What's In A Name?

In a word?

Risk.

Today I remembered something my mother said to me, or maybe it was my sister, or my distant cousin from my father's side. I babble. Back to the point...someone asked me "How do you come up with these names?"

The question is easy to blow off with a "they just come to me" but in truth, there is method to my madness.

When I think of naming a character, the first thing I do is think of what I want to name the character for short or if I want a short name at all.

Let me take a new WIP I'm working on. It's a mer-folk book and I wanted the heroine's name to flow as if through water. Not hard consonant to gum up the works but soft, watery sounds. I came up with Aeraeeania (Pronounced Air-uh-ee-on-ya) and I call her Aera (Air-uh like Era).

But what about non fish-folk? What is my criteria for them?

First, I don't want a name that is common. No Jennys, no Brittanys, no Emilys, no Julies. Why?

Well this might sound ridiculous to some but... I don't want someone to put my book down because the name of my heroine, is the name of their exes new girlfriend, or the name of the 20-year-old their husband just cheated on them with.

On the flip side of that...my sister, Rachel, will pick up a book if the heroine's name is Rachel so maybe I'll lose out on that dollar.

Nah. I've come up with a hybrid!

When I pick a name that is popular I spell it different or mix two names together.

For my erotics, written under this pen name, I have two WIPS in the works. The heroine for my space opera, Maiden Voyage, is named Lilene. (A mixture of Lillian and Marlene.) In my M/M/F shifter story, my heroine's name is Jayna. (A mixture of Kayla and Jane.)

What about men? I give less thought about male names than I do women names. Oddly enough, given what I know about relationships and women (and being a good listener over the years)...we'll torture ourselves by buying a book with our exes name in it. Very rarely do we hate enough to put a book down but even then, we eventually "forgive" the name. (Okay, maybe not ALWAYS.)

Now if a fellow woman does us wrong... FORGET IT. That name is doomed for all eternity...or until we find a woman with that name that becomes a good enough friend of ours to negate the negativity surrounding that blasphemous name.

You may or may not agree, but this is my theory and therefore, why I "come up with" the names that I do.

::Grins::
Best,
Allure

Contest Woes

If you belong to any RWA loops, you'll often hear about contests. Off loop, you don't hear about them as much but every once in a while someone will gripe about one.

I'm not talking about free e-book contests or free print books when you twitter a jingle twisted to sound like a romance novel.

No, the contests I speak of are the ones where those of us who have written a book, submit some pages for other non-published and published authors to critique in hopes of winning recognition or a read from an agent or editor.

I'm not here to slam these contests. I want to make that clear up front. I've joined a few of them with a horrible book I wrote, and then joined a few more with my agented book.

Contests should be handled like critique. The comments are mostly the opinion of the reader and not necessarily always true. HOWEVER, if you receive mirrored feedback from the different judges, chances are they are seeing what you cannot and you should take the advice to heart and work to improve your writing.

Having said this, I would like to state that joining a scene specific contest isn't for the faint of heart or anyone with high blood-pressure.

Why?

I've had a few friends complain about the comments they have received and I am jumping on the bandwagon. Not because I'm angry. I'm not. The work I'm referencing as an example has been revised and has an agent and some of the points made in the contest I'm referencing helped get me to where I am. I am very PRO-CONTESTS. However, we all need to realize the subjective comments are to be brushed off and laughed at. We all get them! Moreso with contests that have scenes in the middle of the novel. Below are some of my more annoying contest comments from the most recent entrance.


My Example:

The contest I entered wanted my best make-up or break-up scene with a set-up synopsis unjudged. Sweet! How fun is that? After submitting my story, I had my edits on From The Ruins and realized I had a passive voice problem. Because of those edits, I knew I wouldn't win any of the contests I had just entered but I still couldn't wait for the feedback.

The synopsis "unjudged", required for the contest, covered from the beginning of the story to the scene to be judged with vague descriptions that let them know why my heroine was attacking the hero. Nothing overly specific considering I only had two double-spaced pages to walk them to the near end of the book where the to-be-judged scene took place.

