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What’s a non-bookstore event? Well, obviously it’s anything outside of a bookstore but more than that, it’s a unique location, likely in your city or town. We’ve done events at video stores, electronics stores, grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, even Hallmark stores. When you start to dig into this market, the possibilities are really endless. It’s just a matter of finding a place that will make sense to host your event.
Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Expert newsletter,” a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com
If you’re tired of hearing “no” every time you try and secure a book signing, take heart. Signings have become a lot more challenging since more books than ever are being published each year and stores are cutting back on events. What’s an author to do? If you’re hungry for an event and not willing to wade through the endless submission process of a bookstore, consider doing events in non-bookstore markets.
What’s a non-bookstore event? Well, obviously it’s anything outside of a bookstore but more than that, it’s a unique location, likely in your city or town. We’ve done events at video stores, electronics stores, grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, even Hallmark stores. When you start to dig into this market, the possibilities are really endless. It’s just a matter of finding a place that will make sense to host your event.
Picking the Right Venue
The first piece of this is picking the right venue. The venue can depend on a few things; first, you might look at the topic of your book to help generate some ideas. We once had an author who wrote a book on wine/movie pairings – pairing the right wine with a movie. I placed this author in a Blockbuster Video and the results were tremendous. I had another author with a computer book and I placed him at a computer store on a busy Saturday afternoon. He sold out of some 65 copies of his book in one afternoon. Another great venue is a Hallmark or some other gift shop. Why? Because people are going to a gift shop or Hallmark for one thing: a gift. Autographed books make great gifts.
Selling the Idea to the Venue
This will take a bit of work because it’s likely that the venue has never even entertained the idea of doing an event, let alone an author signing. You’ll need to make sure they are clear on the WIIFM (what’s in it for me): tell them you’ll be promoting the event, marketing it to the media (which we’ll cover further on in this article). Make sure they know that you’ll handle the book orders (meaning getting the books to the store) if need be.
Yes, there is a lot more legwork involved for these events, but the payoff is huge. You may have to sell the books to them on consignment; what that means is that they take the books and can return to you whatever they don’t sell. Encourage the venue, however, to keep a stock in their store after the event in case people come by when you’re gone. I’ve done this before, and nine times out of ten the books never get returned to the author and are sold instead. Also, in many cases the store will often reorder and before you know it, you’re part of their inventory.
The other piece to this is to try, whenever you can, not to go through their corporate offices. Much like doing an event at Starbucks (which I’ve also done) and Hallmark, a pitch to corporate could take weeks and even months to approve. Most stores have the ability to approve from 3-5 events per year, meaning that they can have events at their store without having to go through the corporate offices. Most major corporations do this so that the stores can provide community support without getting bogged down in tedious paperwork for event approval. If you can avoid the red-tape of a corporate approval, do that whenever you can.
Selling the Books
As I mentioned, you will likely have to do a consignment. The inventory part for most major stores gets tricky, and if the books have to be approved for inventory, you’ll end up going through corporate again. More red tape. Try to work with the venue as much as you can so you don’t have to create an inventory of your books. The upside, however, is that if the inventory process is easy, you will be on their reorder list for the future!
Marketing the Event
This is the easy part, believe it or not. Local media loves local authors and while that’s a good foot in the door – the unique venue location will virtually seal the deal. Market yourself to media well in advance of the event and then again the event day. Also, if you’re doing an event in a mall, see if you can get the other stores to participate by doing bookmarks or bag stuffers. Bag stuffers, by the way, are a great way to help the store market your event. You could also do a custom bookmark. With printing so cheap these days, it might be easier to have event-specific bookmarks made up that you can give to the store to help them push the event to their patrons.
Make sure you get the store OK first, before you hand them bag stuffers and bookmarks. Also ask if you can create a poster that includes your book cover and the event information. See if you can get a placement on the venue website and perhaps a notification sent to their mailing list. Unlike bookstores that crank out author events all the time, a unique venue that doesn’t see author events all that much will be much more receptive to promotional ideas.
More Venue Ideas
Once you take your eye off of the bookstore focus, the opportunities for book events are endless. Consider the following: street fairs, farmers markets, gyms, yoga studios, wineries, art stores, Starbucks, coffee shops, restaurants, grocery stores, airports. Yes, I said airports. I’ve traveled a great deal and almost every time I go through the San Diego airport, Dallas Fort Worth or San Francisco, I see an author signing their books. Look out for this: if you’re not paying attention you could miss it while rushing to catch your flight.
Other Benefits to Doing Non-Bookstore Events
The benefits of these types of events are pretty significant, especially if speaking and events are part of your marketing tool kit. Book events held in these exclusive markets will not only take you off the track of competing for space in a bookstore, but because they are unique they will draw much more attention both from the media and readers.
