Posted on by Alexie Linn

Behind the Scenes of a Productive Author

Behind the Scenes of a Productive Author

Does this happen to you? It happens to me.

Each time I decide what I want to be when I grow up, a picture comes into my head. The picture invariably is of me (and my team) with the shiny finished product with throngs of people lined up to buy or use that gorgeous piece I’ve created. Cash is flowing. People are jubilant and crying for more…

But is it that simple?

Hmm. Not so much.

I’ve flipped career paths several times over the years simply because of the behind the scenes demands.

Demands like:

  • Graveyard shifts because I’m a morning person. I turn into a pumpkin at sundown.
  • Working with a redneck crew that shun and torment a woman in their midst.
  • Micro managers that must give permission for a bathroom break when it will affect no one else on the floor.

It’s easy to block out the details of what goes into the production of a product. Especially when you have no clue until you get there; having leapt smack into the bubbling pot of goo.

So, in preparation of your leap into becoming a productive author, here’s a peak at what goes on behind the scenes to get a book from thought to publication at Alexie Linn, Author.
  1. The Inspiration:
    • Ask the question. Define the problem that needs a solution. (The reason for writing the book)
    • Who are the characters that have the problem? What is each character’s quirk?Does the protagonist need a sidekick?
    • Make the antagonist 3 dimensional. Why are they so darned antagonistic?
  2. Outline the story — make a gazillion decisions:
    • How does the story begin?
    • What led to the problem?
    • Where is the problem happening? Research places.
    • What are the options to fix the problem?
    • Refine the options with what happens along the way
    • Research the options for suitable fixes
    • Attempt to fix the problem
    • Keep working the fixes until one clicks.
    • Will the chosen venue work?
    • Tie up all the loose ends… or leave them dangle?
  3. Write the story:
    • How much material have you to work with?
    • What’s the slant? What are you selling to whom?
    • Who will be reading it? A pre-schooler or a scholar?
    • Average 5-letter words or 20-letter words?
    • How many chapters? About how many words per chapter?
    • How many total words?
      • Is it a:short story (1,500-30,000 words);
      • a novella (18.000-40,000 words);
      • a novel (40,000-150,000 words);
      • a flash fiction (300-1,500 words); or
      • a nonfiction (25,000-150,000 words)
    • Decide whether to start at the beginning, middle, or end.
    • Look for a publisher (write and submit a proposal) or indie publish (write the proposal for yourself or just skip it)?
  4. Publish the Book
    • Prepare the manuscript for indie publication
    • Write or rewrite the description
    • Select key words or phrases for search engines to snag —  
    • Design the cover
    • Write and arrange for Pre-order ads
    • Run the editing gambit (See Publishing Checklist)
    • Publish to the website with available when date
    • Format the MS for E-book and Print versions
    • Upload to the server(s) – Phew! — Almost done…
    • Prepare the narrator’s version of the manuscript
      • Remove photos and anything else that the narrator should not read or describe.
      • Compile an audition script; including character ages and voice inflections like a stutter, lisp, or an accent.Select a narratorNegotiate a contract with the narrator
      • Upload the narrator version of the manuscript
  5. Promote, promote, promote
    • Order author copies of print versions for promotion and gig sales
    • Schedule book signing and sales gigs
    • Post the new book to social media servers from the website often and frequently
    • Write the blog
  6. Repeat steps 1 through 5

And there you have it. A nutshell peek at behind the scenes of Alexie Linn, Author.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes journey and are now more prepared to dive into the very busy life of authorship.

The inspiration, outline, write, and publish process takes about 30-days for this author. Promotion never ends.

I’ve seen books promising you can do it all in 7-days. And I just opened an email from a homesteading blogger that her 85,000-word book is finally done. Her project took 5-years.

We each work at the speed that best suits us… or that providence allows. The most important step is to keep plugging away at it. Artificial intelligence does it faster. But it will never do it better than you. Strive for perfection, but keep going to the end.

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Posted on by Alexie Linn

9 out of 10 Aspiring American Authors Don’t Publish. Are You One of Them?

9 out of 10 Aspiring American Authors Don’t Publish. Are You One of Them?

If you are…

Here are 8 tips from one who has published. About 40 times over if you’re counting. Her pseudonym is Alexie Linn. A Bing search will pop-up with 807,000 results of where to find Alexie Linn books. It all began with the first one. Then the next. And the next. And so on, and so on, and so on.

But first these 8 arguments had to be quashed. They could have been recorded from her own self-talk sessions that kept her down. Try them out on yourself. Winning them will get you over the hump and into the world of published authors.

