Keep it simple, stupid.

Yes, the old KISS Principle works when tangling up your novel in nice knots. You must remember that you are going to have to untie it all again, so each thread, in it’s untangled form, must be simple.

It just has the illusion of being complicated.

For example, you have a plot thread that goes like this: A, B, C, D, E.

Another plot thread goes like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

A third might be even more simple, !, @, #.

But altogether, it might look like this:

A, 1, B, !, 3, C, 4, @, D, 2, 5, #, E.

So when I am running through the manuscript, straightening up plot threads, I make sure they make sense when in sequence. Because during the story itself, I may have to take it out of sequence, as I did with the numbered thread, above.

A few years ago, I would leave reminders in the manuscript telling me to go back and fix things. However, there was a problem. Very often, I was unable to remember what it was that I needed to fix, or why. And it wouldn’t become clear until I reread the whole manuscript again.

So I fix things right away, nowadays. Using a Word style I created for the purpose, I would leave a bookmark, jump to the spot that I needed to fix, fix it, and then go back and remove my bookmark.

I can anticipate your next question–how do you use Word styles? They are needlessly complicated. I once wrote some instructions, but they are now obsolete unless you still use Word 2003.

I can sense the urge to write another infographic coming on …

While I am unhappy at losing my plugins, the default WordPress behavior seems to give me everything I need. The only thing I don’t like is that this theme, which is otherwise wonderful with great sidebar features, puts the comments link at the top of the post when you are at the blog page. I have observed that this set-up decreases post comments. If you can’t immediately find the comment link, why bother to look? I’ve done it myself.

So I’ll reluctantly be looking for another theme as well. But only after I get this domain set up.

So bear with me please, while all this construction is going on.

And I found my example in the unlikeliest of places–a country music song.

Toby Keith usually writes songs that are either in-your-face, irreverent, humorous, fiercely patriotic, or all of the above. He is probably the last singer you would expect to write and croon an incredibly romantic song.

But he did so with a love song that has these lines:

You shouldn’t kiss me like this
Unless you mean it like that
Cause I’ll just close my eyes
And I won’t know where I’m at
We’ll get lost on this dance floor
Spinnin’ around
And around
And around
And around

If you have never heard the song, here is the video. I didn’t like the video. The hero is cheesy and it does not at all tell the story in the song.

YouTube Video

Anyway, let’s analyze this and see why, for this listener, it worked so well.

You shouldn’t kiss me like this
Unless you mean it like that

There’s no description, here. Like this? Like that? It’s simplistic. However. If you’ve ever been kissed like that, you know exactly what he means. He leaves it up to the reader to remember how it is. And if you never have been kissed like that, you can’t help but to wonder what it means.

Cause I’ll just close my eyes
And I won’t know where I’m at

Again, simple. There is no description of what he is feeling. Instead, he shows you what is going on inside him. He’s totally lost track of the fact that he is on a dance floor. At this point, it has all gone away for him. And for the listener, it does as well.

We’ll get lost on this dance floor
Spinnin’ around
And around
And around
And around

He continues the above, but now he brings her into it. It’s impossible to get lost on a dance floor, but they are. They are a unit, feeling it together.

In subsequent verses, he becomes aware of the people around him, and wonders what they’re thinking while watching them fall in love. The best  descriptions start in like this–they start inward and work their way out. And when they start inward, they are actually in the skin of the point-of-view character, feeling what is to be felt with descriptions that use verbs that are as active as possible.

I find that songs often make excellent examples of writing skills. Songs only use a couple hundred words at most to pack as powerful a punch as possible. They rely on the melody and the skill of the performer as well, but there is still much to learn from the lyrics alone.

My kiss scene is coming along nicely, but help me out here with some more examples–what is your favorite kiss in fiction, movies or music?

Would you tell us a little about Soul of Kandrith?

Soul of Kandrith is the second book in a epic fantasy series.  Although there is a strong romantic subplot, the main plot is fantasy.  Kandrith is a tiny country created by magic and founded by ex-slaves that exists in the middle of the corrupt Republic of Temboria.  At the beginning of Gate to Kandrith an uneasy peace exists between the two because of the Hostage Pact.

