The Writer's Mailbag: Installment Sixty-One

Bill, so not happy that summer is coming to an end, but again all good things must come to an end at some point, I suppose, but still not ready for winter and cold. That said, always appreciate all your great and wonderful advice here. So, as always can't thank you enough and wishing you an amazing week ahead now! ;)

Interesting to read! I have a question to you. Ever since the HubPages team has been introducing changes to the site, many hubbers feel like discontinuing writing on HubPages. What is your take on the issue? Would it be all right for new hubbers with potential for quality writing?

Thanks, billybuc!

Hi Bill, some really interesting questions and answers this week. Along the lines of adevwriting's comment: I know you don't frequent the forums so I thought I'd mention this for your opinion. I read one forum thread a little earlier that says HP maybe considering splitting the site in two and establishing one closely moderated for all the high quality, high traffic hubs and those that have undergone the Hub Pro editing, and another with only basic moderation for all the 'lower quality", creative writing etc. (where mine and most of those I follow would fall) The way things have been changing around here I wouldn't discount this as being a possibility.

Billy

I totally agree, it has all been said and written.

At the same time how you make the word sausage can give a story a different flavor, but it is still story sausage.

I am not saying that it will taste better than the classic story sausage, but it will have its own flavor. Chances are when you mess with a classic recipe, you are more likely to make a bad batch.

Although, the current readers might not know anything about real classic and swallow it with delight. With 350 million potential reader in the US, I am sure any story can get 40,000 readers.

I think that the phrase, "It was the Best of Times, It was the Worse of Times" can also apply to stories.

Happy Monday Bill! We've got two more weeks before school starts here (we wait until after Labor Day), so we are going to make the most of it!

Great questions and answers, as usual. I look forward to the next installment!

I wish our summer would end. It's been ungodly hot here. I can't stand to be outside for more that five minutes! I'm looking forward to the cool breezes and low humidity of fall. Pray global warming doesn't mess with it!

So you're thinking of writing your memoir as a fictional story? I guess that makes sense. You're a great fiction writer. Now that think about it, the two novels of yours I read are fiction pieces based on the bones of truth. So, yeah, that works!

Congrats on your new baby chick, Bill! Puff up those feathers, proud Papa! :-)

I see you must be in a great mood today! That made me smile. Have a great day and keep your fantastic writing up. I've actually a question for you.

What do you think, Bill. Is it better to publish one book, of let's say 100,000 words, or 5 books of 20,000 words each? Both books concepts cover in general the same content, but the content can be cut into pieces easily. Thanks, and I wish you the best autumn of your life:)

G'morning! Thought I'd start my week with the Mailbag.

LOVE the marketing tip about gaining your 100 followers that will go with you to hell and back. I gotta start countin'... The trick is to get them to talk about it. Sadly, the happiest customers are often the quietest when it comes to sharing. Naysayers? They're vocal to hell and back. But don't they say even bad PR is good PR? ;)

Have a great week!

Well, you did it, Bill. After writing 60 - 60! - installments of this series, you came up with this one, the 61st. And I enjoyed it the most. Not that the previous gems were uninteresting but the questions in this one were most original. And the answers? Well, realistic and to the point. Bravo!

Bill, I truly enjoyed reading this article. You really made this engaging for the reader. The summer has quickly passed us and fall is certain to bring many changes, let's look for the good ones. I find literature characters with family trees fascinating. Have a great day.

Bill, the mailbag just keeps getting better, looking forward to celebrating your century and thank you for all the sage advice, dear uncle Bill! :)

Another exceptional write, well done to you and the writers who posted questions.

So many great questions and words of wisdom, this week! I would definitely love to read your autobiography if you ever write one. Then again, we all let our lives slip into our posts on here, and it has been a pleasure getting to know you this way, gradually. I look forward to more!

Hi Bill,

I just want to say I'm enjoying the Mailbag. Most importantly I appreciate the time you invest in us. I believe we are here to learn, not just read. Where lives intersect, there is purpose. Your purpose is evident, not just Monday but throughout the week.

Bill, have had out of town guest. Muse threatened to leave, so I threw company out!

Great information, as always, Bill.

I'm buzzing right along, but have realized it would be best to disconnect phone while working. (Temperamental Muse)

Happy Monday, my friend!!

DJ.

Another bunch of entertaining and thought-provoking answers, Bill - is there any end to your knowledge? (Obviously not). By the way, I'm sure a Billybuc Biography would be a great read, but me - I'm sticking to fiction, cos my stories are a hellovalot more interesting than my life!

