Simon Wood

Posts Categorized: shelf life

I got word that Comet Press who published the paperback edition of THE FALL GUY are closing down later this year.  That means THE FALL GUY is going out of print.  The book will still be available as an ebook and audiobook but the physical book itself won’t.  It’s always sad when a print book goes out of print as it’s tangible proof of existence.  It’s not the first of my books to disappear (and it won’t be the last).  However, a book is like energy.  It doesn’t cease to be.  It only changes form.  So THE FALL GUY may return to bookshelves with a different publisher.  We’ll see.  In the meantime, I’m trying to acquire the leftover stock, so if you’d like a copy, please drop me an email or order one through my website bookshop.

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WE WON!! PROMOPHOBIA won best nonfiction at this year’s Agatha (Christie) Awards. I’m one of the many contributors to this book. The award is a teapot and I believe each of us will get about 5-days with the award before passing it along to the next writer. In all seriousness, a massive thanks to Diane Vallere for all her hard work. This book was a long time coming after losing its first two publishers and Diane never gave up on the project.  This award belongs to her.

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A film student in India is going to make a short film based on my CWA Dagger Nominated short story, PROTECTING THE INNOCENT. It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out. 

I will be posting a link to the movie when it’s finished for everyone to see.

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My ever-popular online workshop on KILLER SUSPENSE writing starts on May 2nd. This workshop blossomed out of a piece I wrote for Writers’ Digest and there’s now interest for me to develop into a book. So if you want to learn how to inject some drama and conflict into your fiction, here’s what to expect from the workshop and you can sign up here:

You’re reading. Your heart is slamming against your ribcage, your fingertips are moist and you turn another page. The protagonist’s back is up against the wall and the antagonist is setting up a trap. You wish you could do something to prevent the protagonist from walking into it, but you can’t. You are helpless, totally at the mercy of the writer. You turn another page.

If you’ve ever felt this way while reading a book, then the writer has done a great job at creating suspense—and if you continue to read all the way to the end, the writer has also done a great job of maintaining it. So how do you, the writer, go about creating the same for your readers? KILLER SUSPENSE reveals the tricks of the trade for creating top notch suspense in your writing, whether it be a cozy or a spy thriller. The intensity might be different but the techniques are the same.

Lesson Plan:

  • Lesson #1: Understanding Suspense—Thrillers vs. Mysteries
  • Lesson #2: Viewpoints
  • Lesson #3: Heroes and Villains
  • Lesson #4: Elements of Suspense #1—High Stakes, Pressure Points & Dilemmas
  • Lesson #5: Elements of Suspense #2—Time Constraints, Complications, Unpredictability
  • Lesson #6: Suspense Plan Review

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More conference news!

On May 14th, I’m going to be a presenter at the Killer Workshop presented by Capital Crimes & Palmetto Sisters in Crime chapters. This is a 1-day virtual & in-person conference. Yes, I will be there in person. After two years of being shut in from the world, I am emerging where I get to see real life people. I think I’ve forgotten what that feels like.

My workshop will be on short stories. If you’d like more details, go here.

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My online workshop on Point-of-View writing starts on April 4th. Oddly, 2022 has proved very popular for this topic. I’m slated to give a shortened version of this workshop to four different writing organization this year already. If you want to learn how to keep your POV straight in your books, here’s what to expect from the workshop and you can sign up here:

Can’t decide who’s the best character to tell your story? You don’t have to settle for just a single character’s point of view. I’ll discuss the techniques and the decisions that have to be made when writing in multiple points of view.

Weaving multiple viewpoint characters in and out of a story is like standing trial and knowing what the judge, the prosecuting attorney and all 12 members of the jury are thinking. Each person is witnessing the same information, but each individual interpretation is different. But it’s not like you can crack into everyone’s mind simultaneously. Even if you could, it’d be impossible to comprehend what 14 people are saying if they’re all talking at the same time.

Allowing multiple characters to tell your story can add depth and insight that a single point of view may not be able to convey. Most stories have plenty of characters with their own tales to tell. Multiple POV characters add depth to a novel. Suddenly the story is being told from the perspective of multiple witnesses, all putting their distinctive interpretations on events. But the inclusion of multiple voices can bring with it its own problems. Those multiple points of view can get out of control and turn the story into a mess. In a novel, just like in a conversation, not everyone can speak at once. There are plenty of ways to give each character a voice without having them talk over one another. Even if you’re only writing from a single point-of-view or utilizing an omniscient POV approach, going through these exercises will help ensure there’s a smooth transition between characters.

Lesson Plan:

  • Lesson #1: Creating a hierarchy of POV characters
  • Lesson #2: Limit the number of POV characters
  • Lesson #3: Pick the right character for the right job
  • Lesson #4: POV Toolbox Tricks #1— Use chapter and/or scene breaks & Changing Spaces
  • Lesson #5: POV Toolbox Tricks #2—Passing the baton, Mixing perspectives & Using distinctive voices
  • Lesson #6: POV Plan Review

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2022 is turning into the year of the conference speaker for me. I, along with Leslie Budewitz and Jessica Brody, will the presenters at a virtual conference on fiction writing on May 14, 2022! It’s put on by the Northwest chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. I will be discussing point-of-view writing. Check out “MWA-NW MAY 2022 MINI CONFERENCE ON CRAFT” and signup here!

I hope to see you there.

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No, SinC-Up! isn’t an NSYNC tribute act. It’s a video series put out by Sisters in Crime. Each week a writer gives a 2-minute writing tip and I am this week’s tipper (or is it tipster)! Anyway, please enjoy this video and the others in the series.

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My writing life is very much like a duck on a pond.  It looks as if all is smooth and calm as the duck guides along the water.  However, what the observer can’t see is all the thrashing going on below the surface.  That’s how I approach my career as a writer. To my audience, everything is calm and collected because I work hard to keep control of all the chaos that goes on behind the scenes.  Today, I’m going to clue you in on some of weirdness that I’ve hidden from you all.

Recently, I was asked about odd incidents that have occurred during my writing career. Let me say there’ve been a lot. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been recounting some of my weirder experiences on social media for discussion and I thought I would share some with you.

  • Said to me at a book signing: “You have amazing skin for your age. How old are you again?”
  • I was held at knife point by an attendee at a private book signing.
  • A reader gave me cheese-flavored cat food as a gift at a book signing.
  • Said to me by an attendee just before I was going to make a speech: “My son wrote very well in high school and he would have been on the New York Times bestsellers list if he pursued it so I just want to let you know you’re nothing special.”
  • I have made several interviewers cry during an interview.
  • I was put on a bookstore blacklist.
  • The most commonly asked question at my book signings: “Where are the restrooms?”
  • A translator threatened to rewrite the book’s ending if I didn’t because they found it offensive. I didn’t.
  • Once, event security blocked me from entering my own event not believing I could be an author.
  • Said to me at a book signing: “I’m going to return it after I’ve read it. I haven’t paid for a book in years.”
  • Early on in my career, I had a stalker. It went on for about a year.
  • The first time I saw my book in a store, I stalked the person who picked up a copy to see if they bought it.
  • My nonfiction has been plagiarized…a lot!
  • I was booked to speak to a large group of writers when I got there, it was three writers in a storage room.

I hope you’ve liked these glimpses into my crazy writing world.  If you’d like to hear more, let me know.

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I’m the current guest on the podcast WISH I’D KNOWN THEN… with Jami Albright and Sara Rosett.  Some of the things we discussed included my writing successes, failures and the things I wished I could get a do overs for.  You can listen to the episode below.  I hope you enjoy it

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