Soul of Kandrith deals with the consequences of the end of Gate to Kandrith, the breaking of the Hostage Pact and the more personal ramifications of Sara’s sacrifice.  Kandrith has a one-year reprieve before the Republic of Temboria invades again.  Lance is sent on a mission to encourage a rebellion in one of the Republic’s conquered provinces.  Because of the Republic’s many Legions, the rebellion is doomed unless Lance can teach the rebels magic and even the scales a little.  But, of course, there are complications, one of them being Lance’s determination to help Sara get her soul back.

At their heart, both Gate to Kandrith and Soul of Kandrith are about slavery.

How long did it take you to write Soul of Kandrith?

I started the first draft of Soul of Kandrith as part of nanowrimo in 2009, but had to continue into December to finish.  The novel then lay fallow until I received word that Gate to Kandrith had been accepted for publication.  I wrote the 2nd and 3rd drafts in an over-lapping fashion from August 2011 to June 2012.  Then editorial revisions in August.  In total I probably spent a full year writing it.

Tells us about your favorite scene in Soul of Kandrith.

Ooh, that’s tough.  I have a certain fondness for the hard-boiled egg scene [in which the soulless Sara is indifferent to the pain of reaching into a pot of boiling water to bring out the eggs]–I think it’s memorable because it shows just how far to the left of center Sara has gone.  I like action scenes, and I’m quite proud of the whole Legion at the Gate section and, of course, the climax.  For romantic scenes I like the bath scene and the bargaining-for-kisses scene…  I could go on and on.

I sometimes think my goal when I’m editing is to make every scene a favourite scene.  The first draft has a lot dull transition scenes that take the plot from point A to point B, and I work hard to transform those scenes into something enjoyable.

Tia aside–I name my scenes too! That’s how I end up with chapter names.

Can you tell us about any scene that gave you trouble?

The first scenes with soulless-Sara were horrible to write. At this point, Sara doesn’t understand emotion, doesn’t feel pain and fear.  I couldn’t even use the word ‘smile’ or ‘frown’, but had to rely entirely on visual clues like ‘his lips curved up’.  And yet they were critical in giving the reader a tiny bit of hope for the future and in showing Sara’s growth throughout the book, how she slowly begins to experience emotions again, first mild ones such as irritation and liking then growing into hate and love.

What  draws you to writing epic fantasy?

I love reading epic fantasy.  My husband and I can endlessly discuss Jordan’s The Wheel of Time or Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire.  I’m eagerly awaiting book of Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive and am halfway through Rothfuss’s The Wise Man’s fear.  I love entering new worlds and learning about their quirks and customs and magic.  I had great fun coming up with Kandrith’s magic system.

I was afraid to try my hand at epic for many years because I’m not good at description, something that is crucial for fantasy.  (It’s not that I can’t write description, it’s that it feels like three times as much work as writing dialogue or action.)  I eventually realized my problem was that I hadn’t put enough thought into the setting, that writing a description of yet-another smoke-stained inn with a beer-sticky floor and a pot of stew bored me because I’d read hundred of other stories with the exact same inn.  The challenge then became to come up with something different:  an inn that was also the Temple of Jut, God of Travellers.
When you are writing, who is in control? You or your characters?

For the most part I am.  I plot my novels out before typing chapter one, but I’m a firm believer that if a character balks at a scene it’s a sign from my unconscious that I’ve taken a wrong turn with the plot–usually this just involves backing up a page and taking another run at it.

However, one of my characters did give me serious trouble when I was writing Soul of Kandrith: the villain, Nir, high priest of the God of War.  He ran roughshod over my outline and wrenched the plot into a much darker place than I had intended to go.  The meeker way I’d asked him to behave in the outline was, quite simply, out of character.

What advice do you have for other writers?

If you’re a beginning writer, let some time lapse between your first draft and your second.  This will give you some emotional distance and allow you to come at revisions from a fresher perspective and with a keener eye.  Nobody writes a perfect first draft.
What authors or stories inspired you to write?

