"The question is what is a "bad" book? I thought The Da Vinci Code for instance was a terrible book nor did I like Water for Elephants. I didn't like these popular books because the characterizations felt like cartoon characters to me…"
Alma Alexander!
Alma Alexander's Blog
Who, What and Why
Posted on March 31, 2010 at 4:53pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Questions are the building blocks of writing. The answers to the questions that you ask are what builds your story.
When it comes to non-fiction writing – journalism in particular – there are the famous 5 Ws which need to be answered in any given news story: Who, What, Where, When, Why. And then, sometimes, it is instructive to add an H – How.
In fiction it is not THAT different: they are the fundamental questions for building a story. And the most basic questions are the… Continue
When it comes to non-fiction writing – journalism in particular – there are the famous 5 Ws which need to be answered in any given news story: Who, What, Where, When, Why. And then, sometimes, it is instructive to add an H – How.
In fiction it is not THAT different: they are the fundamental questions for building a story. And the most basic questions are the… Continue
WHAT A BOOK IS WORTH
Posted on March 28, 2010 at 10:47pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
A reader wrote to me with a series of questions on the writing life, the publishing universe, and everything. Here are some of the things I told her:
Q: What is a book worth, how is it valued? How are authors paid?
What IS a book worth; what is a writer worth; how do you put a price on something this subjective?
What’s an actual physical BOOK worth? Is your $24.95 for a hardcover first edition actually in the ballpark of how much a book is… Continue
Q: What is a book worth, how is it valued? How are authors paid?
What IS a book worth; what is a writer worth; how do you put a price on something this subjective?
What’s an actual physical BOOK worth? Is your $24.95 for a hardcover first edition actually in the ballpark of how much a book is… Continue
Series of Miracles, Part 5
Posted on March 16, 2010 at 8:42pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
A reader wrote to me with a series of questions on the writing life, the publishing universe, and everything. Here are some of the things I told her:
Q: How did you find your agent? What are the lessons learned from getting the right agent? Does the agent represent solely your interests or that of the publisher and you?
Flip to the Acknowledgments page of books that interest you. You will find, many times, that the author will thank their agent in those… Continue
Q: How did you find your agent? What are the lessons learned from getting the right agent? Does the agent represent solely your interests or that of the publisher and you?
Flip to the Acknowledgments page of books that interest you. You will find, many times, that the author will thank their agent in those… Continue
Writers write; readers read
Posted on March 6, 2010 at 6:51pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Depending on what writing bible you follow, there are only 3 real plots in the universe – or 12, or 37, or ONE. It doesn’t matter what the number is — the basic idea is distilling EVERY book into its constituent parts
But if you do that, you will reduce practically every book to the same set of criteria in the end. If you pick a book you love and one you loathe and put them both into a pot and boil their bones clean… don’t be surprised that you’ve got two remarkably similar… Continue
But if you do that, you will reduce practically every book to the same set of criteria in the end. If you pick a book you love and one you loathe and put them both into a pot and boil their bones clean… don’t be surprised that you’ve got two remarkably similar… Continue
Series of Miracles, Part 4
Posted on February 25, 2010 at 7:19pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
A reader wrote to me with a series of questions on the writing life, the publishing universe, and everything. I asked her permission to answer some of them here.
How did you support yourself while you wrote? How did you manage fears about money? What other streams of revenue come from your book?
Writing is a life, not a living. With a small handful of exceptions, no novelist has ever gotten rich off their work. Of course there are self-help book writers who… Continue
How did you support yourself while you wrote? How did you manage fears about money? What other streams of revenue come from your book?
Writing is a life, not a living. With a small handful of exceptions, no novelist has ever gotten rich off their work. Of course there are self-help book writers who… Continue
I'm a Pacific Northwest novelist who writes for both grown-up audiences ("The Hidden Queen", "Changer of Days", "The Secrets of Jin Shei") and YA audiences (the Worldweavers trilogy, "Gift of the Unmage", "Spellspam" and "Cybermage"). My work has been translated into fourteen languages worldwide, including Hebrew,Turkish, and Catalan. I am currently at work on a new series of alternate history novels with roots in Eastern Europe.
