Name:

Hometown: Grove, Oklahoma

Book Title: Stuff In The Cornflakes

Genre: Nonfiction

Dorrance Publishing (DP): Describe your book in 10 words or less.

Stephen Helm (SH): Childhood memories of a loving brother and very abusive parents.

DP: What made you want to write your book?

SH: Time and again the boy wanted to tell someone about the beatings, the terrible conditions, and the sexual abuse by both parents. He was just a kid. He was unable to tell. It was an impossibility for his young mind to deal with. At the age of seven, after his adoption, his mother told him to forget all. He could not and vowed one day to tell the truth. A lie must be wrapped in a nice box with a fancy ribbon. The truth, however, can run naked through the streets.

DP: How long did it take you to write your book?

SH: It took me 6 months to write.

DP: How do you choose the names of your characters?

SH: He was called the “boy” the same way a person would name a dog “dog”.  He simply did not count. “Lonnie” was his brother’s real name. “Leon or old Leon” was his old man’s real name.  “The woman with the long blonde hair,” just could never be called mother on this or any other planet.

DP: What do you do when you have writer’s block?

SH: I sit in our kitchen and talk to my wife. She gives me suggestions.

DP: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

SH: Once they asked Mozart (I’m not comparing myself to Mozart), don’t you think your music has too many notes? He said his music had exactly the right amount of notes. Not one more, or not one less.

I think of my book the same way.  I can’t take this or that part out and say it’s perfect. That’s like asking a mother which part of her newborn baby does she like the best…this arm or that one.  I gave birth to the book, I like it all equally.

DP: If you were stuck on an island and had to have one person from each category with you, who would they be and why:

a. One character from your book:

SH: The doctor who treated the boy. For his kindness and courage.

b. One fictional character:

SH: There are no fictional characters in the book.

c. One famous person (living or dead):

SH: Will Rogers. Picturing him in sandals is what I hope Jesus is like. Someone else already said that.

DP: Besides writing, what are your other interests?

SH: Spending time with my eight grandchildren. And working on another book, “Shoot East Of The Smoke”.

DP: Do you keep a journal?

SH: No, but everyone should.

DP: How did you celebrate the publishing of your book?

SH: I hugged my wife.

DP: If your book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?

SH: Very hard for me, for the two kids.  Don’t know very many young child actors. For “old Leon” I would suggest the head guard in the “Shawshank” movie. For the “woman with the long blonde hair,” I would suggest Ann Chapman. Would have little in the way of dialog. I hope she would not have an accent. She would really need to be a serious dramatic actress.

To play the doctor, I would suggest Sam Waterston, the star of “Killing Fields”. The boy who would play Lonnie would need to have Native American features with jet black hair and be muscular. The “boy” would need to be skinny and have platinum blonde hair. For the junk dealer: Graham Green. The grandmother would be played by a Native American woman in her sixties.

Her husband, “Burt” would be played by Bob Balaban. Semi coherent, but when lucid fun to be around. The “boy” loved him. The “Angel in the Sun” would be played by an attractive, slender Cherokee woman with jet black hair, which is styled like the late 30’s or 40’s. She wants to hide from everyone the fact that she is Indian. She would not want to openly discuss her relatives or her heritage. The slightest embarrassment to her becomes monumental. Appearance to her is everything.

DP: What did you enjoy most about working with Dorrance Publishing?

SH: Dorrance contained the most honest and direct people. Absolutely professional. Really enjoyed working with them.

DP: Five favorite books of all time?

SH: Any by James A. Michener. The favorites would be “Alaska”, followed by “Hawaii”, “The Source”, “The Covenant”, and then “Texas”.

DP: One sentence of advice for other writers:

SH: Never ever give anyone advice, even if they ask for it. That’s a load too heavy to bear. Try to appear to be the last person anyone would want advice from.

Are you ready to publish your book? Contact us today!

The post Author Spotlight: Steven Ralph Helm appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Name:

Hometown: Portmore, St Catherine, Jamaica.

Book Title: True Reflections

Genre: Spiritual

Dorrance Publishing (DP): Describe your book in 10 words or less.

