If looking back on 2020 isn’t the most appealing exercise to you right now, that’s completely understandable. It’s been a never-ending handkerchief magic trick of pain and loss so far. Looking back is just as stressful, too; even as you strive to adapt to the “new normal,” the year continues to throw you a curveball or two.

For now, let’s look to Austrian neurologist and psychologist Viktor Frankl. After living through Auschwitz, Frankl went on to pen Man’s Search for Meaning, his bestselling memoir where he details his use of humor to stay sane and to survive. In Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything,another book of his, he warns against both pessimism and optimism since both are two sides of the same coin—both are ways to expect things from life.

When looking back and looking forward can equally paralyze you, it’s time to ask a different question. To paraphrase Frankl, the question can no longer be “What can I expect from 2020?” but “What can 2020 expect of me?”

Ask Google about how the publishing industry has dealt with the pandemic, and you’ll find so many embodiments of the latter question. It’s story after story of authors submitting their manuscripts, holding launch parties and book tours on Zoom, and looking out for readers by giving away their books.

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Authors who published with us have been keeping busy.

What can you accomplish in three months? Well, NaNoWriMo’s coming up, so you could start planning a novel now, speed-write it by November, and polish it within December. If you want to spice things up, you could try writing one novel for each month instead—three fresh novels by December!

Of course, not every writer lives for the thrill of the word count. You could dedicate yourself to researching and outlining. Three months is barely enough time to explore the internet’s plethora of content. Before you know it, it’ll be the new year.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a manuscript ready right now, you can always reach out to one of our publishing consultants and have a chat about your publishing options.

Remember, it’s a matter of asking what you’re capable of. Frankl said it beautifully: “The question life asks us… does not only change from hour to hour but also changes from person to person…”

As with Frankl’s outlook, the beauty of self-publishing is the freedom to accomplish things at your own pace. Start with what you have right now, and everything will follow.

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For something that’s considered an art, writing sure has a ton of “advice” you’re supposed to follow if you dream of success; stray from oft-repeated wisdom and you’re branded as a rule breaker.

But really, writing is an art. What works for one writer can work for thousands of others, yet this doesn’t guarantee that it’ll work for you. It’s even possible that this is a part of the pressure so many writers feel. You try to sit down and write every day, but your brain refuses to cooperate most of the time. You try freewriting, but you end up with inedible word soup. You try using pen and paper, but this leads you down a procrastinatory path of finding the best notebook and the best pen tip size—and your hand cramps up a lot.

Upon closer inspection, much of writing is simply busywork, a checklist of standards you’re supposed to meet before you can hope to come up with something good. Looking around you, you’ll also find that many writers succeeded because they broke the rules. They took the experiential wisdom of others, smashed it, reassembled it, gave it two or three coats of paint, and called it style. Perhaps you’ve experienced this too. Have you ever tried ignoring writing advice to the betterment of your writing? Did you set out to do it or was it out of necessity? How did you feel as you went along this path, and how did you deal with those feelings? Would you do it again or do you plan to follow what’s advised next time? Tell us about it in the comments.

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Then again, ending a book is more than just writing “the end.” It can even become a chore too, what with all the parts you have to figure out. Let us help you with that.

Some time ago, we covered the basic difference between an epilogue and an afterword, but here we’ll list and define all the things that readers can expect to find at the end of a professionally written book.

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Now we’ll present the final three tips for improving the dialogue in your self-published book!

3. Be Discerning with Dialect and Slang

The general rule of thumb regarding dialect and slang is “less is more.” Scotsmen do not have to talk as though they are reciting a Rabbie Burns poem, Frenchmen do not have to sound like Inspector Clouseau, and not every Cockney talks as though they were born hugger mugger to the sound of Bow Bells. Instead, you can modify your character’s speech to give a suggestion of dialect so that your readers can imagine how they sound but still understand what they are saying.

4. Punctuate for Professionalism

In order to produce the most professional manuscript you can, your dialogue needs to be punctuated correctly. Make sure your dialogue:

– Begins on a new line whenever there is a new speaker.

– Has quotation marks around the words. US standard is to have double quotation marks and UK standard is single. Just make sure you are consistent once you have chosen which to use.

– Has punctuation inside the quotation marks.

– Ends with a comma before a dialogue tag or with a full stop before an action.

5. What Can You Improve Upon?

Make sure you read your dialogue aloud when you are editing it. If it doesn’t flow or sound authentic when you are saying it, it will not come across as such to your readers. Look out for tired clichés, and register the rhythm and pacing of your story. Also ensure that your dialogue is contributing to your story by making sure it is performing at least one of its six functions, as outlined in the first part of this series.

The post Five Areas for Improving Your Story’s Dialogue (Part Three) appeared first on AuthorHouse.

Let’s see one of those outline options put into practice, using George Lucas’ sci-fi classic Star Wars as an example.

In the beginning (subheading “A” under Act 1), the Imperial Star Destroyer catches the rebel ship. The story ends with Luke destroying the Death Star, and returning to the rebel base a hero. This would be the final sub-heading under Act 3.

Whew! Two important clothespins done. Now let’s think about the linchpins that connect the scenes. What’s the inciting incident that takes us from act one into act two? Luke’s aunt and uncle being killed by stormtroopers (this would be the final subheading under Act 1). Act 2 would begin with Luke going to Mos Eisley with Ben Kenobi.

And the transition from Act 2 into Act 3? Probably when the main characters escape from the Death Star and flee to the rebel base, in preparation for the final battle scene.

With just those five or six scenes mapped out, you have a strong framework for constructing the rest of the story. You can now add as many subheadings (or even sub-subheadings) as you like, down to the level of detail that works for you.

