Posted by Heather on May 20, 2013 in
CONTESTS & HOPS T
hank you all for participating in the blog hop and submitting your spiffiest words! This was, by far, one of the best contests I’ve run, not by the number of participants, but by the talent represented. I read so many great openings with strong voice! I, and my secret celebrity judge, had a heck of a time choosing the winners. As a matter of fact, because choosing was SO DANG HARD, I threw in an extra prize. From the winner’s circle…
FIRST PLACE chooses from the pool of prizes first
SECOND PLACE chooses second
THIRD PLACE chooses next
RUNNERS UP choose last
PRIZES
FREE critique of your opening 15 pages (a $50 value) from editor extraordinaire (moi)
FREE critique of your opening 8 pages from editor extraordinaire (moi)
FREE marketing consultation with best-selling self-pubbed author Leia Shaw
FREE book including these craft books:
OR this HOT novel releasing July 16th:
So without further ado, the winners!
RUNNERS UP
ALSO THE NIGHT by JoAnne Potter
DEAR KATHERINE by Patricia Moussatche
PIGMENTS by Chris Todd Miller
THIRD PLACE
THE GOLDEN WILLOW by Jennifer Lyn King
SECOND PLACE
LUMEN by D.D. Falvo
FIRST PLACE
MAGIC AND MIGHT by Cristin Bruggeman
All winners, please email me at HeatherWebb(dot)writes(at)gmail(dot)com with your choice of prize!
Posted by Heather on May 15, 2013 in
GUEST POSTS,
WRITING TIPS 
http://under30ceo.com/
Today we welcome publishing attorney and mystery author Susan Spann back for another session of Ask #PubLaw – a summer series where authors can get publishing legal questions answered!
Today’s question and answer addresses:
“How does an author or artist secure a trademark?”
This question referenced an original logo the author created, but authors can also trademark a series name (meaning the series title – individual book titles cannot be trademarked) or, in the case of independent authors who create small publishing houses and/or imprints, the publishing house’s name, imprint, and logo can also be trademarked.
By law, a trademark is a word, name, symbol (logo) or device used or intended for use in commerce to identify and distinguish the mark owner’s goods from those sold by others.
In English: a trademark is “consumer shorthand” to identify the source of goods.
In the United States*, trademarks are protected by both state and federal law. State laws differ with regard to protection and registration, and they don’t offer nationwide protection (or much protection over the Internet). When most people talk about U.S. trademarks, they mean a federal trademark registration with the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office – the only type of registration that lets you use the registered trademark symbol [®] after the mark.
You obtain registration for your trademark by filing an application online with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (http://www.uspto.gov/) and paying the relevant application fees.
Anyone can apply for a trademark – U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, and entities like corporations and LLCs can all own registered trademarks.
The application itself is fairly straightforward. Section 1 asks for personal information about the applicant (that’s you). Section 2 asks about whether an attorney is filing the form, and if so, asks for the attorney’s information. Section 3 asks for information about the mark, to ensure that the mark is a proper subject for registration, and also requires the applicant to choose a “class of goods” the mark is used to represent and to attach a “specimen,” which means one or more images (in .jpg or .pdf format) showing the mark in use in commerce. Finally, Section 4 requires a signature and payment of the relevant fees (which are $275 per class of goods if the applicant has enough information to use the most complete filing form).
While an attorney is not required, many authors find benefits in hiring an intellectual property attorney to file the trademark application on their behalf. In addition to understanding the application itself and knowing about which classes of goods the application should include, a trademark attorney is often better equipped to respond to questions the PTO may ask during the application review and registration process. Many attorneys handle trademark registration on a flat-fee basis, which means you pay nothing extra if the PTO does have questions about the mark. That said, many people do apply for trademarks without legal representation – it’s mainly a question of your comfort level with the application and the process.
The two most common questions which arise from the filing process are:
1. How do I know whether my mark is a proper subject for protection? And
2. How do I choose the proper class of goods?
Since today’s Ask #PubLaw is already running long, we’ll finish the discussion by answering those last two questions next Wednesday, here at Between the Sheets!
Big thanks to Heather Webb for hosting me on Wednesdays this summer – and if you have a question about this or any other publishing or intellectual property-related legal topic, please ask in the comments – I’ll try to answer them all before summer is through!
*Apologies to the non-U.S. readers – most countries have trademark formalities similar to those in place in the U.S.A., but I’m not licensed to practice law in foreign nations so I’m forced to restrict my discussion to U.S. law.