Latoya Harris (LH): It is engaging, it’s realistic, and relatable. It is an enthralling compilation of God’s goodness.

DP: What made you want to write your book?

LH: I was faced with multiple afflictions and the inspirations kept coming. I normally write my thoughts and people also encouraged me to write.

DP: How long did it take you to write your book?

LH: It took approximately 3 hours on and off.

DP: How do you choose the names of your characters?

LH: I wrote about real-life events with real characters.

DP: What do you do when you have writer’s block?   

LH: I normally just take a break from writing.

DP: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

LH: My favourite chapter is “Learning to Love”. It is my favourite chapter because I had to revisit my past and I also spoke about my mother. I’m her only child and we had problems expressing our love. Sometimes in life, you will have to revisit your past to pave the road for the future.

DP: If you were stuck on an island and had to have one person from each category with you, who would they be and why:

a. One character from your book:

LH: Joan Campbell.

b. One fictional character:

LH: No fictional character.

c. One famous person (living or dead):

LH: None.

DP: Besides writing, what are your other interests?

LH: Well, I am a Registered Nurse. I love my work because I love to see people being restored to health. I love to sing even though I am not gifted to sing. I do very well at encouraging people and also enjoy cooking a lovely meal.

DP: Do you keep a journal?

LH: Yes.

DP: How did you celebrate the publishing of your book?

LH: At first, I was in a place of denial. I had problems with English Language and now I am a published author. It is like I am still dreaming. I am now waking up out of the dream. Everyone is happy for me and helping me to see and believe it’s a great accomplishment. December 13^th is my birthday and I celebrated by hosting a birthday party and book launch on December 14^th, 2019. In Jamaica, my story has been placed in the Newspaper and the Caribbean News as well. It is all over the world via Facebook. It is a great feeling, but I am humbled.

DP: If your book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?

LH: I would be one of the main characters because of the title: True Reflections. These are my reflections. In addition, my mother: Joan Campbell.

DP: What did you enjoy most about working with Dorrance Publishing?

LH: The employees of the company are easy to talk with.

DP: Five favorite books of all time?

LH:

1. Rules of Engagement by Dr. Cindy Trimm

2. Woman Thou Art Loosed by T.D Jakes

3. The Lady, Her Lover, And Her Lord by T.D Jakes

4. Crushing by T.D Jakes

5. Woman by Myles Munroe

DP: One sentence of advice for other writers:

LH: We should remember that people will always remember what we say, so we should remain positive.

Are you ready to publish your book? Contact us today!

The post Author Spotlight: Latoya Harris appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Hometown: Phoenixville, PA

Book Title: In and Out of Uniform

Genre: Memoir

Dorrance Publishing (DP): Describe your book in 10 words or less.

Lisa Kirk (LK): Inspiring, healing, hopeful, recourse, courageous, liberating, must-read, heart-wrenching.

DP: What made you want to write your book?

LK: I have been through so much in my military career and I wanted to inspire those who had faced the same challenges that I had faced in the book.

DP: How long did it take you to write your book?

LK: It took me about a year to write my book.

DP: How do you choose the names of your characters?

LK: The names of the characters are protected as I didn’t want to give out their actual names based off the story in the book. My family is easy to figure out, but in the military, those who know me will probably know who those individuals are.

DP: What do you do when you have writer’s block?   

LK: I love to listen to spa music or classical music when I get the writer’s block.

DP: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

LK: My favorite chapter would have to be Chapter 5: Opportunities. I have accomplished a lot in my career and it is a positive chapter for the readers.

DP: If you were stuck on an island and had to have one person from each category with you, who would they be and why:

a. One character from your book:

LK: My mommy because she is the best.

b. One fictional character:

LK: John Wick because he is a protector.

c. One famous person (living or dead):

LK: Janis Joplin because we would serenade the island with amazing music.

DP: Besides writing, what are your other interests?

LK: I love playing guitar, playing hand pan, and working out. I’m also an artist who loves to do sip-n-paints and giving paintings to others.

DP: Do you keep a journal?

