Connecting Readers and Writers discussion

This is a thread where you can pose a question to a reader. Weather you're an author looking to gain more knowledge about what readers want, or your another reader wanting to talk about "reading stuff". This is the thread for you. Please feel free to ask and respond.

Well I'm a reader and I want to ask a question from authors. Most of authors are full time writers, so where do you get your book ideas? Since it's a full time job for most of you, I guess you don't just sit around and wait for the book idea to hit you. :)

Emilija wrote: "Well I'm a reader and I want to ask a question from authors. Most of authors are full time writers, so where do you get your book ideas? Since it's a full time job for most of you, I guess you don'..."

Great question Emilija! Yes, I am a full-time writer and for me the problem is that I have way more stories in my head then I have time to write them down. It takes me a few months to do a short story, yet new ideas come into my head every day. They come to me like little movies that just start playing in my head. I watch them and then try to write down everything I remember. I feel more like a secretary really. I just hope they never stop!
So that's me, i hope you get a lot of great answers from others.
I just wanted to thank you for joining, and I hope you find a bunch of new authors here to love!

Really? That's interesting. Well I guess it's different for everyone, but for me it's very different. When I try to come up with an idea I have to wrack my brain to unconsciousness and I still get nothing. Then at the most random times - especially in my exams (?) - ideas come in a form of a sentence. A single sentence would pop into my head and then I would just develop a story from that. :D

I used to have trouble keeping track of the ideas, but now I think I've got a better filter, so I know almost immediately which ones are worth thinking more about and which ones, ahem, aren't. For the first time ever, just the other night, I dreamt a book idea. Usually they come to me somewhat randomly. My current book came to me while I was finishing the last book and only the very kernel of the idea survived the first few months of note-taking. One idea for a book arose while I was daydreaming about a (completely fictitious but technically possible) encounter with a crush of mine. Another arose from an unfortunate conversation about inter-species relationships at the last conference I went to.

They really do come from everywhere! The important thing is to write them down, because otherwise they evaporate and that's that.

I certainly couldn't stop having ideas and making up stories if I tried. I was telling myself stories long before it occurred to me to start writing them down.

I'm certainly at a point where I know I can never write all the things I'm thinking of. But I do drop ideas now and then when better ones come along. Reality is full of stories, even for fantasy. Next one to be published will be an extrapolation of current environmental issues... although it will be a slightly flawed utopia of sorts rather than the usual dystopia (which is getting a bit old). Soon starting on a vampire novel mostly because I'm sick of all the current vampire novels. Yes, there is method to this madness :)

Emilija wrote: "Really? That's interesting. Well I guess it's different for everyone, but for me it's very different. When I try to come up with an idea I have to wrack my brain to unconsciousness and I still get ..."

Some of my stories develop from a sentence, too. Others just form out of ideas sparked by random things I run across or read.

I agree, Amos, I'll never be able to write all the things I'm thinking of. Once the ideas start coming, they don't seem to stop!

To answer your question, Emilija, I have read a lot of books on creativity to "spark" my imagination. One that I found especially good is A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative.

I have a question for readers. My book, The Box of Daughter: Overcoming a Legacy of Emotional Abuse, has been up on Kindle for several months, and though there is traffic from my website (and many others) to the Amazon page, it's not selling well.

I'd like to hear readers' opinions of the presentation on Amazon -- does the cover look amateurish? Is the subtitle a turn-off? Is the description boring? Any other ideas?

I would welcome any opinions. Please be honest! And thank you very much for your feedback!

I have a question for readers:
What is more important when you buy an indie authors book, title, cover or price?

price is a factor, I want to support indie authors but I don't have a job right now. Covers are factors though...

Ottilie wrote: "price is a factor, I want to support indie authors but I don't have a job right now. Covers are factors though..."

Thanks Ottilie, that really helps. I hope your able to find some great new authors on this group. Thanks for being apart of it!

Elle wrote: "I have a question for readers:
What is more important when you buy an indie authors book, title, cover or price?"

For me the price is the first factor then the title. The book wouldn't interest me if the title wasn't original and unique. The cover doesn't really bother me because it's the story not the cover that I want to read, although I'm not going to lie pretty covers are more appealing. But the thing that is the most important I think is the description of the story. If it doesn't spark an interest for me then I won't bother with the book, and if the description is interesting enough I'll read the book no matter how much it costs.

