Tag Archives: writing

Have you ever lost interest in something you were writing?

Posted on February 23, 2013 | 44 comments

I’m in a little bit of a rut. I know I can easily write 1000 words a day (I only have about an hour a day to write) but for the past few days, I just can’t seem to do it.

For some of the time, it is because my thoughts keep straying to a different story that I want to write. I KNOW that if I followed my muse I’d be spitting out 1000+ words an hour. But if I did that, I know I probably would never get back to what I’m writing.

Is there anything wrong with what I’m writing? No. It’s just not “calling to me”—You know what I mean?

The funny thing is, I am around the bend of the “rising action” and I am staring my climax in the face. Just two more scenes until I start blowing things up. Oh, Yes! This one will make the Little Blue Lady from Mars very happy! It will make me happy… but I’m just “bored” in the process of getting there.

Is my story boring? I don’t think so (of course no one has read more than the first 500 words during Sunday Snippets.)

I know, I know… set it aside for a while and follow my muse… but I can’t. I’m writing to a deadline again. I have only a few more weeks to finish, go to beta, revise and submit… and I’d like to give myself a little extra time in case they ask for a re-write before the deadline.

Ugh.

I think part of it is that I can’t motivate myself to start, and once I get the motivation, I only have about 25 minutes of writing time left… so I dump about 450 words on the page and then have to stop. If I had more time in a sitting, I would probably be able to keep going. I guess that’s the sob story of everyone with a full time job, and a part time job plus a family to take care of.

So what about you guys? Have you ever tired of something you were writing when you were so close to the “good part?”

When writing a book authors need to be their own muse (becomeanauthordotorg.wordpress.com)
Reasons Why I Write (ears333.wordpress.com)
What Do We Mean by “Writer”? (tjamesmoore.wordpress.com)
write (awriterstake.wordpress.com)
What to Write…? (25of8.wordpress.com)
11 ideal times to write (raventools.com)
Muse, where are you? Me against my writing. (brittanywesterberg.com)
Writing Wednesday – Musing on Muses (kikiwritesabout.com)

44 Comments

Posted in Senseless Ranting

Tagged Arts, Book Writing, Dramatic structure, FAQs Help and Tutorials, i can't write, trouble writing, why can't I write, writer's block, Writers Resources, writing, Writing Exercises

I need some help with something. Got a minute?

Posted on February 21, 2013 | 62 comments

I’ve run into a conundrum. It’s kind of a good conundrum – betas are loving Fire in the Woods… until they get to one point.

I partly expected the responses:

“This is confusing, but if no one else says anything, ignore me.” And “This is distracting. Is there another way to do this?”

So, this is my problem. Fire in the Woods is told in “First Person” (the “I” Point of view)

There is a large sequence where people around my main character are speaking another language, and she can’t understand them. To keep the continuity of the story, I wrote the whole sequence in English. Then I went back and translated it.

I figured there would be some people who wanted to know what they were saying, so I subtitled it. I also figured people who wanted to stay in Jess’s confused POV would not even glance at the subtitles. So far, this seems to be backfiring.

So, this is my question: How should I handle this scene? I don’t want to keep saying over and over “they spoke in their weird language” or something like that, but I obviously can’t leave in all the foreign dialect.

Have you ever seen something like this done well in a published work? Have you read a passage where characters are speaking another language, and the POV character doesn’t understand them?

I have an idea what to do, but before I do a lot of work and screw things up, I’d like to see an example of someone doing it WELL.

Any suggestions?

An Easy Fix for a Tighter Point of View (writersinthestorm.wordpress.com)
Difficult POV (storytreasury.wordpress.com)

62 Comments

Posted in Senseless Ranting

Tagged Arts, ENGLISH, english language, language, Linguistics, Narrative mode, Natural, point of view, POV, Social Sciences, writing

Are you in the Central Jersey Area? Author’ Panel Saturday

Posted on February 20, 2013 | 8 comments

‘I’VE FINISHED MY FIRST DRAFT, NOW WHAT?’
Local authors share tips and information on getting published in today’s market (organized by the New Jersey Authors Network: http://www.njauthorsnetwork.com).

So you’ve finished the writing your book/story, or have you?

What (if any) revision work needs doing?

Where can you go for feedback?

How will you know when it’s ready to send out, and where should you try first?

