I have to admit that I giggled when I decided to write about limits. I mean, how can a calculus teacher not be excited about getting to blog about limits?
No worries, you won't be getting a math lesson from me today. But I have to admit that I cannot think about limits without mathematical ideas. So here we go with limits—as they apply to writing.
Definite Limit: A definite limit is an exact number, a constant.
In life, we might call it a hard limit or hard line, something you cannot cross.
Like a deadline for taxes or a job application. Or delivering a book to an editor.
In writing, it's the requirements of genre writing, like the HEA in a romance or red herrings in a mystery. Your publisher expects a clean copy of your manuscript, with zero typos and zero grammatical errors. I have a friend who writes for a New York publisher who requires her to have exactly twenty-two chapters in every book. Not twenty-three, not twenty-one.
As writers, we all have our definite limits about certain words we will not put on the page or types of scenes we will not write. These are all non-negotiable.
Approximate Limit: An approximate limit is the limiting factor in a situation. Let's say you are at the fifty-yard line on a football field, pointed toward the goal. For your first play, you run half the distance to the goal line. Your second play you run half the remaining distance to the goal line. You continue running half the distance to the goal line for as long as you're willing to run. Soon, you're within an eyelash of the goal line, but when you take your next move, you will be half the most recent distance to the goal. You will never reach the goal line, although you will be painfully close to it. Your limit is the goal line.
An example of an approximate limit in writing is the page or word count a publishing house requires. Eighty-five thousand words is a target. A little above or a little below is fine. No one expects you to turn in a book with exactly eighty-five thousand words. If you're writing a thriller, your main character encounters danger and suspense close to the first page. Some set-up may be allowed, but your readers must be on the edge of their seats by the end of the first chapter, which becomes your approximate limit.
Infinite limit: A strict mathematical definition of infinite limit is something (a function) increasing, or decreasing, without bound. In other words, something gets bigger and bigger and never levels off or gets smaller. Wouldn't it be nice if your bank account had an infinite upper bound, and just kept getting bigger and bigger, even if by just a small amount? (Note: Technically, an infinite limit means the limits does not exist, however, that is the mathematical purist view.)
As a writer, I think of the emotion in my story as an infinite limit. It doesn't matter what the emotion is—fear, love, or something else—but everything my characters think, do, say or experience should ratchet up that emotion until the end of the book. Readers read fiction to feel emotion, to make a connection. It is my job to take them deeper and farther along that journey to a satisfying ending, so they can continue feeling and thinking about the story after the last word. They may not remember the plot in two years, but if they remember the way they felt during reading the novel and afterward, I've done my job.
When a reader encounters this infinite limit, they tell others about your books, they put your next book on pre-order.
No Limit or A Limit Does Not Exist: This one sounds scary, particularly if you've ever lived with a teen. It simply means that when you approach a problem from two opposite directions, you do not end up at the same place. Yes, it's like your best argument for your teen to do something turned around to come at the issue from the opposite direction and get an entirely different result.
This is frustrating, even dangerous in real life. It's dangerous as a writer, too, because this is the place that readers talk about throwing the book at the wall. Our logic, our genre promise, our characters, must follow rules—either society's, someone they love (or hate or work for) or their own.
Be very careful in no limit territory in your writing.
But in your writing life, remember that there are no limits. None at all. Whether you're just starting out, ready to begin the submitting process, starting publishing, or continuing an established writing career, you are the sculptor of that career. If you need to learn more about the craft, take classes, read articles and books. If you haven't finished a book yet, finish it this year. If you don't know how to market, attend a conference, talk to other authors and learn how to market your work and yourself. If you can't bear to write one more romance and want to ditch your successful career, decide how you can change things up by putting a twist on your romance idea and write that story in a different genre.
The only way you fail as a writer is to quit writing. That's a definite limit.
How can you remove some of the limits you've put on yourself? Do you have someone you can ask for support when necessary?
ABOUT FAE:
Fae Rowen discovered the romance genre after years as a science fiction freak. Writing futuristics and medieval paranormals, she jokes that she can live anywhere but the present. As a mathematician, she knows life’s a lot more fun when you get to define your world and its rules. P.R.I.S.M., Fae's debut book, a young adult science fiction romance story of survival, betrayal, resolve, deceit, and love is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
I’m
tempted to do this entire blog in initials, but suspect that’d get old pretty
fast. Just like discussions of viewpoint can, when writers debate (endlessly)
the pros & cons of whose point of view is best for a scene.
After
all, does it really matter? Do our readers even notice whose head/s they’re in?
Even
more important, do they really CARE?
Well,
that depends.
