Last Minute Gifts for Writers? Got You Covered!

Check out Amy's post about gifts for authors over at her blog, The Write Helper.

Who Doesn't Like a Free Read?

Sign up for the Candace Carrabus Books newsletter and you'll get a new free short story or book excerpt in your inbox each month. You'll get stories by Candace Carrabus and others. Some you'll like, some you won't, but you will meet new authors and perhaps find your new favorite.

Get on the list now to read Gwyneth's Christmas by Nicky Charles. 

Next week, you'll receive Round 1 of Cold Backed, a new Dream Horse Mystery short exclusive to newsletter subscribers.

Trash or Dream--You Decide

"Should I throw this out?" a woman asked me, clutching her manuscript pages.

The encounter took place at a writer's retreat where I taught a class a couple of weeks ago. During my class "Fixing the Broken Story," I offered to look over any pages the participants had doubts about, and this woman took me up on it. After the edit, red pen marks dotted the half dozen pages, though I'd given a positive comment when I could. The disappointment on her face confirmed she'd expected glowing reviews, and I wanted to oblige, but false praise wouldn't have helped her.

"Don't do that," I said--and meant it. I went on to explain that if she were willing to learn the craft, apply techniques, and take constructive feedback, she'd grow as a writer.

The truth of the matter is without the "if" part of the equation, her chances are slim. But with some literary elbow grease and a sincere desire to learn, I believe all things are possible. Call me an optimist, but I've seen it happen enough times to make a believer out of me.

I left her with one final piece of advice: "Don't give up on your dream!"

And I meant that, too.

Unleash Your Inner Voice

The Scribes' Tribe will be at the Wentzville Octoberfest hosting a writing demonstration on the Community Club Stage on Saturday, October 8, from 11:30 - 12:30, and we need you to be there to unleash your inner voice!

So how does that work, you may be wondering? You'll take a first sentence writing prompt and write your masterpiece with encouragement and assistance from our friendly Scribes' Tribe members. Afterward we've also got door prizes to inspire you to take your writing to the next level.

The Wentzville Octoberfest has many other art demonstrations scheduled throughout the 2-day event, plus fine art for sale and wine tasting. Local food trucks and multiple music stages will be located in the Village Center area alongside the Historic Society's caboose.

Stop by and celebrate the fall season with art, music, good food, and wine. The Wentzville Octoberfest hours are:

October 8, 2016

11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

October 9, 2016

11 a.m. - 6 p.m.  

See you there!

The joy of being SELF-published

Back in September, I posted some of the things I love about being a published author—a SELF-published author. It's hard work but rewarding. The good news? I'm the boss of me. The bad news? I'm the boss of me. I'm the author, formatter, publisher, marketing and publicity director, website manager, research assistant...the list really does go on. At times, I wish I could afford to farm out just about everything except the writing. I wish I had a big publisher behind me to mind all those little details that turn my hair grayer than it already is.

However, one of the best parts of being self published is I get to choose. I choose when to publish, what platforms to use, what the prices are, and when to have a sale—which is the joy I'm sharing with you today.

I've had a great year. No, I'm not quitting my day job anytime soon, so by some standards, not such a great year. But I do love what I do, so even when the money barely pays the cable bill, I'm thankful.

To celebrate, all my ebooks are on sale for 99 cents through the end of the year. And The Man, The Dog, His Owner & Her Lover is FREE! Forever. That's right. It will always be free from now on. I'll post about the reasons for this in the future.

For now, you can find more info about all my titles as well as all the links you need to purchase them at the Books page of my website.

---

Happy Reading! Happy Holidays!
And best wishes for a fabulous 2016.

Candace

Symbolism in Writing

As promised several weeks ago, I'm sharing some notes from the class I taught in Maryland--"Beyond the Basics: Five Ways to Bring Your Writing to the Next Level."

Symbolism is one of my favorite ways to enhance a story. Symbols can convey complex ideas with few words--a great way to "show" instead of "tell."

Symbolism adds another layer, deepens the writer's theme, bypassing the conscious mind of the reader going straight to her emotional core. While some people will not "get" the symbolism, the good thing is that it won't interfere with those particular readers' appreciation of the story. Yet for those who do understand the symbolism, the story is much, much richer.

There are three types of symbols:

• Common symbols, which are those most people understand--think red means anger or a ring fidelity.
• Uncommon symbols, those most people don't understand. The language of flowers comes to mind, popular in Victorian times. If you use symbols like these, you'll have to give the reader hints in order for him to understand.
• Story symbols, which the writer creates in her story. Though not readily apparent, if the writer sets it up correctly, these can be quite powerful. A story symbol that comes to mind is from It's a Wonderful Life when George Bailey is tired from working so hard and he goes to climb the stairs and the top of the banister wobbles loose in his hand. The banister top symbolizes everything about his life that frustrates him.  

So how can the average writer incorporate more symbolism in his writing? Using small details works well, such as the colors your character wears or maybe giving the character an action, like repeatedly washing her hands to show guilt. Or what about the vehicle your character drives? In a recent novel I edited, the main character, in the middle of two investigations and dealing with the death of her husband, heads off to her mountain retreat home to do some soul searching. Her vehicle--a Pathfinder.

So why go to all this trouble? Symbolism often ties the whole work together. It's a great tool for enhancing and clarifying your story theme.

Try it!

Next in the series--Tension. (With a capital T on purpose.)

Thoughts on editing your writing...

I saw this image on Facebook and just had to steal it. It's so accurate. This is me when I'm rereading things I've written: Meh. Bleh. Gah. Wait, I wrote that? That was pretty good. Nope, that sucks. Ugh. This. All. Sucks. What ever made me think I could write???

Yeah, we've all been there. You write something brilliant one night. In the cold light of morning, you hate it. Or maybe, in the cold light of morning, you don't even look at what you wrote last night. Instead, you forge ahead, churning out words as fast as your fingers can reach the keys. Good. Good. Keep going.

Whatever your process, if you've gotten as far as a first draft of anything--be it flash fiction, short story, novel, poem, essay, at some point, you're going to have to edit it. You have to get to the second draft, third, fourth... well, there can be many, depending on what you're working on. Doesn't matter how long you've been writing, whether this is your first first draft or your tenth or your fiftieth, it'll benefit from some revision.

Dr. Seuss said, "So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads."

You--as author--need all those words in the beginning. So....take Colette's advice and "Put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it."

Because, as author Shannon Hale says, "I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles."

But...face it, eventually, you have to "Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings," as Stephen King advises.

If this seems a little daunting, take heart. As I've written this post, I've backspaced out nearly as many words as I've typed. Remember, "A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." Thank you, Richard Bach.

Because "Writing without revising is the literary equivalent of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear," according to Patricia Fuller.

In my experience, the more I write, the more I have to revise, and the more I revise, the better it gets. Up to a point, of course. On the flip side, you can edit a piece to death, stomping all the initial exuberance and life out of it. I know this is true, and Jeanne Voelker agrees: "I edit my own stories to death. They eventually run and hide from me."

You don't want your stories to run and hide from you. You should listen to them, fine tune your ear as you go. It's okay to scrap it, start over, chop off the first chapter, remove a character, whatever.  Because as C.K. Webb points out, "We never end up with the book we began writing. Characters twist it and turn it until they get the life that is perfect for them. A good writer won't waste their time arguing with the characters they create...It is almost always a waste of time and people tend to stare when you do!"

You might as well get used to the stares. After all, you're a writer. 

How do you feel about editing your own work?

Write on!

Candace