Here are the biggest arguments why authors don’t publish with some doable answers:
  • I don’t have time!
    • Block out the time. Stand your ground with yourself and others. Gift yourself during the time of the day when you do your best brainwork.
  • It’s all been done!
    • So what? Times change. Attitudes change. There’s always room for another perspective… yours. What you have to say and how you say it could be just what that reader needs to move forward in their own endeavors.
  • What if I can’t do it? Who am I to stick my nose into other people’s business?
    • You can do it. Find your mindset that tells you your knowledge and experiences are valuable. You are not sticking your nose into other people’s business. You are sharing another way to conquer the problem.
  • I can’t commit. It makes me feel imprisoned.
    • So… answer this question. Do you really want to be a published author? Or is it like diving to the Titanic? It’s fun to think about. Not to actually do.
  • There’s too much drama in my life.
    • Block the drama during the time you’ve blocked for writing. It will do the drama good to step aside for a while. Unless, of course, the drama in your life is your source for your prose. Then use it! Give it to a character to work through. That’s what this writer does. Just look at all the drama Sally the Loner has worked out…
  • I don’t have anybody to give me feedback. Is my story any good?
    • Find somebody to mentor with! But until you do, use Hemingway or another AI editing program to dissect your work. Then let it cool so you can read it with fresh eyes. It’s amazing what you will see… sometimes gibberish. But not always. If it pulls you through, you’ve got it. If you stumble… so will your reader. Fix it. And test again.
  • What if my writing is rejected?
    • Know that rejections are part of life. It will happen. Is the rejection valid? Is it an editing issue? Or just not their cup of tea? If it’s an editing issue, fix it. Work it through to a cohesive flow. If it’s the wrong brand of tea, serve it to a different customer. But don’t give up. Figure it out. You can do it.
  • My writing is dull and boring.
    • Fix it! Get out your Thesaurus and show the story with action verbs. Do your characters have personality and quirks? Throw a wrench into the picture that’s not expected. It’s your story. Make it jitterbug, not lollygag on the sidelines.  

And there ya are. 8 arguments that have you handcuffed and lollygagging on the sidelines. Along with 8 doable fixes to get you and your book into the mix that we call published books. Come on in. The water’s deep and muddy, but fun.

And just one more thing…

Don’t do it for the money unless you’re already a noted celebrity. Do it for the love of writing and sharing. Do it to fulfill an honorable purpose in life. It all starts with one.

Oh! And most of all… Have Fun!

Now make it so… Change your tune. From authors don’t publish to the one out of 10 published author. You can do it. How can I help? Email me here.

In the meantime, have you read Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid? I need your feedback on it…

Got more arguments you need abolished? Email me here. I’ll take ‘em on with the best answer I can conjure up. And a free E book link is possible if you ask for it.

