It seems the world won’t wait for me.

Twitter, Facebook, and blogging are social media tools that I’ve gotten fairly proficient at using. In fact, I have been congratulating myself on how I jumped into the cyber swirl with both feet and am holding my own. This coming from a girl who figured out how to make group emails about 2 years ago, is quite the feat! I’m very proud of myself although, if you compare me to Jennifer, I’m an antique relic- at best.

So what does the world do? It creates the next big social media push…are you kidding me? Insert big heavy sigh.

But wait! This one is fun. This one is easy. This one can be used sparingly or all the time. This one is called Pinterest.

The basic idea of this site is that you create online bulletin boards with pictures of items that interest you. You pin them onto your boards to create a visual picture of your thoughts, likes, dislikes, moods etc. The site is brimming with possibilities for writers!

This is wonderful way to include your readers into the process behind the scenes of a writer. Many authors I know build story boards to help them while they are creating their novel. Why not do it to also engage readers in the book as well? Pinterest creates a platform for you to add photos, music, video clips, and articles to create an interactive wall that can be used to illustrate your book. In an instant your characters, setting, historical research, and mood of the book come alive. For instance, my two books take place in Malaysia and Costa Rica. I could design a board for each destination. Jennifer writes pirate novels, she could include a board about the history and legends surrounding lost treasure. The possibilities are endless. Tantalize your reader, offer glimpses into your next novel or provide a multi-media way for them to connect to your current book already for sale!

Pinterest also has a “Pin It” widget that you can add to your web site and blog. This gizmo allows readers and visitors to share something they particularly liked from your boards with their own networks. This is especially true for book covers! I’ve looked around Pinterest for a few days now and have discovered many people have a “Favorite Books” or a “What I’m Reading” board. Wouldn’t it be great if your cover was on their board? This widget makes it very easy for readers and potential readers to share your book and take a look into what goes into the making of a novel.

What if you turned it into a contest? What if you had your readers create boards that had to do something with your book? Theme, setting, characters would provide terrific launching points for this. What if you had a “Create The Main Character” contest. For instance, Jennifer’s books are available on Amazon and a number of other spots. Her pirate guys are to die for- no really, I’m not kidding. Maybe her readers could create boards to illustrate what they think these dashing fellows are all about. The best ones could be shared and posted all over the place. The connection to Facebook and Twitter could make it go viral in the blink of an eye. By the way, the contests or invites to the story boards could also be listed in the author profiles on Amazon to instantly give a readers another way to connect to you.

I’ve come a long way in this techno world we live in and finally they’ve created something that’s right up my alley. I’m not only a writer, but I decorate, love art and music, paint, cook, sketch, and am a history and travel buff. This site allows me to indulge all of my passions as well as provide a way for my potential readers to get to know me and my books. You can spend 5 minutes a day or get lost and come up for air 5 hours later with Pinterest. I believe it has the potential to take marketing books to a whole new level- one that I’m totally on “board” with.

Ha! Couldn’t resist the bad joke.

P.S. See Jenn’s article below here to find out about her book and soon to be released novella! When you do, think about the possibilities with Pinterest…….

I’m a woman. I’m a writer. So it stands to reason that I am fickle and never quite satisfied. Shocking, I know.

Something has been burrowing in the back of my mind for some time now. It wasn’t until recently I decided to confront the gnawing little critter. My debut pirate romance Blood and Treasure has a couple of flaws. *gasp* The longer I tried to ignore it, the louder the flaws scratched, chattered, and hollered at me to fix them. I became obsessed by those damned errors. Now we authors know that no matter how polished and shiny our masterpieces are, we will find something we want desperately to change or improve. It’s the nature of the beast.

I could stand the incessant badgering no longer. The past couple of weeks, I poured over Blood and Treasure correcting wayward punctuation and banishing anachronistic words that somehow, either by oversight or blind eye, made it into the novel. The result? A breath of relief reviewers and readers didn’t find my faux pas—or found them serious enough to string me up by my toenails. Over dramatic and paranoid? Perhaps.

