Have some? Want some so that you can say at least you have a book 'out there' and at least it's getting read?
This awesome post tells you how to get over 1 star reviews. Brings everything in perspective: Even your favouritest book of all time has 1 star reviews!
Go and read it, the post, and the reviews on your fav book, now!!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Kill Your Darlings
Put down the gun! I meant your words, those precious words you have slaved over for your novel.
Rachelle Gardiner has a great list of ways to reduce your word count and make your manuscript better.
Words like: almost, were, really, somewhat, and then, exactly, suddenly... and more.
Gerunds, adjectives, adverbs, are a few of the things to cut or reduce.
Go and look at the list and see if you can clean up your manuscript!!
Happy editing/writing :)
Rachelle Gardiner has a great list of ways to reduce your word count and make your manuscript better.
Words like: almost, were, really, somewhat, and then, exactly, suddenly... and more.
Gerunds, adjectives, adverbs, are a few of the things to cut or reduce.
Go and look at the list and see if you can clean up your manuscript!!
Happy editing/writing :)
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Editing Rules
I may not be writing at the moment, but i am following everyone. And, i have been thinking about writing again so that is a positive step!
My headaches are stacks better, i think mostly due to the 3x per week visit to the chiropractor, but it could be because of the new medication too :)
Nathan Bransford has a wonderful post on his blog about editing commandments. Editing someone else's book that is! Have a read, it is very good to be reminded if you already knew them and good reading if you didn't.
Happy writing everyone!
My headaches are stacks better, i think mostly due to the 3x per week visit to the chiropractor, but it could be because of the new medication too :)
Nathan Bransford has a wonderful post on his blog about editing commandments. Editing someone else's book that is! Have a read, it is very good to be reminded if you already knew them and good reading if you didn't.
Happy writing everyone!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Getting ready to hit send?
I just saw this on Nicola Marsh's blog.
The Mills and Boon UK team are fast-tracking submissions for Harlequin Romance!
"...we’ll be launching a fast track submission period! Anyone who sends us their first chapter and synopsis between 14th March and 23rd April will hear back from us less than ONE MONTH after the closing date, before the 18th May.
"The email address to send your submission to is romancefasttrack@hqnuk.co.uk.
"Please attach your first chapter and short synopsis to the email as well as a short query letter, letting us know how much of the manuscript is complete. Please note, we’ll be looking at only one submission per person."
I'm still out of action but that doesn't mean you have to be! Go on, finish those next few chapters, write your synopsis and query letter and hit send!!
The Mills and Boon UK team are fast-tracking submissions for Harlequin Romance!
"...we’ll be launching a fast track submission period! Anyone who sends us their first chapter and synopsis between 14th March and 23rd April will hear back from us less than ONE MONTH after the closing date, before the 18th May.
"The email address to send your submission to is romancefasttrack@hqnuk.co.uk.
"Please attach your first chapter and short synopsis to the email as well as a short query letter, letting us know how much of the manuscript is complete. Please note, we’ll be looking at only one submission per person."
I'm still out of action but that doesn't mean you have to be! Go on, finish those next few chapters, write your synopsis and query letter and hit send!!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Out
Hi everyone
I am apologising for the lack of posts and comments on your blogs at present. I am currently laid low with neck and head problems so just getting out of bed and getting the kids to school is a struggle so everything else has been on the slide.
I hope to be back in action in a few weeks. Hopefully the Chiro, accupuncture and physio will soon see me right.
Keep writing everyone.
I am apologising for the lack of posts and comments on your blogs at present. I am currently laid low with neck and head problems so just getting out of bed and getting the kids to school is a struggle so everything else has been on the slide.
I hope to be back in action in a few weeks. Hopefully the Chiro, accupuncture and physio will soon see me right.
Keep writing everyone.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Digging Deeper
I'm talking about characters.
Yep, to make our readers enjoy our stories, to fall in love with our characters, we have to make them believable, real. 3D characters are what gives life to your work and makes it memorable.
Disney is great for giving us lasting themes to pull apart and use for our characters. Time-worn but loveable themes like Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella are used over and over again.
I watched The Princess and the Frog for about the fifth time on Saturday night with my kids and it struck me why i like it so much.
Sure it's got the jaunty music, a handsome prince and some comedic secondary characters. But what really got me was the message behind Tiana, the lead. She is a hard-working girl, doing everything she can to achieve her dream. There is no waiting for Prince Charming, she's taking life by the reins and getting herself her dream, all by herself.
However, this is where we discover, with the help of the catchy song by the Cajun Priestess Mama Odie, that in order for Tiana to realise her real dream (that being something that she didn't know she's always wanted!), she has to dig deeper.
How is this relevant to our writing? To your characters?
To make your characters 3D, lovable, believable and root-worthy (get your mind out of the gutter!) they need to walk onto that first page with a dream, or with something that they want with a passion. As the story progresses, they clash with other characters or they are forced by excellent plot devices to realise that their dream is deeper than they realised (but that we, the knowing reader always suspected!), and this gives them that 3-dimensionality that keeps readers turning the pages.
It is also part of a characters growth known as the character arc. Another excellent way to make our characters believable and real, but that may be ideal for another post!
Happy writing :)
Yep, to make our readers enjoy our stories, to fall in love with our characters, we have to make them believable, real. 3D characters are what gives life to your work and makes it memorable.
I watched The Princess and the Frog for about the fifth time on Saturday night with my kids and it struck me why i like it so much.
Sure it's got the jaunty music, a handsome prince and some comedic secondary characters. But what really got me was the message behind Tiana, the lead. She is a hard-working girl, doing everything she can to achieve her dream. There is no waiting for Prince Charming, she's taking life by the reins and getting herself her dream, all by herself.
However, this is where we discover, with the help of the catchy song by the Cajun Priestess Mama Odie, that in order for Tiana to realise her real dream (that being something that she didn't know she's always wanted!), she has to dig deeper.
How is this relevant to our writing? To your characters?
To make your characters 3D, lovable, believable and root-worthy (get your mind out of the gutter!) they need to walk onto that first page with a dream, or with something that they want with a passion. As the story progresses, they clash with other characters or they are forced by excellent plot devices to realise that their dream is deeper than they realised (but that we, the knowing reader always suspected!), and this gives them that 3-dimensionality that keeps readers turning the pages.
It is also part of a characters growth known as the character arc. Another excellent way to make our characters believable and real, but that may be ideal for another post!
Happy writing :)
Friday, February 10, 2012
MIA
Hello everyone
I feel like i've fallen off the face of the Earth i haven't been on the 'net much at all this year so far!
The past two weeks i've been struggling with massive headaches and this time they aren't associated with my migraine disorder, rather i seem to have done something to my neck.
*Sigh*
Slowly i am getting back into it. I've been to a few sessions with a physio and have an acupuncturist appointment this afternoon (i hate needles to this will be interesting!!).
The aim is to be able to move in the morning without feeling nauseous and having lie down every 10 minutes! Thank goodness for the husband.
So, sorry for not being present, hopefully i will be back in action soon!
I feel like i've fallen off the face of the Earth i haven't been on the 'net much at all this year so far!
The past two weeks i've been struggling with massive headaches and this time they aren't associated with my migraine disorder, rather i seem to have done something to my neck.
*Sigh*
Slowly i am getting back into it. I've been to a few sessions with a physio and have an acupuncturist appointment this afternoon (i hate needles to this will be interesting!!).
The aim is to be able to move in the morning without feeling nauseous and having lie down every 10 minutes! Thank goodness for the husband.
So, sorry for not being present, hopefully i will be back in action soon!
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