THE TRIALS OF A CRIME WRITER: RESEARCH MATTERS
I've talked about research before as a crime writer (piece found here) but I wanted to touch on it again because it's something that I think bears repeating, and it's been a while since I wrote that piece and the way I approach things has changed slightly. So settle in and let me tell you a few things I've learned about research and why it matters to the crime writer.
#1 - FACTS ARE FACTS
I've read a lot of crime books over the years and one thing that has rung true about all of them, is that they needed facts that might not have been available from just Googling the info. I personally have a couple of people I know in the UK police force that I can go to, just to make sure that what I'm writing has a hint of realism to it. That's not just for my crime books, but for any book that involves an air of mystery. For example, in the Cramping Chronicles series, I needed to know more up to date stuff and different things than I did for the Dying Thoughts series. One heavily used the police force, the other doesn't really have much contact with them. But in both cases, I talked to my contacts and made sure that the facts I was using, were correct, and would stand up to the plot.
#2 - KNOW THE RULES, SO THEM YOU CAN TWIST THEM
This can be applied to a lot of things, writing rules included, but for the purpose of this piece, I'm talking about the actual rules that apply to things like collecting evidence, or moving a body, or what order the officers arrive in, or how cases are divided up. You get the picture. If you need a certain thing to happen in a certain order, then you need to be doing the research to know if there's a reason that can or can't happen. And if it can't, you might be able to work out a way it can, but just be careful with how far off procedure you go because readers will notice that.
#3 - HAVE A BACKUP PLAN
This isn't just about research, but it's also a good idea to have a backup plan just in case you find out that your original idea doesn't hold water, or doesn't execute the way you expected it to. This can be having an alternative way for the evidence to lead them to the killer, or it can be a different motive for the crime, whatever you can think of that keeps your story intact but also allows for some wriggle room. I know that when I was writing Dying Thoughts - Eighth Ending, I didn't have a backup plan for the way things went down, and as it turned out in edits, that was a huge mistake as things had to be rewritten and rechecked through my contacts to make sure it would end up working.
#4 - USE ALL THE TOOLS YOU HAVE
When it comes to research, you want to be making sure you're making the most of what you have at your disposal. Whether that's Google, or books, talking to people in the field, or making connections with other crime writers, or Facebook groups that deal with checking facts. I have used all of these as tools to make sure that I have what I need, and I can help other people when it comes to checking their own facts. You need to be sure that you have good contacts and that the utilise all the tools you have, otherwise you might find your story falling short and no one wants that.
And finally, #5 - REMEMBER TO DOUBLE CHECK
I can't tell you the amount of times that I've gone to write something, that I know from past experience is right, to only look or ask and find out that I'm wrong, or the information I was given is only part of the story. So even if you've got a really good contact and you're really sure that everything is correct, always just double check it. It's better to spend a little time doing that, than to find yourself with only part of the truth, or worse, out of date information especially for the time period of your story. It's saved me a number of times, and I know it could save you.
So there you have it, my five tips on why research matters and how to make sure that the research you do is up to date, is correct, and allows you for a little artistic license. Research is a vital part of the crime writing process, but it's also awesome in other types of fiction. Overall, the best thing to do is be diligent and make sure that you have what you need.
Lemme know in the comments your tips on research and the best places you've found for research!
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DEALING WITH YOUR BRAND
When I was first starting out as an indie author, I didn't know a bunch of stuff about marketing, about branding yourself, or any of that. Some of you have been with me since the beginning, so you know some of the messes I made that I'm still trying to clean up and move past it. One of the reasons I keep at the blog, keep giving this kind of advice is because when I started out in 2005, there wasn't anything like KDP or indie authors. You went through a indie press, but you didn't have the control and responsibility that you do now. On top of that, a lot of the publishing world was very much closed off to those who weren't traditionally published. I'm not absolving myself of blame here, I could have and should have done a ton more research, but I am trying to rectify that by giving you all my own pieces of advice and snippets that I've picked up along my journey.
One of the big things you'll hear talked about is your brand. I didn't really understand it back then, but I have a better grasp in it now. My books are published under the Bug Books label and that makes up my brand. The logo above is on all the spines of my paperbacks and included in all the official documentation that goes with promotion. It's a way for people to recognise me not just by my author photo, but by the little purple bug that adorns my stuff. It was something that took me a while to learn and perfect, so I'm going to give you my top five tips on how to deal with your own brand and make it work for you.
