My very fist review came out a few days ago for The First Day of the New Tomorrow… and it’s a good one!
Four and a half stars from Lady Bug Lin’s Reviews.
Check it out HERE
Monthly Archives: October 2013
My first review for The First Day of the New Tomorrow
Posted in Book/Movie Review
Tagged jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Review, The First Day of the New Tomorrow
Cut your weakest player — Rule #26 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever
I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #26
26: When you finish your book, pinpoint the weakest scene. Cut it. If necessary, replace it with a sentence or paragraph.
I have contradicting views on this. If I was reading this with my first novel (that I pantsed) in my hands, I’d say “yes”… and to probably more than one scene. However, now that I am outlining and clearly plotting my novels, I’m not so sure this is true.
I’d agree to cut it is it has no conflict, or does not draw the story forward. That’s a given.
My fear is that if everyone follows this rule, they will take out important scenes, and replace them with three sentences of summary… which is a form of tell.
I’m going to put my foot down and NOT agree with this one.
What do you think?
Related articles
- Recapturing the Joy of Writing (gwenstephens.wordpress.com)
Write a Story with Me #67 – Shayla Kwiatkowski “A good day for a court martial”
Write a Story with Me is a group endeavor just for the fun of it. A different writer adds a new 250 words each week. It is the ultimate Flash Fiction Challenge!
If you’d like to sign up, come on over. There’s always room for more!
Here’s this week’s excerpt. We hope you enjoy!
#67 Shayla Kwiatkowski (shaylakwiatkowski.blogspot.com)
“It’s a good day for a court martial, son. I am your superior officer and we are in the midst of a battle, in case you haven’t noticed. Now, man your battle stations or I will have you escorted to the brig. Do you understand? Son?” Yoran spat out.
The young officer quavered. This was the Yoran he knew and expected in command of his ship.
“And furthermore, do not confuse duty with weakness.” Yoran pulled himself up to his full eminence. If he could not control anything else, he must retain control of his ship. He’d seen strong men go down, and how the others circled like vultures.
Yoran pushed his gun to the officer’s forehead. “Or should I just shoot you now?” he hissed.
“No..no Sir,” the unfortunate man stuttered.
The MP’s entered the room, alerted by the push of a secret emergency button.
“Escort Officer Dawes here to the brig.. Crime: Treason.”
“Protector Sumner, I meant no disrespect! Please! I have served you well!” the prisoner cried as he was dragged away.
Another officer quietly sat at the abandoned station.
“Orders, Sir?” he asked calmly.
“Return to home port,” snapped out Yoran.
“Right away, Sir. Returning home.”
Yoran glanced at the affable young man, and wasn’t much surprised to see the flash of Fae in his eyes.
“There’s more of us than you know, Sir,” he whispered.
Yoran sighed. This was not going to go away. He nodded.
“Carry on then.”
Want to read more? See below for past excerpts.
If you’d like to sign up, come on over. There’s always room for more!
Parts One – Fifty Click Here
Part Fifty-One – Joe Owens
Part Fifty-Two – Shayla Kwiatkowski
Part Fifty-Three – Jennifer Eaton
Part Fifty-Four – Shan Jeniah Burton
Part Fifty-Five – Jenny Keller Ford
Part Fifty-Six – Susan Rocan
Part Fifty-Seven – Susan Roebuck
Part Fifty-Eight – Elin Gregory
Part Fifty-Nine – Nicky Wells
Part Sixty – Vanessa-Jane Chapman
Part Sixty-One – Ravena Guron
Part Sixty-Two – Julie Catherine
Part Sixty-Three – Kai Damian
Part Sixty-Four – Richard Leonard
Part Sixty-Five – Danielle Ackley McPhail
Part Sixty-Six – Joe Owens
Part Sixty-Seven – Shayla Kwiatkowski
Don’t forget to stop by next week to see what happens next.
Anmol — TAG! You are “It”
Write a Story With Me Contributors
Related articles
- Write a Story with Me #51: “Natalia could be the one” with Joe Owens (joeowensblog.wordpress.com)
- Write A Story With Me – Part 46 – “Fae-reness” (kaidamian.wordpress.com)
Ok, so, I’ve been a delinquent
I know I haven’t been posting much lately. I put insane deadlines on myself that no human could possible keep up with… and then I go and meet those deadlines. But it does keep me writing, which at least is good.
