Tag Archives: jennifer M. Eaton

Rule #11 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

Posted on July 16, 2013 | 13 comments

Writing_A_Great_Novel

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 #11

11: Avoid sounding ‘writerly’. Better to dirty up your prose. When you sound like a writer, your voice has crept in and authorial intrusion is always unwelcome. In the best writing, the author is invisible.

My take on this, is to not always be perfect.

I have to admit… I’ve started sentences with “and” and “but”.  Correct?  No, of course not.  So why do it?

VOICE.

Voice is very important, especially in first person. Your character is narrating the entire story.  Do YOU think in complete sentences?  No, of course not.

We need to write how it is believable.

I recently had an editor try to “correct” this paragraph of dialog:

“You’re pretty, and have nice legs, and beautiful brown eyes, and an amazing smile if you’d ever use it, but you can’t see all these great things because you’re always too hung up on wishing you had what everyone else does.”

They wanted me to change it to be grammatically correct.  Their suggested edit:

“You’re pretty, have nice legs, beautiful brown eyes, and an amazing smile if you’d ever use it…”

The reason I pushed back on this is because the character is very emotional and upset.  He is rattling off a list of things popping into his head (and not thinking at all what he is saying)  The editor’s suggested change made it sound like he was dictating a letter with no emotion at all.

Luckily, despite not being ‘correct’ – my dialog stayed.  It is more believable this way, and conveys ten times the emotion.

Have you ever had to defend your choice of “bad” grammar/style?

Click here to tweet: Write bad to write good. Rule #11 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever from @jennifermeaton

_JenniFer____EatoN

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Rule #10 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever

Posted on July 9, 2013 | 10 comments

Writing_A_Great_Novel

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 #10

10: Don’t be cute. In [your psycho-killer novel], your [psycho-killer] should not be named Si Coe.

Now, let’s be real.  This is not an all-encompassing rule.  Simon Bar Sinister is a ROCKIN’ name, don’t you think?  And Dudley Do Right?  Classic!

Bend_the_rules

But you need to be careful with your genre. Bend the rules where it works only.  If you are writing a serious horror, you don’t want people giggling about the name.  Keep the comedy where the comedy belongs.

Click to Tweet: Bend the rules very carefully on this one: Rule #10 of 32 Simple Rules to the Writing the Best Novel Ever via @jennifermeaton

_JenniFer____EatoN

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Write a Story with Me #51: “Natalia could be the one” with Joe Owens

Posted on July 8, 2013 | 5 comments

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!

This week we welcome Joe Owens with his very first installment!

51 – Joe Owens

Even as Morath’s words echoed in Natalia’s ears her mind wandered back to moments when she was a young child. She loved spending time with father. He was as consumed with her as she was with him. But Natalia had stolen away one evening after supper when her parents were sure she was asleep to see her father once more before sleep. She snuck up into the loft of the barn and watched in amazement as he transformed into his Fae form. This magic was so beautiful, so unexpected. At four she did not understand, but she definitely never forgot that moment. Morath’s words brought all of the memories she had suppressed back to her mind.

She also remembered the conversation her parents had that night.

“Natalia could be the one,” her father declared.

“How can we ask such a thing of our child?”

“A war will come between our peoples if nothing is done.”

“I don’t like you doing this and certainly don’t want to see her involved.”

“If we stand and watch we are dooming her and her children to much worse. If this campaign to eradicate my kind continues to grow my kind will be exterminated or exiled.”

“I know Katoris! I have no answers!”

“I’m sorry my love,” Katoris said as he pulled her close. “If it does not come now I fear Natalia will face a day of great pain. As a father I just want the best for my child!”

“But is it best to lose you in a fight you cannot possibly win?”

Click here to tweet: Group Writing adventures continue! Write a Story with Me #51: “Natalia could be the one” with Joe Owens via @jennifermeaton

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

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

shayla kwiatkowski gryphonboy Jennifer M. Eaton Vanessa Chapman
Siv Maria Sharon Manship shanjeniah Vikki (The View Outside)
Danielle Ackley-McPhail Richard Leonard susanroebuck Jenny Keller Ford
aparnauteur kaidamian Eileen Snyder Elin Gregory
Joe Owens anelephantcant mysocalledDutchlife Nicky Wells
norahdeayjansen Julie Catherine Ravena Guron
jiltaroo 4amWriter mywithershins

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Aren’t stats just the coolest thing? People really do stop here. It blows me away.

Posted on July 7, 2013 | 34 comments

I just love Statistics.  Well, I love statistics that can be handed to me on a silver platter.  I leave the figuring out the statistics and other “mathy” things to Middle Dude.  His mom is mathematically challenged.

Anyway, A year ago I started counting unique visitors to my site.  I know a lot of you are here a few times a week or more (Thanks!) but I was wondering how many NEW people come.

The statistics actually blew me away.

I started calculating in mid June, 2012, and a year later, here are my stats.

free counters

This counter says that in the past year, over 12,000 UNIQUE people from the USA have stopped by my site.  That’s INDIVIDUAL people, not repeats.  How stinking cool is that?

