Writing Tip #38 - Know your Audience

 I can't believe I'm at tip #38 and I haven't addressed this already. Knowing your audience helps you to write for the people who will be reading your book. It will make a difference to things that seem like they shouldn't matter, like how fast you publish and where you publish.

So. Know your audience. The best way to do this is to be part of the audience for your genre. Ideally a fantasy author will read some fantasy. It just makes sense. As a reader, you can read other examples of the genre and see general guidelines for your own book. You can see what current trends are, take design ideas, and even find out what other readers think of that particular story.

Unfortunately, there isn't a big compiled guide for what to do and how to write for each genre. This is something you have to figure out on your own, or infer from other examples. 

I am a fantasy reader. I know what I like in a good fantasy novel. Things like a world that makes sense, some lore, different fantasy races (not necessarily elves and dwarves, but for me fantasy is often set in a world that is larger than the story that is being told.) If I am reading a novel set in our world, I don't enjoy magic being thrown at me out of nowhere. But you can still have a fantasy novel set in our world, it just needs to fit. Magic is a pretty fundamental thing to leave out until page 317. Even if you aren't going to have your main character aware of the magic, you should leave hints and clues for the reader to pick up on. 

Okay, rant over. That's something I've seen before and it bothered me. 

Another way you can get to know your audience is to engage with them. Talk to them. Ask questions. Ask them what, to them, makes a good book from the genre you are writing in. 

You can also do research, separate from reading other books in the genre and talking to your audience. The internet is a powerful resource, when used correctly. Often there is a lot of contradictory information, so read carefully. 

Yeah, that's all for now. Know your audience. 

This blog doesn't seem to have much of one at the moment, but I'd like to ask for suggestions on what you would like to see, as a reader. Feel free to comment on any one of my posts, or even email me at scribbler.collective@gmail.com.

Thanks, and have a good day.

Testimony

 No writing tip for you today. Just a story.

TESTIMONY

A transcription of the recordings made by Detective William Turner, October 27, 2004. Interviews with Sarah Johnson, Daniel Grady, Jacob Marshall and Mary Finn.

Click.

"Okay, Miss Johnson. Tell me exactly what happened. Where were you?"

"I-I was running. There's a forest behind the school that we play in sometimes. It's a huge forest. One time I got lost. I was so scared."

"And what school is that?"

"You know, my school. The one I go to. Greenview Elementary."

"Right. You were running in the forest."

"Yes." Shuffling sounds. "Am I in trouble? My dad said if he ever had to pick me up from the police station I'd be grounded for a month."

"No, Miss Johnson. You aren't in trouble. But I need to know what happened."

"We were playing. Hide and seek. I was hiding, Jacob was seeking. He's a good seeker. I'm pretty good at hiding, but not as good as Mary is." Shuffling. "Or Daniel."

"Who found the body?"

"Mary did. I heard her scream. Not a normal scream. It scared me. I knew I had to find her." Sniffling. "Jacob and Daniel were there when I found her. It was hard to see what they were looking at. I pushed Jacob. He fell. His knee was bleeding."

"Don't worry about Jacob, Sarah. He's fine. Tell me what you saw."

"There was a man. He wasn't moving, just laying there on the ground. His eyes were open, but he didn't blink. He was dead, wasn't he?"

"Yes, Sarah, he was."

"My grandma died, when I was little. Mom wouldn't let me go in her room to see."

"It's not something a child should have to see."

Sniffle. "Daniel poked him with a stick. His shirt was covered in brown. I don't think it was dirt, was it?"

"No, Sarah. It wasn't dirt."

"Mary was so white. It looked like she was a ghost. Is Mary okay, Detective Turner?"

"She'll be okay, Sarah. Maybe not right away, but she will. What happened after Daniel poked him with the stick?"

"We didn't know what to do. Daniel dared me to touch him. He was so cold. It wasn't like I was touching a person. Just a thing, like rubber. Almost like rubber boots." Crying sounds.