The books that leave me inspired and eager to write are usually books about writing.  I wrote my first book (at age thirteen) because I happened to take a book out of the library called Guide to Fiction Writing by Phyllis A. Whitney. How to Write Best-selling Fiction by Dean Koontz, Writing the Block Buster Novel by Albert Zuckerman are sources I’ve gone back to over and over.  I also love the craft notes J.R. Ward included in The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider’s Guide.

My favourite SF and Fantasy authors are Lois McMaster Bujold, Jim Butcher and Patricia Briggs.  I buy them in hardcover.  My favourite romance author is Suzanne Brockmann.
9.     The Kandrith series is a duology. Do you have any plans to write any more stories in this fascinating, pseudo-Roman world?

I have a short story telling Rhiain’s origins that I’ve toyed with lengthening and putting up as a freeread, but for the most part no.  The duology gives Lance and Sara a HEA and I wouldn’t want to upset that by writing another book.  Plus, there are lots of other stories in my head clamouring for attention.

10.  Is there anything you wish I had asked, or that you would like to add?

I’d just like to add that sample chapters of Gate to Kandrith and Soul of Kandrith can be found on my website: www.nicoleluiken.com

Nicole’s Links:

Website - Goodreads – Facebook fan page - Twitter

As for plugins, I don’t think I’ll miss them. Happily, most of the things I used plugins for are simply included here at WordPress. Other things I was inspired to learn, such as the art of using div tags for layout. The only things I have not been able to replace were my newsletter system (which was powered by a plugin) and my backup system. I am not yet sure how WordPress.com handles backups. It didn’t actually do me much good to have a backup anyway, because I have no idea when the hack took place and it involved a vulnerability in my database that I needed my host provider to fix.

As for my newsletter, I went back to MailChimp.

~*~

Speaking of newsletters, I am preparing my spring issue and I thought I’d mention that I am putting a special prize pack together, consisting of:

1. The winner’s choice of one of the following:
   * Synopsis and Query Help
   * First 30 Pages Critique
   * Extended excerpt from my next book, Magic by Midnight
2. A surprise recommended ebook gifted from the winner’s choice of Amazon or Barnes and Noble, or one of my books if the winner chooses. I’ve even had people ask me to send the copy then won to a friend. Winner’s choice.

Also, during this next issue, I will be issuing a “street team” invitation. This is something that every struggling new writer needs, and struggling describes me perfectly. I feel kind of funny trying to organize a street team (because what if no one signs up), but if I am serious about getting Magic by Starlight out in print and onto bookstore shelves–and I am–I need to start now.

One thing you will definitely get for joining my street team is an early copy of Magic by Starlight. This is absolutely critical, for the whole point of the street team is to get people out there generating buzz, and you will need something to buzz about. I am still working on what will be in the rest of the gift pack; the details will be in the newsletter first.

You can sign up for the newsletter here. Thirty-two people already have!

~*~

Last week I had to inform my guest, Nicole Luiken, that my blog was hacked, and I took down her post until I could get everything working again. Since it was only up a few hours, I am going to repost it this week. Nicole is the author of the excellent fantasy duology, Gate to Kandrith and Soul of Kandrith. I loved them both and I was excited about having her as a guest. Too bad a hacker had to ruin it.

Also this week, I have written a post on writing descriptions, using a country music song as an example.

Plus, I have two reviews to write (at least!) so I hope to have one posted by Thursday.

Hope to see you in the comment threads!

The problem is my domain provider refuses to upgrade their MySql to the latest version, even though the version they are using has a known vulnerability where a malicious user can change your MySql password and do whatever the heck they want. The fix that I was able to use last time did not work this time, so I gave up and moved to WordPress.com.  I will probably become a premium user in very short order, or I will find a much more professional web host provider. I guess I know what I will be doing this weekend!

Fortunately, the posts and pages were not corrupted. I checked. The hack does not manifest itself here So I was able to import the content of my site. I am not sure how long I’ll be able to keep my images; when I move to a permanent home, all my images will most likely evaporate. I’ll have to find something better than hosting my images at my site.