LK: I don’t keep a journal. Cognitive Process Thinking is a form of therapy that I went through in the military that helped me write my trauma out and process it in a certain amount of time. I used these stories in my book to help others.

DP: How did you celebrate the publishing of your book?

LK: I haven’t celebrated my book because I am humble. I seriously want to inspire and keep praying this book will continue to touch and heal those who have dealt with the same similarities that I had.

DP: If your book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?

LK: I would love to play myself in the movie, but if I cannot be the main character then I would like Regina Davis. I cannot think of any other characters at this time because it would simply be an honor for my book to become a movie.

DP: What did you enjoy most about working with Dorrance Publishing?

LK: Dorrance kept me well-informed throughout the whole process.

DP: Five favorite books of all time?

LK: I am not an avid reader since I am a busy woman.

DP: One sentence of advice for other writers:

LK: Be honest, be strong, and believe.

Are you ready to publish your book? Contact us today!

The post Author Spotlight: Lisa Kirk appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Name:

Hometown: Aubrey (Dallas) Texas

Book Title: The Alaska Chronicles

Genre: Nonfiction/Adventure

Dorrance Publishing (DP): Describe your book in 10 words or less.

Keith A. Nelson (KAN): A young man just out of High School travels to Alaska.

DP: What made you want to write your book?

KAN: I thought that it would be a good idea to write all of this down while I still remembered the details.

DP: How long did it take you to write your book?

KAN: It was intermittent….a chapter at a time over about 18 months.

DP: How do you choose the names of your characters?

KAN: This book used mostly real names of the characters. In other writing, I look at things such as age, region, personality, demographics, etc.

DP: What do you do when you have writer’s block?   

KAN: I try to think through it….tweaking the plot if necessary so there is a better flow. However, before I write I usually have put it together in my mind.

DP: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

KAN: I like writing epilogues. It can be used to explain things and give a different time perspective to what has happened in the story.

DP: If you were stuck on an island and had to have one person from each category with you, who would they be and why:

a. One character from your book:

KAN: The hitchhiker George Heath. I’d love to talk to him after all these years.

b. One fictional character:

KAN: Mr. Spock in Star Trek (you said fictional).

c. One famous person (living or dead):

KAN: Elon Musk…what a bright guy. I’d love to pick his brain.

DP: Besides writing, what are your other interests?

KAN: Reading (obviously), current events, target shooting, photography, collecting various things.

DP: Do you keep a journal?

KAN: No…but I should have. I’ve always relied on my memory, which was excellent in my youth but not so much these days.

DP: How did you celebrate the publishing of your book?

KAN: I’ll wait until I get encouraging information on sales before I celebrate….but even then I’m pretty stoic.

DP: If your book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?

KAN: A casting guy I am not, and I don’t know too many young actors now. I would hope they were realistic and appropriate for the parts.

DP: What did you enjoy most about working with Dorrance Publishing?

KAN: They were very patient with me. I am a bit particular about my writing and they rolled with it and didn’t complain.

DP: Five favorite books of all time?

KAN: This is a tough one…so many books, but I will list 5 that had an influence on me.

Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger

When the Lion Feeds – Wilbur Smith

The Old Man and the Sea – Hemmingway

The Gods Themselves – Isaac Asimov

The Green Berets – Robin Moore (Robin became a friend of mine)

DP: One sentence of advice for other writers:

KAN: Keep working your craft and don’t get discouraged by rejection.

Are you ready to publish your book? Contact us today!

The post Author Spotlight: Keith A. Nelson appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Hometown: Reno, Nevada

Book Title: The Disney Apprentice: Transferable Lessons Learned

Genre: Non-Fiction

Dorrance Publishing (DP): Describe your book in 10 words or less.

Chuck Shields (CS): Stories in Disney culture, leadership, and transferable best practices.

DP: What made you want to write your book?

CS: My wife and daughter, who work with me in my consulting practice, urged me to take time out to share my Disney stories and experiences. I wanted organizations to understand how many of the best practices and cultural interventions designed at Disney can be successfully integrated into other organizations. My challenge at ManorCare/Choice Hotels Intl. was to see if we could use several of the best practices in an entirely different industry. It worked and we set new standards for the healthcare industry for Talent Management.