Some
of them rave with wholehearted enthusiasm about novels where they’re right
there with a character through every step of his or her exciting / dramatic /
heartwarming / terrifying / enormously satisfying journey.
Some
readers never notice.
But
those who do? They’re usually enthralled because:
They’ve
been in deep POV.
“I feel like I truly know this person; I get exactly how he’s feeling.”
“She could be my best friend -- I’d recognize her immediately if I saw her at any table in Starbucks.”
“It always takes me a while to come back to real life after one of those books.”
Never
once, though, has a reader enthused:
“The transitions from first-person to third-person were amazingly seamless.”
“I loved how we moved from omniscient POV to the hero’s whenever things got tense.”
“It’s such a treat reading an author who head-hops so smoothly.”
A
writer might conceivably make such observations, but only if we’re discussing
craft rather than being engrossed in the story.
And
when we think about what we want people to take away from the experience of
reading our books, it’s pretty clear which kind of comments we’d rather hear:
“I was really THERE in the story” wins every time.
Does
that mean deep viewpoint is essential?
Absolutely not. There are tons of successful books where immersion in the character’s world is NOT the primary goal. Shallow viewpoint works just fine for:
Delivering several red herrings along with the legitimate clues needed to solve a mystery
Describing the unique, richly detailed setting where the characters will begin their quest
Providing some backstory on why William left his estate to Jeremy instead of Jonathan.
Those
could all be done through the viewpoint of characters in the story, or an
omniscient narrator.
Which
do you prefer?
Or
does it depend on the book? (Hint: that’s the correct answer.)
Some
writers have no problem choosing what POV to use -- if each book in this
publisher’s particular line or the author’s own series, for instance, uses deep
third or alternating firsts. It’s only when faced with total freedom to choose
what’ll best serve the story that, well…
We
sometimes start to waffle.
Why?
Because
nobody likes to make a commitment without thinking through all the pros and
cons of each possible choice.
And
there are an incredible number of choices for just about any novel.
Advantages
of straight-through first-person, like To Kill A Mockingbird or Huckleberry
Finn, include:
More immediacy in identifying with the character
No need to switch viewpoints from scene to scene
The amazing ease in maintaining consistency of voice
But of course there’s one big disadvantage, which is that you can’t let the reader in on things the narrator has no way of knowing.
All
right, then, is third-person (like in Pride and Prejudice or Harry
Potter) a better bet? The advantages of that include:
Ability to show whatever readers needs to know from some POV
Flexibility in choosing whose perspective will best enhance a scene
Narrative from any number of characters (although 187 may be a few too many!)
And
yet you know the downsides there as well, right? It’s hard to feel quite as
in-tune with someone when you’re in their head only part of the time, and it
can get confusing if readers aren’t 100% certain whose head they’re in at the
beginning of a scene.
If
you do go with third-person, though, do you want it to be an omniscient
narrator who knows what everyone is thinking and feeling at every moment?
Or
do you want it limited to only a handful of characters, or even just one?
The
fewer POV characters you use, the easier it is to go deep.
And
that’s something readers almost always love.
There are tricks to creating deep POV, which we’ll look at in my upcoming class on “The Whole Point of Point of View.” But keep in mind that depth of viewpoint isn’t necessarily a requirement for a truly great story.
It’s just one of many tools which could be considered less
important than Plot, Character and even Genre.
After all, when you think about the books you’ve enjoyed most
during your lifetime, their POV probably isn’t the first thing that comes to
mind. It tends to rank a little farther down the list of “why I gave this five
stars.”
But those books that deserve a place on your keeper shelf all make very effective use of viewpoint. Whether it’s:
past or present tense
deep or shallow
omniscient or limited
first-person or third…
…whatever choices the author made were the right ones for that
particular story, because it kept you engaged.
And it happened so naturally, you might not even be able to
identify what viewpoint/s made your favorite novels your favorite. (That is,
assuming you leave your own titles off the list!)
Off the top of my head, when I think of “three all-time
favorites,” right now they’d be Greensleeves by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Penmarric
by Susan Howatch, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott…and all I
remember is that Penmarric had five sections, each narrated by a
different first-person character.
So that leads to a prize-drawing question for you:
What three books do you think of as your all-time favorites TODAY? And if you can remember the viewpoint for any of them, mention that as well.
Somebody who answers will win free registration to my POV class from February 18-March 1, and meanwhile it’ll be a treat hearing about great books from people who know and love reading!
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About Laurie:
After winning “Best Special Edition of the Year” over Nora Roberts, Laurie Schnebly Campbell discovered she loved teaching every bit as much as writing...if not more. Last year she asked her mailing list of writers “what class topic would you like?” More people said “POV” than anything else, so “The Whole Point of Point of View” is coming up on February 18 at https://yhoo.it/2Dofvgi.
