writing process – Page 4 – Alexie Linn, the Author, and Homespun Rebel

Posted on November 3, 2023October 6, 2023 by Alexie Linn

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.

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?
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?
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)?
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
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
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.

Posted on October 20, 2023September 29, 2023 by Alexie Linn

Here’s 7 Things You Don’t Know About Alexie Linn Books…

7 Things You Don’t Know About Alexie Linn Books…

Or do you?

After about 40 books and a few years, Alexie Linn has her own special routine of idiosyncrasies to produce a quality read. Relatively fast and easy… so to speak.

When she was puzzling out her own quirks, she wondered how much do you really know about the author of the books you read? How do you picture your reading material being written?

Is the author hunched over a monster desktop computer on an antique oak desk in a windowless den? Or is he or she perched at a folding picnic table under the tall pines talking to the squirrels between bits of copy?

Where does the next revelation come from? Is there a method to the writing obsession?

Like any other business, authors set methods and policies to turning out their prose. Although they may not be aware of it for the first dozen, or so, books. But, with time and experience, a modus operandi emerges and a professional is born.

If you’ve read or listened to several Alexie Linn books, you may have picked up on these characteristics of her books. Is this article one of those subtle… or not so subtle… take aways?

Here are the 7 Alexie Linn idiosyncrasies for your learning or affirmation lessons.

The stories are inspired from real events. Because so many stories are told within the stories, it takes a passel of real events to write even one complete book.
Characters are inspired by real people. You could easily recognize bits of yourself or someone you know in the characters that materialize when they appear on the scene. Do you?
100% of writing is done between the hours of 2 AM and 8 AM. These are the hours when the Alexie Linn brain is in a churning granny gear. The rest of the world is quiet. It’s dark. Intrusions are minimal or not at all.
Every book is a cozy. Alexie Linn believes her purpose is to bring warmth, comfort, and relaxation to you, the reader. Whether you’re stuck in traffic or unwinding in a quiet corner, Alexie promotes upbeat, light hearted optimism for you in every book she writes. But don’t misunderstand. Bad things still happen to unsuspecting characters. Have you lived a mysterious misadventure with Sally the Loner yet?
Every story has at least one subtle… or not so subtle… take away message. Because every story is a learning experience. It might be confirmation that you are not alone. Or poignant situations that you aren’t dealing with at the moment. And the reminder that your own egads moment could always be worse.
Facts are researched for accuracy before they are allowed into a story. As in Book 9 of the Sally the Loner Series, Alexie went on a fact-finding mission to convey accurate protocol of how lawsuits are generally handled. Is that another subtle lesson? Is that information that you can pull out and use in real life… should you find yourself wanting to sue someone – or are being sued.
Methods of getting out of pickles have to pass a ‘possible’ and ‘logical’ test. The most memorable instance that Alexie can recall is the time the protagonist stopped at a convenience store on her way to investigate a hiking trail. The heroine bought a cup of coffee, a snack, and an umbrella stand. She carried the umbrella stand with her out into the woods. When the antagonist appeared, she heaved the umbrella stand at him to knock him out. Really? Hmm. (FYI… not in an Alexie Linn book)

And there you have it. 7 things you didn’t know about Alexie Linn. And now you do. How can you apply these things in your own life? Have you snagged a copy of Sally vs The Marauders: The Case for the Defense?

Cheers,

Aaralyn Rae

An alter ego of Alexie Linn

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

The easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog 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 October 15, 2023October 15, 2023 by Alexie Linn

Attention Cozy Mystery Readers! It’s Weird!

Attention Cozy Mystery Readers! It’s Weird! But sure to be a Hoot!

Give Alexie a piece of your mind!

Have you always wanted to tell a cozy mystery author a better way to handle a situation?

Can you take about a minute to select your choice to help plot the story? Your feedback will directly influence the plot lines of the next Sally the Loner story.

Sally the Loner is a series of books that feature an 87-year-old spunky grandma who has all kinds of mysterious misadventures. She’s fun. She’s funny. And she means business.