Pleasure to go through the wonderful information, your jovial mood added a glamour to it, thanks for sharing, Bill Sir!

Thanks for the marketing tips.

As for the end of Summer, I'm ready, but I also live a little farther south than you:-)

Bill, what are the essential elements of any story beyond a mere anecdote or incident? How about: When a new circumstance disrupts how the protagonist expects hir situation to develop, the antagonist opposes the protagonist's response, which puts the outcome in question and reveals and further shapes the protagonist's character? Or?

You know I come down on the side of fiction for those family stories... no question about it. Memoirs take a lot of courage, regardless of topic. Thanks for another great mailbag. ;-)

Hello Bill, your series is a big success. So many writers share the same fears and anxiety. 'Just write it.' Now that is a good slogan.

Book signings, public librairies - I don't think so. But then again, I know more about what does not work than what does work.

Hello Billy,

Yes, the signs of Summer making its departure are beginning to be evident here too, even though we had 29 degrees of heat on Saturday! However, the leaves have begun to fall from the trees and that is a sure sign that it is on its way.

I love the idea of the family tree, such a common sense way of plotting the characters for a book. My problem will be stringing those characters all together to turn the whole thing into a damn fine Story, but one thing is for sure, I AM GOING TO WRITE THAT DAMM STORY.

I am curious, does it ever feel to you that writing a book is a bit like giving birth?

It does seem to me that there is so much emotional energy put into writing a Book. Do you ever feel as if it will suck the life blood out of you?

Have a great week Billy,

Sally

As expected, a river full of helful tips Bill! Thanks for covering the marketing question! That wasn't painful lol. I have subscribed to or consulted a few of the resources you mentioned for years. Good to know that a seasoned writer believes these to be reliable resources too.

I think every writer needs a visible sign that reads, "Write the damn story", somewhere near their workplace. No matter what type of writing we do, we all get hung up on grammar or symantics or something else that stops us from actually getting the writing done. Maybe if we see it often enough, we'll hear it speak to us and we'll get on with our writing projects sooner; and address the technical parts later.

Another great installment Bill. I also do not like the heat so I am looking forward to the end of summer. Problem is I don't like winter either. But, fall is my favorite time of the year so I am looking forward to the next few months. Have a great week.

Amazing questions and answers this week, bill, all so interesting and perceptive. I learn so much when I read this series, not only about writing, and about you, but about the other writers here; it's fascinating.

Here's a question for you; do we unconsciously show our own feelings and character when we write (fact or fiction)? I'm not talking about 'voice' because we can control that, I'm talking about something that comes through the writing whether we realise it or not. Hope you see what I'm getting at.

Hope all's well with you and yours. I'm trying to come to terms with an uncharacteristically awful week of truly rotten weather - yes, even for England! It hasn't stopped me going out and doing things but it should be better!!!

Bedraggled, rain-soaked, wind-buffeted Brit from Bridgwater!

Ann :)

Great installment Bill! I don't mind the heat, and I live in San Diego, so for me the end of summer signifies nothing but the approaching autumn holidays and slightly longer nights I guess... Would love to read your memoirs!

Another great Hub, Bro. I break the rules all the time and yes, I know you agreed on something similar, so let me not steal your thunder. I read somewhere that Emily Dickinson used a lot of Capitals, but hey, I do this often.

I mean why say 'shadows of darkness' when I feel that I can do so much better with 'Shadows of Darkness?' Why not capitalise Peace,when I am talking about that which passes beyond all human understanding?

Let us continue, Bro, you and I. Not too much in the way of hard and fast rules, they may limit our creativity. .. Shalom!

Awesome, Bill! Love your answers. And, hey, I'm all about taking life and making fiction out of it. I don't sweat too much if the "real" person manages to find their character in the story, but I do take care to be sure the general public won't be able to readily identify the characters... unless they are already familiar with the story to begin with.

The mailbag is like a weekly talk show featuring various authors or author to be. I'll keep tuning in.

"The only constant we can bet the bank on" ... is the Monday Mailbag series! You have given us all a good reason to look forward to Mondays, Bill. We all are a curious bunch who come up with great questions that produce great answers.

Hey, exactly what’s the difference between an introduction, a foreword, a preface, and a prologue? Also, with each, is there any particular type of book one should use in lieu of the other? I know this one is elementary, but it can be confusing at times.

Remember, anytime you need to tell me NO on my questions, my feelings won't be hurt ...

Peace and blessings and hugs from southern USA

Bill, not happy that winter will be here before long, but not unhappy to see the end of the over 100 degrees every day for weeks on end.

Another fantastic mailbag.

