Donald J. Bingle

 November 2019 Newsletter

Photo Credit to Chuck Bennorth; Taken at Waterline Writers Octiober 2019.

 

 

Sure, November means Thanksgiving to a lot of people, but for many of my writer friends, November means NaNoWriMo--National Novel Writing Month--a mad dash as writers do their best to crack out at least 50,000 words on a new novel (er ... actually a novella if it is only about 50,000 words long). I've written a lot of short stories on very short deadlines in my career and wrote Net Impact, the first of my Dick Thornby Thrillers, over 14 of 16 weekends when I still had a day job. I've even written upwards of 10,000 useable words in a a single day on one or two occasions. But, I confess I've never participated in NaNoWriMo. Still, my best wishes to those that do.

 

Of course, once you have written, you have opportunities to read your work to the public (at places like Waterline Writers) and to sell your books retail, one by lonely one, at local book fairs. Some thoughts on those subjects, below.

 

IS THIS OLD BLOG A FONT OF WISDOM?

 

The Three Rs: Reading, Reading, and Reading (From August 15, 2016)

 

I know, I know, you're a writer, so you want to read something about writing, not reading. After all, you've been reading practically all your life, from Dick & Jane, to The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, to comic books, to Lord of the Rings, to summer beach reads, to Playboy and Cosmo (for the articles, of course!), to the great classics (whether because you had to or you wanted to), to endless work memos, to instruction manuals for Ikea furniture and Christmas bicycles, to trashy guilty-pleasure novels, to blogs, posts, and tweets, to obits. So why am I writing a blog about reading? Because writers need to read. Here's why:

Readers make better writers: Would you try your hand at brain surgery without studying up on the topic? Would you book Carnegie Hall without singing in the shower or, at least, watching American Idol? Would you have children without ever having bothered to be one yourself? No. So what makes you think that you can write something people will want to read if you don't read much yourself?

You can't understand what makes a good story or book if you haven't bothered to read any--both good and bad. You won't understand anything about grabbing the reader's attention, developing characters, crafting artful prose, conjuring up realistic-sounding dialogue (which actually isn't realistic--it's better than realistic because it leaves out all the boring parts), or dropping subtle clues and foreshadowing in service to a suspenseful and compelling plot, if you don't read. And, while writing can be cinematic, don't think that just watching TV and observing people at the park amounts to the same thing. Those situations have visual and other sensory cues that writing doesn't have unless you find an artful way to add them in.

This isn't about trying to mimic someone else's style or making sure you include a checklist of items. We've all been at a picnic or party where one of our neighbors or not-so-close friends mistakes a recitation of facts as a story when it's not a story, it's just something that happened, with no plot arc, twist, social commentary, or compelling action or character development to engage you, as the listener. You need to read to find out what makes a story, what works and what doesn't work in engaging and maintaining your interest. Sure, not everyone is interested in the same things, but unless you know what works for somebody (hey, that's you), it's hard to put together what works for enough people that someone will publish and/or read your story or book. And, trust me, putting together something that works is a whole lot harder than complaining about something that doesn't. Everybody's a critic; not that many people are actually writers.

Reading Your Own Work Helps Both It and You: Once you've actually read (both inside and outside your preferred writing genre--you'd be amazed what you can learn about writing from reading in other genres) enough that you've written something you think is passable, the next phase is to read your own work. First, read your latest draft out loud. Doing so will improve your rewriting in several ways. Sure, you'll find some typos and grammatical errors that crept in because your brain automatically reads things you wrote the way you intended--glossing over errors; your mouth won't do that. You'll also find some poorly placed attributions. (E.g., When, as you are reading along aloud, you come to a sentence like "'Come over here right now,' he whispered after dimming the lights." and you read the dialogue in a normal voice, not noticing it was supposed to be whispered until you got to the attribution, you may suddenly realize that perhaps the sentence should have read. "He dimmed the lights and whispered, 'Come over here right now.'") Reading your material aloud also helps find repeated words, awkward syntax, and long, boring sections.

Reading your work aloud is also good practice for reading your work aloud ... in public. Nothing showcases that your work is worth reading like enticing an audience with a snippet that makes them sit up and notice. That means getting over your jitters, working to improve both your enunciation and the emotional resonance of your reading, and taking control of your audience. You can't do that if you have your head down, looking at your draft, as you mutter your way through your work as quickly as possible. If you don't think your work is exciting and compelling and worthy of being heard, why should your audience want to buy it?

