SO YOU ASPIRE TO BE A WRITER? BY RITA KARNOPP

So you aspire to be a writer?  What is the first step?  Start with determining your goals.  What?  Well, it’s not all that complicated but goals will be the most important step you take to becoming a successful writer.  What are your expectations and how are you going to accomplish them?  Map out your path to success.

Next would be to decide what genre you want to write and study the guidelines.  They are different for most genres and I’ll even add the best advice I was ever was given is from NY best-selling author, Kat Martin.  She said, “Write what you love to read.”  That advice is worth your weight in gold.

Many people study writing before typing that first word – I’m not saying that’s bad, but I will say it can be a form of procrastination!  If you have three books on writing . . .  great . . . more. . . also great.  But, don’t turn this stack of book on your office desk or on your Kindle Fire your top priority.  I’m a firm believer in diving in and learning as you go. I have books on writing - don’t get me wrong – we always should be open-minded and willing to learn how to become better writers.  I’m just saying reading about writing should not take the place of actual writing.

Have a good idea what you want your cover to look like.  Most publishers will ask for your input, and you should be prepared.  Take advantage of your publisher’s expertise and advice, but also be professional and know what your vision is.  Before I published I created book covers every time I finished a book.  Each cover represented my vision – and I had my name on them, too.  I posted them in the middle of my cork board in my office.  Did that excite, inspire, and fire me up to keep writing?  You bet it did!

Be prepared to promote your books, and start building that platform and fan base.  Know your market and be ready to be the promotional service that will send your sales soaring.

So have a vision . . . imagine that book cover with your name on it . . . set goals . . . write that book . . . and be ready to sell books.

Please watch for my fifteenth book, a suspense,Thunder. 

A Few Lines From . . . VIctoria Chatham

A FEW LINES from  COLD GOLD by Victoria Chatham

 

“Well, look ‘ee here!” The first rider grinned at her, revealing a mouthful of stained and crooked teeth that reminded her of broken tombstones. “New blood in town.”

“Hello, fancy lady,” the second rider said. “You goin’ to share a drink wi’ me before we share somethin’ else?”

The other riders dismounted and gathered around her, jostling Serena until her back flattened against the wall of the saloon. Her mouth quickly dried up. Her heart pounded. She smelled their sour breath and sweat-stained clothes, felt their anticipation and wished she had paid more attention to Sheriff Johnson’s warning.

“Oy, you lot!” Every head turned at the strident tone of a woman’s distinctly English voice. “Jasper, you idiot, you don’t know a real lady when you see one. Cal, you wouldn’t know what to do with one anyway. Tom, Walt, Clarence, stand back and give the lady some room. Clear off, the lot a’ ya.”

Grumbling, the men turned away and walked into the saloon. Serena closed her eyes and sighed with relief.

“Are you stupid, or what?”

Serena pushed off the wall and faced her rescuer. The force of the expression in the woman’s blue eyes almost caused her to take a step back again.

“I...I wasn’t thinking,” she stuttered.

“That was perfectly obvious,” the other woman retorted. “Come on, we need to get you off the street. This way.”

The woman took Serena’s arm in a strong grip and hurried her along the boardwalk in the opposite direction to the Eldorado.

“In here.” The woman opened a door and pushed her into a store redolent with the warm and wonderful aromas of coffee and fresh baking. “Go on, straight through that door facing you. I’m right behind you.”

Her rescuer’s hand, firm on her back, gave Serena no choice but to go where directed. The moment she passed through the second door, she spun on her heel.

“Just who are you?” she demanded. “And what gives you the right to push me around?”

“Well, pardon me for breathing.” Anger spiked the woman’s voice and blazed in her blue eyes. “You’d rather be pushed around by a bunch of randy miners, would you?”

“No, of course not. And I do thank you for coming to my aid, but who are you?”

“Someone you shouldn’t be seen with, that’s for sure.”

“Why shouldn’t I be seen with you?” Serena looked her rescuer up and down and might have been looking in a mirror, so similar were they. The woman was her height, dressed in clothes as fashionable as her own. Tendrils of hair, blonde rather than dark brown, framed the woman’s face and, just like Serena’s own skin, the woman had a fresh, clear complexion.

“Because I’m Lorelei Sutton and I own a brothel just outside of town.”

