It's an American Thing

I’m a huge football fan, but unfortunately I will not be watching the Super Bowl. It will be a bit too late for me, and Da Bears aren’t in it. It always makes me laugh hearing people's excitement regarding the ‘Super Bowl Commercials’ or the half-time show.

But I must admit, it’s always interesting to see which corporations paid big bucks to have their commercial viewed during the Super Bowl. What’s even more interesting is how much money that corporation paid for their advertisement, and whether or not the commercial has anything to do with the product.

Let’s take a peek at a few Super Bowl commercials.

This is the Mean Joe Green commercial from the 1980s

Well if Coke can make Mean Joe Green nice, maybe I'll try it. Kidding aside, everyone still remembers this commercial.

Here’s a Pepsi commercial from the 1990s. 

I have to say this commercial was ingenious. It shows the product, and how it affects a person, and then it does a full circle back to Pepsi.

Then you have one that doesn't make much sense.

But it made for a popular saying.

Now 2014 Commercials.

I love the video, it made me tear up, but it doesn’t have anything to do with beer. Even though I’ll remember the commercial, it won’t get me to buy Budweiser. Then again, no Budweiser commercial can convince me to buy it.

AAANNNND this commercial.

Okay, I laughed at this one. Maybe it’s because I live in Germany.

After watching these commercials, it made me wonder if the companies sold  more product, or if they fired their entire advertising department?

What’s your favorite Super Bowl commercial or halftime performance?

American and Super Bowl,

Bea

At Your Service!

For some time now, I’ve offered creative services to writers. Some of the services I offer are for beta reading, critiquing, eBook formatting, and book trailer creation. The reason I offer these services is that writers in general have a difficult time finding beta readers and critique partners.

Now I’ve been lucky to find a great critique partner, and I’m always looking for more eyes. But sometimes looking for that swap just doesn’t work out, so you hire someone who is there for you. Someone who can provide an unbiased service, because not everyone is a good fit for your book. Sometimes the other reviewer might not appreciate your suggestions, and therefore, they don’t live up to their end of the bargain.

If you search for the definition of beta reader, critiquer, and editor, you’ll find that so many people have their own definition of what each one does. It can be frustrating when you are trying to look for a specific person to help you with your manuscript. For me, beta readers, critiquers, and editors each serve a specific purpose.

A beta reader is someone who reads your manuscript right before you plan on publishing. They read it and let you know what worked and didn’t work for them. If there were any holes in the story, and how they felt overall about the story and characters.

A critiquer is someone who reads your manuscript during the draft stage. They look for inconsistencies in the story, provide suggestions regarding character and plot, and point out grammatical issues, such as tenses. This person is critical because they are there to assist in finding flaws, and patting you on the back when something is working. They help mold your book, which is why it’s important to find someone willing to commit to your success.

An editor is someone who reads your manuscript in the last draft stages. They concentrate on grammar, such as punctuation, word usage, spelling, sentence structure, and tenses. It’s very important to have someone else, if not more than one, read through your works. We all have a tendency to fill in the blanks without actually filling them in, and overlooking word usage.

I don’t offer editing services because I’m not proficient in the The Chicago Style Manual. But if you want to know all the inconsistencies, flaws, and successes of your book, I’m at your service for beta and critiquing, amongst other services.

I’m currently working with a client regarding eBook formatting, and I have to say that it’s a delight. She asks for my opinion, which is refreshing, and I’m finding that I’m doing much more than just formatting her book. I’m working to make her book look as professional and wonderful as possible. In doing so, I’m getting to know her and building a friendship.

This is what I hope to achieve. Not only to provide creative services to other writers, but to build a friendship that will last a lifetime.

Services and Friendship,

Bea

What Drives You?

Some writers have a way of creating luscious characters that remain with the reader long after ‘The End,’ while other writers have the skill to twist and turn the plot to keep the pages turning. I think it’s a difficult task to create both the emotional connection of the characters, making them multidimensional, and the drama filled action of the plot. This is not to say that all stories have one or the other. It means that many authors and genres have a particular focus.

