In the News

Silence in the house. Drum roll. Excessively loud cymbal crash. TA DA! Here it is . . . the new and improved look of Writer Off the Leash. Sleek. Svelt. And why in the world did it take me so long to do this?

Oh yeah. Because I'm a writer, not a freaking web designer. Sheesh.

But now that the whole freshen-up-the-tired-blog debacle is over, it's time to move on to other topics. There's lots happening out there in publishing land . . .

The Fifty Shades Phenomena

No, I haven't read the book, and no, I don't intend to. Reading about sexual exploits is not my thing. Sex outside of marriage is just wrong, even if you're only reading about it. Even more wrong  is the Fifty Shades of Grey Teddy Bear, which comes complete with its own little set of handcuffs. One word: eew.

Harper Lee Rides Again

I adored To Kill A Mockingbird and always was a little bit sad to think there would be no more to read about Scout. Not anymore. Harper Lee announced plans to publish a sequel. Go Set a Watchman is already available for preorder at Amazon.

The Most Romantic City in the U.S.

Want to know which city scored highest for sales of romance novels and romantic comedy movies? Knoxville, TN. I know, right? Go figure.

Overdue . . . by 65 Years

I don't check out books from the library. I've self-imposed a ban on myself. Why? Because I never EVER return them on time. I'm the one who's single-handedly kept the Minneapolis Public Library system up and running for the past forty years. But there's a fella in the UK who's got me beat. An 82 year old man recently returned a book he'd checked out 65 years ago and ended up paying nearly a $2500 fine.

Blogging Blues

Trust me. I hear you. "Michelle! You said Writer Off the Leash Would have a new look on Monday. A new format. Bells and whistles and possibly clowns piling out of Smart Cars." **looks at watch, looks at calendar, scans every dpi of the screen** "Where is it? I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!"

Swish that taste around in your mouth. Kind of salty and bitter, with a nasty aftertaste of lutefisk? It's called disappointment. And you're not alone. I'm all pouty-faced and slump shouldered as well.

I hit a few roadblocks this weekend while designing a new and improved blog face. There are only so many things you can do when you run up against a brick wall . . . curl into the fetal position, cry for your mommy, bang your head against the cruel cold stone, or yell "doggone it!" and determine to continue chipping away at the problem.

I've decided to press on. Yes indeedy, WOTL will get a facelift, but not today. Tomorrow? Maybe. Hopefully. Depends upon if my computer geeky husband has the time to help me tonight.

But the bigger question is why press on? Why not just heap the ol' blog onto the garbage pile of life, wipe off my hands, and ride off into the sunset without a backward glance? Several reasons, actually.

5 Reasons Why You Should Blog

It's your backyard and you can garden in it however you want.

This reason smacks of pride, and, well . . . I suppose I could concede a point there. But the beauty of a blog is that it's your own little piece of world wide web. You can say what you want. Do what you want. Make a vlog, write a rant, post a picture of your dog trotting around in tennis shoes. Whatever. It's freedom, baby. There are no blogger Nazis aiming AK-47s at your head. Wait a minute . . . did Nazis even use Russian guns? Whatever. The point is your content is whatever your twisted mind can dream up.

It's a place to keep track of cool links.

Yeah, I know that's what Pinterest is for so quit shouting. It makes my ears ring. The thing is that not everyone is into pinning. Gasp. Yes, I said that out loud. The fact is there are two camps and only two. Either you're an uber-gotta-pin-pin-pin-rabid-freakazoid or you have zero desire to find out what Pinterest is. So, that's one reason to blog: to share things you've found on the internet that might be of value to others.

It develops relationships.

Sweet mercy. Of course I know that's what friendsforlosers.com or patheticallylonelyhearts.net is for. Truth is, though, that the blogging community is huge and warm-hearted. Commenters are loyal and have valuable feedback. You will develop relationships that would otherwise not be possible were you not blogging.

It forces consistent writing.

A blog is a place to sort through big thoughts and whittle them down into smaller chunks. You think I'd do that voluntarily? No way. I'd rather sit on the couch in my underwear, slugging back espressos and eating chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven, working my way into a reading coma. But the pressure of putting up a blog post means I have to instead writing something, which is way better on the waistline. Blogging is good for a writer simply by means of pressure to create a post in a regular manner, whether you're feeling creative or not.