Door opens. "Detective, her parents are here."

"Sarah, you aren't in trouble. You did a good thing when you went to tell an adult. Go home with your parents now, ok?"

Click.

Click.

"Mr. Grady, would you like anything to drink? Some water maybe?"

"No."

"All right. Tell me exactly what happened this afternoon."

"We were playing. Found a dead guy. Do you know how he died?"

"Not just yet. What can you tell me about him?"

"I don't know. There was a lot of blood. Kinda smelled too. He'd been there for a bit."

"How do you know that?"

"Same thing happens when we don't clean up right away after butchering our chickens or pigs. Gotta make sure everything is clean, otherwise the flies get real bad. Can get so smelly you can barely walk in the barn."

"Your parents live on a farm."

"Yeah. I've seen dead before. Not people, but animals. A lot."

"Why'd you poke him with a stick?"

Shuffling. Chair scrapes.

"Daniel?"

"I dunno. Just wanted to, I suppose. Kinda thought it wasn't real, like one of those mannequins in clothes stores. Can I go home? My dad will be needing my help with the chores soon."

"We called him. He's on his way to pick you up."

Click.

Click. 

"Am I in trouble, sir?"

"No, Jacob. You're not. I just need to know what happened. As much as you can remember."

"We were playing in the forest. Sarah wanted to play hide and seek, like always. Daniel told me to just let her go hide and we'd explore. I'd go find her eventually."

Shuffling. "Who found the body?"

"We all did. Me, Mary and Daniel. Mary screamed. She's a scaredy-cat sometimes."

"What happened next?"

"Daniel dared me to touch him. I wouldn't. Part of me thought it was a prank. Daniel likes to pull jokes like that. One time he put jell-o in my backpack. My dad told me to clean his clock if he does anything like that again."

"So you were all together when you found the body?"

"Yeah, sorta. Mary was ahead of us. She tripped on him. We saw her fall and laughed. She got up and screamed. Sarah came running up a bit later. She's a pretty slow runner."

"She pushed you out of the way?"

"Yeah. I fell. Scraped my knee a bit. It's fine though. Daniel poked him with a stick, then Sarah touched him." Shuffle. "We didn't know what to do. Sarah and Daniel wanted me to go get an adult. I didn't want to go alone. I'm not a scaredy, but what if whoever left him was still out there?"

"What did Mary do?"

"She wouldn't stop staring at him. His eyes were open, but it was like he wasn't there. No one home, kinda. I'm pretty sure there was blood all over his shirt, and some on his face. I couldn't see his hands." Shuffle. "I've seen people die in movies before. That wasn't anything like this."

"It often isn't, unfortunately."

"Daniel and Sarah went to get someone, and I stayed with Mary. It was like she was a ghost. All white and pale. Almost like she was gonna faint."

Knocking. "Your parents should be here by now. Go home, Jacob."

Click.

Click.

"Mary, can you tell me what happened today?"

Sniffle.

"It's okay, Mary. You're not in any trouble here. I just need to know what happened."

Sniffle. Crying sounds. Hiccup.

"Do you need a glass of water?"

Door opens, closes. Sniffle. Door opens and closes.

"Here you go. It's cold. I got it from the fridge down the hall."

"Now, Mary. Can you tell me what happened?"

Sniffle.

"Take a deep breath and think for me, ok? You were exploring in the forest behind your school, is that right?"

Hiccup.

"You were running, and you tripped. What happened after that?"

Sob. 

"Okay. Take a deep breath. Your parents will be here in a minute. We don't have to talk about it today."

Click.

Writing Tip #37 - Preparation

 Apparently, I'm posting every two days... oh well. I suppose that works too.

Tip #37. Preparation. This covers a few things, such as preparing to write, preparing what you will write, and preparing the space where you write. Some of these things I've gone over before, so I'm just going to touch on them in a general way now, as a refresher for myself. 

