I don't know about any one else, but as an aspiring author and an avid reader, I don't know how I feel about writers-for-hire and ghost writers.
Writers-for-hire. Okay, if you are not aware of what a writer-for-hire is, it is when a publishing company wants a certain kind of book or series to come out but no one is submitting that kind of work. Then, the publishing company talks to agents to see if they have authors who would like to take on this project. The author does not come up with the idea of the books or characters. They write the books but they usually have to follow a pretty strict outline given to them by the publishing company. Some examples of this are the Fallen series by Lauren Kate, the Vampire Diaries series by LJ Smith, and the Kissed By An Angel series, by Elizabeth Chandler. These authors do not come up with the ideas for these books, they are given the ideas and then must write the books. These authors promote these books and go on book tours and talk about how they came up with the story for these books and what inspired them, when actually they did not come up with the ideas. It makes me feel like Lisa Simpson when she found out a beloved author of hers did not in fact write the books she is given credit for. Lauren Kate talks about how a passage from the bible about angels falling for humans and then falling form grace inspired her to write the series, but that is just an elaborate hoax to tell the adoring fans. In some cases, like the Vampire Diaries, LJ Smith did not like the direction in which the publishing company wanted the Vampire Diaries series to go, so she no longer writes those books. However, someone else writes the books, but LJ Smith gets paid a lot of money to keep her name on the series. This is a form of ghost writing.
Ghost writing. Ghost writing is when someone other than the author on the cover, writes the books. The author on the cover gets all the money and the credit, without actually writing the book. I'm certain the ghost writers get compensated, but still if they are the ones writing the books, they should get their names on the books.
There is technically nothing wrong with these things, but as I said, I am an aspiring author and an avid reader, and writers-for-hire and ghost writers leave me feeling cheated. I fall in love with these characters and the authors who created them, the stories in which they tell about creating them, and then learn that they in fact did not create them and it feels as if a rug is being pulled out from underneath my feet. Writers-for-hire don't bother me so much as ghost writers. A writer-for-hire didn't come up with the ideas, but they still write the books, whereas a ghost writer writes the book but gets no credit for it.
What do any of you think about writers-for-hire and ghost writers?
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
To Pants or Not To Pants, That is the Question.
What am I talking about? I will tell you. I am talking about whether outlining or writing by the seat of your pants is best.
I have written one book and am currently working on my second, but I also have plans for at least five others. Now, I always thought that I was a pantser, but then I realized that in a way, I do outline. I have never written an actual outline, but I do write notes of things I want to happen in my books and thing I want certain characters to say or do. So, in a way, that is outlining, just not in it's purest form. But, for the most part, I believe that I pants. I write as it comes to me, then add the things I have in my notes as I wish them to be. I usually have a vague idea of what I want to have happen, but then some scenes go a different direction.
So, which is better? Pantsing or outlining? I have no idea. I guess it is up to the writer and how they want their story or book to pan out. If you know everything you want to have happen then make an outline. Just because you have an outline doesn't mean you have to stick to it to the letter. You are the writer for goodness sake.
I do believe that one book I want to write will have to have an outline. I think it depends on what you are writing and how complicated it is. How many characters you have, plot lines, different worlds, creatures, and so on. I also believe that it depends on how organized you and your mind are. If you have a fantastic memory then maybe you don't need an outline or notes at all, maybe you can just pants it from the get go.
There are pros and cons to outlining and pantsing. A pro to outlining is that you have everything planned out and you don't have to feel like you ever get stuck somewhere along the line. A con to outlining is that you may feel like you can't go beyond your outline, which is not true. A pro to pantsing is the feel of freedom in your writing. A con is that you may find that you don't know where you want your story to go and you get stuck. Writer's block is no one's friend.
I am a pantser and an outliner, well sort of an outliner. Like I said before, it is entirely to your preference. So, good luck.
I have written one book and am currently working on my second, but I also have plans for at least five others. Now, I always thought that I was a pantser, but then I realized that in a way, I do outline. I have never written an actual outline, but I do write notes of things I want to happen in my books and thing I want certain characters to say or do. So, in a way, that is outlining, just not in it's purest form. But, for the most part, I believe that I pants. I write as it comes to me, then add the things I have in my notes as I wish them to be. I usually have a vague idea of what I want to have happen, but then some scenes go a different direction.
So, which is better? Pantsing or outlining? I have no idea. I guess it is up to the writer and how they want their story or book to pan out. If you know everything you want to have happen then make an outline. Just because you have an outline doesn't mean you have to stick to it to the letter. You are the writer for goodness sake.
I do believe that one book I want to write will have to have an outline. I think it depends on what you are writing and how complicated it is. How many characters you have, plot lines, different worlds, creatures, and so on. I also believe that it depends on how organized you and your mind are. If you have a fantastic memory then maybe you don't need an outline or notes at all, maybe you can just pants it from the get go.
There are pros and cons to outlining and pantsing. A pro to outlining is that you have everything planned out and you don't have to feel like you ever get stuck somewhere along the line. A con to outlining is that you may feel like you can't go beyond your outline, which is not true. A pro to pantsing is the feel of freedom in your writing. A con is that you may find that you don't know where you want your story to go and you get stuck. Writer's block is no one's friend.
I am a pantser and an outliner, well sort of an outliner. Like I said before, it is entirely to your preference. So, good luck.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Being A Reader
Hello all,
I have recently started rereading the Hush, Hush series and even though I have read the books multiple times, I find that I am overwhelmingly and desperately in love with Patch Cipriano. This makes me wonder why, we as readers, get so attached to the characters we read about. I mean, goodness, Edward and Bella made millions of people fall in love with them, Harry Potter, Eragon, Katnis and Peeta. What is it about these characters that makes us readers fall so in love, so quickly, that we would rather dream about being with them then live our real lives. I have a great boyfriend, but given the chance to be with Patch, I would take it, no questions asked.
So why do we readers get so attached? Is it because it is the people we are? I know that I am an emotional person and that I get attached to real people too easily, so is that why I get so attached to the characters I read? Is it the way the author writes the characters or the events the characters are put in? I wrote a book and let my friend read it and she said she cried at the end. I was so happy that I could write characters that my friends could connect with and care deeply enough about that they would cry at the end. I felt that I did my job as a writer.
I can tell, usually, in the first five pages whether or not I will like a book. I instantly fall in love with the male characters of the books I read. Is it because I am trying to escape inside these books? Is it because we are looking for something that we don't have? Why is it that we as readers fall so in love with the characters we read?
I have recently started rereading the Hush, Hush series and even though I have read the books multiple times, I find that I am overwhelmingly and desperately in love with Patch Cipriano. This makes me wonder why, we as readers, get so attached to the characters we read about. I mean, goodness, Edward and Bella made millions of people fall in love with them, Harry Potter, Eragon, Katnis and Peeta. What is it about these characters that makes us readers fall so in love, so quickly, that we would rather dream about being with them then live our real lives. I have a great boyfriend, but given the chance to be with Patch, I would take it, no questions asked.
So why do we readers get so attached? Is it because it is the people we are? I know that I am an emotional person and that I get attached to real people too easily, so is that why I get so attached to the characters I read? Is it the way the author writes the characters or the events the characters are put in? I wrote a book and let my friend read it and she said she cried at the end. I was so happy that I could write characters that my friends could connect with and care deeply enough about that they would cry at the end. I felt that I did my job as a writer.
I can tell, usually, in the first five pages whether or not I will like a book. I instantly fall in love with the male characters of the books I read. Is it because I am trying to escape inside these books? Is it because we are looking for something that we don't have? Why is it that we as readers fall so in love with the characters we read?
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