So, What have you been up to?
I finished the first draft of my WIP, and then set it aside to spruce up the novel I am querying. Then I took that baby out for a few pitches at a writer’s conference.
Have you ever been to a writer’s conference? This was my first, and I must say it was a great experience. I only wish that they duplicated some of the sessions, because many that I wanted to go to were running at the same time as others so I had to miss out.
It’s also great to talk to people in the business and get their perspectives on the industry.
Anyway, I think I learned a few things, and of course, once I get some time to digest, I will spit it all back out here for your enjoyment. Yuck, that was a really gross visual, but hey, it works.
Anyone else been to a good conference lately?
Posted in Author Advice
Tagged jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, njrw, WIP, writers conference, Writers Resources, writing
Don’t repeat the tense — Rule #25 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever
I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #25
25: Avoid unnecessary repetition of tense. For example: I’d gone to the hospital. They’d kept me waiting for hours. Eventually, I’d seen a doctor. Usually, the first sentence is sufficient to establish tense. I’d gone to the hospital. They kept me waiting for hours. Eventually, I saw a doctor.
Oops. I think I’m guilty of this. But now that I look at it, especially with sentences out of context, it’s easy to see why it’s unnecessary.
Let’s look at the examples, and correct them. Do the sentences still say the same thing?
They’d kept me waiting for hours.
They kept me waiting for hours, or I waited for hours
Eventually, I’d seen a doctor.
I’d seen a doctor, or I saw a doctor.
The second sentence not only says the same thing, but it also reads more cleanly.
Watch for breaking the other rules when doing this, though. A few of these made me cringe, but they are out of context, so I’m not sure.
Related articles
- Besides, I’m telling you – Writing Practice: Conjunctions of Addition (englishwithasmile.org)
- Don’t Begin Your Sentence Like This (amandabumgarner.com)
Write a Story With Me # 66 – “Strong Insult” by Joe Owens
Write a Story with Me is a group endeavor just for the fun of it. A different writer adds a new 250 words each week. It is the ultimate Flash Fiction Challenge!
If you’d like to sign up, come on over. There’s always room for more!
Here’s this week’s excerpt. We hope you enjoy!
Part 66 – Joe Owens
“Protector Sumner, you were in great danger. We overestimated the strength of their forces. They have added to their contingent above our estimates,” a supporting officer spoke.
“The queen, Morath, has incredible powers. We must remove her from the equation. The young queen will not be as formidable as a foe.”
“You took a very big chance with this plan. The Establishment is pleased with your commitment.”
Yoran turned to look at the officer, a question in his mind. The question morphed into a feeling of uneasiness as the younger man continued to speak.
“It was almost like you knew nothing would happen to you. No one else offered to take your place and there are several officers my age who need to prove ourselves for the chance to be promoted. A man so important to our cause as you should not be taking such chances.
“Is there something you want to say son?” Yoran asked, irritation flowing with his words. To call another officer son was a strong insult, one Yoran used frequently.
“I think the confidence you had in the plan comes from more than just a belief in our forces.”
Yoran’s gut tightened with this statement. He blinked silently, which the young man took as an invitation to continue.
“Perhaps you have an advantage none of the rest of us have. A connection that means you have no reason to fear contact with our enemy.”
“Are you excusing me of consorting with our enemy?”
“Yes sir, I am.”
Want to read more? See below for past excerpts.
If you’d like to sign up, come on over. There’s always room for more!
Parts One – Fifty Click Here
Part Fifty-One – Joe Owens
Part Fifty-Two – Shayla Kwiatkowski
Part Fifty-Three – Jennifer Eaton
Part Fifty-Four – Shan Jeniah Burton
Part Fifty-Five – Jenny Keller Ford
Part Fifty-Six – Susan Rocan
Part Fifty-Seven – Susan Roebuck
Part Fifty-Eight – Elin Gregory
Part Fifty-Nine – Nicky Wells
Part Sixty – Vanessa-Jane Chapman
Part Sixty-One – Ravena Guron
Part Sixty-Two – Julie Catherine
Part Sixty-Three – Kai Damian
Part Sixty-Four – Richard Leonard
Part Sixty-Five – Danielle Ackley McPhail
Part Sixty-Six – Joe Owens
Don’t forget to stop by next week to see what happens next.
