Getting to Know and Love the IRS

Over the last couple of weeks the topic of the business of writing has come up on various chat lists. Since I have been operating my free-lance writing and editing business as a professional since the 1980s, with a bow to the IRS every year, I thought this might be the time to start talking about how I do it.

Even though the end of the year is four months away, and the filing date for tax returns is a full three and a half months after that, the best time to get organized is now. If any writer is going to file taxes as a professional, you have to be organized and ready before the deadline.

There are several programs that will allow you to keep your information on the computer, and from there you can easily load it into Turbo Tax. You can also keep it in a simple ledger or account book. At my day job, our accountant/auditor uses the computer, of course, but their records include a huge ledger into which they glue (yes, glue) copies of the important statements and documents. As a great fan of Charles Dickens, I find this charming and oddly comforting.

My files record everything related to my business of writing and editing each year--all income (publishing, teaching, talks, consulting, editing) and expenses (and this is where you have to be careful, to satisfy the IRS).

I record my income and expenses by month. I categorize almost everything under one of the following headings: Income, Office Expenses, Dues and Publications, Telephone, Travel and Entertainment, and Books. These headings should make clear what the basic deductible items are--any money received as a writer/editor/teacher (except salaries), any shipping of books, postage, gas and tolls while traveling to give a talk or serve on a panel, dues in MWA or Sisters in Crime, or any of the other writers' organizations. I record conference fees separately, since I don't attend conferences every month. You can record under these categories things like printer toner, paper, envelopes, food at conferences, and mailing samples of your work or stories to magazines. The library you build as a reference resource is also deductible, though the IRS has special guidelines for books. Even Turbo Tax is tax-deductible.

Don't overlook where you do all your writing and editing work. If you work at home as a writer, you can deduct a portion of your house or apartment that is dedicated to your work. If you have a dedicated space where you work as a writer and do nothing else in that space, either a room or a portion of a room, that space is deductible. If you have a home with five rooms and one is your office, then one-fifth of your mortgage or rent is deductible (but you can't use this space also as a guest room or sewing room, for example; it must be dedicated to writing). If you live in three rooms and use half of the dining room as an office, you can deduct one-sixth of your rent or mortgage if the space is dedicated to your work. The same percentage can be deducted for utilities, home owner's or renter's insurance, water, and real estate taxes (though you can sometimes take those off entirely in other ways).

The key to making all this work is receipts. You have to keep track of everything you earn and everything you spend. I have a ledger and a file box for each calendar year. I save and file all receipts, if they have anything to do with my business. At the end of the year, I fill out the ledger. When it comes time to do the taxes, I have totals for the year and just plug them into Turbo Tax.

I think it is important for anyone who is serious about writing to keep track of income and expenses, to track their work as a business and not a hobby. The IRS will consider your writing a hobby if you are not conscientious about this aspect of your life. You don't have to make a lot of money, but you do have to be professional in how you manage your financial affairs.

Tags: writing, editing, IRS, business of writing

Le Mot Juste

The title, Le mot juste, the right word, is attributed to nineteenth century author, Gustave Flaubert. He says “All talent for writing consists, after all, of nothing more than choosing words. It’s precision that gives writing power.”  

 

I’m not sure I agree that writing talent only consists of choosing the right words, but I do believe most  writers search for the “right” word. Or should I say the exact, correct, proper, acceptable, appropriate, or prophetic word./ Each of those choices imply something a little different, therefore meanings and usage must be considered in the selection of words. Meaning can be complex!

Some word meanings have more power than others. When we think about words and what’s inside them, what gives a word secret power or broader meaning, we may find the  subtle reason for choosing one word over another.

 Take the word countenance. Are you looking for the noun definition – face, features, facial expression, look, or appearance? Example:  “His striking, handsome countenance”. Or do you want the verb meaning of countenance: tolerate, permit, allow, consent to, or hold with? Example:  It is not something the people are willing to countenance.

If you were looking for the right word to describe what would make someone willing to face extreme danger and you chose the word courage, you would have several meanings to consider. You might choose a slang word like guts: He has the guts to stand up to his boss. You may want a more formal meaning like fortitude: He has the fortitude to stand up for his beliefs. Or perhaps you would choose pluck:  She had the pluck to volunteer.

 Many writers use the tools button on computers to choose Thesaurus for help with word choice. I do. When that doesn’t satisfy or if I’m having trouble looking for that right word, I rely upon my printed copies of Roget’s Super Thesaurus or Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus.

 Some of us do not make our choices easily or quickly but in the end we hope that hunting for words makes for more interesting, powerful  reading. Maybe Flaubert is right. The right words make more powerful books.

