Character POVs: What Should You Choose?

When you start writing a book, one of the first questions you have to ask yourself is what point of view are you going to focus on? There are several different paths you can take and explanations about why you might want to choose one over the other. 

• 1st Person POV: These are the "I" stories, books that are generally only in a single person's POV. The narrator is the main character. You see this quite often in YA books like Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Lightning Thief. In some cases, a 1st person POV might have multiple character views. One of the Mercy Thompson books, while primarily told from Mercy's view, switches to her mate, Adam's view partway through the book. This is effective so long as you indicate that you're switching the POV. Generally though, you want to just stick with one character. KA Applegate wrote a series called Animorphs in which each book had a single POV, but it switched characters from book to book. In one book you read about Rachel. The next focused on Tobias. Still, each individual book was through the eyes of one person. 

• 2nd Person POV: These are the "you" stories, ones that make the reader the main character, essentially. This is an excellent POV to use when you're writing a choose-your-own-adventure book or blog posting. I've also seen this work well in poetry. Some examples of 2nd POV books include The Night Circus, Bright Lights, Big City, and All the Truth That's In Me. Arguably, second person point of view is one of the hardest POVs to write. If you don't do it the correct way, readers can become confused or lost in your writing. In some cases, they might feel offended, feeling that the writer is saying something wrong or rude about them. You have to remember that this is just another form of writing. 

• 3rd Person POV: There are a couple versions of 3rd person point of view that we'll go into. In general, these are the "he/she" stories, so it's the author telling a story through other characters. Third person POV is likely the easiest way to tell stories from multiple POVs. Some good examples, in general, include The Giver, Ender's Game, and The Game of Thrones series. 

  • 3rd Person Omniscient: In these stories, the narrator knows all the thoughts and feelings of each character and doesn't focus on just one. Everyone, more or less, gets page time and there aren't many secrets that the reader doesn't know. Some examples include Redwall by Brian Jacques.

  • 3rd Person Limited: Limited means that the narrator only relays the thoughts and feelings of particular characters. In essence, the narrator zooms in on a character and gives a closer look into that person's thoughts and habits. No longer does the read know what everyone is thinking. Some good examples include Harry Potter and Alpha Omega.  

The next questions to ask are, why choose these different POVs? What works best for my book? Should I just have one POV or many? 

That really depends on what you're writing. If you have an epic fantasy with different races and locations where battles occur, you may consider writing 3rd person so you can explore more of your realm. Think of Lord of the Rings. Initially, we follow everyone on the journey, but eventually, the characters split off with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli headed in one direction, the hobbits going in another, and Gandalf going a third.  You get to see what's happening to everyone through the story without having to hear it from another character. 

If your book is focused on a single character and you want to make sure the readers can get into her head, then you may consider first person instead. Hunger Games and Divergent both let you see the world through the eyes and minds of the primary character. Could it have been told through multiple POVs? Possibly, but it may not have been as effective. 

Sometimes you may write a book with multiple characters in mind, only to realize later that it's better to have one focus. Or, in the case of a dear writer friend of mine, in order to enhance her romance book, she had to include a brand new POV. She admitted it made the book that much stronger. 

 Experiment. Play around and write a couple chapters and see what works better for you. You may not realize your book is missing a POV until you finish it or a beta reader suggests that they wanted more information from another character. If that's the case, don't be afraid to rewrite part of the story. I had too many POVs in one of my books and I dropped out everyone but the main character and that made the book more focused and much stronger. 

Good luck, and happy writing. 

Prologues

To write a prologue or not to write a prologue? That is the question, and it's one that's been frequenting message boards and twitter. I thought I might as well throw in my two cents about this somewhat controversial topic. 

The first, and most important, question to ask yourself is, what purpose does your prologue serve?

Prologues are generally used to introduce something important in the story that can't happen in any other way.

• Is a prophecy told?

• Does something happen in the past that's vital to the present?

• Are there characters who need a brief introduction at the beginning so their presence makes sense later?

• Are there Gods or Goddesses at work that demand their own part of the story lest they curse you with writer's block?     

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you might consider writing the prologue. 

However, if your prologue only serves to: 

• introduce information that can easily be told through flashbacks or exposition (ie info dump),

• create an entire world that you completely obliterate at the end of the prologue because you want to start your story with more action,

• make the story seem more epic, 

• prolong getting to the heart of the story, 

then maybe it isn't for you. 

