Posted on by Alexie Linn

Is Spelling and Grammar Your Friend?

Is Spelling and Grammar You Friend? Did you catch that? Did you stop reading and want to fix it?

I have great news! You don’t have to. And you don’t have to be an English teacher to write a top-notch book. But you do have to know how to present a clean, clear, reader-friendly story to get top-notch reviews.

Coming up is two easy ways to polish your ‘spelling and grammar’ for clarity and happy readers.

But first I’ll tell you a story of my own about a book I just paid money for and read.

Is Spelling and Grammar You Friend?

The book promised to show me how to write, publish, and sell videobooks. There were two major problems:

  1. It was really a book of links and how-to’s for ranking on You Tube and Google. And promoting his choices of editors and producers.
  2. The spelling was so bad that I had to stop reading to figure out what the author was saying… like ‘you’ for ‘your’. SEO doesn’t call these STOP words, but I do. I had to continually stop learning and rewrite the sentence to understand what he meant to say.

The result of these problems?

I’ll give his book 3 stars because he did have some good points in the how-to’s. But I’ll take off one star for the not giving what he promised in the title and description. And deduct another star for the spelling and grammar.

AND I feel cheated; ripped off; defrauded. I won’t buy another book by this author. That’s significant and crucial. I can’t trust him to keep his promise.

Having gotten that rant off my chest, here’s the two easy methods to rid your story of my personal ‘STOP’ words.

1. Your word processing program has ‘spelling and grammar’ checks as well as ‘readability’ scores and wordcounts.

I currently write in Word. The ‘Review’ tab is where I find ‘Spelling and Grammar’ check for the entire document. It does the work. You and I reap the rewards. Easy Peasy and how I’ve earned the ‘Quality Book Award’. Have you found and used your spell-check yet?

2. Hemingway gives ‘readability’ scores by grade level and more.

I suggest Hemingway because it offers a free version that’s quick and easy to check for adverbs, passive words, and hard-to-read sentences. But there are more to choose from if you want to spiral deeper into grammar.

One is Pro Writing Aid and another is Grammarly. Both of these also have a free version. Check them out and go with what works best for you. But do something to encourage reader-friendly prose.

Sadly, I can’t suggest a quick and easy program to give you a heads-up for an on-point title and description.  That’s one you’ll have to figure out on your own. But please do that, too. Perhaps a beta reader that will give you quality feedback… another human? If you’re a one-person show, let your manuscript cool; step outside of it; and answer the questions from a new perspective.

Do I feel better now? Only if I’ve helped you see how important ‘spelling and grammar’ and on-point titles and descriptions are. Have I painted the picture in enough detail?

On that note…

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

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.

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!

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Holy Tornados, Batman! Where’d the Time-to-Write Go?

Holy Tornados, Batman! Where’d the time go?

Does this ever happen to you?

I climbed out of bed 5-minutes ago; got dressed for productive writing; started the coffee; booted the laptop; lit Mr. Heater… No wait… I climbed out of bed 32-minutes ago…

The good news is that the coffee is brewed; Word is updating; Wifi gigs have been added; and I’m staring at this blog post template… wondering what inspiring prose I’m going to share about time management.

Snagging time-to-write is a feat to be conquered daily. Thirty-some books later, here’s what I’ve learned:

  1. Nobody’s going to do it for you
  2. Nobody’s going to do it for you
  3. And, in case you missed the memo; Nobody’s going to do it for you

You get to decide:

Make Time-To-Write
  • When your most productive time to string words on paper is
    • Morning
    • Afternoon
    • Evening
    • Night
  • Where you’re the most productive word stringer
    • At a desk
    • Poolside
    • In bed
  • How your tale goes together
    • Beginning; Middle; or End first
    • From an outline (skeleton or detailed)
    • Description first then fill in the blanks
  • And your most productive writing style
    • Word-by-word; line-by-line; editing as you go
    • 5,000 words a day of gibberish that you then edit, edit, edit
    • A chapter a day… maybe two or three…

Then follow through with what works for you.