DP: How long did it take you to write your book?

CS: Eight months. Included fun stories, best practices, lessons learned, and Disney trivia.

DP: How do you choose the names of your characters?

CS: Used actual people and experiences.

DP: What do you do when you have writer’s block?

CS: I avoided writer’s block for the most part by spending considerable time upfront in developing a sequential outline. Occasionally had to stop and review where I was on the outline and create bullet points on the issues I wished to address.

DP: What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

CS: A toss-up between discussing my time leading the Disney University, which was described to me by the President of our Theme Parks worldwide as the “Keeper of the Keys of our culture” and my years at Imagineering helping recruit the creative design staff, the engineering team, project management team and prototype manufacturing group that designed, engineered, and built EPCOT Center and our first overseas version of Disneyland in Tokyo, Japan.

DP: If you were stuck on an island and had to have one person from each category with you, who would they be and why:

a. One character from your book:

CS: Van France, the first Manager of the Disney University. He and I developed a wonderful relationship during my Disney Days.

b. One fictional character:

CS: None.

c. One famous person (living or dead):

CS: George Bush Sr.

DP: Besides writing, what are your other interests?

CS: Still consulting with some very interesting organizations. Golf and my 7 grandchildren.

DP: Do you keep a journal?

CS: No, but I should.

DP: How did you celebrate the publishing of your book?

CS: Sent copies to my family and close friends.

DP: If your book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?

CS: Not sure it would work as a movie.

DP: What did you enjoy most about working with Dorrance Publishing?

CS: There interest in marketing the book.

DP: Five favorite books of all time?

CS: 1. The Host 2. Clive Cussler books 3. The Da Vinci Code 4. Jack Reacher

DP: One sentence of advice for other writers:

CS: It’s hard work, but a great feeling of accomplishment when completed.

Are you ready to publish your book? Contact us today!

The post Author Spotlight: Chuck Shields appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Imagine you’re walking around a bookstore looking for something new to read. Usually, you pick up a book when you’re intrigued by a cover that looks like it’s from a genre you’re interested in reading. As an author, that means if you choose a cover that differentiates from the genre of your book, the wrong readers will be picking up (most likely putting back down) your book.

So how do you know what kind of book cover would match your book? Obviously, you should do your own research by looking up other books in your genre and imagine similar covers for your book. But we’ve compiled some suggestions for you as well:

1) Contemporary

Typically, contemporary covers are rather simple. Many have little cartoonish illustrations of one or two of the characters or an object that’s significant or symbolic in the book. Others will have actual photographs, whether stock photo images or perhaps the author hires models to pose as their characters. Another common contemporary cover would be a photo of a landscape. Figure out what is most relevant to your content and highlight it keeping these ideas in mind.

2) Fantasy

This is a more imaginative genre and your cover should reflect that while still remaining relevant to the content of your book. A tell-tale indication that it’s a fantasy book is if the cover has one of the following: a crown, a sword, a helmet, a throne, or a dragon (Oh and don’t just stick with dragons–illustrations of animals like lions or phoenixes are also popular for fantasy books).  Another common choice is to have an artist hand-draw characters or a relevant scene from your book. This choice is very popular, especially for adult fantasy books…just make sure it relates to your content.

3) Science Fiction

The majority of science fiction works are dystopian and many have dark overtones. Typically, the covers reflect this. It’s also common for a science fiction book cover to depict some of the technology that a reader should expect to find within the book. Whether that’s a hand-drawn illustration of a spaceship, a space gun, a spacesuit, or even a circuit board. If your book takes place another planet, it’s common to depict that on the cover. You may even design the entire city landscape on the cover. Just remember that, while contemporary novels may be light and romantic, your city would need a darker overtone and the illustration would need to clearly show a technological difference between this city and one we’d be able to find in our world today. If none of this appeals to you, check out some old science fiction covers like Dune or The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and create a cover with a similar vintage feel. This is an especially good design route to take if you think your book would appeal to similar readers.