In second place are my buddies in Canada, over 2,000 strong.  Hello up north!

And a big howdy over the pond to the 1,700+ people visiting in the UK.

All in all, people from 151 countries have visited this site.  Part of me knows that some may land here by accident, but when they hop around to find out about me, I can’t help but grin.

When you really look into your stats, and what people clicked on to bring them here, and what they looked at once they landed — well, the internet is a pretty amazing thing.  How the heck can I have a conversation with someone in Saudi Arabia?  (I’m going to bed, she’s having her morning coffee) Weird, isn’t it?

It’s incredible to me how technology can make the world such a smaller place, isn’t it?

I don’t recommend getting too obsessed with your stats, though.  I was for a while, giving myself an aneurism every time the stats dropped a bit.  They can drive you crazy, and I’d much rather spend my time writing.

What do you think? Do you love your stats or hate them?

Click to Tweet:

Do you love your stats or hate them? Looking into your numbers can drive you crazy 

Aren’t blog statistics the coolest thing? 

How many individual people visit your website? It’s great fun finding out!

JenniFer_EatonF

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Learning to Draw Manga #6 – My first inked drawing

Posted on July 6, 2013 | 6 comments

Okay, I have succumbed to peer pressure!

This week I moved on to the older character lesson.  When I looked at all the “odd” lines that I’d have to add, I was sure I’d mess this up.  When I was done, it didn’t look much like the sample drawing, but I was still pretty pleased with it.

I decided to “take the plunge” and go for the inking.

Before I did ANY erasing of my guide lines and sketch marks, I inked over them with the artist pens I picked up for Dude a few weeks ago. Then, when it was all “permanent”, I erased the pencil marks.

What jumped out at me was the eyes.  I wish now that I’d taken a picture before the inking and after, because looking at it now, I don’t even believe that I drew this.

MANGA 6 granny

It blows me away the “finished” look that the ink gives the drawing.

It almost makes me want to try color.  I said almost.  Someday.

Jennifer___Eaton

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When to say “Enough is enough” – Coming to the end of your query rope

Posted on June 23, 2013 | 21 comments

As many of you know, I have been in what I’ve called “Query Hell” for over a month now.   One month and eleven days, to be exact.

It hit me a few days ago.  I finished the first draft of Fire in the Woods in 40 writing days. It was 40,000 words at the time. (After three months of editing and beta reading, it is nearly 68,000 words)

That means that it took me the same amount of time to write 40,000 words as it took me to write this 249-word query (mainly, the 155-word blurb inside it)

How crazy is that?

A few days ago, I said. “Enough”.

This is my problem — I know I am not good at queries, so I had requested a lot of help.  Seriously – I think people were cringing. (With smiles on their faces, I hoped)

But the problem was… I was getting SO MUCH feedback, with contradicting opinions, that I was getting NOWHERE.

A few weeks ago, I complained about this process on Facebook, and an acquisitions editor at a small publishing house commented “Just write the back cover copy of the book.  That’s all we want to see”

Well, yeah, I know that.  That’s what I was trying to write… but people kept saying I needed more.  A little more voice here, a little more danger there.  It was getting TOO LONG.

A few days ago I sat down, cleared my head… thought about all the suggestions people have made… and I just wrote the dern thing.

Funny, the best parts of all their suggestions just flew out of my fingers… and I sat there and stared at it.

Wow.

I mean, I think Wow… but I’d thought Wow before… so I (being the glutton for punishment that I am) send it to three people (leaving out the person who always found flaws)

I got two enthusiastic thumbs up, and a slight modification.

I made the modification (which fixed something I was uncomfortable with anyway) and asked for one last check – including the most critical person this time. (Who I love by the way-if you are reading this)

Triple thumbs up.  And all around “I’d ask for this in a heartbeat”

**Whew**

You can’t believe the sigh of relief.  Part of me feels like I have wasted a month and a half.  I could be nearly done my new novel, but part of me realizes I have made an important first step to getting where I want to go.

The truth is, Fire in the Woods is too important to me to be flippant with the query.  I’m going to be reaching higher than I have before.  I need to take my bumps and bruises just like anyone else.

So… if you are writing your query, or your synopsis… and feeling the pain… I sympathize.  But believe that you can get to the finish line.  Believe me, if I can write a decent query, anyone can.

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Another big announcement! Can I hear a WAHOO!?

Posted on May 24, 2013 | 23 comments

I am thrilled to announce that I have signed with Muse It Up Publishing for “The First Day of the New Tomorrow”.

This will be my first (published) Young Adult piece, which tickles me to death because I just LOVE writing younger characters.  It’s so much easier to develop a story around characters who don’t have to worry about annoying “adult” things.  Ya know what I mean?

The First Day of the New Tomorrow is an “unexpected super-hero” story with an intense (and -of course- explosive) finale.

Here’s the blurb:

First Day of New

Maya dreams of perfect skin, beautiful hair, good grades, and Eric Brighton—the boy she’s been crushing on since middle school.