I live in Bellingham, WA, with my husband, two cats, and assorted visiting wildlife.
My latest book is Cybermage, the 3rd in the Worldweavers series.
I live in Bellingham, WA, with my husband, two cats, and assorted visiting wildlife.
My latest book is Cybermage, the 3rd in the Worldweavers series.
Profile Information
- Books I've written, anthologies I've contributed to, and any scripts or plays I've authored:
- The Secrets of Jinshei
The Embers of Heaven
YA Worldweavers series: Gift of the Unmage, Spellspam, Cybermage
Changer of Days
The Hidden Queen
Letters from the Fire
Houses in Africa
The Dolphin's Daughter
- My writing is:
- Fiction, Memoir, Blog Posts, Lit Crit
- Outlets where I review books, TV, or film:
- Books
- Services I offer to other writers:
- critique and manuscript evaluation
- I'm part of these writers' groups or salons:
- yes
- My professional associations:
- Broad Universe
SFWA
Authors Guild
Mythsoc
Alma Alexander's Videos
Latest Activity
Alma Alexander commented on the blog post 'When writers review'
"Sandra - I appreciate your point - but I myself honestly don't see any point in NOT giving an honest review of any book at all and it doesn't matter what kind of shield you use, fame or "poor unknown author struggling to make his or…"
Sandra Shwayder Sanchez commented on the blog post 'When writers review'
"I have recently started reviewing. I can see the point of publishing a less than positive review about famous books that readers are standing in line to buy because of a lot of expensive hype (if they still do the bricks and mortar thing): it is…"
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
Who, What and Why
Questions are the building blocks of writing. The answers to the questions that you ask are what builds your story.When it comes to non-fiction writing – journalism in particular – there are the famous 5 Ws which need to be answered in any given news story: Who, What, Where, When, Why. And then, sometimes, it is instructive to add an H – How.In fiction it is not THAT different: they are the fundamental questions for building a story. And the most basic questions are the three which define…See More
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
WHAT A BOOK IS WORTH
A reader wrote to me with a series of questions on the writing life, the publishing universe, and everything. Here are some of the things I told her:Q: What is a book worth, how is it valued? How are authors paid?What IS a book worth; what is a writer worth; how do you put a price on something this subjective?What’s an actual physical BOOK worth? Is your $24.95 for a hardcover first edition actually in the ballpark of how much a book is worth?Percentages can vary from publisher to publisher,…See More
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
Series of Miracles, Part 5
A reader wrote to me with a series of questions on the writing life, the publishing universe, and everything. Here are some of the things I told her:Q: How did you find your agent? What are the lessons learned from getting the right agent? Does the agent represent solely your interests or that of the publisher and you?Flip to the Acknowledgments page of books that interest you. You will find, many times, that the author will thank their agent in those acknowledgments.I did this, exactly this,…See More
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
Writers write; readers read
Depending on what writing bible you follow, there are only 3 real plots in the universe – or 12, or 37, or ONE. It doesn’t matter what the number is — the basic idea is distilling EVERY book into its constituent partsBut if you do that, you will reduce practically every book to the same set of criteria in the end. If you pick a book you love and one you loathe and put them both into a pot and boil their bones clean… don’t be surprised that you’ve got two remarkably similar skeletons.There’s a…See More
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
Series of Miracles, Part 4
A reader wrote to me with a series of questions on the writing life, the publishing universe, and everything. I asked her permission to answer some of them here.How did you support yourself while you wrote? How did you manage fears about money? What other streams of revenue come from your book?Writing is a life, not a living. With a small handful of exceptions, no novelist has ever gotten rich off their work. Of course there are self-help book writers who sometimes make a mint – and authors of…See More
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
A Good Editor
A reader wrote to me with a series of questions on the writing life, the publishing universe, and everything. I answered the first couple that she had by return of email – but then I realized that the rest were wide-ranging enough for other people interested in the subject to perhaps find of interest. I asked her permission to answer the rest on the blog.Where did you find the “right” editor? How can you find an editor who speaks your language and has your same spirit so you don’t end up with a…See More
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
