Replaying Twilight Princess: re-discoveries

I waited with baited breath for Nintendo's Twilight Princess to come out. Got a Gamecube just so I could play it, even. Then the developers delayed the release date so it could come out simultaneously on Wii, and... well... it wasn't pretty. I might have been cut from a soap opera for being too melodramatic.

It's probably the only game I've ever pre-ordered. Yes, I'm a Zelda fan; my first game system actual ownership (as in not totally bummed off my older brother) was an N64 that we shared (half-mine was still legitimately MINE), and the Ocarina of Time subsequently became one of my all-time favorite games.

It still took me two years to actually finish Twilight Princess. I like video games, but as an adult, finding time to play means "hour here; two hours there." Plus I had to discover every little sidequest I could, and figure out every little curious riddle I could find, and explore each corner of the game three or four or twelve times. Because hey, if I'm going to wait years for a game to come out, then it's going to entertain me, darn it.

I'm here to steal your soul. Or
maybe your baby's crib.

Now I've turned on this old favorite once more, and discovered something: I'd completely and utterly forgotten about the opening scene the first time through, when Link gets asked to take something to Castle Town in the morning as a favor for another villager.

Huh.

Then I get to the "plot" of the first day. Monkeys. Why'd it have to be monkeys?

Of course I know exactly where that darn monkey is. I mean, seriously, I played this game for two years. I don't need a walkthrough or a guide or any help whatsoever. Didn't you just see me save the basket with an eagle long before I talked to the guy who told me I could call eagles with grass? I got this.

Hours of wandering around later, after collecting rupees and buying extra oil and drinking bee larva to make an empty bottle to buy more extra oil...

Right. Hidden key. Caves. Right, I remembered that. Hey, whaddya know, I've got a map. Guess I could have bothered to look at it earlier.

But despite the frustration of trying to remember what I was doing, I did remember how much I loved the game. Sure, the graphics are good. No, not top-of-the-line, but remember how far I am behind the gaming curve? They're very pretty, and the world is detailed. But more to the point, I don't have to spend weeks leveling up.

I hate leveling up. I hate grinding.

The Zelda games and the Mario games have this in common, and it's why I'm a fan of both: you don't have to run around picking up XP by killing things. Every time you defeat a monster, it's because it's directly in your path to your goal (or killing it is your goal). There's a point.

In other words, I can actually play the game instead of wasting time wandering around in the outfield trying to get enough stuff/experience/levels to play the game.

I'm looking forward to rediscovering new things I've forgotten. So here's to old favorites.

What's one of your all-time favorite games? What really made it fun to play?

Top 10 Quotes from Assassin's Creed First Play

What have I learned from watching my roommate's boyfriend play her Assassin's Creed game?

10. "So it's socially unacceptable to jump?"

9.  "High-profile. Now that's a euphemism."

8.  "Roasting his own cashews is part of his training. Also, he likes it."

7.  "It was an accident. I swear. I won't do it again." (*kills another villager*) "Dammit!"

6.  "Am I taking a squat in the well, or hiding? I can't tell."

5.  "Look, I'm back at the chimney! Her name is Susan."

4.  "My love for the barrel is real! Yeah, I broke up with the chimney."

3.  "This is okay to do to people. Totally socially acceptable. The guards don't think this is weird at all. See, I'll do it to a guard. He doesn't mind." (*continues to do-si-do with guard*)

2.  "You guys! This wall tastes so good!"

1.  "No, that murder I said was an accident, but this really was an accident."

Giving a good critique

So on Wednesday I talked about being emotionally prepared for a professional edit. But here's something equally important: being able to give one.

As a professional writer, you'll probably, at some point, be asked to critique someone else's work. Especially if you're successful.

But it's also terrifying. Will you offend them? You want to be honest. Is being honest the same thing as being blunt? How blunt is too blunt? Should you be offended if your advice gets ignored?