Keep in mind that readers tend to decide if they're going to continue reading the book after the first chapter or the first few lines. You want to wow them. If you write a prologue that's long, dry, and unimportant to the rest of the story, you're going to lose your reader before they even reach the main plot line. It can also distract readers from your main story, leaving them to wonder why the prologue was put in place at all. 

On the other hand, prologues are great for pulling readers into your world. It stands alone and can be used in many different capacities. Say you write the majority of your story in one character's POV. Your prologue can serve to be another character's POV. If an ancestor plays a big role in your main character's life, the prologue might be the place to first introduce them. Is there an epic battle that takes place in the past that foreshadows the rest of your story? A prologue is a good place for it. 

Every book is different, and so while a prologue might work for one book, it may fail for another. You, as the writer, have to judge for yourself what your book needs. If you give your book to beta readers and they indicate that the prologue doesn't add anything, listen to them. If they say they feel like they're missing something at the beginning, then you may very well need to include a prologue. 

Prologues don't have to be long either. They could be as short as a few sentences, imparting vital information to the readers before they step into the main part of the story. The prologue could be several pages, perhaps reminding readers what happened in previous books if you're working on a series. Experiment with it. You might be surprised what you come up with. 

In the end, while prologues may have fallen out of favor, they're neither bad nor good. They exist for the sake of the book. If there's a purpose to it, then that's all that matters. 

Why Did I Indie Publish?

Since self-publishing The Purple Door District, I've received a lot of questions about why I decided to go that route. Well, I want it to be clear that I actually hope to become a hybrid author. My goal is to self-publish some books and traditional publish others.  I want to experience both worlds and see which one works the best for me. For all I know, indie publishing will win out.

The first answer to this question is easy. The Purple Door District is a component of a larger series called Fates and Furies that I write with my co-author, AE Kellar. We decided early on that when we published the books, we wanted to go the indie path. We'd have more freedom that way and we could keep all the important elements in the book without the fear of having a publisher take them out. We wanted control of the cover and the publishing schedule. We both have tight schedules and sometimes we just can't write together. We didn't want the pressure of a publishing house coming down on us, insisting we had to have work done at a certain time when it just wasn't feasible.

Now, that being said, we still want to put work out consistently, but indie publishing is more flexible and more forgiving when it comes to time frames. If we have to push publication dates back to make the book better and stronger, then so be it. So, The Purple Door District was guaranteed to be self-published.

But what about my other books like Dragon Steal or Traitors of the Crown? Why not self-publish those?

Well, again, I want the experience, and I feel like those books might do better with publishing houses that focus on the same type of topic.

Indie publishing is an adventure, to be blunt. You have control of everything. Writing. Editing. Choosing editors/proofreaders. Finding the cover. Marketing. Formatting. Publishing. Distribution. You wear all of the hats, and while that can be daunting, it can also be extremely enjoyable and rewarding. I went from having this book I was just posting on patreon with a rough cover to a published copy in my hand and in bookstores. I spent six months doing my marketing and printing campaign, and I honestly couldn't be happier.

I was relieved that I could choose my own cover. Often in traditional publishing, you don't get a say in it. In my case, I found an artist, and she and I worked together to perfect the cover. She willingly listened to my suggestions and adjusted the art so it turned into the lovely piece it is today. Likewise, I found artists who could make character images for me, and I was the only one who could say if it matched my vision. I had the final approval. You don't always get that in the traditional world.

I also was able to choose my own editors and proofreaders. I went with people I trusted, who had worked with me either for a long time or had demonstrated a passion for the craft and my book. Our relationships became harmonious, and we were able to message each other without having to worry about a publisher watching over us.

Indie publishing is no longer as taboo as it used to be. Authors are spending money to acquire editing services, and more freelance editors are appearing everyday. One of the biggest things I love about indie publishing is working with the community. I'm not the only one benefiting from publishing the book. Editors, proofreaders, artists, PA specialists all have a hand in the book and receive payment for their work. I'm proud to have met so many incredibly talented people and it brings me great joy to promote them on my website.

Indie publishing is a lot of work and a ton of money (depending on how you want to do it). You can indie publish and not spend a dime except for purchasing books. Or, you can put more of your cash into it to create a bigger marketing strategy. Again, the choice is yours. You have control over your own process. And you don't have to worry about a publishing company folding and dropping the series you've been working on (it's happened before).

