Welcome back to Ruminating … for another installment of Monday Messenger, wherein I take some of the most interesting blog posts related to writing and independent publishing and relay them to you!
Why Procrastination is Good for You
Smithsonian Magazine (Megan Gambino)
Right out of the gate, a curious and most interesting post that could only come from our friends at Smithsonian Magazine. While this story is geared toward those in work or school settings, I think it applies to all walks of life, especially fiction writing. Megan Gambino tells us that University of San Diego Professor Frank Partnoy has written a book in which he claims that the ability to make decisions at the last possible moment is a key to success.
Why?
Well, among other things, Prof. Partnoy tells us that the Romans and Greeks embraced procrastination and that the idea that procrastination is bad is mostly a “New World” philosophy. In general, Partnoy believes people to be happier and more successful when they procrastinate and that, in actuality, we all procrastinate something…everyday. It’s not about whether or not we procrastinate, it’s “whether we are procrastinating well.”
Characters Aren’t for Kids
My Transforming Stories (a guest post by Lia London)
My good friend Lia London always has a unique way of explaining things.
In this blog post, Ms. London tells us that the key to good characterization is to avoid the cartoonish kind of characterization that kids watch on television on Saturday morning. In her words, “the good guys are completely altruistic, and the bad guys bathe in evil juice twice a day.”
If you want to learn how to treat your story’s characters like everyday people, I highly recommend Lia’s post.
As a bonus link, check out My Transforming’s post on Coming Up with a Good Story Idea.
How to Get Your Self-Published Book Noticed
How to Write Shop (Guest Post by Kallypso Masters)
The title says it all.
Everyone who publishes their own book wants to sell lots of their own books. Among the tips given by Kallypso: Delve in to social media and create a blog wherein, among other posts, you will post excerpts of your works in progress.
Some of Kallypso’s tips are basic but others are good tips for indie authors to live by. Definitely check out this post. Kallypso Masters is an erotic/romance/BDSM writer, but the post is SFW.
As a bonus grammar link, check out HWS’ post by Rachel Berens-VanHeest on the correct usage of “Who vs. That.”
Starter Covers
The Indelibles (Elle Strauss)
At some point after you’ve published your book, you might feel compelled to update the cover art. The cover you currently have either doesn’t convey the story you tell or you got the original design on the cheap and want to upgrade and polish it.
Young adult and middle-grade author Elle Strauss tells us when to update the cover art for our books … and it’s certainly about the timing as some authors change their covers too soon. If you want to avoid any cover art makeover pitfalls, give Elle’s post a look.
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