Dark Thoughts And Writing Tips
I’m on Darlene Reilley’s blog, giving some tips for newer writers.
https://darwrites.wordpress.com/2017/03/31/cynthia-saxs-insights-for-new-writers/
Here’s a snippet…
There are also no lethal mistakes in this wonderful business. I’ve made a gazillion mistakes and I still have a career. One of these days, because I take quite a few risks, I’ll make a career-destroying mistake. All this means is I will have to reinvent myself under a new pen name.
Knowing that, I can be brave and try things.
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Can love redeem a monster?
The Refuge is home to some of the most violent beings in the universe. Kralj, its leader, reigns over the remote outpost with terrifying ease, ruthlessly squashing any rumors of rebellion, killing anyone who breaks his rules. Primitive, deadly, powerful, he’s a monster, scarred both on his face and his soul. He has never met a being he couldn’t control.
Until he meets her.
Dita has one mission—to kill the three targets claiming sanctuary within the Refuge. Or so she claims. For the first time in his long lifespan, Kralj isn’t certain of another being’s intentions. The tiny assassin is immune to his powers, her thoughts unreadable. He can’t predict her movements, can’t control her, can’t stop wanting her.
Dita is rare, as unique as he is, and, to keep the residents of the Refuge safe, Kralj will have to kill her. But first, he’ll touch her, taste her, show her how passionate the beast inside him can be.
Dark Thoughts is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance.
The hero might be tall, dark, and scarred but don’t be fooled by his appearance.
He’s truly a monster.
This story is not for readers with delicate sensibilities.
Order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-thoughts/id1200022597
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-thoughts-cynthia-sax/1125580992
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-thoughts-3
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/699393
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Dark Thoughts And Writing Tips
When A Writing Buddy Walks Away From Publishing
Being a writer is one of the best jobs in the world.
This business can, however, be challenging emotionally and financially. The first five years or so of my published writing career, I spent more on writing than I made from it. The income not only didn’t cover my living expenses. It didn’t cover my writing expenses.
Success in this business is also a group thing. We often team up with other writers. These writing buddies push us to meet our deadlines, pitch in when things go wrong, help with marketing. Many of the writers in Romanceland are friends. We cheer for each other.
When one of us decides to walk away from publishing, it is challenging for the folks remaining. Like any loss, it can be accompanied by a wide range of emotions from anger to sadness. It often makes us question whether or not we should continue with this wonderful yet sometimes precarious journey.
Reasons For Walking Away
Writers have different reasons for walking away from publishing.
Some writers have a goal they want to achieve and when they achieve it, they move to different goals. Maybe they want to have a book published. That happens. Goal accomplished! Woot! Their next goal is to build their own house. That has nothing to do with publishing so they walk away from the business. Maybe their goal is to make a bestseller list or have a print book on a shelf in their mother’s favorite bookstore or… there are as many goals as there are writers.
That’s a happy reason for writers leaving the business. We will still miss our writing buddies but our sorrow is mixed with joy.
Then there are the writers who are ‘forced’ to leave. They can’t afford to continue writing, either financially, time-wise, or emotionally. That’s more challenging for the rest of us to deal with (and will be the focus of the rest of this post).
Self-Care First
Your friend has made a huge gut-wrenching decision. It might seem selfish to deal with our own feelings but we have to take care of ourselves to be able to take care of our friends.
When I hear a buddy has walked away from the writing or is considering it (once this is verbalized, I find the odds of the buddy leaving the business are pretty darn high), my writing day is done. I can’t focus on the words, not when someone’s dream is in jeopardy. The writing can wait for a day.
I talk things over with someone not in the business (often my Dear Wonderful Hubby). I ask him the questions I want to ask my friend yet know she isn’t in the right place to hear. I express my doubts about my own career. I cry. I get angry. I derive ‘solutions’ that I shouldn’t ever suggest to my friend.
I purge my emotions and then I can tackle the situation rationally.
You Are Not The Same Writer
The most important thing is to realize you are NOT your writing buddy. She made the right decision for her but she is a different person in a different situation. And you don’t know everything about that situation. Studies say that over 60% of people keep secrets from their spouses ( https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201406/why-we-keep-secrets-our-partners ). She’s your friend. The odds are… you will never know the entire situation.
Your writing buddy might be a New York Times Bestselling Writer but that doesn’t mean every release has sold that well. It doesn’t mean she can support her gazillion dependents on those earnings. It doesn’t mean she was covered by insurance when XXX disaster happened. It doesn’t mean she has the time to write and also care for her children and her aging parents. It doesn’t mean she can handle the harsh reviews on her most recent release, the book of her heart.
So don’t automatically think, ‘Well, if she can’t make it, I can’t make it.’ You are not the same person.
The Writing Dream Can Be Paused
The other thing to keep in mind is your buddy could return to publishing later. I’ve seen plenty of writers take breaks and then return years later, refreshed, in a better place to tackle this wonderful business.
Right now, your friend thinks she has quit permanently. Telling her that it doesn’t have to be permanent will likely result in an argument. But you can hold that ‘secret’ close to your heart, whispering in your best Arnie voice, ‘She’ll be back.’ (grins)
Communicating With Your Buddy
Once I’ve wrangled my own emotions under control, I can talk with my buddy. I’ll listen to her, offering her my support. I usually cool it with discussing my own writing issues for a while, focusing on her.