Don't forget the fundamentals of the Writing Craft

As an author I am often asked to "read" or "review" new manuscripts or books for newbies. It's an honor to do so, but sometimes I become concerned that the writer has been so caught up in their wonderful creation that they forget fundamental principles of writing.  That is easy to do and that's why we edit, edit, edit and edit some more. 

Getting the story down from beginning to end without editing is a pretty good plan. You don't get hung up editing the first couple of chapters and get discouraged that way. Getting to the end is quite an accomplishment, but that's when the real story begins to emerge - during the editing process! I know, edit is a four-letter-word, but it's a good thing, really. No one creates the perfect manuscript the first time around. And there are always really great story bones you can flesh out.

When the muse is whispering in our ear we're listening and typing (or writing) as fast as we can, because we don't want to miss a thing. We use words over and over again because we don't want to step outside of the story to find a better one, but not to worry - we can catch them during the edits. I counted twelve times I used "and then" on two pages. There are other, more powerful words that can be used to depict a sequence of events, but it worked to get the story on the page. I'll fix it during the edits.

I've always had difficulty with "passive voice." After over a dozen years of journalistic and fiction writing, as well as two novels, it sneaks in there and I have to yank it like a weed; making phrases more "active" and more interesting for the reader. Re-write all those "he was" and "she was" sentences. Replace those lovely adjectives (-ly) with action verbs. Make every word count, because readers don't want to waste their time - and authors don't want them skipping pages, or worse - closing the book before the end.

Another fundamental item that comes back to haunt me is point of view (POV) shifts. When you have more than one major character, which we often do, then we can easily shift POV from one to the other. I'm told the only time it is acceptable is during a romance novel. In my first novel I had three major characters so I alternated chapters, one from Regina's POV, the next from Annabelle's, etc. They each got equal time. It worked out much better for the reader and I was able to clearly develop the character's personality and conflict.

Some of us struggle to make dialog interesting, realistic, and telling. It's so easy to have one character tell another all the reasons why they are acting like a jerk, but that's no fun. Show the jerk through the words they choose, snippets of information (not data dumps) that reveal the why's slowly. Make the reader want more. 

Don't forget the phrase "show don't tell." That one used to puzzle me. We tell stories, but letting the reader "see" what is happening to the character, how they react, the location, the tense situation is much more gripping than just saying - "he killer her". (Think of the story as a movie or play. Do you see the action clearly? Do you feel it?)

That brings me to "senses." We have five at our disposal and when all are stimulated, not once in awhile, but often, then the story comes alive. Can you smell the salty ocean air? Can you feel the humidity dampen your skin? Whatever it is, make the reader see, feel, smell, taste, and hear every scene. They will love it and you'll enjoy it, too.

Our job as authors is to write a "great" story. The first or second draft may be "good" but they may not be great - YET. We have to mine the gold from the garbage (and we do all write garbage from time to time). We want to write a story readers won't want to put down.

Robert Frost once wrote, "If there are no tears in the writer, there are no tears in the reader."
Enjoy the journey, writers! It can be an absolute blast....

-BD Tharp
http://bdtharp.com

Interview With Michael Haskins by Jacqueline Seewald

If you happen to visit Key West, Florida, you’ll want to visit the house once occupied by Ernest Hemingway. You might even run into him on the street. But wait, Hemingway is dead! The man you meet is likely to be near Hemingway double Michael Haskins who writes exciting “guy” novels.

Michael Haskins came to Key West fifteen years ago to be the business editor/writer for the daily Key West Citizen. After five years he left to become the city’s public information officer. Since 2008, he freelances for Reuters News out of Miami while he continues to writer his Mick Murphy Key West Mystery series. Michael grew older outside Boston, and has lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Los Angeles and spent many summers in Tijuana, Mexico before moving to Key West. His latest novel, published this month by Five Star/Gale in hardcover, CAR WASH BLUES, garnered a favorable review in LIBRARY JOURNAL.

Question: What is the genre of your novel?  Why did you select it?

Answer:  I think of myself as a mystery writer, but am told my stories fall under thriller too. I am a member of both the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers.

Question:  Could you tell us a little bit about the heroine and/or hero of your latest novel?

Answer:  Car Wash Blues is my sixth in the series and I wanted to bring Mick Murphy’s past to him, but I also wanted a conflict between Murphy and his black-bag friend Norm Burke. I did this by having Norm use Murphy to draw out a Tijuana, Mexico, drug cartel.

Question:   Can you tell us about some of your other published novels?

Answer:   The first two, Revenge and Tijuana Weekend take place on the West Coast. The other four take place in Key West, Florida. It is a series, so many of the characters return in each book. In the Key West books, I draw on real people and places to add a touch of realism to the stories. Now bars, restaurants and friends ask about being in the next book.

Question:   What are you working on now?

