tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43935128226271205802024-02-19T06:52:47.051-06:00Unicorn BellCritique Done RightHuntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155372788872245758noreply@blogger.comBlogger1361125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-80563244828962196782018-03-12T14:51:00.000-05:002018-03-12T14:51:18.252-05:00Since I Became a Writer<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUknkPe5n_TdVsJSQFZAUVgKOS9zoZF4e4lQmMbc3qPsED2jBYYTF-zPV4vUhMr6qYnCMBs5XjAm0CC8X4Yv8iKL1Bs41G2Bni5L9k_r_o57oUQ0SkaXccVbQttvlSV4Ki9vnEsuiymS_y/s1600/annoyed-tabby-cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUknkPe5n_TdVsJSQFZAUVgKOS9zoZF4e4lQmMbc3qPsED2jBYYTF-zPV4vUhMr6qYnCMBs5XjAm0CC8X4Yv8iKL1Bs41G2Bni5L9k_r_o57oUQ0SkaXccVbQttvlSV4Ki9vnEsuiymS_y/s320/annoyed-tabby-cat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Regrets.</b> I
fulfilled ambitions. Goals were met. But I feel it hasn’t been without casting
off bits and pieces of my soul along the way. Sure, the education is fantastic.
I love the many things I’ve learned. Not only about writing but also
publishing, querying, and marketing.</div>
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The biggest regret though is editing, piercing the mind’s
eye and getting to the story via words, storyline, and clarity. Focusing on my
personal work is illuminating. But unfortunately, no one gave me the off switch
and I can’t turn it off.</div>
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And the horrible unintended consequence? Reading for
pleasure. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Since I was six,</b>
I read everything I could get my grubby hands on. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tom Jones, Bambi</i>, The Black Stallion books. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Three Musketeers</b> and about every Heinlein book. </div>
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Arthur C. Clarke, J.R.R. Tolkein, J.K. Rowlings, Tom Clancy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-XsRSn2BMr6XmHUWJBleQE-PnxFechKjc9BSjiRxWuZclpCAQPp1IELMf6mQIpj_pxDbAmmQHvYwzLUeHw7eHEC5Ss8CF8sQfZL9V2T5r86ODXM2F07Vy9XICeM5JnOOGS9PAQR79Vs7S/s1600/Tloftr-rotk-logo.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="1600" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-XsRSn2BMr6XmHUWJBleQE-PnxFechKjc9BSjiRxWuZclpCAQPp1IELMf6mQIpj_pxDbAmmQHvYwzLUeHw7eHEC5Ss8CF8sQfZL9V2T5r86ODXM2F07Vy9XICeM5JnOOGS9PAQR79Vs7S/s320/Tloftr-rotk-logo.svg.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Rabbi books by Harry Kelmelman (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friday, the Rabbi Slept Late, Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out</i>), Mary
Stewart (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Airs Above Ground, The Ivy Tree</i>).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZAMRvJ1mhYYdExpACJHy5pTiQr9xE6KaFOcTnc7c_XguPYXetE6UQUB4dqMlqe0HXOrQutEWxa02_D8W3IDryGNphlpXzYq37DT9F-n9wtnLAJfjjPE5OmZ0NRhG90PsuSzDqKFeASTq/s1600/airsabovewm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZAMRvJ1mhYYdExpACJHy5pTiQr9xE6KaFOcTnc7c_XguPYXetE6UQUB4dqMlqe0HXOrQutEWxa02_D8W3IDryGNphlpXzYq37DT9F-n9wtnLAJfjjPE5OmZ0NRhG90PsuSzDqKFeASTq/s1600/airsabovewm.jpg" /></a></div>
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So many great books. So many wonderful places I’ve gone
without leaving my house. </div>
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*sigh*</div>
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Once any book, any genre interested me. Fiction, fantasy,
autobiography. Any novel, any subject. </div>
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I don’t know what happened. But my lack of interest
coincided with becoming an author. </div>
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<h4>
Am I alone or have others have found themselves in the same
patch of the woods.</h4>
<br />Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155372788872245758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-63735194493995181852018-01-15T09:31:00.000-06:002018-01-15T09:34:02.208-06:00Cold Days, Warm Thoughts, Hot Cooking<h4>
Doing something a little different for my blogs, Unicorn Bell and Spirit Called. Since we are all interested in food, well...</h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFgzFcf4r2kHvh7XDxMo7Y0gGnE1Xq7y4R_3TO3E8z60-0HBpJ3Pfg39U2Dbe7q8trBJnG7Kduen5PsATPze0n2b2YxO4YxuzmYaSsCdayUGNwrPnTJc2kOkeVuh76cordNkU3ZZT_zYE/s1600/hot+rolls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFgzFcf4r2kHvh7XDxMo7Y0gGnE1Xq7y4R_3TO3E8z60-0HBpJ3Pfg39U2Dbe7q8trBJnG7Kduen5PsATPze0n2b2YxO4YxuzmYaSsCdayUGNwrPnTJc2kOkeVuh76cordNkU3ZZT_zYE/s320/hot+rolls.jpg" width="240" /></a>I'm an on-again, off-again cook. Cold winter days and no lawn work leads to
the kitchen.<br />
<br />
I have a relative who has a problem with gluten. She avoids wheat and even
has stomach upsets if the restaurant leaves a crouton on her salad. <br />
<br />
When store bought bread gave me the same problems, I wondered if gluten was
the reason as well. On a whim, I munched on my homemade bread and was amazed
when nothing happened. Nothing. No problems. <br />
<br />
One friend said it’s the preservatives in store bought bread. I don’t know.