Having a traditional book signing is always great. It will help you get into the bookstore market and might even get your book on their shelf. But if bookstores aren’t open to an event, don’t let that discourage you from planning one. Being unique will not only help you gain more attention, but it will help to keep you out of the rejection funnel that often comes from competing in a high-traffic market. Also, venue events outside of bookstores are a fun way to build an audience, get your feet wet doing events and speaking and grow your career as an author!
When I was studying in high school classes I started writing poems. As I felt no satisfaction in my poems, I wanted to correct them with the help of some talented persons. I could get acquaintance with celebrated poet Vayalar Rama Varma. He was a friend of my father. I went to his house with one of my poems. With reluctance I showed I showed the matter to him. He was pleased knowing that I was writing poems. He made some corrections in it and returned it back.
Joy J. Kaimaparamban is the author of The Ayurvedic Healer, a novel published by Copperhill Media. For further information log on to his blog at http://www.kaimaparamban.com.
When I was studying in high school classes I started writing poems. As I felt no satisfaction in my poems, I wanted to correct them with the help of some talented persons. I could get acquaintance with celebrated poet Vayalar Rama Varma. He was a friend of my father. I went to his house with one of my poems. With reluctance I showed I showed the matter to him. He was pleased knowing that I was writing poems. He made some corrections in it and returned it back.
I had gone to the tip of joy. After it I used to write poems and got corrected them by the celebrated poet. I supposed him as my preceptor or Gurunadhan writing. One evening, while I was coming back from school, I happened to see a boy in the middle of a small crowd. He had worn only a knicker and he had been singing a film song with the help of the orchestra, which he himself had adjusted by beating the both sides of his stomach with his hands.
For me it was a heartbreaking event. Despite the crowd was giving him small coins I had nothing to give him. I walked home with a heavy heart. In my heart the black scars of the singing boy’s stomach were remaining.
I tried for writing a poem on the subject. Unfortunately I could not. But I had to write something about the boy. So I wrote a short story under the title ‘Paattukaaran Cherukkan’, (The Singer Boy). Several times I rewrote it. At last I showed it to my father. I got appreciation from him.
On a Saturday I went to the house of my preceptor. Reading the short story he opined that I had chosen the correct way. I stopped writing poems and wrote stories in both languages, Malayalam and English. I sent Malayalam stores to several periodicals and some of them were published. I did not dare sending English stories to any publication, because I was not enough courageous. I concentrated on publishing my Malayalam works, but I had not stopped writing in English. Being an undergraduate I was rather inferior to take out my English works in sunlight.
But still I was writing in English. I was unable to come out from the charming beauty of English language. I believed that one day my English books too will come out. After retirement from service, I began trying to enter into the vast world of English literature. At last, my first English novel, ‘The Azure of Solicitude’ was published in 2009, the second novel ‘The Ayurvedic Healer’ was published in 2010.
The world of literature is a wonderful one. If you refer its history you can convince the fact. From my childhood I read fiction and non-fiction aw well. I was interested to know the lifestyles of ancient and modern writers. I am having a special interest in reading the biographies of Artists too. Many Artists as Michaelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael and Rubens and the like are shining in my memory. Several novelists have written fiction based on the lives great artists and writers.
Joy J. Kaimaparamban is the author of The Ayurvedic Healer, a novel published by Copperhill Media. For further information log on to his blog at http://www.kaimaparamban.com.
The world of literature is a wonderful one. If you refer its history you can convince the fact. From my childhood I read fiction and non-fiction aw well. I was interested to know the lifestyles of ancient and modern writers. I am having a special interest in reading the biographies of Artists too. Many Artists as Michaelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael and Rubens and the like are shining in my memory. Several novelists have written fiction based on the lives great artists and writers.
A novel about the colossus fictionist Dostoyevsky has been published in Malayalam language under the title ‘Oru Samkeerthanam Pole’ (Like a Hymn). It has been written by Perumbadavam Sreedharan, a celebrated novelist. I have read numerous works of old and new writers. I could not have seen such a genius writer as Dostoyevsky who had brought out the pearls from the very depth of minds.
Kerala is a small land. But many talented writers and artists had born here. You cannot forget the of Raja Ravi Varma the celebrated artist of Kerala. I could have befriended with efficient artists. Many of them had disappeared behind the curtain of death.
When I think about the writers of Malayalam language, Muttathu Varkey comes into my mind first. He was the Thomas Hardy in Malayalam language. He wrote a lot of novels in Malayalam and he had translated the outstanding Russian novel ‘Doctor Zhivago’ into the language.