Shayla Kwiatkowski — TAG! You are “It”
Write a Story With Me Contributors
Related articles
- Write a Story with Me #51: “Natalia could be the one” with Joe Owens (joeowensblog.wordpress.com)
- Write A Story With Me – Part 46 – “Fae-reness” (kaidamian.wordpress.com)
Posted in Write a story with me
Tagged Arts, Establishment, Fiction, Flash, group, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Joe Owens, Online Writing, write a story with me, writing
Just how good is the first line of your manuscript?
I recently had the opportunity to chat with a submissions editor (you never know who you’ll run into at a coffee shop) and we had a discussion about first lines of a book, and how important they are.
I knew already how important it was to hook a reader quickly, but Mike told me that he actually knows by reading the FIRST LINE if he is going t request a full or not when he reads through submissions.
Wow.
That’s not much time to make a first impression, is it?
That’s why I jumped at the chance to post ONLY MY FIRST LINE for “The First Day of the New Tomorrow” over at The Ladies Cave website today.
http://theladiescave.blogspot.ca/
Hop on over. This line obviously grabbed my editor’s attention. Tell me what you think!
But while you still here…
What’s your first line?
Do you think it has the goods to grab a reader/editor in once sentence?
Related articles
- Levels of “No,” or Why I Reject Manuscripts (nepheletempest.wordpress.com)
- S.O.S. Sending Out Submissions (writersrumpus.com)
- Manuscript Wish Lists Hashtag Returns (mediabistro.com)
- What does an agent want you to fix before you send that manuscript? (shelleykwall.wordpress.com)
Posted in General Writing Tips
Tagged author, editing, editor, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, Manuscript, proofreading, publish, Reading
Do you have trouble getting people to comment?
As some of you know, I am just coming off a two-month blog tour. The first month was to promote my Novella “Paper Wishes”
The second month was to promote my story “The First Day of the New Tomorrow”
Whew! It’s good to be home.
I have a lot of the same thoughts as the last time I was on a big blog tour, so I won’t bore you… but one thing stuck out to me a lot.
Some blogs are really hard to comment on.
I mean it. Really really hard.
Does anyone ever have trouble commenting here? I think I’ve made it as easy as possible. Just type in your name and go. No silly codes to enter, nothing to memorize and type in. Easy Breezy. Right? If I’m wrong, please tell me, and I’ll change it.
You see, some blogs I went to took about three minutes JUST TO INPUT THE CAPCHA INFORMATION — and that’s AFTER I wrote my response to a question. One site I had to do it over and over again to respond to every comment that was posted to me. AWEFUL!
There was one blog that I gave up on after the system told me FIVE TIMES that I inputted the wrong CAPCHA code, when I know perfectly well that I was correct each time. Such a pest.
I know those capcha codes and other things are there to keep spammers away, but if they are also keeping commenters away… that’s bad.
So, just a side thought. If you have a great blog, and you don’t get comments, do a little test. Don’t log in to your blog. Try to comment as a visitor. If you are annoyed by your own security features, imagine what your readers think.
Note: I don’t know how WordPress does it, but I only get one spam comment about every six months or so. The rest are automatically caught by their spam filters. Whatever they do, it’s much better than all that other goggly gook.
Related articles
- Spam Comments What’s The Point? (rolandh31.wordpress.com)
- What’s the Deal with Spam? (greatmindsthinkalikee.wordpress.com)
- Is The Comment Spam Really Needed? (thestingofthescorpion.wordpress.com)
Posted in Author Advice
Stop feeling! And don’t “think” either while you are at it — Rule #24 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever
I’m dissecting the article Hunting Down the Pleonasm, by Allen Guthrie, using it as a cattle prod to search for little nasties in my manuscript. Yep, you can join in the fun, too. Let’s take a looksee at topic #24
24: Cut out filtering devices, wherever possible. ‘He felt’, ‘he thought’, ‘he observed’ are all filters. They distance the reader from the character.