Buy at http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Gold-Buxton-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00F04HD1K

Visit Victoria Chatham at

www.bookswelove.com/chatham.php

www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaChatham

Join us next week for A Few Lines from Diane Bator

Ten Things Ginger Learned About Writing

For someone who has been seriously writing for the past dozen years, I've absorbed a thing or two..  The very first thing I learned is the vast difference between telling a story and being a novelist.  You must engage the reader and make them want to become part of your story, and here are a few things you can do to insure that:

1.  Hook the reader from the beginning.   It's a proven fact that if people are bored with the opening of your story, chances are they aren't going to even finish the first chapter.  Your story must be engaging...yang the reader in and hold them fast with a desire to find out more.  Make them want to put on the character's shoes and walk in them.  Don't make them guess whose POV they're reading from, make it clear, and if you change to another, make that even clearer.

2.  In order to accomplish number one, there are few more fundanmentals you need to apply.  Don't TELL the story, SHOW the reader what's going on.  The difference:  If you've amply displayed emotions, the reader is going to feel them.  Don't just TELL the reader  the heroine is crying, SHOW them the pain shooting through her heart, the emptiness in the pit of her stomach...give them someone with which they can identify.  Make them remember what it felt like to lose their first love...in other words, let them experience the pain.

3. Avoid redundancy.  The reader doesn't need to be told on every page what color the characters eyes are or that the courch is on the far wall.  As an author, I know it's easy to duplicate information you've already shared, so reading your story aloud helps you discover places where you've echoed words or information.

4.  Speaking of words echoes...this is one of my pet peeves.  I detest reading the same word over and over in the same paragraph.  I realize there are instances where the word is duplicated for a definite purpose, but most of the time all word echoes do is indicate to the reader that you're a lazy writer who doesn't want to take the time to find another word with the same meaning. 

5.  My newest "learn" is to avoid unnecessary verbiage.  For example, if you are firmly in someone's POV, it is not necessary to tell the reader who is doing the feeling, hearing, seeing, etc.  As in using word echoes for emphasis, sometimes, you will need to stress the obvious, but in most cases, using "he heard, he felt, he saw, he watched" can be eliminated. See the difference:
She watched him unfasten his belt and saw him drop his pants to the floor.
He unfastened his belt and dropped his pants to the floor.
If you are in her POV, then we already know who is watching and seeing, so why expose the obvious?

6.  Watch your apostrophes.  It's and its aren't exactly used the same way as other possessive words.  Your and you're also take on entirely different meanings.  Their and they're are another great example of two meanings, and then if you add in "there" then you have a triple threat.  These mistakes are hard to catch even if you proofread till the cows come home.  As an author, our mind reads what we think should be there, so another important tool in writing a great novel is having an aswesome critique group or beta readers.

7.  Using "that" in sentences where you don't need it, is common place. This simple mistake was the main reason "that" a very good story was rejected.  If you read the sentence again, you'll notice "that" "that" is not even required.  The rule of thumb...re-read the sentence without "that" and if it makes perfect sense, then delete "that."

8.  Avoid "ly" words when possible.  Sometimes they are a necessity for emphasis, but usually, if you try, you can find a stronger verb to use.  Example:  She stepped loudly across the floor, can be She stomped across the floor.  Or how about, he spoke softly can be he whispered.  Get the idea?

9.  Spell checker won't help in instances where you've used a correctly spelled word.  Like the apostrophe dilemma above, hear/here, there/their, to/too, then/than, and a thousand other examples.  The English language is one of the most difficult to learn, and even if you know it, it's still a challenge.

10. Don't go crazy with punctuation.  I've discovered that house rules are what dictate commas, semi colons, and exclamation points.  I was surprised upon re-releasing oneof my novels to find the editor for the current house put back in every comma the previous house had removed.  Even though I was advised semi-colons are not appropriate for fiction, you'll find them in my current version.  House rules rule, and that's not being redundant.  :)

Just for your information...some of us dislike internal thoughts, especially in third person, unless they are done extremely well.  For me, because of the sudden tense change, they pull me right out of the story and make me wonder why the author didn't just paraphrase.  See what you think:

Jasmine craned her head to the side, allowing Damon's lips to trail his lips along her throat.  Boy, does that feel good.  I hope his kisses are this good.

Jasmine craned her head to the side, allowing Damon's mouth to trail along her throat.  Her body tingled in anticipation, warmness gathering in her very core. Would she be as impressed once their lips met?