Entitled
No, I’m not talking about privilege and THAT kind of entitlement. I’m talking about the names of books. Titles are important. They are the first, the VERY first, encounter your reader has with your book.With my Worldweavers series, “Spellspam” and “Cybermage” were my own titles, and they were taken as is by the publisher, and that was that. But I had originally wanted the title of the first book to be, “The Last Ditch School for theIncurably Incompetent.” I thought the phrase would be catchy…See More
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
Come to a good end
There came a day when I ended the new novel – the story arc had done its job, started out and then ramped up the tension and then came to a climax and then began to wind down and then came to an end. All the elements were there. The bones, the skeleton, of a book.A week after that day, I actually FINISHED the book.There IS a difference.When you bake a cake. you start out with the ingredients – the flour, the eggs, the butter, the sugar, chocolate, maybe a bit of brandy or candied fruit. You…See More
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
A series of miracles
A reader wrote to me with a series of questions on the writing life, the publishing universe, and everything. I answered the first couple that she had by return of email – but then I realised that the rest were wide-ranging enough for other people interested in the subject to perhaps find of interest. I asked her permission to answer the rest on the blog. Without further ado, here they all are.Did your book just unfold by a series of miracles or did you usher it through the process?I swear,…See More
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
I FINALLY got round to having one
A book trailer, that is. Do they or don't they help anything? Do they annoy so much that they hinder? Is a bad book trailer or an unprofessional one worse than none at all?Well, possibly I'm coming in after the Worldweavers trilogy's ship has already sailed, as it were, with the third and final book being available for a year now. But it never hurts to remind people.And this particular video trailer I can actually stand behind and be proud of. I think the folks who produced the trailer -- all…See More
Alma Alexander posted a video
The Worldweavers Trilogy
01:29
book trailer for the YA Worldweavers trilogy
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
What kind of pet is your story
In the waiting area of my car's service department there was a large tropical fish aquarium. Flashes of bright yellow, striped blue, hot pink flickered in and out of my sight; fins long and elegant or short and stubby, heads elongated into pointy snouts or smoothed into flat squares, flitting in and out of the coral and the rocks, ducking the bubbles from the filter…Bubbles. FIlter. There went the illusion. You're watching it all through glass. Fish are hard to touch, to understand and to love…See More
Alma Alexander posted a blog post
I had a little list
Way back in the mists of time, when I was too young to know anything about the meaning of the word 'impossible,' I wrote down a list of things I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime. It's long since gone disappeared , but I do remember a few things from it.One item had to do with learning how to ski. Well, I did that. Another item was swimming with dolphins, and I have done that. Twice. [If you EVER have a chance to do this, grab it. It's… beyond awesome. It's meeting an alien species, right…See More
Comment Wall (3 comments)
- At 10:22am on November 12, 2009,
Margy Rydzynski said…
- Hi, Alma. I just friended your Facebook page. It looks great! I'm looking forward to your updates.
I hope you'll consider friending mine, at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alma-Alexander/67938071280?ref=search&sid=552793458.387471286..1&v=wall#/pages/The-Maggie-and-Della-Mysteries/133475391787?ref=ts
- At 3:30pm on November 11, 2009,
- Alma - thank you for your comment about fiction blogging. I have found it to be worth the effort, but I've also learned that this is a long-term project. I'm not expecting overnight results, but I do have a slowly growing cadre of readers on the Facebook page. Have the FB page is good for one other reason: I can let people know the next installment of a story is ready to read.
- At 7:06pm on July 13, 2009,
Catherine Lundoff said… - You bet. :-)
Latest Activity
Myrna Loy Ashby commented on the group 'Novelists (Struggling or Not)'"Congratulations, Cassandra! Enjoy, enjoy!
"
Helen W. Mallon commented on the group 'Novelists (Struggling or Not)'"So, so, so cool. We are all standing with you in your shoes (with only a soupcon of envy). Revel in it!"
Mary Rowen commented on the group 'Novelists (Struggling or Not)'"Congratulations, Cassandra! And congratulations to you too, Rysa! Wow, it's been a few weeks since I've been on these boards--we got a new dog; enough said--and all kinds of great stuff has been happening. All best wishes to both of you,…"
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