4) Romance

Obviously, these covers vary, but if you want readers to know right away that they’re picking up a romance novel, the easy solution is having a couple on the cover. There are various ways you can do this, whether it’s with an illustration or a photograph, so do your research and figure out what works best for your book. Another common choice is a girl in a beautiful, flowing dress (often running). Finally, a third good indicator of a romance novel is to have something either stereotypically romantic or relevant to the couple within your book. This could mean a picture of flowers, a butterfly, or (if your book involves letters) perhaps a set of letters. Think about what items are important to the couple in your story to help you draw some inspiration.

5) Nonfiction

When it comes to nonfiction book covers, less is more. A lot of covers depict simply the title and author in a nice font. They may play around with the actual color of the cover and font, but they will often not include an image or, if they do, it is very small. Any image or photograph that you include in the cover should be directly and clearly significant to the content. Whereas with fiction books these items can be elusive, with nonfiction they need to very clearly deal with the content. So, if the book is about the history of a city, having a photograph of the city as the cover would work. Or, if the book is about how to play the guitar, include a small photo or illustration of a guitar. You can play around with how modern or vintage it looks, but make sure the images are relevant. This isn’t the time to be imaginative. Just be simple, clear, and concise. Otherwise, you’ll have fiction readers picking up your book instead.

6) Suspense/Mystery

This genre’s cover is relatively easy. All you need is a bold font choice that takes up almost the entire cover and perhaps a backdrop of an item or place that relates in some way to the plot or title of the book. If your book involves someone drowning in a lake, throw in a photo or drawing of an eerie lake. Or, if your book involves a pocket watch, include one in the center between the title and author name. Keep in mind, though, not to accidentally give away a clue through the item you choose. For example, if the pocket watch is going to end up being the key to the mystery, choose a different item. Whatever is on the cover, astute readers will be on the lookout for it. Make sure you choose an item or location that’s relevant without being the key to solving your mystery.

The post Choosing the Right Book Cover appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Memoir vs. Autobiography: Know the difference

Writers often make the mistake of using these two terms interchangeably, but they are actually two very different things. An Autobiography is the story of the entirety of one’s life. All of the events one has experienced or remembers from birth to present. Typically these are done chronologically with an emphasis on factual information, but that isn’t required.

A Memoir, however, draws on a select set of stories or anecdotes from your life to support a specific theme or message. This message would either be something the readers are meant to learn from or a statement on the human condition as a whole. So, for example, say you wanted to write about your experiences being a victim of domestic violence. A memoir would involve pulling the specific stories necessary to tell your experience with that part of your life and, ultimately, how you overcame it and the lessons you learned along the way.

Choose Wisely

Which you choose, ultimately, depends in part on both your goals as well as your influential status. So, for example, if you’re writing the book to be a piece of you to leave with family so they have a chronical of your life, an Autobiography would be best. In addition, an Autobiography would also work well if you’re a celebrity or an influential public figure. When you have influence, readers clamor to hear all of the intricate details of your entire life.

However, should neither of those be the case, we’d recommend going with the Memoir format. This style is more about allowing readers to experience and learn from your life and, if you’re hoping to be established as a writer through this book, this is the right way to go. The focus of a Memoir is more to how to allow readers to gain something valuable from your book, which is conducive with building a following.

Choose a Theme

If you choose to write a Memoir, your first step will be choosing a theme. You’ll likely already have something in mind because that’s typically what prompts people to pursue Memoir writing in the first place. But think on the subject in more detail. You may have a traumatic experience or unique upbringing you’d like to share, but ask yourself: How did the experience affect me? How does it still affect me? Did I overcome the adversity I faced? If so, what did I learn from it? If not, why didn’t I? Make sure you’re choosing a subject that involves a conflict or a journey of some sort, otherwise readers won’t be able to gain any insight from your experiences. Think about it, if your book is about how you easily put yourself through grad school, how are readers supposed to relate? What would they learn from that experience?