Book 10 of the Sally the Loner Series is your opportunity to make the story even better. It might even be the new and improved method to writing each book just for you. But we won’t know until we give it the old college try.

You ready to give this cozy mystery author a piece of your mind?

Here’s the quick and easy way to play…

Watch for this post ‘Your Opinion is Important! #_’.
Open it.
Read the options
Vote.

TaDa! It’s that simple.

When you have another minute to invest, go here to see how the Opinion Polls are tallying up. I’ll post the updated winners here as the surveys become available.

Oh! And what’s in it for you?

The most important, in this cozy mystery author’s opinion, is that you can tell yourself and your friends that you were directly responsible for plots in this book!

But! You want more?

How about a free pre-publication copy of the eBook delivered to your inbox? Does that work for you?

Sign-up below and email me here — through this very specific link to receive your free fun and interesting read of Sally’s next mysterious misadventure just before it’s published. The one you helped write. Look for it about a month after the polls close.

Are you ready to help Alexie Linn, the cozy mystery author, turn out a bestseller?

I’m excited! Let’s do this together!

Your opinion is important #1

Opinion Results for Sally’s Horse and Donkey Show

Work in Progress title — Sally’s Horse and Donkey Show

A Sally the Loner Mysterious Misadventure – Book 10

In the beginning, I posted a callout for reader’s opinions in the writing of Book 10. Then followed the callout with posts 1 through 10. Each post asked a question and gave voting choices.

Here are the results of the participant’s opinions with the winning choices:

Title — Sally, the Horse, and the Donkey
How Does the story open? — Sally gasped, fully awake when she saw the donkey peering at her through the screen door…
What is the name of the horse? — Tobias
How does Sally discover the animal’s names? — Halters with name tags.
What’s the name of the old man in the trough? — Harvey Vandenvin
How does the old man get into the trough? — Conked on the head by a meteor.
How do the authorities get onto the landlocked homestead? — ATV’s and horses.
Is the old man a rich hermit? — Yes, No, unknown (Even split)
How does the story end? Sorry. For this result you have to read the book.

And finally, the Cover selection.

And here’s AI’s (Artificial Intelligence) description of the story.

In the tentative “Sally’s Horse and Donkey Show”, imagine coming home to find a horse and donkey in your backyard, both desperately thirsty. Would you give them a drink? And then what?

Sally, an energetic 87-year-old woman, faces this exact dilemma. Intrigued by the animals, she decides to investigate why they keep returning to her property. What she discovers shocks her to the core – their water trough is contaminated with a body. But whose body is it? And how did it end up in the water trough?

With no one else around, Sally wonders if the body could be their missing caregiver. As the mystery deepens, she must grapple with the fate of both the animals and the unknown person in the trough.

Join Sally on her thrilling and perplexing journey as she unravels the truth behind this mysterious misadventure. Prepare to be captivated by the twists and turns in “Sally, a Horse, and a Donkey”, a tale filled with suspense, intrigue, and unexpected revelations.

Look for the book in about a month.

This has been a fun and interesting experiment in reader participation of plotting a book. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Cheers!

Your Opinion is Important! #10 — The Final Question

This is the story that you, the readers built. Here’s the description and the 10th question to cast your vote on:

Description:

In “Sally’s Horse and Donkey Show”, imagine coming home to find a horse and donkey in your backyard, both desperately thirsty. Would you give them a drink? And then what?

With no one else around, Sally wonders if the body could be their missing caregiver. As the mystery deepens, she must grapple with the fate of both the animals and the unknown person in the trough.

Join Sally on her thrilling and perplexing journey as she unravels the truth behind this mysterious misadventure. Prepare to be captivated by the twists and turns in “Sally’s Horse and Donkey Show”, a tale filled with suspense, intrigue, and unexpected revelations.

The final decision to make is that of the cover. Which of these 3 covers grab your undivided attention?

