by Lynne | Jan 27, 2014 | Uncategorized
Traditional Vs. E-Books
The house was dark. It was raining outside, chilly inside. I had no appointments, no particular place to be for a rare afternoon. I didn’t feel like writing (my book, that is.) I didn’t feel like Facebooking or Tweeting or Linking In. Not even Pinteresting.
So I curled up on the couch with what I hoped would be a good book.
“The Emperor of All Maladies,” is a beautifully written non-fiction tome on cancer. 550 plus pages. Pulitzer prize winner. I bought it in an expensive paperback version because it has a series of picture plates inside, which are easier to examine than in an e-book. I also bought it because I had a gift certificate from my in-laws to Barnes and Noble. And I bought it because, well, Pulitzers should be read in traditional book style.
So on this dark, dreary day, I propped myself up on my soft leather couch with this amazing book. (It really is wonderful!) But I had to get up and readjust the lights in the room because there was no Nook glowlight in this edition, and I had to find a cushion to lean the book on because cancer is so heavy – physically and figuratively. Honestly, did you ever try reading a large book on your lap in dim light with old eyes?
After an hour or so, my eyes and my arms got tired, so I switched to a light (inexpensive indie) mystery I had started on my Nook. Ahh, the glowlight made it a delight to read and it was so light in my hands, I wound up dropping it a few times. But then I forgot who one of the characters was and wanted to go back to the first chapter to check. Hmm. Not as easy as flipping the pages. When I finally returned to my current page, I got a signal that the battery was low. Ach.
Which book version is more practical? That’s up to you to decide. Maybe some books are better bound in paper, others digital.
For me, at the moment, it’s time for a nap while my Nook re-charges.
by Lynne | Jan 20, 2014 | Uncategorized
History Teaches Us Inventive Ways to Kill
Research for my latest book has taken me to the darkest corners of our past: the witch hysteria of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. This grim era in early America occurred during the waning of the Inquisition in Europe, more recently, Spain, and demonstrates how far-reaching the concept of “terror in the name of God” has traveled.
When I read mysteries about serial killers or watch programs like “Criminal Minds,” I am continually amazed at the ingenious ways people come up with to torment and kill their fellow humans. I don’t know this for a fact, but I assume many of these stories are based, at least partially, on actual events.
The witch hysteria was, in a sense, descended from the Inquisition, where fear and loathing of certain people or groups of people was transformed into something deadly by using religion to justify the bloodshed. It’s a notorious example of how persecution can pervade any society. Even America. Witches were tortured, imprisoned in horrendous conditions and then hung by their neck until dead. (They were sometimes burned but not in Salem.) In one case an accused man was pressed to death. Nice.
We, as a species, are fascinated by this whole machination. There’s an exhibition at the San Diego Museum of Man on “Instruments of Torture.” Of course, I visited. I also visited the famous Medieval Torture Museum in San Gimignano, Italy, along with millions of others who gawked at devices like the rack, the head crusher, the Spanish Tickler, the Heretic’s Fork, the Pear, and the Knee Splitter. You don’t need much imagination to visualize what these will do to a human’s body. Much of the traveling version in San Diego came from here: http://www.torturamuseum.com/this.html As you can see from this website, some instruments of torture are quite inventive and horribly gruesome. Just thinking about them makes me shudder.
These instruments of torture were aimed at heretics and were not, strictly speaking, considered a punishment. They were a way to extract the truth — or the truth as the Inquisitors wanted it– from a victim. It worked pretty darn well and you can guess why. Similar devious devices are used in modern films and books today. In fact, today’s mysteries and thrillers borrow a great deal from history.
If you’re wondering how to create innovative ways to kill for your thriller or mystery, it’s easy. Just look to the past.
by Lynne | Jan 13, 2014 | Uncategorized
It’s a Book – It’s a Movie
Don’t be misled by the subtitle. We’d all love to have our books turned into scripts for movies. But what I’m referring to is how to make the reader “see” your scenes.
Getting the reader to visualize what they are reading is not easy. It reminds me of an exercise we did at the Science Center on “following directions.” Try to tell someone in words how, exactly, to build a helicopter out of Lego blocks. Trust me, it’s not easy and takes many tries. Writing a scene that a reader can actually see in his/her mind is also not easy.
Take one of your scenes. First, where are you? Indoors, outdoors, a living room, a car, on top of a horse, on the beach? Paint that scene. Is it hot, cold, windy, rainy? What color are the walls of the room? Does a smell waft in from the kitchen, the open window? What’s under your feet? Sawdust, ratty carpet, wood floors, sand?
Next, who’s in the room? People? How many? Animals? How many? Are they male, female, young, old, etc. What animals and where are they? Lying in front of the fireplace? Curled up on the windowsill? What are the people wearing? Robes, undies, tuxedos? Show some facial expressions or body movements to describe their mood. Same for the animals. Is the cat hissing or purring?
I would try some background ambiance to add color to the scene. Is there music playing and what kind? French café, heavy metal or front porch Cajun? Is there a guitar leaning against a wall? A violin? Piano? Are there bookcases stuffed with books? Plants hanging in every window? Food decaying on the kitchen sink? A clock ticking on the mantel or an alarm clock ringing in the bedroom.
If the scene is outdoors, there are still many possibilities to set the scene. Weather, locale descriptions ie: small town, park, parking garage, tavern, university campus. Maybe add noise- sounds like car horns, birds chirping. Or smells like newly-cut grass or a pizza being unboxed.
All of these can help the reader visualize the words on the page. I don’t think you need paragraphs to convey the general meaning. Less is always more. But you might sprinkle in the five senses to help set the scene so the reader sees (hears, smells, tastes, and feels) it as vividly as you do.
Finally, as you re-read your work, close your eyes and picture each scene as if it were in a movie. Can’t do it? It may be time to re-write.
by Lynne | Jan 6, 2014 | Uncategorized
Get Your Website Up To Date
I’m a new member of MWA and in one of their recent newsletters, aptly named “The 3rd Degree” there was a great article about the importance of keeping your website up to date. I hope they don’t mind, but I wanted to share some of their tips:
1. Domain name – Check the expiration date and email address that’s connected to make sure they are still current and correct. Check that the hosting company is still valid. Check that the credit card used by the hosting company is still valid. That will definitely trip you up!
2. Subscribe to your own newsletter. Does the form work well? Is there a “successful submission” message? Can you unsubscribe?
3. Test your website. Ask someone who is not particularly web-savvy to learn the following: what is your latest book? What was your first book? What city do you live in? See how easily they find the find the info. How many times must they click to get it? Is your name spelled correctly?
4. Check your website on the Internet, not just your computer. Try a mobile phone, Android and iPhone. Look at it on different browsers. How does it look on a tablet vs a desktop or e-reader?
5. Confirm that you can get website statistics.
I use WordPress and they just sent me a year-end “annual report” that not only gives me stats but also shows on a world map where my “clickers” come from. Fabulous!
6. Search for yourself on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. (I would add Linked-In too.)
7. Click on your author photos. Do they download okay? Are they high-resolution enough for print. Are they named with your name, not just “authorphoto.jpg?”
I would add: Do a search for yourself on the Internet and see what comes up. Your website? Articles about you? Your blog?
These are just a few suggestions for getting your website up to date. Check out the full article through Mystery Writers of America. Good stuff.
Which book version is more practical? That’s up to you to decide. Maybe some books are better bound in paper, others digital.