Then a week or two or three later, I’ll ask her if she wants to hear about the writing business or if she would prefer we talk about non-writing things. It can be extremely painful to hear about a dream you’ve recently walked away from. We have plenty of other things happening in our lives to talk about.
That’s how I survive when buddies walk away from publishing. Do you have any other tips?
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Can love redeem a monster?
The Refuge is home to some of the most violent beings in the universe. Kralj, its leader, reigns over the remote outpost with terrifying ease, ruthlessly squashing any rumors of rebellion, killing anyone who breaks his rules. Primitive, deadly, powerful, he’s a monster, scarred both on his face and his soul. He has never met a being he couldn’t control.
Until he meets her.
Dita has one mission—to kill the three targets claiming sanctuary within the Refuge. Or so she claims. For the first time in his long lifespan, Kralj isn’t certain of another being’s intentions. The tiny assassin is immune to his powers, her thoughts unreadable. He can’t predict her movements, can’t control her, can’t stop wanting her.
Dita is rare, as unique as he is, and, to keep the residents of the Refuge safe, Kralj will have to kill her. But first, he’ll touch her, taste her, show her how passionate the beast inside him can be.
Dark Thoughts is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance.
The hero might be tall, dark, and scarred but don’t be fooled by his appearance.
He’s truly a monster.
This story is not for readers with delicate sensibilities.
Order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-thoughts/id1200022597
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-thoughts-cynthia-sax/1125580992
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-thoughts-3
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/699393
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on When A Writing Buddy Walks Away From Publishing
Is The Quality Of Editing The Writer’s Responsibility?
I’ve seen quite a few posts from readers, reviewers, bloggers about how books shouldn’t be evaluated on the basis of editing because ‘It isn’t the writer’s fault. It is the editor’s fault.’
That’s very generous but it isn’t correct.
Bad editing IS the writer’s fault. A competent writer knows when her story is badly edited. She either hires a more competent editor if she’s self-publishing or she hires an additional editor if she’s with a publisher.
Yes, I heard those gasps. We, writers, usually don’t control whom the publisher hires to edit our stories. If we’re assigned a bad editor (and there are some of those in the business, even at the big New York publishers) and the publisher refuses to change our editor AND we care about the quality of our stories, we sometimes have to fix the problem by hiring our own editors. I’ve done this. Other writers have also.
If we can’t afford an editor, there’s always the critique partner route. Again, we have control over who critiques our stories and we have control over the quality of editing. It is our job to know the difference between a good edit and a bad edit.
Should a story receive a poor review because it has two or three typos? I read, on average, a romance novel a day and I have yet to read one that has no typos. There are no perfect stories. BUT the story should be readable. The errors shouldn’t be distracting.
There Are Different Types Of Editors
There are two main types of editors.
Content/Development Editors – These are the big picture folks. They look at our stories at the overall story and the scene levels. Does the story work? Are the main characters sympathetic? Do they have solid GMCs (Goals, Motivations, Conflicts)? Does every scene work? Is every scene needed? Do the scenes flow? Is the story structure right? Is the pacing right? Etc.
Line/Copy Editors – These are the detail folks. They look at our stories from the sentence level, hunting for typos, grammar goofs, that one wrong word choice that could change the story completely, echoes (repeated words or phrases), etc.
Some editors will do both.
It is important to know which type of editor we’re hiring. The bad editing that readers often talk about is due to bad line/copy edits. The writer will be assigned full responsibility for a bad content edit.
If you’re hiring both types of editors, I advise having the content edit completed first. It makes no sense to fix a sentence if the entire scene will be revised.
How To Find A Great Editor
The best way to find a great editor is through recommendations from other writers, preferably writers in your niche (especially for content edits). Read the writers’ books. Ensure they have the quality of editing you desire.
Editors will often ask for a few pages and give you a sample edit. This ensures they like your writing and you like their style of edits.
I changed editors a few times before I found one I worked well with (ELF – https://musingsbyelf.wordpress.com/) . That’s normal. It might take you a while to find your editor also. When you do, I suspect you’ll never want to let her go.
If you do let her go, remember that editors talk. It is an even smaller club than the writing club. Professionalism is a must.
What Editors Do And Don’t Do
Editors point out errors or places where the story can be improved. They will note these in the comments or in track changes or in a separate note/email. They rarely fix these errors. That’s the writer’s responsibility.
And we WANT this to be our responsibility. These are our stories. Our names are on the covers. Readers are buying our distinct voices. We should always have the choice of accepting or declining any changes, especially when it comes to content edits.
I almost always agree with a content editor’s suggestion that my story/scene needs to be revised. If an editor has an issue with it, usually readers will have an issue with it also. I can’t remember the last time I agreed with a content editor’s suggestion of HOW to revise it. That is our specialty, not the editor’s, and again, our solutions will be as individual as we are. How you fix the issue won’t be the way I fix the issue.
I also don’t always agree with a line editor’s suggestion. We, writers, know what words our characters would use, what words WE would use. Line editors, because they look at the story at a sentence level, aren’t always as aware as we are.
Repeated Issues
If an issue is repeated, often editors will give writers one comment about it. It is our responsibility to change the issue throughout the story.
For example, when I was a newer writer, an editor once told me to reduce the narrative in my story. I didn’t know what narrative was (sheepish grin) so I talked to a buddy (Christine d’Abo). She explained what narrative was, pointed out an example of it in my story, and suggested a way to fix it. That was my responsibility, not the editor’s.