Blessings and hugs my friend

Hey Bill, the end of winter just approaching here, a particularly cold one this year. I think I'm just crawling out of hibernation. Good mail bag this week, particularly liked the paragraph question and answer. I also think a non - fiction book would be a winner in an Angela's Ashes genre..

Summer to winter is just a transition from heat to snow! Of course there is school and all that, but being retired with grown children I try to completely ignore it. (I worked in a school district the last 18 years of my career.)

Anyway, great installment as always. This is like a runaway train and hopefully there's no stopping it. We all look forward to Mondays and the Mailbag.

Thanks for answering my question. I kind of thought that was the answer, but you validate!

My children's book is slow going waiting for the illustrator, but nothing good comes easy.

Have a wonderful week.

I don't care that summer is coming to an end. Just make sure this column goes on and on.

Bill this one is fantastic. I like my new way of reading this series. I wait for a day and then I get all the bonus comments - cool. You have a great readership and really nice friends. That speaks volumes of you.

Installment 61...wow!

I have told you before and telling you again...Just darn admire your knowledge cause writing on HP is these days getting tough for me since can't think of topics :P

I like how you have explained the character development and appreciate your knowledge.

Sadly summer is over, and kid is going back to school so yeah and not so yeah too :(

This is a very informative edition in your mailbag series, Bill. Thanks for sharing the interesting ideas.

At times, grammar rules can make writing feel stilted. When imitating speech in fiction, it's important to break'em!

Thanks for sharing another wonderful hub in this series.

I particularly liked the question asked by Mary and Eric. I believe when writing in a flow, some rules of grammar are bound to be broken. And if the reader is engrossed in the writing, there are little chances that it will be noticed. All the same we should take care to avoid the errors.

Thank you for sharing!

Hi friend Bill, wonderful questions; wonderful answers. I love your answer about breaking the rules and Sister Mary Elizabeth. I think we all had those. Mine was a college professor we called "Jay", who was really a great guy and love by all of us. However, Jay was a stickler for the rules of transition. I found that breaking them from time to time actually improved my writing.

Please tell Dream On to write a story, not a whine, if he wants to publish. I get the impression that he wants to write a cathartic whine ("destroyed my life" "years of pain", etc.), which is okay if he doesn't actually want to publish.

Excuse me but I have a legitimate question. Maybe. You are actually quite organized. You get a lot done everyday. I want to be like Bill. But when I write stuff just comes and it does not come on my table of organization and productivity. Just when I get rockin and a rollin in thought and writing the danged second period bell goes off and I have to go do algebra instead of writing. Even if I set time aside to write, well it just does not work that way. Help!

Thanks for the response, Bill. Admittedly, I do spend a LOT of time on details. That's the way I'm hard-wired.

Anyway...I finally put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and began work on my first novel. I spent on hour constructing the first page then walked away and did something else. I came back to it, read it as an outsider and found myself confused. I can't believe I fell into the trap of introducing too many characters in one go.

Do you have a method for introducing characters so your readers don't feel that they are being ganged up on?

61 and counting.. or not..:) Like Eric's question.. and your answer so yes I keep finding use for your mail bags...

Bill

I am taking a rest from the world.

I grew up in Manhattan, and on Long Island, and one of the things that I liked was that so many people would congregate at the donut shops, not just to pick them up and run with them. But it was like a very small town meeting.

A regular coffee in NYC was with cream and sugar. Probably a British influence.

Anyway, it was the atmosphere that I remember as being alive and diverse. Friends and acquaintances and a mix of strangers.

In California, it is a bunch of trades men, and committers hurrying to work.

How does this relate to writing, because I believe that technology today has changed this way of life. Today, texting a friend is good enough, and there is no reason for a physical present the cyber of virtual presence is OK.

Now this is strange coming from someone like me that doesn't read fiction, but it doesn't mean that I don't notice this change to the impersonal cyberville.

Finally, here is a question for you. What is the most marketable fiction story to write today? What is the genre, the subject, and the angle of writing about it?

These are always interesting to read even though sometimes I do not get to them in a timely fashion.

This is such a great way to pick the brains of so many...even questions can cause one to begin new trains of thought---I think.

hoping all is good in WA. We are wet here but thankfully no big winds...just lots of rain...

Take care of you and yours.

Angels and hugs and blessings are on the way ps

Yes, I like the idea of changing the names to protect all that need protection in your story. Now YOU can write the damn thing.

Bill

Figured thats what you'd say! Might take me a while as I'm having fun writing hubs at the moment and finding out that tge truth really is stranger than fiction!

Have a great week

Lawrence