I'm not waiting for anyone to promote my materials or set up book signings for me. I do it all myself and go where I think I'll have the most success. Walking this path has turned me into a stronger and more knowledgeable writer that I'm not sure I would have received from traditional publishing alone. Yes, in traditional publishing you still have to help market, but not to the same extent as indie.

I give a lot of credit to those who have self-published before me, and those who will after me. I feel like may of us have become a close-nit community because we all know the struggle of creating and promoting our books. The writing community is incredible, and no matter if you choose to self publish or traditional publish, I hope you're proud to be part of the community.

Sequel Struggles

It hasn't even been a month since I published The Purple Door District, and I'm already feeling the dreaded sequel struggle. You know the feeling. You finish book one in a trilogy or series. Ideas blossom in your head for the next story. Your characters weave their tales and are ready to continue their journeys. You sit down to write. 

Nothing. 

Yes, this is going to be one of those raw blog posts where I talk about my struggles and then still try to provide some advice thanks to the help of other incredible writers.

Right now, I'm trying not to throw my computer at the wall because I'm so frustrated with the book.  I managed to write part of the story during NaNo, but now I feel stuck. One reason is because I'm intimidated by book one! I've received a lot of really good feedback, and while I know I can still make changes, I don't want to write a sequel that's subpar. Not only that, I'm not working with the same exact cast. New characters are popping in left and right, and they're making the story that much more detailed and difficult. 

Don't get me wrong, the second book was meant to be more detailed and have bigger stakes, as it should, but I didn't think it would cause me quite this much stress and fear. 

I reached out to an incredible romance writer named Eliza David who sent me one of her blog posts about writing a sequel. You can check it out here. She provides some incredible tips such as taking notes of your characters from the first book, and also allowing characters (and conflict) to grow. Check it out!

As I've worked on my sequel, I've learned a few things that I thought I'd share as well. If you have tips, let me know! 

• Character Bios: Make sure you have character bios and descriptions from the first book and keep adding to them for the second book so you don't have to keep researching and remembering who has what eyes or hair. 

• Talk it Out: I spent part of the day talking to my co-creator about book two. She had a bunch of valuable advice, and you can do the same with a fellow writer, especially one who has read your book. Outline the next story for them to see if it makes sense and if your book is going to hold your readers' attention as much as the first. 

• Read Your First Book: This might seem obvious, but I didn't really think about it when I started in on the sequel. I'd spent so much time editing PDD 1, I thought I wouldn't have to read it again. Boy, was I wrong. I think it'll help me stay in the groove of working with some of the same characters once I review it. 

• Outline: Outline your sequel to see if it makes sense in the world of book one. And if you have another book after the sequel, try to outline that book as well so you know where number two needs to end. Granted, this is more for the plotters rather than the pantsers, but I think it's beneficial to both. 

• Allow Yourself to Feel Frustrated: Seriously, writing a sequel is scary and hard, so if you get frustrated, it's completely normal. Allow yourself to feel (kick, scream, and cry if you need to), then get back to work. It's better than keeping it all in. 

• Remember First Drafts Suck: Don't get intimidated by your edited writing in book one. It started off as rough and unpolished as the sequel. The most important thing is to get the words on paper. You can clean it up later. 

Believe me when I say you're not alone in your dread of writing a sequel. Do what feels right for you, and look up suggestions for how to get through blocks and over hurdles.

My biggest suggestion is try to find a way to embrace your book and not be afraid of it. Because if you're afraid what could happen, the only person who will ever know the story is you.

Write it.

You can do it! 

Creating a Book Launch: Reflection

It's been a week since I launched The Purple Door District. It's hard to believe that it's over already after so many months of work. I've had people ask what went well, what didn't, what would I like to change, and so on and so forth. After some reflection, I thought I'd share a few tidbits for anyone else who's preparing to launch their book. As I say in many of my posts, these are just ideas and not the true method. What works for me may not work for you, but it may give you a place to start. 

To make this a little easier, I'm going to divide this into three sections: what I did, what worked and didn't work, and what I'd do next time. 

Warning: This is going to be a long one! 

What I did: 

• Indie Publishing: I gave myself 6 months to launch my book so I could build up an audience and get my social media platforms off the ground. Keep in mind, I was mostly starting from scratch. I had Facebook and Wattpad, and I had just started on patreon, but that was about it. I decided to go the indie publishing route, which meant I had to do all my marketing by myself, hence the six months of preparation. 

• Cover reveal: I revealed the cover of the book about a month in so that it, and the title, could get out and attract attention.

