Maria Murnane

Have you ever wanted to quit your job and find your true passion in life?

Maria Murnane — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:17:01 +0000

At this fun event with Delta Gamma’s Palo Alto alumnae chapter, Maria will share the inspiring story behind how she became an author.

Everyone needs an editor!

Maria Murnane — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:23:26 +0000

If you decide to publish on your own, it’s critical to have multiple sets of eyes review your work before pulling the trigger. I strongly recommend hiring a professional creative editor and a professional copy editor. If you don’t have the budget for either, solicit input from friends, coworkers, or anyone else willing to help for nothing more than your gratitude and a signed copy of your book. (Be sure to include them in the acknowledgements!)

Creative editors (also called developmental editors) help identify and fix problems with the major elements of your book, such as plot, character development, pacing, and style. However, not everyone is comfortable providing constructive criticism – especially to loved ones – so it’s important to choose people who aren’t afraid to tell it to you straight.

Copy editors have eagle eyes for typos, missing words, punctuation, grammar, repetition, etc. After so many hours of writing, rewriting, and tweaking, our brains begin to play tricks on our eyes, and we often see words that aren’t there, or we don’t see words that are. My mom proofread my most recent novel for me before I turned it over to my publisher, and she found more than 100 errors! Copyediting can be a great job for friends who want to help but aren’t cut out for the “tough love” approach required to be an effective creative editor.

When it comes time to edit your book (or promotional sign, see above– yikes), you need to check your ego at the door and welcome any feedback you can get – good, bad, or ugly. It’s much better to hear the criticism from trusted friends now than from disappointed readers later, right?

-Maria

Keep your chin up

Maria Murnane — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:56:15 +0000

If you’re reading this blog, there’s a strong chance it’s because you’re an aspiring author, or maybe a published author. Either way, publishing a book is very important to you, whether you do it independently or with the help of a traditional publisher. In fact, it might be the most important thing you’ve ever done or will ever do. It’s definitely the most important thing I’ve ever done, and I’m extremely proud of being an author.

While you may be passionate about your title of “author,” however, not everyone is going to feel the same way. In fact, no matter who publishes your book, it’s important to remember that no one is going to care more about it than you do.

As you set out to promote your book, you’re going to expose yourself to rejection. Not everyone is going to call or email you back. Not every review is going to be great. A lot of your own friends probably won’t even buy a copy. But if you let any of that affect your motivation, you’re going to run into trouble.

I’ll use myself as an example: I have a newsletter to which people subscribe here on my website, and I send one out every month or so. No matter how many new people sign up, the occasional “unsubscribe” notification always hurts my feelings. I know it shouldn’t bother me, but it does! So believe me, I know this advice isn’t easy to take. Just remember the old adage: you can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.

When it comes to book marketing, the best advice I can offer is this: try a lot of things, focus on what seems to work, and stay positive. And when you feel down, remember this: No matter what, you’ve written a book. So be proud of yourself!

-Maria

California Writers Club

Maria Murnane — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:38:07 +0000

Maria will visit the Mt. Diablo Branch of the California Writers Club to give a fun workshop on how to put together a creative marketing campaign for both fiction and non-fiction books.

Click here for more details.

Backspace Writers Conference

Maria Murnane — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:04:53 +0000

At Backspace Maria will give a workshop on the difference between traditional and self-publishing, offering a step-by-step guide to each route– as well as her thoughts on the pros and cons.

Click here for more details.

Win a signed copy of Perfect on Paper

Maria Murnane — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:35:18 +0000

I just did a fun interview with Free Book Friday, in which I explain how I unexpectedly became an author. The post includes a chance to win one of five signed copies of Perfect on Paper.

Here’s an excerpt:

1) If Oprah invited you onto her show to talk about your book, what would the theme of the show be?

If I were on Oprah, we’d probably spend more time talking about the crazy story behind “Perfect on Paper” than the actual book itself. Here’s how it happened: I used to work in public relations out in Silicon Valley, and after several years I finally admitted that I hated my career choice and quit. I had no idea what I wanted to do next, so I bought a ticket to go to Argentina for a couple weeks. I’d never traveled anywhere by myself, but after two weeks I loved it so much there that I decided to accept a job offer to play semi-pro soccer (true story!).

