Category: Uncategorized

I have many hats—one a cloche with a fan of feathers for when I write mystery (don’t you think it makes me look mysterious?), a sunbonnet for western fiction, a fedora for nonfiction, a gimme cap for young-adult works, and, of course, a toque for cookbooks and other food writing. I used to have a mortarboard for my career in academic publishing, but I’ve turned that in.

Some people ask me how I can wear so many hats, but the answer, to me, is simple. It’s all writing in one form or another, and I am a writer. I cannot do math and probably couldn’t pass high school algebra. But I can work problems out in words—it’s what I do best and what gives me satisfaction. I like to take an idea or subject and figure out how to put it into words so that other people will read about it.

When I wrote historical fiction about women and young girls of the American West, I had to imagine myself in the nineteenth century West, though I doubt Libby Custer or Jessie Benton Frémont ever wore a sunbonnet. Still I had to know what they did wear—like weights in the hem of their skirts to keep them from blowing in the wind. And I had to think about what it would be like for Libby to ride across the plains on a reckless horse, or for Lucille Mulhall, the first Wild West cowgirl, to rope several horses, or for Etta Place to take part in a bank robbery and the hard ride of a getaway. It was a wild and exciting ride for a bookish girl like me who never was comfortable on a horse.

Young adult nonfiction was probably the greatest challenge to working out problems in words. I wrote for several companies that published for school libraries. The company would assign me a topic, and I’d research and write, usually about 5,000 words. I have written books on everything from vaccines and surgery to passenger ships, various state histories, biographies of several presidents. Probably the hardest one I ever did was on international women’s right.

Wearing a toque was no problem. I actually have one that I’ve worn to several book signings, but food writing comes easily to me because I love to cook and to eat new food. I did have to learn the mechanics—the proper presentation of a recipe, for instance. And copyright regulations (ingredients of a recipe cannot be copyrighted but directions can).

Mystery has been the hardest hat to keep on my head—that cloche wanted to slip off. I wrote my first mystery, if you want to call it that, almost 50 years ago. It was a knock-off of Nancy Drew that I wrote in the car while my then-husband drove us across country. It was, quite frankly, awful. Around 2000 I wrote a mystery I thought was pretty good and gave it to an agent—naïf that I was I didn’t realize that it mattered that cozies were not her field. I may go back and revisit that one someday.

I am forever grateful to Susan Wittig Albert for telling me to join Sisters in Crime. Then I joined the Guppies and Agent Quest and soon learned what an insider’s game looking for an agent was and how many people submitted countless queries without success. I was, I discovered, not only a newbie but a small guppie in a very large pond. I read listservs, I read blogs, I took online courses, and I learned so much it’s hard to hold it all in my brain. And members of Sisters in Crime and all its sub-groups are incredibly supportive of newbies.

My goal was to publish a mystery, and after seven or so rewrites and six years, Skeleton in a Dead Space launched from Turquoise Morning Press on August 29. I really like that cloche with a feather and intend to wear it for quite a while.

Thanks so much for guest blogging today, Judy! And for giving me some encouragement about trying new genres!

Judy Alter of Fort Worth, Texas, is the author of about sixty books for children and adults. Her main interest has been the experiences of women in the American West, and she’s written six adult novels with that theme and seven young-adult novels, as well as countless children’s books, mostly done for libraries on the American West and a variety of other subjects.

Judy is also the author of a memoir/cookbook, a collection of short stories, young-adult biographies of figures from Texas history, and two books studying the work of Texas author Elmer Kelton. Recently retired after 30 years with Texas Christian University Press, 20 of them as director, she is now devoting her attention to writing mysteries and, still and forever, writing about Texas. You can find Judy at her blog and website.

I’m speaking this Sunday at a Sisters in Crime meeting in High Point, North Carolina from 2-4.

I’m looking forward to the talk because I’m most comfortable with writers. Although I probably should be more comfortable with readers…it just hasn’t worked out that way.

I don’t have an assigned topic to speak on (sometimes when I speak with groups, they ask me to talk on a particular topic.) So I’ll set my own topic—it’s always better to go in with a plan. I’ve found that most writing groups want me to talk about how to juggle different series and publishers at once, how to use social media to promote, and how I got my start in publishing. This is all stuff I know by heart. :)

But I also speak with other types of groups, although I don’t think of myself as a good speaker (I’m getting better.)

