If you want to listen to Ava, Lauren, and Alice chat with the boys of Dungeon Crawler’s Radio, you can find the interview right here.
Tag Archives: Lauren
Listen to Writing Snippets on the Dungeon Crawlers Radio show!
Tomorrow, Monday, January 2, several members of the Writing Snippets crew will appear on the live internet radio program, Dungeon Crawlers Radio!
Tune in via their website from 6pm-8pm Mountain Time to hear Lauren, Ava, and Alice chat with the boys of Dungeon Crawlers about our experiences putting together our own podcast. You can listen later via the Dungeon Crawler’s archives.
Happy New Years!
Writing the Uncomfortable
From time to time, as authors we find ourselves writing about topics that we (or our audience) might find uncomfortable or even dangerous. If you’re never writing anything that might discomfort your audience you’re probably writing technical manuals or advertising (which is fine, but this isn’t about those types of writing).
Especially at this time of year. Religious holidays—and that word’s a redundancy if I ever heard one—are in the current social and political environment anathema, not to be discussed in polite society.
See my blog at www.lauren-ritz.blogspot.com for my politically correct version of Santa Claus.
I’m not going to go into the social ramifications here, and this is not a discussion of specific holy days. At some point we have to face difficult topics in our writing. Even the shallowest of writers sooner or late writes something that makes one of their readers say “Huh, I never thought of that” and it makes a difference.
If we avoid writing about the hard topics, if we deliberately or subconsciously avoid any mention of things our audience may find uncomfortable, we shortchange them and ourselves. Writing, particularly fiction writing, is about the human condition and making our readers sympathize with our characters—even the villains. If we didn’t empathize with them on some level, they wouldn’t feel nearly as dangerous. Villains are the embodiment of the dark madness that we would rather not reveal to those around us.
If you find yourself writing around a difficult topic, it may be something that you want to explore instead. Whether you choose to incorporate that topic or not is your own choice, but ignoring it should not be an option. Maybe you’ll learn something by exploring it. For certain your readers will.
By Lauren Ritz
The Economics of Reading
I have to admit I’m addicted to second-hand bookstores. I’m a bookaholic, and they tell me that acknowledging the problem is the first step…except that I don’t want to recover. The second-hand bookstores allow me to read and re-read, then go back and find more at a fraction of the price of a new book.
But there’s a problem with this, one which I fully acknowledge (and I also acknowledge that I’d fix it in my own life if I had more money to spend on books).
Over the years I’ve watched various authors rise and fall, and some few of them rise again. Those that do “rise again” usually go through an interesting cycle.
Take this quote, from the author’s note to one of my favorite books:
“…having committed those stories—and seen them published, back in the late 80’s—we were told by our publisher that the numbers weren’t there. No one had read our books, that means in publish-speak. And, since no one had read the first three, the outlined fourth—and the proposed fifth—would not be needed.”
I read their books for the first time in the late 80’s, and I am still reading them. The first I got from the library, but when I went to the bookstores, even the used bookstores I couldn’t find it again. I finally found a copy about 10 years later, used (as in totally trashed) and I read it until it fell apart. I also have the other books in the series, although on several I have multiple copies because the only copies on some that I’ve been able to find were in compilations that contained books I already had.
According to the publishers their books hadn’t been read and yet when I first searched on the internet the only copy I could find (a used paperback) was being sold for $40. Whether the books were popular or not, all the evidence points to something that I have seen with other books.
If a book is really good, but not touted as such by the media, many times the book is passed from person to person, read and re-read until it falls apart simply because other copies are not available. Fifty people may read one copy, and all of them enjoy it, but the book was only purchased once so the publisher really has no idea just how many people are reading it or interested. Those same copies (those that survive the original purchase) then go to used book sellers, who sell the book and the whole process begins again. But the publishers won’t take the chance of printing more copies because “the numbers aren’t there.” i.e., no one is buying the book new, off the shelf. If I’d been able to get my hands on a new copy, I would have purchased it.
Many, many people, for whatever reason, choose to go to used book sellers or libraries. I have to admit I’m one of them. But if I like a book enough to purchase it (meaning it’s good enough to read multiple times without getting tired of it) then I should really purchase a copy of my own and support the authors I like.
Otherwise, the market will just get saturated with authors I don’t like.
Hm. Is that what happened?
Disclaimer 
: This is not an advertisement. I have no financial interest in Steve Miller and Sharon Lee (the above mentioned authors) except for having purchased many of their books (mostly the Liaden Universe).
In chronological order:
Scouts Progress
Mouse and Dragon
(Generational gap, here)
Fledgeling
(another gap, but only a few years)
Agent of Change
Carpe Diem
Plan B
I Dare
More, please!
-By Lauren Ritz
Writing Snippets Episode 6: World Building 2
Jocelyn MC’s this episode again as we talk about the importance of World building in science fiction writing, fantasy writing, contemporary and historical fiction.
Writing Snippets Episode Four: Writer’s Block
Join today’s hosts, Jocelyn, Lilly, Ava, Lauren, Alice, and Nichole as we discuss Writer’s Block.
Writing Snippets Episode Two: Writer’s Groups
Join your hosts, Alice, Ava, Elissa, Jocelyn, Lauren, Lilly and Nichole as we discuss Writer’s Groups. Have you ever thought about starting, or joining a writers group? Listen as we share our experience with writer’s groups, what works and what doesn’t and how our writer’s group evolved into the manuscript-making machine it is now- with a lot of laughter along the way. Write in the comments section below your Writer’s Group stories, the good, the bad, and THE ugly, and what has worked for you.
****Leave a comment about your New Years Writing Resolutions to be entered in the drawing to win a Writer’s Digest Writing Planner. The winner will be announced on Monday, Jan. 31st.
Writing Snippets Episode One: Writer New Year’s Resolutions
Welcome to Writing Snippets!
Join your hosts Alice, Ava, Jocelyn, Lauren, Lilly, and Nichole in our first podcast as we discuss our Writing New Year’s Resolutions. We will explore why resolutions haven’t worked in the past, and tips on how we can succeed. Write your own resolutions in the comments below and add them to ours. We will track them throughout the year as we go on the 2011 journey together. And as always, no words were harmed in the making of this podcast.
Writer New Year’s Resolutions
****Leave a comment about your New Years Writing Resolutions to be entered in the drawing to win a Writer’s Digest Writing Planner. The winner will be announced on Monday, Jan. 31st.
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