Read Your Audience: How can you hope to write compellingly for an audience if you never pay attention to their responses to your work? In a public reading you do this by maintaining eye contact and gauging their reactions. Are they bored? Do they lean forward (and not just because they can't hear you)? Do they laugh or smile at the right parts? If not, why not? Do they look confused when they should? Do they look confused when they shouldn't? You can't be sitting over the shoulder of everyone who reads your story or book. It's creepy when they know you're there and breaking and entering when they don't. Reading in public is the closest you can ever get to simulating such stalkerish behavior within the bounds of the law.

And, when reading in public isn't available or isn't sufficient (sure, you can read a chapter, but usually not a whole story or book), you need to read the reviews and critiques posted about your writing, and not just the nice ones (Thanks, Mom!) Sure, you may think some of the critics clueless ignoramuses or unduly harsh or even notorious suck-ups, but some of those reviews and critiques have important things to say, both good and bad. Turn off your defensive tendencies, read the comments, then LET THEM SIT for awhile, and then come back to them. Choose to let the worthwhile comments guide you and improve your writing. Sure, sometimes critics will disagree with each other. Sometimes they will be wrong. Learning to separate the wheat from the chaff is an important skill for a writer. You might not learn anything valuable from your audience, but if you don't read the reviews, critiques, and comments, you are absolutely guaranteed not to learn anything at all from them.

Remember, real estate might be about location, location, location, but writing is all about reading, reading, and reading.

And, if you ever become a rich and famous author, contact me. I'd be happy to do a reading with you. Reading in pairs or groups is a great way to expand your potential audience.

 
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ARE BOOK FAIRS FOR LOCAL AUTHORS WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT?

 

I know, I know, writer friends. You're too busy with NaNoWriMo to think about marketing a book that isn't even finished yet. And, you are certainly too busy to read articles about marketing, especially local, retail marketing, so here's the TL;DR version (that's shorthand for "Too Long; Didn't Read," for those of you older folks who don't spend much time reading Facebook and Twitter posts).

 

Are local book fairs worthwhile? Simply put, probably not.

 

Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't want to support local libraries. And, I applaud their efforts to support local writers--even better if they actually buy and PROMOTE books by local authors at the library. And, it's not that I don't think running a booth or a table where you engage with the reading public and sell books to complete strangers isn't enlightening and worthwhile. I've done a fair bit of that kind of thing at, for example, Origins Game Fair, which hosts The Library for genre authors, giving them a booth in return for their participation in writing seminars. But places like Origins and GenCon have a huge flow of potential customers who are interested in the subject of your books, but are drawn to be there by other activities, whether that be the writing track presentations, the dealer hall, or board games and roleplaying games galore. There an author can meet potential customers, hone a sales pitch, sell hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of books, and hob-knob with fellow authors who are business savvy and likely to have good leads and relevant experiences to share.

 

The local author fair at your library just doesn't have those things. Customers (aside from fellow authors) are generally few and far between. And all too often, the well-meaning librarians who provide great amenities (cookies, snacks, soda, and clean tables in spacious rooms) undercut the book-buying by hosting panel discussions in the same room (even worse, telling potential customers they must sit down and listen to the panel, rather than peruse authors' books while the panel drones overtime).The local authors tend to be newcomers to the business and peddling a diverse variety of titles which may or may not overlap or sync well with your own product offerings, meaning a good percentage of the sparse crowd will walk right past you on the way to a table where local guidebooks or other fare awaits. Or they may just be there to support a friend who just put a book out. And that's great--a new author who hasn't gotten a good chance to promote their book to their local family and friends is just the type of author who can do well at a local authors' fair --but for writers who have other, better distribution opportunities probably would do better to spend their time writing or marketing in those other distribution channels.

 

It's not that good things haven't come out of some of my experiences at local authors' fairs. I've made contacts for paid presentations at local schools or libraries, met some great people, and even bought a few books that I really enjoyed. But, if the question is whether a local authors' fair is the wisest and best use of your time and effort as an indie writer, the answer is, sadly, "no."

 

At least, that's my opinion. Let me know how you feel by posting on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, or my website.

 

Publishing Announcements and Upcoming Events!