#1 - IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY
While this falls under the After Process series, it's never really too early to start working on your brand. It's not just about a logo and a cool name, but it's about what it represents. For example, people know that Bug Books is linked to Joey Paul who is a young adult author. That's just the basics, but it's enough that when people see the symbol or hear my name mentioned, they will link of the logo. I am still very much a small fish, I'm not talking about just anyone on the street, but people in circles who know of my work. And you can start doing that work whenever you're ready to. It can be as you're gearing up to your first release, or it can even be way back when you start creating your own platform and building your audience. The idea is for people to associate what you write with you and your brand.
#2 - MAKE SURE IT FITS YOUR GENRE
A lot of writers will stick to one genre and will therefore have a different brand for each one. That means the whole works from name, logo and publishing stance. I personally haven't done that. While I started out writing paranormal/mystery, I have since branched out with my first dystopian trilogy coming this year and my fort sci-fi/crime book last year. Now this is a personal choice, I figure because all my books fall under the Young Adult header, it's okay to be having a wide array of genres. Not everyone will agree with me, but again, it's something you have to decide for yourself. However, if you're writing two completely different genres, like say children's books, and erotica, then I would definitely recommend keeping the brands, names and spaces completely different. I don't think I need to explain further. Just be sure of what you're doing and make sure it matches the genre you plan to be in.
#3 - TARGETED MARKETING WORKS
This is where things like Storiad come into play. If you don't know, it's a marketing platform that allows you to connect with thousands of readers, bloggers, other authors and the rest. It also will easily walk you through making press kits and a marketing plan for each novel. And they are highly detailed and a god send when it comes to being a newbie without really knowing what you need to be getting done. It's something I'm pretty new to, but I adore it completely. the way they have everything set up as easy to use will help you work out who to target and what kind of things to do to engage with them, and your brand comes into this, because once you find that sweet spot of people to engage on your author platform, the marketing wail be so much easier.
#4 - USE PROFESSIONAL GRAPHICS
When I first started out, I made a lot of my own graphics. I won't bore you with how terrible they were, and thankfully most of them have been purged from both the blog and the internet, which is a good thing. But if you want a place that will help you make some good, professional graphics then look no further than Canva which is free to a point. I've used them extensively for everything from my teasers, to blog headers and cover reveal posts. I also use Book Brush, which isn't free, but allows you to have a way to put your covers in different settings and have them look 3D and smart. I use that for the headers on my social media. I can't recommend it enough.
AND FINALLY, #5 - GIVE YOURSELF SOME BREATHING ROOM
While it may feel like this is all a whole lot of stuff that you need to get done right now, and it is a lot, trust me I know, allow yourself the time to start small and build up to the big things. While it may seem like doing this that and the other is a guaranteed way to make a name for yourself, it will take time. It's okay to start small and work up to the big things. No one is going to open a twitter account on a Monday and wake up on a Tuesday with over a thousand followers and that applies to all social media. You will have to work on building your brand and it will be a long, hard, process, but you can breathe too. It's okay to take your time.
So those are my five tips on dealing with your brand. Take it slow, but be aware that your image counts for something. Make sure that you use a good photo for your author picture. Make sure you present yourself as you want to be seen. And overall, make sure you take care of you too. Because that matters as well. Good luck!
Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books
When everything was going so right, and then it goes so wrong. Can Tara cope with all of this?
[ID: A teaser graphic for Dying Thought - Seventh Death with the release date below the title: Coming May 15th 2019.
The excerpt reads:
I watched as she nodded a few times and then hung up.
“Is everything okay? Is something wrong at home?” I asked, my brain still not clicking that it was *my* phone.
“Tara, it’s your dad,” she said and I felt my heart jump up and lodge in my throat. As impossible as that sounds, I swear I could feel it pumping away just below my vocal cords. “There’s been an accident.”
END ID]
REFILLING THE CREATIVE WELL
Last week I talked about fighting burnout (found here) and so it made sense that I continue with how to refill that creative well once you've reached that point that you feel you can't keep going. One big thing that I advocate for is self-care, making sure that you don't get to the point where burnout is imminent. It might not always be possible, and it might be something that takes a lot of learning and rearranging to find what works for you. Personally, I'm a very organised person and block out my time using Sticky Notes on my PC. At the beginning of every month, I colour-code and block out writing days, recording days and days when I'm going to take time off and do absolutely nothing but read, chat with friends and just have some me time.
It's only really been a recent thing that I've started to block off complete days where I do nothing writing related. That includes vlogs, and blog posts, books and other author duties. I might be on social media, but I'm not actively doing any work because I need that time to recoup my own creative well and to practice my own self-care. And it's something that's very important for all creatives to do.