Sometimes I consider typing this out and saving it somewhere so I can paste it into manuscripts that I beta read. This is one I see time and time again. This is part of show don’t tell, and it is the hardest for new and some seasoned authors to understand… but it is the difference between a good novel, and a great one.
Which sentence packs more punch?
He felt sad.
Or
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
He saw the train go by.
Or
The wind stung his cheek as the engine throttled along the tracks.
It’s not a hard choice to pick the better sentence, is it?
Search for felt, saw, looked, was, thought… and words like that… and replace them with active sentences. The result will astound you.
Related articles
- What does an agent want you to fix before you send that manuscript? (shelleykwall.wordpress.com)
- On Revision (authormagazineonline.wordpress.com)
- Timing is Everything: Don’t Let Impatience Hurt Your Chances (subitclub.wordpress.com)
- How Should You Type Your Manuscript? (authorerrielj.wordpress.com)
Write a Story with Me # 65 – Danielle Ackley McPhail – “Glamour”
Write a Story with Me is a group endeavor just for the fun of it. A different writer adds a new 250 words each week. It is the ultimate Flash Fiction Challenge!
If you’d like to sign up, come on over. There’s always room for more!
Here’s this week’s excerpt. We hope you enjoy!
Part 65 – Danielle Ackley-McPhail “Glamore”- http://www.sidhenadaire.com
East/Jenelle breathed deep of the magic of the Gleaming Tree, drew it in and made it their own. As the Establishment dragon ship plied the skies they fed the tendril of mage energy trailing from the vessel, latched on to Yoran. They fed it and shaped it, sharpened the edge, then by their will pressed it against the technological governor embedded in his brain, the one control he had been unable to extricate. That malevolent chip had turned a loving father into a hate-filled tool. The fate of his family and the world depended on East/Jenelle’s successfully deactivating that program.
“Ah!” the melding of elemental being and royal fae cried out, the building pressure of the magic proving nearly too much for even Jenelle’s fae nature. And still they drew more as the control chip somehow fought back, sending threads of fire down the connection to burn away the cord of mage energy. The fae strengthened the bond even as the technology sought to sever it. The magic flared in the sky. Its current jammed against the technology and finally overcame it.
East/Jenelle sensed as Yoran, trapped in the ship above, cried out and crumbled to his knees as the magic killed the cybernetic chip that had forced him to act against his nature. They gasped, and quickly shrouded him in a seeming. If they were to bring down the Establishment and reinstate harmony between Human and Fae, it was important that those in command believed Yoran remained their tool…for now, anyway.
Want to read more? See below for past excerpts.
If you’d like to sign up, come on over. There’s always room for more!
Parts One – Fifty Click Here
Part Fifty-One – Joe Owens
Part Fifty-Two – Shayla Kwiatkowski
Part Fifty-Three – Jennifer Eaton
Part Fifty-Four – Shan Jeniah Burton
Part Fifty-Five – Jenny Keller Ford
Part Fifty-Six – Susan Rocan
Part Fifty-Seven – Susan Roebuck
Part Fifty-Eight – Elin Gregory
Part Fifty-Nine – Nicky Wells
Part Sixty – Vanessa-Jane Chapman
Part Sixty-One – Ravena Guron
Part Sixty-Two – Julie Catherine
Part Sixty-Three – Kai Damian
Part Sixty-Four – Richard Leonard
Part Sixty-Five – Danielle Ackley McPhail
Don’t forget to stop by next week to see what happens next.
Joe Owens — TAG! You are “It”
Write a Story With Me Contributors
Related articles
- Write a Story with Me #51: “Natalia could be the one” with Joe Owens (joeowensblog.wordpress.com)
- Write A Story With Me – Part 46 – “Fae-reness” (kaidamian.wordpress.com)
Related articles
- Danielle Ackley-McPhail’s Yesterday’s Dreams (Review) (bloodredshadow.com)
Jennifer M Eaton 