There were several talented writers in Malayalam as P Bhaskaran, Uroob (P.C.Kuttikrishnan), S.K. Pottakkat, Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, and the like. Many writers and artists are still active with their works. When I think about Indian writes Rabindra Nath Tagore comes first. Despite a Bengali he wrote in English. For his work ‘Gitanjali’ he received the Nobel Prize. He was the only Indian writer who had won the Nobel Prize.
There lived in India, several great writers who wrote in their won languages. Some of them are Munshi Prem Chand, Dr. Mulk Raj Anand, Kishen Chandar, K.A. Abbas, Yashpal, and the like. Still there are active writers and artists in the Indian Art world. There are few English writers from Kerala. The name of Arundhathi Roy stands first in the line. She brought a Booker Prize for Kerala. I wish to be one of the English writers in India.
Lhamo La-tso or Lhamo Latso, the small oval ‘Oracle Lake’, is where senior Tibetan monks go for visions to assist in the discovery of reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas. Other pilgrims also come to seek visions. It is considered to be the most sacred lake in Tibet. It is also known as “The Life-Spirit-Lake of the Goddess”, the [...]
Lhamo La-tso or Lhamo Latso, the small oval ‘Oracle Lake’, is where senior Tibetan monks go for visions to assist in the discovery of reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas. Other pilgrims also come to seek visions. It is considered to be the most sacred lake in Tibet. It is also known as “The Life-Spirit-Lake of the Goddess”, the goddess being Palden Lhamo, the principal Protectress of Tibet. Other names include: Tso Lhamo (mTsho Lha mo), Chokhorgyelgi Namtso (Chos ‘khor rgyal gyi gnam mtsho) and Makzorma (dmag zor ma) and, on old maps, as Cholamo.
Oracle or Vision Lake
It is said that Palden Lhamo, as the female guardian spirit of the sacred lake, Lhamo La-tso, promised Gendun Drup, the 1st Dalai Lama in one of his visions “that she would protect the reincarnation lineage of the Dalai Lamas.” Ever since the time of Gendun Gyatso, the 2nd Dalai Lama, who formalised the system, the Regents and other monks have gone to the lake to seek guidance on choosing the next reincarnation through visions while meditating there.
The particular form of Palden Lhamo at Lhamo La-tso is Gyelmo Maksorma, “The Victorious One who Turns Back Enemies”. The lake is sometimes referred to as “Pelden Lhamo Kalideva”, which indicates that Palden Lhamo is an emanation of the goddess Kali, the shakti of the Hindu god Siva.
- “Lhamo Latso . . . [is] a brilliant azure jewel set in a ring of grey mountains. The elevation and the surrounding peaks combine to give it a highly changeable climate, and the continuous passage of cloud and wind creates a constantly moving pattern on the surface of the waters. On that surface visions appear to those who seek them in the right frame of mind.” – Reference: The Search for the Panchen Lama by Isabel Hilton.
It was here that in 1935, the Regent, Reting Rinpoche, received a clear vision of three Tibetan letters and of a monastery with a jade-green and gold roof, and a house with turquoise roof tiles, which led to the discovery of Tenzin Gyatso, the present 14th Dalai Lama.
Monks from the Panchen Lama’s Tashilumpo monastery looked into the waters of Lhamo Latso lake and saw the upper half of a horse, the lower half of a goat and the Tibetan syllable ”grwa”. Those and other signs led them to a nomadic area called Lhari, and in it a young boy named Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. He bore birthmarks on his back similar to the symbols seen in the waters of the lake. He was born in the year of the horse. And he could instinctively point the way to Tashilumpo monastery. – Reference: In Search of the real Panchen Lama – The Sydney Morning Herald.
Geographical Setting
The lake is in Gyaca County, Lhokha to the southeast of Lhasa, Tibet, and a four-hour hike from the Gelugpa Chokorgyel Monastery at an altitude of about 5,300 m. (17,388 ft) and covers an area of only about 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi).
Chokorgyel Monastery itself is about 115 kilometres (71 mi) northeast of Tsetang and about 160 km (99 mi) southeast of Lhasa, at an altitude of 4,500 m (14,764 ft).
The old path from Chokorgyel Monastery used to be paved to make access easier for the senior monks wishing to visit the lake. Half way along is a diamond-shaped pond fed by glaciers known as Yoni Lake. On a ridge near the top of the pass overlooking the lake a ritual shökde or throne was built for the Dalai Lama, where he once sat to divine the future while gazing into the lake about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) in front and 150 metres (490 ft) lower down. Nowadays it is buried under a mound of silk scarves (hadak).
Many pilgrims come each year to Lhamo La-tso believing that, with proper devoutness, and after fasting for three days and refraining from talk, they will be rewarded with a revelation of their future in the skull-shaped mirror of the lake.