About Susan Spann
Susan is a publishing attorney and historical mystery author. Her debut novel CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur) releases July 16, 2013. When not writing or representing clients, Susan enjoys traditional archery, martial arts, horseback riding, online gaming, and raising seahorses and rare corals in her highly distracting marine aquarium. She still consumes books – almost as avidly as spicy Thai dinners. Susan lives in Sacramento with her husband, son, three cats, one bird, and a multitude of assorted aquatic creatures. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Historical Novel Society and the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Association and is represented by literary agent Sandra Bond of Bond Literary Agency. For more information, contact her at her website HERE or on Twitter.
Posted by Heather on May 13, 2013 in
CONTESTS & HOPS 
We’ve learned about the differences between author voice (HERE) and then character voice (HERE), now it’s time to check yours out! Have you been rejected by agents or editors, or even been told by your crit partners that your novel’s voice isn’t up to snuff? Now’s your chance to get loads of FREE feedback on your pages!
WHAT: A blog hop for feedback on your opening 250 words, and then a contest! Post your opening 250 words to your blogs, hop around and give feedback to others, spiff your words up and submit them for a chance to win!
WHEN: Blog hop is May 16th-17th. Submit final revisions by midnight May 18th for a chance to win! To submit: email your final version to HeatherWebb(dot)writes(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject heading VOICE CONTEST.
WHERE: Post on your individual blogs, but also link here! Sign up in the comments with your name and blog link.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: 1.) No, your manuscript doesn’t have to be finished. 2.)You can post up to two samples from different novels on your blog. 3.) No, you don’t have to do the blog hop–if you’d prefer to just submit your final 250 for your chance at the prizes, that’s fine, too!
SHARE: Please help tweet and share the contest on Facebook so we can have as many people as possible to give you feedback on your pages. The more the better!
PRIZES: Winners choose from the pot of prizes. First place chooses first, followed by second, and then third.
FREE critique of your opening 15 pages (a $50 value) from editor extraordinaire (moi)
FREE marketing consultation with best-selling self-pubbed author Leia Shaw
FREE book including these craft books:
OR, this AMAZING novel releasing in July from St.Martin’s Press–CLAWS OF THE CAT by Susan Spann:
PARTICIPANTS:
1. MB Mulhall 11. Jennifer Lyn King
2. Alec Breton 12. Chris Todd Miller
3. D.D. Falvo 13. Teralyn Pilgrim
4. Patricia Moussatche sample 1 & sample 2 14. Cristin Bruggeman
5. Rebeca Schiller 15. JoAnne Potter
6. Donna Barker sample 1 & sample 2 16. (sign up in comments)
7. Marie Meyer
8. TC Booth
9. Janel Gradowski
10. Kris Mehigan sample 1 & sample 2
Posted by Heather on May 10, 2013 in
CONTESTS & HOPS,
WRITING TIPS 
In Part 1, we talked about author voice and how to peel away layers of our identity to get to the juicy stuff–the unique voice in all of us. Today we’ll tackle character voice.
So how do we make our protagonist’s voice grab our readers by the throat?
We mold and shape their voice through their…
Words
What your characters say, the expressions they use, differentiates them from others. JUST LIKE IN REAL LIFE. I’m a thirty-something, middle class woman. How I speak is vastly different from a poor, male teenager from the Bronx. Your characters should not sound like you, they should sound like themselves.
Thoughts
What does your protagonist think about? I think about my kids and spending quality time with my husband. I worry about juggling family life and work. I yearn for success in my career, for spiritual fulfillment in whatever form that takes. Our boy from the Bronx thinks about school, the hot girl with pink sneakers in biology, or basketball practice. He worries about dodging the bullies on the corner and having enough money for lunch. He yearns for graduation, for basketball to somehow carry him far away from his run-down home, and to have all the things he doesn’t have. Again, different worlds=radically different thoughts. Tailor your protagonist’s inner voice to their situation.
Actions
How does your protagonist react in certain situations or settings, or to others? Consider their history. If Jane survived abuse and is an adult woman trying to find herself, she may be skittish around men. Or maybe Jane’s angry as hell and burns things and has loads of piercings. The cool thing is, you get to decide how your character reacts, but it’s important to keep those reactions consistent and true to the personality you’ve contrived for them. In either case, your protagonist’s actions and reactions are a strong component of their voice.