Join New Jersey Authors, Jon Gibbs (moderator); Kristin Battestella; Karen Bostrom; Jennifer Eaton; Jim ‘JJ’ Lair, and Nicole Zoltack, for a fun, informative discussion on getting published in today’s market, and find out why typing ‘THE END’ is really just the beginning.

See you there for a great discussion!

8 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, Author Interview

Tagged editing, finishing your novel, how to find a publisher, New Jersey, now what, United States, writing

Write a Story with Me Part 30 – To Janelle’s Horror “What?” – With Richard Leonard

Posted on February 11, 2013 | 8 comments

Surprise! I’m changing the day for “Write a Story with Me” from Tuesdays to Mondays. Why? Well, ’cause I can! Here we go!

It’s been nearly a month since we saw Marci’s poor mom go into labor all alone! Richard Leonard throws it back to the birth string this week. Will Janelle get help in time? Take it away, Richard!

30 – Richard Leonard

Janelle was already out the bedroom door before realising the old woman was still fumbling for her walking stick. She watched helplessly as Morana shuffled unsteadily across the short distance from the bed to the other side of the night-stand where her walking stick rested, using the night-stand for support. Janelle’s mood fell as she realised how frail the old lady now was. Her magic could only do so much.

“I’m sorry, Morana. I wasn’t aware you cannot -”

“I can do this, Young Fairy. I must do this”, Morana said.

Janelle, said nothing, guilt building within her. To drag this weak old dear out into the cold night to help a woman giving birth seemed to be a cruel irony. Patience, Janelle, patience. At the same time she needed to hurry. The longer Natalia was without proper assistance the more dangerous the situation becomes.

Morana finally had the support of her stick and began a steady rhythm of shuffling towards the door and out of the house. Janelle, to ease her impatience and peace of mind, would fly up and down the street and patrol the area while Morana hobbled slowly towards Natalia’s residence. At the end of every run she would check on Natalia through the window, carefully ensuring she was still in a stable condition, sometimes offering reassurance that help was on its way.

On the way back she would arrive with relief to find that Morana had made significant progress walking up the street. This continued for several shortening laps until, to Janelle’s horror,

Oh! The mid sentance stop! What a way to leave it. Someone’s quaking in their booth figuring out what Janelle saw!

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!

Part One – Jennifer M. Eaton

Part Two – J. Keller Ford

Part Three – Susan Roebuck

Part Four – Elin Gregory

Part Five – Eileen Snyder

Part Six – Mikaela Wire

Part Seven — Vanessa Chapman

Part Eight — Ravena Guron

Part Nine – Vikki Thompson

Part Ten — Susan Rocan mywithershins

Part Eleven — Kate Johnston AKA 4AMWriter

Part Twelve — Julie Catherine

Part Thirteen — Kai Damian

Part Fourteen — Richard Leonard

Part Fifteen — Sharon Manship

Part Sixteen – Shannon Blue Christensen

Part Seventeen — Bryn Jones

Part Eighteen — Jennifer M. Eaton

Part Nineteen — Shannon Burton

Part Twenty — J.Keller Ford

Part Twenty-One — Susan Roebuck

Part Twenty-Two — Elin Gregory

Part Twenty-Three — Aparnauteur

Part Twenty-Four — Vanessa Chapman

Part Twenty-Five — Ravena Guron

Part Twenty Six — Susan Rocan

Part Twenty Seven — Kate Johnson AKA 4AMWriter

Part Twenty Eight – Julie Catherine

Part Twenty Nine — Kai Damian

Part Thirty — Richard Leonard

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

Sharon Manship — TAG! You are “It”

8 Comments

Posted in Write a story with me

Tagged anthology, Fiction, getting published, group writing, Humor, literary fiction, Literature, Manuscript, Online Writing, Recreation, Short Stories, Short story, shortstory, Walking stick, Writers Resources, writing, Writing and Editing, Writing help

Give that Publisher What They Want, Dernit! Finale

Posted on February 2, 2013 | 4 comments

I am uber stoker to be able to dig into the wild and crazy brain of someone who is out there doing this crazy publishing stuff professionally. When you read this, you’re gonna want to slap yourself silly, because this is hearing it right from someone who does this for a living. For the next few weeks, we will be delving into the slush pile with professional editor and author Danielle Ackley-McPhail

Here we go…

The Writer’s Toolbox: Give ’Em What They Want! Why Formatting Is Important By Danielle Ackley-McPhail

—————————————————————–

Here is a listing of all the Posts from Danielle on this topic. Good Stuff if you missed any of them!