Oh, and one last tip...Avoid unnecessary tags.  If there are only two people in the room, the reader can usually figure out who is speaking.  Mary said, John said, Mary said, John whined, become boring after a while.  If you feel you must use a tag, use one showing action.  Have the character do something to identify them before or after the dialogue.  Mary crossed to the sofa...John lit his cigar...Mary moved to the window, admiring the bounty of color in the garden.  Instead of boring tags, you can add visual scenes that enhance the story.

If you want to check to see if I truly have learned anything, all my books are listed on my author's page at Amazon.
 

Points to Remember AKA Dying Brain Cells by Ginger Simpson

Writing can be a joy and a pain at the same time. Of course, when you're in the middle of writing a story, you have no idea the challenges that await you at the end. I can honestly say I've learned tons since my first book was accepted by publication, but you can never assume what you learn is set in stone. Guidelines for publishing vary from house-to-house and what an author believes is a well-written story may fall victim to the editorial red pen from hell. *lol*

There are some things you can truly believe will enhance your story if you avoid them, and I'd like to share a few with you. I have the 'whip marks' to prove that I previously engaged in using these unsavory writing practices, but no more... or at least I'm trying to train my feeble brain to avoid these pitfalls:

Avoid over use of the word 'that.' You can delete 95% of them from your story without changing the meaning of your sentence. It actually helps with the word count, but does little else to enhance your story.

Avoid prepositional phrases at the end of your sentences. To her, at him, etc., are usually implied and the reader can figure it out. Another tendency to weaken your writing if you engage in this practice.

I tend to be the queen of "Seem." This has been a hard one for me to break. For some reason, everthing 'seems to' rather than actually does something. Now I'm learning to search and eliminate these instances. Rather than saying, "his musty smell seemed to fill the room," I'll use, "his musty smell wafted upward and...." 'Seemed to,' 'tried to,' and 'began to' are considered 'stall' phrases and prevent showing the action as it unfolds.

My good friend, Marie Higgins, has kept me on the straight and narrow with her critiques when it comes to Cause and Effect. I've learned you must have a cause before you can have a reaction. Cause and Effect...Action/Reaction. If someone jumps, something has to happen first. Simple rule, but one I never thought about before it was brought to my attention.

Overuse of 'it.' Using a noun over a pronoun to strengthen the sentence is a much better idea. Of course, you have to try to avoid word echoing in the same paragraph, and you don't want to have too many names back to back. Confusing, but sensible when applied effectively. Example: If I had written the second sentence...It's a better idea to use a noun over a pronoun to strengthen the sentence.  "It" is a mystery sometimes...clarify for the reader.

Predicting dialogue. What the heck is that, you ask. I've recently learned myself. Don't place tags that describe the person's voice before they speak. Simple. Here's an example of predicting: Her voice trembled. "Shouldn't we stop?"
Should be: "Shouldn't we stop?" Her voice trembled.

Sensory details. Another good friend from my critique group, Diane, keeps me on my toes by commenting in my chapters, "what does it smell like?" I'm pretty good at describing scenes, but I often forget to include smells. Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, Sound should all be included when you write. Reader's want to sense it all.

And my latest discovery, last but not least...Avoid 'to be' verbs. These include is, was, are, were. I wondered most about 'was,' but learned when I use 'was' with an 'ing' word, I'm telling rather than showing. Same with could, would, should. These words make the narrative past tense. Example: was hearing or could hear is better written 'heard.' Could see, was seeing, is better written 'saw.'

There's tons more to share, but I'll save it for another day. By then, I'm sure I'll have even more tips for a well-written manuscript. :) Whatever you do, don't forget to put the punctuation marks inside the quotes. *lol*

A Few Lines From . . . Joan Hall Hovey

This week, a few lines from The Abduction of Mary Rose by Joan Hall Hovey

The teenage girl hurried along the darkening street, head down in a vain attempt to divert attention from herself as she headed for her bus stop, still over a block away. The car behind her was a soft growl in the still, warm air.  The day was fast fading, the sky a light mauve, only a sprinkling of stars yet. Soon it would be dark... Ignore them, she told herself. But it was impossible to do with the car following so close that the heat from the motor brushed her bare legs, like a monster's breath.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Abduction-Mary-Rose-ebook/dp/B005M4W22I/

Victoria Chatham follows me next week.

 

Ginger's Viewpoint on Editing

How many books have you read that are error free?  I've yet to find one that didn't have at least one or two minor errors, some many more, but I don't judge the creative talent and awesome story plot by nitpicking.