Word View
How does your protagonist view the world? They may have come from a crappy, hard-knock background, but maybe they’re a warrior, a survivor. They see life’s letdowns as a challenge—something to conquer. Life is a game of chess and they’re going to play and win. Or maybe they’re the victim of their own destiny. They complain and whine and want everyone to feel sorry for them, to lavish them with attention. Life is out to get them. The way a character sees the world around them, how they understand (or don’t) the people around them, AND how they deal with it feeds into their voice.
Now that we’ve talked about author voice and character voice, I’d love to see yours at work!!
It’s All in the Voice Contest
Post the first 250 words of your novel to your blog, hop around and give feedback to others May 16t and 17th, and submit your final version by midnight, May 18th. Winners of the most grabby voice will WIN PRIZES!!! Prizes include: an author marketing phone consultation with bestselling, self-published author Leia Shaw, FREE editing of your first 15 pages from moi (a $50 value), free books, and more! Sign-ups go live MONDAY, MAY 13th. Stay tuned!
Posted by Heather on May 6, 2013 in
GUEST POSTS 
I’m so excited to welcome Erika Robuck back to Between the Sheets. This week her latest novel, CALL ME ZELDA, releases to much anticipation. It has already been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harper’s Bazaar, and Glamour Magazine. I’ve been waiting for this book to release since I turned the last page of HEMINGWAY’S GIRL!
Zelda Fitzgerald seems to be zeigeist! She’s in the air and all around us. What makes your view of her unique?
My view of Zelda is unique because it is told through the eyes of Zelda’s fictional psychiatric nurse. In the biographies, I noticed mention of a nurse spending time with Zelda on an outpatient basis in Baltimore, a nurse accompanying Zelda to an art showing, a nurse sedating her on a train… While that might have been several women or one, I chose to create a character out of that shadowed figure loosely based on a woman in one of F. Scott’s Fitzgerald’s short stories. I’m quite sure no one else has shown the world of the Fitzgeralds through my nurse’s view.
There is some speculation that Zelda was a truly gifted writer, but was repressed by her famous husband, Scott Fitzgerald. What do you think of this theory?
Zelda was gifted in all of her artistic endeavors, but often didn’t have the resources to perfect and polish her forms. Scott did try to stop some of her efforts at writing, but he also encouraged her in other ways. His treatment of her expression through words, painting, or dance was erratic at best, and often seemed frustrated by his own alcoholism. Their story is a tragedy.
Can you share an anecdote about Zelda that you had to cut from the novel?
This is less an anecdote about something I cut, and more about a detail of Zelda’s personal life I did not include… As an author of historical fiction focused on writers, I grow to care deeply for my subjects over the course of the research and writing process. I think it is very important to represent them truly, but also to provide a redemption of sorts to illustrate their human worth. With Zelda, I wanted to protect her privacy on certain matters, so I didn’t expose every detail of her medical records or health past. If it didn’t serve the story and the greater message, I didn’t include it. It was the same when I wrote about Hemingway. There were certain family details that I felt deserved to be kept private because adding them would just be for the sake of gossip instead of theme, so I avoided them.
What’s the most unusual thing that’s happened to you since you’ve become a writer? The most exciting?
So many unusual things have happened to me that I wrote a blog post about them! Namely, I’ve been told I have a spirit of an old man walking with me, and I’ve been invited to do a reading at a nudist colony. The most exciting thing has been the mention of Call Me Zelda in print media like The Wall Street Journal and Harper’s Bazaar. The most moving and strange occurrence was when the opera song Zelda danced to for Scott on the night they met, a song mentioned in my novel many times, began playing on the radio as I pulled into the graveyard to pay my respects to the Fitzgeralds.
If you could travel back in time to counsel yourself on this journey, what would your advice be?
Trust the process and timing. Do not resist or force it, and the stream will carry you safely to shore…
Speed Round:
Best place on earth—-Sunset Key, Florida
Favorite family pasttime—Hiking
U.S. or Europe?—-Europe because it is so historic!!
