COLA III Meeting Recap for 02/09/2021
Seven of us made it to the meet. Four read for critique:
This was another meeting of our core group with some good readings.
Carolyn read a short fiction, Masked, made up of accounts told by three characters in the first-person of the impact of the current COVID times on them.
Larry read a scene he added to his novel, The Letters, that expanded on the character Pete’s antics at the wedding rehearsal.
Dea read another scene from Desert Courage that is dramatically pivotal for her story.
And Danielle has begun a new work that she sees as a short story at this point, Dr. Johnson and the Living Will, that shows much promise.
So we have some good work going on in the face of coping with these troublesome times.
I noted my recent Chapter Lead meeting (held quarterly) via ZOOM with the SCWA. Their emphasis was on finding new members (currently there are about 350 members in the association). To that end, they created a bookmark and posters meant for promotional distribution. They are hoping chapter members will place the posters (also bookmarks) in libraries, coffee shops, etc. Actually, they’ve done pretty well on these materials. Here’s the community poster:
SCWA Community Poster
There’s also a poster aimed at students. With the population still basically “locked down,” though, I wonder at the effectiveness at placing posters. I think the hesitancy for people to gather in groups blunts people’s willingness to participate in the work of the chapters (and most everything else).
Even so, the SCWA has lined up a program of “Writing Conversations” that are free and held via ZOOM (conferencing application). These conversations are lunchtime presentations on various writing subjects. Some are guest interviews. These programs stretch into October of 2021.
I’m glad to see that COLA3 is well-represented in the coming edition of the SCWA’s printed anthology, Catfish Stew. Danielle Verwers will have some of her poetry in it. One of our former chapter writers, Marion Aldridge has a piece in it. And they’re including the first chapter of my novel, Power of the Ancients.
Catfish Stew 2021 Contributing Authors
I assume the 2021 anthology will come out in the spring, since the last one was published in April. You can find the 2020 edition of Catfish Stew on Amazon.
COLA3's next meeting is scheduled for February 23rd.
Ray
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ELEMENTS OF THE WRITING CRAFT CHALLENGE
PART I: STORYTELLING
LESSON: 14 FACT TO FICTION
PRINTED BOOK PAGES: 20-21
READING EXCERPT: The Pugilist At Rest by Thom Jones
…It is known that Muhammad composed the Koran after attacks of epilepsy. Black Elk experienced fits before his grand “buffalo” vision. Joan of Arc is thought to have been a left-temporal-lobe epileptic. Each of these in a terrible flash of brain lightning was able to pierce the murky veil of illusion which is spread over all things. Just so did the scales fall from my eyes. It is called the “sacred disease.”
But what a price. I rarely leave the house anymore. To avoid falling injuries, I always wear my old boxer’s headgear, and I always carry my mouthpiece.
MY NOTES ON THE LESSON
This a lesson about “truth in fiction.” I think the best fiction portrays truths. In that sense, a story is a big metaphor. This lesson gets specific about it. A particular affliction is introduced with some background on it (lore). It is then applied to narrator and the story is launched.
This can be an effective way to highlight character and create tension in a story. A character’s living with an affliction can leverage plot complications. This is related to the story use of character flaws, but is more impactive. For instance, Hamlet had the character flaw of indecisiveness, where Quasimodo had the affliction of physical deformity (hunchbacked, one-eyed, deaf). For both stories, those conditions enhanced character and created plot complications.
MY ANSWERS TO THE WRITING POSSIBILITIES
1. Think of a condition that afflicts us, such as epilepsy. Find out its claim to fame, its subtlety, its nuance. Come up with a page full of these facts.
Afflictions to consider: blind, deaf, amputee, cancer, Morgellons Disease, stutter, Alzheimer's, dyslexia.
I chose to work with Morgellons Disease because it is a little-known condition that can inflict much misery on the afflicted. I have considered writing a story around it because it is controversial and can be used to facilitate themes on corporate medicine and diabolical agendas.
Here’s what the Mayo Clinic website says about Morgellons:
Morgellons disease is an uncommon, poorly understood condition characterized by small fibers or other particles emerging from skin sores. People with this condition often report feeling as if something were crawling on or stinging their skin.