Answer:  I am half-way through Key West Latitude (working title) and it is a lot darker than my previous books. So dark, as a matter of fact, the section one is told in Norm’s voice because Murphy has gone over the edge after what happened in Stairway to the Bottom. Section two will be in Murphy’s voice. Also, unlike the previous Key West books, this one opens in Ft. Lauderdale, goes to Tampico, Mexico and Baton Rouge, before getting to Key West.

Question:   What made you start writing?

Answer:  It all began in the last years of high school when I got hooked on Hemingway’s short stories, then his life and I wanted to writer and have chased the dream ever since.

Question:   What advice would you offer to those who are currently writing novels?

Answer: Read. Reading is a very important part of learning to write. Of course, you need to write daily and become good at self-editing afterward. Read the type of books you want to writer and spend time understanding what impresses you in those books and then try to do it better in your story.

Question:  Where and when will readers be able to obtain your novel?

Answer:  All my current books are on Amazon and Kindle. Car Wash Blues will be available on Amazon, now for pre ordering but not Kindle for at least a year. Trade paperback copies of my books can also be ordered from Amazon via my website, www.michaelhaskins.net

If you like mystery thrillers with lots of atmosphere, check out Michael’s books! Comments and discussion welcome here.

Keeping Track of All Those Characters

This is both a blog about . . . and an invitation for advice.

When I started writing crime fiction I had so much fun coming up with new and interesting characters that I couldn't keep track of them all. It didn't even occur to me to try. After all, weren't these people as real to me as my flesh and blood friends?

I didn't think much about keeping track of characters till I recalled a story a friend told me. She liked amateur theater and signed on for a play. Her most important scene was cued by another actor, a man, telling the story of how Mr. SoandSo met his end. When the actor finished his part, my friend had to step in with her lines. The trouble was, the other actor told a different story about Mr. SoandSo every night. And no one else knew when the story was coming to an end. It made for some very tense performances.

When I started writing, my information about my characters was something like Mr. SoandSo--it kept changing. I kept scribbling notes about names and ages and eye color (I wasn't going to make Conan Doyle's mistakes and change eye color in the middle of a story) but that meant I had to go flipping back through the pages to find the information. About one hundred pages and far too many characters into the story I knew I had to get organized. My solution--a stack of notecards in a shoe box. This was before good writing software, and I confess I haven't caught up. But I have a good system.

Every character gets at least one card on which I record all the essentials--all the basic demographic information we seem to think is important but also all the details writers add to a story to give the character life. If you read everything in a series you know how your favorite sleuth takes her tea in the morning or why the boyfriend drives a particular car. But what about the landlady? When she shows up, do I remember how she wears her hair, or why she wears funky sweaters? Does Mrs. Alesander still have brown hair at her age? Do I remember that Hugh Chase went to Vietnam and became a pacifist? Did I remember that Winston Windolow belonged to a bike club? If I'm not sure what I said about Archer Ames, do I know where to look? How many books does he appear in? Do I know what chapters he appears in? If he has a file card I do.

File cards do the obvious, and any good software will do the job just as well (and many will argue software will do it better). But file cards have another purpose. I can lay them out on my desk, sort them by any number of categories, and get an idea if I have favored names with certain letters, one gender over another, certain ages. Has one character been reappearing in story after story, and if the answer is yes, does this suggest I should do something more with this one?

I once thought, so naively, that if I wrote it I would remember it. I confess I can barely remember what I wrote yesterday until I see it. If I did not have my note cards for each series, I would be reinventing people on every page, changing eye color, introducing lisps and limps, and generally confusing everyone. It would be an editing nightmare.

Using file cards to track characters is one system, a very simple basic one. I know there are others. What sort of system do you use?

Susan Oleksiw writes the Anita Ray series; the most recent title is The Wrath of Shiva: An Anita Ray Mystery (2012). She also writes the Mellingham series, featuring Chief of Police Joe Silva; she perfected her notecard system during the first in the series, Murder in Mellingham (1993).

You CAN Tell A Book By It’s Cover

That was the title of a Book Talk I gave to readers and writers a few years ago. Today’s Blog shares segments of my talk..

 "Two things that sell a book are: Cover and Copy." That’s what the publishers say. My talk identified the elements of cover and copy that intrigue, inspire and induce the reader, using covers from books written in four different eras.

For the sake of brevity I’ve chosen two to tell you about The first book is an American Pioneer novel, A Clearing in the Wild by Jane Kirkpatrick. It is based on a true story about a communal society and the position of women in the nineteenth century.

 The cover evokes the setting - a colorful scene of mountains, prairie, and covered wagons trekking west.

A short synopsis on the cover flap invites the reader to experience

“A Community searching for refuge,

A Woman Finding her voice.”

