Would you give away the secret formula?

A lot of buzz has been flying around this week about writing tips. One comment I read stated quite plainly:
"If you had the secret formula for scribing a best seller, why would you give it away?"

It really made me think. Yes, it was a bit tongue in cheek, but at its essence, quite selfish. Why not give away the formula? It is after all, just that. Anyone who has watched sponge bob knows that some people will do anything to get their hands on the secret, but just because you have the formula for writing does not mean that you will churn out a best seller. You still have to have a great story to tell.

Don't feed me the same old same old garbage that writing tips are useless. There are plenty out there who would disagree. Even if it only helps one person, isn't that a good thing?
It's the same as tips on G+ why would you keep them to yourself?! Wouldn't you want others to be able to use it as well as you...I mean, it would improve your experience too. Personally, I relish when I pick up a really good tip on any social media, and even better in person.

There is my rant. Those who proclaim a ban on tips or "Unwriting" tips for want of a better word, can kiss my behind. I really don't enjoy trite and selfish tosh. It smacks of a mean spirit disguised with barely there humour. In reality, it is just a self-centred bad attitude. We can't all be old and crusty jaded mega-blockbuster-world renowned-multi-millionair-authors.There are many, many younger ones who are just starting out in the business, and some older who are finally doing what they always wanted to. Sitting on your high horse and saying writing tips are useless garbage speaks more about you than the person who is sharing them. Helping your fellow author and novice aspire-e will only lead to good things, personally and professionally.

So, if you have any tips that might help an aspiring author - share them!
Know any great tech tips that will help them improve their website/blog - tell them!
Know a way to help their G+ experience - pass it on!

Remember that whole "pay it forward" thing? What are your thoughts?

To all the nay-sayers out there, this has been brought to you by the Number 1 and the letter A. Writetips are like sesame street for grown ups!
A 'Katherine Vucicevic soap-box' rant.

Do you have these author apps for your social media?

For today's tech-treasure-treats, some great little add on's for various social media groups!
Is there an app for that? YES!! All of the links below will take you directly to the site. Enjoy.

Have any great features that other authors or bloggers might find handy? Leave a comment and a link on my blog and I will add it to the list!! Sharing the love people :)

Here 'Tis

• Add a 'Suggest Page' button to your FB Page
• sadly I have removed all the links due to issues with G+ malware detection and a FB glitch. Pls look it up and good luck!

• Share your G+ public posts to your other social media  
• you can find this at friendsplus.me again, I have taken the link down due to malware issues on G+

• Track your Twitter unfollowers and dump them
• you can fund this at unfollow.me 

• Smart URL a great one for authors to manage sales 
• find it at managesmart.url it

• Publiccircles/appspot. A great one for G+ interaction. 

• Google AdWords, manage your online campaign 

• See my other posts on tech tips for more author apps for your FB page and many other great hints and tips. Share yours too! 

• One last hint for G+ users, how to add text formatting

You can add Bold, Italics, or
strikethroughto any word in a post - shown as below.
When preparing the post, the formatting will not show up until the post is sent.
Bold: *word*
Italics: _word _
Strikethrough: -word-

So that's all for today. I would love to hear about any other tips and tech tid-bits you know of. Leave a comment!


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Don't forget to leave a G+ :)

How are you writing today? Interactive writing tips!

What are the best writing tips you have picked up along your journey? Have you been generous enough to share them? Pay it forward!

Please treat this as an interactive list of tips, a lot more can be added to it! Take the time to add to it in the comments box on my blog. Aspiring writers will thank you for it; and so will I!!

Here are some that I have picked up along the way from various places:

Writing Tips

• Never make the mistake of treating your audience like idiots. They are quite capable of reading descriptive narrative in short and eloquent bursts.

• Don't put off writing because you feel your plot is not outlined in gleaming detail. As Elizabeth Day says:  the key for me was to find the characters’ voices, then allow the plot to fall into place.

• Write interesting characters. Give some irrelevant information about him or her to make them more interesting. It adds to character motivation. 

• Allow your character to become introspective to give the reader some dry facts, then resume the story. It gives a realistic passage of time and feeds the plot.

• If your novel has been go, go, go from page one, give the reader and your characters time to breathe before the next big scene. Let them talk about each other or to each other before building to the climax.

•  Know the difference: Its, it's, who's, whose, were, we're, your, you're, there, their, they're, to, too, two, peeked, peaked and piqued.

• Be fastidious with your grammar.

• When writing horror and scary scenes, describe the physical aspects of fear: dry mouth, sweaty palms, pounding heart.

•  Dialogue. To portray a character as intelligent: short speech, asks questions, no swearwords, s/he doesn't repeat self.

•  Populate the story with a strong supporting cast.

• Give Your Novel A Gut-Wrenching Black Moment.

