What's a Serial and Why Would I Read One? by Susan Kaye Quinn, author of a new future-noir serial called The Debt Collector

Covers for Debt Collector, Episodes 1, 2, and 3

A serial is a series of episodes -- or short stories -- that are connected to tell a larger story.

Must Read TV 
Serials are actually a lot like a TV series, which themselves vary a lot in type. Series like Law&Order and House are more self-contained, with only a few character storylines carrying over from episode to episode. Series like Lost or Heroes would be difficult to watch out of order because the storylines carry more strongly, sometimes with cliffhangers, sometimes not. Some readers like the week-by-week suspense of Must Watch TV; others would rather wait until the season is done and get it from netflix so they can watch it back-to-back. Likewise, some readers enjoy the suspense of reading a serial episode-by-episode as they're released. Others would rather wait until the entire serial is complete and read it all at once. Either is fine!

Is a Serial a New Idea?
 Ebook serials are a new thing, because ebooks are a new thing - but serials have been around since Charles Dickens wrote and released Great Expectations (self-published through his own literary magazine!) in 6,000 word "installments" every week for nine months. Readers today aren't accustomed to reading in serial format because publishing serials was restricted to magazines, which didn't have wide circulation. Now with ebooks, the cost of transmission is low and the distribution is wide. Ebooks have revived the short story form! But for readers raised on novels, who crave longer works and more in-depth stories, serials are the next natural step.

Is a Serial a Novel Cut Into Pieces?
No. A serial is not a chopped up novel, just like a TV episode is not a chopped up movie. It's a different way of telling stories. In a way, it's more demanding to write than novels - you need to immediately draw the reader in, you have to reach some kind of reader-satisfaction-level by the end of the episode (even if you have a cliff-hanger), and you have to maintain that pace and storytelling arc over multiple episodes. But all that hard work on the part of the author makes it (potentially) more enjoyable for the reader.

Can You Name Some Successful Serials?
Yes!
Hugh Howey's Wool
RaShelle Workman's Blood and Snow
Platt &Wright's Yesterday's Gone These are all recent bestselling serials that drew audiences in and helped revitalize the serial form.

Why Would I Read a Serial?
Readers tell me that they're enjoying the short episodes - they can read them quickly over lunch or in an evening and get a full "story" worth of entertainment. The fast pacing means there's a lot of story packed into a short number of words. Readers also say they enjoy the anticipation of finding out "what will happen next" much like a TV series where you get invested in the characters. Think about how a favorite TV series will sometimes focus one episode on one character or another, diving into their backstory. As a writer, I like that I can go in-depth a little more in each "episode" than I could in a novel, giving a richness to the story and characters that might be more difficult to do in a novel format. All serials eventually come to an end, just like a "season" of your favorite TV series. Whether you enjoy reading serials as they release, or want to wait until the complete season is out so you can read the episodes back-to-back, serials are a fast-paced, exciting way to enjoy a story. As a writer, I find serials are the hardest writing I've ever loved.
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Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling YA SF Mindjack series. Her new Debt Collector serial is her more grown-up SF. Her steampunk fantasy romance is temporarily on hold while she madly writes episodes to keep Lirium (the titular Debt Collector) happy. Plus she needs to leave time to play on Facebook. Susan has a lot of degrees in engineering, which come in handy when dreaming up dangerous mind powers, future dystopias, and slightly plausible steampunk inventions. Mostly she sits around in her pajamas in awe that she gets make stuff up full-time. You can find her at www.susankayequinn.com



What's your life worth on the open market? A debt collector can tell you precisely. Delirium (Debt Collector 1) is now available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Kobo, iTunes, Smashwords. See the Debt Collector website to check all the latest episode releases and goings on in the Debt Collector world.

Enter this giveaway to win a Kindle + Debt Collector 1-3 ebook! (US only)

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The Artist Unleashed: SAVE YOUR LIFE: A PATCHWORK APPROACH, by Laurel Garver

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Too many adverbs and clichés in your writing? Need help getting rid of them?

Writers constantly have rules thrown at them left, right, and center. Show, don’t tell! Stop using so many dialogue tags! More sensory detail! More tension! Speed up the pace! Yada yada yada ... it can become overwhelming, yes? I used to feel overwhelmed by it all too. In fact, I still do sometimes. It’s hard enough to get the words on the page, let alone consider how to put them there.

In Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, she says that in order not to be overwhelmed, a writer needs to focus on short assignments. She refers to the one-inch picture frame on her desk and how that little picture frame reminds her to focus on bite-sized pieces of the whole story. Basically, if you focus on one small thing at a time, the story will eventually come together to create a whole. I believe the same applies to learning the craft of writing. If writers focus on one aspect of the craft at a time, the process will seem less daunting and piece by piece it will come together.

My own struggles with feeling overwhelmed inspired me to write the Writing in a Nutshell Series of pocket-sized writing guides. So you can learn to hone your craft in bite-sized, manageable pieces. In the first book of the series, I focused on demonstrating how to transition “telling” into “showing.” In Adverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions of Adverbs & Clichés into Gourmet Imagery, I deal with another of the most common criticisms aspiring writers face: to absolutely avoid adverbs and clichés like the plague. But see, right now, I just used one of each. I also used a couple in the first two paragraphs of this post because they come naturally, and we utilize them frequently in everyday speech. But in fiction, too many adverbs and clichés weaken your prose. It’s considered “lazy writing,” because it means we don’t have to show what’s happening.