That’s not all. As much as I love my cover, I realized something very crucial. The cover need to be revamped. This became glaringly obvious once I saw the new cover for my latest pirate tale Beneath the Water’s Edge (forthcoming – I promise). These covers needed to match in tone, mood, setting, font, and heat level. Especially since they belong to the same series. As much as it hurt to let go of the current cover, it was imperative to move on. (I’ll miss you, Jimmy! Please don’t forget me. I’ll write every day! ) It’s marketing. And it makes sense.

The downside – all those print copies and trading cards sitting in my closet. I feel a sale coming on!

So what do you think? If you want to know who created the cover, check back for my next Link of the Week.

http://www.wordle.net/

This is great for writers who may be looking for key words to describe the mood and tone for their book. Simply copy and paste text into the generator and, presto, a cloud of words used most often within the chosen text.

You can choose language, fonts, upper and/or lower case lettering, and color schemes. For the techno savvy, the word cloud can even be customized further. Plus, your clouds can used however you see fit. How cool is that?

Hot Damn! Today’s writing prompt is smokin‘!

Who are the couple? Musician and dancer? Actor and understudy? Shape shifter and demon slayer?

Where are they? Are they on a sound/theater stage, on a movie set, in a storage unit?

Look at their facial expressions, the way they are gazing at each other. What emotions are they experiencing-besides the obvious. Is she trying out for a lead role?  Does he control the situation or is she calling the shots?

Maybe she tripped on a coil of extension cords and he broke her fall.

Love to hear your comments!

By: Stacey Purcell

The saga continues with the debate on Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act. Wikipedia is the latest website to protest the upcoming vote. They will go dark on Wednesday to demonstrate their objections- the opposition say several of the items in the act would stifle innovation. Jimmy Wales who is the co-founder of Wikipedia confirmed this decision by tweeting, “Student warning! Do your homework early. Wikipedia protesting bad law on Wednesday!”

They are joining forces with other big names like Yahoo, Amazon, and Google who are also protesting the verbiage of SOPA.

I understand that they have concerns about stifling creativity and innovation, but is anyone concerned with the artists who are losing billions of dollars to thieves? Are they trying to draft a more workable act- one that satisfies them while still protecting intellectual property? Can it be done or are they mutually exclusive?

Now for some links to cool spots for writers:

1. MichaelHyatt.com- He is CEO of one of the biggest publishing houses and has plenty of insightful things to say about our industry.

2.cba-ramblings.blogspot.com- Rachel is a literary agent who has great advice on how to improve your writing, get an agent, and find a publisher.

3. wildfiremarketing.blogspot.com- Rob has wonderful ideas on helping authors sell tons of books. He supplies practical advice on all levels of marketing.

Enjoy your week!!!

God got my attention.

And it was difficult.

From January of last year to now, there have been a series of events that scream,  ”Here’s your wake-up call. Don’t be a moron!” Bear with me as I ramble.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the grind of day to day living that we forget about “living”. Our time is broken down into a series of tasks and micro managing our minutes. Meetings, children, bills, spouses, significant others, deadlines, housework, jobs (…and the list goes on and on) fight for our attention every single moment of every single day. It’s no wonder that we escape to our worlds on the page! But even doing that can take a toll on our brains and body.

I feel overwhelmed just writing that last paragraph. How do we do it all- it’s mind boggling. So what’s my wake-up call? Life is finite and things can change in the space of a heart beat. I don’t know why it took a whole year of events to get me to realize that statement. I mean, I knew it, but I would brush it to the side like an annoying fly.

