Write Well: On crazy lyrics, first drafting, and author websites.
#67
Word of the Week: mondegreen (MON-duh-green).
I don’t know how useful this word will be in your writing, but it will be great for improving casual conversations. Here’s the backstory: In the seventeenth century, a 17th-century Scottish ballad went like this: “They have slain the Earl o’ Moray / And layd him on the green.” But when the song was sung, people thought the singers were saying that nameless persons had slain the Earl o’Moray and Lady Mondegreen.
In an episode of Friends, Phoebe was singing “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John, but instead of singing “Hold me closer, tiny dancer,” she sang, “Hold me closer, Tony Danza.”
When we were first married, I heard my husband singing “You’re So Vain,” by Carly Simon. Instead of singing, “some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend,” my beloved husband sang, “or the wife of a clothes pin . . .”
How funny it is when our ears supply another interpretation to popular songs. So if you hear that happening—or if you invent your own lyrics—you’re encountering a mondegreen!
Q&A
Question: What makes a fantasy hero’s sacrifice meaningful if he doesn’t achieve his goal?
Answer: Lots of heroes—fantasy or not—refuse their goals even after a great deal of strife because they have discovered something better. I once wrote a novel about a woman’s quest for vengeance—but when finally offered the chance to take revenge on the woman who had harmed her, she refused, having found that a life of peace with God and man was better.
In the case of a sacrificial hero, I would assume that the sacrifice was made so someone else or a cause could be saved . . . and in that lies the hero’s meaning and purpose. Self-sacrifice is one of the most noble and courageous acts a hero can perform because it is done for the love of others.
Quote of the Week
"Anyone who wishes to become a good writer should endeavour, before he allows himself to be tempted by the more showy qualities, to be direct, simple, brief, vigorous, and lucid.
"Prefer the familiar word to the far-fetched. Prefer the concrete word to the abstract. Prefer the single word to the circumlocution. Prefer the short word to the long. Prefer the Saxon word to the Romance." —Henry Watson Fowler
Amazon’s KDP Program update
Amazon has just announced changes for books in its Kindle Direct Publishing program. But they’ve sweetened the deal a bit for those who publish books in color.
Royalty rates for hardcover and paperback books are changing:
On June 10, 2025 Amazon will reduce the royalty rate for print books from 60% to 50% for books priced below: 9.99 USD. Books with list prices at or above the amounts listed will continue to earn a 60% royalty rate.
If you make updates to book details or content after June 10, 2025, you will be required to update your list price to reflect the new minimum list price.
Printing costs for paperback books:
On June 10, 2025 Amazon will reduce printing costs for:
All regular and large trim size paperbacks printed in standard color and purchased from Amazon.com.
All regular and large trim size paperbacks printed in premium color and purchased from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, and Amazon.nl.
Tip of the Week
I was reading an article about the science of (metaphorical) choking under pressure, when I realized that some of the advice applied to writers. Psychologist Roy Baumeister proposed that when under pressure, people realize that it is important to perform well so their consciousness attempts to monitor their performance. But the skill does not lie in a person’s consciousness, so the success of the performance is reduced.
For instance, most of us have learned to type. After hours of practice, we can type without looking at the keys or thinking about where the keys are. But if we are told to think about our typing, we slow down because the knowledge of typing isn’t in our consciousness, it’s in our subconsciousness and muscle memory. We are not thinking about hitting the a, the b, the d, etc.
The same principle applies when we are first-drafting and forming a story. If you are busy thinking about adverbs and adjectives while you are creating, you could be stifling your performance. Fashioning a story or an article requires a different part of the brain than editing, so keep your mind focused on creation, not on perfecting your output. In fiction, let the story flow from your fingers into the computer (or recorder, if that’s what you use). In nonfiction, let your thoughts about your topic stream forth.
Later, in the second or even third draft, you can switch into editorial mode and fine tune the words. But do yourself a favor and let go of the pressure to “get it right” while you’re creating. You can always finesse what you’ve put on the page.
Your Writer’s Website
When do you need one? What should be on it?
If you are just starting out, I don’t think you need a website. Publishers always urge new writers to have a platform (a readership), and that’s easier to garner through social media than a website. Start with your Facebook page and your Instagram accounts. Talk about your writing journey and your work-in-progress. Join Facebook groups of readers and writers of like mind. You will begin to develop followers and friends, and they will rejoice with you when you finally publish your first book. That’s when you need to get a website.
The purpose of a website is to provide information for readers and the press. The home page of most author websites includes a header with the author’s name, photo, and tagline. This should set a certain tone and indicate the sort of books you write.
After the home page, you will want pages to display your books (one book per page), your bio, and a contact (message) box.
Your book pages should feature links where your book can be purchased. Some shoppers prefer one online store over another, so include several purchase links. You should also include a jpeg of your book cover, and a brief description of what the book is about: your back cover copy usually works well on this page. If you’ve received excellent reviews, you might want to include two or three on this page.
Make sure your bio is written in third person, not first, so it can easily be copied and pasted into a program or an article. Make sure the first paragraph or two contains the most important information so it can be copied easily. Include less important details about your hobbies, interests, and pets at the end.
Somewhere—in the footer or sidebar of every page—you will want a box where readers can sign up for your email list to receive updates and news about upcoming releases. Your publisher will want to know how many people you have on your email list, so you might want to encourage people to sign up by offering a “reader magnet”—a free ebook, a deleted scene, or a short story as an incentive.
Many writers have blogs on their websites—I used to have one, but ran out of things to say. I’ve discovered that I’d rather talk to my readers on Facebook than in a blog, because Facebook is where they are.
Finally, your author website should have a contact box that automatically forwards to your email, so people can contact you. You do not want to put your email address on your website—or you’ll be forever deleting spam emails.
Your website should be clean, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. You can build a nice, free website on Wix.com to get started. I am not an expert on computer codes, but you don’t have to be—many websites can be built with drag and drop methods. I built a site for my husband’s ministry on Wix in just a couple of hours. But be sure to check out this article for information about web hosting on a budget.
Do you need a website for each book you publish? No. Your website should feature you, and your books will have individual pages on your site. Or dedicate a page to a series, and put all associated books on that page. Your goal is to make it easy for readers to find your books without a lot of clicking.
For more information about what makes good website design, watch this video from my friend Thomas Umstattd of Novel Marketing. He “graded” several websites from published authors to see what works and what doesn’t. I learned a lot from watching it, and I’m sure it will be helpful for you. Also visit this link to learn even more about author websites.
Until next week, no hanging out with the wives of clothes pins, okay?
Angie
I'm so thankful you mentioned not editing as you write. After hours of editing out adverbs and adjectives from my manuscript and still not finished, I've been thinking, "I will never write another adverb or adjective as I write a first draft!" because then I wouldn't have to edit them out. But that wouldn't be good if it hinders the creation process. Do you think if I stop using them in everyday conversation, they might infiltrate my creative writing less?