Here are some of my thoughts and tips on speaking to different audiences:

Talking to children (if you write for adults): This is so dependent on the age-group you’re speaking to. I’ve done presentations for early elementary through middle school age, and my tip is to know your audience. The little guys just don’t have an attention span. Bring in lots of props. For early elementary age, I usually bring in my journals and writing from when I was a kid, encourage them to write their own stories, show them a marked up manuscript (for some reason they’re always very interested in this), and then follow up by reading a favorite picture book.

For older children (again, if you write for adults): I ask the teacher (whoever gave me the invite), how they’re teaching writing and what they’re focusing on. The last thing I want to do is undo what they’ve taught! I follow their lesson plan (frequently on topics like elaboration, how to start and end a story, focusing on a small part of a story instead of throwing the net too wide) and talk about how I use what the teacher has taught in my own writing. Older kids really want a Q&A session, too.

Talking to other writers: It’s important to know what you’re there for. Once I apparently didn’t get the memo and found out when I was at the event that I was talking about humor in mysteries. That was fine, but I usually don’t do well shooting from the hip! Sometimes they’ll want you to talk about something really specific—editing or promo or dialogue or POV. Sometimes they’ll leave the topic up to you (but you’ll want to plan ahead for what you’ll speak about….just to make your talk more polished.) I’m fond of handing out sheets with helpful websites, resources for writers, etc.

Talking to readers: This is always completely different from talking with other writers. Readers like to hear more about the writing life, how we come up with characters, why we chose our genre, where we find our inspiration, our favorite authors, etc. There’s also, subtly, a bit more of a sales aspect to talking to readers (because your books are for sale on the back table) and so you’ll want to use quick and interesting examples from your own work.

Talking to book clubs. How is this different from talking with readers? Because these folks have all read your book! And boy, you should know that book backwards and forwards. If you have written a fair number of books or have a poor memory (I can claim both) then bring a cheat sheet with you of characters and plot points. Believe me—you’ll need it.

Readings. Um…well, I hate readings. But you should always be prepared to give a reading, no matter who you’re speaking to. I’ve been surprised before by moderators who asked me to read from my book and was frantically flipping through, trying to find a good spot to read from. Just mark a book with a Post-It note and be sure to bring your reading glasses. Try to read with inflection. Keep it short. That’s about all the advice I have on this topic. :) I keep mentioning to event organizers that I don’t do readings, but apparently this message gets lost.

I could also talk about speaking on panels, but I’ll skip it here because it’s pretty easy—you’re usually speaking on an assigned topic, responding to moderator questions, sharing time with other writers (don’t hog the spotlight), and addressing one of the groups I’ve mentioned above (readers if it’s a readers’ convention, writers if it’s a writing convention.)

Have you spoken to different types of groups about your writing? Do you have favorite groups to speak to? Got any public speaking tips?

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week.

The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable—try it for searches on plotting, characterization, querying, book promo, and more. Sign up for the free monthly WKB newsletter for the web’s best links and interviews: http://bit.ly/gx7hg1 .

I’m compiling a directory of ebook professionals—cover designers, formatters, freelance editors, etc.—to make it easier for writers to connect with services. The directory can be accessed here.

I released an ebook last week. Progressive Dinner Deadly is a Myrtle Clover mystery and is currently available for $2.99 (currently on sale for $.99 for a Labor Day weekend sale) on Kindle and Nook. Hope you’ll mention it to any friends who enjoy mysteries.