• Resist the urge to explain.

• Write as if no one will ever read it, and then edit as if everyone will read it.

• Avoid cliches. Be more original than 'splitting headache' or 'pushing the envelope'  

• Let the reader know up front what is at stake. What's the conflict, what stands to be lost. 

• Demonstrate, don’t over narrate, unless it is relevant to your novel. (I personally like this better than the usual trite 'show, don't tell') but also see point 1 on this list- your audience is not stupid.

• Use humour when you can.

• Daydream about your book, it will be a great way to add to it when you sit down to write. 

• Turn the spell check off and the auto-correct. You are a writer.

• Use the word 'said' sparingly. Write your own list of 'said' words down on a list and have it handy when writing.

• Write everyday if you can.

• Write what you know?! We've all heard that one, a little difficult to 'know' outer-space or dragons if you are a sci-fi or fantasy writer! Write what you love is a better way to go. Be enthusiastic, let your readers fall in love the same way you did. 

• Don't write for others. You can not please everyone all of the time, write your story. Writing for readers will stifle your creative potential.

• When the urge takes you - write impulsively, some great things can come of it. 

• Know the difference between harmful criticism and constructive critique. Dump a beta reader who is insulting and personally critical.

• Read Every word aloud when editing! I love this tip. It forces you to really hear the story you are trying to tell and sorts out any problems quickly. Cut any problem areas and then repeat process.

• Use a professional editor, even if you are self publishing. They know the business better than anyone and will be able to sort out your strengths and weaknesses fast. But choose carefully, check their experience and personality to ensure a good match with yourself.

• As a new friend said to me recently 'pay it forward' - help new authors network, recommend new people and sites that may be helpful to them. If you are an established author, take someone under your wing! They will thank you for it.  

• Don't be a selfish hoarder! Publish your best writing tips! There are lots of aspiring authors who will thank you! 

I will leave you with a tip from Stephen King:

“I’ve written because it fulfilled me. Maybe it paid off the mortgage on the house and got the kids through college, but those things were on the side–I did it for the buzz. I did it for the pure joy of the thing. And if you can do it for joy, you can do it forever.”

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A writers life: What's your beta reader saying to you?

This time, instead of sharing my usual tech-tidbits, I am after your assistance!
A beta reader has expressed, and I quote:
"just tell me how it is"
I know you can't please all of them all of the time and I might not be his cup of tea, but it was a little disconcerting to say the least! Personally, I thought that I was telling it how it is!!

So, here is an unedited extract from chapter 6 of novel 2. It is brief and thus does not require much effort on your part, but I would appreciate some feedback from fellow authors and readers. Please leave me a comment or a G+ Thanks in advance. Here 'tis.

"He found her seated by a small porthole window, looking out into deep space. The abruptness of their earlier public conversation had given him pause to find her before now. He watched her silently from the shadows as she contemplated the troubles they now shared in the universe at large. The way the light caught the side of her face was entrancing. Jamie couldn’t help but feel drawn in by her, she was a great beauty; but the play of light and shadow on her features drove at his heart with tender and bittersweet reflection. 
She was haunting in the dim light of the cosmos, her hollow eyes searching for some universal truth that would free her from the torment of uncertainty. He knew that look; he had lived that look for so many years it had changed him. He no longer felt the need to have the certainty of all the answers, instead becoming comfortable with the idea of the unknown and relishing the strange opportunities it presented. But the anguish that was etched on Clarissa’s face had never been part of his plan and it pained him in a place that only she could, to see her in the grip of reclusive anxiety. He loved her plain and simple, but there was his pride and hers to get through before they could make any sense of where they found themselves now.  
After a decade of imposed separation, watching her so still and quiet in the belly of the ship forced him to appreciate just how fragile she really was. Clarissa had always talked and walked tough, but she was a thinker, always had been, and that made her vulnerable to the darker side of unexpected; the worst possible outcome. Although she had obviously been prepared for this day given their daughter together, the reality of it was clearly proving to be a taunting foe. It was a look he had hoped she would never share with him and it stripped away his usual guard, leaving him emotionally naked and exposed to her all over again. She was the only woman he had ever truly loved and she was able to relight the embers without so much as a word or glance his way."


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Print or eReader? Which is best?

A FB friend of mine, Jonathan Gunson posed a really great question today;
Which is better, Print or eReader?

The topic of discussion was prompted by an article:
"Print Books: Should they stay or should they go?" by Nick Bilton - he is throwing out all of his print books!!
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/paper-books-should-they-stay-or-should-they-go/
 
So, today's question is: Could you throw out or do without your print books in favour of an eReader only?

It is an emotive topic to say the least! No doubt many of you will have passionate views depending on whether you have printed in the traditional sense or listed your book for sale as an e-version.