Think about it, whether you're an artist, a writer, a dancer, or a musician or any other kind of creative, there are times when you're going to be stretched thin and when that happens, it makes creating new content harder and harder and eventually it leads to something like burnout. The only thing you can do when you reach that point is to step back completely and focus on healing. So you need to be sure to take time to refill when you can. It's not about being lazy, nor is it a sign of you doing something wrong, it's just good mental health.
I think it's especially hard for people who work another job alongside their creative pursuits. They work a normal job and then come home and have a limited time to spend creating. It means that they have other stresses in place that inhibit them already and when you throw in the ime constraints you can't help but see that it's pretty easy to forgo self-care as a way to try and squeeze more hours into the day. But it's something that will bite you in the arse at some point so it's better to take your time and accept that things will take as long as they take.
So what can you do when you're past that stage? What do I do to help refill my own creative well and how does that apply to other writers? Personally I have a few things I can do throughout my day and working life that will help me stay filled with creativity but also allow me the space to breathe and get my head on straight. Now these are things that work for me, I can't speak to anyone else. On top of that my situation is different to the majority of writers in that it is my full time job. I don't work outside my author life and I couldn't even if I wanted to. So with that said, here's my list of tips.
#1 - READING
I know that it's pretty well known that I'm a huge advocate for authors and writers reading. I love losing myself in a good book and it's one of the last things I do before bed. Personally getting a Kindle opened up reading to me again, before that I'd never had the energy to sit and hold a book for a long period and the only time I could really read was waiting for hospital appointments or as an inpatient and even then it was in short bursts which made finishing a book harder and harder. Now though I go through loads and that's because of my Kindle and the advent of e-books.
#2 - CHATTING WITH FRIENDS
This is a huge one for me, the majority of my friends are either other creatives or they're writers themselves. So we can chat about everything and nothing. It doesn't have to be work related, it can just be catching up and enjoying each others company. It's a great way for me to recharge and something I do on a daily basis to make sure that I have little breaks to refill my well.
#3 - MUSIC HELPS
I've got Auditory Processing Disorder so it's harder for me to listen to music while working. I can just about manage to listen to ambient sounds but they have to be the right ones, and at the right time. It's one of the reasons I'm not an author who has a playlist for their books. I just don't process sound the way the majority of people do. However, if I'm having some down time, then listening to my favourite album, or a playlist is a perfect way for me to spend that time. It rejuvenates me and helps me get back into the right mind frame for writing.
#4 - NAPS ARE AWESOME
Now I know that there's a lot to be said for napping being a way to create bad sleeping habits, but for someone who has chronic illnesses, they are the way I am able to stay as productive as I do. Simply put, on a good day, a nap is a way to recharge and on a bad one, it's a way to make sure I get through the day completely unscathed. Your mileage may vary.
#5 -WATCHING NETFLIX
I don't mean it has to specifically be Netflix, but sitting down and watching a movie or TV show that you love is another great way to recharge and refill your well. It's a time for the majority of distractions to be forgotten and just another way to lose yourself in someone else's work. I personally love working my way through a series and can lose hours this way, but it's always worth it.
So there you have it, the five things I do to refill my creative well. As far as getting past the burnout I talked about last week goes, I'm getting there. Slowly but surely, I'm feeling back to my old self, and while my health is throwing me curve-balls, I'm managing. You just gotta take it one step at a time and you'll get there in the end.
Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books
I managed 24 chapters, 109 pages and 61,825 words in August!
Looking forward to September!
MOTIVATION & MUSES
I don't know about you, but it's something that I'm asked a whole ton. Where do I get my inspiration from? What or who is my 'muse'? How do I stay motivated to finish a book? To publish? To go through that long arduous journey from start to finish? And how do I stay focused when so much of the world is demanding my attention? Questions like these, maybe phrased different, get asked of writers and authors so very much. I can understand why, after all not everyone has the capability to build whole new worlds with their words, nor do they have the ability to see that whole book through from start to finish and then through the editing process. It's something that comes up so much in my questions from readers, so I thought I would give you all a little insight into how I manage it.
I have, for the majority of my life, been someone who loves creating. I may not have wanted to be a writer from an early age (I was aiming for a paediatrician) but when I sat down all those years ago and finally put pen to paper, I realised I had found my profession. It was something that inspired me, kept my attention, allowed me to explore and grow and also I had some talent in it. I'd always had an over active imagination, and it had always been said as a bad thing. Looking back I can say that how I used that imagination wasn't always for good so I get where they're coming from.