Book sales. This is what everyone wants to learn about, so Writers in the Storm has been kind enough to let me proselytize here.
Most of us are continuously asking the same question. How do we get readers to find, love and buy books? Over on my blog I posted one answer The Single Best Way to Become a Mega-Author, which is---in a nutshell: write a LOT of (good) books.
One (obvious) key is being prolific, and this applies no matter what type of publishing we choose. If you browse a local used bookstore (which is almost pure legacy press), you will see the same names over and over and over and over.
Scan Amazon and the top indie faves and you'll see the same names. Same authors with lots and lots of books.
Which Makes Sense
As readers, we tend to find a writer we like and stick like glue until we've exhausted their titles. Why? Because reading a book is a HUGE investment of our most precious commodity—TIME.
We don't want to spend an average of 12-15 hours of undivided attention with just anyone. We also are in an age of human history where we're inundated with choices, which tends to short circuit the brain cells.
But many writers want the magic for selling a lot of books and frankly, that doesn't exist. Huge success with such a subjective commodity is still, to an extent, trying to capture lighting in a bottle.
Ah, but we can improve our odds. First with, as mentioned, multiple good books. Then there is social media, building a platform, and cultivating our future audience (fans).
Our Foundation Matters
Image via Flickr Creative Commons courtesy of Carlpenergy
The foundation for all goods and services (brands) is the relationship. Nothing sells without establishing, building and improving the relationship. Relationships take time, effort, energy, trust and patience. They can take years to build and moments to destroy, so we must always value that relationship.
This applies to ALL commodities from restaurants to grocery stores to soap to shoes to electronics. Samsung was and is a strong brand, but the Galaxy 7's exploding battery also exploded consumers' trust. That lost faith has taken years to rebuild.
The same goes for authors. One of the many reasons I advise authors to have a blog is that it is an excellent way to create a relationship and build trust. You guys visit WITS because you trust that you'll be educated, enlightened and entertained. This site is known for quality. No one comes here only to get frustrated with a sea of typos, poor grammar, etc.
I work to do the same on my personal blog.
But There's More to It...
As authors, we are wise to remember what sort of consumer we want to attract so we can then coax them into becoming a follower, then a fan.
Sure, every social platform has value for selling books. But not all platforms attract our ideal audience. Books require people who (a) like to read, (b) have longer attention spans and (c) are seeking content that is information/stories (what writers offer).
Blogs do that better than, say, Instagram, which is highly visual and perfect for those times we have the attention span of a goldfish.
Regardless of which medium we choose, books will only connect with fans if we establish rapport.
I work hard to create relationships on all the platforms I use. The key to these relationships? I give first.
Yes I mention classes, my books and upcoming events, but no one is required to buy. Because I give first and often, no one is offended that I have books for sale because I'm not just taking, taking, taking.
Those who follow me know what to expect. Most of the time, I share funny memes, content from others, or engage in conversation. I comment on posts to show the relationship is truly going both ways. Small acts of giving every day add up.
Thus, when I finally DO post something about a class or a book or a conference, it's way less weird. I have a base of people who know me and who hopefully enjoy my company and so when I "advertise" the response is more positive with far better returns.
Because I don't act like this...
AHHHHHHH!
Yet so many writers only join the online conversation to blast people with ads and free books and giveaways. They only get on their author page to talk about themselves, their signing, their event, their book. Many don't even give their time. Rather they cheat with automation, but they want OUR time?
Sure. Right on that.
The social media methods I teach (some call it tribal marketing) really aren't "marketing" at all. They're about understanding people and building relationships.
A Little Goes a LONG Way
The most interesting part is that we really don't need to give all that much for it to matter. For instance, if someone emails me with a question of a favor, and I recognize that name from comments on my blog, I will move heaven and earth to help, and often for free.
Yet, I can't count the number of people who email me with a copy of their book for me to review or edit when they've never taken two seconds to say hello.
So I am supposed to part with my money and twenty hours of time I don't have because you bought my e-mail on a list?
Same on Facebook. Folks IM me to vote for their book or buy their book or for me to promote their book, and they have never taken two seconds to so much as comment on a post, say hello or talk to me.
These people are TAKERS.
But the people who always post comments or share or promote me? Again, it is ridiculous the hoops I will jump through to help a giver.
Newsletters are the same deal. My email is absolutely flooded with lazy writers who paid some company to somehow get my email. 99% of newsletters instantly go in the trash.
Ain't Nobody Got Time for That.
My book, Rise of the Machines, focuses on the day to day building of the brand and platform, including recommendations about time. Writers always assume I spend vast amounts of time on social media.