9 Reasons to Attend Local Writers Conferences: http://bit.ly/oMVou9 @keligwyn

101 of the Best Fiction Writing Tips, Part II: http://bit.ly/oIIfjk @Writeitsideways

The Myth of the Lone Creative Genius: http://bit.ly/plMCq8 @JaneFriedman

The Repeats and the Choruses–the Rhythm of Our Writing: http://bit.ly/oxUI0Y

How writers can deal with frustration: http://bit.ly/pX2ySM

Red Flags for Female Characters Written By Men: http://bit.ly/rq8Gtl

The art and science of Twitter: http://bit.ly/qckMfd

Organizing your writing–3 writers with tips: http://bit.ly/mZDUdg

1 writer’s book launch party: http://bit.ly/mQ7Erm

Real Life Diagnostics: Hooking the Reader From the Start: http://bit.ly/oSDds7

Physical descriptions put readers in your place: http://bit.ly/qfG97s

Why bad decisions make good stories: http://bit.ly/nvCm0E

Resources for historical and suspense writers: http://bit.ly/noNe4B

Defining and using authorial voice: http://bit.ly/nlpync @authorterryo

What Do Authorship and Entrepreneurship have in Common? http://bit.ly/rdxOcV @thecreativepenn

The difference between an IP lawyer and a contracts lawyer (& why writers should care): http://bit.ly/nlIopi @PassiveVoiceBlg

Preparing for success–the mental game: http://bit.ly/qqTX0E @jillkemerer

5 Tips On Being Naked In Front of an Audience: http://bit.ly/rcbU24 @roniloren

7 Ways to Pay it Forward Online: http://bit.ly/nsOucM @MarianSchembari

8 tools for plotting (& plot-driven v. char. driven stories) : http://bit.ly/nu5pk3

A new book discovery search engine tracks 32,160 distinct data points per book: http://bit.ly/pJtPlr

An Agent Identifies Signs of Overwriting and Explains Why It’s a Problem: http://bit.ly/qued2c

Help plotting mysteries–juxtaposition of clues: http://bit.ly/nd5H3q @HP4Writers

Buying Internet Advertising For Your Book: Part I: http://bit.ly/qkSDso @BlurbIsAVerb

Writing 411: Picture Book E-Queries: http://bit.ly/qvTcOX @WriteAngleBlog

The Basics For Novice Writers: The DON’TS In Article Querying: http://bit.ly/rjl2hn

Can you split your novel into 4 equal parts? http://bit.ly/oXKS4a @dirtywhitecandy

How Readers Become Addicts: The Elasticity of Demand (Pricing of Ebooks): http://bit.ly/pQgIG1 @thecreativepenn

Remind agents and editors who you are if you’ve met them at conferences: http://bit.ly/oLHYEl

10 Ways To Ensure You Never Have A Writing Career: http://bit.ly/pCMsKs @sarahahoyt

Character-led fiction: http://bit.ly/p8Jlu8

How to Satisfy Your Reader without Being Predictable: http://bit.ly/obbvJP @anncrispin

Bodies found in bathtubs in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/nT7jy4 @mkinberg

When Your Writing Becomes The Enemy Of Your Writing: http://bit.ly/qeIIyz

A look at key story elements in ‘Love and Gladiators’: http://bit.ly/qEecDY

What to do if Your Copyright is Infringed: http://bit.ly/oZwnCB @PassiveVoiceBlg

Publishing terms to know: http://bit.ly/or6RSD

10 traits of writers who speak from the heart: http://bit.ly/pFuiKC

Get Started Guide: Blogging for Writers: http://bit.ly/p20ld9 @JaneFriedman

How to Critique Works That You Find Awful: http://bit.ly/qUAZLE

A method for developing an elevator pitch: http://bit.ly/r5792b

Is Your Writing Cup Half Empty Or Half Full? http://paranormalpointofview.blogspot.com/2011/08/is-your-writing-cup-half-empty-or-half.html

Conflict & Characterization: Lessons from an Old Anime: http://bit.ly/oH9m0S

An Aspiring Writer’s Guide to Conventions and Conferences: http://bit.ly/ngJcQ4

All about back matter (material at the end of the book): http://bit.ly/ns1bvv @BubbleCow

10 Tips for the Time-Strapped Writer: http://bit.ly/onQHre @CherylRWrites

Getting Jitters While Waiting For Feedback on Our Books: http://bit.ly/rqmMGe @JodyHedlund

Author Sues Publisher for Restraint of Trade: http://bit.ly/nCRI2Q @passivevoiceblg

How to get published in a magazine: http://bit.ly/rqmMGe

Writing a mystery? How to feed misinformation to your readers: http://bit.ly/pqNpZU @HP4Writers