The key to my time-to-write productivity is:

  • 2-8 AM. It’s dark and the only interruptions are the mechanics of computer and internet; the wind flapping a tarp; and the rain pelting or whispering on the roof. Okay, maybe a coyote howling or dogs barking at something out of place. But the long-term persona breakers of people, telephones, and outside activity is quelled.
  • At a desk (or kitchen table).
  • From a skeleton outline – then a description.
  • 1k to 2k words a day with rough edits along the way.

It’s on me to make this time and place available. If I have to get snippy to do it, then so be it. Creating stories that teach, give a laugh, and entertain is fulfilling a critically important purpose in my life. And everyone else’s I can touch through my books.

Ditto for you and your publishing endeavors.

Don’t let anybody (including your own thoughts) through their words or actions, tell you your time-to-write isn’t important.

This doesn’t mean I’m a drill Sargent, although I’ve been accused of being one when it comes to my time-to-write (and a few other things). But I get more growls than salutes while those barger-inners succumb to my wishes.

Of course, there are days I don’t boot the computer or write a word. But not many. And when I’m between books, I tend to the business of being an author… promoting; writing blogs; researching; paying the bills. But I still start the day with a pot of fresh, hot coffee. And the written in stone determination is the same. I’m a writer! Prove it!

On that note… Whether you’re writing Your Fascinating Family History or The Scarecrow Who Was Afraid of Birds, making the time to get it done is paramount to you and your readers. Just do it! 😊

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

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.

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!

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Audiobooks the Talk

Sales and Promotion – Audiobooks

The wind has laid. The clouds have cleared. It’s 37 degrees precisely. The weather is as near perfect as it can be in February, 2022 at the third winding down of this pandemic that won’t die. I may even consider going into a store today without looking like a bandit. Consider being the key word.

alexielinnauthor.com
Now available in Audible

On top of that, ‘Scarecrow Gets Three Wishes’ is now published. ‘Azalia’s Bizarre Dilemma’ is being narrated by voice genius, Reanna Harrison. ‘Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid’, a Vella Serial, is uploaded and running… But I feel heavy-hearted. Why?

‘Duh’, I say to myself with a dusting slap up-side the head, ‘now you have to promote and sell.’

 I hate selling myself and my works! But it’s a necessary evil that I’m ever-so-slowly getting better at…

One way I promote story visibility and sales is to turn each book into an audiobook.

There are a few options to get that job done. I use ACX Audible. Here’s why:

ACX Audible offers more than one method to pay talented storytellers that turn action words into dynamic 3D action with their voices.

There are plusses and minuses to each service. Check them out for yourself with a Google search for ‘audiobook services’ and go with what works for you.

Whichever service you choose, know that it takes a couple of months and a tad of work to take a book from print to a finished audiobook. Once the audiobook is finished and available for sale, promoting and getting it found begins.

Oh joy.

Audiobook Promo Codes lighten the load. Knowing how to use them lightens it even more.

ACX Audible assigns authors promo codes for free review copies of the story. The codes are very effective. But only if you get them out there in the world and redeemed by readers.

Here’s what I’ve found to be the simplest and most productive distribution method.

I’m currently a member of two Facebook groups (Cozy Mystery Audiobook Lovers and the brand-new Audible Lovers Cornucopia) that gives authors, narrators, and listeners a place to post and redeem the free promo codes. The Cornucopia is open to all genres and audiobook services.

Readers, writers, and listeners deserve the opportunity to get in on your best work. Offer it in any form available to you.

And, unless you’re a celebrity, include audiobooks in your sales toolbox.

On that note…

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, 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… 😊

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. 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!

Oops! Another ‘One More Thing’… Click here to join our Audible Lovers Cornucopia group. It’s free and where you’ll find links to Free Audibles for your posting, listening and reviewing pleasure.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Serials Are Not Cereals

The Serial – That’s Serial, Not Cereal

Serials have been making a snail’s pace comeback. What’s a Serial?

A Serial is like a TV soap opera that you read. But it can move faster and have an end before the next millennium.

alexielinnauthor
A Serial to read with your Cereal

Serials are touted as entertainment on the run because you buy and read one episode at a time.