This past year, my cousin was surprised by a triple by-pass and his wife had a double mastectomy, a young friend and her baby were killed in a car accident, my neighbor was diagnosed with sarcoma and has undergone radiation treatments, her husband has tongue cancer, a close friend was diagnosed with ALS and is in the final stages- we only have 15minute visiting windows, my best friend’s daughter had a baby and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer (she’s 22), my best friend’s mother was killed in a wildfire(it’s been a very hard year for her), and this week our very good friend and Muse Track guest blogger, Will Graham, had a stroke and surgery on his carotid artery. (He’s fine and recovering nicely.) The icing on this questionable cake is the fact that I turned 50. Not a bad thing by itself, but coupled with the events swirling around me, it acts like a very loud alarm clock!

Life is a gift from God. We don’t always use that gift wisely and sometimes do things to screw it up royally, but it is still our gift. Here’s the trick- we don’t know how long it will last. I know there are things I can’t control. I can, however, watch over my body and feed it physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s something the big guy upstairs has been nudging me to do for quite awhile. Nudging is putting it mildly- He’s been hitting me over the head with a baseball bat to get my attention.

I started with the basics:

-I’ve lost 26lbs so far. Weight Watchers is my new best friend and she’s been very easy to hang with.

-I walk 3-4 times a day. I found I enjoy moving better when I do several short breaks rather than trying to do a marathon.

-I take a stretch break every hour I’m at the computer. A few minutes of yoga stretching does wonders for the body and mind.

-I make sure I’m getting enough sleep. One of the first things Will said when we visited him in the hospital was that he was lightening his stress load and working on getting more rest.

-I’m meeting friends to simply visit more often. Visiting is a lost art in this complicated, fast paced world of ours.

-I’m kissing my husband more often. This one might sound strange, but it’s fun and brings us even closer when we take time out to have quiet moments.

-I love to laugh and smile. I try to take a few minutes on You Tube to watch a funny animal video, a comedian, or hysterical animal voiceovers. I’m cracking up and my day seems lighter!

-I turn off all noise makers and electronics in my house for 15 minutes most every day. When was the last time your house was totally quiet and you weren’t staring at a screen? This is when I try to listen to what God is teaching me. Not always easy, but so worth showing up for!!

This isn’t rocket science. This isn’t even new advice. It’s a gentle reminder for you all to be good, really good, to yourselves. It took a jarring year and a birthday milestone to rattle my priorities. I’d like to say that I’ve got it all under control, but that would be a lie. Hopefully I’m developing tools to “stop and smell the roses” and not get totally sucked back into the grind.

I wish for all of us to be happy, healthy, and peaceful every day. It’s a stretch, but it can be done.

PS. I started off wanting to write an article about how to stay healthy while being a productive writer, but this is what came out. I hope this resonates with some of you and we’ll get back to tips on being a healthy writer another time.

Stacey and I took an amazing workshop this weekend by Mary Buckham. It was an entire, and exhausting, interactive day based on her infamous Break Into Fiction teachings. Wow, my mind was mush after the workshop. I practically had to be wheeled out of the room.

We learned of hooks, strong openings, scene survival, and active settings. Participants were to bring copies of their own work. Those brave enough allowed Mary to publically crucify them. Stacey is still licking her wounds and I’m still scraping the tar and picking the feathers from my skin. It was awesome! *she says it a high-pitched sing-song voice*

Since we here at MuseTracks are all about spreading the love, I thought I’d share a little of what I learned.

We all know we should include hooks in our stories. Heck, it’s been beat over our heads with a gnarled stick time and again. Hooks should raise questions and make the reader turn the page for the answers. Even better, a hook should evoke a reaction.

Mary referred to Donald Maass’ Writing The Break Out Novel workbook on what types of hooks create those reactions.

Action / danger – (Rat-a-tat-tat, KaPow, screeeeech)

Surprising situation – (What the—? Shazam!)

Overpowering emotion – (sniff, grrrrrr, ack)

Evocative description anchoring the reader to a setting – (It was a dark and stormy night…)

Introducing a unique character – (“Hello, Clarice.”)