Organize Your Story

This next step is applicable to both Autobiographies and Memoirs: get organized! Figure out the best order for the story you want to tell. For some, it’s chronological, but for others, their stories work best jumping back and forth in time. You want to create suspense, drama, and reveals–this is part of what makes any story good. Write down all the events that get the readers from point a (the conflict) and point b (learning the lesson) and figure out the most effective order of events.

Be Brutally Honest

You’re not going to like where we’re going with this, but bear with us. Some writers make the mistake of writing a memoir or autobiography that is actually a barely disguised Burn Book. They write the whole novel from the perspective of how blameless they are for every misfortune in their lives and how everything bad about their life is person A and person B’s fault. If you go this route, similar to the girls from Mean Girls, you’re making a big mistake -huge (different movie, but you get it).

Readers want to relate to you as the protagonist of this book and it can be difficult to relate to someone who paints themselves as perfect. In addition, if you make yourself seemingly flawless and blameless, you’ll come across as arrogant. Never be afraid to own up to things you’ve done wrong and paint a flawed picture of yourself. Not only will readers gain a lot more insight from an honest take, but they’ll relate and empathize with your journey a whole lot more.

Use Fiction Writing Techniques

This is solely for Memoir writers- start thinking like a fiction writer. The goal of your book is to create a compelling story with a specific theme or message that readers can receive. To do this effectively, you’ll need to think of yourself not as yourself, but as the protagonist of a story. Show details rather than tell them, create scenes in a visual and sensory way that readers can experience rather than simply hear about. Use direct and indirect dialogue, character arc, point of view, setups/payoffs, etc., the way a fiction writer would in order to tell a compelling tale that will hook readers in. Your life is no longer your life now, your life is a story. What does that story say?

The post Genre Spotlight: Autobiography/Memoir appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Be expected, but not boring

When writing a back cover blurb, you want it to set you apart from other books in your genre. To set yourself apart is good, to be too different from the rest is not. For example, if you’ve written a non-fiction self-help book and the back blurb reads more like a thriller novel, that’s going to leave readers more confused than engaged. Be engaging, but if your prose is leading you too far out of the ordinary…slam on the breaks.

It’s a blurb, not a summary

Remember, there’s a big difference between a book summary and a book blurb. The summary goes over all the plot points and the main character arc–that’s not what you want for the back of your book. Your back blurb should merely tease the readers on the plot points or knowledge they’ll find within. The back blurb should promise to entertain or help the reader without giving away anything major.

Choose your opener tactic

Now, your tactic will largely depend on your genre. Some tactics work for different genres, but others may only work for one. Regardless of your genre, the first few opening lines of your blurb are crucial. If readers aren’t grabbed right away, they may just move on to the next without much consideration. Here are a few different tactics to try:

a) Start with a quote

If you’ve written a fiction book (fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary, etc.), we highly recommend using this tactic. It shows off a bit of your writing style, which will keep the readers intrigued enough to read the rest of your blurb. Find a line or section that you’re particularly proud of, italicize it, and plug it into the beginning of your blurb. Ideally, this line should be something to do with the main action of the story, but not something with spoilers. Regardless of how you feel about the novel Twilight, the blurb is a great example of an engaging blurb quote:

“About three things I was absolutely positive.
First, Edward was a vampire.
Second, there was a part of him – and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be – that thirsted for my blood.
Third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.”

b) Ask a Question:

Example: “Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?” (Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.)

c) Set a scene:

Example: “At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet, a curmudgeon with staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People think him bitter, and he thinks himself surrounded by idiots.” (Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove.)

d) Make a promise:

“Fitness, money and wisdom – here are the tools.” (Tim Ferriss, Tools of Titans.)

Genre Breakdown

The formula for writing out your back ad is different between fiction and nonfiction genres. Once you have your opening line(s) down, consult this breakdown to help you with the rest.

1) Fiction:

If you’re writing a Fiction back cover blurb, Beth Bacon (award-winning author and marketer) suggests this formula:

a) Situation: Briefly describe the circumstances of the story
b) Problem: Next, write about the situation or conflict that makes change inevitable.
c) Hopeful Possibility: Provide the hope of overcoming this crisis. This would be either an interesting character or long-shot possibility that gives hope that this difficult problem may be overcome.
d) Mood: Describe the emotional state the readers will have while reading your story. A few example phrases are: “dark, dystopian tragedy” or “romantic and humorous chick lit”.

