If you end a chapter or section with a flashback, be sure to close it out properly so you take the reader back to the present. Otherwise, they might be lost if the story returns to its normal time frame in the next scene. Remember that readers often stop reading at the end of a chapter or scene. By the time they pick up the story again, they may have forgotten what had just happened and, without a clear transition, wonder what they missed.
When you start a new chapter or section, if a significant amount of time has passed, be sure to tell the reader so s/he doesn’t think something was missed or lost. These breaks are intuitive indicators that something has shifted, unless it’s one of those chapters that ends with a cliff hanger. Assuming that’s not the case, if the change is dramatic, such as years have gone by or the viewpoint has shifted to another character, clue in your reader as quickly as possible. Remember that losing your readers doesn’t build suspense, only annoys them.
In traditional fiction publishing format, the first paragraph in a chapter or section is not indented, but flush with the margin. This helps set the stage, even subconsciously, that it’s not a direct continuation of the previous scene, but something new. This is particularly important in e-books, where extra spaces are often lost.
Book interior formatting is something that you seldom notice, unless there’s a problem. Which is as it should be. The last thing a reader needs is distractions. Rather, it should facilitate the flow of the story, indicating scene and viewpoint breaks in a smooth and intuitive manner.
Be familiar with the archetypal “Hero’s Journey”. It resonates with humanity and has been a literary vehicle for millennia. This pattern was identified by Joseph Campbell as a Monomyth in his book, “The Hero With A Thousand Faces.” This was later adapted by Christopher Vogler as the Twelve Stage Hero’s Journey. The number of stages vary, usually between eight and twelve. Just Google it and you’ll find multiple references, including several different illustrations. As a writer, it’s something with which you should be familiar. Classic examples include “Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars.”
Remember your main character needs to have a fatal flaw. It doesn’t have to be evil; it could be something like being too honest or outspoken. No one is perfect and to be convincing, your characters shouldn’t be, either. It’s their weaknesses that make them more endearing and real. They also build suspense, an essential ingredient for any story.
If you’re not sure what a character’s fatal flaw might be, take a close look at his or her strengths. Any trait that can be a strength can also be a weakness, if taken to the extreme. Obsessions, for example, can go either way, to a person’s advantage or detriment, depending on the situation. For example, being determined and not giving up can also result in beating the proverbial dead horse.
Other than a chosen few best-selling authors, the people making the most book-related money are those that offer promotion services, teach classes, or provide other publication help, such as cover design, formatting, and video trailer creation.
Unless you have unlimited resources, choose them wisely to make sure you get your money’s worth and a suitable ROI (return on investment). While any new endeavor requires a certain level of investment, it’s an easy trap to fall into where you’re putting out far more money than you’ll be able to recover for a long time. Making easy money by becoming an author is about as likely as becoming a famous singer or Hollywood star. The odds are not in your favor.
Social media presence is important for readers and fans to connect. However, you need to post engaging content to draw them in as opposed to only promoting your books. This is likely to be viewed as spam and lessen your popularity as opposed to boosting it. Giveaways, interesting blog posts, excerpts, and selling yourself as an interesting person are a few ways to draw them in.
If you’re anything like me, there aren’t enough hours in the day. Things either take longer than expected or something pops up and devours the hours. Parallel processing helps somewhat. For example, if my computer is taking forever to download or update, I get up and do something else, rather than sit there and call it unsavory names. I’ve foolishly spent an amazing amount of time waiting for my computer when I could have been doing something else. Like cleaning out the cat’s litter box, for example.
The same goes for cooking. It doesn’t take long to figure out you can cut down your preparation time by not doing everything in a serial, one thing at a time, manner. Rather, you brown the meat for spaghetti while you’re waiting for the water to boil, and so forth. It’s not rocket science.
With such busy days, it’s easy to see how learning to parallel process, or better yet, multiplex, is essential, not only to get everything done, but to find time for yourself. It’s pretty pathetic when you have to schedule time for fun or to enjoy something, but that’s often the case. Another way to slip in something you enjoy while doing something you don’t, such as your daily commute amidst the worst drivers on the planet, getting in those steps to keep your FitBit happy, or weeding the garden, is via audio books! 
Recordings of motivational talks, college courses, and even novels, have been around for a while. But now they’re as easy to access as your smart phone, which is most likely within reach.
If you love to read, but can’t find the time, this is a great solution. Make those mindless tasks more pleasant by listening to something you enjoy. If you don’t like to read, it’s even better, because someone is reading to you! Just like those tender memories of being read to as a kid!
Such an indulgence used to be expensive in the old days when you had to purchase tapes or CDs. Now you can get a subscription for Audible for just under $15 a month, which includes one book. You can even get a free trial for a month when you sign up! Do it through Amazon and they’ll give you two books free, that you get to keep, even if you decide not to subscribe. Buy the ebook and you get a huge discount on the audio book!
If you like science fiction, may I suggest you check out my story “The Terra Debacle: Prisoners at Area 51?” It’s gotten some great reviews and the narration by Hollywood actor, T.W. Ashworth is awesome!
Listen to a sample!
Some author groups provide a variety of benefits including classes, tweet groups, review opportunities, online writing conferences, blog tours, interviews, and vetted author services providers. Two I can recommend are ASMSG (Author’s Social Media Support Group) and RRBC (Rave Reviews Book Club). Getting into ASMSG is free, but requires a recommendation from an existing member, which helps keep the membership focused on more experienced writers. Anyone can join RRBC by signing up on their website here. They charge a membership fee, but the more involved you get, the more benefits you’ll receive. If you decide to join, be sure to tell them I sent you!
There are numerous author groups which have a variety of excellent benefits. These are where you can find authors with whom you can do a beta swap or provide editorial reviews. There may be one in your local area where you can get together face-to-face with other authors. If not, there are several options online. One place to start is Linked-In, which has several author groups. Facebook has some as well. Make sure that any other groups of which you are a member, even if they don’t relate to writing, know that you are an author.
Marcha's Two-Cents Worth 