Preparing the space where you write ties in to the last tip, which was identifying problems that stop you from writing. Basically, wherever you write, you want there to be minimal distractions. A comfortable chair, a charged laptop or tablet or phone or whatever device you write with. Maybe that means a nice pen and a notebook. Whatever it is. Have everything ready before you start to write so that when you start to write you don't need to stop in order to deal with these things. If you like coffee, have a cup of coffee nearby. Maybe a snack. It's up to you. Just have everything that you will need while you write close by so you don't have to get up.

Preparing to write is more of a mental step. Personally, I need to be in a certain mindset to write effectively. I need to be in a different mindset to edit. Maybe you don't. But I find that I don't write as much or as well when I am thinking about something else, or wanting to do something else. That may seem obvious, but its really that simple. If you aren't thinking about writing, you won't write as effectively. Simple.

Last, you need to prepare what to write. Whether you are a planner or a pantser, you need to have some sort of goal in mind. Maybe it's finishing a chapter or two. Maybe you have a big battle coming up and your characters need to get ready for it. Whatever. Just have a goal in mind. 

I, personally, am a pantser. I've always preferred to start writing with an end goal and figure out the rest along the way. But every time I sit down to write, I ask myself what my goal is. I come up with how the specific scene is going to end and I write to that. Because without a specific goal or plot point to aim for, your characters will likely end up wandering aimlessly, getting into adventures without an overarching theme or plan. 

That's all for now, I think. Just some thoughts and revisiting old ideas. 

Writing Tip #36 - Identify the problem

 Hi! I'm back. 

Over the last couple of days, I've done some thinking. I may end up revisiting some of my older writing tips, as I get back into the groove of writing. Today, I am going back to the very beginning, to before I even start to write.

Identify the problem.

Ok, let's start by getting into exactly what I mean by 'problem.' We all know what the word means, but in this context, I am using it to mean anything that keeps me from writing. 

There are endless examples of this, and each problem may or may not be a problem for you. It will be different for everyone, but I only really know the problems that I personally face. 

One major problem for me is I get distracted really easily. Cats meowing, wind blowing, my stomach rumbling are all big distractions. What's the solution? Depends. If I have control over it (like being hungry) I try to solve that. I'll go get a snack. I'll try figure out what the cats want, or move to a quieter room. I even put my computer into what Microsoft calls 'Focus Mode' and put my phone on silent. Minimize the distractions that I have control over.

Another problem that sometimes keeps me from writing is simply not wanting to. Sounds stupid, right? But it's true. Some days, when I wake up, the last thing I want to do is open my laptop and start writing. My bed is so warm and soft and welcoming, after all. The solution? Just get up and do it. We all encounter things that we don't want to do, but still have to. Going to work, or folding the laundry. I control me, after all. 

There is a bit of a wrinkle in that last one. For a long time, I struggled with depression and anxiety. I still do. So, I also need to have a little bit of compassion for myself. On the days when I really don't want to just sit down and write, I'll do something else. Sometimes that's reading, sometimes editing. Sometimes it's not related to writing at all. If I don't want to get out of bed because then I have to write, I simply won't. But while I'm not writing, I'll be thinking about why I don't want to. Is it because I'm dreading a certain scene? Maybe it's because I'm not happy with something about the last scene. Whatever the reason, I do my best to identify exactly what is going on and then I try to resolve it.

I do have days when it doesn't make sense for me to take an hour or two to sit down and write. That's ok too. Busy days happen. You shouldn't put your life on hold to write. I like to do my best to fit writing into my normal life, because writing is something I love doing, something important to me. 

All in all, there will always be things trying to stop us from writing. And that is okay, as long as they aren't always keeping you from the story you are trying to tell. Breaks and days where you don't write are also okay. They just can't become habit.

Writing Tip #35 - Get back up

 Hi. Me again. It's been a while.

I've got a few reasons for my radio silence, but they aren't great ones. 

I could say that I've been busy. I haven't really been that busy. Mostly crochet and watching tv shows. My laptop has been sitting, battery completely dead, for more than a month. That's on me. I know it is. I'm not blaming anyone.