Previously there was a temple to Maksorma (rGyal mo dMag zor ma) or Machik Pelha Shiwai Nyamchen (Ma gcig dPal lh Zhi ba’i nyams can), an unusually peaceful form of Palden Lhamo, at the eastern end of the lake which is now marked only by prayer flags and offerings left by pilgrims.
There is a kora or pilgrimage walk around the lake.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lhamo_La-tso
A writing tool is not a guarantee for error-free writing or good style. The spell-checker cannot help you when you have trouble distinguishing between there, they’re, and their. In the same sense, the grammar checker is only a supporting tool, a first initial step toward correct and good writing. In the end, it takes a human being to create the final result.
I did mention it in previous posts; there are a myriad of programs available – mostly for PCs – to support the novel writing process. I will not go into details and list them here, because my experience is that most of these writing tools have their specific insufficiencies, predominantly represented by lack of word processing power.
A standard word processor will be sufficient for most authors. In addition to putting your thoughts on screen and paper it provides vital functions such as spelling and grammar check. My personal preference is Microsoft Office (Word and Excel), but OpenOffice as well as Apple’s iWork are just as good. If you follow the rules of our little writing project you don’t need a special program.
Note: Don’t be fooled! A writing tool is not a guarantee for error-free writing or good style. The spell-checker cannot help you when you have trouble distinguishing between there, they’re, and their. In the same sense, the grammar checker is only a supporting tool, a first initial step toward correct and good writing. In the end, it takes a human being to create the final result.
Thesaurus – Every good word processor comes with a Thesaurus, but my absolute favorite is Thesaurus.com because it presents more choices, not only in terms of quantity, but also in quality. Use the thesaurus frequently! If you are in doubt, the thesaurus will help to find a better choice or even get your thoughts in a different, but better direction.
Dictionary – Same scenario: Every good word processor includes some spell checking power. Dictionary.com, however, presents more, and is some cases, better results.
Daily Writing Tips – Whether you are an author, attorney, manager or student, writing skills are essential to your success. The rise of the information age – with the proliferation of e-mails, blogs and social networks – makes the ability to write clear, correct English more important than ever. Daily Writing Tips is about that.
Editing Tools
In addition, there are a few websites available to support editing your work. As I wrote before, an author should not engage into extensive editing until the work is finished. Frequent editing will slow down the writing process. Nevertheless, brief relapses are allowed.
Polish My Writing – PolishMyWriting.Com is a free Internet service for spelling error, grammar suggestion, or style suggestion. It is a nice tool, but the results are very close to those of a standard word processor. It is worth, however, to use it in addition to your word processor. Two opinions are better than just one.
AuroCrit – AutoCrit.Com provides some free reports to check for overused words, repeated phrases, and sentence length variations. These reports are limited to 5 per user per day, unless you sign up for their service. Higher-priced service levels check for redundancy, readability, etc. If you are serious about the editing process, I recommend the Platinum level ($77 per year), or the Professional level ($117 per year). I personally liked the “overused words” report, a feature I haven’t seen in any other program, even though sometimes the program complains about 2 occurrences of the same word, which I found a little too picky.
White Smoke – No hyperlink here, because I really don’t care for this product and the business practices. When you google for writing tools you will end up finding White Smoke one way or the other; they’re everywhere. I admit, it has been a while since I used their software, but it was a huge pain to install, and the results were acceptable, but not great.
And the winner is…
Grammarly.com – Formerly known as EssayRater.Com, Grammarly.com is primarily focussed on essays, but it is nevertheless a great help when you write a novel. Their website states “Grammarly is an automated proofreader and your personal grammar coach. Check your writing for grammar, punctuation, style and instantly enhance your texts.” Grammarly.com is by far my favorite editing tool! Grammarly.com checks for proper punctuation, wordiness, spelling, writing style, vocabulary use, and synonyms. Synonyms is my favorite tool, because their recommendations are fabulous! The downside is the price tag, and they don’t reveal the pricing until you signed for a free trail. If I remember correctly, I paid $77 for the annual subscription.
Note: Any editing tool will help to improve your text. Nevertheless, if you plan to approach an agent or publisher, it is mandatory to hire a professional editing service, otherwise your chances to be accepted are extremely slim. The price for a 60,000 word work should be in the neighborhood of $800.
Last, But Not Least
I know there are many more aspects on this topic, and I am not the source of all wisdom. If you want to contribute helpful information, please do so by any means. Any comment, whether you agree with me or not, is appreciated.
Many aspiring authors shy away from character development, but it is a simple fact that every good story hinges on character. Maybe you have a good feel for your characters, and it is absolutely acceptable to develop them while you write. However, you want your story to be consistent.