However, now that I literally write stories for a living, I find that it feels weird to not be working on something at any one time. It's one of the reasons I'm able to manage to write two books at the same time. I can focus so much on the one world, and switch it off and go into another, that I am one of the few writers who successfully works on several projects at once. But yet I still get asked: how do you stay motivated?
For me the answer is both simple and complicated at the same time. The simple version is I make myself accountable. I've talked many times before about my organisation skills. I've talked about how I set aside a day for this and a day for that and how I stick to it. My motivation comes from me telling myself that I want to see this through to the end. Yes, I have my tips and tricks when I'm having one of those days, but I'm also very invested in my work. I always have been and doubt that will ever change. I keep myself motivated and when you're writing a book (or going through the editing process) you need that. You need be your own cheerleader but you also need to be your own boss. No one else can deliver that same motivation that you can give yourself.
The complicated answer is that I have a lot of things in my life that I can't control. I'm disabled, I'm chronically ill, I struggle for breath and I live in pain. I can't control any of that. I can't change that my lungs don't work right, and I can't stop my muscles from cramping or deal with the fatigue and need for naps any other way than by giving in. But I can control my work load. I can control how I write, what I write, when I write and how much I write. That is completely in my control. So that, in a weird way, keeps me motivated. It keeps me going back to the word document and typing away. I can create worlds and characters with my words, and I can make people care about those characters, and that world and those story-lines. In short, I am in control of my writing.
When it comes to giving advice on someone else trying to find their own motivation and get those words down, I can't. Because I'm not you. I can tell you what works for me, but just like so many things in the writing world, that's not going to help you all that much. What works for me may spark some ideas for you, but no writer works in exactly the same way, just as no spoonie has exactly the same limitations and symptoms as someone else with exactly the same conditions. Life affects everyone differently. So I can't tell you how to make sure you hit 2k a day, or how to juggling your work load so that you finish a book in a month - that's a whole nother ball game to be honest - but I can say that you have to hold yourself accountable. You are the boss of your work and I'm the boss of mine.
That said, the reason people ask so much about inspiration and motivation is because there are so many different ways to do it and people are looking to find the easiest answer for themselves. Do I work hard to get the output I do? Of course! But I also have a completely different life than you do. I write as much as I do, but I'm not holding down a full time job and I'm not trying to work with a toddler around - did that, thank goodness they grow up! I have the whole day ahead of me to write and I do it in my own way. You need to find what works for you and how to make yourself motivated.
As far as muses go, I've never really been a writer who had a muse. Sure I have the odd bits and pieces that I'll play with when I'm stuck. I have those little nano bugs that I like to run around. I have a nano quadcoptor that I play around with. I still need to learn how to properly fly that thing! I have fidget toys for when I'm thinking out of plot holes and all of that. But at the end of the day, I don't need them to keep going through my work. I am in charge of what I create and I own that. It's not an easy task for anyone and if you're looking for easy, then you picked the wrong profession.
Writing is hard. It's draining. It's impossible some days and you have to keep, always, pushing yourself. But at the same time, it's amazing and I can't see myself ever doing anything else. I love what I do. I love the stories I tell and the adventures I go on. I love every day of it, even the days when I'm cursing myself out. But how do I stay motivated? I write. It's both that simple and that hard all that the same time.
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THE TRIALS OF AN INDIE AUTHOR: SIGNINGS & CONVENTIONS
It's been all over my pages, and social media, I'm going to The Darker Side Of Fiction 2017 event in October. It's my first signing event, and I am beyond excited but also nervous as all hell. I've been a writer for over sixteen years and a published author for almost twelve. My authorversary is actually on Thursday! Yet back when I first started there wasn't as much social media presence and there certainly weren't as many opportunities for indie authors to take part in big signing events. How far the world has come. So as I wrote last week about the social media (found here) that comes with being an author, today I thought I would do a piece about signings and conventions. What to expect, and how to get yourself on their lists, as well as maybe arrange your own local signings on top.
One of the first things you need to do is work on making connections, something I've talked about in a previous piece, (found here) and it's these connections that will help you broaden your scope and allow you to reach out to the people who run the conventions and signings. Be warned that a lot of the time the signings are being prepared very far in advance, so it might not be for a few years. On top of that, there are loads of other authors who'll be looking for a spot same as you. It might be that you don't get picked that first time, but you should keep trying. Sometimes it's the back collection of books you have, sometimes it's your visibility in the book world (both indie and traditional) and sometimes it's just that you're not a right fit for the convention itself. Some of those will change with time - you'll release more books, and you'll get more visibility and you might also find a different convention that is perfect for you and your books. My point is that don't lose heart if you don't get chosen at the first try. Keep a lookout for sign up forms and keep trying.