• Social Media: I started building up my social media. Twitter and Facebook brought the most people to my website (according to the analytics). I also created an Instagram account. I bounced back and forth between these three, and featured special topics on Instagram like my Book Love Tour, author interviews, and blog entries. I created a schedule for myself to write a blog post every week, which I've managed for a few months now. When I got closer to the book release, I created a Goodreads and Bookbub account, per the suggestions of other authors. Through all the social media sites, I worked to build my audience and find fellow writers who might be interested in the book, and who I could help. 

• Website: I developed my own author website to host information about my books, author interviews, my literary projects, details about the community, my volunteer work, etc. Basically my website is a one-stop shop for anyone who wants to know about me and my work. You can find all my social media through it. 

• Patreon: In December 2017, before I even decided to publish PDD, I started posting a chapter or two every month. This meant I had early readers and got a few people interested in the book. I intend to do the same thing with PDD 2. 

• Interviews: Through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, I found people willing to do interviews with me to help promote my book. I worked to space them out over the months so there was always something fresh for people to read. In the same vein, I interviewed other authors to show them support. It's been a lot of fun getting to meet so many different people. 

• Libraries/bookstores: I started contacting libraries and bookstores who might be interested in carrying my book. In the end, I had three bookstores in the local area who wanted them, and another in the works. Libraries are a little more reluctant to take in indie-published books, but I did manage to get a couple to agree to carry the novel. 

• Press: I wrote press releases for my book launch in hopes that it would help bring more people to the event and also share the news about the novel to more people. 

• Swag: I developed some of my own swag and also brought on people to create art, necklaces, and sand bottles for my book. My intent was to give them support while also helping to promote PDD. It was a lot of money, but the results spoke volumes. 

• Indiegogo Campaign: Indie publishing is not easy, as many of you probably already know. I started up an Indiegogo Campaign to try to offset some of the costs. I spread it out over a month, aiming to gain $4,000. 

• Book Launch Location: I picked a special location for my book launch. The Makers' Loft seemed like a fitting place because it is all about representing indie artists. It has a great space, and it is still new and starting out, so I wanted to bring publicity there as well. Plus, their marketing team is really good. I'm really glad I chose it. 

• Giveaways:  I did several giveaways over the course of the 6 months. In the beginning, I was just offering swag as gifts (necklaces, posters, etc) because the book wasn't done. Then I started giving away the e-book, and finally I offered up the published book in bigger contests that ended up helping me build my newsletter. 

• Newsletter: I developed a newsletter to keep people updated on what I'm working on. It helped me keep people interested and connected me with my readers more. 

• ARC: I gave out advanced reader copies to people I knew would finish the book and provide reviews on Goodreads, and later Amazon. I hoped that the numbers would get me closer to the 50 count which triggers Amazon to start promoting your book. 

• Paid Ads: I spent a little money on ads for the newspaper, Facebook, Bookbub, and I think a couple of other places to garner attention. 

• Connections: I worked with my author connections to gain more information about how to launch my book. I also got PDD out word-of-mouth and developed a street team to help me share information about the book around social media platforms. 

• Signings: I set up two signings on the day of the book launch, as well as several others in the future so people would know right away where to find me if they couldn't make it to the actual launch. 

What Worked/ What Didn't 

• Indie Publishing: I'm actually really glad I went this route. I've learned a lot about indie publishing over the past six months, and I now have a better idea of what I'd do in the future. It costs a lot, I'm not going to lie, but you have a lot of freedom that you may not have with publishers. 

• Cover reveal: This was a great way to gain attention. I found an amazing artist who really hit the nail on the head. People loved the cover, and that kept bringing an audience back to me. Or at least made people pause when they scrolled through it. Cover reveals are great media pieces, especially if you have an incredible artist. Start it early, and get your name out there. 

• Social Media: I probably made my social media life a lot harder than it needed to be. Facebook and Twitter both brought people over to my website. Whether that will lead to sales remains to be seen at this point. It's something you definitely need to do to keep up your audience, but the amount of social media presence is really up to you. I think Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram get me my best audience. Wattpad and patreon fall a bit more to the wayside. At the very least, this is a great way to gain connections and find out about other signings, and bond with writers and readers. Recently, my blog posts have started to gain more attention. 

• Website: A must have. I spent more on this than I had anticipated, but it's worth the cost. I have a store where I can sell my books. And it's a one-stop-shop for everyone. If I only have one piece of social media to offer up, this is definitely the one I give. I update it every week, too, and that seems to keep the numbers up. 