Vella serials are particularly suited to read on a smartphone and accessed through an App. Vellas cannot be downloaded to an E-reader like Kindle.

Episodes are purchased with tokens or ‘coins’, depending on the App.

Serials can, at the author’s discretion, become available in ebook and print version 30-days down the road. If you fell in love with a Serial, watch the author’s website and blog; follow the author wherever you can; or, better yet, tell the author you’d like to own it in book form. They’ll love you for it. 😊

Three reasons to indie publish a Serial are:

  1. Test Run – Get the feedback of whether readers are interested in your book’s topic before you compile, edit, and publish 100,000 + or – words.
  2. Build an audience – Perspective readers can ‘try before they buy’ your prose in more expensive and committed formats.
  3. Editing – Vella is my experience. It’s easy-peasy to edit one tiny episode of a Serial; while editing one chapter of a book entails several more steps and rereads of the entire project. The tradeoff is that Serials are uploaded one episode at a time.

Three reasons to read Serials:

  1. Give the author a test run. Do you and their prose click?
  2. Read an episode while you’re eating your cereal – or waiting for the bus – or stuck in traffic.
  3. Read it on your smartphone. No other devices or a book to carry around with you.

Three places to upload your Serial to…

  1. KDP/Vella –an Amazon company. Here’s where to find my latest Serial, Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid.
  2. Byliner Serials – A Barnes and Noble offering.
  3. Jukepop Serials – An indie publisher.

A Google search will give you 337,000,000 more details and options to choose from.

On that note…

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, 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… 😊

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. 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!

But if you’d like to own this story in book form, send me an email here!

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Plots Rule

Plots Rule!

A story, fact or fiction, is mush without action at every corner. But too much action only makes thicker glop.

Too much action is so much thick Glop…

Whether I’m writing a How-to or a tale, it’s characters and their antics (the plot) that make the read get read.

Say you’re writing a family history. Even Uncle George, twice removed, has a personality. He had an occupation. He had physical and emotional dimension. Turn Uncle George into a character and let him write his own story. But be careful. You’re not remaking Uncle George in your own image. Help him be himself. Here’s how:

  • If he’s short for his age, let him figure out how to reach the paint can on the top shelf; but include the words that identify your imagination at work. Such as:
    • I, being short, can see him sticking a stack of books on a chair to reach the paint can some impish tall person stuck on the top shelf.
    • Short people, especially men, are taunted for their minimal stature. Uncle George was probably teased all his life about being height compromised. His brother, Uncle Jim, could have intentionally placed tools on the top shelf just to make him mad.
    • At 5’4”, Uncle George could fit into tiny places where others could not go.
  • If he was sickly, imagine the frustration he must have lived daily when he couldn’t run out and play with others.
  • If Uncle George was an ornery sort; was married several times; or was never married, use your best guesses as to why he was the way he was. But label it as your best guess. A could be. Unless you want to destroy your credibility, never state fiction – your imagination at work – as fact. Be clear, but make it fun.

Use scenery if it forwards the story. Dense forest, albeit beautiful, is boring unless it slams at least one character with a wall so thick he/she/ or they cannot escape through. Or if a character can use it for cover from their antagonist. OR if the heady, soothing aroma of the pine forest tells the blind person where they are… Get the picture?

Detail the weather if it requires the characters to slog through or hide from. A monsoon storm is just a noisy, dusty, wet storm – until it maroons my children and I with no way out and darkness racing in on us.

Lucky for us, there are several books available to goose the writer’s imagination to build plot. They don’t write the book for you, but they smash through the block when it’s time for action.

Start with search engines for plot generators.

But search engines aren’t your only option.

For those of us who don’t always have Google and other search engines at their fingertips, here’s where you can grab books – even a deck of cards (an affiliate link)– to bust through writer’s block and get more meat into your story. Snag the book or cards now, before you head out to your mountain top retreat with no internet.

On that note…

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this finely focused blog is just getting started, 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… 😊

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. 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!

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Thicken the Plot by Stirring the Pot

Thicken the Plot by Stirring the Pot

Thicken the Plot by Stirring the Pot

The plot is what the story is about – in a one stewing pot.