Platform

You knew I'd get to this sooner or later. It used to be that authors had to start a blog. No, really. Agents and editors twisted authors' arms until they cried "uncle" or their shoulders popped out of the socket. But that was back when the mafia controlled publishing. BTW, you probably shouldn't quote me on any of this because I'm just making it up. Anyway, the platform reason is still valid, even though it's no longer in vogue for every author to start one. From my experience, I've gained readers that I otherwise wouldn't have had. I even gained a publisher because of my blog. You never know who's going to stop by and sample a serving of your writing.

Blogging is a a great way for a writer to make sense of the world and share those thoughts with, uh, the world. I highly recommend it. What I don't recommend is trying to figure out how to put a new template on your blog without some serious technical guns at your side.

Hmm. Maybe if I bake hubby a banana cream pie for dessert, I'll have my blog facelift done in no time.

Exploring New Neighborhoods

You'll notice there's no Fun Friday vlog this weekend. Why? Because it's time to mix things up here, people. It's starting to smell like old gym socks fermenting under the bed. Let's open the window and freshen things up a bit, shall we?

Starting Monday, Writer Off the Leash is running wild into a whole new format. Stay tuned!

How is Writing Non-Fiction Different From Fiction?

If I were to sit down across the table from you, cups of java in hand of course, and ask you how writing non-fiction is different from writing fiction, how would you answer? Think on it.

Ready? Answer in mind?

You are wrong, Bucko.

Today I'm here to blast out of the water the three most common misconceptions the average humanoid believes to be true about non-fiction vs. fiction.

Myth:
In fiction you get to make things up, but in non-fiction you can only list facts.

Busted:
Would you seriously want to read a novel wherein nothing is true? Fiction needs to have facts incorporated in order to be believable.
And conversely, in non-fiction you need to creatively express your facts so that a reader doesn't shrivel up and die from literary dehydration.

Myth:
Story is fine for fiction but forget about it for non-fiction.

Busted:
We all live in some kind of story. Maybe your life is a drama right now. Or perhaps you're living in a sit-com. Whatever, story grabs hold of readers because that's where writing connects with their heart. This is every bit as much true for non-fiction books as well fiction.

Myth:
Writing fiction is harder than non-fiction --or-- writing non-fiction is harder than fiction.

Busted:
They're both hard. Each requires attention to detail, word choices, writing tight, and content that scoots the reader to the edge of his seat.

Sure, there are some differences between the two. There is no arc or climax in a non-fiction book, no protagonists or antagonists. Fiction has a theme but it's not a useful how-to tool.

The point is don't be all puffed up thinking non-fiction writers are smarter than fiction authors, nor put fiction writers on a pedestal of supreme creativity because non-fiction writers surely only deal in dust-dry words. Writers are writers no matter the genre. Words are words. The great divide isn't so great after all.

What I Learned from Self Publishing

You know those TV shows that feature some daredevil lighting his underwear on fire as he hops on a motorcycle and jumps over five semi-trucks and a baby, all while some scrolling type at the bottom of the screen warns you not to attempt this at home? Yeah. I feel like there should be some kind of warning to those considering self publishing because it's really not as easy as it looks. Leastwise not if you want to put out a quality book.

So here is my attempt at enlightening those who think they'll just slap up some type on Createspace and rake in a million bucks.

**pretend the following is scrolling across the screen . . . I'm not technologically savvy enough to do that and there's no teenager around for me to collar**

1. Covers are a pain in the patootie. Who knew there'd be so many decision to make? Color. Style. Artwork. Wording. Layout. Font. Sizing. Transparency. Bleed. And that's just in the first consultation.

2. No matter how many times you go through a manuscript, you can always find something else to change.

3. A good editor is worth her weight in chai. I didn't actually have the money up front to pay for a manuscript edit so I bartered for a lifetime supply of chai. So far it's worked out pretty dang good. Of course, if she lives to be one hundred, I may be in trouble. Nah. I'll be dead first. Hahahaha! Jokes on her. . . wait a minute. Maybe not.

4. If you put your book up for pre-order on Amazon, they give you a deadline set in stone to upload your final copy. If you're late, oops! Your name is written on the Amazon naughty list and you don't get to put up any more pre-orders for over a year.

5. There's way more that goes into producing a book than simply good writing, though that is a must. There's book size, paper color, paper weight, ISBN nonsense, Library of Congress shtuff, a bajillion different kind of ebook conversions, yada, yada. Seriously, I had no idea.