Choreography of dialogue attribution: http://bit.ly/pQc6KO

Barnes & Noble Posts Q1 Net Loss of $57M: http://bit.ly/nwtrlw @galleycat

An agent reminds us that we’re not Tolstoy or Dickens: http://bit.ly/nmic1I

Are all distractions bad? http://bit.ly/r5IugC @JamiGold

Why Success Always Starts With Failure: http://bit.ly/nL6RNI

Why 1 writer chose to self-publish: http://bit.ly/pZq1Uq @dirtywhitecandy

Education in Fantasy Worlds: http://enchantedinkpot.livejournal.com/100753.html

A translator explains the challenges of translation in America: http://bit.ly/qXzzp5

10 tips for authors using social media: http://bit.ly/qLlYF3

5 Ways to Keep Parallel Lists on Track: http://bit.ly/nSt1wf

Breaking the Writing Rules Can Lead to Failure or Possibly to Magic: http://bit.ly/pF3Wm7 @4kidlit

Giving a talk? Death by PowerPoint — How to Avoid it: http://bit.ly/pakKYr

The Kid in You: The Untapped Resource in All of Us: http://bit.ly/pEHN8U

Tips for writing a synopsis: http://bit.ly/n5qeW6 @WriteAngleBlog

Tips for getting more blog comments: http://bit.ly/pmJCHn @spunkonastick

7 Surprising Ways Blogging Can Change Your Life: http://bit.ly/pznsUf

The Future of Publishing: Make Your Own Audiobooks: http://bit.ly/qt5CON @clarissadraper

An interview with industry expert Jane Friedman on author platforms: http://bit.ly/qhGwq5

For writers located outside the US–how 1 author got an ITIN (US Taxpayer ID) for epubbing: http://bit.ly/oFYpFy @dirtywhitecandy

Your character’s 1st impression: http://bit.ly/odEyq4 @erinlthomas

6 essential elements for writing success: http://bit.ly/qxUVKI @jillkemerer

1 writer’s method for staying in 1 POV: http://bit.ly/n51q6K

Resources for character development: http://bit.ly/ovkuEB @FaeRowen

Reading is wealth creation for writers: http://bit.ly/rquO0R @annerallen

Critiquing pointers for beginners: http://bit.ly/rkH3rY , http://bit.ly/qEl7Vb , http://bit.ly/qKcwmU @marybaka

Self-Care for Writers and Obsessive Creatives http://bit.ly/nrON5w @JanetBoyer

10 things not to do when building characters: http://bit.ly/qNnclm @JulieMusil

Top 10 Dirty Fighting Techniques For Your Writing: http://bit.ly/nkOAHV @jhansenwrites

Taking on time management: http://bit.ly/noVXCl @Mommy_Authors

How to Report Scraper Sites to Google: http://bit.ly/noeUkf @galleycat

5 Great Fonts for Book Covers: http://bit.ly/nfJs6F #ebooks @JFbookman

May Contain Nuts Or Nudity: Labeling on Book Covers: http://bit.ly/nLLmK8 @BTMargins

3 types of secondary characters: http://bit.ly/mT2pgW

Tips for learning something new: http://bit.ly/n2Z8Te

There’s already tons of free content for readers. But writers are still making money: http://bit.ly/mWHuTX

An agent explains how much to share online: http://bit.ly/p04QFA

Why Writers Need to Understand Marketing: http://bit.ly/pWoh8O

You Say Editing, I Say Proofreading: http://bit.ly/q7RyC7

5 ways to promote your Kindle #ebook online: http://bit.ly/roSnRu

The formula for great blog content: http://bit.ly/oUp5EU

Unreliable narrators in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/oAxGi3 @mkinberg

Will the World End When Publishers Stop Paying Advances or Immediately Afterwards? http://bit.ly/o0L1jz @PassiveVoiceBlg

11 Blog (& Manuscript) Proofreading Tips You Can’t Afford to Ignore: http://bit.ly/pAwkFn #editing

101 of the Best Fiction Writing Tips, Part 3: http://bit.ly/qFD3Qt @writeitsideways