For example:

The Corn Rots at Midnight is about a young woman who needs big money in a hurry. To get the big bucks, she took on the traditional man’s role of hauling corn; from plowing through 2-foot-deep mud in the field to dropping the load at the cannery. Maneuvering the monster truck and trailer through the muck and mire was easy compared to the mandatory survival skills to stifle the harassment from the male drivers. Can she succeed without breaking a nail, or worse — taking them out?

If you dissect the above ‘story-in-a-nutshell’, you’ll see that it answers all the 5-W’s of the simple plot of a story.

  1. Who
  2. What
  3. Where
  4. When
  5. Why

All that’s missing is the ‘How’.

‘How’ is the meat of the tale. That’s the part that the characters have to write. And you have to let them. You are the tool that stirs the pot to keep everything and everybody bubbling through to a lip-smacking, clean-plate end. Are you hungry for a fun and interesting read yet?

If the subliminal hint to go grab a book didn’t side-track you, what if you draw a blank at the ‘How’ to thicken the plot?

Sometimes we need help to spice it up and keep it brewing. And in this day of internet… Google specifically… it’s fast and easy to kick it up a notch.

Ask your search engine to find ‘plot generators’. In a nanosecond you’ll have 168,000,000 options to bust down the infamous writer’s block wall and get your characters moving again. But be careful what you ask for. Use only what you need. Maintain cohesive coherency at all costs lest you wind up editing out 12-grain mush to get to the meat. Readers demand steak and eggs. They flush the mush.

The good news is that search engines aren’t your only option for thickening the plot.

For those of us who don’t always have Google and other search engines at their fingertips, here’s where you can grab books – even a deck of cards (an affiliate link)– to bust through writer’s block and get more meat into your story. Snag the book or cards now, before you head out to your mountain top retreat with no internet.

On that note…

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, 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… 😊

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 by all Alexie Linn titles — at your favorite retailer.

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.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Dialogue. Who Gives a…?

Dialogue. Who gives a …?

What’s most important to satisfy when you’re writing dialogue?

  • The Story
  • The Audience
  • The Character
  • The Scene

It’s all the above. But one item in particular is critical to reader success. Did you choose the second item on the list? The audience?

Dialogue is what drives the story forward.

If the reader can’t pronounce the words or has to read with an open dictionary at their side, the story gets lost. It won’t get read. People who read encyclopedias for entertainment exist but are far and few between.

The big book is the dictionary. You can’t see the book she’s trying to read.

If you’re writing to stretch the reader’s vocabulary, there’s a quick and easy fix for that. Include a scholarly character that other characters tolerate because they’re so brainy. But throw in another character who can translate.

Stretch their vocabulary…

For example. Mary Linn, the young gravestone hunter, is interviewing a psychologist (the scholar). The interview is for the bully smashing videos she and Valinda are producing.

Psychologist: “Drawcansirs are narcissists on steroids. They subdue others to make themselves feel exceptional.”

Mary Linn: “Drawcansir? What’s a drawcansir? You lost me. Is there a simpler way to say that to first graders?”

Psychologist, chuckling: “Sorry. Big words come with the territory. Drawcansir is another word for a bully or a tyrant. Narcissists are selfish people who are in love with themselves. They’re egomaniacs.

Mary Linn: “So, if we are explaining bully’s behavior, we can tell them that ‘Bullies don’t say ‘One for all and all for one’. They say ‘All for me and me for me’. And that bullies are show-offs on Tony-the-Tiger fuel. They scare you to make themselves feel superior or smarter than you. They’re not.”

Psychologist: “Yes.”

To double-check the readability of the dialogue, I use a fast and easy editing software called Hemingway. Hemingway analyzes a block of text and gives the grade level of the text as well as other faux pas you need to be aware of. It was a free download if you don’t need all the bells and whistles. But it’s less than $20 if you choose to buy it. This article is at a 4th grade level, according to Hemingway.

One note to be aware of: Copy the text to Hemingway to check for readability. But make corrections on your original. If you copy and paste from the app, you’ll lose formatting, like spacing and bullets. And you’ll have a strange background to remove.