Post one Don’t get all creative now!

Post two Duh – Contact Info

Post three Basics 2 – Identifiers

Post four Formatting #1

Post five Formatting #2 Advanced

Post six Ellipses, Emdash, Quotes

Post seven Keep It Simple

Summing Up

You might think this article was about the technical aspects of formatting, but you would only be partially correct. What this article is truly about is respect. If you want to succeed at this dedicated hobby you’ve chosen to pursue (believe me, you don’t want to think of it as a career…it only leads to masses of frustration) then you need to get your head in the correct mindset. You are not alone in your desire. There are countless individuals who want to be authors. There are a considerably less individuals who are in a position to make that possible. Editors have to look through hundreds, even thousands of manuscripts every year. I don’t think I have to tell you that they can’t accept them all. You know what that means? It is your job to make their job as easy for them as possible. You can do that in two ways:

Ignore what I’ve shared with you here and start deciding which room you are going to wallpaper with rejections first, or
Do everything you can to make your manuscript clean and formatted to the publisher’s preference so that technical issues don’t distract the editor from the creative aspects of your work.

Now I’m not saying if you follow all the submission guidelines your work is guaranteed to be accepted, but I am saying you stand a heck of a better chance of at least getting noticed.

Special Thanks to Danielle Ackley McPhail for this wonderful insider info!

Thanks Danielle!

Award-winning author Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for over seventeen years. Currently, she is a project editor and promotions manager for Dark Quest Books.

Her published works include four urban fantasy novels, Yesterday’s Dreams, Tomorrow’s Memories, Today’s Promise, and The Halfling’s Court: A Bad-Ass Faerie Tale. She is also the author of a single-author collection of science fiction stories called A Legacy of Stars, the non-fiction writers guide, The Literary Handyman and is the senior editor of the Bad-Ass Faeries anthology series, Dragon’s Lure, and In An Iron Cage. Her work is included in numerous other anthologies and collections, including Rum and Runestones, Dark Furies, Breach the Hull, So It Begins, By Other Means, No Man’s Land, Space Pirates, Space Horrors, Barbarians at the Jumpgate, and Mermaid 13.

She is a member of the New Jersey Authors Network and Broad Universe, a writer’s organization focusing on promoting the works of women authors in the speculative genres.

Danielle lives somewhere in New Jersey with husband and fellow writer, Mike McPhail, mother-in-law Teresa, and three extremely spoiled cats. She can be found on LiveJournal (damcphail, badassfaeries, darkquestbooks, lit_handyman), Facebook (Danielle Ackley-McPhail), and Twitter (DAckley-McPhail). To learn more about her work, visit http://www.sidhenadaire.com, http://www.literaryhandyman.com, or www.badassfaeries.com.

Website and/or blog www.sidhenadaire.com, http://lit_handyman.livejournal.com, http://damcphail.livejournal.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/DMcPhail

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/danielle.ackleymcphail

Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/Danielle-Ackley-McPhail/e/B002GZVZPQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1331314265&sr=8-1

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/989939.Danielle_Ackley_McPhail

http://www.badassfaeries.com/

http://www.sidhenadaire.com/

Why Was My Mnauscript Rejected? (literaryagentsandpublishers.wordpress.com)
Guest Post: How to Avoid the Rejection Blues by Heather Topham Wood + Giveaway (thesolitarybookworm.com)
Rejection: Greatest Hits (pikeknight.wordpress.com)
How I got my agent and what it means (victoria-writes.com)
Don’t Shrink from Synopses! (writersinthestorm.wordpress.com)
Editor Interview with Mari Farthing (luciesmoker.wordpress.com)
Partnership Publishing: the author’s and publisher’s stand-point (literaryagentsandpublishers.wordpress.com)

Formatting a manuscript-one way to do it (kimharrison.wordpress.com)
Editor Interview with Mari Farthing (luciesmoker.wordpress.com)
The Constant Search in Publishing (terrywhalin.blogspot.com)
Don’t Shrink from Synopses! (writersinthestorm.wordpress.com)
Why Was My Mnauscript Rejected? (literaryagentsandpublishers.wordpress.com)
Guest Post: How to Avoid the Rejection Blues by Heather Topham Wood + Giveaway (thesolitarybookworm.com)