2) Nonfiction:

Nonfiction Author Kelly Exeter suggests this simple formula for nonfiction back blurbs:

a) Introduce the problem
b) Outline how you propose to solve it (ideally using bullet points)
c) Tell the reader how their lives will be better after reading your book

Ultimately, your blurb is your pitch to the readers.  Potential readers take a few moments to make the decision between spending hours reading your work and putting it down to find something else. We can’t stress enough how important it is to take your time really perfecting your blurb. If done properly, after reading your back cover, there will be no going back (or putting back on the shelf, for that matter).

The post Writing Your Back Cover Blurb appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Whose story is it?

A short story is all about creating a satisfying and believable character arc within a finite number of pages. So the last thing you want to do is go back and forth between two POV’s or try to give two characters an arc (trust us, it’s hard enough to do one). Even if you want two characters to be within the central action of the story–even if you want the events of the story to change multiple people in some way–the story should only belong to one character. And that should be the character who is going to be most drastically affected by the events that unfold. Ultimately, if a reader reads your story and can’t answer the question, “Whose story is this?” by the end, you’re doing something wrong.

Why now? Why today?

As we said before, the biggest challenge of a short story is that you basically have to do what a book does in terms of character arc within a short number of pages. Because of this, it’s crucial that you ask yourself- why is this story happening today? When attempting to write a short story, a lot of writers make the mistake of focusing solely on forming an interesting and engaging character and failing to focus on why this day specifically is important to the character’s life as a whole. Character drives plot so of course, it’s important to have an engaging character to carry the story, but the story needs to be happening on an extremely important day in their life.

When reading about this, a lot of writers then make the mistake of thinking that means that a huge event needs to happen in this character’s life. They’ll assume their parents have to get divorced or they need to be involved in a school shooting for the story to be purposeful enough. However, it doesn’t have to be a huge monumental event on the grand scale of things, it simply needs to be a huge monumental event to this specific character.

For example, perhaps the story starts with a character in his fifties and his wife tells him the doctor called to set up a checkup. A reader may assume its something dire, but perhaps this man just has refused to go to the doctor’s for the last thirty years, insisting that they’re wackjobs while secretly just being afraid of finding out something is wrong. Perhaps this is a fight he and his wife have been having annually all of this time. And, by the end of the story, he decides to finally go. To most people an annual check-up with a doctor isn’t life or death- but if it is to the character, then you have a good story.

What does the protagonist want? What is keeping him/her from getting it?

Another core aspect of a short story is character desire. While in a book-length manuscript we say that character drives the plot, in a short story it’s more specifically character desire that drives it. It needs to be made clear right from the beginning what the protagonist of the story wants and they need to want it badly. It’s not engaging to write a wishy-washy character that sort of wants something or might want it, because then the story has nothing at stake. The character has nothing to gain or lose over the course of the events that take place. And to be clear, they can have a negative desire as well. For example, in the above scenario, our main character desperately wants to avoid the doctor–that’s his core desire that drives the plot. In addition, the conflict comes in through whatever forces are keeping the protagonist from getting what they want. For example, in the above scenario, the conflicting force is obvious–the conflict is his wife insisting he go to the doctors.

Choice

Ultimately, the climax of a short story should always be a choice that the protagonist faces. In books, a climax can be a long battle scene or something with a lot of action, but in a short story when the conflict comes to a boiling point it must lead to the character making a choice. And the events of the story up until that point should make it clear what the cost of the choice will be.

The choice can’t be black and white, right or wrong kind of choice, either. It should present two options or paths to the protagonist and we should see that they will gain and lose something no matter what they choose. So let’s take our previous example for instance. Let’s say the story leads to the couple fighting and the wife making it clear that their marriage hangs on the balance of whether he goes to the doctor. In this choice, our protagonist either loses his wife or loses his sense of safety. And he either gains another year of peaceful denial or he gains a wife who feels happy in her marriage.

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