Brand Watchdog
I’ve worked with my editor for years. She not only ensures my stories are as good as we can make them (though I tend to continue tweaking after we’ve finalized a story and that causes errors – grimaces) but she will also tell me if a new story will shock or disappoint my regular reading buddies.
A good editor, if she cares about you and your career, will ‘reject’ a story. Again, we are the masters of our own destinies. We can ignore this rejection and push ahead (I never have – I trust ELF and have completely re-written stories based on her feedback). But at least, we’ll be prepared for the reaction from readers.
Do You NEED An Editor?
There are writers who don’t need editors. They write super clean. Their stories are as tight as stories can be. These writers are rare but they exist.
I’m not one of those fortunate folks. I NEED an editor (whether paid or a critique partner). I require help with story. I need assistance with typos. I like having the reassurance of knowing someone else thinks my story is solid.
But there are no rules in writing. And, again, WE are responsible for the editing in our stories. Do what works for you and your readers and what makes you happy.
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Can love redeem a monster?
The Refuge is home to some of the most violent beings in the universe. Kralj, its leader, reigns over the remote outpost with terrifying ease, ruthlessly squashing any rumors of rebellion, killing anyone who breaks his rules. Primitive, deadly, powerful, he’s a monster, scarred both on his face and his soul. He has never met a being he couldn’t control.
Until he meets her.
Dita has one mission—to kill the three targets claiming sanctuary within the Refuge. Or so she claims. For the first time in his long lifespan, Kralj isn’t certain of another being’s intentions. The tiny assassin is immune to his powers, her thoughts unreadable. He can’t predict her movements, can’t control her, can’t stop wanting her.
Dita is rare, as unique as he is, and, to keep the residents of the Refuge safe, Kralj will have to kill her. But first, he’ll touch her, taste her, show her how passionate the beast inside him can be.
Dark Thoughts is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance.
The hero might be tall, dark, and scarred but don’t be fooled by his appearance.
He’s truly a monster.
This story is not for readers with delicate sensibilities.
Order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-thoughts/id1200022597
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-thoughts-cynthia-sax/1125580992
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-thoughts-3
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/699393
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Is The Quality Of Editing The Writer’s Responsibility?
Talking Dark Thoughts, How To Find Time For Writing And Other Things
Book E Aholic has interviewed me today!
http://novascotianrantingbookreviewer.blogspot.ca/2017/03/my-interview-with-author-cynthia-sax.html
Here’s a snippet…
What drew you to the genre you write?
Cynthia Sax: I love reading SciFi erotic romance. I love the stars (all of that potential), anything about space, and I’ve always been someone who asks ‘What if?’ questions. What if, instead of sending humans into war, we designed half man, half machine beings (cyborgs) to fight our wars for us? What if our world leaders were secretly aliens? What if the Earth had two moons? What would humans look like then?
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Can love redeem a monster?
The Refuge is home to some of the most violent beings in the universe. Kralj, its leader, reigns over the remote outpost with terrifying ease, ruthlessly squashing any rumors of rebellion, killing anyone who breaks his rules. Primitive, deadly, powerful, he’s a monster, scarred both on his face and his soul. He has never met a being he couldn’t control.
Until he meets her.
Dita has one mission—to kill the three targets claiming sanctuary within the Refuge. Or so she claims. For the first time in his long lifespan, Kralj isn’t certain of another being’s intentions. The tiny assassin is immune to his powers, her thoughts unreadable. He can’t predict her movements, can’t control her, can’t stop wanting her.
Dita is rare, as unique as he is, and, to keep the residents of the Refuge safe, Kralj will have to kill her. But first, he’ll touch her, taste her, show her how passionate the beast inside him can be.
Dark Thoughts is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance.
The hero might be tall, dark, and scarred but don’t be fooled by his appearance.
He’s truly a monster.
This story is not for readers with delicate sensibilities.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-thoughts/id1200022597
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-thoughts-cynthia-sax/1125580992
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-thoughts-3
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/699393
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Talking Dark Thoughts, How To Find Time For Writing And Other Things
Non-Traditional Romances And Trigger Warnings
There has been quite a bit of talk on the writer groups about non-traditional romances. Should there be trigger warnings on books? Should these stories be in the romance category?
Dark Thoughts, my March release, is a non-traditional romance. Kralj, the hero, is a monster. He EATS his enemies. Yeah. I go there. (He’s half animal so eating his enemies, I felt, was a given.) In Releasing Rage, very bad things happen to the heroine. I wrote an erotica story long ago (it is no longer available at booksellers). That story was romantic but it didn’t have the romance happy ever after ending. They boinked and went their separate ways.
So I’m clearly supportive of non-traditional romances. I’ve also thought long and hard about whether or not we, writers, should signal to readers that our stories are non-traditional.
IMHO… the trust between writer and reader is all important. If our readers don’t trust us, they won’t allow themselves to escape fully into our worlds. Lack of trust in us, as story tellers, hampers their enjoyment of our stories.
We don’t want that. Ever.
Trigger Warnings
I believe in warning the reader about things that might traumatize them. Spoilers, however, can also ruin the reading experience. If I had said ‘(This specific bad thing) happens’ in Releasing Rage, it would have given away a major plot point.
It is also unnecessary.
We are writers. We have the gift of words. We can hint at a situation without telling readers everything. And our readers are highly intelligent. They will pick up on our hints. If they need more information, they’ll contact us and ask for it.
