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.

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?

How to write

Mr. King got it exactly right. When I begin a story there are no charts or maps, I haven't plotted out a summary, I just sit down and start writing. I like to write my story from beginning to end, but sometimes I get a good idea for a chapter, so stop everything else and write it down.

This is why it is hard to tell someone how to write. There are as many ways to write as there are people. Everyone has their own method. The trick is to figure out what works for you.

So, here's my advice. Step One: Read a lot of books. Step Two: Write.

Anything you read about how to write starts with writing. If you are self conscious don't save it, though this may be good for a laugh later. Just write.

The reason why when I find a good author I can't find any others like them is because, there aren't any. They are one of a kind with their own unique voice. This is what I hope to one day achieve.

How do you write best? Isolated and quiet or in a noisy room, the music blaring away or in a park outside? To me it doesn't matter, I go into myself, tuning out the rest of the world (Sometimes to the annoyance of those around me) and write.

Writing a good Plot

A plot is probably the most important part of a story. It is the actual story. Good characters can only redeem a poor plot so much.

A plot all begins with an idea. Where these ideas come from I'm not sure. Maybe we all have our personal muse looking out for us. Mine sure has a strange sense of humor.

I find it hard to explain how an idea turns into a plot. I organize my story in my head so I know what is coming or just start writing and see where it goes. Some people write everything out before they start the actual story.

This site shows how to create a plot outline.http://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/plot-outline.html

When I write a story I make sure that the character and therefore the reader sees hints of what is coming. As the tension develops in the story, so does the plot. When I write I don't really concentrate on all of the parts that make up a plot. I go back through before I'm finished making sure my plot makes sense.

A conclusion has to wrap things up satisfactorily. It doesn't matter as much how many pages it takes as long as the story seems over. There is a delicate balance between leaving the reader wanting more and leaving them feeling cheated.

How do you develop a plot? Do you write out a whole summary or do you only know the basics before you start a story?