  I've read my books until I was thoroughly sick of them, trying to make sure I'd not overlooked anything.  Spellchecker only works if you actually misspell...it doesn't pick up on the differences between words like think and thing, words missing 'ed' or a and an.  Add in the fact that most brains read what is supposed to be there, and we're bound to make mistakes.  Does that make us a poor writer?

Of course not, but finding minor mistakes seems to be a bone of contention with some who leave reviews.  Besides editing my own work as best I can, each manuscript goes through an editing process with the publisher.  We all want to be proud of what we produce, and most brains read what is supposed to be there and don't even notice the slight errors.  I wonder what pleasure some folks get from shredding a terrific story to bits because they discovered something misspelled or misused?

I recently read a review for a fellow author's book which earned one star for the creative talent that went into the writing.  I was stirred to read the book for myself, and I was amazed how cruel and unfair the reviewer had been.  The author wrote such a fascinating story...and remember, we're talking fiction here, so people need to remember that when they criticize the creativity, yet the reviewer focused only on a few misspelled words, or totally missed the point that the author used the broken English of the western era.  In retrospect, and reviewer came across as the real dummy.

Another complaint was too many story lines.  Are you kidding me?  I love authors who add more to their secondary characters than just a name, and introduce you to back story that ultimately plays into the main plot.  I'm thinking some people should just stick to nursery rhymes...short, sweet, and to the point.  :)  I've going to post my own review of the work in question, and in my mind, just as all the other books I've read by this particular author, she's earned five stars from me.  I can't wait to dig into her next book.  I have only one question, and that's why hasn't mainstream snapped her up?

Don't be swayed by bad reviews.  Remember they are only one person's opinion, so read and draw your own conclusions.  You might be totally surprised.  :)

EDITS – ON THE DEFENSE BY RITA KARNOPP

I’ve often heard it said that writers a bit arrogant, they hate anyone making an off-handed comment about their baby.  What you ask?  The truth is, writing is a lot of pressure; demands, deadlines, choices, habits, goals, and don’t forget we must be creative.  That doesn’t always mean an author is arrogant – they are just protective of their work.  J

So let’s face it, edits are a bit difficult to face.  They really shouldn’t be – but our egos get a bit bruised.  I’ve always had the belief you can either handle it the easy way or the hard way.  Choice is yours.  So what do I mean by that?

So I finished my book; I met my deadline. Yippee.  Yet, I had a lot of personal issues (surgery, work demands, worry about children, etc.) at the time and I truly knew down deep – it was a great suspense – but maybe it needed a little more work.  So my editor gets it and points out a few holes, a couple of issues not resolved, and maybe some cleaning up is needed that should have been done- at least must be done to make the book the best it can be.

Hmmm . . . so this is not what I wanted to hear.  Right?  Right!  Now, there are two ways I can handle this scenario.

The Hard Way – When I first started writing it was soooo hard to hear anything negative about my writing.  Why?  I’m not sure – as time went on – I welcomed those comments from editors, so I could learn – improve – grow – and ultimately write better and better.  I believe this is something the novice writer must always experience – and learn from.

So – the hard way.  Well, it goes like this.  “What?  Holes in my storyline?  Not even possible. I was so careful.  I know there aren’t any holes.  How rude!  Issues not resolves – not possible.  I like how the story flowed and . . . and not every problem in life is resolved.  As for cleaning up – isn’t that what an editor is for??

Okay – the knee-jerk reaction is ‘defensive.’  That should never be the case.  If you want to become a better writer, listen to editors with an open mind.  Why do they feel the way they do?  Would the editor’s suggestions make the book better?  I’ll bet 95% of the time that answer is a resounding yes.  Drop that chip off your shoulder and allow yourself to consider the comments your editor is making.  They aren’t making ‘edits’ to point out how smart they are . . . it’s all about making your book better – and the bottom line – help you become a better writer.

Personally – I believe editors are priceless.  I’m so close to my story – I need the outside, unprejudiced review to see flaws for what they are.  I certainly don’t want my readers to point them out to me.  Yikes!

The Easy Way - This boils down to simply being opened minded and above all grateful the editor cares enough to do a good edit of your book.  Yep, how invaluable is that?  I believe it's priceless.

Another way to look at this is – we all hate . . . hate . . . hate . . . bad reviews.  A good editor will minimize those ‘hurtful one star reviews’ just by making edits that resolve issues you might hear about from readers.  Let’s face it; readers today are intelligent and savvy.  You need to be ‘on your game’ to entertain them.