I've blogged tips on editing before. But I think RJ Blain really gets to the core of the matter with her post "RJ's Guide to Improving Editorial and Critiquing Skills." Here's a short excerpt:

Your opinion is valuable--even if the writer doesn't agree with you

The beauty of writing critiques and editing is that your opinion is valuable, even if the writer doesn't agree with you. Every time you write a comment or note that was done honestly and thoroughly, the writer has to think about what you've said. They have to justify what they did versus your recommendation. This lets them see their work in a new light, even they don’t use your opinions.

They don't need to use your opinion. They don't even need to seriously consider using them. You just need to say what you think in an honest and serious fashion, without being condescending to the writer. You might think you're a better writer than the person you're editing… that doesn't mean you are. It doesn't even mean your ego is welcome. It really isn't. Help the writer because you want to help them and yourself. Your opinion is valuable, but it's only valuable because you took the time to say it. By taking the time to point out a mistake in their writing, you can start to see these same mistakes in your writing.

It absolutely does not matter what the writer does with your opinion after you've given it. It isn't any of your business, anyway. What happens after you've given your opinion isn't important, with the exception of providing a clarification if the writer asks it of you. After all, it is their story, not yours.

I hoard editors instead
of princesses or gold.

I'd check out the rest of her post, too. It's easy to forget the purpose of editing, and the etiquette is tricky. But this will help you navigate those waters a with more confidence. It'll also show you how to give a good edit in terms of content--what to comment on, and how to comment.

Trust me when I say good editors are a treasure. If skills had weight, editing skills would be worth their weight in gold.

What's one piece of good advice you've gotten from a critique?

Publishing Industry News

Publishing news and industry blogs for 5/4-5/16 (I'm in no-Internet zone on the 17th, sorry! Today will be covered in the next edition).

Publishing News

Taxes may soon be applied to online sales in America, following the Senate's passage of the Marketplace Fairness Act on May 6. The House still has yet to vote, but the president has announced he'll sign it into law if it does.

How about giving your rights away to a French publisher, for free? Who'll then sell it to publishers, and maybe give you royalties? Well that could be happening, right now, without you knowing it: Do a quick check on ReLIRE and make sure your book hasn't ended up on the "orphan works" page. If it stays there fore 6 months or more, ReLIRE gets rights to sell it to publishers without your permission, or your input.

June 3 is looking like the trial date in the DOJ vs Big Five & Apple. Of course, by now the trial itself will consist of only Apple and possibly Penguin (<- link to summary of filings). Penguin wants a separate trial than Apple, but Judge Cote denied it; Penguin may still choose to settle to avoid trial. However, Penguin's filing of "recycled" documents points to them aiming at a possible Supreme Court appeal, should they actually sit at trial.

And the Google vs. the Authors Guild on the Google bookscanning case goes back to trial after an 8 month delay.

Borders is well and gone, these days, but the bankruptcy proceedings aren't over yet. Publishers are waiting to receive at least partial reimbursement on the debts (Penguin Putnam, the holder of the biggest debt, is owed some $41.1 million USD*), and the paperwork is, well, the standard never-ending bankruptcy paperwork.

For my international readers, that's about 26.9 million GBP, 31.7 million Euro, 41.7 CAD, 150 million ILS, 253 million CNY, 1.29 billion RUB, or 2.25 billion INR, just to give you an idea of scale. Yeeouch. I think even Penguin notices that kind of loss.

Is Microsoft planning to buy Nook? No. It was just a rumor. There was reportedly a bid on the table, and rumors about this have floating since Microsoft first invested in the Nook. However, neither Microsoft nor Barnes and Noble confirmed the rumor (and cannot actively deny it for "legal reasons" that seem to include a lot of "we won't say no only because we don't want to get sued.")

A competitor to GoodReads has recently launched, Riffle, which aims to provide ratings, reviews, and booklists unaffiliated with Amazon or other major retailers. At first the site planned to skip the ratings and reviews, but after Amazon's purchase chose to add them, which delayed its original public launch date.