For Releasing Rage, I use ‘darkness’ in the blurb and my blurb ends with ‘Releasing Rage is a dark BBW Cyborg Romance.’ Dark usually means dubious consent or non-consent.
For Dark Thoughts, I say…
“Dark Thoughts is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance.
The hero might be tall, dark, and scarred but don’t be fooled by his appearance.
He’s truly a monster.
This story is not for readers with delicate sensibilities.”
Again, I don’t say why he’s a monster or what he does. I simply warn readers that this is non-traditional romance.
Saying ‘This story is a non-traditional romance’ covers a multitude of possible triggers. Cheating would be a non-traditional romance. Stepbrother-stepsister is a non-traditional romance. Master-slave relationships would be non-traditional romance.
What about ‘romances’ in which the hero or heroine or both die in the end?
Romances Without Romantic Happy Ever Afters Or Romantic Happy For Nows
For me, as a Romance reader and writer, Romance means a Romantic Happy Ever After or a Romantic Happy For Now. This doesn’t mean everything is happy-happy, simply that the couple (or more) is in a solid happy place in their relationship at the end of the story.
One of them isn’t dead. They are together. They might not have said ‘I love you’ but they do care for each other. One of them isn’t plotting to murder the other.
But I realize some writers are questioning this definition of our genre and I respect that. We’re writers. We question everything. (grins)
If this questioning is purely about sales, I’m not certain why writers would want to put non-romance books into the romance category. My cyborg romances (which are clearly romances) sell more units in the pure Science Fiction category than in the Science Fiction Romance category on Amazon. Fifty Shades Of Grey wasn’t originally in the romance category (as I’m writing this, it isn’t in that category) and I heard it sold fairly well. There are plenty of categories other than romance that sell well. And they are often less crowded.
But if you really wish to put a story lacking a romantic HEA/HFN in the romance category, please add a trigger warning. Well, unless you have a movie based on your book (like Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You) or you’re well known for killing off the hero or heroine (like Nicholas Sparks, who, to his credit, gets irritated when publishers put his books in the romance category). Then it might not be necessary.
Again, consider making that trigger warning vague.
Consider saying something like ‘This emotionally-gripping romantic story features a man determined to die and a woman determined to stop him.’ A Romantic story isn’t a Romance. Traditional romance readers know this. A story with Romantic Elements doesn’t have a traditional Romance HEA ending either. By calling your story something other than a Romance in the description, it signals to traditional romance readers that it isn’t a romance.
Trigger Warnings And Sales
My stories with trigger warnings (the vague kind) have more sales than my stories without them. I think this is because a) there’s a healthy market for non-traditional romance and b) the trigger warnings help the stories find the right readers for them, readers who will love the story and tell their friends about it.
I wouldn’t add trigger warnings to a traditional romance. That does the exact opposite – attracting the wrong readers for the story. But I wouldn’t be scared of trigger warnings either. Make them sexy. Make them intriguingly vague. Make them sell your book.
What are your thoughts on trigger warnings?
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Three Battered Hearts. One Perfect Love
Ace and Thrasher share a special bond. They’ve never acknowledged that connection and have never fully acted on it. The Humanoid Alliance kill cyborg males like them, deeming the warriors to be defective. Now that Ace and Thrasher have escaped, they don’t trust the cyborg council and their brethren to react any differently. Physical love is too risky for them to consider.
Until they meet her.
Carys is the Commander of a Rebel Battle Station. She has dedicated her lifespan to seeking vengeance against the Humanoid Alliance and the cyborgs who killed her daughter. On her battle station, she makes the rules, and if she wants to kiss, touch, and pleasure two mysterious warriors, she will. Nothing, not even enemy warships and a mass cyborg rebellion, can stop her.
In the midst of a war, enemies can become lovers and loyalties can change in a moment. Can a forbidden relationship between two cautious cyborgs and one unbending human Commander survive?
Hers To Command is Book 8 in the Cyborg Sizzle series.
Due to the number of returning characters in this story, you’ll enjoy Hers To Command more if you’ve read the other stories first.
This is a MMF BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hers-to-command/id1179869260
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hers-to-command-cynthia-sax/1125247346
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/hers-to-command-6
Topics: Writing Tips | 2 Comments »
An Introvert’s Guide To Talking About Our Books (Self-Promotion)
Many writers, myself included, are introverts. We prefer not to talk. Period. Talking about our books is extra painful because they’re OUR books. That smacks of self-promotion.
The issue is if we don’t talk about our books, no one will know how kick ass they are. They won’t buy them. They won’t read them. I heard in a podcast that there are over 6,000 books a DAY loaded to Amazon. It is easy for our release to get lost.
When I first sent my stories to publishers, I thought my publishers would promote my stories. I was wrong. They simply don’t have the time or money to promote every book. Even the largest, most financially successful publishers have to pick their battles. Normally, they choose to promote their bestsellers. To become one of these bestsellers, we have to either promote our books ourselves or find someone else who will promote our books for us.
Notice I didn’t say self-promote.
Because when we promote our stories, we’re not merely promoting ourselves. We’re promoting our cover artists, our editors, our formatters, our publishers (if we have them), our agents (again, if we have them). We have a team behind our stories and this team benefits from the success of our books.