Biggest Vice—-Dancing with the Stars
About the Author
Erika Robuck self-published her first novel, RECEIVE ME FALLING. Her novel, HEMINGWAY’S GIRL (NAL/Penguin), was a Target Emerging Author Pick, a Vero Beach Bestseller, and has been sold in two foreign markets to date. Her next novel, CALL ME ZELDA (NAL/Penguin), publishes on May 7, 2013, and begins in the years “after the party” for Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Erika writes about and reviews historical fiction at her blog, Muse, and is a contributor to popular fiction blog, Writer Unboxed. She is also a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Hemingway Society. Find her books HERE & HERE
Posted by Heather on May 3, 2013 in
GUEST POSTS
I’m excited to reveal S.M. Johnston’s crazy-cool cover of her new adult speculative novel SLEEPER! It releases from Entranced Publishing, December 2, 2013.
About the Book:
After a life-saving heart transplant, eighteen-year-old Mishca Richardson is plagued by nightmares and an urgent desire to find her birth parents, which she puts down to post-operation depression. But her new heart seems to bring more than a second chance at life in the form of speed, strength, and love at first sight.
About the Author:
Sharon is a writer from Mackay in Queensland, Australia who has short stories published in anthologies and was also runner-up in the Australian Literary Review’s Young Adult short story contest with KARMA. By day she is a public relations executive and by night she writes weird fiction and soulful contemporaries while her husband, two sons and cat are fast asleep.
Find Sharon:
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Goodreads
Posted by Heather on May 1, 2013 in
GUEST POSTS,
WRITING TIPS http://under30ceo.com/
I’m psyched to announce a new program called #PubLaw! Every Wednesday for the duration of the summer, Susan Spann, author of CLAWS OF THE CAT and publishing lawyer, will break down our burning questions about author contracts—both indie and traditional—and other highly HELPFUL information authors need to know to survive the ever-shifting waters of the publishing world.
We WANT to hear from you!! Please leave any legal publishing questions you have in the comments and Susan will tackle them for next week’s edition. Also, be sure to follow #PubLaw on Twitter every Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST.
TAKE IT AWAY, SUSAN!
Big thanks to friend and fellow author Heather Webb for letting me camp out at Between the Sheets to answer authors’ questions about publishing law.
Today, we’ll start with a question I’m asked quite frequently:
“What’s the difference between copyright and trademark? As an author, do I need to register both?”
The short answer is no, most authors don’t need trademarks, though trademarks may become relevant later on if you start to market merchandise featuring your series or characters’ names and likenesses.
What’s the difference? Read on:
COPYRIGHT LAW covers creative works – like novels – which are “fixed in a tangible medium of expression.” Copyright protection is automatic and begins at the moment the work is created.
Authors don’t have to register their works with the U.S. Copyright office, but registration allows the author to recover additional damages (money) from infringers, so all authors should register their works with the copyright office at publication. Many publishers do this for you, but if yours does not, you can register your works online at http://www.copyright.gov.
TRADEMARK LAW covers words, names, symbols or slogans used in commerce to identify and distinguish the source of goods.
Novels, blog entries and short stories are all too long for trademark protection – they’re governed by copyright law instead. Titles aren’t subject to trademark either—though the name of a series (like “The Hardy Boys Mysteries”) can be trademarked under the right circumstances.
There are other differences between copyright and trademark too. A few of particular interest to authors:
1. Duration. Copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years (95 years from publication for anonymous or entity “authors.”). Trademark lasts as long as the mark is “actively used in commerce.”
2. Originality. Trademark requires far more originality than copyright.
3. Length. Copyright governs creative works of any length, from Tweets to full-length novels. Trademark governs only “words, slogans, logos, and phrases.”
Copyright and trademark also have some similarities: violation of either is called “infringement” and is legally actionable. Intent is not a required element of infringement in either case. If you use a legally protected work without permission (or a legally-recognized exception), you are liable to the trademark or copyright holder.
If you have additional questions about trademarks or copyrights, consult an experienced attorney who specializes in intellectual property. That, or hop into the comments and let me know – I’ll be back next week with another installment of Ask #PubLaw!
Thank you, Susan!
ABOUT SUSAN
Susan is a publishing attorney and historical mystery author. Her debut novel CLAWS OF THE CAT (Minotaur) releases July 16, 2013. When not writing or representing clients, Susan enjoys traditional archery, martial arts, horseback riding, online gaming, and raising seahorses and rare corals in her highly distracting marine aquarium. She still consumes books – almost as avidly as spicy Thai dinners. Susan lives in Sacramento with her husband, son, three cats, one bird, and a multitude of assorted aquatic creatures. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Historical Novel Society and the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Association and is represented by literary agent Sandra Bond of Bond Literary Agency. For more information, contact her at her website HERE or on Twitter.
