IngramElliott Publishing
  • Welcome
  • Titles
    • A Call to China
    • Benny Moon: Racing the Medicine Wheel
    • Benny Moon Eats Dirt
    • Between the Ocean and the Stars
    • Clown William
    • Clown William and the Lincoln County War
    • Clown William and the Wind of Vengeance
    • The Cornbread Letters
    • Crooked Lines
    • Highlights of Palmistry
    • Indian Country
    • Island Whispers
    • Medicine Hat Moments
    • Ms. Mulligan and the Enchanted Ice Cream
    • Mystery Muffin & Soda Pop Slooth: The Legend of Mr. Creepy
    • Mystery Muffin & Soda Pop Slooth: The Ghost of Crippler's Creek
    • Path of the Half Moon
    • Courses of the Cursed
    • Merging Paths
    • Surrender
    • TimeLock
    • Whispers on the Wind
    • WWCC Heroes
  • Submissions
    • Guidelines
    • IngramElliott Imprint
    • IE Snaps! Imprint
  • News & Updates
  • Contact
  • Bookstore

Blue moon musings...writing about dreams, spirits, and magic.

4/28/2016

0 Comments

 
In his classic tome, Making Shapely Fiction, author Jerome Stern describes one (of many) fiction archetypes called Blue Moon stories. Blue Moon stories, according to Stern, "appeal to our deepest selves. We enter the world of magic, myth, and dream...our sleeping world, our childhood tales, our religious beliefs are full of happenings whose reality is not of this earth." These types of stories can make great suspense, spooky, or fantasy novels.

​These types of stories aren't just for grown-ups either. Classic blue moon stories from childhood often leave a lasting impression on our world view, inform our dreams, and inspire us in later life.  While it's tempting to go crazy with your imagination in these types of stories, they can end up with cliché ideas that readers will reject, and it can be hard to be fresh and new.

​If readers like the world you're creating, though, chances are the readers will follow you into it. Their 'willing suspension of disbelief" will get them through the door, but you have to keep them there. How? By having the storyteller go along for the ride with the reader and admit their limitations (I'm simply reporting what was told to me long ago by my grandfather, who heard it from his grandfather, and so on). 

Building the odd or mysterious events into the narrative early and having the narrator also experience moments of disbelief about the strange happenings is an effective tool. It helps the reader relate to the narrator and they'll be more open to magical and spiritual concepts.

​You can and should use magical and mystical elements in your story, but keep the rules consistent. If you are creating a galaxy where all beings are wisps of smoke, don't have them lounging in a chair. If you are working through time travel scenarios, make sure you lay out the rules early, and don't cheat the reader by breaking them at the last minute.

If you are mixing in normal people, places, or things into a story with magical elements, make sure the reality details add up. If your character that sees dead people has to pick up dry cleaning, follow the rules of our world and make sure they have their ticket. Be particular about plausibility. If magical or spiritual elements are going to resonate with readers, the world around them needs to be believable. You don't want your readers to get sidetracked figuring out why "that would never happen" when it's something simple and real and we all already know the rules.

​Save the special unbelievable elements for the fantasy aspects of the story...the magic, the spirits, the inner voice that calls all of us to believe in blue moons.
0 Comments

Read with your kids this summer. They’ll thank you for it!

4/19/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Decades of research tells us that to become effective readers and writers, children need a boatload of opportunities to talk and listen to verbal language, to learn about print and books, to learn new words, and to build their knowledge of the world. The National Institute for Literacy’s brochure, A Child Becomes a Reader, offers proven ideas for mothers, fathers, grandparents, and caregivers to pave the road for their child to become a successful reader.
 
The single most important activity you can do for them? Reading aloud. Reading to your children with their active participation helps them learn more about the world, learn new words, improve fluency and develop comprehension.
 
This summer, keep reading on the to-do list! Check out these hot summer reads for kindergarten through fourth graders:


Pablo Prairie Dog and the WWCC Heroes will resonate with both sporty kids and brainiacs. With gorgeous colorful illustrations, the book features a cast of wild half-animal, half-human creatures that play a mix of chess and professional wresting. Through his adventures with WWCC All Star team, Pablo Prairie Dog discovers his own importance and learns that value is found in all of us, no matter our size or differences. Amazon; B&N; Books-A-Million



Curious Critters Marine features incredible photographs depicting 20 common and fascinating sea creatures. Fun and education narratives round out the visuals. Amazon; B&N; IndieBound
 
If You Love Honey will fascinate kids with an illustrated adventure through the natural world. It’s all about honey! Amazon; B&N; IndieBound
 
Bottle Cap Boys – Dancing on Royal Street will enthrall young readers with an upbeat rhyme and New Orleans traditions made for kids. Amazon; B&N; IndieBound
 
Selling Eggs – Trash to Treasure Series, Recycling Creatively with L.T. will inspire kids with cute chicks, pocket money, and creative recycling ideas. With lots to build on in the classroom, kids will learn about taking care of our environment in a fun and charming way. Amazon; B&N; IndieBound

Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Revisionist? History.