I didn't describe the actual room my characters were in or the clothes they were wearing or why my heroine had a gun. I thought the point of the synopsis was to build up to the scene for story purposes. I'm still not sure how I should have done it differently, so if you're looking for a how-to on synopsis for contests you won't find it here. LOL

Comment Example (real comments in quotes): In the entered scene there is reference to a paper shirt the heroine's wearing and baggy pants. The judge (Who is marked unpublished and non-PRO but "trained".)asked a lot of questions. "We don't know what she's wearing. I'm assuming you cover it before this scene but with this scene, I'm lost as to why she's wearing a paper shirt. Did she escape from a hospital? Where did she get the gun? These kinds of contests are hard for this reason." ....and she marked me down.

FACT: In the scene prior to the one she judged...guess what it explains? The heroine's escape from a type of hospital and why she is wearing the baggy pants as well. It also explains where she picked up the gun. **It is important to note, this was a 10 page contest. The beginning of the scene where she walks into the warehouse and the description is heavier, is missing. I start straight in with the action and I don't let go until page 10 where they cut me off with their restrictions. (Which are necessary, granted.)

Comment Example: This judge seemed horrified by my sensual couple. "I do not read a lot of erotica and I am very picky about what works for me."
& "If this is an erotic (and I can't imagine it's not)..."

FACT: I entered the contest with a level 5 heat rating and it is a contest where they wanted your best make-up or break-up. I figured sexual tension or hot lovin' would be expected. But my book is NOT an erotic. It is a paranormal romance that would have a Scorcher or Hot rating in Romantic Times should I ever be so lucky.

She scored me quite low. Out of 120 points I received 91. Ouch.


Second Judge:

Unpublished but trained PRO judge didn't score me much better. 95.

Comments: "It's always tough picking up in the middle. I may have missed some things." I got a medium to low score for good sense of time and place with the comment "Again, coming in mid story alot of this may have been in place."

Fact: Since I'm unsure what "alot of this" is, I can't really say if my story covers what she has a problem with prior to the scene.

At this point I became annoyed not because I thought my marks should be higher (though maybe they should have been) but for why I was getting marked down. It seemed like the judeges scored me based on assumptions instead of content.

They assumed I didn't describe the room prior to the action portion of the scene. They assumed my heroine didn't have an explanation as to why she wore a paper shirt and baggy pants. Even the third judge (who was published, trained, contest finalist/winner, and PRO) had a moment where she made an assumption and I LOVED almost all of her opinions. She gave me a solid critique and a bunch of suggestions I implemented during my passive voice revisions.

Still, she marked me down in believability with this sentence: "How did she find him without his knowing?" The opening scene is the heroine walking into the hero's loft office.

Fact: Earlier in the story they set up a rendezvous point where she failed to show at their agreed time. (The loft office.) This is where she goes to meet him once she is able in the judged scene. No need for detective work, she simply shows where she is supposed to. The gun she's packing is the surprise.


Sooooo...why am I typing all of this out? Am I bitter? I know it might come off that way but I'm really not. I liked a lot of the feedback I gained and because of it, maybe I'll clarify some things in the chapter and see if my agent likes it better.

I also received a few little tidbits here and there that I wouldn't have noticed if not for the contest like typos. A dangling modifier. A repetitive word.

I think entering a contest is a great thing...even a middle-of-the-book one though you'll have to put up with assumptions. ::grins::

BUT, for those of you who have asked me about why I put up money to get crappy comments, I have to say it is all for the critiquing, NOT a win and not all of the comments are crappy. LOL These judges are very much like our audience with a dash of delusional grandeur. Weed out the good tidbits and your writing WILL be stronger.

That's my 2% or a dollar anyway.

I would love to hear contest stories, good and bad.

Best,
Allure

Handling Gwen Sold!

No longer the one ebook wonder, I sold Handling Gwen to Noble Romance. The contract goes out tomorrow, so I have no real details to hand out yet, but I will sneak in the blurb.