Many aspiring authors shy away from character development, but it is a simple fact that every good story hinges on character. Maybe you have a good feel for the personalities in your novel, and it is absolutely acceptable to develop them while you write. However, you want your story to be consistent. Just think of the myriad of movie blunders where, for instance, the ten-year-old version of the main character is left-handed, while as an adult he is right-handed (that happened in Braveheart). On the other hand, Igor is allowed have a back hump that moves from right to left, if it fits the story line (See Young Frankenstein).
Character development does not necessarily mean a fully detailed psychological profile, and you don’t need to reveal all the details in your novel and possibly take a hit at readability. In other words, don’t bore the reader with too many details, but maintain consistency, and, after all, keep a list of all participants. It doesn’t make sense to scan through your writing to verify the correct spelling of a person, or if he/she had dark or light hair, etc. Character development can be as simple as keeping a database.
Note: There are programs available in which you fill certain characteristics such as gender, age, etc., and the program will even provide you information how the individual would respond to certain scenarios. I personally prefer to apply common sense, and if I feel unsure about a character I engage into further research, yet again emphasizing the importance of research – See my post Researching the Topic.
Developing a character, just like the story line, is a very creative process, and you will be surprised by the features they gain while you define them. Again, you don’t need to apply too many details, but make sure your main character is attractive to the intended readership by adding certain features.
In the following I am posting a few characters from The Monty Python Code.
The Monty Python Code
For those who happened to stumble upon this article per search engine, this particular post is part of an article series Let’s Write A Novel. In our little project we are going with mainstream taste, and we are going with Dan Brown. The title of our work will be The Monty Python Code. Any resemblance to The Da Vinci Code is, of course, purely coincidental.
To follow our writing project go to Let’s Write A Novel – The Monty Python Code.
Characters
Professor Hubert Ringtone
Main character. America’s top specialist on religious sects. Age: In the thirties. Tall, slender, but not athletic. Introvert. Tends to mumble when in female company. Hates the New York Yankees. Prefers green jackets. Always wears a mickey mouse tie.
Margaret Hatcher
One of Ringtone’s students. Brunette. Blue eyes. Wears glasses. Slightly aggressive attitude. Parents died when she was six. Grew up with grandmother. Only survivor of five students who blackmailed the leader of the Thetan Society.
Igor Feldman
The creepy character. Ugly, short creature with huge nose and hump on his back. Prefers dark clothing. Acts only at night. Was abused as a child. Loves the New York Yankees. Enjoys killing. Serves the “master,” whose identity is unknown.
Holly Darton
Supermodel. Huge “assets.” Blonde.
Don ‘Potatoe’ Quayle
Leader of the Knights of the Thetan Society. Age: Around 50. Wears eye-patch. Loves white, furry cats. Desires to be president of Thetan Society. Has problems with spelling. His sentences are limited to five words. Unhappy character. Never married, and never had sexual relationships.
Last, But Not Least
I know there are many more aspects on this topic, and I am not the source of all wisdom. If you want to contribute helpful information, please do so by any means. Any comment, whether you agree with me or not, is appreciated.
Mix six teenaged girls and one ’60s fashion icon (retired, of course) in an old Victorian-era boarding home. Add guys and dating, a little high-school angst, and throw in a Kate Spade bag or two … and you’ve got The Carter House Girls, Melody Carlson’s new chick lit series for young adults! The Carter House experiences a shake-up as one of its own returns home after an unnerving disappearing act.
With six teenage girls living under one roof, things are bound to get interesting. Mix six teenaged girls and one ’60s fashion icon (retired, of course) in an old Victorian-era boarding home. Add guys and dating, a little high-school angst, and throw in a Kate Spade bag or two … and you’ve got The Carter House Girls, Melody Carlson’s new chick lit series for young adults! The Carter House experiences a shake-up as one of its own returns home after an unnerving disappearing act.
Then, friction grows as a school Homecoming Queen race heats up, turning friends and housemates against one another. DJ, Eliza, Taylor, Kriti, Rhiannon, and Casey show they have plenty of lessons to learn as the votes roll in. Some grow smarter and closer to God, while others seem to make the same mistakes over again.
Despite all their differences and disagreements, the Carter House girls continue to grow together, forging a bond that strengthens through hardship. Hearts CAN change and friendship paves the way for at least one girl to move closer to God.
Carl Hiaasen reclaims his groove in Star Island, a wicked, fizzy sendup of American celebrity culture . . . A very funny book about life in the fast lane.
Product Description
Meet twenty-two-year-old Cherry Pye (née Cheryl Bunterman), a pop star since she was fourteen—and about to attempt a comeback from her latest drug-and-alcohol disaster.