The following diagram from www.elementsofcinema.com illustrates a similar breakdown for The Matrix. Check out their site for a lot of great articles on screenwriting and filmmaking.

Remember, each scene in your story should have a purpose, and it’s okay to include this in your outline too. A scene that shows your character working late at the office might help establish that she’s a workaholic, or has no social life. If you’ve written a scene but don’t know what its purpose is, consider cutting it out before you waste time scripting it.

That’s all for this time. Next time we discuss screenwriting, we’ll focus on film treatments. In the meantime, have a great weekend and thanks for visiting Author’s Digest!

Follow AuthorHouse on Facebook and Twitter. For more information about how you can become a published author, click here for our FREE Publishing Guide.

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This time we’ll look at what, for many writers, is THE stumbling block: coming up with ideas. After all, “Where do you get your ideas?” is probably the question most commonly asked of successful writers. Well, today we’ll tell you where a lot of those writers get their ideas—and you can too!

We begin with…

Don’t just focus on hyperdrives and transporters. Yes, you read that right. Science fiction writers tend to focus on advances in technology; well, don’t be afraid to look at other disciplines too! What will philosophy look like in the future? Archaeology? Sociology? Music?

Think about the negative side of a scientific breakthrough. The positive results of scientific progress are easy to imagine. After all, they’re the main reason we’re trying to advance science to begin with. But what about the downside? Okay, so medical advancements allow people to live for centuries; how does that affect overpopulation, resource depletion, the job market, etc. Imagining the negative can give you an entirely new angle to write about.

Don’t shy away from the big subjects. The movie Prometheus was about no less than the creation of life on Earth. If you have an idea, don’t be scared of tackling large, “macro” topics like this. The good news is, it’s unlikely that real-world scientific advances will disprove your theory any time soon.

Find a popular sci-fi writer to disagree with. Hopefully, as someone who wants to write science fiction, you’re also an avid sci-fi reader! Think about some of those stories. Were you intrigued by another writer’s setting or concept, but disagree with the direction he or she took? Now’s your chance to “correct” the mistake! We’re not suggesting plagiarism; rather, we’re saying that you can use other stories to provide the seeds for your own unique take on things.

What if disproved theories had turned out to be true? What if the Earth really was flat? Research beliefs and theories, some of which might be thousands of years old, and then imagine what would happen if they were true? Granted, this kind of thinking can quickly turn your science fiction story into one of fantasy, but who cares if it’s a story you want to tell?

We’ll be back with more tips about writing in the ever-surprising, ever-expanding science fiction genre. Until then, browse the AuthorHouse Bookstore for the latest sci-fi offerings from our self-publishing author community.

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Today, AuthorHouse Author’s Digest will take a moment to discuss the numeric keypad present on most modern keyboards. That’s the set of 17 keys on the far right side, marked as numerals, directional arrows, and commands like “Home,” “PgUp,” etc.

First things first. To access the numeric functions on the keypad, you must first push the “Num Lock” button on the top left of the numeric keypad. Unlike the main part of the keyboard, simply pushing “Shift” won’t work. Once you’ve pushed “Num Lock” (typically confirmed by one of the keyboard lights), pushing the buttons will result in the indicated numbers, instead of the directional arrows or other commands.

But aren’t there already numbers on the keyboard, near the top? Why a separate numeric keypad? The reason is that people who enter numbers frequently can do so much faster on a numeric keypad (which is organized like an old-fashioned adding machine.)

And what about the question that started this article? That elusive cents sign? Well, for Windows users, that’s an additional function of the numeric keypad. When the “Num Lock” button has been pushed, holding down the “Alt” key while entering a numeric code will produce a wide variety of signs and symbols.

For example, if you want to make the cents sign:

1. Push down “Num Lock”

2. Hold down the “Alt” button

3. While the “Alt” button is depressed, enter the number 0162 on the numeric keypad.

Ta-daa! The cents sign (¢)!

And the division sign? Make sure “Num Lock” has been pushed, hold down “Alt,” and enter 0247.

There is a wide variety of symbols that can be made via this method, from currency and math symbols, to foreign accent marks, and a whole lot more. For a complete list, search for “Windows Alt Key Codes” online—there’s no shortage of comprehensive resources available.

Thanks for visiting Author’s Digest! Follow AuthorHouse on Facebook and Twitter. For more information about how you can become a published author, click here for our FREE Publishing Guide.

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With that, we present seven ISBN questions and answers!

What is the ISBN? It’s a unique, 13-digit number that’s used internationally to identify not only individual books, but separate editions and formats (hardcover, paperback, etc.)

The subject of ISBNs for e-books is becoming complicated, as there are numerous formats (epub, mobi, etc.) Some authorities will recommend getting a separate ISBN for each electronic format; at the same time, others will tell you that you need no ISBN at all if your book will only be sold as an e-book. We recommend taking the safe route and getting one.

Are ISBNs only for traditionally published books? No, self-published books require them also, in order to be available in bookstores or libraries.

Who can issue an ISBN? In the United States, Bowker is the only company authorized to issue the numbers. As the program is internationally recognized, you do not need to buy different ISBNs for each country.

How many should you buy? You can buy an ISBN individually or in sets of 10, 100, or 1000; however, they get cheaper the more you buy, so if you anticipate publishing more books (or having more than one version or edition of the same book), you should consider buying more than one.

Can an ISBN be reused? No. Regardless of book sales, you cannot reuse an ISBN.

Is getting an ISBN the same as being copyrighted? Another no. Copyright falls under intellectual property law, and is administered by the Library of Congress (in the United States).

Where is the ISBN displayed? On the back cover of the book (with the bar code), and on the book’s copyright page.

We hope that you’ve found this useful! Follow AuthorHouse on Facebook and Twitter. For more information about how you can become a published author, click here for our FREE Publishing Guide.

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