Free books for the Kindle

I’m officially a traitor (to my beloved books). I got a Kindle for Christmas.

I wanted to be able to read the free ebooks offered by new authors. (and maybe Sherlock Holmes in a less back breaking format.)

Now I have to fill it up. (Just what I needed, more books to add to my growing to-read list.) I was surprised at how many sites there are out there listing the daily free books.

My favorite site so far is http://digitalbooktoday.com/free-kindle-books/

http://www.pixelofink.com/ is one of the top sites and features daily kindle deals for popular books too. (Maze Runner today for $2)

http://ereadernewstoday.com/ is another top site. I don’t like the layout as much as the others, but it has a mailing list where you can pick which genres you’re interested in.

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/ is a forum site to discuss kindle books.

http://bargainebookhunter.com/category/free/ Another good listing. It as cover art and descriptions on the site, unlike digitalbooktoday.

I’m still new to all this ebook stuff. Anyone know of any good sites that I missed?

For those of you looking to promote your free book http://onlineinternetmarketinghelp.com/23-free-sites-to-promote-your-free-kindle-books-on-amazon/ lists all the sites and links to the submission forms.

Coming next week, what makes me download a book and what makes me turn away.

New Experiences enrich my life and my writing

I've spent most of my life being afraid. I decided that though I can't do anything about my fears, I don't have to let them stop me.

I've always wanted to be a writer, but if I never wrote down all the stories I came up with. I realized that if I didn't try, I could never succeed. Sounds logical right? Surprising how many years it took me to realize this. I was so afraid of failing.

Writing was hard at first and I struggled. Whenever I sat at my computer my mind went as blank as my screen. I kept at it, gradually writing a bit at a time. As I went it eventually got easier and now I'm writing like a mad woman.

Another fear I have is flying. I've let it stop me from ever seeing the ocean, one of the things I always wanted to do. I decided it was time to do something about that as well. I didn't fly alone and I held my Mommy’s hand at every bump, but I made it. We flew to South Carolina to see my sister and I saw the ocean.

The first thing that struck me was the smell. It was better than I'd imagined it, fresh and salty. It surprised me how much it looked like Lake Michigan, the only other large body of water I'd seen. Though there were plenty more waves and it was more blue than green they both appeared endless. It was a wonderful experience, even if I discovered I am extremely prone to sea sickness. (I got sick on a floaty raft. Apparently, I even turned green.)

I also had another interesting first. I got stung by a jellyfish. My sister commented on how it was impossible to describe how a jellyfish sting feels. I, of course, took that as a challenge.

"I was bobbing in the waves, attempting not to get sea sick, when I felt a jab at my leg. My first thought was that I had been pinched by a crab. It dawned on me as the pain changed, not too different from the feeling right after I’m stung by a bee, that it must have been a jellyfish. As I hobbled to shore the pain radiating up my leg changed again to a sharp burning."

My sister the scientist informed me that it is a unique experience. "The first time you are stung it is the worst, because your body doesn't know how to react." I don't think my body needed to know this, though it wasn't nearly as bad as I make it sound.

I have been striving to live life to the fullest and have new experiences. They haven't all been good experiences, but they still enriched my life. Besides, even bad experiences can provide me with writing ideas.

What scares you? 

Traveling Scenes

My Achilles heel is either naming things (my pet rabbit is named Bunny) or traveling scenes. Today I'm focusing on the sometimes dreaded traveling scene.

In a medieval type world it takes a lot of time to travel anywhere. Most fantasy novels are chocked full of such scenes. When I'm reading I tend to stare into space during these segments so, I try to make mine as short as they can be.

A traveling scene doesn’t have to be boring or an endless description of everything the characters pass. It is also a good opportunity to advance the plot. The characters would naturally bond spending so much time alone with one another. They’d probably learn some new facts about each other in the process. For instance in Woven Magic I have Alyt spend some of the traveling time learning more about her magic. Some authors like to cause problems for their characters along the way. The trick is to spice it up and not have endless battles which are all the same. As I know from my own travels, plenty of things can go wrong of the ordinary sort as well. It doesn’t have to be a grand battle for a little conflict.

It's a difficult balancing act. I want to get a character from point A to point B, while immersing the reader in my world, but without losing them in the details. My characters spend most of their time traveling, but I generally summarize these parts as much as I can. My problem is getting enough details in so the reader can feel like they are there, but keeping it short.

My character is young. It is her first time going any of these places, so naturally she'll be excited at seeing so many new things. I try to keep my descriptions to the important things, while still capturing her wonder of the world around her.

Which is worse too many details or too few?

What makes a character a person?

It isn't knowing their entire history or being able to picture exactly what they look like. It is feeling as though you know the character. Something happens and you know how that character would react, how they would feel, what they would think. As a writer I have to know my characters this well, but it would be boring if I wrote out all the ins and outs of my characters. 

So how does a writer get across enough of a character's personality? By showing them in different settings, showing the kind of person they are, and hearing the thoughts inside their heads. Their personality needs to be consistent, though they can grow as a person as all people do.

A character cannot be unfailable, they cannot be perfect. They cannot be pure evil or pure good, for people don't come that way. They have goals and dreams, fears and weaknesses. Sometimes it is a characters quirks that make them the most likable.

A pet peeve of mine is cookie-cutter characters that are a walking stereotype. In fantasy this is the solider, the thief, and the wizard. One can write these characters, but there has to be more to them than what they are. I think what makes a good writer a great writer is having realistic side characters as well as main characters.

What do you think makes for the best characters?

An Original Idea

One of the biggest problems nowadays is having an original plot. I wonder if the ancient Greeks thought that all the stories had been told. People often say that today, though I don't believe it is true. There may be fewer ideas left out there, but they can't ever be all used up.

I used to think I could only write a story if it was completely original. This became a problem. I'd get a good idea, but then I'd read or watch something and find them too similar, so I'd scrap my story. I realized that if I continued to do this I would never write anything. As much as I want to write a totally original story I had to understand that no matter how original I think my story is, there is going to be something out there that is somewhat similar.

Everyone is influenced by what they have seen and what they have read. No two stories can be the same, being told by two different individuals.