When I pimp Hers To Command on a Facebook group, for example, more folks see my awesome cover. Some of these folks are writers and publishers. They might hire Amanda (from http://razzdazzdesign.com/ ), my talented cover artist. If they buy and read the story, they might hire ELF ( from https://musingsbyelf.wordpress.com/ ), my skilled editor, or Mark (from http://marksebookformatting.com/ ), my always-current-with-the-trends formatter.
These wonderful members of my team are counting on me to promote my stories. They do well when my stories do well. I can’t let them down.
This is what I tell myself as I promote my stories. I have an amazing team behind me. They deserve recognition and the best way I can give them that is to talk about my stories.
Another thing I tell myself when I promote my stories is… I’m not spamming the world. I’m telling ONE reading/writing/reviewing/blogging buddy about my story. Using the Facebook group example, I’ll look at the Members section (in the top right hand corner). Facebook shows me common friends.
I’ll focus on one of these friends. I’m not telling the group about Hers To Command. I’m telling Jannie. She likes my cyborgs. I tell her everything. And I know she’d be sad if I didn’t tell her about my upcoming release. I certainly don’t want Jannie to be sad. She’s my friend. So this post is for her. Because I love her and I think she’ll enjoy the story.
The post is no longer spamtastic. I’m not ‘bothering’ anyone (one of my great fears). I’m talking with my buddy. If someone complains (which is very rare – Romance readers love to hear about upcoming romance releases, especially releases writers are excited about), well, the message wasn’t meant for that unhappy person. It was meant for my friend.
That leads me to my final point. It is OKAY to be excited about our upcoming releases. That whole jaded, cynical, seen-it-all act? It’s cheating you out of joy and it isn’t fooling anyone.
Be happy. Tell the world. Share why you HAD to write this story, why you can’t wait for us to read it. Follow the promo rules but let your enthusiasm show. Get giddy. Happy dance.
Your stories deserve to be read. Tell folks about them!
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Three Battered Hearts. One Perfect Love
Ace and Thrasher share a special bond. They’ve never acknowledged that connection and have never fully acted on it. The Humanoid Alliance kill cyborg males like them, deeming the warriors to be defective. Now that Ace and Thrasher have escaped, they don’t trust the cyborg council and their brethren to react any differently. Physical love is too risky for them to consider.
Until they meet her.
Carys is the Commander of a Rebel Battle Station. She has dedicated her lifespan to seeking vengeance against the Humanoid Alliance and the cyborgs who killed her daughter. On her battle station, she makes the rules, and if she wants to kiss, touch, and pleasure two mysterious warriors, she will. Nothing, not even enemy warships and a mass cyborg rebellion, can stop her.
In the midst of a war, enemies can become lovers and loyalties can change in a moment. Can a forbidden relationship between two cautious cyborgs and one unbending human Commander survive?
Hers To Command is Book 8 in the Cyborg Sizzle series.
Due to the number of returning characters in this story, you’ll enjoy Hers To Command more if you’ve read the other stories first.
This is a MMF BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hers-to-command/id1179869260
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hers-to-command-cynthia-sax/1125247346
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/hers-to-command-6
Topics: Writing Tips | 1 Comment »
One More Solution To The Cast Of Thousands Problem
A popular Romance writing guideline, I try to follow, is to reduce the number of minor characters in a scene as much as possible. Every minor character takes page time away from the romantic couple (or more). He/she shifts the reader’s focus from them permanently. For the rest of the story, the reader has to remember this minor character.
Reducing the number of minor characters isn’t always possible. In Hers To Command, the heroine is a battle station Commander. She works with over a dozen direct reports (her Officers). I wanted to show her in this role, in charge, in her realm of power. That meant interacting with these minor characters. It would look bizarre if she strolled onto the bridge and was completely alone. (grins)
When I wrote the first draft, I gave all of these direct reports first and last names. They also had positions, which I often linked to these names to clarify what they did. It became an unwieldy mess. Halfway through writing the story, I was completely confused.
That got me thinking… if I’m confused, what is the Commander feeling? She’s often in high stress situations, battles to the death. Every moment counts. When she gives an order, she can’t issue it to the wrong being.
At the beginning of the story, she’s also on the losing side of the war. There’s constant turnover in her personnel because not everyone survives every battle. She has to learn names again and again, which would increase the risk of getting names wrong.
The solution I derived was to refer to all of her direct reports by their position only.
Here is a snippet from the story…
“Do you detect any activity, First?” Carys knew the female’s name, knew which small planet her officer had originated from, knew she had lost her mother, father, two sisters and two brothers in a Humanoid Alliance attack.
But she never used her first officer’s name. Carys had made that mistake once, solar cycles ago, when she was a warship captain.
Beings died in war. That was the unfortunate reality. Her officers were constantly changing, the dead being replaced with the living.
During an attack, she’d referred to her weapons officer by his predecessor’s name. The correction and the delay it had caused, slight yet significant, had resulted in a crew member’s death.
From that moment onward, she referred to beings by their position, by their function. That policy appeared cold and impersonal to outsiders. Carys didn’t care. She was interested in ending a war, not winning a popularity contest.
Looking at the cast of thousands issue from the main character’s point of view might give you solutions you haven’t yet considered. Hey, it worked for me. (grins)
How have you solved this common problem?
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Three Battered Hearts. One Perfect Love
Ace and Thrasher share a special bond. They’ve never acknowledged that connection and have never fully acted on it. The Humanoid Alliance kill cyborg males like them, deeming the warriors to be defective. Now that Ace and Thrasher have escaped, they don’t trust the cyborg council and their brethren to react any differently. Physical love is too risky for them to consider.