When you receive edits - have a positive attitude with energy and a willingness to work the problems/issues through – resulting in a tighter, absolutely great read.

Don’t worry – The worst thing you can do is worry or be embarrassed about it.  Thrashing edits through ranting and raving to this writer friend … and to that writer friend is unproductive.  So you thought you were done – face it – you just don’t want to sit down and do the re-write.  It’s work and you want to throw a tantrum first.  That is so counter-productive.

I truly don’t know anyone who has written a book perfect the first go-round.  I like to think I write a very tight, high-octane, totally paced story that will require minimal rewriting.  If that isn’t the case, I’m just relieved my editor cares enough to ‘wake me up’ and request changes to make my story better.

You can either waste days with frustration and anger or sit down – tackle the task, and when you re-submit you know – phew! That really needed a face-lift.  Dear editor - thank you . . . thank you . . . thank you!

A Few Lines From. . . Connie Vines

Brede swallowed, trying to ignore the thick, tight feeling wedged in his throat.  He didn't welcome the onslaught of emotion that filled his chest and caused him to stroke her jaw with an unsteady finger tip.  He reminded himself that he didn't need to be involved in her problems; he had enough of his own.  As soon as the roads were passable, he'd get her to a doctor and the police could take care of the rest.

Still, no matter how hard he tried to remove himself from the situation, he kept remembering how fragile she'd seemed in his arms.  he felt as if he'd carried a sparrow, all feathers and tiny bones, out of the gully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Brede-Rodeo-Romance-ebook/dp/B00DRPHILY

Connie Vines

Expect the UnExpected!

novelsbyconnievines.com 

https://twitter.com/connie_vines

Stop back next week for a few lines from Joan Hall Hovey.

The Blame Game by Jamie Hill

I've been working on a romantic suspense series for the last two years. Already have the first two covers, absolutely love them, but the stories just haven't rattled my cage enough to come out yet. I finally decided to set them aside and think about something else. What a great decision! In the past couple months, I came up with a new romance series, The Blame Game, and the first book is already available at Amazon. 

Blame it on the Stars
The Blame Game, Book One

Teacher Catlin McCall has second thoughts about dating the father of a student, but listening to his sweet talk one night under the stars, she finds him hard to resist. They stumble into an impetuous, passionate relationship which leaves them breathless and his family less than thrilled. A not-quite-ex-wife who decides she wants her man back, combined with a pair of manipulative teenagers, make for more problems than either of them are prepared to deal with. 

Steve Naughton has no idea when he invites Catlin’s brother to join them for dinner that his fiancée has family issues of her own. Like the old adage, no good deed goes unpunished, and Steve’s surprise backfires when the truth comes to light. 

“You feel like your life got thrown up in the air, and it’s landing as a different sort of life? Yeah, me too.”  Blame it on the stars.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EOA5G3I

The first three reviews are each 5 stars.

“This book is an awesome read. Jamie has you hooked from the start! Every time I thought I knew what was gonna happen she brought in something new. I can’t wait for the next book. This book needs read by everyone!” ~ 5 Stars, Lisa, Amazon Verified Purchase

“I have always thoroughly enjoyed Jamie Hill’s writings and this was no exception. This story feels believable about a new romance, but life has a way of throwing the couple a curve ball I did not see coming! It is a fast read, and I love the Midwest setting. I recommend this book.” ~ 5 Stars, Maggie, Amazon Verified Purchase

“She had me from the beginning and I didn't want to stop reading until I finished it! Just when I was thinking "happily ever after" for the main characters, she brought in old relationships for them to deal with. Can't wait to read the next book!” 5 Stars, CMT, Amazon Verified Purchase 

~~~ 

The kind enthusiasm for book one has motivated me to finish book two, Blame it on the Moon, and release it earlier than planned. It should be available at Amazon the first week in Sept. And book three, Blame it on the Sun, is well under way! (My wonderful editor Roxanne has already prompted me to tell a fourth story, so don't rule out a book four.) 

And props to BWL Art Director Michelle Lee for another awesome set of covers. I am totally thrilled with these and have them pasted up on the wall of my home office for inspiration!

If you like sweet romance with a little bit of heat, sassy characters and kids that are too cute for their own good, come on a journey with me and read The Blame Game!

~ Jamie