4/13/2016

0 Comments

 
Jerome Stern wrote in his time-honored tome on creative writing, Making Shapely Fiction, that, "a story that appears full-blown, finished, and completely realized in its first draft is rarer than the ninety-yard pass, the hole-in-one, or the sixty-foot basket....for writers the general rule is revision."

​In today's world of flash fiction, six-second videos, and 140 character limitations, revisions can seem outdated. Got a cell phone? You're a writer. Have 100 followers reading about your love for corn-based foods? You're a blogger. It seems in today's world of quick hits, the lost art of editing can be, well, lost.

Revisions are the heart and soul of a story. Yes, the first blush of inspiration can be intoxicating. But even Mozart had lots of dark, inky blobs on his parchment. Because even geniuses don’t get it right on the first try. In fact, we believe that honing the manuscript, digging into the details, removing unneeded adverbs, and adding that essential detail to your character’s backstory… are what will make your writing fall into melodic perfection.

​Mr. Stern goes on to encourage writers not to get hung up on first-draft ideas, but also not to mercilessly cut passages that may be their freshest just because they are weird. Revisions can take a story sideways, or up, down, or forward. You may end up with a completely different story than you started with. This can sometimes freak writers out, but we say revisions are the layers on your cake, the cherry on your sundae, and the gravy for your biscuits.  
​
Allow revising your manuscript to be progressive, but know when to call it quits. Once you’ve taken the story as far as it can go at this moment in time – it could be one revision or six – it is time to let your creation live on its own. Pull the plug and let it sing. Like Mozart, you’ll eventually hit all the right notes.  
0 Comments

Nothing but trash! Romancing the prose for the modern age.

4/6/2016

0 Comments

 
The romance novel swept onto the publishing scene like a tornado back in the 1970's and early 1980's, capturing readers, mostly women, across the country in it's deluge. Back then, the romance novel contained mysterious handsome sheiks, hunky bad-boy pirates, and wealthy rogue noblemen, all of whom were the sum total of the reader's secret fantasies.

In the early days, romance readers feared exposure of their need to read these small paperbacks.  They read alone at night or they purchased cloth book covers disguising the steamy images on the front cover. In short, they  were embarrassed to be seen with a romance novel. 
 
The nay-sayers in the industry cried, "Nothing but trash!  Little worthless paperbacks full of smut and sex! Ignore them and they will go away!”
 
So these paperbacks were ignored by book critics, from newspapers to literary magazines.  Readers across the globe went into hiding, devouring these love stories secretly. To admit to reading romance novels back then was akin to slipping down dark allies in search of opium dens!  The romance genre soon earned the moniker, "Bodice-rippers."  Romance novels became the joke of the literary world.
 
That was then.  Romance novels endured the storm, and are now a multi-million dollar industry, comprising roughly 80% of book sales in today's market. Readers don't hide these paperbacks as much as they once did, but some remain cautious about owning their love for this genre. 

​The genre has grown from "bodice-rippers" to modern day takes on love and romance for all audiences, in a variety of settings, couplings, and levels of intimacy. Subgenres within romance include historical, erotic, inspirational, paranormal, and mystery/thriller, to name a few. 

 
Love it, or not, romance novels are here to stay.  Share the love and read one today!
0 Comments

      Join our mailing list

    Subscribe

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    Advertising
    Amazon
    Author Platform
    Authors
    Awards
    Barnes & Noble
    Blog Tours
    Blog Writing
    CIBA
    Contests
    Editing
    Events
    Gift Guide
    Goodreads
    Holidays
    IBPA
    Independent Publishers
    IndieBound
    IngramElliott
    IPPY
    Marketing Books
    New Releases
    NIEA
    Publishing
    Reading For Kids
    Reviews
    Social Media
    Uncommon Publishing
    Virtual Assistant
    Writing Tips

    RSS Feed

©2015-2023 IngramElliott, Inc.
  • Welcome
  • Titles
    • A Call to China
    • Benny Moon: Racing the Medicine Wheel
    • Benny Moon Eats Dirt
    • Between the Ocean and the Stars
    • Clown William
    • Clown William and the Lincoln County War
    • Clown William and the Wind of Vengeance
    • The Cornbread Letters
    • Crooked Lines
    • Highlights of Palmistry
    • Indian Country
    • Island Whispers
    • Medicine Hat Moments
    • Ms. Mulligan and the Enchanted Ice Cream
    • Mystery Muffin & Soda Pop Slooth: The Legend of Mr. Creepy
    • Mystery Muffin & Soda Pop Slooth: The Ghost of Crippler's Creek
    • Path of the Half Moon
    • Courses of the Cursed
    • Merging Paths
    • Surrender
    • TimeLock
    • Whispers on the Wind
    • WWCC Heroes
  • Submissions
    • Guidelines
    • IngramElliott Imprint
    • IE Snaps! Imprint
  • News & Updates
  • Contact
  • Bookstore