Your welcome anytime :)

As a reader, price is factor with ebooks (I love a bargain), and so is an eye-catching cover. But the most important factor for me is the blurb. I get a lot of books recommended to me and whether I add the book to my reading list often lives and dies with the blurb.

I know what kind of books most authors are writing these days, but I am curious what kinds of books most readers are reading these days? So what genre do you read?

The main genre I read is YA, but now I'm making a transition to high fantasy. I like it better. But honestly I read a little bit of everything, except the classics - I just find them boring now, but in the future I know I'll read them. :)

Emilija wrote: "The main genre I read is YA, but now I'm making a transition to high fantasy. I like it better. But honestly I read a little bit of everything, except the classics - I just find them boring now, bu..."

What do you mean by "high fantasy"? Do you just mean fantasy for adults?

Elle wrote: "What do you mean by "high fantasy"? Do you just mean fantasy for adults?"

High fantasy is fantasy that takes place on a completely different world. Lord of the Rings was high fantasy. It's usually for adults, but doesn't have to be.

And to answer the question(!) I read all kinds of fantasy (high, weird, comic, YA, paranormal, urban, whatever), thrillers, romance (historical, contemporary, paranormal), action adventure (Clive Cussler's stuff in particular) and anything else that catches my eye, like The Second Coming which is SO not my usual thing but was absolutely BRILLIANT notwithstanding. Not safe for religious types with no sense of humour, though. Be warned.

Elle wrote: "Emilija wrote: "The main genre I read is YA, but now I'm making a transition to high fantasy. I like it better. But honestly I read a little bit of everything, except the classics - I just find the..."

Yeah, like Mhairi said, high fantasy takes place in a completely made up world. The best I've read so far is this I recommend this book to everyone. This was the first book I ever read in high fantasy, and it's absolutely fantastic.

Emilija wrote: "Yeah, like Mhairi said, high fantasy takes place in a completely made up world. The best I've read so far is this I recommend this book to everyone. This was the first book I ever read in high fantasy, and it's absolutely fantastic."

I actually just bought that :D

OMG read it now! It's is so, so good! I can assure you, you will not be disappointed! I have the whole series and I can not wait to get my hands on more of Brandon's books.

Currently reading Snuff. Pratchett trumps Sanderson in my book! Well, I've never read Sanderson and I've been reading Pratchett for about sixteen years, so Pratchett just got there first :D

Are you reading Snuff by Adam Huber and Erick Ench? I was hugely disappointed with that book. It was made to be this huge brutal and graphic book and yet it wasn't.
Sanderson is a great author! Well from what I've read anyway. I suggest you start reading The Final Empire now because it is that good.

No, I'm reading Snuff by Terry Pratchett.

I HAVE A QUESTION:
This is for anyone who has read The HUnger Games series. I am in the middle of the first book and I can see that it is going to get really violent. SHould this kind of book really be for YA? And if so, what makes a book YA and not for adults?

Elle wrote: "I have a question for readers:
What is more important when you buy an indie authors book, title, cover or price?"

The cover can catch my eye and be the only reason I buy a book or even check it out at the library. Title has the same effect sometimes. Price isn't as much as a factor for me if I am interested.

Elle wrote: "I HAVE A QUESTION:
This is for anyone who has read The HUnger Games series. I am in the middle of the first book and I can see that it is going to get really violent. SHould this kind of book reall..."

Ok - HOLD UP!!! These are actually the sort of questions that irk me to no end. Violence can be in a book (and some of the times I prefer some violence to make it realistic when it comes to the villains) and it can be as brutal as you want - you only have to justify it with a good reason.

As for the second question, I don't know. Most (I think all) YA books are written from a teenagers POV, and it deals with the things that happen in a teenagers life, such as: parents getting divorced, abusive parents, bullimia/anorexia, friendships, relationships, sex, experimenting with other stuff, the list goes on.

Katherine wrote: "I agree, Amos, I'll never be able to write all the things I'm thinking of. Once the ideas start coming, they don't seem to stop!

To answer your question, Emilija, I have read a lot of books on ..."