Until they meet her.
Carys is the Commander of a Rebel Battle Station. She has dedicated her lifespan to seeking vengeance against the Humanoid Alliance and the cyborgs who killed her daughter. On her battle station, she makes the rules, and if she wants to kiss, touch, and pleasure two mysterious warriors, she will. Nothing, not even enemy warships and a mass cyborg rebellion, can stop her.
In the midst of a war, enemies can become lovers and loyalties can change in a moment. Can a forbidden relationship between two cautious cyborgs and one unbending human Commander survive?
Hers To Command is Book 8 in the Cyborg Sizzle series.
Due to the number of returning characters in this story, you’ll enjoy Hers To Command more if you’ve read the other stories first.
This is a MMF BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hers-to-command/id1179869260
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hers-to-command-cynthia-sax/1125247346
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/hers-to-command-6
Topics: Writing Tips | 1 Comment »
Pushing Boundaries With Your Writing
One of my mottos is… “If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.” I believe in pushing boundaries with my writing, trying things I haven’t yet tried, writing stories I haven’t seen available for sale.
Knowing Where The Boundaries Are
What ARE the boundaries?
The booksellers have boundaries. For example, many state there are to be no child abuse, incest, rape or bestiality (excluding shifters) scenes depicted as ‘sexy times’ (i.e. the goal isn’t to be sexual gratification). Be especially careful of these boundaries if you write erotic. The more explicit the scene, the greater the chances the book will be removed.
Many boundary-pushing writers cite Lolita as a book that is taboo yet sold at booksellers. Vladimir Nabokov was never graphic in his language. He uses imagery heavily. I think this is what makes this story allowable. The booksellers view the story as artistic, not pornographic.
Genres, subgenres and niches also have boundaries. Some boundaries are ‘hard’. The definition of romance is a romantic happy ever after or happy for now ending. Kill the hero and your story is no longer a romance. Some boundaries are ‘soft’. A hero, for example, usually only kills good guys on the page.
One of the reasons writers advise newer writers to read is because that’s a great way to learn where the boundaries are. If no one cusses in any of the Inspirational Historical Romances you read, for example, you know cussing might be taboo for that niche.
I normally write balls to the wall during the first draft and then self-censor (or not!) during the subsequent drafts.
Crossing a boundary at the publishing stage should be a conscious decision.
Why?
Because crossing boundaries can have consequences.
The Risks Of Crossing A Boundary
The boundaries are there for a reason. Someone, either the reader or the bookseller, likes having them in place. Cross a boundary and you’ll upset someone. Cross multiple boundaries in one story and you might upset everyone.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But we should know the possible downsides.
When I Indie published Releasing Rage, I knew I was taking a chance not only with readers but also with booksellers. Bad things happen to the heroine. Even though these bad things happen off page and are clearly depicted as an act of violence, not titillation, the booksellers could have removed the story. They have that right. It is clearly stated in their terms of service.
I took that risk. The booksellers didn’t remove the story. I’m certain it was reported. I’m certain someone at Amazon reviewed the story. They must have decided the scene was acceptable.
Other buddies have had to remove offending scenes or craft new covers or change book descriptions or remove tags. Their stories were temporarily removed until they were deemed compliant. In some cases, there was no tweaking the stories to satisfy the booksellers. Perhaps the stories centered around the offending action. The writers either decided to publish it on another platform (marketing it as ‘too hot for XXX bookseller’) or they shelved the stories.
If your story pushes bookseller boundaries, assume it will be reported and evaluated. The better your sales, the quicker your story will be reported.
You will also receive 1 star reviews and angry messages from readers. I received plenty of both for Releasing Rage. I saw them as confirmation I was doing something different in the cyborg space.
The Upside
There are some glorious upsides to pushing boundaries. It is artistically freeing to write our stories exactly the way we want to write them. We have the excitement of being first. Hopefully, some readers will love it.
For a short time (a day or two or sometimes more), we’ll have the only story in that space, have zero competition. We’re doing something different and that is likely to be discussed with bloggers and reviewers, giving the book some much needed promo.
Many breakout books push boundaries in some way. Life is too short to play it safe. (grins)
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Three Battered Hearts. One Perfect Love
Ace and Thrasher share a special bond. They’ve never acknowledged that connection and have never fully acted on it. The Humanoid Alliance kill cyborg males like them, deeming the warriors to be defective. Now that Ace and Thrasher have escaped, they don’t trust the cyborg council and their brethren to react any differently. Physical love is too risky for them to consider.
Until they meet her.
Carys is the Commander of a Rebel Battle Station. She has dedicated her lifespan to seeking vengeance against the Humanoid Alliance and the cyborgs who killed her daughter. On her battle station, she makes the rules, and if she wants to kiss, touch, and pleasure two mysterious warriors, she will. Nothing, not even enemy warships and a mass cyborg rebellion, can stop her.
In the midst of a war, enemies can become lovers and loyalties can change in a moment. Can a forbidden relationship between two cautious cyborgs and one unbending human Commander survive?
Hers To Command is Book 8 in the Cyborg Sizzle series.
Due to the number of returning characters in this story, you’ll enjoy Hers To Command more if you’ve read the other stories first.