People who have Morgellons disease report the following signs and symptoms:
* Skin rashes or sores that can cause intense itching
Crawling sensations on and under the skin, often compared to insects moving, stinging or biting
* Fibers, threads or black stringy material in and on the skin
* Fatigue
* Difficulty concentrating
* Short-term memory loss
* Depressed mood
The intense itching and open sores associated with Morgellons disease can severely interfere with a person's quality of life.
Common attitudes of health professionals toward Morgellons disease include:
* Thinking that Morgellons disease is a specific condition that needs to be confirmed by research.
* Thinking that signs and symptoms of Morgellons disease are caused by another condition, often mental illness.
* Not acknowledging Morgellons disease or reserving judgment until more is known about it.
Some people who suspect they have Morgellons disease claim they've been ignored or dismissed as fakers. In contrast, some doctors say that people who report signs and symptoms of Morgellons disease typically resist other explanations for their condition.
2. Describe in a paragraph how a character might live with one of your afflictions.
Morgellons is little-known among the general population. Where it is acknowledged, it is controversial. It is characterized by feelings of movement beneath the skin, painful skin lesions that erupt stringy dark fibers, fatigue, memory loss, and depression. There is no known medical cause and no treatment. Doctors either don’t acknowledge it or write it off as delusion. These are painful delusions in the form of wires that come in their legions, pushing through the skin from beneath to create bloody sores.
3. Now follow exercise two with a new paragraph that moves away from the lore of your character’s affliction to the personal experiences of it, the day-to-day life.
My delusions are cyclical, like some diabolical life-cycle of near-microscopic monsters is birthing and dying beneath my skin. Once a month, I stay indoors because the bloody sores make movement difficult, and the gray ooze secretions won’t wash off. People would shun me as gross without really knowing why.
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PUBLISHING MY NOVEL
Promotion
Power of the Ancients is published and available on Amazon. It has been a long haul to get it there, but it’s one among zillons. How can it reach its readership?
There are many, many books written about Independent Author (Indie) book promotion/marketing. I’ve read a lot of them along with countless Internet articles on the subject. The issue they address is that of marketing your book when you don’t have a powerful publisher behind you and you’re not famous/rich.
In a nutshell, they tell you to develop a following and market to them. And you develop that following by being active on social media and other websites, offering something of value. That value can be anything—advice, entertainment, other books, or some commodity or other. This value attracts followers and you collect their email addresses. The number of addresses you collect, is a metric of your success and sales potential.
Additionally, these Indie marketing books offer methods and processes, usually in numbered steps, guaranteed to sell your book. These often include more numbered steps that will get you a bunch of reviews on Amazon.
Having waded through all this material, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no magic bullet for selling your book. There is no “trick” or guaranteed method for selling your book. The only thing you can really do is to bring your book to the attention of potential readers in any way that you can. Ultimately, that’s all any author ever does to achieve sales. It is that simple and that difficult.
So, here’s what I recommend:
First and foremost, do whatever you need to do to learn the craft of storytelling (whether you write fiction or nonfiction) and write the best you can. Have your work critiqued and edited to the greatest extent you can afford. Then publish it via whatever avenue makes the most sense to you.
Now you must realize that as an Indie author/publisher, YOU ARE A COMMODITY! Most of the businesses and “entrepreneurs” out there realize they can leverage your desire for literary success to make a bunch of money. That is why there are so many books on Indie publishing and marketing that say the same thing. It is why Amazon allows anyone to publish a book for free. Obviously, these zillons of books can’t all be gems. Amazon doesn’t care. Amazon gets paid.
(NOTE: Yes, there are good and honest businesses out there with integrity who want to help independent writers. I can name several. Just be aware, that there are very many that will look at you and only see dollar signs.)
With this realization, I suggest you determine what you want out of your book. Understand in your deep heart, why you wrote it. If your motivation was ONLY money, you’ll have a harder time of it. If your motivation was ONLY (or mostly) fame, you’ll have a harder time of it. If your motivation was self-expression through literature using the technique of writing, then what you have to say will have a better chance of finding its readers.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with writing a book to make money. That’s what pro authors do, though I daresay that the best have an overriding artistic motivation. If you want to be a book-producing business, then understand the business and what your product is. You also have to decide whether your are a business-person or a writer. There is value in both, but I lean towards the latter.