 

I'm honored to announce that my story, "Patience," will be reprinted in Flame Tree's volume of Detective Thrillers. "Patience" was originally published in Sol’s Children, edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg (DAW Books, Inc. 2002). I don't usually make a splashy announcement when I sell a reprint, but this is especially cool for at least two reasons. First, it means I sold a story originally written for a science fiction anthology to a detective thriller anthology. Second, the Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy series volumes are a super highly competitive market and are, frankly, gorgeous: typically 280,000 words - 25 illustrations - 480 pages - Hardback - Deluxe edition, printed on silver, matt laminated, gold and silver foil stamped,  and embossed. Don't worry, I'll let you know when they will be available. They will be carried by better bookstores everywhere. See the announcement here.

 

I've also got a reprint of my tale, "Cursory Review," appearing as the final story in Accursed, from Jolly Horror Press. And I've got a new story, "Jerk by the Side of the Road," appearing in Scary Stuff, which is being funded by an IndieGoGo campaign by Oddity Prodigy. Check it out.

 

I've also got two events coming up in the next few weeks. First, I'll be doing a reading of Season's Critiquings, the first of my Classic Christmas Carol Critique Collection. Here's the announcement: 

 

Hawaii Writers Guild To Present Writers’ Voices

 

The spirit of the season will not be forgotten when the Hawaii Writers Guild presents its December Writers’ Voices reading on Wednesday, December 4 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Thelma Parker Memorial Library, 67-1209 Mamalahoa Hwy. in Waimea. Writers’ Voices is an evening of original readings by Guild members. Readers at the December Writers’ Voices will include Donald J. Bingle, Nancy Baenziger, Steven Foster and Louise Riofrio. Donald Bingle will lead off with a seasonal piece titled “Season’s Critiquings,” an imagined rejection letter to the author of “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Bingle, a new member of Hawaii Writers Guild, is a prolific author of novels and short stories in the thriller, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, and memoir genres. 

 

(For those of you bound to the mainland, you can catch a reading of the tale on video on YouTube here.)

 

Second, I'll be giving my presentation on "Clues, Reveals, and Red Herrings" just a few days later. I've given this presentation before, including at the Windy City Romance Writers  meeting recently in Naperville.

 

Here's the skinny on that.

 

Author Talk:  Clues, Reveals, and Red Herrings

 

Laupāhoehoe Library

35-2065 Old Māmalahoa Hwy

808-962-2229

Monday, December 9th, 2019, 6-7:15 pm

Free! 

 

Mysteries aren't the only tales that build suspense with misdirection, ambiguity, and omitted information. Learn techniques for providing what casual readers, puzzle solvers, and meta-readers want and find out what types of twists and reveals leave readers unsatisfied and annoyed.

 

 
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WICKED DECEIT, by Chase Austin.

 

I recently joined StoryOriginApp and one of the things you can do there is find out about other authors of books like your own. That's where I found Wicked Deceit, which is about an operative who does what needs to be done against a ticking clock. It's described as high action and high body count. Fans of my Dick Thornby Spy Thriller series know that's a combination I find intriguing. If you click on the cover above, it will take you to the Amazon listing for the book, where you can click on the "Look Inside" feature and read enough to find out if this book, itself the first in a series, is intriguing to you.

 

THE MINDBENDER, by Tim Kizer.

 

This book actually contains two short thrillers, The Mindbender and Spellbound, along with some sample chapters from another Tim Kizer tale, so it's a great chance to take a look and see if Tim's thrillers are for you. In Mindbender, Navy SEAL Max Pollack is the sole survivor of a classified mission to an uninhabited Arctic island that claimed the lives of eleven men. The government believes that Pollack acquired mind control powers during the mission and now considers him a threat to national security. Pollack insists they are wrong. After FBI Agent Peter Anderson finds proof that Pollack is capable of mind control, he doesn't understand why the SEAL hasn't used his extraordinary ability to escape from the military base where he is held. Was getting imprisoned by the government part of Pollack's plan? But, Peter has trouble telling which thoughts are his own and which have been planted by the mindbender. Has Max Pollack found his way into the mind of every top government official, including the President? Who are Pollack's masters and what are their plans? In Spellbound, a man discovers undeniable evidence that most of his memories are false, and begins to suspect that he's a subject of a mind-control experiment conducted by a secret organization. What he doesn't realize is that the motel he's staying at is owned by a powerful evil entity thriving on death and human suffering.

 

You might also want to check out the following new promotions. Full disclosure: Various links in my newsletter or on my website may include Amazon Affiliate coding, which gets me a small referral fee (at no cost to you) if you purchase after clicking through.:

Don't stop scroll and clicking. Even more promotions follow. 

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