This is a MMF BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hers-to-command/id1179869260
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herstocommand-2178067-340.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hers-to-command-cynthia-sax/1125247346
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/hers-to-command-6
Topics: Writing Tips | Comments Off on Pushing Boundaries With Your Writing
Comparing Ourselves To Other Writers
It’s human nature to compare ourselves to others, to reassure ourselves that we’re ‘normal’ (whatever that is – grins). Many writers will tell you not to do that. They’ll point out that comparing yourself to other writers will cause you unhappiness.
I’m not going to tell you that. I think it’s impossible to stop comparing ourselves to others. It would also be hypocritical of me because I compare myself to other writers ALL THE TIME.
I AM going to tell you that you shouldn’t feel bad after the comparison.
Why?
Because you don’t know the entire story.
The Successful First Time Writer
This is the comparison that would bother me the most.
Years ago, a writer released her first book, coming out of nowhere. She sold a gazillion copies, was beloved by (almost) every reviewer in Romanceland.
I had 50 plus releases and was still struggling for my first 100 readers. I wouldn’t have received media attention if I had set myself on fire.
Then I found out… that ‘first time writer?’ She was a HUGE bestselling writer secretly trying out a new subgenre under another pen name. She had over 30,000 newsletter subscribers, which she leveraged for that release (putting an ad in her own newsletter). She knew and was liked by almost everyone in the business (including myself).
E.L. James, another bestselling first time writer? She had TV experience, had brilliantly leveraged the fanfic community, is a savvy marketer.
Luck is almost always an element in every writer’s success but, time after time, when I delved into backgrounds, there was usually something else, something I might or might not have been able to duplicate.
What IS Success?
Then there’s the discussion around what success truly is. Is it hitting the bestseller lists? Is it being beloved by reviewers? Is it having the largest readership? Is it making a great income?
Often these definitions of success don’t co-exist.
When I first started, I thought every writer on the bestseller lists (USA Today or New York Times) was making six figures. (grins) Yes, stop laughing.
Sometimes (rarely), that’s true. Often it’s not. I’ve hit the USA Today Bestseller List twice. Both times, my earnings didn’t cover my costs. You read that correctly. I hit the lists and lost money.
I know writers with New York Bestseller above their name who can’t cover their writing costs. And I know writers who have never made a list and they quietly sell a steady number of books each and every day. Those sales add up to an almost obscene income.
Some of the bestselling writers aren’t the darlings of the influential reviewers. Some of the writers with the highest incomes don’t have the largest readerships.
We can’t determine this by glancing at the lists or rankings or bios.
This is true of other goals also, including word counts. I write 2,500 fresh words a day but I require 12 drafts. My buddy writes 500 fresh words a day but she requires 1 draft. Word count alone isn’t an indication of a successful day writing.
Why Compare Ourselves To Other Writers?
If we never see the entire picture, why compare ourselves at all?
First, I don’t think we can stop comparing ourselves to others. I certainly can’t.
Second, sometimes when I delve deeper into successes, I learn tactics I can use with my own career. Writers, especially in Romanceland, are often open about what they think contributed to their successes. Maybe there was a change at a bookseller I didn’t know about. Maybe there was a promotion I hadn’t considered. Maybe there was a trend I wasn’t aware of.
Compare yourself to other writers but, keep in mind, you don’t know the entire story.
You Are Someone Else’s Success
And keep in mind that someone is comparing herself to you.
One of my sisters is a reader only. She has always envied my ability to write, even when that writing was done in a lemon-scent diary. When I was writing part-time, I envied anyone who finished stories. When I finished my first story, I envied anyone who received a request from a publisher or agent.
There is someone in Romanceland who considers you a success. She’s comparing herself to YOU. Remember that when you’re comparing yourself to another writer.
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Three Battered Hearts. One Perfect Love
Ace and Thrasher share a special bond. They’ve never acknowledged that connection and have never fully acted on it. The Humanoid Alliance kill cyborg males like them, deeming the warriors to be defective. Now that Ace and Thrasher have escaped, they don’t trust the cyborg council and their brethren to react any differently. Physical love is too risky for them to consider.
Until they meet her.
Carys is the Commander of a Rebel Battle Station. She has dedicated her lifespan to seeking vengeance against the Humanoid Alliance and the cyborgs who killed her daughter. On her battle station, she makes the rules, and if she wants to kiss, touch, and pleasure two mysterious warriors, she will. Nothing, not even enemy warships and a mass cyborg rebellion, can stop her.
In the midst of a war, enemies can become lovers and loyalties can change in a moment. Can a forbidden relationship between two cautious cyborgs and one unbending human Commander survive?
Hers To Command is Book 8 in the Cyborg Sizzle series.
Due to the number of returning characters in this story, you’ll enjoy Hers To Command more if you’ve read the other stories first.
This is a MMF BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hers-to-command/id1179869260
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herstocommand-2178067-340.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hers-to-command-cynthia-sax/1125247346
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/hers-to-command-6
Topics: Writing Tips | 1 Comment »
Dealing With Writer Burnout
When I first started publishing my stories, I thought writer burnout was a myth. Writing is fun. How could I get tired of a fun task?
Seven years later, I can assure you—younger me was an ignorant asshole. Writer burnout is VERY real. Do any task 16 hours a day, 7 days a week and it can become work. Unfortunately, almost every writer deals with writer burnout at least once in her/his life.
I know I’m getting burned out when I dread the writing. I’m tired all the time and feel overwhelmed about everything. I get every flu that is going around. I become snippy with readers and other loved ones and, well, just about everyone.