A new weekly roundup on @JaneFriedman ‘s blog by industry follower & journalist @Porter_Anderson: http://bit.ly/qeFAFn

How to Host a Video Book Club Visit: http://bit.ly/o5QduP @galleycat

4 Goals to Polish Your Story: http://bit.ly/qTuEuP

10 Tips For Becoming A Top-Notch Proofreader: http://bit.ly/oSILxc

‘Ask an author’ feature added to Kindle: http://bit.ly/quovxU

Trying to sell books? Get sticky: http://bit.ly/peRuxs

Tips for Writing Distinct Character Voices: http://bit.ly/oc4Fjg

Tips for writing sequels and series: http://bit.ly/oxYx3Q @Sarafurlong

The Evolution of Middle-Grade Fantasy and Television: http://bit.ly/r8yPpz @KgElfland2ndCuz

19 Ways to Get More Readers for Your Author Blog: http://bit.ly/nWggLF

Test Driving Scrivener Software for Writers: http://bit.ly/pw0Eqt

3 Factors That Influence How Much Editing a Book Gets: http://bit.ly/q1p8Cp @JodyHedlund

Three Acts, Two Acts or No Acts? http://bit.ly/oI7Vy3

An interview w/ @JaneFriedman, who encourages writers to experiment w/ different soc media platforms: http://bit.ly/qwtNfp

My tweets are archived and searchable at the free Writer’s Knowledge Base: http://bit.ly/dYRayA

10 things to consider when pricing #ebooks: http://bit.ly/pOjVz7

The importance of tagging blog posts: http://bit.ly/nzQi6d @keligwyn

Why You Should Be Writing at Night: http://bit.ly/oLlBxm

Ebooks: Time to Diversify Your Portfolio? http://bit.ly/qzNmFf #ebooks

Joe Konrath on a formula for success: http://bit.ly/p0NpHi #ebooks

Simple things 1 writer wishes she’d known about writing (that her editor pointed out to her): http://bit.ly/pJSEA7 @LadyGlamis

Your author brand–tips for creating one and where writers hang out on Twitter: http://bit.ly/qH4BQO @jhansenwrites

The power of deadlines: http://bit.ly/mS10hm @CherylRWrites

A helpful thesaurus for settings, emotions, symbolism, weather, & character traits: http://bit.ly/eIGRMO @angelaackerman

Search my tweets– http://dld.bz/KPgS

7 Signs Your Manuscript May Not Be Ready For Prime Time: http://bit.ly/niLx58 @Grammar_Diva

How much do readers factor into what you write? http://bit.ly/peiERz

Rejection and Persistance: http://bit.ly/pzCOUa @BTMargins

Best Articles This Week for Writers 9/2/11: http://bit.ly/nmW5yb @4kidlit

Progressions Make the Story Worse and Worse–and That’s Good: http://bit.ly/nA2Loq

An Author’s Guide to Free Sales Data: http://bit.ly/p7eQ8W @BlurbIsAVerb

How Do Superpowers Affect Your Characters’ Perspectives and Worldviews? http://bit.ly/qP3k5v

Why We Think “I Want To Quit Writing!” And Why We Can’t: http://bit.ly/nsz4Xf @MuseInks

4 ways to look at your whole story: http://bit.ly/qbRhzO @sierragodfrey

8 Ways to Write Better Characters: http://bit.ly/nmbA38 @WritersDigest

5 writers explain how they prevent saggy book middles: http://bit.ly/pw8ONl

Build Your Platform – Get Yourself Some Gigs: http://bit.ly/q7g316

Making Characters Multi-Dimensional: http://bit.ly/rlL7pO @jeanniecampbell

The Business of Screenwriting: Script readers, Hollywood’s threshold guardians: http://bit.ly/qnYaxx @GoIntoTheStory

A peek into the world of book cover design: http://authorculture.blogspot.com/2011/08/peek-into-world-of-book-cover-design.html

Clever Costuming to Convey Character: http://bit.ly/oWBNQb @StephanieLMcGee

On the prevalence of US tropes in storytelling: http://bit.ly/qool1q @aliettedb

Movies vs. Fanfiction: http://bit.ly/pvnd7c

15 Household Technologies Recreated in #Steampunk: http://bit.ly/qmuJ8k

5 Big Media Appearance Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make: http://bit.ly/n9Qzhj @BookMarketer

How Evernote helped 1 writer go paper-free: http://jamietr.livejournal.com/1447571.html