I didn't see anything to deter me personally. I actually put it on my wishlist and am interested in reading it. I think that the subject may intimidate some people for different reasons.

Elle wrote: "I HAVE A QUESTION:
This is for anyone who has read The HUnger Games series. I am in the middle of the first book and I can see that it is going to get really violent. SHould this kind of book reall..."
I am a Hunger Games fan and I really didn't read YA before the series except for Harry Potter so I admit I was surprised by the violence. Unfortunately kids today are subjected to far worse violence everyday; not to mention sex and drugs. Personally I would rather it come in the form of a book; the age old "good vs evil" than in some other forms that it comes in. What they see on the news is out of their control. What they read in a book is managable. I read YA all the time now and prefer the YA paranormal romance to the grown up genre.

A question for all you readers - would you like to participate in a contest to promote my book Timepiece?

I am currently running two contests, with some pretty nifty prizes. I'll be announcing a third soon. Details on my blog. Thanks!

Elle wrote: "I HAVE A QUESTION:
This is for anyone who has read The HUnger Games series. I am in the middle of the first book and I can see that it is going to get really violent. SHould this kind of book reall..."

I write and read both YA and adult fiction, and I find that the main difference is usually the age of the protagonist. YA tends to be a bit younger, and therefore some of the events of the plot will focus on things that are relevant to a younger protagonist.

My current release is a high fantasy YA, and it includes some violence, though not as much as you'd find in Hunger Games. I didn't thin out the violence to appeal to a young audience; I think Hunger Games simply had a (totally cool) plot that called for more violence than you'd see in some some other books.

However, I understand that not everyone is going to be a fan of violence in what they read. This is where reader reviews really come in handy. I love checking reviews when I'm considering a book because they help me decide whether the story contains something I will like or dislike. Does anyone else do this?

(my YA fantasy, for reference) :)

Irene is correct in saying that YA is for and about young people. Sadly much writing today is just about emotions and experiences and physical or spiritual sensations, which demands explicit and lurid details. My books contain violence, but other than briefly stating the fact that there is an extended swordfight, perhaps a brief statement about the fatal injury, or that there is blood or a beating, it isn't lurid, even in my adult books. Is the purpose of the violence just to describe violence in detail, or to be a part of a plot with many other more important elements?

Since we're talking about violence in books, I have a question for readers: How graphic should a writer be in dealing with a violent scene that needs to be explicit? I'm currently dealing wth such a scene and would like some input.

I personally don't mind violence at all, but it only has to be done right and tastefully. I don't want it to be too descriptive (that would go on and on and on) or too short (a sentence) either. Well, I guess I'm a very picky reader, but... you know, everyone has their preferences.

A.F. you need to think about what your purpose is. Shakespeare had a man who had committed sexual sins, and he had a scene where his eyes were gouged out. But the scene is performed by tipping the man's chair over backwards (he is tied in it) and the viewers/readers don't see/read details. The scene ends quickly but there's no question evil gets punished. If you have an evil character, you may need some detail to show how evil he is by the violence he does, but as Emilija said, there's no need to go on and on. A paragraph will do. Pages is too much. Split up incidents to keep the reader from having to go through to much at once. Several short descriptions will paint the right picture.

Mary wrote: "A.F. you need to think about what your purpose is. Shakespeare had a man who had committed sexual sins, and he had a scene where his eyes were gouged out. But the scene is performed by tipping the ..."

I may not have phrased the question well. I wasn't looking for help in writing the scene, (the first draft is already written); I wanted some opinions on how readers perceive graphic violence in a book and what kind of comfort levels they have.

A.F. wrote: "Mary wrote: "A.F. you need to think about what your purpose is. Shakespeare had a man who had committed sexual sins, and he had a scene where his eyes were gouged out. But the scene is performed by..."

Well I personally am always looking for books that would push my boundaries and get me out of my comfort zone, so I accept violence well. There are lots of people out there who think that it is not a very good thing for teens to read about something like that, but I honestly don't see anything wrong with it. :)

Graphic crime stories, horror movies, and all kinds of "pushing the envelope" levels of graphic violence have already been given by writers or moviemakers and received with joy by their consumers because they think it is "more realistic" (which is not necessarily true). The question you must ask, rather than what people accept, want or like, is whether you are feeding a desire that needs to be fed. Is the violence there just to make your book sell, or do you have a responsibility to teach your readers what is truly important (your point, your message).