So I am sad. I worked very hard on that website, and much of that work was wasted due to a malicious user.

Click to see full-sized image.

 You can download the PDF here.

I do have plans for this week! On Thursday I have an interview of an author of a book that I reviewed here recently–one of the books I loved. I have not done an interview in a long time and I am excited to have her.

I also just finished another infographic! I enjoy putting those together and I’m thinking of writing a series of blog posts based on this latest infographic. I’ll try to get that posted on Tuesday.

I have also been VERY busy with writing. I finished revising my 82,000 word Austenpunk urban fantasy, which I finally named Magic by Starlight. I love that title, and I love my changes. It’s amazing how much I ripped up things that I thought were quite good back when I wrote it the first time. We’re talking scenes that I loved. When I read them this time? Not so much love there.

Soon, I hope to be able to take it through my Manuscript Clean-Up Process. Oh look! Another potential infographic!

What’s up with me? Not too much. I’m working hard on re-polishing a novel that I want to start submitting again. Some of you will recognize it–it is the Austenpunk fantasy that I used to write about on my old writing blog. I’m not sure yet if I want to submit to agents or publishers, or attempt to go it alone. What do you think? If I do it myself, then I can publish it on all the major platforms as well as CreateSpace for a hardcopy version. But I think that would be biting off more than I can chew, at present. I’d have to devote all my vacation time to it, because I don’t have much time otherwise.

If you’re not familiar with it, it is a spy fantasy taking place in a secondary world during a Regency-like era. Hence my calling it “Austenpunk”. It is by far the lightest novel I ever wrote. Have a short excerpt of the current opening:

Saturday Night, 10:15 PM

Starcaster Bureau Headquarters

It’s unsettling to realize that you’re good at something of which you disapprove.

I do approve of spying. The Tarch dictatorship’s ambition for Alden’s part of the Aldainian Peninsula could not be denied, and war is a murky business. I also approve of theft if it keeps national enemies from achieving their objectives. I even approve of subterfuge, since in the spying game, the other person is usually trying to deceive you as well—if they can get away with it.

However, breaking men’s hearts in order to beguile them out their secrets—it didn’t sit well with me. And it wasn’t mere missishness, even if that’s what certain people thought. I had too much firsthand experience of that sort of betrayal. There was once a certain young man, and he…well, if that secret were to ever emerge, it would cost me my career, and possibly my father his barony.

And so, even though I am the very epitome of homespun and ordinary, with brown hair, brown eyes, and worst of all, freckles—I work as a fem. And despite my attitude and appearance, I seemed to be good at it. By this time, I had a short string of fem successes under my bonnet. Some people say that I succeed because my appearance forbids suspicion. However, tonight I did not succeed.

I am thinking about serializing it on Wattpad. I have not yet been brave enough to do so. Are any of you on Wattpad? If you are, please let me know. It might be easier if I knew a friendly face or two!

~*~

The other thing I’ve been up to is trying to find a platform to re-launch Debuts & Reviews. I have been experimenting with Dupral, which is too complicated, and another platform that I cannot recall, which would require too much moderation, and BuddyPress, which I can plug into WordPress, either this blog or another one I’d set up for that purpose. BuddyPress might be winning, but first I would like to play around with other BuddyPress sites, to see if it is what I am looking for.

~*~

Other than that, I finished reading a book or two, and I might have a review for you later this week. What about you? Find anything interesting online that you would like to share? Read any good books lately?

I actually think the nook is a better e-reading device. The page for the Kindle is blueish, whereas the nook is a nice off-white. The Kindle complete refreshes the page ever 3 or so page turns, resulting in visual noise, and the nook refreshes it every time (although this can be adjusted to do so on the Kindle).

Clearly, the nook is still a worthy device.

But using it often feels dated. There has not been an update since 1.7 and my nook was no longer getting an updated issue of The Daily. I felt cheated. After all, I was an early adopter of the nook and they abandoned me. Felt that my investment wasn’t worth their effort in keeping it up-to-date.

