When you switch to a new point of view, make sure the reader knows how the new person fits into the story. If possible, introduce or foreshadow the new character in the preceding chapter. This provides better continuity.
On the other hand, sometimes it works for a story to be pieced together like a mosaic, particularly mysteries. Getting into the characters’ respective heads can show their motivation.
Switching point of view can be risky. I’ve sent a book to the DNF (Did Not Finish) pile for alternating POVs that didn’t mesh or show where the story was heading. Once readers connect with your protagonist, they don’t like to change. It’s also important to establish some semblance of a plot early on. This one comprised two different people seemingly driving around randomly which failed to grab me since there wasn’t sufficient background to add the needed suspense so I’d wonder what was going to happen next. It was as if the author was trying to figure out what was going to happen next herself. BOOOOR-ING!
Some authors lean more toward action and dialog while others favor imagery and emotion. There’s a place for all of it, depending on the scene. Knowing what to include where will demonstrate your skill as an author.
Never slow down heavy action with a lot of detail. Settings should be established beforehand as well as the protagonist’s emotional state.
As the author, a story that becomes a series is usually thought of as a single book. Readers, however, may not read them in order, so be sure to include relevant backstory information so they can follow the characters and plot.
This is something to watch for in your final edit. Ask yourself if occurrences in a previous story need to be reiterated for the current story action to make sense to a reader who hasn’t read the previous book. Such recaps are also appreciated by readers where significant time has elapsed since reading its predecessor. If your books are released years apart, then this is a given.
If your book is fiction, the print version can do without a table of contents. Since it’s more difficult to find your way around an ebook, however, a table of contents is not only helpful but required by some ebook distributors.
Generating it through Microsoft Word, however, is not going to work properly. Per the Smashwords Style Guide, you should bookmark each chapter heading, which is then connected via hyperlink to the table of contents. This works nicely for the Kindle version as well.
Page numbers are required in your book, but other headers or footers are optional. Make sure they contribute in a positive way, not serve as a distraction. Use a smaller, unobtrusive font with adequate space separating them from the text.
Including the author’s name on one side and the book’s title on the other are common headers. They tend to look best when justified to the outer margins. Setting them up to behave properly in Microsoft Word can be a challenge, however.
Your book interior’s layout should be pleasing to the eye. The opposing pages should look symmetrical and have adequate margins so the words don’t look crowded. Formatting contributes significantly to a book’s readability.
Formatting should be virtually invisible. If it’s too dramatic, it can distract readers and prevent them from becoming totally immersed in your story. Poor formatting will do this for sure!
People DO judge a book by its cover. Not only must it look professional, it also needs to represent the story as accurately as possible. Capturing the feeling of a story graphically is an art in itself.
Using the templates found on Create Space can label your story in a negative way. Your cover deserves as much attention and creativity as the story it presents. Neglecting this important facet can doom your book to obscurity.
The fact you can’t please all the people all the time is intuitively obvious to authors. Some people may love your book while others hate it. Nothing is more demoralizing than a bad review. To renew your confidence, check the reviews on some of the classics. Somehow it does your heart good to see Ernest Hemingway get 2 stars.
Writing styles change over the years. What was considered a good story 50 or 100 years ago may not be well-received in today’s market. Sometimes originality works and others it doesn’t. Being in-tune with current trends can help assure your book’s success. Who would have guessed twenty years ago how popular vampires and zombies would become?
Choose “THE ALTERNATIVE” Blog Tour DAY 5.
Welcome today! Thanks to my marvelous host …
Thank you for joining me here on my New Release Blog Tour.
There are those that cling unreservedly to the lifeboat that believing in Karma hands them so willingly.
They work, they live, and they function in a world that allows them the option of unreservedly trusting that Karma has no deadline.
Until they are handed the spark that ignites them into becoming the instrument of Karma itself.
There are others who have had all they once held to be truths, everything they once stood for and took pride in, torn apart and ripped from them by the hand of a cruel fate.
Then, of course, there are those who believed in nothing and no one, to begin with …
These are their stories.
The stories of people both good and bad, who made the choice to exact “The Alternative.”
Today I want to give you a brief look at “Isolation Can be Deadly”
Chapter 5. Isolation can be deadly.
The woman’s body language screamed stress. One long-fingered hand toyed with the ends of her honey-colored hair; she clenched and unclenched her fingers, totally unaware of the tangled mess she was weaving.
Her right hand showed white knuckles as it gripped the telephone.
Her voice, however, was controlled and ice cold.
“Yes, yes I can hear you just fine. Yes, I am going to place another advertisement. Not that it’s any business of yours, daddy dear. Do you think me a complete idiot?” She paused to listen to his reply.
“Why didn’t they stay? You, of all people, have a damn nerve asking me that. Why would they stay?” Sam hissed out the words. “You didn’t!”
Sam shifted the phone to her other ear, taking a deep breath before she continued, “I don’t want to hear it. I am thirty years old, not thirteen! You have no right to play the concerned father. You forfeited that right when you walked out on mother and me to be with that, that, slut! Even that stupid bitch could only stand you for six months. You are a pathetic, useless, excuse for a man!” Sam slammed the phone down.
She braced herself against the edge of the kitchen sink, feeling the bile rise in her throat. “Shit! Why do I let him get to me like that?”
“Shit!”
Two large Rottweilers came charging into the room, responding to Sam’s raised and angry voice. Their hackles were up and they searched the room with their eyes ablaze, seeking any perceived threat to their mistress.
“Easy, my boys, easy.” Sam hunkered down, soothing the agitated animals.
“Good boys. Momma’s fine … sit.” The two dogs dropped to their haunches immediately, and Sam rewarded them for their loyalty with a loving hug.
She made herself a fresh coffee and took out the writing pad to reword yet another advertisement for the city papers.
WANTED: Male Ranch-Hand, Jack-of-all-trades. Must be good with horses. Property located in Far North Queensland. Must be able to tolerate isolation. Applicants must be fit and healthy. Doctor’s certificate required. Generous wage, plus all meals. Large bonus after three months continuous employment. Written applications only. Single males only. No family ties. Successful applicants will need to travel to North Queensland for the interview process. The employer will recompense reasonable expenses incurred. Apply, Sam Mannix c/o Post Office, Shady Creek: North Queensland. Australia.
******************
There are things that can kill you in the Jungles of far flung North East Australia.
BUT … Which of them is the most deadly?
Is it the beautiful Samantha Mannix … The Owner of Euphoria Homestead?
Or perhaps it’s her newly hired Ranch-Hand Ben Edwards!
Or was it something else entirely?
Buckle in, stay alert and hang on … it’s one HELL of a ride.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Again my sincere thanks to my host, and to the great crew at 4 Wills Publishing for organizing my blog tour!
“The Alternative” NOW Available Amazon.com
Suzanne Burke resides with her daughter and grandson in a small country town located hundreds- of miles to the west of her previous home in Sydney Australia.
Suzanne had long wanted to write, life interrupted and she didn’t begin her journey into the world of writing until she was in her early fifties.
Suzanne has written her memoirs under the author name of Stacey Danson, both her non-fiction books have ranked in the top 100 paid in Kindle on Amazon. “Empty Chairs” and “Faint Echoes of Laughter” continue to earn wonderful reviews.
Suzanne writes her powerful Thrillers “Acts Beyond Redemption” and “Acts of Betrayal” and her Paranormal anthology “Mind-Shaft” as S. Burke.
Connect with Suzanne
This tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com
Marcha's Two-Cents Worth 