Betty's Tips 9/12

Hello again, dear readers,

This month I am writing to you while sitting beachside in sunny Florida. The recent alien invasion in my backyard melted even my most resistant of characters, the dastardly Mr. Cauliflower. There was nothing else I could do but pack my overheated laptop and get to the airport. Now sitting here on my lounger I can enjoy the sounds of the ocean waves and while I miss my beloved vegetables, I am getting some fresh writing done on my new novel; The Sand-People.

At first I wasn’t getting much writing done. There are lots of distractions at the beach, castles to build, shells to collect, waves to catch, margarita’s to drink, and of course my favorite - people watching. Then I stumbled across this site; 5 Writing Tips from Chelsea Cain; and I sat my behind down and began to write. I mean I can’t expect to earn a living by just frolicking around at the beach can I? (sigh- if only).

As I was working out the plot, I decided that I needed two opposing females, one to manipulate the Sand People into following her to the buried treasure and the other one to save them after the ship sinks. I didn’t want them to be the usual types that don’t break a sweat while running around in high heel Manolo Blahniks. This site Writing Female Characters really helped me create women as real people, with quirks, strengths and fears, and there are no Manolos in sight. Phew!

Now do I make it a romance novel or a mystery novel? Well either one could work, depending on where I want to focus the plot. It’s not like one is better than the other, right? I wasn’t sure so I looked up this site, Different Strokes, to see what other people are saying. Then I decided to go with mystery. It’s best to know before I get too far into the writing.

As I develop each scene I want to make sure I bring my readers inside of the characters skin. I want them to feel exactly what my characters are feeling; fear, embarrassment, shock or anger, whatever they are feeling at the moment. To do this well I must show my characters involuntary physical reactions to what is happening around them. To learn more I went to Show Visceral Reactions First , I read this as I sipped slowly, from the thin red straw, the frozen tequila mixed with lime slid down my throat, and I wrinkled my nose, squinted my eyes and shivered a little as the tequila assaulted my taste buds, then I relaxed and smiled and said, “ahh, it’s all good!”

Once my manuscript is finished I will have to decide whether to publish it independently or send it to a number of agents. If I decide to go Indie I really have to make sure my finished book looks just like it was published by a big publishing house. I did my homework and read The New World: Publishing: Killing your sales one shot at a time. Book design is ultra-important, the last thing I want is readers thinking my sand-people are magical.

After my manuscript is published, there are always ways to promote sales. For simple things to do using your internet connection, use this link: 8 Tips for Promoting Your Book Online. For the more daring authors among us try this link: 5 Ways for New Writers to Gain Press. Ok so it’s kind of crazy to run around in a bikini trying to get the attention of paparazzi but since I’m already in a bikini on South Beach and I’ve had a few frozen margarita’s, and there’s a man with a camera – “Hey, hello, hey cameraman …..wait up, hey cameraman.”

Betty Wryte-Goode

Betty Wryte-Goode is a writer, mother, and wife who lives in the Lehigh Valley. Her passions include writing, reading, shopping, gardening, and exploring the internet. Betty is always looking for writing tips, so if you have any you would like to share, please send them to her through our Submissions/Contacts page.