So I decided to declare a divorce between my nook and Barnes and Noble, and then refurbish it for use by my daughter. Here’s how I did it.

Step 1: Root your Nook

If you have a Nook Classic, you are never going to get another B&N update again. So you may as well get the extra features that the folks at NookDevs provide. And they even keep their stuff updated. Imagine that.

To root your Nook Classic, go to nookdevs.com and find the section on softrooting your nook. Before you even get started, read through the instructions thoroughly and gather everything you’ll need (which includes a microSD card). Then follow the instructions for your serial number (found in the nook settings) step by step.

What you get once you root is a handful of extra features, most importantly an easier-to-use version of My Library, and the ability to hide features. Since I was intending to give the nook to my daughter, I wanted these extra features so I could turn off the WiFi and then hide it, and then hide the settings and a bunch of other stuff. More on that in a few.

Step 2. Divorce Barnes & Noble

Before you do this, you’ll want to do a few other things. First, make sure all the books that you purchased from Barnes and Noble are backed up onto your computer and installed on your Nook. Of if, like me, you intend to give your nook away, delete the books from the nook. Look in all the nook folders and make sure they have the books you want there.

Then, I unregistered my Nook. This involved resetting my B&N password and other unfun tasks, but I got it done. Last step was selecting the option to deregister from my nook Settings panel.

Once the divorce was final, I went to Project Gutenberg and installed a bunch of free ebooks from there, especially public domain young adult book series that I had never heard of, such as Grace Harlowe. I spent hours doing this.

Step 3: Set Up Adobe Digital Editions

Much as I hate DRM, it is a reality of life until all publishers finally abandon it for good. Yay to Harlequin and Tor for paving the way!

Once you divorce B&N, you’ll still be able to get to your B&N books, but you’ll need some way to unlock all those other ebooks you’ll be buying from great online bookstores like Diesel Ebooks and All Romance/Omni Lit. Many of these will have DRM.

(You could also download software to hack your DRM’d ebooks, but I don’t know anything like that because I don’t trust any hack software not to install viruses on my computer. Yes, I admit I looked into this. I have DRM’d copies of The Millennium Trilogy that I no longer have an ereading device to read it on because I have given my nook to my daughter. Since I really don’t feel compelled to read the second two books, I can live without them.)

So to get set up, first download Adobe Digital Editions. When you set it up, you’ll have to join the dark side activate the software using an email address. Then you’ll have to authorize your computer. Finally, plug in your nook and authorize it. Afterward, you will be able to transfer your books to your nook.

I just tested this, and ADE didn’t seem to care that I was authorizing a rooted nook. Mega-cool!

Optional Step 1: Turn Off Wifi

Once you are divorced from B&N, you no longer need WiFi except for the occasional update from the tireless folks at NookDevs. It’s just draining your battery, and the browser isn’t worth using. Turn it off.

Once I turned it off, I used the NookDevs supercharged menu to hide the WiFi on/off settings. I also hid the Settings panel while I was at it. In fact, the only apps that now show up on the color screen are My Library (the nookdevs version), Reading Now, Chess, Sudoko and View Notes. I really only wanted My Library and Reading Now, but had to have five on the screen so I selected applications that were harmless and that didn’t need the web. My daughter can get destructive when she can finds a Setting menu!

Optional Step 2: Install Calibre

Calibre is an ebook library program that can perform flawless (as far as I can tell) conversions from ebub to mobi and back again. This is useful for getting DRM-free Kindle books at a bargain, converting them to epub, and zapping them over to your nook.

The Drawbacks (Few!)

This method requires that I remain divorced from B&N, so when I buy more ebooks I have to buy from somewhere else. I can even buy them from Amazon and convert the mobi files to epub, as long as they have no DRM. My options aren’t limited. There are a lot of ebookstores out there, and your converted nook is now fully versatile.

The only one who loses out is Barnes & Noble, who lost a customer through their abandonment of the customers who were dedicated enough to take a chance on the ebook reader. Too bad for them.

Question: which ebook reader do you use? Or do you eschew them altogether?