People around me, people I care about deeply, try to be understanding. I've been sick, they say. I've been through a lot. Lots of changes for me lately, if I'm honest with you.

But still. Not an excuse. 

I've been waiting for someone to tell me what to do, to step in and tell me to get up and keep moving. Thing is, I don't think I would listen if it came from someone else. 

I'm the one who has to find my motivation, and that is as simple as it gets. I'm the only one who can really make myself sit down and write. No one is going to come and tell me to do that, or watch over my shoulder and make sure that I actually am writing. 

Truth be told, I'm not really sure why I stopped. Life got busy, maybe. Between work and family, I had no time for writing. 

But here's my writing tip for today. No one is going to tell you to write. No one is going to force you to. Writing is something that you make yourself do. And, honestly, I've been putting it off for far too long. 

So here are my goals, for this month. I am going to finish my rewrite of Unquestioned. I am going to try blog every other day, maybe every day. 

Because I am the only one who can actually make myself write. No one is going to make me. So I've gotta do it myself. I've gotta pick myself up, turn on my laptop, turn off distractions, and just write. 

That's all for now, I think. I'd say I'm telling you guys so you can keep me accountable, but lets be honest. It's been months since I posted anything. If no one checks this blog, I've only got myself to blame. But I'm going to keep myself accountable and try to stay on task. 

That's all for now. Thanks for reading my random ramblings, if you did. 

Writing tip #34 - Pain

 Pain sucks. I’m just gonna come right out and say it. Paper cuts, bruises, heartbreak. Yeah, it’s no fun.

But, sometimes pain is good. Pain can be, while maybe not healthy, helpful. Pain teaches us not to touch that hot stove, or to be careful with sharp knives.

Pain can also teach us something else, something useful. Writing from a place of pain can make your words more raw, more tangible, more powerful and meaningful. 

I dunno. I’ve gone through a lot of pain lately. Chronic physical pain, grief, rejection, the works. Guess I’m trying to find a reason for the pain, or a benefit.

There is a kind of pain that is just bad all the time, and that is mosquitoes. I hate them more than I hate almost everything. 

That’s all for now, I think. Hope you guys are having better days than me!

A word on technology

 Hi! It’s me! I’m still here. Just had a bit going on lately. Quite frankly, I figured no one was reading this. It’s cool to know people still are and care enough to comment here.

I recently went through the loss of a family member after an extended illness, and I think I’ll be writing here a bit more because I forgot how cathartic it is.

Anyway, I’m actually here to reply to a comment, from someone I’ve had conversations with in the past. Adrianna86, thank you for commenting. I don’t know you, but I’d like to talk with you more. If you want, you can contact me using the form on the blog and I can help you with some more specific questions that you have.

But I digress. 

The question was in regards to the remarkable type folio, a recent addition to the Remarkable 2.

I don’t think Jack will be purchasing it. Not because it’s not a really cool bit of tech or because it’s not a good company. I’ve been borrowing it, and I can say that I absolutely love everything about the tablet. The interface is smooth and easy to use, it’s intuitive and it does what it’s meant to do.

That being said, the type folio seems like a bit of a step away from what the Remarkable is meant to do. There is a simplicity to writing out your stories that I believe the type folio could take out of the equation when the Remarkable is concerned.

The Remarkable is meant to simplify note taking. It’s a paper tablet that you write on and have the fantastic feeling of writing on paper. Adding a keyboard removes that experience. At that point, you’ve paid a lot of money for a limited laptop.

Now. I’m not dumping on the type folio. Not at all. The Remarkable 2 is an innovative bit of tech that is fantastic to use. But as a writer, what I am looking for is a notebook. Somewhere I can write my ideas by hand and get them on paper and then have them be converted to text so I don’t have to go through all the hassle of typing it out again. 

That got kinda off track towards the end, but I’m hoping it sort of makes sense. I guess the answer to the original question was no.

Thanks so much for reading!