Books With Soundtracks: The Future of Reading? http://bit.ly/pWOY2B

Does Your Character Need a Job? http://bit.ly/pX1rbF

Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing: You Can Only Write What Is Hot: http://bit.ly/oZwqYe @DeanWesleySmith

Convention readings: what to read, and how to get an audience: http://bit.ly/nOiFeM @JulietteWade

Traditional Publishing: Pros & Cons: http://bit.ly/pYH3Ji

1 reason why we should know our characters well: http://bit.ly/r4fyWf

There’s a festival of music, rides, art, and food that Matthews, North Carolina, is regionally known for.

It’s always on Labor Day weekend and it’s called Matthews Alive.  Every year there are over 200, 000 visitors to the festival. This for a suburb of Charlotte that usually only has 25,000 residents.

The cogs that keep the Matthews Alive festival turning are the volunteers.  There are a couple of local organizations that fill most of the volunteer slots.  My son belongs to both of them. :)

So I’ve got a busy weekend.  I was asked to volunteer on behalf of both Scouts and marching band.  So it was Scouts yesterday and it’ll be ticket sales for band tomorrow.

Art is one component of the festival.  I fondly hoped for my volunteer duty to incorporate the arts in some respect.

Instead, I was assigned traffic duty.

If I’d been a character in one of my own books, I’d have loved putting me in this situation.  After all—I’m an introvert who hates drawing attention to myself.  I avoid crowds at all costs.

So… why not put this person in a Day-Glo outfit in the middle of a huge crowd of people, in charge of doing something she doesn’t know how to do?

My gig tomorrow isn’t any better….ticket sales.  Have I mentioned that the left side of my brain is apparently completely missing?

This is one reason why it’s important to know our  characters well—we need to know how to stress them out.  It’s important to be able to provide little bits of tension or conflict.  It’s good to know how to trip them up, knock them off-balance, and see how they’ll react.

We can learn our characters either by doing an activity like a character worksheet (check out this link for some that might help), or by just thinking about our character and how they might act in different situations.  We could even walk through our usual day, with a virtual character….thinking about how they might react to different things we encounter that day—what would they do differently?

I did survive my stint of traffic duty.  I learned a lot, too…maybe I grew as a character. :)

How do you get to know your character?  Tormented your character lately?

I always take emails that I get from readers very, very seriously. Actually, I listen to them just as much as I do to my editors.

And I watch market trends, too, especially for the types of books that I write (traditional mysteries, also known as cozies.) I try not to take myself too seriously…it’s really all about the readers and what they want.

So when I received an email a few days ago from a lady who expressed her interest in reading my books, but first wanted to know if I used profanity in my series, I paid attention.

This isn’t the first time I’ve received an email like that. In addition, I’ve also noticed a rise in sites like Clean Cozy Mysteries and Genre Reviews (with a blog subtitle that states: In Search of Well-Written, Clean Novels), and an Amazon forum topic on ‘clean mysteries‘. It all makes me think.

Let’s face it, I’m trying to accommodate as many readers as possible. Do I write for myself? Yes. But I wouldn’t try to be published at all if I were only writing for myself. I’m not trying to be an artist—I’m trying to provide entertainment. Am I losing anything by writing John cursed, or using alternate expletives in place of real ones? If I’m not, why not just leave it out?

I’ve never gotten an email from a reader saying how much they enjoy profanity in my books.

Now of course, this only goes so far. If readers asked me to try my hand at a genre that was out of my reach or to make a change in my books that I felt strongly against doing, I’d have to politely tell them that was something I couldn’t accommodate them with.

But if there’s a slight change I can make that could possibly pick up new readers without losing old ones? Sure, I’m willing to make that change.

In fact, I have. I let the lady know that I had a book coming out in November with no profanity in it, and a series debuting next year that was expletive-free, too. But I couldn’t direct her to my first three books. :)

How about you? How far are you willing to go to make your book reach more readers? How much do your readers factor into what you write?