I have published a dark, psychological suspense novel, Net Switch, and I’m currently working on a women’s fiction/chick lit novel, Fogged Up Fairy Tale. These books are different genres, so I read and researched what drives these genres—character, plot, or a mixture of both.

A suspense needs to have just that, suspense. It’s important to focus on the plot to give the reader an action packed dramatic experience. As I began writing Net Switch, I wrote the twists and turns, the second-guessing that remain until the last sentence. After all, it is a suspense so I achieved the continuous suspense build-up, yet I realized that in my novel I needed to also focus on the main character. For the book to succeed, the reader needed to feel and cheer for the main character while the tension built throughout the story.

I can personally say that it was a difficult task to focus on character and plot. What helped me with character development was creating the book in journal form. It is written as a journal—the main character’s—so she pours out her emotions. This way, the reader can get into her head, experience her emotional turmoil as the drama of the plot keeps picking up speed.

In my opinion, a women’s fiction/chick lit needs to have more of a focus on character. Of course the plot needs to continuously move forward, but the importance is the characters. The reader’s experience is about finding a like or dislike for the characters. What brings them from A to B is important to the story, but how they get from A to B is what makes this genre exciting. A woman’s troubles—what got her there and how is she going to get out of it. But the reader must be able to relate to the character to take the journey.

As I revise Fogged Up Fairy Tale, I have to keep in mind that the main character needs to be relevant. She needs to have a past, present, and a fogged up future. It’s my job to get her to the end with the reader at her side, hoping for the best outcome.

Reading is my main way of learning the craft of writing. I’m currently reading, Just One Day by Gayle Forman, and Three Little Words by Jessica Thompson. I decided to read these books because I believe they are character driven. The links will bring you to Amazon where you can read the reviews.

I started out reading Three Little Words. I’m on page 314, and wondering when this is going to end. It’s been weeks since I’ve picked up the book. The chapters are about different people and scenarios. I’m sure by the end, all these different people are somehow connected, but I’m to the point that I don’t care anymore. The one thing I can say is Jessica Thompson does a good job with character development. I feel for them. This book did help me understand the emotional drive of the characters.

Unfortunately for me, I’m not with the majority when it comes to Just One Day being a great book. I’m on page 102, and I’ve been yawning about the story and the characters since page 4. For me, the main character isn’t likable because there’s no character development. It’s a lot of talking and not enough showing. The main character, Allyson Healey, complains about everything and has no depth. When a character just complains about this or that from the beginning, it’s kind of hard for the reader to really like them. Okay, it’s kind of hard for me to really like them—apparently everyone else liked the characters. Anyways, this book isn’t a good example for me to follow.

As you can see, writers have their own way of writing, and readers have their own likes and dislikes about books.

As a writer, are you a strong writer when it comes to character driven stories or plot driven?

As a reader, do you look at genre and expect certain things from that genre?

Driven and Writing,

Bea

Just Another Manic Monday!

I’m trying to start a new pattern in regards to writing, revising, critiquing, promoting, blogging, networking, working on website, freelance work, etc. For starters, I plan to blog twice a week.

Since it’s a dreary Monday where I’m at I thought I’d share a few funnies today. Several years ago, I used to watch a show called Girls Behaving Badly with Chelsea Handler. This show cracks me up, and I couldn’t imagine pulling such pranks without laughing. They had auditions around the country, and for a split second, I thought about it. Instead, I decided to stick with IT work, and writing on the side.

These shows aren’t politically correct or the funniest ones I've seen, but they are funny nonetheless. I had some problems posting the actual video, so that's why I'm left with posting links. If you are easily offended, I suggest you not watch them. For those of you who decide to watch, I hope it helps your Monday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKrElyRsJqk
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_BQHCHHRhk

Mondays and Laughing,

Bea