Now meet Cherry again: in the person of her “undercover stunt double,” Ann DeLusia. Ann portrays Cherry whenever the singer is too “indisposed”—meaning wasted—to go out in public. And it is Ann-mistaken-for-Cherry who is kidnapped from a South Beach hotel by obsessed paparazzo Bang Abbott.
Now the challenge for Cherry’s handlers (über–stage mother; horndog record producer; nipped, tucked, and Botoxed twin publicists; weed whacker–wielding bodyguard) is to rescue Ann while keeping her existence a secret from Cherry’s public—and from Cherry herself.
The situation is more complicated than they know. Ann has had a bewitching encounter with Skink—the unhinged former governor of Florida living wild in a mangrove swamp—and now he’s heading for Miami to find her . . .
Will Bang Abbott achieve his fantasy of a lucrative private photo session with Cherry Pye? Will Cherry sober up in time to lip-synch her way through her concert tour? Will Skink track down Ann DeLusia before Cherry’s motley posse does?
All will be revealed in this hilarious spin on life in the celebrity fast lane.
Reviews
“Carl Hiaasen [is] Florida’s most entertainingly indignant social critic . . . He presents us with Cherry Pye, a 22-year-old pop star whose every display of narcissistic excess will send a frisson of horrified delight up your spine . . . The outlandish events soar on the exuberance of Hiaasen’s manic style, a canny blend of lunatic farce and savage satire.”
—New York Times Book Review
“Does anyone remember what we did for fun before novelist Carl Hiaasen began turning out his satirical comedies one after another after another? . . . Star Island is a concoction worth the time of any reader who wants quality entertainment.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“Hiaasen reclaims his groove in Star Island, a wicked, fizzy sendup of American celebrity culture . . . A very funny book about life in the fast lane.”
—Boston Globe
“Fans of Carl Hiaasen will feel right at home when they plunge into Star Island. There’s the familiar collection of deliciously tawdry characters, each angling for a piece of the action in Florida . . . And there’s the fast-moving plot, and the writing that makes you laugh out loud . . . Hiaasen has turned out another gem. Readers of his previous novels can settle in for more wacky fun in the Florida sun.”
—Associated Press
“A wild and fun Sunshine State ride.”
—New York Post
“Hiaasen is at his gleeful best skewering the morally bankrupt. He has plenty to poke fun at here, from a reprehensible real-estate developer with an excruciating groin injury to twin publicists Botoxed within an inch of their lives. This is classic Hiaasen—demented, hilarious, and utterly over the top.”
—Booklist (starred)
About the Author
Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida. He is the author of eleven previous novels, including the best-selling Nature Girl, Skinny Dip, Sick Puppy, and Lucky You,and three best-selling children’s books, Hoot, Flush, and Scat. His most recent work of nonfiction is The Downhill Lie: A Hacker’s Return to a Ruinous Sport. He also writes a weekly column for The Miami Herald.
The simple reason that many aspiring authors never make it beyond the first few chapters lies usually in a lack of organization. Let’s face it, writing a 60,000+ words work is a major project, and it should be handled as such. A rough outlining of the story does not only help to keep organized; it also gives you an overview of the work ahead of you. For instance, writing the outlining might tell you that the structure of your novel calls for 20 chapters. In this case you know that you need an average of 3,000 words per chapter.
The Monty Python Code
For those who happened to stumble upon this article per search engine, this particular post is part of an article series Let’s Write A Novel. My intention is to challenge those authors who write about writing a novel. About 99% of these books are filled with inspirational blubbering. Their strongest feature is a strong, but misleading title. The rest is pure fraud.
In our little project we are going with mainstream taste, and we are going with Dan Brown. The title of our work will be The Monty Python Code. Any resemblance to The Da Vinci Code is, of course, purely coincidental.
To follow our writing project go to Let’s Write A Novel – The Monty Python Code.
Outlining the Story
The simple reason that many aspiring authors never make it beyond the first few chapters lies usually in a lack of organization. Let’s face it, writing a 60,000+ words work is a major project, and it should be handled as such. A rough outlining of the story does not only help to keep organized; it also gives you an overview of the work ahead of you. For instance, writing the outlining might tell you that the structure of your novel calls for 20 chapters. In this case you know that you need an average of 3,000 words per chapter.
Note: There is a multitude of programs available in the marketplace helping you to organize your writing. I tried a few of them, and they are indeed very helpful. Nevertheless, while they do help with organizing your writing project, most of them provide less-than-standard word processing capabilities. I personally prefer working with Microsoft Word, especially due to the automatic spell and style checker. In addition, I use Microsoft Excel to keep track of my research references – See my post Let’s Write A Novel – Researching the Topic.