No matter how hard she tries, all these things elude her. New Topmorrow 3But when a creepy college recruiter arrives with news that Maya has omnipotent powers, things change quickly.

Having everything she wants is a lot harder than Maya expects, though.

Will she give it all up for the chance to be normal again, even if it means losing Eric?

0026_CracksAndCrevasses

Release date and cover reveals to follow.

Yay1!

JenniFer_EatonF

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Yay! The big Announcement for Paper Wishes!

Posted on May 2, 2013 | 24 comments

Yay1!

I am super-excited to announce that I have signed a contract with Astraea Press for “Paper Wishes”!

Paper Wishes is the Re-envisioning of “Jack and Jill, Volume One”, which went out of print about a month ago due to Still Moments being purchased by another publisher.

We’ve started new edits, and “Paper Wishes” will be bigger, brighter, and cleaner than ever!

I am totally excited about this new opportunity, and I am really looking forward to working with a publisher as diversified as Astraea.

Stay Tuned!

Release date and

new cover to follow

Wahoooo!

http://www.astraeapress.com/index.html

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Write a Story with Me # 36 – Daddy wake up! by Jennifer M. Eaton

Posted on March 25, 2013 | 5 comments

I’m bringing it back to the battle string this week, ’cause that’s where the party’s at!  Let’s rock!

36 – Jennifer M. Eaton – “Daddy, wake up!”

Yoran lulled in and out of consciousness.  Echoing blasts of battle and the throttling of wind pummeled his mind.

“Daddy, Daddy wake up.” Marci’s voice seeped into his internal chaos.

Oh! What a foul ogre a mind could be, taunting him with the voice of his beloved daughter, when he knew she was lost.  The vision of meek, weary Marci falling to her death grated against his soul, tearing and ripping to the point of insanity.

“Daddy!”

Yoran blinked twice.  His eyes stung, accosted by the sunlight shining from above.  Heaven?  Was this the great light he was to travel to?

A dark figure blotted out the sun, a form not unlike a small girl.  “Daddy, can you hear me?”  Tiny finger grabbed his shoulders, and his body shook.  “Daddy, can you feel me?”

A larger figure passed through his vision, and his face stung as a cold hand slapped him nearly off the table.

“Let’s see if he felt that.” The angry woman’s voice sliced into his heart–the same voice he’d heard pluck him from the sky.

“Sian?” His raspy voice barely sputtered the name.  His eyes focused, and she re-folded her arms, her eyes hard and glaring, just as they had been the last time he woke. She was really there.  This wasn’t a dream.

Mustering all his energy, he pulled himself to a sitting position.  His head pounded as he reached out to his eldest daughter.

Sian spat on the floor beside him.  “Save your strength, Father.  You’re going to need it.”

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!

Parts One – Twenty Nine Click Here

Part Thirty — Richard Leonard

Part Thirty-One —Sharon Manship

Part Thirty-Two — Shannon Christensen

Part Thirty-Three — Danielle Ackley McPhail

Part Thirty-Four — Siv Maria Ottem

Part Thirty-Five — Susan Roebuck

Part Thirty-Six — Jennifer M. Eaton

Don’t forget to stop by next week to see what happens next.

  Elin Gregory — TAG!  You are “It”

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Write a Story with Me # 34 – Where is my family? by Siv Maria Ottem

Posted on March 11, 2013 | 3 comments

Last week Morana stole the baby.  Oh no!  Such intrigue!  Let’s see where we end up this week!

34- Siv Maria Ottem – Where is my family?

Natalia awoke to the warmth of the sun shining on her face. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around her familiar bedroom. It felt as if she had been asleep for years. In a dreamlike state she put her hands on her flat belly and in a panic jumped out of bed.

“Now, now, no need to worry,” said an old woman as she entered the room with a tray of food. “Your child is quite safe for now. You had a beautiful and healthy baby boy.” Natalia rubbed her empty belly and sat down on the side of her bed. “I don’t remember anything. Who are you and how long have I been unconscious? What happened and where is my baby?” The last part of her question came out as a small sob and tears started to roll down her cheeks. “My husband and my children, why are they not here beside me? Please bring them to me.”

The old woman put the tray of food down beside the bed and tried to reassure Natalia. “My name is Morana and I helped you deliver your baby last night. I have seen nothing of your family but I am sure they will return shortly. You will see your baby soon, but now you must rest dear.” Morana slipped some sleeping powder into the woman’s tea without her seeing it and handed her the cup. “Drink this, you will feel much better.” Natalia took a small sip from the cup then slid back under her blanket and closed her heavy eyelids.

Morana needed to find out what had happened to the woman’s family and she knew just the fairy to ask. 

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!

Parts One – Twenty Nine Click Here

Part Thirty — Richard Leonard

Part Thirty-One —Sharon Manship

Part Thirty-Two — Shannon Christensen

Part Thirty-Three — Danielle Ackley McPhail

Part Thirty-Four — Siv Maria Ottem

Don’t forget to stop by next week to see what happens next.

  Susan Roebuck— TAG!  You are “It”

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