My personal preference is Print Books of course! That's not to say I am not a lover of e-books, I am. But there is something more ethereal about a printed book for me. It is a sensory thing I think. As I said to Jonathan earlier today:

"As a collector of vintage and antique books, I will say PRINT is best. There is nothing like the smell of an old book. I love e-books and have been converted there is no doubt of that, but all my senses need to be involved! The feel, the smell, the sound of a page turning. The wonderful little maps and pictures etc. I love that many e-books are available in print too, so if you really, really love it, you can add it to a bookshelf as well as a reader. I also collect vintage cookbooks, so yes, I even consume a good book!! Print books should stay. How could we deny our kids the chance to dog-ear a really great read?!"

Obviously there are many pro's for an eReader, like discovering a new favourite author who becomes a real star in the literary world, but the old-fashioned side of me just loves rummaging around an old book store! The discovery of some long forgotten gem stuffed at the back of a bulging shelf in a second hand shop or better yet, in an antique book sellers store is something akin to finding hidden diamonds for me!

Another thing I like about printed books is having them physically in my house. 
I have several book shelves, some filled with my childhood favourites (yes, I kept them - sensing a pattern here?!) My children are now able to enjoy the stories that filled my imagination when I was their age. It is one of the great delights as a parent to be able to share this with them and rediscover my youthful fancies.
Other shelves house my antique book collection, which I might add - is locked! But I do take the time to visit my old friends as often as I can. This particular collection attracts a great deal of attention from visitors when they are in my home, and it is an amazing talking point too. I had one old man (an elderly relative of a friend) who cried when I showed him an antique french book that I have. He is French you see, and the sight of it went like a powder trail straight to his childhood heart. He held it like a long lost friend. It was a beautiful moment for all of us, and I think displays the powerful presence and impact a printed book can have on people.

Before I digress too far, I shall say this: I don't really care how people read; some will prefer the technology over an almost outdated mode of publishing- the printed book, but having said that...as long as they are reading it is a good thing. 

And a nod to my inspirational muse of today - Jonathan :) Many kisses your way sweetie xxx

What are your thoughts.

• Do you think it is easier to print or e-publish?
• What are your experiences with eBooks and Printed Books?
• Which do you prefer?
• Could you throw out all of your print books?
• Either way, let me know in the comments section below! I would love to hear your views!

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As always, please leave a G+, it helps me to know what you are interested in!!

Apps for Authors to drive your on-line presence

Well, everyone seems to be enjoying my little tech-tidbits, so here are a few more!

Please take the time to G+ this post (and others-look around!) it helps me know what people are interested in :)

The Author App for facebook.
You can check mine out here:
 https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKatherineVucicevic/app_191387770912394

The details of how to load YOUR author app is there.
This will also add to your online presence and confirm that you are indeed, an author.

Like my page too if you feel so inclined, and/or a friend request, I'd like to connect with you :)

Another great idea for those with books on the market is: Rafflecopter
http://www.rafflecopter.com/

I haven't used Rafflecopter, but I have seen pages that do, and have been invited to a few. Looks easy and gains more exposure.

Also, scroll down on this page to view the other apps I have added, you might like to try some of those.
And if you want to swap links, ie; list me on your blog and I will list you on mine, please let me know!

Connect with Katherine on Google+

Drive more traffic through your blog!

So, another little time saving widget tidbit for your website / blog.

This is for those on blogger and wordpress, check it out.

http://www.zemanta.com/?utm_expid=68275211-16&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fprefs.zemanta.com%2Fdash%2Flogin%2F

Adding this little widget to your blog will give you a "related posts" field in each of your posts. As you can see from mine below! I think it is a handy way to make it as easy as possible for readers to see what else is on your blog. Its dead easy to install, in fact I installed it in under 5 minutes! And it's free.

I am not related to this site in any way, shape or form, it is just a handy little add on that will (hopefully!) enable visitors to your blog navigate around without too much effort on their part.

Enjoy!

KVON

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Back Cover.

For humanity and Kote’ra who have lived five centuries of peace on Earth, Anna is an unwelcome reminder of their brutal pasts. The mystery surrounding her arrival in their time is heightened with the re-emergence of the Trak’to, a warrior race determined to enslave them all.

But humanity faces another peril, the deadly secret long hidden by the Kote’ra. 

Finding love in the arms of a Kote’ra scientist, Anna faces the ultimate decision that will radically alter the delicate balance of power in the galaxy and the very nature of existence and forever.

Debut novelist Katherine Vucicevic delivers a thought provoking science fiction with an adult twist. This is a novel that will rocket you from elusive beings of the distant future to present day Earth and back again, steaming up the windows on the way.


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A writers life, what the HTML?!

Ok, so you are on G+ great. But is your profile getting the exposure you want? Is your photo or image showing up on the google search? Are you showing up at all?!
Not sure? Well neither was I when I first created my profile about two months ago.

