TSTL* – Too Stupid To Live (6/27/2011) - A while back, I finished reading a book by a big-name author and was completely disgusted by the hero and heroine. About three-quarters of the way into the book, the hero makes a TSTL* (Too Stupid To Live) decision that I couldn’t believe, and then to make the situation even worse, this TSTL decision was … Continue reading TSTL* – Too Stupid To Live
Critical Reading of a Beginning (4/20/2011) - A friend is trying to sell her first book but not getting good responses from agents and editors, and she’s getting very frustrated and depressed about the whole process. I read her book a couple times during the editing process, but I hadn’t seen the version that she’s shopping around. When she emailed me the … Continue reading Critical Reading of a Beginning
Editing Is The Hard Part (4/4/2011) - From the email bag: Editing is the hard part, and I keep trying to avoid it. It’s easier to get on with the next book, but I’ll never move up the ladder to published if I do that. Writing, getting that first draft out of your head, is just so much fun. The rest, editing, … Continue reading Editing Is The Hard Part
Revision Letters Part 1: Ego (2/7/2011) - You have received a revision letter from an editor or agent, or any kind of detailed critique, and you’re falling apart at the seams. How can you fix the situation so you can do what needs to be done? First, you need to: Take your ego out of the whole situation. You can do this … Continue reading Revision Letters Part 1: Ego
Revision Letters Part 2: Symptoms (2/7/2011) - You have received a revision letter from an editor or agent, or any kind of detailed critique, and you’re falling apart at the seams. How can you fix the situation so you can do what needs to be done? First, you need to: Take your ego out of the whole situation. See Revision Letters Part … Continue reading Revision Letters Part 2: Symptoms
Deciding Your Story’s Genre (2/7/2011) - Deciding your story’s genre is one of the first decisions you have to make when writing a novel or short story. Experienced writers often know the genre before the story is begun, but it’s not unusual for the inexperienced writer to be faced with the decision after the first draft is completed. Why is a … Continue reading Deciding Your Story’s Genre
Genre & Sub-Genre (2/7/2011) - Fantasy Science Fiction Romance Horror Mystery Thriller Western Young Adult Children’s Literature The basis for the following lists are from http://www.FictionFactor.com/genre.html and http://www.cuebon.com/ewriters/genres.html (see their website for definition of the sub-genres), with additions from various other sources. Fantasy Sub-Genres Alternate worlds Arthurian Bangsian Celtic Christian Comedic Contemporary Court Intrigue Dark Dying Earth Erotic Fairy Tale … Continue reading Genre & Sub-Genre
There Is NO Privacy On The Internet (1/18/2011) - For a couple days, this issue has been going around the various loops and blogs that I read, and I’ve resisted posting it because I figured y’all have seen it already. But John Scalzi came up with another twist on it, so I thought I’d share. Here’s the initial story: “Today’s Writing Contest To Run … Continue reading There Is NO Privacy On The Internet
My Blackberry Is Not Working! (1/18/2011) - I got this from my brother and couldn’t resist passing it along. If you love British humor and plays on words… this is for you. “My Blackberry Is Not Working!” One warning: Put your drink down The moral of the video (to make this a writing-related post) is to be very careful about the words … Continue reading My Blackberry Is Not Working!
False Suspense (10/4/2010) - A long while back, I edited a manuscript from one of my mentees. The manuscript was aimed at a romantic suspense publisher, and while the story was good, and the characters were well handled, and the setting well done, the way she handled the suspense drove me absolutely bug-nuts. I tried several times to explain … Continue reading False Suspense
Jackie Powers 