Nope.
Aside from the blogs? I pop in randomly throughout the day on various platforms for a few minutes and that's it.
If we don't have those small everyday actions that accumulate into a relationship of depth, then it is a crapshoot. It becomes a race to the bottom of who can give away the most books and for the cheapest or FREE. That is the price of wanting the fruits without the roots and perks without the works.
Marketing & Advertising
Image via Flickr Creative Commons, courtesy of Faye
All marketing and advertising works better with an established relationship. Why are we more inclined to actually use a Starbucks coupon? Because Starbucks has created a relationship with its product and service. Their coupon is far more likely to be used than Joe's Joe Shack because we don't know Joe from Adam.
Unless Joe offers us a coupon so ridiculously cheap we cannot ignore it? It's far more likely to go in the trash or be forgotten. And even if Joe succeeds in getting us in the door, he is still starting from ground zero building our trust.
If his coffee sucks? It won't matter if he gives an even steeper discount the next time.
In the beginning almost all writers are like Joe's. Legacy gets a bit of a pass but not much. Most readers don't buy books by publishing house. In fact they might be hard-pressed to name one of the Big 5. But, if a book is on shelves at B&N, that book (author) is then using B&N's relationship (brand) to kindle its own.
*bada bump snare*
But since most readers aren't going to B&N? As I said, a small pass.
Trust Matters.
Even in a bookstore the writers we know will almost leap off the shelves at us. I can't count the number of times I bought books I hadn't planned on buying because I knew the author from Facebook, Twitter or their blog (the GIVERS).
The rest of us (indies in particular) have to do a lot of giving to establish the rapport, proving we are a good investment of TIME.
I did this with my blog. It represents my style, my voice, and readers can trust I produce enjoyable content. It's not a huge stretch to imagine my books (non-fiction and fiction) would be written in a similar manner. Thus when I have books for sale, I'm building off an established relationship (brand), which is SO much easier than pulling sales from the ether.
Free's Not What It Used to Be
Additionally, if I told you guys that one day next week, I was giving away my branding book for free, I guarantee more people would grab a copy than if I just popped out of the blue and ambushed you with free books.
Or if I announced my branding book was on sale for $2.99, I would almost assuredly have far better ROI than by plastering that on people's Facebook walls without permission. Wait, I could also send out a mass FB email and copy four hundred people! #GENIUS
Please don't do that. That was sarcasm.
See, once we build those relationships (platform), any marketing, ads, giveaways or sales for our books will work better because we're not just assaulting people from the ether with free/cheap books. That giveaway or freebie is just more value added to something already valuable to your audience.
There are a lot of wonderful book marketing people out there, but I promise you that the stronger that base platform and brand, the more they have to work with.
Come on, people. They're marketers not magicians.
Ads are a failure if no one clicks it and no one buys. I don't care if we get a million-member newsletter list. If no one opens it and no one acts and buys the book, again it is a failure.
We improve those odds by first creating the relationship online with our blog or social media. The books add to the relationship. If they trust us in a blog and we impress them with a book? We are golden so long as we keep nurturing those relationships. Our ads, marketing, newsletters and promotions work better.
But, skip the foundation? Skip the relationship building? Skip the day to day? It is a long, unpleasant, SUPER expensive and all too often unsuccessful battle. Ah, but do the little stuff day after day and your promotion/marketing person will hear angels sing.
Do you agree or disagree? Have you found marketing methods that translate into book sales? What are your questions while we have a social media Jedi in the house?
Sales for Those Who’d Rather Join Witness Protection
The Art of Author Branding: When Your NAME Alone Can Sell
The Novelist’s Journey Down the Scary Rabbit Hole (Panel with Alessandra Harris, Mary Rakow)
Crime and Punishment (Panel with Rick Acker, George Fong)
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About Kristen
Kristen Lamb is the author of the definitive guide to social media for authors, Rise of the Machines--Human Authors in a Digital World in addition to the #1 best-selling books We Are Not Alone--The Writer's Guide to Social Media and Are You There, Blog? It's Me, Writer.
She has now returned to her first love, fiction. Her debut mystery thriller, The Devil's Dance is positive proof she watches way more Discovery ID than is probably healthy.
Kristen has helped hundreds of thousands of writers find success using social media. Her methods are responsible for selling millions of books. She's helped all levels of writers from mega authors to self-published unknowns attain amazing results.
Kristen is the owner and operator of W.A.N.A. International and creator of W.A.N.A.Tribe, the social network for creatives. She was the official Social Media columnist for Author Magazine for two years, and her blog was named one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers by Writer's Digest Magazine.
