WELCOME BACK!
As I write this the day after Thanksgiving, I’m conflicted with whether to have pumpkin pie for breakfast.
It’s just one of many conflicts I battle with daily.
How about you? Any conflicting feelings of late?
Thanks for being here. Let’s take a little closer look at the subject of conflict.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“If you actually succeed in creating a utopia, you’ve created a world without conflict, in which everything is perfect. And if there’s no conflict, there are no stories worth telling – or reading!” Veronica Roth
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Conflict! Stories are propelled by conflict. We all know that, but one aspect of conflict many writers fail to utilize is the conflict within the main characters. Think about this: the most compelling characters in literary history are those who are driven by conflicting desires. Our lives are defined by competing desires….conflict….a fact that is the base of every moral system recognized by man.
Conflict! Are your characters conflicted?
Let’s move on to other business.
NO QUESTION, BUT HELPFUL INFORMATION
From Stephanie: “Hi Billy, I’m “rebooting” after slowing down on my writing efforts. Thank goodness I’m still subscribed to your blog. Anyway, at writermag.com/webinars you can sign up for a free webinar titled “How to Write a Personal Essay That Sells”. It’s on Tues Dec 6 at 2pm EST. I thought your readers might like to know.”
Well, Stephanie, I found that information useful and interesting, so thank you. Hopefully others out there will at least check it out on www.Writermag.com for more information.
PERSONAL MARKETING OF THE DAY
“Shadows Over A Hangman’s Noose” is due to be published next week. Yes, it will be both in hard copy and Kindle form, both available on Amazon. This is the third in the Shadows series, following “Shadows Kill” and “Shadows Over Innocence,” and it is by far the best to date, he said shyly. LOL It would, in my humble opinion, make a great Christmas gift for anyone who loves thrillers/mysteries, but then I might be a bit biased. By the way, unlike James Patterson, I write the entire book myself.
I’ve got this little problem with James Patterson lately. Can you tell? I doubt seriously if he cares one way or another.
PLUG OF THE DAY
Are you into inspirational? If so, check out my friend Maria Jordon on her inspirational blog. You can find it here. Some blogs are written simply to make us feel good about life and ourselves, and this is one of those blogs, written by one of the truly nice people in this world. Do me a personal favor and go say hello to Maria.
CROWDFUNDING
Crowdfunding has been around quite a few years now, and it is still a very popular way of financing a book. For those interested, Kickstarter is still the most popular of the crowdfunding sites, but you also might want to check out Indiegogo, Publishizer, and Publaunch if this seems like something you want to try.
ALTERNATIVES TO CREATESPACE
Someone asked me recently in an email (she didn’t want her question in the Mailbag) if there were alternatives for those who want to go the self-publishing route but not use Createspace.
Oh my goodness yes! Check out Balboa Press, Archway Publishing, Authorhouse, Infinity Publishing, or Lulu, to name just a few options.
MORE NEXT WEEK IN DECEMBER
I don’t know why the passage of time seems so important to me lately, but it does, and I can’t believe December has arrived.
Perhaps, and I suspect this has a great deal to do with the fascination, I’m feeling my own mortality of late. Time moves much too quickly when one realizes that time is a limited commodity for each of us.
Have a great week and thank you!
Bill
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.” #greatestunknownauthor
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 