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Posted on by Alexie Linn

What AI Can Teach You About Writing…

I’ll Say it Again. What AI Can Teach You About Writing Do you fear AI or embrace it? What is there to fear? What is there to embrace?
First, What the heck is AI?
AI, in case you missed the memo, is Artificial Intelligence. It’s computer programs that are written (coded) by human beings. Its capabilities are awesome, to say the least… if it’s used properly.
What AI is NOT
AI is NOT a fact checker. They are deep diving search engines that dive on demand and display their findings as fact in an extremely readable format. The ‘facts‘ that AI discovers does not know if their finds are true. That’s not their job. It’s yours.
The Fear of AI
As a newshound seeking the unbiased truth, I’m aware that ‘the truth’ can be manipulated through familiar talking heads. I take all talking heads with a grain of salt. I take them as a grain of salt because there is always an invisible agenda attached. Statements are given as fact with no bona fide evidence to back up the statement. These are personal opinions – in my opinion 😊. I once saw an episode of ‘The Good Wife’ (if I’m not mistaken) where a certain judge required the attorneys to precede their arguments with ‘in my opinion’. The practice was intense frustration for the lawyers but presented a much more factual presentation. I do not fear AI. I’m aware of its capabilities. And I don’t trust talking heads because I’m aware.
The Embrace of AI
But as a writer, I embrace AI as a stoic collaborator. AI reminds me of Daddy. It’s rational, unexcitable, and to the point. Perhaps that’s why I consider AI a man. He’s Daddy.
What can AI teach you about writing?
AI is currently teaching me to be a better blogger. When ‘Daddy’ responded yesterday to a blog post I was prepping for publication with ‘your post is engaging’, I melted. It didn’t sway my excitement a teensy-weensy bit that he followed it up with ‘but it could be better if …’
The Drawbacks
The only drawback I can see in making use of Artificial Intelligence is if you allow it to write for you; take what it compiles as gospel; or if you include talking head videos in your prose. Talking heads could be fake news that will kill your credibility. Let the writer beware.
The Apps
The AI app that earned my ‘Daddy’ moniker was provided by WordPress. I don’t know who created it. But he was kind, not snobby. Neither did I pick up on any superiority attitude. And I’m learning more about blog posting that gets discovered by search engines. As far as using AI in my book writing process, here’s what I’m using and what I’m experimenting with. Hemingway is an AI application that highlights adverb usage, passive verbiage, hard to read sentences, and so on. It makes suggestions for more clarity. And it’s easy to use. But I’m not an affiliate of Hemingway. I’m just partial to its simplicity. So, Hemingway gets free kudos from me today.  An AI app that I’m experimenting with is Smodin. I’m finding it useful to goose myself out of temporary writer’s block. I get a different perspective on how to say it or what happens next. But I’m not convinced yet of my need for it. AI In Summary I do not fear AI. It was Daddy (or was it Mama?) that instilled the old adage of ‘Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see’ in me at an early age. It’s still there. I embrace AI in my writing. It makes a great story even better through editing suggestions. But as yet, no Artificial Intelligence I’ve experimented with can replace me as a writer of captivating mysteries and adventure… or misadventures in the case of Sally the Loner. I guess one needs emotion to accomplish captivating. But I’ll never stop learning to write even better for your reading and listening pleasure. Thank you, Daddy… oops! Thank you, AI programmers. Happy Reading and Writing with AI from Alexie Linn and friend,
alexielinnauthor.com
And here’s the rest of the story: P.S.  Free Audiobooks……Free Audiobooks……Free Audiobooks….. The easiest way to get updates is to follow Alexie Linn with your email address. The next easiest way is to click here to follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊 Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE! Click here to join our Audible Lovers Cornucopia group. It’s free and where you’ll find links to Free Audibles for your listening and reviewing pleasure. BUT! If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer. And just one more thing… Subscribe to my You Tube Channelto not miss a fun and entertaining Book Trailer. They’re short. They’re mesmerizing. And they won’t waste your time.
Posted on by Alexie Linn

10 Words Never Used

10 Words Never Used in Alexie Linn Books

Words are the verbal windows to the world. And I am an extremely literal person. One would think I have to use each and every word in the dictionary to tell the story precisely. But I don’t. Why not?

alexielinnauthor.com

There are several reasons I don’t use every word in the dictionary to tell a story. How many do you agree with? How many do you apply to your own writing style?

  • Alexie Linn books are written for all ages and backgrounds to enjoy. No dictionary or doctorate is required to live the tale.
  • Each character chooses their own dialogue and dialect. At this writing, none of my characters have had a need to flaunt their ability to read, remember and share jargon or vulgarities. But you never know. One might bully his or her way in when an obnoxious antagonist is called for.
  • Parlance (jargon), without a reason, can detract from the moral of the tale being told. I consider jargony and rarely used words the same as links in webpages that carry you off to the dark unknown… never to return.
alexielinnauthor.com

Does this mean I never use a word that will stretch a reader’s vocabulary? Not at all! If an idiom is the best word for the situation, it appears. Have fun with it.

And here are the 10 words never used in Alexie Linn books… Yet.

Agelast – One who never laughs

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Atrate – Dressed in black

Callipygian – Having large, round, succulent buttocks

Caruncle – The triangular pink areas at the corner of your eye

Limerence – The state of being infatuated with someone

Metanoia – Spiritual transformation

Minimus — Your tiny toe or finger

Osculator – One who loves or one who is loved

Oxter – Armpit

Pauciloquent – Concise

Vallecula – a groove. An anatomical depression or crevice, as between the hemispheres of the brain.

Now that I’ve listed these ten words never used, I might find a reason to use them. Will you?

Enjoy the Journey,

Alexie Linn

The afterthought…

Thank you to The Language Nerds for helping out with this post.

P.S.  Free Audiobooks……Free Audiobooks……Free Audiobooks…..

Click here to join our Audible Lovers Cornucopia group. It’s free and where you’ll find links to Free Audibles for your listening and reviewing pleasure.

The easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

BUT! If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

Subscribe to my You Tube Channelto not miss a fun and entertaining Book Trailer. They’re short. They’re mesmerizing. And they won’t waste your time.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!