Manuscript Formatting – The Basics (hugs-and-chocolate.com)
Friday Editor’s Tip: Lose the formatting! (beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com)
Last Minute Formatting Tips Using Scrivener And Kindle Previewer (michaeljholley.com)
Lessons Learned in Writing My First Novel (sebastiancoleauthor.com)

Last Minute Formatting Tips Using Scrivener And Kindle Previewer (michaeljholley.com)
Friday Editor’s Tip: Lose the formatting! (beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com)
How To Make The Most Of Scrivener For Your Manuscript (michaeljholley.com)
The Most Common Grammar Gaffes Writers Make (and How To Avoid Them) (lifehacker.com)
Lessons Learned in Writing My First Novel (sebastiancoleauthor.com)
Houston, We Have a Manuscript: Get Thee to a Printery! (therantingpapizilla.wordpress.com)

Professional Editing? (the-view-outside.com)

4 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, Uncategorized

Tagged author, editing, editor, formatting, getting published, how to format manuscript, Publishing, requirements, Slush pile, submission guidelines, submit manuscript, writing

Give that Publisher What They Want Dernit! – Keep It simple

Posted on January 26, 2013 | 3 comments

Here we go…

The Writer’s Toolbox: Give ’Em What They Want! Why Formatting Is Important By Danielle Ackley-McPhail

—————————————————————–

So far, we’ve discussed that nothing will help your manuscript if the editor in question is not even willing to read it.

We’ve discussed remembering your contact information, and some basics… How to identify yourself, and your manuscript.

Last week we discussed basic formatting. Now we’ll go into some special stuff.

Keep It Simple

Matters of Style

No matter what I type here there are going to be plenty of examples of publishers that do things different from what I’ve covered. Sometimes that is just a product of their experience or how they were taught. Sometimes it has to do with style guides. You may or may not have heard of these; the most familiar are the AP Style Guide, the Chicago Manual of Style, and Strunk and Whites. Many of these have their roots in print journalism and are meant to unify style for consistency. Basically they are journalists’ grammar and style bibles. Their use is no longer limited to newspapers or magazines. Not only do they guide a writer in matters of style, but they also cover grammar issues that are often confused or lost in depths of time-fogged memory.

Keep it Simple!

Before the time of electronic submissions not listening to this advice was one of the biggest mistakes beginners made. You would laugh your butts off if you had heard some of the stories I have about the manner in which some hopeful authors have submitted their manuscripts. We are talking complete bells and whistles here of the type you would expect from the ad campaign of a major corporation. Everything from fancy, scented paper to puzzle-box packaging, all of it intended to catch the eye and stand out like a psychedelic dream. Unfortunately, all that does is relegate your manuscript to the list of over-drinks stories editors tell.

Things might have changed now that the majority of submissions are handled electronically, but it is still important for you to know that a story should be noticed for the quality of the writing, not the inventiveness or style of its presentation. If you are submitting by conventional mail use plain white or cream bond paper and observe the formatting guidelines I reviewed above; if you are submitting electronically, don’t use fancy type or try to set your manuscript as if it is a finished book; don’t use colored text or insert photographs (unless they are a key point of what you are submitting, such as an academic text or how-to); and don’t add any other bells and whistles you might be considering. Let me be clear: The manuscript should stand on its own merit. If the writing isn’t any good, none of the flash is going to make a difference. What it will do is distract the editor from your work and likely cause them to reject it outright as being unprofessional.

Award-winning author Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for over seventeen years. Currently, she is a project editor and promotions manager for Dark Quest Books.

She is a member of the New Jersey Authors Network and Broad Universe, a writer’s organization focusing on promoting the works of women authors in the speculative genres.