I’d always thought it would be fun to write a novel, so after a couple months I decided to just do it. I went to an Internet café near my apartment in Buenos Aires and started writing and writing and writing, and eventually I had the first draft of what would eventually become “Perfect on Paper.”

Click here to read the full interview and/or enter the contest.

Just say it!

Maria Murnane — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:49:26 +0000

In recent posts, I’ve talked about dialogue and the importance of using beats, and about how many first-time authors struggle with the tendency to tell their readers instead of showing them. This issue pops up a lot in dialogue, where we often see sentences like the following:

“Of course I’ll go,” she consented.
“But that’s against the law,” he argued.
“I need a raise,” she demanded.
“It’s time to go,” he insisted.
“How about we go for a hike?” I offered.

Writing like this can be extremely irritating if it happens too much. To make your dialogue clear and clean, just use “said” or nothing at all. The reader doesn’t need to be told that John is consenting, answering, countering, demanding, insisting, or offering. All the reader needs to know is what John SAID. The language and beats you use around it should be enough.

Look at the difference in quality between these two sentences:

A) “I think I’m in love with you,” she declared nervously.

B) She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke softly. “I think I’m in love with you.”

And these two:

A) “That’s not even true,” she responded sarcastically.

B) She rolled her eyes. “That’s not even true.”

Or these two:

A) “You really must try my pie,” she insisted.

B) She held a fork full of apple pie up to my face and refused to move until I took a bite. “You really must try my pie.”

“Said” (or “say” if you write in the present tense) will disappear for the readers and allow them to become immersed in the story.

Immersion, not irritation. Now that’s what you want!

-Maria

Turn the beat around

Maria Murnane — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:34:54 +0000

A few posts back, I talked about using dialogue to bring characters to life. Today, I’d like to discuss the importance of using beats. A “beat” is a description of the physical action a character makes while speaking, and good beats can bring your characters to life and make your dialogue pop right off the page. Beats can also help you show your readers instead of telling them. (Misuse of show, not tell is a common mistake many first-time authors make. Remember that readers don’t like to be told what to think!)

Here are three examples of the power of a good beat. Which of the following sentences make you feel more connected to what is happening?

EXAMPLE #1:

A) “I told you, I’m not going!” John shouted, furious.

B) John slammed his fist on the table, his nostrils flaring. “I told you, I’m not going!”

John is clearly angry. But in example A, we know this because we are told so. In example B, we know this because we are shown it.

EXAMPLE #2:

A) “You’re really not going?” Karen said, incredulous.

B) Karen’s jaw dropped. “You’re really not going?”

Karen is incredulous, but why do we know this? Do you see the difference between A and B? In A, we’re told what to think, and in B, we’re left to decide on our own what to think.

EXAMPLE #3:

A) “No, because I can’t be with you after what you did,” John said with disdain.

B) John slowly shook his head, still glaring at her. “No, because I can’t be with you after what you did.”

Which of these do you think better shows the reader what’s happening?

Well-placed beats make your writing richer, fuller, and better. And good writing, like good teaching, engages your readers and lets them draw their own conclusions.

-Maria

Peninsula Parlour: “An Evening with Maria Murnane”

Maria Murnane — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:02:17 +0000

Maria will be in her hometown of Palo Alto, CA on January 4 for a fun discussion with the Peninsula Parlour!

The Peninsula Parlour is dedicated to bringing writers and readers together for conversation, stimulation, and inspiration. Proceeds from each event are donated to an issue or cause that will alter the world for women and girls, boys and men.

For more information about this event, please click here.

Perfect on Paper reaches #2 on Amazon!

Maria Murnane — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:51:49 +0000

The past week has been quite a whirlwind for me and my alter ego, Waverly Bryson. Last Sunday, the U.S. Kindle version of Perfect on Paper reached #2 on Amazon’s list of top sellers — out of more than 1,200,000 books available. Wow!

One notch above Steve Jobs- amazing!

It was truly unbelievable to see that on my computer screen. My mom told me she cried. Then I nearly cried.

A couple days later It’s a Waverly Life launched here and in the UK, and while sales here were better than I’d hoped for, it took OFF across the pond. On the Kindle it reached #2 out of more than 750,000 titles! Perfect on Paper also cracked the top 10, and both books were #1 in several fiction categories.

Flowers from my awesome publishing team!

Needless to say, it has been an amazing week, and I’m so excited to see what happens next! Maybe all this hard work is finally paying off.

Go Waverly!!