Most of the writers in writers’ groups are, I believe, of the artistic variety. I know I am. So, understanding all this, there is still the question of how to get your book in front of potential readers.
Basically, you must get the word out. Tell people that your book exists and is available. If you are not rich and famous, this will be a slow process. You hope that you will get your book into the hands of that person (or group of persons) who will be touched by it and recommend it to their friends. Ultimately, that is the only way any book becomes successful (i.e., widely read). Luck features largely into this.
It should also be obvious that in spreading word about your book, you must somehow reach people who don’t know you. That is, get beyond family and friends, and any paid publicity.
With the above in mind, at this point, I am doing the following regarding promoting Power of the Ancients:
1. Posting to social media (mostly Twitter and Facebook so far), following a plan suggested by Barb Asselin in her book, 5-Minute Marketing for Authors. This has gotten me some “family and friends sales,” but I don’t have the following to make this a viable strategy.
2. I enrolled my book in Kindle Select so I can leverage its free promotions—five days in the three month enrollment where I can offer my ebook for free. I select these five days and then spread the word about each as best I can. The idea is to get your book to as many readers as possible, hoping some of them will post good reviews on Amazon.
3. I submitted the first chapter of Power of the Ancients to be included in the next SCWA Catfish Stew printed anthology. They have accepted my submission and so my chapter will be in the next Catfish Stew. It is free advertising.
Beyond all this, I intend to look into Goodread’s “book giveaway” promotion. My book reviews have gleaned a good bit of attention on Goodreads. I may find some readers there, but the giveaway promotion does cost $119.
WHAT’S NEXT
All the promotion I can come up with. After one week available on Amazon, fifteen books altogether have been downloaded or purchased. Plus, I have at least four requests I’ll provide author copies for. Certainly, that’s a modest start, but it's good for me. I’m grateful for it. I’ll keep promoting and looking to touch those readers who will provide recommendations and reviews.
Promotion/Marketing for the Indie author can be a vicious, and distressing, circle. It can also put you into selfish and self-absorbed state of mind. This can be damaging to your mental health.
Recently, wanting to leverage whatever bit of influence I have on Goodreads, I tried to “recommend” my book to my GR friends and followers. A message was returned saying I could not recommend my own book. While I stewed over this, I received an email from the author, Ann Patchett, sent to all her Goodreads followers. It was her recommendation of a book she had not written, but just enjoyed and wanted to share. Ms. Patchett is famous and does not need to resort to “tricks” to gain readers or sales. She also has a reputation as being a good person.
I took Ms. Patchett’s email as an instructional from the literary muses: Concentrate on what you can give, rather than what you can get. I think I’ll follow Ms. Patchett’s lead.
This makes four Chapter Three articles regarding the self-publishing via Amazon KDP of my novel, Power of the Ancients. Taken together, I hope they provide a helpful overview of what self-publishing your book via Amazon entails. I may write one more about what I’ve learned from this process, with some thoughts of being an Independent Writer at this time.
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ARTICLES AND OTHER WORTHIES
Here are a few articles, podcasts, and videos that might inspire and lift your spirits.
Write On SC shownotes
Episode 132: Motivated by Revenge
On February 6th, we started a series on Character Motivation. Theme for the day: Vengeance, Revenge, Retribution.
Yak Babies
136- Story Club: “Sea Oak” by George Saunders
Story Club is back from hiatus with the pals discussing George Saunders's wackadoo zombie story "Sea Oak."
Write By Night
Discussion questions: You can choose one writer, dead or alive, and ask only one question. Who do you choose, what do you ask, and why? What kind of reply would you hope for? What does your choice of writer and/or question tell you about yourself as a writer? If your writer is alive, have you ever considered finding a way to ask him/her this question?
My reply.
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CALENDAR
COLA3 Meetings for 2021:
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Web Links
Note: The opinions and themes expressed by COLA III's members are not necessarily the opinions and themes of the Columbia III Chapter of the SCWA or of the SCWA.
List of previous issues of Chapter Three
List of books published by COLA III members
SCWA web page
SCWA Bylaws
Chapter Three FREE newsletter sign-up web-page
Write On SC broadcast
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