Website and/or blog www.sidhenadaire.com, http://lit_handyman.livejournal.com, http://damcphail.livejournal.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/DMcPhail

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/danielle.ackleymcphail

Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/Danielle-Ackley-McPhail/e/B002GZVZPQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1331314265&sr=8-1

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/989939.Danielle_Ackley_McPhail

http://www.badassfaeries.com/

http://www.sidhenadaire.com/

Why Was My Mnauscript Rejected? (literaryagentsandpublishers.wordpress.com)
Guest Post: How to Avoid the Rejection Blues by Heather Topham Wood + Giveaway (thesolitarybookworm.com)
Rejection: Greatest Hits (pikeknight.wordpress.com)
How I got my agent and what it means (victoria-writes.com)
Don’t Shrink from Synopses! (writersinthestorm.wordpress.com)
Editor Interview with Mari Farthing (luciesmoker.wordpress.com)
Partnership Publishing: the author’s and publisher’s stand-point (literaryagentsandpublishers.wordpress.com)

Formatting a manuscript-one way to do it (kimharrison.wordpress.com)
Editor Interview with Mari Farthing (luciesmoker.wordpress.com)
The Constant Search in Publishing (terrywhalin.blogspot.com)
Don’t Shrink from Synopses! (writersinthestorm.wordpress.com)
Why Was My Mnauscript Rejected? (literaryagentsandpublishers.wordpress.com)
Guest Post: How to Avoid the Rejection Blues by Heather Topham Wood + Giveaway (thesolitarybookworm.com)

Manuscript Formatting – The Basics (hugs-and-chocolate.com)
Friday Editor’s Tip: Lose the formatting! (beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com)
Last Minute Formatting Tips Using Scrivener And Kindle Previewer (michaeljholley.com)
Lessons Learned in Writing My First Novel (sebastiancoleauthor.com)

Last Minute Formatting Tips Using Scrivener And Kindle Previewer (michaeljholley.com)
Friday Editor’s Tip: Lose the formatting! (beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com)
How To Make The Most Of Scrivener For Your Manuscript (michaeljholley.com)
The Most Common Grammar Gaffes Writers Make (and How To Avoid Them) (lifehacker.com)
Lessons Learned in Writing My First Novel (sebastiancoleauthor.com)
Houston, We Have a Manuscript: Get Thee to a Printery! (therantingpapizilla.wordpress.com)

3 Comments

Posted in Author Advice

Tagged Business, Chicago Manual of Style, formatting, Manuscript, publisher, Publishing, Style guide, submission, submission guidelines, submit, Writer Resources, writing

Why doesn’t this chapter work? The rules of writing a scene.

Posted on January 21, 2013 | 21 comments

Have you ever read something you’ve written, and know that it just doesn’t “work” but you can’t figure out why?

I’m currently reading a beta that is in probably its fiftieth draft. That’s okay. People write at different speeds. For me personally, I am reading this manuscript for probably the sixth or seventh time. Each time I read it, I am pleasantly surprised by the “growth” of the story.

So, here’s where the “Why doesn’t this chapter work” comes in. I am DEVOURING this manuscript this time around. The added scenes are spot-on. The story is exciting and driven. Then BAM! I hit a roadblock.

I hit a scene that just didn’t satisfy me. Was it written well? Yes. Did it follow the plot? Yes. So what was wrong?

I went back to a writing lesson I learned probably a year ago. It said that each scene needs to be a miniature story in itself. It has to start, have a rising action, a climax, a falling action, and a resolution. Now, I am not saying that this needs to be in depth. Think of it. A falling action can be as simple as an emotional response of a character shaking their head… but a scene really DOES need to have all these elements.

The problem with this scene is that it didn’t do this. It was a scattering of information, mostly that I already knew as a reader, and it did not push the story forward. No, it was not filler. I just don’t think the author “did what they intended” to do with that scene.

Now, I’m not psychotic. I am not saying that I look at every scene I write for rising action, climax and resolution, but I think at this point I naturally write this way… as all serious writers should.

So next time a scene is bothering me, and I can’t figure out why, I’m going to dissect it. Does it have a rising action? Climax? Falling action?

Most importantly … is something resolved?

I think that’s the biggie. If nothing is resolved (however minor) then the scene does not drive the story forward.

What are your thoughts?

If You Know Anything About Climaxes, Please Help (insideliamsbrain.wordpress.com)
The Simple Process of Creating Thought from an Idea By Katrina Stradford (mskstradford.wordpress.com)
A Necessary Chore…Editing (mandyevebarnett.com)
Fight Scene Technicalities (attackingthepage.com)

21 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, General Writing Tips

Tagged Arts, Dramatic structure, Emotion, Reading, Writers Resources, writing

I’m back! The blog tour is finally over. (Thank Goodness) – What I learned. And an ebook #giveaway for #FreeFriday #freestuff

Posted on January 4, 2013 | 46 comments

Omigosh. I can’t believe it’s finally over. This may have been the most painful thing wonderful experience I’ve ever had as a writer and I hope I never have to put myself through this can’t wait to do another one.