Step #1 – The Synopsis
Try to summarize your novel in less than 200 words. Of course, 200 words is not enough to describe the story line, but think of it as a movie ad on TV. You don’t need to reveal the details of your novel; that is not the purpose of a synopsis. If you want to attract the attention of an agent or publisher, you need to act like a sales person.
In the case of our writing project The Monty Python Code I have come up with the following:
Professor Hubert Ringtone, America’s top specialist on religous sects, becomes an unwilling conspirator in a plot to reveal the deepest secrets of the Thetan Society, the fastest growing religious movement in the history of the world. Four of his students have been tortured and murdered after discovering the health records of the Thetan Society’s founder, Ron Bruiser. These records could prove devastating for the movement’s message of abstinence, or might even destroy its very foundation. Ringtone, with the help of another student, Margaret Hatcher, engages in a roller-coaster quest to find the location of the secret documents, followed closely by his nemesis, Don ‘Potatoe’ Quayle, the grandmaster of the Knights of the Thetan Society, the movement’s military side-arm.
I am sure there is still some room for improvement for this particular synopsis, but for now we’ll leave it as is – you get the idea.
Above synopsis already includes another step in our writing project, the character development. The synopsis includes four people, Professor Ringtone (apparently the main character), Ron Bruiser, Margaret Hatcher, and Don ‘Potatoe’ Quayle. We will come to the character development in a different chapter of the project, but let me make an important point: There is no forced chronological order in which you need to accomplish the steps of the writing project. You can start with writing the story, and while you write you encounter new characters, or you realize you need to add, remove, or move chapters. And even while you write the outlining you might discover characters you haven’t thought about before. Outlining is a dynamic process. It helps you to keep a focus on the story line, but it will most definitely change while you write.
Step #2 – The Outlining
As I wrote before, an outlining goes hand-in-hand with the character development. So, while you write the outlining, keep records of the characters you create and try to describe them. The first draft of the outlining will most probably result in only a few chapters, but over time you will add more, and you will rearrange them. As a result, do not number your chapters, but give them a brief description.
Okay… We now approach my second-most favorite work – writing the outlining. The most favorite work is the actual writing. The outline, though, is the first step into an adventure. Honestly, in the case of The Monty Python Code I don’t have a glimmer of a story line, but that only adds to the excitement. I will write it while I go with this post.
The Monty Python Code
Chapter – Igor Feldman kills student Hillary Pinton
Scene in a basement. Hillary is tied to a chair, blind-folded. Igor uses 20-inch knife to pierce her heart.Chapter – Professor Ringtone arrested for murder
Ringtone, in front of his students, explains the history of the Thetan Society. Police shows up and arrests him.Chapter – Ron Bruiser having sex in hotel room
Flashback – two years earlier. Scene: A hotel room in Monte Carlo with view to the Mediterranean Sea. Ron Bruiser, very drunk, has sex with supermodel Holly Darton, also very drunk. Hidden cameras film the scene.Chapter – Interrogation
Professor Ringtone interrogated by FBI Special Agent Jethro Tibbs. Turns out, Hillary Pinton’s murder took place in Ringtone’s basement. Ringtone can prove he was at the university at the time of the murder, but Tibbs suspects Ringtone hired somebody to do the kill. Ringtone is released due to lack of evidence.Chapter – Quayle’s Outrage
Scene: A meeting room at the Thetan Society’s headquarter in Salem, Massachusetts. Don Quayle is outraged. Ron Bruiser just told him he is being blackmailed. Bruiser orders Quayle to find and kill the blackmailer. Everything points to Professor Ringtone.Chapter – Meeting at Ringtone’s house
Scene: Ringtone’s house around midnight. Margaret Hatcher, one of Ringtones students, is at the door and demands to talk to Ringtone. Confesses that she and four other students – who are now all dead – tried to blackmail Ron Bruiser.Chapter – Igor at the house
Igor Feldmann watches Ringtone and Hatcher through a window. Good opportunity to write about his childhood – of course, he was abused – and his fantasies. Also mention “the master” who promised Igor the fulfillment of all his fantasies.Chapter – Ron Bruiser orders another killing
Another flashback – one year earlier. Bruiser is on the phone in his office, ordering the killing of supermodel Holly Darton. She attempted to blackmail him, asking for $894,000 as a fund to further her acting career. Refer to the electronic bugs in his phone, and the person, two blocks away, overhearing the conversation.Chapter – Ringtone meets Quayle
Late afternoon at the university. Ringtone wants to enter his car, but two dangerous looking guys with walk-in-closet-size chests push him into a large pink limousine. Inside he meets Don Quayle. Ringtone convinces Quayle he is not responsible for the blackmailing, but admits he has some vital information. Makes a deal to spare Margaret Hatcher’s life in exchange of the documents implicating Ron Bruiser. Quayle gives him 10 days to produce the evidence.Chapter – Quayle background
Scene: Quayle inside the limousine on the way back to headquarters. Good opportunity to explain Quayle’s background and the military side-arm of the Thetan Society.Skipping a few chapters – may add more later…
Final Chapter – The End
Ringtone and his new-found love, Hannah von Tana – a German exchange student, stand next to Margaret Hatcher’s dead body, kissing.