Emilija wrote: "A.F. wrote: "Mary wrote: "A.F. you need to think about what your purpose is. Shakespeare had a man who had committed sexual sins, and he had a scene where his eyes were gouged out. But the scene is..."

Well I don't write for teens, so I at least I don't have to worry about that.

Mary wrote: "Graphic crime stories, horror movies, and all kinds of "pushing the envelope" levels of graphic violence have already been given by writers or moviemakers and received with joy by their consumers b..."

I write horror and dark fantasy, so violent scenes go with the territory.

Shakespeare wrote for adults, and so do I, but although I have violence, torture scenes, etc., in my books, I don't go into it in much detail. I don't agree that the genre or the age group is justification for extended, lurid, graphic detail. It helps and builds up nobody, and those are two of my main goals as a writer.

What a great idea for a thread!

Emilija wrote: "Well I'm a reader and I want to ask a question from authors. Most of authors are full time writers, so where do you get your book ideas? "

Actually, only around half the writers I know write full-time. A little more than half hold down a day job and write in their spare time. I am only writing full-time right now because I can't FIND a day job! Yikes! But since I began writing in 2008 I have worked full-time, until recent layoffs. I won't be able to transition to writing for a living until I can manage a large enough book contract from a good publisher. :)

I don't think any specific place or state of mind generates my best ideas. They really seem to just pop into my head, usually in the form of questions (about history, about human nature, etc.) that I can't get rid of. If they plague me for long enough, I start to come up with answers to the questions, and those become stories and books. I do tend to do my best thinking while in the shower, though! :)

Elle asked:
"What is more important when you buy an indie authors book, title, cover or price?"

As a reader, title and cover are always the #1 things that inspire me to buy a book. Next most important is the summary/blurb that tells some of the book's plot. Next factor is to flip through the book or check out some of the writing sample. If I like the writer's style I will buy it.

Price is not a factor for me. I will pay any reasonable (i.e. market-standard) price for a book I want to read, even while I'm unemployed, like now.

"I know what kind of books most authors are writing these days, but I am curious what kinds of books most readers are reading these days? So what genre do you read?"

I will read literally ANYTHING that pulls all my triggers and catches my eye effectively. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays, children's, adult...whatever. If I'm intrigued and if the writing is good, I'm in.

I must admit I am pretty exhausted by the following, just due to market over-saturation, and they REALLY have to stand out in order to make me look past my annoyance with their overabundance and read them: YA novels, vampires, zombies, historical fiction set in Tudor and Regency England, "mashups" of public-domain fiction with some hokey gimmick simply added in. Over it.

As a general rule, I don't read books that rely heavily on murder, gruesome imagery, or people in real-world peril as major entertainment elements of the book. I am not entertained by real-world violence or by the thought of real people suffering or being terrified for long periods of time. But occasionally books have been good enough in other respects that I can overcome my aversion to these things and truly enjoy the book for its craftsmanship. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk is a good example of this. (Unfortunately I haven't liked any of his subsequent books.)

Elle wrote: "I HAVE A QUESTION:
This is for anyone who has read The HUnger Games series. I am in the middle of the first book and I can see that it is going to get really violent. SHould this kind of book really be for YA? And if so, what makes a book YA and not for adults?"

I am pretty sensitive to violence, but I didn't find THG to be inappropriately violent...that is, the violence never seemed like the POINT of the story; the reader was not expected to be excited or thrilled by the violence, as in the thriller/horror genres, but was expected to see through the violence how cruel the antagonist was and how dire Katniss' situation was, and the situation of her community. It seemed like the appropriate use of violence to me.

I do think it was appropriate for YA. I don't think it's our place as readers or writers to dictate morality to people of any age. I leave that to their parents. Hopefully parents are involved in their kids' reading to some extent and can help them make informed choices. Some parents aren't worried about their kids' exposure to the rougher sides of life, and I am okay with that, as long s their kids grow up to be moral contributors to society (and I think it is entirely possible for kids to be exposed to that kind of thing and still be moral. It all depends on teaching them context.)

