Write Writing Written

QOTD: What are you reading this summer?

When summer hits, I envision writing All. The. Day. Long.

But that doesn't usually work out.

The biggest pluses for me with summer is the ease of a routine, a schedule: there isn't one. Even when we have tried to do Field Trip Friday or Taste Test Tuesday, we haven't lasted through summer. But I wouldn't change it for the world. I've come to understand that I need to 'chill out' during summer, enjoy myself and my down time, but most of all enjoy my family time, because it slips away fast.

One of my hobbies that I seem to be able to catch up on is reading. Reading by the pool, reading in the car (I take ginger to counter car sickness) or staying up late to 'just finish one more chapter.'

And I firmly believe reading and writing go together.

I find that I enjoy writing in the morning, have lunch, then read in the afternoon or evening. Reading opens my mind and creativity to other worlds and character…

Here is a short piece of a post from Chuck Palahniuk on 'thought verbs.'

The piece got me thinking about how I'm a lazy writer. I want to change that.



Typically, writers use these “thought” verbs at the beginning of a paragraph  (In this form, you can call them “Thesis Statements” and I’ll rail against those, later)  In a way, they state the intention of the paragraph.  And what follows, illustrates them.

For example:
“Brenda knew she’d never make the deadline.  Traffic was backed up from the bridge, past the first eight or nine exits.  Her cell phone battery was dead.  At home, the dogs would need to go out, or there would be a mess to clean up.  Plus, she’d promised to water the plants for her neighbor…”
Do you see how the opening “thesis statement” steals the thunder of what follows?  Don’t do it.
If nothing else, cut the opening sentence and place it after all the others.  Better yet, transplant it and change it to:  Brenda would never make the de…

I love NaNoWriMo! I love being able to let my brain dump out words that form paragraphs and eventually form a story. Not to brag (just proving my point), I can usually write 50k in a weekend. They aren't pretty words, but it is a story.

But I HATE editing. For some reason, I feel like a failure because all the words in my head come out a jumbled mess on paper (stupit, right?)

At the same time, I love editing because I can make the sentences stronger and make my story better.


Jolene Perry's class was excellent on self-editing.
Here are a few of my notes:

There are a few edit rounds:

Developmental/Big picture
Line
Fine line
Copy
Proof

LINE EDITING:
Line edits help make awkward sentences better, change passive sentences, and improve flow.

When editing, it might be helpful to plug the manuscript into a plotting method, like Save the Cat and see where the story needs fixed or is missing beats. If I find myself rethinking a scene, then I just need to cut it.

One of Jolene's advi…

I've written at least 5 YA books. I had 3 full requests from agents for my psychological thrill. All three agents left the industry within 6 months of asking for my manuscript. LE SIGH.
Recently, I switched genres. I'm trying my hand at contemporary romance now (can you blame me??).
I love writing romance! Because of my love of writing love (sheesh), I choose all romance writing classes at #storymakers19.

One of the classes was by Jenny Proctor!

This is one piece advice I'm going to use every time I start a story:
⇒Before drafting, tell a friend (or your critique group) your story. Pay attention to the questions they ask! Use their insights and questions to fill out your story.

Know your characters!
Ask WHY for everything they do.
Allow them to make mistakes.
Know their conflicts both intelluctual (false impressions and assumptions) and emotional.
Too much 'hotness' doesn't a relationship make! If you use too much 'hotness' you don't have enough char…

Years and years ago, I wrote an LDS romance. I thought it was pretty good, so I decided I needed to figure out where to send my amazing manuscript to have it published. I read about a writing conference close to where I lived and decided that is where I should start. After all, the conference title had 'LDS' in it.
The conference was smaller back then. We fit in one of the ballrooms at the Marriott hotel in downtown Provo. I'm not sure how many were in attendance, maybe 100? I got to meet so many amazing people! I'm still friends with most of them today.

I soon learned I didn't write the perfect book. That hurt my ego a little bit, which was good. I'm still learning the craft. I'm still learning I can't write the perfect book in one setting.
There are quite a few writing conferences in Utah. My favorite isLDStorymakers. I think this year there were over 800 participants and it runs for three days in May.


Life, the Universe and Everything is a fun confe…

How do words affect you?
Do you her a song and connect to it and then listen to it over and over again?
I love inspirational songs and quotes. I love when they build me up or when they make me think outside of my own box.
I was watching a Hallmark show and this song came on. I immediately fell in love with it!
The song reminds me of one of my characters.

Do you have a song or songs that remind you of a character or story?


SHOOTING STAR

Did you see that shining
Passing by at the speed of sound
Better no blink or you'll miss out
Oh oh
Beautiful and amazing
Like a thunder and lightening strike
You'll never know till she knocks you down
But you feel it coming

There she goes like a shooting star
She got fireworks in her heart
Lighting up this world with a little smile
She's on the rise and
Oh there she goes and she won't slow down
You know nothings gonna stop her now
Flying higher, burning brighter
Keep on shining like a shooting star

There you go supernova
Glowing brighter and closer
Never …

I'm so excited you all are here! Charlie is one of my favorite authors. Her books are fantastic! My review: Opening line:
"Sandis had several reasons for staying."

Ms. Holmberg is making a niche for herself in the publishing world. She has this storytelling abyss in her brain and there are so many stories she has yet to write. I think she will be writing these unusual, mind-blowing stories until she's 108 years old.

Sandis is alone in the world, but she is well-fed, has a bed to sleep and clothes. Never mind that an evil man created her into a demon vessel that he can control. She's safe, right? But one day, Sandis sees a name that makes her realize she is not alone in the world and she decides to ran away.
Rone takes thieving jobs to keep his mom safe. He has a few secrets, and one is that he has found a rare relic that makes him immortal for a minute. Before too long, his actions send his mom to hell, AKA prison.
Soon, the two are thrown together, running from …

I feel like this is a great time for a "do over"!  Are you already out of step with your New Year's Resolution? Start again with Chinese New Year!  YAY! 

Want to know which animal you are?  Here's the Chinese zodiac:

2018 Swoony Award Winners We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Swoony Awards! The Swoony Awards were created to recognize excellence in clean fiction. We wanted a reference for all those out there looking for a swoony romance without the steam. We also wanted to recognize and show our appreciation to all these great authors who write the kinds of books we love. We couldn't be more pleased with all the participation and great book nominations we received. We have found a lot of great books this year and even found some new authors to try!

So, without further ado, here are the winners...

Best Novel of the Year The Sidelined Wife by Jennifer Peel Best Anthology A Night in Grosvenor Square by Sarah M. Eden, Annette Lyon, Heather B. Moore Best Billionaire Romance Her Big Fat Foxy Billionaire Best Friend by Victorine Lieske Best Christmas Romance Keep Me At Christmas by Lucinda Whitney Best Contemporary Romance The Sidelined Wife by Jennifer Peel Best Fairy Tale Retelling Roma…