So, I am going to share what many others probably know, but like me, maybe you didn't or don't.

Here it is!

A mighty powerful little bit of HTML code you can add to your pages and blog.

A tiny little mark up code : rel=author

That's it.

So now what? By adding this to your blog pages it will have a marked impact on how you show up in google searches. It lets google know that you are a real author and will associate back to your G+ profile and blog.

Ok, so how do I update my anchor tag?? I found this really useful info just by searching the web and looking at a few social media sites.

1. Go to your G+ profile and click EDIT
2. Go to the CONTRIBUTOR section and place the URL of your blog/page/website there. Click SAVE.
3. Click DONE EDITING
4. Note the URL at the top of the page (we are still in G+ profile) you are going to need it.
5. Now we are going to add the link to your page/blog article or wherever you want the link to go.
6. Go to the blog page and click EDIT.
7. Choose where you want to place the link to your G+ profile. We are going to add the rel=author attribute.
8. You might like to try something like this...example Find Fred Jones on G +

• It must be formatted exactly as above, except of course, place YOUR URL link inside the quotation marks and YOUR NAME instead of Fred Jones or Don on Google!! (image from social media examiner)
• Click save!
• That's it. Done!

Now when google scours the your website/blog, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to update their searches, you will show up and eventually your profile photo and authorship link to G+ too. And it's all thanks to that little bit of HTML.
It may seem a bit of a fiddle-faddle, but it's worth it!

Anyway, hope you have fun with it, I certainly did!

Good luck and please share any little tips and tricks you may have to improve public circulation and visibility. If you are not seeing any google results in about a week or two, you can go to the Support page and check  answers and troubleshooting
Writing a novel is one thing, but readers need to be able to find you! Leave a comment and let me know! Don't forget to check out my little html add-on below :)



KVON

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A Writer's Life - We all have bad hair days!

Today, I buzzed around from place to place busily "getting things done" and harping on at my kids to "stop doing this" and "don't do that" and "please don't hit your brother in the nose" all the while trying not to pop a vein in my irate state. Add to this getting the more mundane chores of the farm out of the way, like scraping chicken poop out of the roost and topping up watering areas, placing out feed and so forth....I began to zone out into my writers mind.

I became the heroine of the scene, tirelessly, selflessly, giving her all to everyone and everything else.(feel free to swoon at my magnanimous over-dramatisation ;) Yeah, the daydream lasted about a second, when my youngest son vomited down his shirt. Then he told me he didn't feel well. So, you can add a touch of Florence Nightingale to my repertoire!

Anyone with kids, or in fact any kind of life outside of writing will attest to the fact that it can be rather difficult carrying the dream of publishing into reality when there are so many extraneous demands on your time.

On my way through today's events I started to put together a list of must do's for an aspiring author, and here they are....

• Start your day well. 

This may entail a really great brew of tea or an enticingly aromatic cup of coffee. Whatever your poison, make it a good one.

• Try to find the time to write - without interruption!

As any parent will know, this is not always possible every day, but if you have family or even friends who will help, then take it! If they are of school age, take your note-pad, I-pad or whatever to work and use it to make notes during your lunch hour. Even the use of a voice recorder is a good idea in places you might be struck with genius and haven't got a pen or paper or access to a computer.
If, like me you work from home, slot out some hours where you are NOT to be disturbed unless the house in on fire!!

• Don't write till you drop.

Ok, so you have the time and you have a massive inspirational surge and just cant stop writing. Don't do what I have done on occasion and write until the sun is coming up the next day! Your family and/or your boss still need you to perform your regular duties and anyone with their eyes hanging out of their head is useless!

• Take care of yourself.

Please don't forget about the other things in life that you enjoy! Go shopping if that's your thing, take time to see a movie or go to the gym. Whatever it is, don't let it slip by the wayside, it's too hard to get it back once it's gone from your routine.

• Beta readers.

Find 'em, keep 'em, listen to 'em. Nuff said.

• Stay true to your novel.

It's your novel, don't fall into the trap of thinking it is better or worse than any other author's work. Do your reading by all means, but don't become disheartened by another persons great success...it might just be your turn one day!

• Genre, genre, genre.

Personally I couldn't give two hoots about it. I write what I write and others will decide where it fits. It is always good to stay well informed and make an educated decision on your market or target audience, but don't get stuck in the confines of a genre's caged edges. These are exciting times to be writing in, let your edges bleed over in to another genre if it is appropriate to your novel. But don't mislead your audience, do give them an idea of what they are going to get in your novel.

So, that's it from me today. It has been a crapper and I'm glad to be flushing it away with a final farewell.

Just goes to show that even when we authors have "bad hair days" it just becomes an opportunity to write about it! I hope you do too.


KVON
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