Anyway...

My book was rejected by several editors because they wanted it to be YA, not adult, and I didn't want to rewrite it for an entirely different audience, so I can speak with a bit of authority on what differentiates YA and adult fiction.

YA has main characters under the age of 20 or so, and the plots have a strong element of "coming of age" in them. So while the focus of the book may be a sci-fi adventure, the young main character is also dealing with the transition to adulthood along the way.

Adult fiction has plots and themes that revolve around situations OTHER than transitioning to adulthood. Characters may still be young in adult fiction, but the point of the story is not to explore that particular transition.

I do not think the intended age of the audience has anything to do with whether a book is YA or adult; there are actually more adult readers of the YA genre than there are kids!

Violence and sex are not banned from YA, although readers of all ages expect YA to be a bit less graphic on those points than you'd find in adult fiction.

A.F. asked:
"Since we're talking about violence in books, I have a question for readers: How graphic should a writer be in dealing with a violent scene that needs to be explicit? I'm currently dealing wth such a scene and would like some input. "

That's a tough question because the answer is very subjective. Some readers will not touch a book with any violence in it. Others don't mind at all. The writer really needs to go with what she feels is best for her book, given the plot, the characters and their ability to cope with violence, and the overall atmosphere or tone of the book. Use your best judgment, and rely on feedback from beta/test readers to determine whether you've included the right amount and described it in appropriate ways.

Mary said:
"Shakespeare wrote for adults, and so do I, but although I have violence, torture scenes, etc., in my books, I don't go into it in much detail. I don't agree that the genre or the age group is justification for extended, lurid, graphic detail. It helps and builds up nobody, and those are two of my main goals as a writer. "

It's good to know what your purpose in writing is, but it's different for everybody. And the fact of the industry is that a certain amount of graphic content is expected in some genres. If A.F. is writing horror, it's expected by readers that he step up the graphic content more than if he is writing a violent scene in a contemporary novel or a YA novel.

A.F., you've got to go with what you think is best for your book. Nobody can guide you on this one, becasue there is no right answer, but you can revise the book as you continue to work on it so it will best suit your intended audience.

Books are products, and consumers of products (readers) expect a certain level of consistency between products, while also expecting a certain level of innovation or unique voice. It's a balancing act. You have to figure out how to walk that wire for yourself. :)

Elle wrote: "I have a question for readers:
What is more important when you buy an indie authors book, title, cover or price?"

Of these three choices, the price is the most important. But more than anything, it's the blurb. I will scroll thru the freebies and cheap ebooks section of Amazon - if something catches my eye, I will read the blurb and the reviews. If the blurb sounds interesting, is grammatically correct and at least a few of the reviews are good, I will usually buy it or put it on my tbr list.

Elle wrote: "I know what kind of books most authors are writing these days, but I am curious what kinds of books most readers are reading these days? So what genre do you read?"

All of them. I gravitate towards romance, mystery, and fantasy generally, but I will read anything that is interesting and entertaining - history, biographies, general fiction, classics, YA. I stay away from tear-jerkers and true crime though - I see enough of that in life and on the news.

Elle wrote: "I HAVE A QUESTION:
This is for anyone who has read The HUnger Games series. I am in the middle of the first book and I can see that it is going to get really violent. SHould this kind of book reall..."

I loved the trilogy. IMO, the violence was acceptable for YA, but it should be left to the reader's parents whether or not it is acceptable material. Maturity levels are different for every child; a parent should be aware of what their child is reading and have at least an idea of what the story is about.

A.F. wrote: "Since we're talking about violence in books, I have a question for readers: How graphic should a writer be in dealing with a violent scene that needs to be explicit? I'm currently dealing wth suc..."

I prefer less graphic - my imagination can run wild that way. Give it enough that we know what's happening, but let us put in the details. Empathy comes more easily that way.

Elle wrote: "This is a thread where you can pose a question to a reader. Weather you're an author looking to gain more knowledge about what readers want, or your another reader wanting to talk about "reading st..."

Mine come from life experiences,I have not made the best choices. All I have done is amplified them a little. While in prison and working with/for the people that got me sent there, you hear stuff, it goes into your idea bank. Making it funny is the tough part!