From The Ruins contest is over and done and the final two winners were Patti S. And Stephanie with an E.

I'd like to thank everyone who participated and hope those who didn't win will still give my book a try!

As promised, here is the new erotic blurb for Handling Gwen :


New to the teaching staff, young Mr. Pierce has a problem. One of his senior students is trying to seduce him, and to make matters worse, he wants her to. Gwen is the type of woman who takes what she wants and he admires that. Unfortunately she decides to take…pictures. In a moment of weakness, he falls prey to her wicked ways and is horrified when he hears the telling “click” of her cell phone. Now, it is up to him to save his career and take control of the situation by Handling Gwen.


All my best!
Allure

Squeee for Eeee's!

*This post is subject to the last week of the free ebook contest.


Recently, I've begun to bring my laptop everywhere I go. From planes to RWA chapter meetings to doctor's appointments and trips to the park. Nowhere is safe from me and my laptop.

I also have Fibromyalgia, so lugging heavy things can make it virtually impossible to type.

So how can I heft my laptop around AND keep my arms from falling out of their shoulder sockets?

I was gifted with an Eee PC.

I would have to say that this lightweight alternative to the big laptops is a must have for all writers on the go, like me.

But it might not be fore everyone. Here is a list of Pros and Cons so that if you are thinking about getting a mini, or an Eee or whatever else they call these pocket notebooks, you can decide if it is worth the money. I know I find it a valuable asset, but I don't speak for everyone.

Pros:

-Lightweight (around 3-6 lbs depending on which size you get. I have the 10 inch.)
-Portable Even with the 10 in, I can fit it in my bag and take it anywhere. Of course I now have a special bag for it so I carry all my personal items in my laptop bag.
-Battery Life - Mine is supposed to last for 7 hours. It lasts for about 5-6. (They say it depends on what you do with it as well. I notice if I play a movie on it, the battery time goes down.) Still 5-6 hours is nice when you're on a plane. Just don't go overseas and expect it to last the whole flight. lol

Cons:
-Smaller keyboard - Do you have big fingers? You'll probably hate the smallest ones but in my opinion, if you can learn to text, you can learn the keyboard. It just might take you a few days and a few mistakes.
-Typos - I seem to make more of them. Most mistakes correct themselves but I notice I do two spaces often and it doesn't auto correct those. Annoying!
-Mouse - I'm constantly hitting the pad and typing about three to four sentences north of where I want to be. Hopefully, I'm not looking away while typing. (Something I do when I'm trying to keep a description fresh.) When I look back at my work, it can look like a jumbled mess. Annoying x 3! I learned to shut the darned thing off.
-No CD/DVD drive. USB ports only. I don't find this detrimental but some writers do.


Despite the typos and the mouse fiasco, the smaller keyboard was manageable after a few weeks practice so for me, there are no cons.

Hope this helps in your decision to by the newest trend or pass on it.

All my best,
Allure

Blog Snobbery

I've titled this piece Blog Snobbery because the main example I'm going to use is about blog comment requests, but there are many types of promotional snobbery that has me irked this morning, so I'm going to be a little Rantasaurus Rex.

On Facebook, I receive requests asking me to visit blogs and come check out the subject du jour every day. I don't mind this, because we're all trying to get our readership up or new friends and networks. The only way to do that is to invite like crazy. I receive blognetworking requests and I accept every one of them.

Or should I say...I used to accept every one of them. I'm tired of the non-reciprocating snobbery of blog comments, follows, etc.

"I have a blog, you should all come visit me and comment." Well that's just great, except I've been sending out emails and asking for people to come by and comment and I haven't seen this person come by and say hi to me. Not once! I've been bribing with free copies of my ebook and sending out requests to everyone and making a point to visit the blogs of those who have come to mine.

When I get requests to comment or read on a loop where someone is asking for visitors (if I'm home or when I get home) I comment.

Now, with my local RWA chapter, the return comments of those I have supported and commented on are pretty decent. On all my other loops...the support is practically nil. I can think of one woman who constantly goes out of her way to support people she knows only in passing and Rie, I thank you for your generosity.