In the next post I will write a few words about character development, but the most exciting part is filling the chapters with real words. Stay tuned…
There is one line in Maile Meloy’s newest story collection that completely slayed me. (It’s on page 97.) And in fact, there are many moments before and after that line that left me awestruck as I wondered how she was able to capture a feeling–typically one that’s very familiar, like the flushing embarrassment of an unexpected advance, or the sudden fury found in a bout of sibling rivalry–and create it anew.
There is one line in Maile Meloy’s newest story collection that completely slayed me. (It’s on page 97.) And in fact, there are many moments before and after that line that left me awestruck as I wondered how she was able to capture a feeling–typically one that’s very familiar, like the flushing embarrassment of an unexpected advance, or the sudden fury found in a bout of sibling rivalry–and create it anew. The effect is both masterful and ephemeral: all of a sudden, it’s as if your own life is reflected back to you. This is what great story writers do, and in the stories that follow–whose characters revel or unravel in their relationships to love and family–Maile Meloy pinpoints the ambivalence running through our most powerful emotions, be it love, jealousy, grief, or loneliness. That she writes with so much truth and wisdom and restraint makes Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It an unexpected pleasure and a worthy outside-the-box pick for your summer reading. –Anne Bartholomew
Maile Meloy on Arranging Stories
My most recent book, Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It, is a story collection, as was my first. Lately people have been asking me about how you decide which stories to include in a collection, and what order they go in, which was (and still is) a big question of mine.
When I was writing the stories that became my first book, Half in Love, I read great collections to see how it was done: Philip Roth’sGoodbye, Columbus; J.D. Salinger’s Nine Stories; Merce Rodereda’s My Christina; D.H. Lawrence’s England, My England; Hemingway’s In Our Time. I wanted to know how the arrangement of eight or ten or twelve stories could create a complete experience that the reader could move through, when the stories weren’t linked in any way except for the fact that one writer wrote them, but it was hard to see how I could transfer that information to my own book.
I was taking a class from Ann Patchett then, and she said, about the number of stories in a collection, that Salinger’s Nine was like eight hours sleep—a little more was okay, a little less was fine, but it was a good general guideline. About variety, she said that a collection was like a mall: it needed a few big stories with broad horizons, like the big anchor stores, to make a space in which the smaller, quirkier stories could survive.
That made sense, so in putting Half in Love together I took some stories out, and left others in, and set aside two linked ones to start a novel with. I made lists of the titles, and annotated them with codes about what was in each story, some of which were so obscure I can’t decipher them now. (One was “adbhj.” I have no idea what that means.) The easily breakable codes indicated that the story was in 1st person, or 3rd, or 2nd, and whether the protagonist was male or female, and where the story was set. Then I cut the lists apart and moved the titles around on the kitchen table. I spent a long time trying to keep the first-person stories away from each other, before realizing that I didn’t need to, that it wasn’t difficult to move from one first-person narrator to another. We’re used to hearing different voices telling us things about their lives, and I ended up having four in a row.
I did the same thing for Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It, with the annotated titles on cut-up pieces of sticky notes, so they would stay in place—an improvement on the method. Otherwise, the arranging hadn’t gotten any easier. I knew which title went first, and had a sense about which one might go last, but I moved the middle around for days, trying different sequences.
I got out Salinger’s Nine again, because it struck me as the Platonic ideal of a story collection, and I thought about it as a template, wondering which story was my “DeDaumier Smith’s Blue Period,” and which was my “Teddy.” But that came to seem futile and silly, and I went back to thinking about my own stories.
I put a story set in Connecticut third, after two Montana stories, so it was clear that the collection was going to go to other places. And there were two stories that made sense near each other, but needed to be separated, like quarreling siblings. The story about a man whose daughter has been murdered couldn’t go early. It had to go somewhere in the middle, at a point when the reader was already in the book. And it seemed good to have a lighter story after it, about a grandmother who comes back from the dead.
Sometimes the arranging felt like lining up the batting order for a baseball game: which story leads off? And sometimes it felt like seating people at a dinner party: boy-girl-boy-girl if possible, and certain stories shouldn’t go next to each other, and try to encourage interesting conversation. And sometimes it felt like making a mix tape for someone you love. But mostly it felt like a puzzle with a discoverable solution, and moving the pieces around was part of the pleasure.