• Patreon: To be honest, Patreon is not one of my successes. It's gone well for other writers, but I've really struggled with gaining an audience. I'm hoping that now PDD 1 is out, that'll bring more people in for PDD 2. Part of me wants to give it up completely, but I still think there's worth in it. If anything, it keeps me on task because I have to post something every 15th of the month. 

• Interviews: This was a big help. Interviews introduced me to new readers and audiences. They made people see that I'm very much a human, and they got to know me and my view of working as a community. I would say get as many interviews as possible, and research if there's a good response turn out for that interviewer's blog.  

• Libraries/bookstores: I didn't have as much success as I would have liked, but I don't think I tried as hard as I could have. I'm still reaching out to bookstores and libraries, but I'm finding that they prefer to agree to carry your book once it's printed. That being said, I did just receive my first paycheck from one of the bookstores! 

• Press: This was a dud, but that was my fault. I did reach out to newspapers, but I neglected to reach out to tv and radio stations. I think I just ran out of time, which was an issue. I sent press releases to four local papers and only had one respond. 

• Swag: While this turned out to be a lot of money, the swag really caught people's attention. When I couldn't give out the book because it was still in progress, I could at least offer bookmarks, jewelry, and other items. They were all very eye catching, and they've served to help bolster the world of PDD alongside the book. 

• Indiegogo Campaign: The campaign enabled me to pay for my first shipment of books, but it definitely didn't land where I expected. There are a lot of ways in which I would improve on it (more below). 

• Book Launch Location: The location was really great. The only downside is the website has slightly confusing directions, so some people got lost, but they still managed to show up. I had at least 30 people stop by in a 2-hour time frame. 

• Giveaways:  On one hand, not many people participated in the giveaways. It almost felt like, what was the point? On the other hand, the people who won were ecstatic and let me know about it, and that felt wonderful. 

• Newsletter: I suck at newsletters, hah! This is still a work in progress! Now that I have about 250 people, I'm hoping that will lead to some sales.  

• ARC: Definitely glad I did this. My ARC folks came through for me and helped me get several reviews both on amazon and goodreads. I'm talking with even more people about doing reviews, so I hope my #questto50 makes it on amazon. 

• Paid Ads: Honestly, I don't think these were worth the money. Unless you're willing to spend $100s of dollars, I don't think they give you much turn out. 

• Connections/Signings: Personal connections with people and in-person signings definitely were great successes. I've met so many incredible people over the last six months, and many also ended up buying my book to show their support. I did the same for their books as well. The biggest success came from working with the community. They always say you should build an audience, but I'd much rather build up true connections with people and have us help each other. Rising Tide, as Brian K Morris says. 

What I'd Do Differently

• Press: I would reach out to more press outlets about my book. One suggestion an author made to me was to send formal invitations to newspapers, tv, and radio stations. If you can get a big star to come, that's something you can talk about and attract more people. I'd also write more press releases to introduce my book. 

• Indiegogo Campaign: If I did this again, I'd give myself two months instead of one to raise the money. One month wasn't enough. I would also promote it more, and likely do that through press news. My tiers would be more reasonable as well. I wish I could have given out more stuff to people, but I was still in the early stages. 

• Relevant Signings: I'm working on this now, but I would have set up a signing in Chicago right off the bat. The book is set in Chicago, after all. I should have reached out to Chicago bookstores and media as well. 

• ARC: I would find more ARC readers for the book. I've received many incredible reviews (thank you, everyone!) But getting more reviews right away would be helpful. 

• Time/Self-Care: Give myself more time to breathe. During the six months, I thought I was going to lose my mind. There were plenty of tears and nights where I felt like I couldn't do this, and that I'd turn into a failure. It was because I wasn't taking care of myself. I wasn't sleeping. I wasn't eating well. There were other factors that made self-care difficult, but the book launch was one of those major stresses in my life that I'm both happy and sad is over. I'd definitely give myself a day (at least) every week where I didn't work on anything. 

I told you, this was going to be a long one. Overall, I think the book launch was a big success. In 7 days, I sold about 70 books, and I have interviews and signings coming up over the next few months. I'm working to attend bigger conventions that might bring more attention to my book, and to me as an author. Maybe I'll even find an agent to represent me for the other stacks of books I have waiting in the wings. 

As a final note, I want to again thank everyone who has supported me through this journey. You all are incredible and I can't thank you enough. 

As always, if you have a topic you'd like me to discuss, post it below! 

Happy writing!