It's been an adventure putting out Writer Off the Leash, but one that's been a good education. Would I do it again? Probably. Will I leave the realm of traditional publishing behind? Nope. Each venue has their pros and cons.

Why I Decided to Self Publish

Way back when dinosaurs roamed the face of the earth, cavemen carved out their novels in hieroglyphics on stone walls. No contracts involved. No queries or proposals or pub boards. Just bam! There's a story, thank you very much. Self publishing is kind of like that, but without the fear of velociraptors ripping open your flesh with sharp, pointy talons.

Not too long ago, putting out your own book was looked upon with a huge frowny face. You were considered a loser. Someone who's writing wasn't good enough for a "real" publisher. Self-published books were stigmatized as sub-par.

Wow. How times have changed. Oh, there's still some crappy writing out there in Indie Land, but lot's of respectable authors have ventured into the realm of self-publishing. MaryLu Tyndall. Brandilyn Collins. Even the famed Stephen King.

And now, moi. The big question is why? Why risk my own money up front when there's literally hundreds of thousands of other books out there clamoring for buyers?

Top 3 Reasons Why I Self Published

Peer Pressure
All the cool writerly kids are doing it nowadays, so I thought I'd give it a whirl as well. I've already got four traditionally published books under my belt (yeah, it's a little snug). Self-publishing would be a new adventure.

Sheer Laziness
I didn't want to spend the time figuring out what publishers to pitch a non-fiction writing craft book to. I also didn't want to spend the moolah to frequent the conferences where those publishers might be hanging out. Does that sound like I'm cheap and lazy? Yep. You'd be right.

Team Work
I had a buddy who'd been after me to self pub. Every time I saw him, he'd be like, "So, when are you going to put out your own book?" One day I shot back, "When you do it for me." The gauntlet lay in the dirt. He picked it up and ran with it. I did all the writing, found an editor and graphic designer. He did all the formatting and ISBN funny business.

Those are my reasons, but those aren't the only reasons to self pub. Here are a few more:

• Control ~ you have the final say on everything involving your book
• Time ~ it's on your own timeframe, not a year or two out
• Ownership ~ you retain all your rights
• Genre ~ you don't have to sell to a certain market, well, unless of course you want to make money
• Royalties ~ there's no middle man to pay

Independent publishing isn't for everyone. It's not a get quick rich scheme or the fast track to fame. If those are your goals, this isn't the gig for you. But, if you're willing to be in the writing game for the long haul, put your money where your mouth is and cough up the cash for editing and cover design, then you might want to give self-pubbing a good, hard look.

Or I might be wrong and this could all blow up in my face. Stay tuned. I'll be sure to take pictures if that happens.

Introducing the New Hybrid: Me

Today is the day I become a hybrid. No, that doesn't mean I'm going to get better gas mileage. Nor has my DNA mutated into a gnarly strand so if you spray me with Roundup, I tap dance  the praises of Monsanto in Morse Code. All it means is that I've belly-flopped into the pool of independent publishing with my latest release . . . drum roll please . . .

Cymbal Crash! Cue the applause! Do-si-do your partner and send in the clowns! No, wait a minute. Some people are afraid of clowns. What's all the ruckus?

WRITER OFF THE LEASH is now officially available. 

(click to tweet)

Here's a blurb:

Are you a writer at heart? How can you tell? And if you are, how do you go about composing and selling the next Great American Novel? WRITER OFF THE LEASH answers these questions and more--all in an easy to understand, tongue-in-cheek style. This is more than a how-to book. It's a kick in the pants for anyone who wants to write but is stymied by fear, doubt, or simply doesn't know how to take their writing to the next level. Award-winning author MICHELLE GRIEP blows the lid off stodgy old-school rulebooks and makes it clear that writing can--and should--be fun.

It was a little scary wandering out of the fiction neighborhood and crossing the street into non-fiction, mostly because I couldn't just make stuff up. I had to be factual, which usually isn't a whole lot of fun. But don't worry. I added in plenty of snark just to jazz it up a bit. It's been an interesting adventure, so for the next few days, I'll chat about it. Here are a few questions I'll cover, but if you've got more, feel free to leave them in the comment section.

• Why did I choose the self-publishing route?
• What did I learn from self-publishing?
• How is writing fiction different from penning non-fiction?

So feel free to spread the word, gang. Let's share the Writer Off the Leash love.