Email me here with your Other suggestion.

And thank you for playing! It’s been great for me. How about you?

Be sure to subscribe to not miss a question. But if you missed the memo on this lark we’re enjoying, you can still cast your vote through the links below. 🙂

Posted on October 14, 2023October 15, 2023 by Alexie Linn

Your Opinion is Important! #9

This is the story that you, the readers built. Here’s the description and the 9th question to cast your vote on:

Description:

In “Sally’s Horse and Donkey Show”, imagine coming home to find a horse and donkey in your backyard, both desperately thirsty. Would you give them a drink? And then what?

With no one else around, Sally wonders if the body could be their missing caregiver. As the mystery deepens, she must grapple with the fate of both the animals and the unknown person in the trough.

Email me here with your Other rescue suggestion.

Be sure to subscribe to not miss a question. But if you missed the memo on this lark we’re enjoying, you can still cast your vote through the links below. 🙂

Or move on to the final question #10

Posted on October 14, 2023October 15, 2023 by Alexie Linn

Your Opinion is Important! #8

This is the story that you, the readers built. Here’s the description and the 8th question to cast your vote on:

Description:

In “Sally’s Horse and Donkey Show”, imagine coming home to find a horse and donkey in your backyard, both desperately thirsty. Would you give them a drink? And then what?

With no one else around, Sally wonders if the body could be their missing caregiver. As the mystery deepens, she must grapple with the fate of both the animals and the unknown person in the trough.

Email me here with your Other rescue suggestion.

Be sure to subscribe to not miss a question. But if you missed the memo on this lark we’re enjoying, you can still cast your vote through the links below. 🙂

Posted on October 14, 2023October 15, 2023 by Alexie Linn

Your Opinion is Important! #7

This is the story that you, the readers built. Here’s the description and the 7th question to cast your vote on:

Description:

In “Sally’s Horse and Donkey Show”, imagine coming home to find a horse and donkey in your backyard, both desperately thirsty. Would you give them a drink? And then what?

With no one else around, Sally wonders if the body could be their missing caregiver. As the mystery deepens, she must grapple with the fate of both the animals and the unknown person in the trough.

Email me here with your Other rescue suggestion.

Be sure to subscribe to not miss a question. But if you missed the memo on this lark we’re enjoying, you can still cast your vote through the links below. 🙂

Posted on October 14, 2023October 15, 2023 by Alexie Linn

Your Opinion is Important! #6

This is the story that you, the readers built. Here’s the description and the 6th question to cast your vote on:

Description:

In “Sally’s Horse and Donkey Show”, imagine coming home to find a horse and donkey in your backyard, both desperately thirsty. Would you give them a drink? And then what?

With no one else around, Sally wonders if the body could be their missing caregiver. As the mystery deepens, she must grapple with the fate of both the animals and the unknown person in the trough.

Email me here with your Other ‘into the trough’ suggestion.

Be sure to subscribe to not miss a question. But if you missed the memo on this lark we’re enjoying, you can still cast your vote through the links below. 🙂

Or move on to Opinion #7

Posted on October 14, 2023October 15, 2023 by Alexie Linn

Your Opinion is Important! #4

This is the story that you, the readers built. Here’s the description and the 4th question to cast your vote on:

Description:

In “Sally’s Horse and Donkey Show”, imagine coming home to find a horse and donkey in your backyard, both desperately thirsty. Would you give them a drink? And then what?

With no one else around, Sally wonders if the body could be their missing caregiver. As the mystery deepens, she must grapple with the fate of both the animals and the unknown person in the trough.

Email me here with your Other name discovery suggestion.

Be sure to subscribe to not miss a question. But if you missed the memo on this lark we’re enjoying, you can still cast your vote through the links below. 🙂

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

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.

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

Share this:

Here are the 7 Alexie Linn idiosyncrasies for your learning or affirmation lessons.

Share this:

You ready to give this cozy mystery author a piece of your mind?

Oh! And what’s in it for you?

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