If your manuscript has too many adverbs and clichés, it most likely means that the emotion you felt while writing it is not going to translate to the reader in the same way. So how exactly can we approach the subversion of adverbs and clichés? For starters, play around with simile and metaphor when you’re trying to convey emotion, and for action, use strong verbs to show it happening in real time.

The key? Think smaller details rather than the bigger picture.

Need some help and inspiration?

In Adverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions of Adverbs & Clichés into Gourmet Imagery, you will find thirty-four examples of prose which clearly demonstrate how to turn those pesky adverbs and clichés into vivid and unique imagery. Dispersed throughout are blank pages to craft your own unique examples. Extra writing prompts are also provided at the back of the book.

“Jessica Bell's latest pocket guide, Adverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell, will inspire you to leave bland behind and pursue your creative best. With force and clarity, she demonstrates how adverbs and clichés hobble vibrant writing. She then marks a course toward unique expression and provides workouts that will help writers at every level develop a distinctive voice.” ~Laurel Garver, freelance editor, author of Never Gone and Muddy-Fingered Midnights

Purchase links:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Ca | Kobo

Have a great week, folks!

The Artist Unleashed: INSPIRATION COMES FROM THE STRANGEST PLACES , by Anne O'Connell

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Sign up for this Virtual Book Tour and automatically receive a complimentary copy of this writing craft book!

So, I know that I'm on blogcation, but I just wanted to drop in to let you all know that I'm organizing a virtual book tour for my next pocket writing craft book, Book #2 of the Writing in a Nutshell Series, Adverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions of Adverbs & Clichés into Gourmet Imagery.

Yes, another book. Care to sign up? You'll get a free can of virtual Adverbs & Clichés spray. How it works is, you spray it on your manuscript, and viola! the adverbs and clichés disappear. Did you know that adverbs and clichés smell like toilets when eradicated? So, I'll throw in a peg to pinch your nose together too. :-P (you know I'm joking, right?)

Anyhoo, I'm doing something a little different this time. I'm not just focusing on blogs. I'm getting Twitter and Facebook involved too. Here are the options on how you can take part:

• Post a review on your blog. (PDF, mobi, ePub copies available)
• Post a pre-written launch announcement on your blog. (I will supply a completed post in HTML which you can just copy/paste into your blog)
• TwitterView (We engage in a conversation about the book on Twitter. Ten questions minimum. Questions and answers can be posted on our own time on your chosen date.)
• Facebook Interview (We engage in a conversation about the book on Facebook. Ten questions minimum. Questions and answers can be posted on our own time within the same thread on your chosen date.)

If you sign up, you'll automatically get a free e-copy of the book in a choice of PDF, mobi, ePub formats.

SIGN UP HERE.

Also please do me a favour and spread the word about this! Here are some pre-written posts for your convenience:

For Twitter:

Join the ADVERBS & CLICHÉS IN A NUTSHELL Virtual Book Tour & get a free copy! Sign up here ►http://goo.gl/ucxPi◄ #amwriting #Writingcraft

For Facebook:

Have you been told you use too many adverbs and clichés in your writing? Want to remedy it? Then join the ADVERBS & CLICHÉS IN A NUTSHELL Virtual Book Tour & automatically receive a free copy of the book! Sign up here! ►http://goo.gl/ucxPi◄

Thanks all! Hope you're all having fun with the A-Z Challenge! :-)

The Artist Unleashed: DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE CLASSICS, by Ciara Knight

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

The Artist Unleashed: THE FUTURE OF MUSIC–A UNITED AND SHARED EXPERIENCE by Stephen Carmichael

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

The #AprilA2Z 2013 Challenge, Aussie musician Stephen Carmichael, and National Poetry Month.

It's this time of year again. I will never forget what a blessing it was in 2010 when I did this for the first time. I met so many wonderful bloggers and made heaps of great friends. But, this year, I just cannot manage it. It would have been my fourth year participating, but I just had to be kind to myself this time.

If you are not signed up to the A-Z challenge this year, and you'd like to, click this link to join the other 1500 participants!

Stephen Carmichael

I won't be blogging this month. Well, not as me. I will still be posting my scheduled The Artist Unleashed posts every Wednesday. And maybe link you to other events around the web during the month. I do hope you drop by to offer my guests your support!

This Wednesday I have musician Stephen Carmichael, from Brisbane, Australia. Stephen draws his influences from growing up listening to Michael Jackson, Daft Punk and David Bowie … and more recently artists such as Lady Gaga, Empire of the Sun, and MGMT. In March, 2011, Stephen was featured on Britney Spears’ website for his cover of her song ‘Till The World Ends’! Pretty awesome, hey?

Also, as many of you surely know, April is National Poetry Month. And the fabulous Caroline Starr Rose has a really amazing line-up of poets guesting on her blog every day during April, including myself (15th), Laurel Garver (18th), and Theresa Milstein (26th). 

Have fun! And I'll be back at the end of the month :-) In the meantime, you can always find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads!

Have a great April!