I just came off a month-long blog tour. 45 stops in 30 days. The over achiever in me says “Yes! Awesome! Bring it!” But the real-person side of me just wants to take a step back and sleep.

So, what did I learn? A lot. Would I do it again?

Well, at least not in the same way.

Did we get the word out? Yes.

Did we sell books? Yes.

Was it worth it? I’m not really sure yet.

I don’t think I am going to take on a blog tour this aggressively again. Will I be aggressive? You betcha! But the rest of my life shouldn’t suffer for it.

Before I dig into the things I’ve learned, let’s discuss the result…

Don’t get me wrong, this was not an overall bad experience. My fear is, though, that I may have lost some of my following because I was not “here”. That is what is really bothering me.

Soooooo… In the future, I will not be wreaking havoc across the internet for thirty days straight. I will take it easy so I can still enjoy my life, because I can’t write when I’m stressed, and that just doesn’t work for anyone, does it?

I’m going to cut back a bit on blogging too, so I have enough time for my extensive goals for 2013… but I have some great things planned.

Mondays will be my days for posting about whatever pops into my head… The fun rants on my writing, my world, or whatever.

Tuesdays will continue to be Write a Story with Me, which is still going strong, and new people are signing up. This has been a HOOT!

Wednesdays and Thursdays I will take off, unless I have a book review or something exciting that I can’t wait until Monday for.

Friday is something brand new I’m going to try out as a gift to everyone who’s supported me through all this. #FreeFridays will feature a different author every week with a giveaway. They may give away a book, an ebook, chocolate, dogs, cats, whatever. But it’s a chance for them to promote their book, and a chance at a freebee for all those who comment. Should be fun. By the way… since this is the first #FreeFriday, everyone who comments today will have a chance to win either For the Love of Christmas or Make Believe on ebook. (your choice) Yay!

Saturdays will be open to my whims, and I may not always post. But for the next month I will be featuring the continuation of author/Editor Danielle Ackley McPhail’s advice on the do’s and don’ts of how to submit your manuscript. It’s great stuff we can all learn from.

Sunday will return to Sunday Snippets, where I will showcase a snippet from my current work in progress, and invite you all to do the same. It’s a time to share a little, and see what you guys think of it. I’ve thought of making this a weekly blog hop, but it will be very informal, and I won’t kick you off if you post more than six sentences. Yeah, I’m nice that way. If you want to sign up, click here and be sure to hop around to other people’s sites to see their snippets.

Okay! Now that all of that is out of the way….. What I learned:

A few things to keep in mind when you set up your own blog tours:

1. Just because a person says they will host you, and you do the interview, doesn’t mean they will post it. Just say’n. Be ready for it. It’s embarrassing to send people to a post and have it not be there.

2. Confirm, and make sure you get confirmations. I sent out interviews and sent confirmation emails, but in one instance I didn’t get a response for the confirmation. Not sure what happened to my emails, but the host never got either, so the post ended up late. My fault for not following up better on that one.

3. There will be posts that it seems no one has read. I try to tell myself that not everyone who reads posts comments. I hope some people read some of those guest posts, because I thought they were pretty good! Try to keep your chin up. No all stops will look as successful as others, but you won’t know unless the host lets you know the number of hits.

4. Some tour stops will be AWESOME. Make a note of those people and become buddies. Luckily for me, I’m already buddies, so everyone else has to suck up to them J

5. Scheduling, doing the interview/post, telling people where you are that day, and following up and answering questions on all those other sites is time consuming and exhausting. Be ready for it. No matter how well you think you have prepared… well, you know how it is.

6. Don’t forget about Facebook. I forgot about Facebook. Oh well.

So, there you have it. The good, the bad and the ugly – and what I learned through all this monotony. For the most part, it was fun, and if I were a full time professional writer, and didn’t have another job, a part time job, a poodle that needs to be brushed, three kids with homework and a husband, it would have been no problem. But for me, I think a more leisurely pace will be the ticket for the next one.