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Posted by Heather on Apr 26, 2013 in
FOODIE ADVICE,
FRENCHIE FRIDAYS,
GUEST POSTS 
For Frenchie Friday and Beth Fish’s #WeekendCooking, Dana Gynther, author of CROSSING ON THE PARIS (Titanic meets Downton Abbey), talks about all that food aboard the oceanliner in her novel.
Take it away, Dana!
ONE OF THE DELIGHTS of writing “Crossing on the Paris,” set on a French Line ocean liner in 1921, was imagining the passengers’ meals. I confess, I spent far more time than was necessary researching antique steamer menus for sale on Ebay, from handwritten ones from the 19th century to those from emblematic ships like the Lusitania or the Titanic. Some dishes were mysteries to me—like Croûte au Pot or Charlotte Russe—and I had to look them up in my vintage copies of the Escoffier Cookbook and Larousse Gastronomique. I decided against using many of the fashionable recipes from the time—like sheep trotters and ox tongue—because they sound so unappealing today.
On ocean liners meals are the key events on board. My book has three main characters—two women travelers in First and Second class and a young woman in the Service Crew—and they all had to have different dining experiences, from the elegant, multi-course meals in First to the homey ones served family-style below. They were all, however, examples of traditional French cuisine in keeping with the fashions of the 1920s.
For example, Vera Sinclair, in First Class, could enjoy velvety lobster bisque with just a hint of cognac, prime sirloin cooked rare, and Peach Melba (a trademark of Escoffier, the first “celebrity chef”) topped with fresh raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. In Second Class, Constance Stone, unused to foreign food, is disappointed with her cold soup, crème Vichyssoise, and disconcerted by the one-eyed stare of her fish. Julie Vernet, suffering from mal de mer (sea sickness) in Steerage, doesn’t eat but helps serve garlic soup and rabbit to hundreds of people. Solid French cooking from the most elaborated to the most humble.
ALONG WITH THE FOOD, part of the dining experience was the ambience, the clothes, the service and the conversation, which also needed to be different for each class. The First Class dining room on the Paris was a work of art, with an immense glass ceiling and a double staircase for making grand entrances. We can imagine the porcelain tableware, the fresh flowers, Chopin coming from the grand piano in the corner. In Second, for our bourgeois guests in velveteen and tweed, the ceilings were lower, the palms shorter, the service less fawning. Despite the lack of frills in Steerage, the conversation was lively at the long tables and the waitresses could occasionally join in on the joke.
Besides dinners and luncheons, for the upper classes, there were also high teas with the best French pastries, cocktails (especially those popularized in the “American” bars in Paris—martinis, sidecars, white ladies, etc), as well as the traditional on-deck snack of bouillon and saltines. After five days on board, the ship would dock in New York, and the passengers would alight, refreshed and energetic. Undoubtedly, they would also arrive with a few pounds of “extra baggage.”
AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO LIKE HISTORICAL COOKING, Dana has shared a popular dish Vera, her first-class character, ordered aboard.
CROÛTE AU POT
1 thin baguette
Olive oil
4 and a half cups fresh beef or chicken consommé
1 onion
1 small turnip or parsnip
1 carrot
1 leek
1 stick of celery
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 large tomato
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1. Slice the baguette into rounds. Brush each side with olive oil and bake until crisp and golden.