The Number One Cause
The number one cause of writer burnout is overcommitting to projects. It is tempting to participate in every project offered to you. Caution! Caution! That way lies burnout. It is much better career-wise to participate in a manageable number of projects forever than to binge on projects, get burned out, and stop writing for months or years or, in the case of a dear friend, decades.
The Fear Of Missing Out
You can’t participate in every project. You simply can’t. Have I regretted saying ‘no’ to some projects? I’m not going to blow smoke up your ass. Of course, I have. The first boxed set I was asked to participate in hit both the New York Times and the USA Today Bestseller Lists. I turned that opportunity down.
But most opportunities come around again. I’ve, since then, participated in two boxed sets that hit the USA Today Bestseller List. I’ve been offered spots in other boxed sets that made both lists.
The Fear Of Falling Behind
Another reason we hesitate to say ‘no’ to projects is the fear of falling behind. XXX is releasing a story a month. If I release a story every 3 months, I’ll fall behind. I’ll only have a third of XXX’s success.
Success in Romanceland doesn’t work that way. Fifty Shades of Grey’s E.L. James has released 4 books over the past 5 years. Yep, less than a book a year. Very few writers have a readership rivaling hers.
I have a much larger readership now than I did when I was producing a story a month. With a release a month, I didn’t have time to talk about my books. I was releasing stories but I didn’t tell anyone about them. Readers have to know about our books in order to read them.
Promotion can have a huge influence on success. The number of stories released every year? Not-so-much.
Pressure From Readers
If one of your stories is well loved by readers, you will likely be pressured to write another story in the series. Readers always want this story as soon as possible. Why wouldn’t they?
But they’ll wait for it. Most readers will choose a slow release time on quality story over a fast turnaround time on a shitty story. (Note: You CAN write a quality story in a short length of time but that’s usually not possible to do when you’re burned out and brain dead.) Romance readers, in particular, want to read new stories from their favorite writers for decades. They’ll accept longer delays between releases to ensure that happens.
Know Your Ideal Pace
Figure out what a comfortable schedule looks like for you (this ideal schedule will likely change over time).
Right now, my comfortable schedule is a 56k/200 page story releasing every 3 months. For promotion, it is 1 Facebook party a week, 3 blog posts a week, promoting on 10 Facebook groups a day, 1 newsletter a month, etc.
This is what I commit to. This is what others can count on me producing. If I want to release a story in a series every three months, this means I can only have one series on the go.
If I’m approaching burnout, THIS is the core schedule I’ll dial back to.
If I get ahead of this schedule, I’ll take on another project. Right now, I have February’s release (Hers To Command) already written, edited and available for pre-order. The next core story isn’t releasing until May (my 3 month schedule). Having time and energy, I wrote Dark Thoughts, Kralj’s story. If I had been burned out, I would have taken time to recuperate between the committed stories instead of writing that extra story.
That’s one of the many wonderful things about this career. You’re in control. You can craft the career YOU want.
If one story a year is your comfort zone, produce one story a year. You can easily promote that story for 12 months. Unless your story has sold more than 125 million copies (the number of copies Fifty Shades Of Grey has sold), you haven’t sold your story to every reader in Romanceland.
You’re Already Over Committed
What happens when you’re looking at writer burnout and you’ve already committed to more projects than you can handle?
Can Deadlines Move?
Some deadlines are set in stone. Some can move. Ask if the deadlines are flexible.
Note: If you’re going to miss a deadline, communicate the situation as soon as possible. That might save your relationship with that person or publisher.
Outsource Everything You Can
An awesome editor once told me that she could help a writer with edits and subsequent drafts but the first draft had to be written by the writer. That’s just about the only thing we can’t outsource.
Cover, formatting, promo, newsletters, all of these things can be completed by other people. You can pay these awesome folks or you can call in favors. Much of Romanceland runs on favors, asking for them and granting them.
You’re Normal
Every writer you know has either had writer burn out or they will have writer burn out. They might look like they have their shit together. They likely don’t.
If my tips don’t work for you, ask other writers for their tips. Eventually you’ll find something that jives with your unique brain.
Take care of yourself!
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Three Battered Hearts. One Perfect Love
Ace and Thrasher share a special bond. They’ve never acknowledged that connection and have never fully acted on it. The Humanoid Alliance kill cyborg males like them, deeming the warriors to be defective. Now that Ace and Thrasher have escaped, they don’t trust the cyborg council and their brethren to react any differently. Physical love is too risky for them to consider.
Until they meet her.
Carys is the Commander of a Rebel Battle Station. She has dedicated her lifespan to seeking vengeance against the Humanoid Alliance and the cyborgs who killed her daughter. On her battle station, she makes the rules, and if she wants to kiss, touch, and pleasure two mysterious warriors, she will. Nothing, not even enemy warships and a mass cyborg rebellion, can stop her.
In the midst of a war, enemies can become lovers and loyalties can change in a moment. Can a forbidden relationship between two cautious cyborgs and one unbending human Commander survive?
Hers To Command is Book 8 in the Cyborg Sizzle series.
Due to the number of returning characters in this story, you’ll enjoy Hers To Command more if you’ve read the other stories first.
This is a MMF BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hers-Command-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0I7X49/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/hers-to-command/id1179869260
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-herstocommand-2178067-340.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hers-to-command-cynthia-sax/1125247346
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/hers-to-command-6
Topics: Writing Tips | 4 Comments »