Thanks for sticking with me! And Here’s to an AWESOME 2013! What do you have on tap for this year?

Don’t forget one commenter below will get their choice of For the Love of Christmas or Make Believe on ebook!

It’s GREAT to be back!

46 Comments

Posted in Author Advice, Free Friday

Tagged are blog tours worth it, Arts, author, beta partner, beta reading, blog tours, Christmas, critique, critiquing, E-book, editing, Facebook, Fiction, finding an agent, free ebook, free stuff, getting published, giveaway, literary agent, literary fiction, Literature, Manuscript, novel, pitch, query, query help, self publishing, synopsis, Writers Resources, writing, Writing help

Who is your literary Idol?

Posted on December 20, 2012 | 19 comments

Today I am being interviewed by J.C. Martin, the Author of the crime novel “Oracle”. As I looked over her interesting list of questions, one in particular stood out to me. At first I rolled my eyes, but then I really thought about it… “Who is your literary idol?” Now, most people will want to sound all smart and all and pick out a name from classic literature that would BORE ME TO TEARS if I read it, so I decided to be honest. You’ll have to hop on over to see who I chose.

But I am wondering… FOR REAL… who do you consider your own literary idol? A.K.A: Who do you want to be when you grow up?

Why all the hullabaloo? Well, it’s to promote my two new releases “Make Believe” and “For the Love of Christmas”

That’s why!

And don’t forget to click on “Enter to Win” for a chance to win your choice of the two titles! Yay!

Oh, I almost forgot… A few random commentors along the tour path will win their choice of anthologies, too. So be sure to hop on over and say “Hi”

ChristmasFiligree

Hop on over and send me some love!

Click on over to see my interview with JC Martin

Visit my Anthology buddies! They are celebrating too!

Posted in Author Interview

Tagged american, Arts, Christmas, idol, Literature, Oracle, writing

Write a Story with Me – Part 18 – The big Decision by Jennifer M. Eaton

Posted on October 30, 2012 | 22 comments

Yikes! It’s my turn. I decided to turn this back around. “Reign it in” so to speak. That does not mean that the daughter cannot crop up again later if someone fancies her. Here we go!

18 – Jennifer M. Eaton

“What is your choice?” Jonasc spat, startling Yoran from his deepest thoughts.

Yoran steepled his fingers and paced the room. The disgusting bug hovered at his shoulder, beside him pace for pace. He pushed the hair back from his ailing daughter’s forehead. Her darkening lips brought a hardness to his heart almost too difficult to bear.

He breathed deeply. “I have no choice. What do I need to do?”

Jonasc flittered through the air, resting on the child’s pillow. Yoran resisted the urge to swat the vile creature where it lay.

“You must bring the child to the southern ridge. The bottom of the precipice.”

Yoran’s blood heated. His body shook as he took a step forward. “That is insanity! No one approaches the precipice!”

The contemptible bug’s lip turned up. “What? The mighty warrior has not the courage? His daughter’s life is not worth the risk?”

Yoran slammed the table with his fist and strode to the window. The precipice. How would he explain such a journey? He recounted the jagged rocks, the rolling waterfalls, and the unexplainable electrical charges. How many ships had exploded just by veering off course and into an unexpected atom stream?

He straightened. The clouds rolled back, revealing a brilliant full moon. The precipice… of course. Where better than to hide a mystical portal!

He turned to the revolting winged rodent. “When do we leave?”

The creatures lip turned up triumphantly. “There is one thing you must do first.”

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!

Part One – Jennifer M. Eaton

Part Two – J. Keller Ford

Part Three – Susan Roebuck

Part Four – Elin Gregory

Part Five – Eileen Snyder

Part Six – Mikaela Wire

Part Seven — Vanessa Chapman

Part Eight — Ravena Guron

Part Nine – Vikki Thompson

Part Ten — Susan Rocan mywithershins

Part Eleven — Kate Johnston AKA 4AMWriter

Part Twelve — Julie Catherine

Part Thirteen — Kai Damian

Part Fourteen — Richard Leonard

Part Fifteen — Sharon Manship

Part Sixteen – Shannon Blue Christensen

Part Seventeen — Bryn Jones

Part Eighteen — Jennifer M. Eaton

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

Shanjeniah —- TAG! You are “It”

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Posted in Flash Fiction, Write a story with me

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