2. Pour consommé into a saucepan and heat gently.
3. Peel the onion, turnip, carrot and dice. Add to the consommé with the garlic.
4. Bring to boil, then immediately reduce heat. Cover and simmer until vegetables are al dente.
5. Peel, de-seed and finely dice the tomato and add with the parsley.
6. Place two are three “croûtes” (toasts) in each bowl, fill with soup.
A classic, the dish appeared on the Luncheon Menu of the Lusitania (see menu) but also on the sea trials of the Titanic in April, 1912.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In 1921, the Gilded Age is drawing to a close, but not aboard the great ocean liner the Paris, on its maiden voyage between Le Havre and New York. Amidst the luxurious wood paneling and plush carpets of first class is the aging Vera Sinclair, who has made the difficult decision that after thirty years in Paris she will leave her dearest friend behind and return at last to Manhattan. In the cozy family comfort of second class, Constance Stone revels in unaccustomed freedom as she returns from a brief, failed mission in Paris to her home in Worcester, Massachusetts, where her adored little daughters and dull professor husband await. And on the stifling, noisy lowest deck below the waterline, young Le Havre native Julie Vernet tests her wings in her first job—unenviably serving meals in the steering class dining room. Three very different women from very different worlds, yet aboard the Paris their lives will intersect.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dana Gynther was raised in St Louis and Auburn, Alabama. After college, she lived in France for eighteen months, then returned to the University of Alabama to get an MA in French Literature. In 1994, she and her French-speaking Spanish husband moved to his hometown, Valencia (Spain), where they work as teachers and translators. She enjoys traveling, reading and writing, making collages, riding her bike around town, but mostly, spending time with her husband and their two daughters. Visit her website, www.DanaGynther.com for more details and ancedotes about oceanliners in the 1920′s.
****(Both the recipe and menu were taken from “The Captain’s Table: Life and Dining on the Great Ocean Liners” by Sarah Edington).
Posted by Heather on Apr 22, 2013 in
CONTESTS & HOPS,
WRITING TIPS Ever heard an agent or editor say the voice in your novel didn’t grab them? What does that mean, and more importantly, how do you fix it? Pinpointing what makes a novel’s voice alluring can be a difficult aspect to nail down. Many novice writers have trouble understanding the separation of the character’s voice from their own. What is the difference? We’ll dissect both elements in a two part series. So let’s begin with you, the writer.
AUTHOR’S VOICE is the style that distinguishes one writer from the next. Sandra Brown’s voice is quite different from Sherry Thomas’s, is widely different from C.W. Gortner’s. As readers, we identify with certain authors because of those differences, hence the reason publishing is so subjective. What are these elements?
WHAT MAKES YOUR VOICE UNIQUE
Does the author write rapid fire one-liners that make readers laugh? Are their novels tightly plotted with sharp detailing, or lyrical and flowing with flowery descriptions? These are part of voice. To break it down simply, the elements that make our novels stand out from each other are:
- the tone a writer uses
- types of phrasing
- the way the author evokes emotion from their readers
- how they emphasize plot points
- the types of characters they develop
- how they portray their view of the world through the actions of their characters
Another skill associated with author voice is…
MAKING THE ORDINARY SPARKLE
Authors with well-developed voices have a way of making the most trite object or situation appear fascinating and even twinkly. It’s not just a glass sitting on a table with condensation. It’s the boundary line between an arguing couple, sweating from the heat of their ire. It’s the pizzazz, the je ne sais quoi propelled by inner spirit and emotion that turns the mundane into something worth reading about.
Finally, let’s look at…
FINDING YOUR OWN VOICE
An author’s voice evolves over time as they become more in touch with their inner emotions, as they take in new experiences with a writer’s lens, and also as they learn…
Confidence: Many new writers make the mistake of mimicking an author’s voice they admire. While this may be helpful in the early phases of learning—to hone crafting skills—it can also be detrimental. It’s a delicate dance. Your voice can disappear inside someone else’s. What is needed above all is self-confidence.
It’s important to say these words aloud to someone: I am a writer. The more often you say it, the more the reality of that statement sinks into your brain. Eventually, you don’t feel like a phony anymore. You feel like a bonafide writer, a real artist with your own story to tell. Sure you like those other styles, but you have your OWN. Embrace it.
Read Mindfully: Reading and writing are closely linked. This is something every experienced author will tell you. Read loads of books, both in your genre and outside of it to widen your lens. Analyze the differences in author voice. What sort of techniques do they use that you like? Don’t like? Don’t put reading on the backburner while you’re writing. We never stop learning, and to grow as an author, reading is a must.
Let it Flow: Try free writing—about anything. Transition to free writing with your story in mind. Peel away years of defenses, of being the appropriate and professional at school, work, or online–this person, after all, is not the TRUE YOU.
What are your fears? Your biggest hurts? Your fantasies? These are the experiences that shape our emotional selves. And ultimately, your history shapes your voice. Sound scary? It is a bit, which is why many writers compare sharing their books to being naked in public. We funnel our inner desires, our demons into words, that everyone on the planet can read, applaud, or tear apart. It can be daunting, but unless the writer lets it all hang out, the voice is flat. It evaporates from the page.
Know your Audience: Who will GET your story? Who will sympathize with your protagonist? Your audience doesn’t need to define your voice, but it should certainly have a hand in shaping how you unveil your story elements.