Foreshadow / warning – (Don’t go in there! Nooo! I said DON’T!)

Shocking / witty dialogue – (“We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”)

The totally unexpected – (Wow. I DID NOT see that coming.)

Raising a direct question – (OMG! What did he/she say/do next?)

*By no means are these horrendous examples Donald’s or Mary’s.

Hooks don’t just happen in the opening sentence or opening paragraph of a book. Hooks should be sprinkled throughout, especially at the end of a chapter. It’s natural for a reader to stick a bookmark at a chapter’s end and go do the laundry, cook dinner, or sleep. Ending on a hook ensures the reader will want to read on—the kids can feed themselves—or at least hurry back if they must put the book down.

Consider the importance of a hook at the end of the first page. Many potential readers browsing books will decide if they will buy a book by the first page. As the saying goes, you have 30 seconds to grab their attention. Okay, I don’t know if this is really a saying, but I know you’ve heard it before. It’s ingrained on that stick that’s been used to beat you with.

Other hook hotspots include at the end of the third page, in each new scene, and, for those writing a series, the book’s last line. And when that editor or agent asks for a partial, you’d better darn well end that third chapter with a hook, too.

Wow, that’s a lot of hooks. Makes you want to get paid for your services. Oh wait…

The more hooks, the merrier. You want your readers to be stark raving mad with hunger, devouring your book, shirking all responsibilities, just to finish your masterpiece.

Mary Buckham was a real hoot. I believe her wit is one of the reasons she is so marvelous.  I only skated across a mere part of her workshop. If you want the expanded edition, the real deal, her wise tutelage, I highly recommend taking one of Mary’s classes. And if you have the opportunity to do so in person, do!

Have you ever attended a class taught by Mary? What about a workshop that blew your socks away? I’d love to hear from you.

http://rsswwf.com/

So what is the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood Winter Writing Festival? It’s a writing challenge custom made just for you! 50 days  from January 11th through the end of February to write, edit, brainstorm, polish, format, or whatever the little author in you needs or wants to do.

The RSSWWF work with a “point” system, and YOU decide the terms for earning your point each day. And you define what it takes to earn that point.

No matter what stage you’re at right now (brainstorming, plotting, free-writing, revising, layering, polishing…or any combination) you can make it work for you.

Here are some examples of the sorts of things you might define as worth one
point (you fill in the variables according to your needs) :

-writing X number of words or pages
-deep revising Y number of pages
-polishing Z number of pages
-freewriting / brainstorming for Q number of minutes/hours
-doing R number of 20-minute writing sprints
-keeping butt in chair and hands on keyboard for S number of hours

Another example of how one person might commit to earning points according to the following terms:

-writing 500 words per day OR
-deep revising 10 pages per day OR
-doing a final polish on 25 pages per day
-participating in an hour of writing sprints

Any day that person meets ANY of those goals, she gets a point.

There’s no falling of the wagon either. You can get points for slacking, too.

This isn’t a competition, it’s a supportive process for MOVING FORWARD WITH OUR WRITING.

For more info, visit the website.  Oh, and there will be swag tiven away, too, so check it out.

http://rsswwf.com/

This is my third. On it, I record my word count or editing time, along with writing milestones such as finish editing a chapter or finish writing the first draft of a novel.

I’ve kept all my calendars and now after two years, they stand as an easy record of my writing progress. They are really useful to check at the end of the year in order to see exactly what I have done (or not).

And since I write paranormal, I found Tony Mauro’s work really inspiring since he designs the best paranormal romance cover such as Anya Bast and Yasmine Galenorn’s work.

I just love looking at it, be inspired and see my progress.

STAY AWESOME,
M-C xoxox

(image: Tony Mauro)

By:Stacey Purcell

I would like to tell you a story.

Once upon a time there was an author who wrote a novel. This novel took two years to create, many dollars spent polishing their work, sleep lost worrying about their story, and hundreds of hours taken from their families and friends. This creative endeavor came at a high price.