The people of Bethel Missouri seek to live with simplicity and generosity existing in the world of the 1850’s, but remaining set apart from its distractions and vanities. Rather than finding peace in this would-be utopia, spirited young Emma Wagner chafed at the constraints of a culture that values conformity over independent thought, especially in women.

 The cover flap also gives a short blurb about the author, Jane Kirkpatrick, award winning, best selling author of eleven novels.

 A praise quote: “A Clearing in the Wild is Jane Kirkpatrick at her finest. Emma Wagner’s story feels as genuine as if she herself were telling it.”

 Could the praise induce readers to buy? I was induced, still enjoy early Americana, and highly recommend Jane’s novel. Did the Cover and Copy influence me? You bet!

 The second book in my Book talk takes the reader to the Civil War era and the story’s theme is similar to A Clearing in the Wild. Four Summers Waiting  is a Historical Romance, the  story of a young woman’s struggle to help the Union Army’s cause and balance her  sentiments with her father’s opposition to the war. In addition to historical events during the Civil War, readers experience restrictions placed on women and their roles during the 1800’s.The book is based on the true story of my children’s ancestors. Authentic family letters and diary excerpts appear throughout the novel, that true to the title, covers four summers of the couple’s war time courtship.  

Four Summers Waiting, published in 2006, was my first novel. The original cover had a muted, antiquated look portraying two figures riding in a carriage. The dusky green background was broken by a shaft of light over the American flag carried by a line of Civil War soldiers. I believe the cover lends drama and gives a strong sense of plot. The cover was intriguing enough to help sell out the first edition of the book.  It received a second edition in Large Print and it is currently available as an electronic book on Kindle.

When the book rights reverted to me I had to have a new cover for the Kindle edition. Nonetheless, the premise stated in the beginning of my Book Talk, Cover and Copy sells books will hopefully ring true again for Four Summers Waiting...

Analyzing the Dynamics of a Blockbuster Bestseller By Jacqueline Seewald

Analyzing the Dynamics of a Blockbuster Bestseller

By Jacqueline Seewald

Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James is the latest blockbuster bestseller. Women are buying it in droves. What made this initially self-published novel go viral? As a writer and a reader, I’m particularly interested in analyzing the phenomenon that causes certain novels to become instant bestsellers by previously unknown authors. What makes such novels so unique? And in fact, what do they have in common? Over-the-top sex and/or violence? Something so outrageous and/or controversial that it catches the public’s attention and awareness? Perhaps.

I discussed this with a college-educated woman who fits the “Grey” demographic. She showed me how she had the novel set up on her I-pad. She is the mother of three small children, ages seven to two. She works part-time outside the home, is always busy and sleep-deprived. Yet she is finding time to read “Grey.”

I asked her: “What appeals to you about this book?”

She appeared embarrassed by the directness of the question. “I was curious I guess. It’s not my usual taste in books,” she explained with a shrug. “I’m not into S and M. And the book isn’t even well-written.”

Nevertheless, she did pay $10 for the opportunity to read the novel as an e-book.  Others are buying the trade version for $15.95, putting the novel at the very top of that bestseller list along with the other two books in the trilogy and ahead of a Nora Roberts novel.

I also discussed this with an older woman, a respected bank manager who had purchased the novel in print. She told me that she was enjoying the book and had recommended it to several fellow workers. Word of mouth clearly sells books.

Because the novel had gone viral as an e-book, the author was able to get an agent who sold the entire trilogy to a major publisher. The division of prestigious Random House that brought this novel out in print is Vintage Books. Ironically, they claim to focus on publishing “quality literary fiction.” This struck me as particularly interesting since “Grey” has been described as erotica—translation soft porn aimed at female readers. It’s also been noted that the novel degrades women. Is this the average woman’s secret sexual fantasy? Or are women now buying the novel mainly out of curiosity because there has been so much notoriety? Getting publicity seems to be crucial for sales of any novel. The big publishers still have the ability to promote and distribute a novel successfully, something small indy publishers do not.

Writing a quality book is something I always have as my main goal. But few know about my novels or read them. My latest novel DEATH LEGACY received excellent reviews from both BOOKLIST and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. It’s a romantic suspense mystery thriller, and those who have read it said they couldn’t put down. Yet sales are meager. Libraries are apparently reluctant to order it regardless of good reviews. And libraries are the main buyers of Five Star/Gale novels.

 We come back to the initial question. What makes a particular novel stand out so that it sells well to readers? Must it be outrageous? Over-the-top in sex and/or violence? Or are there other reasons?  Is there any way to analyze how to write a bestselling blockbuster? What do readers most enjoy and value in novels? I continue to ponder these questions. Your views, comments and opinions are valued