Kindle gives customers free Amazon coins, worth about $5, with which to buy apps or stuff.

Nook has added Google Play to all HD and HD+ Nook devices.


Industry Blogs

Carolyn Kaufman talks about when you do, or do not, need an agent. Self-publishing? Probably not. Going with a small house? Maybe. Hitting up the Big Five? Yes, because at the very least because they'll stop you from being taken advantage of, and get your foot in the door. But remember that not all agents are equal, and it's okay to say no.

Stina Ledblatt on QueryTracker talks about how to survive having something you say taken out of context--as often happens on social media. Mostly, keep calm and call the Doctor keep writing. And don't mess with your own timestream run around trying to put out fires.

Meanwhile, agent Rachelle Gardner might add experienced a publicity problem when a blog post was misunderstood... she offered an apology, clarified what she meant, and then moved on. And she talks about how to go about it, if you want to write a memoir.

Kerry Schafer talks about the importance of keeping a running list of all the important details in your series... you know, just in case that 2-book duology turns into a running, fan-loved series, and you want to avoid inconsistencies between books.

Kristine Rusch adds a response to James Patterson's ads: the indie bookselling business is expanding. In her words, this past year was "the year of the bookstore." More physical books are being sold than ever before. But she also talks about why she thinks Patterson sees the industry in danger: because, from his standpoint, it really does look like it's contracting. His sales, and those of many professional, best-selling authors around him, people whose sales were traditionally considered bellwethers of the market as a whole, are decreasing. She also talks about how rapid a change can happen in today's industry--a business planned and that should have succeeded in November 2012 was outdated by April 2013. It was a good sign for indie publishers, though.

And Janet Reid suggests not adding agents you've queried to your e-mail list... it might end up closing a door for you.

Publishers Weekly posts the biggest publishers in the world, according to 2012 sales data. Who printed and sold the most books? Pearson led the pack in revenue.

Author and tech consultant Scott Steinburg gives a podcast on pitching your book to the online world.

Just how important are covers? One case of a cover that greatly changed sales.


What publishing industry news have you encountered in the past two weeks?

The professional edit: brace yourself and be hooked

(Note: Don't panic when you read the following. It's scary, but you are more than capable of handling it. If you've come this far, chances are, you're a good writer.)

You've decided it's time for a professional edit. Before you begin, there are some questions you need to ask yourself.

How much are you willing to change? Are you willing to receive suggestions for rewriting scenes, such as "I have trouble believing this character is this age; can you make them 35 instead? Here's why." What about suggestions for scene inserts: "I'd like to see a scene of this character arguing with her brother about how he keeps cramping her dating style, instead of her reflecting on it."

There will be suggestions on scene cuts: "Start this chapter here; cut all this." "Too much reflection. Start the chapter 2 weeks ago, show this scene, cut the reflection on the scene, skip time to current day." Your favorite scene: "Head-hopping: you've never used this character's point of view before. And they're not important to the story. Cut this scene or rewrite from someone else's point of view."

What about character development issues? "This character seems flat" or "This action doesn't make sense for this character. Either explain why he does this particular OOC thing with a scene from his POV or make someone else do it." "Alpha males don't cry over smacking mosquitoes. Symbolic or not, it seems melodramatic and doesn't make sense for him."

Even the best writers get back pages and pages of things to improve during their first few books (and most for the rest of their careers).

I warn you now that your first beta-edit from someone who writes or edits professionally is always, always hard, because these are the edits that are focused on making the story better and more in line with industry standards of writing--which are much stricter than they were 20-30 years ago, meaning the authors we grew up reading get away with stuff we can't. Even if you've got thick skin, it'll make you want to cry. Why? It's just overwhelming to look at a story and see how much someone else thinks should be fixed--although after you start fixing, you realize it's not as overwhelming as you thought.

Good edits push you to move past "good enough" or "at least as good as that other author I've read" into "excellent." That means the stuff you see other authors getting away with, your editor should call you on and tell you to fix it. Whether you do or not is your choice (or not, depending on how and where you publish, and what your contract may be).

