Hidden Framework

I love documentaries.

Okay, stay with me. This really does have something to do with writing.

I particularly love documentaries about film making. As a J-school grad, I was required to do my time in the radio and TV departments to get my degree. And, for fun, I took a non-required course in Film Theory. Part of the reason was I loved the instructor, Mr. Hayes, who has since retired as of last spring. But, I also took it because I love stories, whether printed on paper or on film.

Recently, I was watching one of the documentaries that came with my copy of IronMan (2008, Marvel/Paramount). I do this a lot: sit down, watch a documentary about one of my favorite movies. A lot of it was about the special effects, choosing the actors, getting the designs right, etc. What I really found fascinating was the post-production--that time between when the last scene is filmed and it debuts in a theater near you.

Watching what director Jon Favreau went through in those post production weeks got me to thinking about how much detail he went through to get the movie on screen, and I wondered how much the average viewer would actually notice. I know as a director, it's his artistic vision that gets the movie to whatever point it's printed and sent to the movie theaters around the world. How much time, energy, thought is put into making a great movie, especially one which is heavy on the special effects?

Probably a lot more than the average person would realize. According to the documentary I watched, it was right around two years -- TWO YEARS! -- from the time the project was dreamed up to the time it debuted in May 2008. From my understanding, for a movie of its scale, that's actually pretty darn quick.

The post-production segment was also interesting for other reasons, too, since it dealt primarily with special effects. (Okay, I admit it. In my Top 10 Dream Jobs, working for Industrial Light & Magic is probably at least #5.) They showed how they attempted to accomplish these effects so they were as seamless as they could be--so the average viewer couldn't tell where reality ended and the effects began.

In our writing, how well do we hide from the average reader that framework which we put our characters, setting, and plot on? If Joe Schmoe walked into Borders or Barnes & Noble and picked up your book, would he be able to tell all of those 'effects' that we writers use to tell an engaging story? Perhaps a few... but overall, would he just say, 'Hey, this was a pretty good read,' or would something nag at him that bothered him?

It could be the way the story's told. Something about the characters that don't seem just right. A weak or predictable plot. If we as writers don't take the time to rewrite and thoroughly edit our works before putting them before an audience, we run that risk of getting a negative reaction. But, if we take the time, as Favreau did on IronMan, to make our work as good as we can get it, we will get that reader's response of, 'Hey, this was a pretty good read.'

So, how well do you hide your 'framework'?


Until next time,



P.S.--I'm completely looking forward to the debut of IronMan 2 on May 7. If my husband's not careful, he'll find he's sitting with me at 12:01AM in the theater that day! -- LS

For additional reading, I recommend the following blog posts:

Suspense With a Twist: Top 10 Mistakes New Fiction Writers Make

Plot Whisperer: The End is the Beginning

Authors, Self-Publishers: Roundtable, Part 4

Welcome back!

Today, we wrap up the roundtable with self-published authors Lee Adams, P.A. Hendrickson, Tommie Lyn, and Victor Travison. I again want to thank all four of them for being willing to share their experiences with all of our readers. I hope you've enjoyed this roundtable as much as I have. Maybe in the future, all of these magnificent authors can share individually in guest posts.


And, without further ado, here is our final installment.

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Liberty Speidel: Some readers, writers, even agents see a stigma with self-publishing. What has your experience with this been and how have you attempted to counter it?

Victor Travison: I knew there was always a chance The Justice Coalition would be dismissed out of hand as a hack’s job, but by posting sample chapters on my website I hoped to forestall this assumption. Also, through my blog that compares sci-fi concepts with the Bible, “Lightwalker’s View,” I hoped people would get the idea I was a serious writer with a serious message to offer. I post every Wednesday morning, and I post a link to it at Facebook and Twitter so my friends/followers know it’s there for the reading.


Tommie Lyn: I really don’t care how agents view it, since I have no desire to have an agent. But when other writers I had thought were friends view my work with disdain, when they dismiss my books even though they’ve never even seen or read any of them, well, that was a shocker. I’d had no idea of the snobbery involved in writers circles. At this point, though, I’m not going to concern myself with it anymore, because I know the rewards I’m getting, and I’d much rather have them than what I would have gotten if I’d been young enough to hold out for a publishing contract.


Lee Adams: They’re gonna get over that “stigma” thing within the next ten years, I’ll bet. I come from a music background, and I remember when we all sat around waiting to get discovered. Then one day someone said, “Hey, I’ve got some recording equipment. Let’s do this mother ourselves!” And now, the major labels (only a few left) wait for the band to produce their own work, get a following, build a healthy MP3 catalogue, and THEN they’ll call you. Then they can sweep in, slap their logo on your work, and distribute it to the whole wide world. Everybody wins. That’s exactly what’s happening with the publishing industry. Independently published books will be the standard in publishing in no time.


P.A. Hendrickson: I have found the so called self-publishing stigma to be more prevalent among authors than readers. If someone reads your book and enjoys it, they do not care who published it. Much like the music business has changed in the last twenty years, where major record labels now compete against hundreds of independent labels, so the writing business is changing. If the book feels like a real book, reads like a real book, and is competitively priced, then the reader is not being cheated out of any part of the reading experience.

In my mind, there is room for both the independent, self-published authors, and the major label authors. I would love the exposure and high volume potential that comes from a major publishing house, but I also had a tight timeframe to reach my goal of a completed novel that could be held in my hands. As I type this, I am making the final arrangements to head back to the corporate world. My next novel is in the works, but it will have to be written in the evenings and on the weekends, like the majority of authors write their novels.



LS:  Do you have any other advice you'd give to writers in general as they choose to self-publish?

VT: Don’t just publish a book and leave it alone, expecting some miracle to draw a crowd. You have to actively promote it any way you can. I am unable physically and financially to put in all the effort many can give, so I am open to all the help I can get. In my opinion, only if you’re a dynamo in the marketing department can self-pubbing have lasting and far-reaching benefits.


TL: First of all, don’t use a vanity company to publish your book.

Do whatever it takes to polish your English grammar skills and spelling abilities so that you can create an error-free manuscript. If you aren’t able to do this, hire an editor to perfect your manuscript for you.

If you can’t create your own cover, hire someone to do it for you...the cover is extremely important as far as the impression it makes on likely customers.

Be aware that you will have to promote/push/sell your book yourself. (Actually, you’ll have to do that no matter whether you self-publish or are published by a traditional publisher...but if you publish your book yourself, you’re likely to get that investment back many times over.)


LA: Keep your day job. And rave on, John Donne. Rave on, rave on, rave on.



PAH: This is important--Never think of yourself as a second-class author because you chose the self-publishing route. It is quite likely your work is far better than many who have been published by major publishing houses.

In the last year, I have met several self-published authors who have had their work picked up by traditional publishers. Can you imagine? These authors actually received a contract without ever submitting a manuscript!


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Victor Travison has been writing since the age of eight. His two novels are Savage Worlds and The Justice Coalition. He is currently working on the sequel to The Justice Coalition, Let No Man Put Asunder. Victor resides in the Denver metro area.

His website is VictorTravison.webs.com/.










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If you're contemplating self-publishing, you may find this article from Michael Hyatt a useful tool.


Until next time,

Guest posting at Lightwalker Files!!

Just wanted to let you know that Victor Travison asked me to do a guest blog for him, and today's the day! I hope you'll go visit his website, VictorTravison.Webs.com and check out my post on 'The Borg & Perfection'! I had a blast writing it, so I do hope you'll check it out... and maybe leave a comment or two.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the final installment of our self-publishing roundtable, as well as a brief announcement.

Until tomorrow,