I belong to 20 loops to date and the reciprocation for when you visit and comment is horrendous. Even on Facebook when someone says something to me, I try to respond each time. Some fall through the cracks, but mostly because I don't check my Facebook often, but blogs and the like? Emails? I always do my best to respond but it seems I'm more of the exception than the rule.

So ask yourself this one question... Do I give as much as I take promotionally? And I'm not talking about visiting the blogs of your dearest friends or blogs that promote your work. Those become a responsibility not something you participate in out of a show of support or respect for fellow authors.

If all you do is visit places that promote you and your closest friends' blogs where you guest etc...then you're not a reciprocator, your a promotional whore.

We're all guilty of it, but sometimes you need to step outside the "you factor" and do something that isn't about self promotion. Ironically, putting your name out there and showing support to others IS a form of promotion. So do yourself a favor and step out of the "mememe" haze and take a look around once and a while.

There are great people out there, going out of their way to stop by and say hi to you. If you can't even afford them the same courtesy then let's face it, you're a self-centered jerk.

I should clarify that I don't think every author has the time to respond to everyone who comes to their blog when they hit the big time or have a large fan base. It would be ridiculous to assume a busy author (as if we're all not busy) has time to stop by each of their commenter's blogs. But lets face it, not all of us are at that point and if we can fit in our own self-promotional blogs than we should take a few extra hours to blog visit those outside our circle who have made an effort to support us.

Make the time! Don't just spam everyone on your social network to get visitors and then don't acknowledge or reciprocate. It disgusts me, it is rude, and it will no longer go unpunished by me. I will make a special point to unfollow, to return books, to not purchase books, of those who are openly all about self.

As I mentioned, we are all guilty of it, myself included. I get bogged down by life and I can't always respond to everyone, which I hate. I constantly notice something WAAAAAYYY after the fact. But I do accept network invitations, I do try to comment on those who have commented for me and I do try to respond to every email I receive despite the fact that I am busy, and I think because of that, people see that I HAVE tried, whereas most...don't bother.

Being an Author means being a bit self-centered, granted. But we should all do our best to even out the karma.

All my best to everyone!
Allure

This post is subject to the contest. Those responding will be entered.

**disclaimer on all typos due to circumstances well within my control but outside of my ambition.

Week 2! Week 1 Winner and Amended Rules.

The first week's winner was Jen. An entry gained from facebook!

Originally I was going to throw away all the entries and start new every week. I have decided to just add more each week and those who visit and make a comment will get one entry per week in addition to their former non-winning entry.

You are not entered per comment, just one comment per week. Hope that makes sense, I'm still in lack of sleep mode from the puppy. (Like having a newborn without the emotional perks. lol)

I will be sending out Jen's copy today and making a post for new comments tonight or tomorrow, though you can comment on this post as well to enter if you wish.

Congrats again to Jen!

Best,
Allure

Free Copy Of From The Ruins!

Everyone has their contests for free books and I've decided I don't want to be left out of the loop or seen as a stingy writer.

With that in mind, I'm starting a contest, which is really more along the lines of a raffle. Why? Because I'm pretty much drawing a name out of a hat. I'm going to put the names of those who leave a comment on my blog each week in June in a hat and draw a name.

This will reset each week and the winners will be announced on Sunday or Monday. UNLESS I get very few entries. Then I will be bunching all of the weeks together and announcing two winners for the month of June.

Your comments do not have to be anything specific or singing my praises (although, if you really wanna...) all you need to do is make sure I have your name and your email address to be included in the drawing.

One entry does not carry you through the entire month, just that week. (Again, unless the entries are few) I will try to think of awesome topics so when you come here, you have something to actually comment on! lol

As I am busy writing 4 novellas and editing my full length novel, my blog can feel a little empty. I'm sure it feels quite abandoned.

Hopefully this contest will inspire me to appear more.

All my best and good luck,
Allure Van Sanz