When I saw the form for Darker, I was pretty much a newbie to the whole convention thing, and I still am. I had no idea the amount of work that would be involved before I even got to the event. I'm not just under nine weeks from the big day and it's been a year long task to get all my books ready, my SWAG ready, banner, and hotel and all of that that goes with it. It's gonna take time, and while in some ways you can prepare in advanced - i.e getting the copies of your books and designing and ordering SWAG and a banner - some of it can't be done too far in advance so be ready for that. I started preparing myself way back in July of last year once I'd been announced and was sure that I was going. That was a full eighteen months before the convention itself and it's only now that I'm pretty much sure I have everything and am ready to go.
If, like me, you're working on a budget, having the time to do things in small doses makes life easier all round. I've been getting my books in batches and setting it out so I order every other month and stuff like that. My SWAG initally, was all ready, but then as I learned more about what kind of things other authors were doing, I realised I needed to up my SWAG game. On top of that, I've only recently found out about blogger packs. And if you've never done a signing or a convention, you may not know these things. I'm lucky in that the Hourglass hosts are amazing and have set up an Author only group so I was able to ask questions, and I think it's pretty much standard. Don't be afraid to ask if you're not sure. Even if the other authors have all done this before, everyone does things differently and someone will have an idea of what you need.
So let me break down what I have learned for you so that if you're doing a signing for the first time, you know somewhat what you can do. Blogger packs are basically for the bloggers who are attending the event, there's usually a list somewhere. What you want to include is information about your books, a business card and some SWAG that's pretty much unique to them that may allow them to keep or to do their own giveaway after the event. I've included badges, postcards, bookmarks, a business card and a pen, all of which are linked to me and my books. I've also got a small number of VIP packs which contain the same, and the only way to get the badges is to buy a VIP pack, though I do have pens on their own and magnets that are completely separate to the packs. I will also be offering bookmarks and postcards to all who want them and have a special fingerprint card that I'll be doing for whoever wants them.
Next thing you want to remember is that there's a limit to how many books you can have with you. I went with twenty of each book and I don't expect to sell all of them. That said, pre-order forms are an amazing way to have some idea of who wants what and gives the attendee a chance to pay with paypal. That way all they have to do is turn up, me sign the book and they're on their way. I also have a cash float and plan to allow people to pay over the paypal app if that's easier for them. The majority of this can be done in advance and the organisers will probably host your pre-order form on the event website.
You will also want a banner and some items to make you stand out, to add to your display. My banner was a bit of a nightmare for me to get it done, but now that it is finally here, it looks amazing. I did it in advance so that if there were any problems, I wouldn't be caught short. My display will have things that I've picked up from here and there, like police tape and hand cuffs and a little ghost pop vinyl. You have to remember that you'll have limited space and that you want to be able to appeal to people walking by, but also have room to sign and chat with the readers.
So that's the basics of the actual event itself, and the build up to it. But what about finding how to sign up in the first place? I mentioned connections, but what do they bring you? Well, Facebook groups are a huge resource for an author. I found the sign up to Darker through one such group, I've also since signed up and am on the standby list for another event. I've filled in a few forms for future events as well. And because I'm in those groups, I'm able to work out in advance what kind of events I'm looking to do. Being that I'm in the UK, a lot of my events will be in the UK. I don't travel long distance that well and while I would love to do a signing in the US or somewhere in Europe, I don't yet have the visibility or funds to do so. That may be in the plans for later in my career.
How about local signings? I've reached out to my local library a couple of times about doing a signing with them. A lot of my books are set either in the town I live in and is therefore mentioned by name, or the towns are based on my home town without actually naming it. I know of other authors who do signings all over the country and in their local area so I know it's possible to do. I've not yet managed to arrange one, but reading out to the library or a school or something like that, is a good tool to try. As I write YA, it makes sense for me to reach my target audience, which includes schools, but further on from that, you can arrange to do talks with students about just being an author and the level of work that goes into that. My advice is basically to keep trying and moving forward. Sometimes you'll get told no, but other times you might find a door that opens and you're suddenly in the thick of plans and dates and conventions a plenty!
Good luck and I hope to see some of you at Darker2017!
Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books. You can also sign up to her newsletter here.