The author persevered and finished. Hooray, a novel is born. Now what?

Now they spend months, maybe years, sending it out to agents and editors. More money, more worry, more time away from their “life”. Perhaps it works and they score an agent/ editor. Perhaps they decide to publish it themselves. Whichever road they take will require more of everything including ulcer potential. (And they say writing isn’t glamorous!)

One way or another, the book is published and available for sale. Their hard work will now pay off.

Not so quick. The book goes on sale at 10am. By 10:30 it’s offered for free at a variety of web sites and the author won’t ever see a dime. And they lived happily ever after…..

Unfortunately, instead of being a fictional piece of writing, this is more like a documentary. Music, photography, art, scientific discovery, books (and the list goes on) have all been stolen from their creators. I believe this not only hurts the creator, it hurts the economy and damages the driving force of what makes most countries thrive. Nations are built and maintained by the innovators, the creators of the next new thing to make our lives better- whether it is a new source of entertainment, a breakthrough in medicine or a streamlining of a business.

“Intellectual property is one of America’s chief job creators and competitive advantages in the global marketplace, yet Inventors, authors, and entrepreneurs have been forced to stand by and watch as their works are stolen by foreign infringers beyond the reach of current U.S. laws.” Rep. Goodlatte

If the reward for that hard work is stripped away, the innovations will slowly fade away as well. We compromise our health as a nation.

There are two Acts before our governing bodies that are designed to help protect the theft of intellectual property. SOPA and PIPA (Stop Online Piracy Act and Pro-IP Act/ Protect IP Act) Both are designed to do more than the current “safe harbor” system that is in place. If a creator finds that a web site is offering their material without their permission, they must submit a notice telling them to take down the material and then the site is given a certain amount of time to take it down. SOPA would override the “safe harbor” system and “allow a judge to immediately block access to sites that are found guilty of hosting copyrighted material.”

SOPA is a bill that expands law enforcers and copyright holders ability to fight online piracy. Actions, through this, could include barring advertising networks and payment companies, like Pay Pal, from doing business with the site in question. They can also require Internet service providers to block access to these sites.( At the moment, the most we can hope for is that a web site in another country will positively respond to our request to take down our books. Law suits would be completely futile.)

As with any other major change, it is difficult. Vehement, passionate arguments can be made for both sides. Companies like Google, Yahoo, AOL, Twitter, FaceBook, Zynga, Mozilla, eBay, and LinkedIn posted an open letter to the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives outlining their arguments stating that SOPA would stifle creativity and innovation on the internet that has created many jobs. It also said that it would be a threat to our cyber-security. (Not sure I understand that one.) Yahoo has also reportedly dropped its membership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over their support of this bill.

Naysayers state that it will threaten online freedom of speech, threaten users uploading content, have a negative impact on websites that host user content, it’s a general threat to web-related businesses, it’s a threat to internal networks, and threatens open source software. They agree that something has to be done about this piracy but think that the wording is too vague and is open to misuse.

So who’s right? I don’t know. I can only share what I think- I believe the spirit of SOPA is something that is desperately needed. Right now, the creator has to hunt down rogue sites, craft a letter and hope for the best. I know of an author who took it a step further and also contacted all the advertisers and host of the web site stating she would make it public knowledge that they supported online piracy by placing their businesses on said site. It seemed to work for her. So now we not only have to try and write books, juggle our private lives, and learn how to be marketers, we have to be internet sleuths and strategic blackmailers.

The spirit is right, but what about the wording. So much of it is in “legalease”, it’s difficult for a lay person like me to tell. I don’t want a community like they have in China where everything is censored or blocked. Would SOPA allow that to happen? Well, when they figure it out and put it in plain English- I’ll let you know.

If you are interested in this issue, this is a nice place to start.

http://www.theglobalipcenter.com/