Express Yourself: Madonna said it best. Don’t go for second best, baby. Put yourself to the test. How is your own life story unique? Despite the fact that every plotline has been told a hundred times, each one has a fresh viewpoint, a different set of circumstances. Emphasize these differences—this is where your voice will emerge.
Don’t Over-think it: Don’t try to sound like you, just relax and be natural. Think about one of the first academic papers you ever wrote. You wanted to appear smart so you dumped a bunch of fifty-cent words in the text. But it came off stiff, unnatural and at times probably didn’t even make sense. Don’t force your voice. It will rise to the surface if you listen to your heart.
Stay tuned for Part Two–honing your characters’ voices!
It’s All in the Voice Contest
Post the first 250 words of your novel to your blog, hop around and give feedback to others May 16t and 17th, and submit your final version by midnight, May 18th. Prizes include: an author marketing phone consultation with bestselling, self-published author Leia Shaw, FREE editing of your first 15 pages from moi (a $50 value), free books, and more! (Subscribe so you won’t miss any important posts!) The BIG contest post with all of the info goes up the week of May 6th. Stay tuned!
Posted by Heather on Apr 16, 2013 in
GUEST POSTS 
Please welcome author Kerry Schafer! Kerry is the urban fantasy author of the series THE BETWEEN. Her novel released earlier this year, to much acclaim. Kerry is busy at work on the second novel in the series to be released in February 2014.
About the Book
Vivian Maylor can’t sleep. Maybe it’s because she just broke up with her boyfriend and moved to a new town, or it could be the stress of her new job at the hospital. But perhaps it’s because her dreams have started to bleed through into her waking hours.
All of her life Vivian has rejected her mother’s insane ramblings about Dreamworlds for concrete science and fact, until an emergency room patient ranting about dragons spontaneously combusts before her eyes—forcing Viv to consider the idea that her visions of mythical beasts might be real.
And when a chance encounter leads her to a man she knows only from her dreams, Vivian finds herself falling into a world that seems strange and familiar all at once—a world where the line between dream and reality is hard to determine, and hard to control…
I love the idea of your dreamshifter! (I’m assuming this is nothing like Freddy Krueger? *shudders*) What exactly does a dreamshifter do?
This is where I have to admit that I won’t watch horror movies and don’t know what Freddy Krueger does. I only know he’s a scary dude from movies and he has long fignernails, right? My dreamshifter doesn’t have long fingernails. She’s an ER doc and keeps them clipped nice and short for work. But that’s not what you wanted to know, right? Dreamshifters are responsible for making sure elements of the Dreamworld don’t spill over into waking. Unfortunately for Vivian, when she gets stuck with the job she has no idea how to go about doing what she’s supposed to do.
What do you love most about your protagonist?
The thing I love most about Vivian is that she’s not a kick ass super heroine, but a real woman thrust into a strange and dangerous situation. Some of her greatest battles are fought with herself.
Do you draw upon your experience in a myriad of interesting jobs (lumberjack, OB nurse, etc.) to deepen your creative experience? How so?
I do! In Between I probably drew most on my experience as a mental health crisis worker. I spent a ton of time in the ER with that job, so that helped to shape the ER scenes. And it gave me an appreciation for the truly bizarre, and the way realities can get away from people.
What advice would you share with aspiring writers?
Don’t give up, and keep working to improve your craft. Also – write new books. I think every project teaches us something new, and if we keep reworking one thing forever and ever, we miss out on the opportunity to grow and get better.
SPEED ROUND
Favorite “Canadian” dish: Timbits!! Okay, so it’s not a dish. Still.
Best Place on Earth: Home
Hidden Talent: Procrastination. I excel. Although it’s possible this is not so hidden.
Greatest Vice: Procrastination.
About the Author
Kerry Schafer was born and raised in Canada*, moved back and forth across the border several times, and finally settled on a compromise. She now lives in Washington state, but within an hour’s drive of her home and native land. Her childhood book collection traveled with her through all of those moves, and although she now owns a Kindle she continues to acquire books and bookshelves. During her lifetime, Kerry has worked as a lumber piler, an OB nurse, a secretary, and a substitute teacher, among other things. No matter where she lives or what she is doing, she finds a way to create writing time. Currently she balances writing and family with her work as a mental health counselor.
*And yes, she does sometimes say ‘eh?’ but never, ever ‘aboot.’
Visit her at her site HERE, Twitter, or follow her weekly posts at The Debutante Ball.
