biased, but I feel vindicated for my little piece of literary bravery.

I’m a huge fan of Indie fiction because I like to read different kinds of books.  I don’t want to read the same stories, clichéd characters and copycat plots, and I think Indie authors are just brave enough to try something which might set their writing apart and get the world start to talk about their book.  Of course, those ‘big swings’ don’t always work … but then, Indies have nothing to lose!

 

Follow Garrett online:

Twitter – https://twitter.com/garrettaddison

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/garrettaddisonauthor

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/GarrettAddison/

Website – http://www.garrettaddison.com/

 

 

Amazon Book Links:

The Traveller – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AW4EP8W/

Minions – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AW4EP8W/

Thank you, Garrett, for sharing your book on Archer’s Aim and to Rave Reviews Book Club for the opportunity to host the Spotlight Blog Tour today. I will be hosting more in the near future so stop by anytime for updates and posts.

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Filed under: Blogging, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Rave Review Book Club, Self-publishing, Spotlight Blog Tour, The Traveller, Writing Tagged: Announcement, Coverart, Garret Addison, Indie Publishing, Rave Reviews Book Club, Self-publishing, Spotlight Blog Tour, The Traveller

PHS:

A well-written blog sharing experiences with Rave Reviews Book Club & its support of authors. Re-blogging on Archer’s Aim!

Originally posted on Blog of Author Danica Cornell:

By Danica Cornell

The early part of the 21st century has been hailed as the Information Age—and with good reason.  The advent of high speed Internet access has enabled us to live in a time when information, learning, and the acquisition of new skills are readily available to billions worldwide.  And with so many tapping into this wellspring of data and knowledge, it’s not an overstatement to say this disruptive technology has had transformative socioeconomic impacts globally—the likes of which haven’t been seen since the industrial revolution.

As a science fiction writer, UFO researcher, futurist, and nanotechnology business owner, I end up spending a considerable amount of time on the Internet.  I’m talking, a lot.  So it’s not surprising it was through some research I conducted a few months ago, that I was able to make the connection between information theory and RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB (RRBC). 

Say…

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PHS:

This is eye-opening and specific information on what kinds of books to promote on various forms of social media. Re-blogging on Archer’s Aim!

Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:

As you know, there is research being done about pretty much everything nowadays.  I recently came across an interesting research by Michelle Bertino on Klout, that studies the reactions on Twitter and Facebook according to different subjects.  Nice guy that I am, and since a large part of it has fascinating repercussions for our book marketing efforts, I thought I’d share. So, let the battle begin: Twitter vs. Facebook!

Photo: articlemarketingco.com

Top 10 Subjects

The research categorized the subjects that get a noteworthy reaction on Twitter or Facebook.  As you can see, music, television, holidays and celebrities have the greatest engagement.  Amazingly enough, religion is in the top 10 of engagement in Facebook – something I did not expect, since the contrast with the previous subjects is quite amazing.  Apparently Facebook attracts many different people!

Research by Michelle Bertino, Klout

I carefully glance through the list, expecting and hoping to see books…

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PHS:

WOW – amazing tidbit of good writing using repetition. And the example is simply stunning. Re-blogging on Archer’s Aim

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Originally posted on The Editing Hart:

Today we’re very pleased to have Karen Conlin from Grammargeddon with us! Without further ado:

If I’ve told you once . . .

There’s repetition, and there’s repetition.

It’s something editors warn writers about all the time. Don’t repeat the same sentence structure throughout a paragraph. Don’t begin every sentence with the same word. Don’t use the same phrase every time X happens.

And yet, if it’s done well repetition is a powerful tool. The thing is knowing how to do it well and knowing when not to indulge.

When done well, repetition makes prose sound nearly like poetry. When done badly, it makes prose sound like—well, like bad prose.

He got up from the chair and walked to the window. He opened the window and looked out. He saw a rose garden across the street and noticed a woman walking. He closed the window and leaned his head against…

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PHS:

Looking for shows in the spec genres? Here’s some show you should watch and why – re-blogging on Archer’s Aim!

Originally posted on Guild Of Dreams:

Ok. I’ve spent the past couple of posts harping on about cheesy fantasy movies you should avoid…but what about some stuff you should watch?

Rather than movies, I’m going to switch to television here, and broaden the discussion to include science-fiction (because, let’s face it, there’s a hell of a lot more sci-fi than there is epic fantasy out there in TV land).

Here’s a brief list of some good stuff on TV that, in my opinion, every fan of sci-fi or fantasy should be checking out (not all of it current).

Supernatural

I’m not always a fan of urban fantasy/horror, but Supernatural does it right. For 10 Seasons now the Brothers Winchester have been chasing ghosts, ghouls, vampires, demons, and all sorts of other stuff that goes bump in the night, and the results are often scary, at times funny, and always entertaining. Some may argue the show has started…

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