Kindle or more #AtoZchallenge #IWSG

Where will you self publish? Kindle has a program where an author can get higher royalties for being exclusivive with Amazon. Not everyone uses Amazon, nor does every country have access to Kindle books. This automatically puts a limit on distribution. 

Here's a Facebook post from the IWSG about this topic.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/NTgEVGY825Z7Mgj7 IWSG on Facebook

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Just check again #AtoZChallenge

Never underestimate your ability to make a mistake. Did a lot of editing? Check everything again. Too many adverbs? End a sentence with a prepositional phrase? Homophones all right? Does the dialog match each character? 

Check and recheck and check again. Get help from friends / beta readers if possible.

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Inspire page turning #AtoZchallenge

Another important aspect of self-publishing is to ensure that the manuscript inspires page-turning. End scenes and chapters in such a way that the reader feels compelled to know what will happen next. Will the characters be okay? What's the solution to a puzzle? What is going to happen next? The reader should want to know. 

In this story, there is a big plot twist in the third act. The foreshadowing is very limited. The antagonist is hidden until the third act. It seems like a person-vs-nature up until that moment. Like getting to the place will be the hardest part. Everything seems clear-cut until that moment. But one character is not at all what they seem to be. 

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Holes in plot #AtoZChallenge

Yesterday I posted about grammar. Another reason to review a manuscript is to check for holes in the plot. If a character has a broken mobile phone in chapter three, they better not use that phone in chapter five without a trip to the repair shop or phone store! Anything that might cause a reader to pause and flip back, "wait, I thought this other truth was established..." is a hole. Writers sometimes write so fast that we don't notice such flaws. Readers do. Especially mystery readers, who love to find something out of place, that little clue to help solve the who-done-it. This is also a great reason to get a beta reader, or a few, who can point such flaws out.

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Grammar #AtoZChallenge

Grammar and spelling are very important in books. Especially with self-publishing, as readers will deduct stars ⭐for mistakes. Some grammar is subjective and can vary by location, cultural influence, and historical factors. 

There is help. Programs such as Grammarly make suggestions. It can be added to Chrome and used with Google Docs. This is great for strengthening your writing. 

Free information is on hemingwayapp.com, which breaks down your writing and offers tips. 

I don't like this site as much, but onlinecorrection.com is free.

Before Grammarly, I relied on prowritingaid.com, which remains popular among Scrivener users, especially because it integrates with that app.

My favorite free resource is wordcounter.net. There's a setting to allow proofreading, and various voice options are available. Hearing your manuscript is a superior way to spot mistakes. It's absolutely worth the time. I'd suggest pasting smaller scenes at a time, so if you hear a mistake, it'll be easier to find and fix. The site won't save your work forever, so be sure you aren't using it that way. There's a button to clear your work. 

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Find Title #AtoZChallenge #win

Find title
The working title is: 

A Howl in the Darkness

That title has an ominous feel. It makes you think that something unpleasant is going to happen, which is what I'm going for. The howl is a reference to Monoghan. 

However, a quick search on Google shows that it might be a bad choice lacking in originality. 

Quest to the Shamlin Ruins

This title has not been used. "Ruins" still gives that ominous feel. The three main characters are on a quest. "Quest: Trip to accomplish a specific task." The task is retrieving a bequeathed item left by a recently departed friend. 

What title might you suggest? 

I'll gift a free copy to someone if I use the idea.

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Energy up

Energy up
It's important to keep the energy going in a story. Some ways I do that in this novella:

The story opens with a fire. It turns out to be a phoenix who introduces the quest.

Unusual creatures set this fantasy world apart and create energy as the reader learns about them.

The settings keep the story moving as they present difficulties for the characters. 

Plot twists grab the reader as the story glides toward the end.

Emotion is the strongest way to bring energy. 

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