And… at this writing, Hemingway is not an affiliate of mine. But it might be someday.

To summarize, write dialogue and dialects to fit the audience first, then the story, the character, and the scene. In that order.

Happy dialoguing,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow me on Facebook. New posts should post on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my chin right… 😊

If you only want updates of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. Then you’ll know to check with your favorite retailer.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Shapeshifting Phenomenal Characters – Part 2

Shapeshifting Characters – Part 2

Often a character will reinvent themselves along the way. What I thought was a kohlrabi will morph into an ear of corn – slim with silky hair. I’ve even had them change from blonde pale-skin to a dyed blonde black-skin.

You were a Kohlrabi in the beginning…

I have learned to let them shift, nestle into themselves, and become who they really are. The hard part is editing their character from the beginning when they pull shenanigans like black to white – or white to black. I only hope that they do it soon instead of waiting until the story is ¾ of the way through.

And, since I have to literally become each of these characters, the question my other half asks at the door is… “Who are you? What have you done with Alexie?”

This shapeshifting is so fresh in my mind because two of the individuals in my current work in progress have stolen Chapter 23.

I thought Jerry was a body building blonde displaced surfer… but then he tells me he’s a body building black man from the Watusi tribe that dyes his hair blonde. Then he hints that he might be Ralph, the big, burly, gruff café owner’s lover. Yikes! What’s a writer to do?

Let them have their way. It’s their story. Personas have to be allowed to improv as they see fit lest they lose their dimensional qualities and become flat. You, the writer, are committed to working it in and flex around their quirks.

High quality writing is so much more than throwing words on paper. The words have to ebb and flow according to the people, the story their showing, and make perfect sense. It all could – and often did – happen.

Happy Character Building,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow me on Facebook.  New posts should post on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my chin right… 😊

If you only want updates of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

How to Plant a Captivating, Quirky Character Garden to Prompt Your Writing Process

How to Plant a Captivating, Quirky Character Garden to Prompt Your Writing Process

Captivating characters are cultivated…

Captivating characters aren’t born. They’re cultivated. You, the writer, plant the seed, water it, fertilize it (with the good stuff or manure), and get out of its way. You’ll need to prune it now and again, but a character will take on a fascinating life of its own if you let it.

Captivating characters start with a quirk…

Start with a quirk

When I’m out and about in the world, I pay attention to people. And, yes, at times, I compare an individual to a garden fruit or vegetable. What makes them memorable?

An individual’s head (or hair) style could be a fruitful starting point.

When I see a person with a shaved bare head, they might become a melonhead. Are they a cantaloupe (rough skinned and lightly veined), a honeydew (smooth and Martian-like), or an oblong shaped watermelon? Why do they choose to shave their head? They’re not lazy. It’s a lot of work to keep one’s head as polished as a bowling ball.

Ask them (or yourself) ‘Why shave their head?’ Is it for:

  • Cleanliness
  • As a clique ritual
  • To be closer to their god
  • They thrive on tempting melanoma fate
  • They’re rebelling against hair stylists or comb manufacturers
  • He or she wants to be loved for their personality – not their good looks
  • They’re in the depths of chemotherapy and prefer shiny bald to patchy clumps of hair

The answer to this question could be the quirk you need in the writing process to plant an enchanting character like Joan Freed.

Joan Freed — In the Beginning…

Joan Freed started out as a Hubbard squash. Hard-shelled, soft inside, imperfect shape, nourishing, and is there for the long haul. She has many quirks. They grew from the previous life she lived. Joan would never take the time or attention to shave or maintain a shaved head. Mirrors are far and few between… is she a covert vampire?

An excellent writing prompt in the writing process is to: 1) Find the quirk. 2)Listen to it. 3)Water it. 4)Fertilize it. 5)And prune it only as necessary. But let he or she mature into a robust, entertaining, and steadfast character that readers will love.

And that’s the Voila! A star is born.

Happy Character Gardening…

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow me on Facebook. New posts should show up on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my chin right… and linked the correct address…😊