Don't panic.

One of the best things you can do as a professional (and if you're publishing and earning money from your books, that's what you are) is to get feedback from someone who doesn't know you particularly well, and who won't try to protect your feelings. That's also the danger of asking friends for beta reads, because close friends aren't willing to point out the things that hurt (and it's always the things that need the most improvement that hurt the worst!) This is why a professional beta read is always a shock, and always painful, even when it's done tactfully. And after giving yourself a couple of days of frustration, tears, and well-earned self-pity, you'll start making the changes--and be hooked.

Seriously. Once you get a real edit, you'll never want to go back to the "this is so great!" again. You won't believe me until you feel it yourself. But as a writer, it's the honest feedback that makes you improve. And once you see what you're capable of, you'll never, ever accept less. Which is why writers treasure professional, tear-inducing edits so much (note: strict can be good, but never "abusive"--don't go with an editor that insults you. Ever. You are a good writer, and you do have what it takes. Someone tells you differently, hit upside the head with a frying pan. I guarantee you, there are pro authors whose first drafts are worse).

I know this all sounds scary. That's why I giving you this warning. Everyone goes through the same thing. I promise. And I also promise that it's worth it.

If grammar or punctuation is an issue, check out OWL at Purdue. Read the whole thing. Seriously. Read it and take notes (study secret #1 for online classes: taking notes by hand improves understanding and memory retention). Your punctuation will improve and you'll know how to avoid the little errors. It's worth taking the time to do.

Grammar Girl is also good for specific questions, especially for commonly confused terms or punctuation issues.

Remember:

You are a good writer. But everyone can be better, and that's the point of editing. Never stop reaching for the next level up.

Published authors: What was your first professional feedback experience like? How do you feel about professional edits today?

Myth-busting: Self-publishing to pick up a publisher

You've got an amazing, awesome, terrific book. It just needs a little editing and a good cover, and it'll be a hit. So someone says you should self-publish it in hopes of picking up a traditional publisher and getting published.

Towel Bunny says,
"It's a trap!"

MYTH

A very common myth, and one many, many debut authors fall for. I do mean it's exceedingly common, which is why I'm posting this. Here's why it's a myth:


1) Self-publish. When you self-publish a book, you are published. 100% published.

2) Traditional publishers do sometimes pick up self-published books, stick covers on them, and officially distribute them. They do this with self-published books that have already hit the best-sellers chart. If you've sold over 20,000 copies, or about 1,000 copies a month, this might be an option. Otherwise, shop another book.

Traditional publishers are out to make money. Therefore, when they look for a self-published book to pick up, what they're looking for is a proven money-maker. See #2. If a book does not have large sales already, it's a proven non-money-maker, or at least evidenced as not being earning potential. They're not interested in purchasing a book that has been published, thus already having been marketed to potential readers and possibly tapping out the market, that has not already made money. It's technically possible that you'll get picked up--technically.

It's sort of like selling cupcakes at a roadside stand, hoping that the local festival would give you one of their 30 designated food stands for that very night--if people aren't lining up by the hundreds to get more because they're just that good, well, you've already sold cupcakes to most of the people who are hungry for them. Why would the festival want to risk selling cupcakes when they could give that spot to the pie-maker, whose pies haven't been out on the market yet? Nobody's had their pie craving filled yet, so the festival (we assume it earns a commission based on your sales) will probably earn more from pies.

That's why publishers are more likely to pick up unpublished authors than self-published authors unless the self-published author can bring in a guaranteed clientele. It's no benefit to the traditional publisher. They have to invest money into cover art and editing, for sales that might already be tapped out, for a book that's possibly already gotten a reputation for being poorly edited.

On the other hand, the news isn't all bad if you're one of the many who have fallen into this myth. Since you plan on being a career author anyway (I assume you are, since the best way to sell books is to write more, and the only way to make a continual salary is to write more--you won't be able to support yourself for a lifetime from the income of single book!), you've got another manuscript in the works/ready to go/formulating in your head. Shop that one to publishers. It can be published under a different name if they're worried about your brand.

Or, decide to go completely self-publishing. Write that second book, edit it, get professional cover art. Learn the ins-and-outs of self-publishing. Become business savvy and go the self-publishing route on purpose. You can make a sustainable living through self-publishing, and with the higher royalty rates, you can do so selling fewer books than you'd have to through a traditional publisher to make a living. Yes, it's a higher initial investment--but it can pay off.

Lots of authors are going the self-publishing route these days. It is a financially sound decision, and there are good reasons for it, just like there are good reasons to traditionally publish. There are also the authors who go hybrid, traditionally published authors who self-publish, and successful self-published authors who make traditional publication deals after reaching that 20,000 sales mark.

Either way, your first step is to clean up your first, self-published book. Get it edited. Get a better cover. Take down the old version and put up the improved version. Track your sales, network, and learn the ins-and-outs of marketing (you'll have to do that any route you take).

No, you shouldn't self-publish a book you want to be traditionally published. But there's no reason to be discouraged if you did--after all, you can write a different series and traditionally publish that, or decide that self-publishing is the right route for you, after all.

10-minute hero

10 Minute Hero:
Wired!

Maybe you've heard of the 10-minute hero challenge. It goes something like this: you have 10 minutes, exactly 10 minutes, to transform yourself into a hero with whatever you have on hand. Then you get someone to take a picture.

 "Yeah, right," you say. "Do I look like a hero to you?"

Well, yeah.

See, in my way of thinking, you are a hero. Maybe I don't know you. Maybe you don't think you're very brave or heroic. Maybe you live a life of complete obscurity in a remote island, plotting to take over the world.

But you're someone's hero. Are you a parent or a child's guardian? Then you are sun, moon, and life a child. You are the one person standing between that kid and the universe. What about a pet owner? Same deal. You hung the moon in the sky.

No? Not a parent? Well get this. You're still the one person who stands between an ordinary citizen and disaster. You see, at some point, you'll have a moment of unrelenting awfulness.
Yes, you'll experience something in your life you JUST DON'T
WANT TO DEAL WITH. And you'll do it anyway.

Gee, thanks. Is this supposed to be a pep talk?

 See, we all live through tough times. It's part of being a person. But the fact that you take the time to deal with it makes you someone's hero--because when someone else goes through a bad time, they'll be able to look to you for an example. You survived. So can they.

"Sheesh, wearing my big-girl panties makes me a hero? I think you're confused, lady."

Okay, not convinced? How about this: Have you ever done something nice for someone?

We're each other's first line of defense. Humans are made to look after other humans--it's that instinct, the desire to run towards disaster, that baffles scientists and makes biologists scratch their heads. Altruism exists. And any time you help someone for no reason whatsoever, you're being someone's hero.

Maybe you don't feel like a hero. But just by smiling at a stranger, by letting someone in during rush hour, by tipping the kid who delivers your pizza an extra $5--you've just made someone's day. You've just made the world better for one single person. And that is how the world is made better.

"I'm never nice to strangers."

Well, you're a tough case, aren't you? But you just revealed something in your subtext: You're there for your friends. Let's make this perfectly clear: your friends are humans (or at least they pretend to be). By standing by them, you're a hero to them. Have any of your friends ever called you at midnight after a big breakup? Or been thinking about quitting something loved, and you talked that friend into keeping going? That's what a hero does.

You don't have to run into a burning building to make the world a better place. You're a hero just as you are: Someone who cares about other people, even when they can't do something for you in return. Someone who makes the world just a little better. That's what being a hero is all about.

So go prove your heroics. You have exactly 10 minutes. Assemble whatever is closest at hand and dress yourself as a superhero. Then get a roommate, cohabitant, or autotimer to take your picture.

What's your 10-minute hero name?

Sidekick kitty wonders if Superhero Wired has any
tuna up her sleeves.