I just know it ain’t the wheat or gluten.<br />
<br />
My favorite recipe is for hot rolls. It’s a combination of recipe book, my
long-departed mother-in-law, and me. This is for a bread machine but can be
adapted for those without one:<br />
<br />
<b>To bread machine:</b><br />
1 ¼ warm water<br />
¼ C butter<br />
1 t salt<br />
1/3 C dried milk<br />
<br />
<b>Then add:</b><br />
1 egg mixed with ¼ C sugar<br />
<br />
<b>Add:</b><br />
3 ¾ c bread flour (I always use King Arthur brand)<br />
<br />
<b>Make a well and add, </b><br />
1 ¾ t yeast.<br />
<br />
Set machine on dough. Mine takes 90 minutes to mix, knead, and rise.<br />
<br />
<b>Form </b>15 rolls and place in greased 9x13 cake pan.<br />
<br />
<b>Cover.</b> Let rise 20 mins.<br />
<br />
<b>Bake</b> in 400 degree oven for 15 – 20 mins.<br />
<br />
<br />
For more information, go to the<a href="https://www.kingarthurflour.com/" target="_blank"> King Arthur Flour </a><br />
Great recipe for<a href="https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/bread-machine-bread-andmdash-easy-as-can-be-recipe" target="_blank"> Easy Plain Bread</a> is on their website.<br />
<br />
For my favorite crusty French bread-type recipe, go to <a href="https://spiritcalled.blogspot.com/2018/01/cold-days-warm-bread.html" target="_blank">Spirit Called.</a><br />
<br />
<h3>
Enjoy.</h3>
Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155372788872245758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-12528062110762982122018-01-08T01:00:00.000-06:002018-01-08T01:00:37.020-06:00Herding Sheep<h3>
Misdirection.</h3>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Misdirection fascinates me. From books to TV shows to movies
and, of course, magic, this is the pinnacle of a good storyline. Keep the audiences
guessing. When they gather at the gate like sheep, close the easy exit, and
open another. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before I knew what it was called, my earliest recollection
of misdirection was the short story:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpRzNH1rWvhtv67XbTW9zF3-rju_Z2swT_mTsbUyeMiihexroR8R9T6Wv5g9YDUwtTGxGxE3frw2ZeJnedx9AVyDfzONhRdHGJUOBBT2xeFd6Pvf6G3YJWlnMnR1FHmz1cb7kEGMLdMAB/s1600/starfield-2276843_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="640" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpRzNH1rWvhtv67XbTW9zF3-rju_Z2swT_mTsbUyeMiihexroR8R9T6Wv5g9YDUwtTGxGxE3frw2ZeJnedx9AVyDfzONhRdHGJUOBBT2xeFd6Pvf6G3YJWlnMnR1FHmz1cb7kEGMLdMAB/s200/starfield-2276843_640.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://sites.uni.edu/morgans/astro/course/TheStar.pdf" target="_blank">The Star by ArthurC. Clarke.</a> A devout man, an astronomer traveling the cosmos, questions his
faith when faced with the ancient destruction of a planet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Distractions started me down one path and when Mr. Clarke’s
revelation came in the last sentence, it always leaves me breathless. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Misdirection, when the
reader’s attention is focused on one element.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Longmere</i>, a
modern-day cowboy/sheriff of a small town. I was slow to catch on to the
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ljsuEtdlErV83LlsqMSlQ4aFpL3I6d9rkeH6zEDdGH3JF_nHZqknCmGrcFVDH5hwDt-SY6KnuRxMVkPplxc-sln3DW5kFTkHi58qPcKRxq-tVb4MhvwNyxqBdtb2kWB38C9iOMf7RBjZ/s1600/1710011-robert-taylor-longmire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ljsuEtdlErV83LlsqMSlQ4aFpL3I6d9rkeH6zEDdGH3JF_nHZqknCmGrcFVDH5hwDt-SY6KnuRxMVkPplxc-sln3DW5kFTkHi58qPcKRxq-tVb4MhvwNyxqBdtb2kWB38C9iOMf7RBjZ/s200/1710011-robert-taylor-longmire.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">existence of this series that premiered in 2012. It became one of my all-time
favorites this fall. The storylines juggle between characters and intertwine
like a braided rope. Just when I think I know where a plot is going, the story
herds me down a different alley like a border collie. Keeps me off centered.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Distraction; when the
audience sees a shiny object and misses the palmed coin.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfpElolFkVEe2LRVfbOW2jUwYe-DT7-zffnwLtnFlItst-OZkY7j5Uz7zr0eVYoDPNC9xpXGeQf5lc1mvzd29U_gEH2NqLn-JXGnesFCjpYVsB3QD3OHsuPtuk68Ts6xnVtSX3hotQIbt/s1600/star-trek-2009-movie-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1015" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfpElolFkVEe2LRVfbOW2jUwYe-DT7-zffnwLtnFlItst-OZkY7j5Uz7zr0eVYoDPNC9xpXGeQf5lc1mvzd29U_gEH2NqLn-JXGnesFCjpYVsB3QD3OHsuPtuk68Ts6xnVtSX3hotQIbt/s200/star-trek-2009-movie-poster.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Star Trek,</i> the
2009 reboot. When all is lost and Captain James T. Kirk faces certain death at
the hands of Klingon, he utters one, devastating line to his enemy: “I’ve got
your gun.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Twists and masterful shifts keep readers on tippy-toe. Make
them believable and know the attainment of the title, Writer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If they can guess the plot, the writer loses. If the reader
gasps, you win. </span></div>
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<h3>
Actually, everyone wins. </h3>
Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155372788872245758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-41384717700105004072018-01-01T13:49:00.000-06:002018-01-01T13:49:36.899-06:00Twitter Pitch<h3>
Have Manuscript, Will Pitch</h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Opportunities are far and few between in the world of the budding writer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a great chance to be noticed, coming from the award winning blog, IWSG, Insecure Writer's Support Group:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first #IWSGPit was amazing!</span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;">
We had about 2300 Tweets and became a trending topic on Twitter.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-twitter-pitch.html" target="_blank">The next #IWSGPit will be Thursday, January 18, 2018! </a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-twitter-pitch.html" target="_blank">8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time </a></div>
</span></i><div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxENXjMgnyDpLTZ6u4PvA5oZtf-ripD0QQl0I88X76iJ_ZSx8do8YF2mHulJ_5uR8EPF1OvgFxVVv426pfdXRbiPn91VZdWY8qp2PkxaVPXYJ9lO61KIJtLbecDpQoOhCLKvKG6spBOs/s1600/IWSG_pitch2018.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxENXjMgnyDpLTZ6u4PvA5oZtf-ripD0QQl0I88X76iJ_ZSx8do8YF2mHulJ_5uR8EPF1OvgFxVVv426pfdXRbiPn91VZdWY8qp2PkxaVPXYJ9lO61KIJtLbecDpQoOhCLKvKG6spBOs/s320/IWSG_pitch2018.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Create a Twitter-length pitch for your completed and polished manuscript and leave room for genre, age, and the hashtag. On January 18, Tweet your pitch. If your pitch receives a favorite/heart from a publisher/agent check their submission guidelines and send your requested query. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many writers have seen their books published from a Twitter pitch - it’s a quick and easy way to put your manuscript in front of publishers and agents. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Rules:</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Writers may send out 1 Twitter pitch every 1 hour per manuscript. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Publishers/Agents will favorite/heart pitches they are interested in. Publishers can either Tweet basic submission guidelines or direct writers to their submission guidelines. (Writers, please do not favorite/heart pitches.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No images allowed in pitches.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pitches must include GENRE/AGE and the hashtag #IWSGPit. </b><br /><br />Ages: <br />#C - children’s<br />#MG - middle grade<br />#YA - young adult<br />#NA - new adult<br />#A - adult<br />Genres: <br />#AD - adventure<br />#CF - Christian fiction<br />#CO - contemporary<br />#F - fantasy<br />#H - horror<br />#HI - historical<br />#LF - literary fiction<br />#MCT - mystery/crime/thriller<br />#ME - memoir<br />#NF - non-fiction<br />#PB - picture book<br />#PN - paranormal<br />#R - romance<br />#SF - sci-fi<br />#WF - women's fiction</span><br /><br /><h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sounds most excellent. </span></h3>
<br /><br /><br />Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155372788872245758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-48795512561772182642017-09-26T06:00:00.000-05:002017-09-26T06:00:05.909-05:00Black & White by Nick Wilford<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Today we welcome Nick Wilford to the blog to introduce his new book. And, of course, he's given us a "what if?" to ponder...</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Say you existed in a perfect society with everything provided that you could wish for, but you had no knowledge of the outside world. What if you suddenly learn of the existence of another country which is blighted by poverty and disease, and have the chance to help at least one of its inhabitants, even though doing so means you risk being detected by the government and potentially never seeing your family again?</span>
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<b>Title</b>: Black & White</div>
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<b>Author</b>: Nick Wilford</div>
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<b>Genre</b>: YA dystopian <b><span style="color: red;">Series #</span></b>: 1 of 3</div>
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<b>Release Date</b>: 18th September 2017</div>
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<b>Publisher</b>: Superstar Peanut Publishing</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> What is the price paid for the creation of a perfect society? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Whitopolis, a gleamingly white city of the future where illness has been eradicated, shock waves run through the populace when a bedraggled, dirt-stricken boy materialises in the main street. Led by government propaganda, most citizens shun him as a demon, except for Wellesbury Noon – a high school student the same age as the boy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Upon befriending the boy, Wellesbury feels a connection that he can’t explain – as well as discovering that his new friend comes from a land that is stricken by disease and only has two weeks to live. Why do he and a girl named Ezmerelda Dontible appear to be the only ones who want to help? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As they dig deeper, everything they know is turned on its head – and a race to save one boy becomes a struggle to redeem humanity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Book-One-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B07395MKSH" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Amazon US</span></a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-White-Book-One-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B07395MKSH" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Amazon UK</span></a> / <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/737919" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Smashwords</span></a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-white-nick-wilford/1126893697?ean=2940154483671" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Barnes & Noble</span></a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/black-white-15" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Kobo</span></a> / <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/black-white/id1265741649?mt=11" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">iBooks</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Add it on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35512981-black-white?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Goodreads</span></a></span></span> </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Meet the author:<o:p></o:p></span></b>
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Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those early morning times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. Visit him at <a href="http://nickwilford.blogspot.co.uk/">blog</a> or connect with him on <a href="https://twitter.com/NickPWilford">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6967635.Nick_Wilford">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NickPWilford/">Facebook</a>, or <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nick-Wilford/e/B00G3CWVO2/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1">Amazon</a><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of my collection A Change of Mind and Other Stories or a $10 giftcard!</span>
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</span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="d348796e3" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d348796e3/" id="rcwidget_d0l68tzy" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-12138222719705407252017-07-19T08:00:00.000-05:002017-07-19T08:00:17.518-05:00What I Learned in School<i><span style="color: purple;">Today, M. J. Lovgren is back to give us another post. (If you recall, she wrote about<a href="https://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-accidental-short-story.html" target="_blank"> accidental short stories back in March</a>.) Take it away, M. J...</span></i><br />
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The great thing about Catholic school is that the survivors always recognize each other. You can be at a party or talking with someone at Starbucks or chatting in an elevator; and they’ll say, “I went to Saint Ignatius or Holy Apostles or Sacred Heart grammar school. It doesn’t matter where those schools were, you recognize each other. “Omigod, you say,” I went to Saint Catherine’s Academy in Podunk, Iowa.” The other person’s school was in Manhattan.<br />
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Doesn’t matter. It’s all the same, particularly if you’re of a certain age where there were no lay teachers and the nuns reigned supreme. Pretty soon you’re sharing stories of crowded classrooms, weekday Masses, singing Gregorian chants from phonetic lyrics on the blackboard. This works particularly well if you grew up on the Latin Mass. <br />
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St. Ambrose Elementary school is where I learned to write. The best thing about these old parish schools was their emphasis on the arts. We sang, we drew, we wrote. We learned grammar and spelling. We learned how to write essays. But most importantly, we learned something called “creative writing”. And we learned not to be afraid of a blank page. <br />
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To this day, I don’t outline, whether I’m writing an article, a blog, a short story, or even a novel. I just do what I learned to do at St. Ambrose. I think a little about what I’m going to write, and then I jot down some quick notes that will be my road map – a beginning, a middle, and an end. Even in my tender single-digit years I was learning classic story structure.<br />
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Anyone who’s ever taken a writing class or read a book on how to write knows about the shitty first draft. I learned this in grade school. The important thing is to get it down. Then you can go back and correct it, polish it, dress it up in its best clothes. I still do this. I’ve learned you can’t rush the process. Things will change as you go back over what you’ve written. They’re supposed to. No one wants to read your shitty first draft. <br />
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Take your time – even if you’re on deadline. It will come to you. It will happen. But you have to keep at it. For me, rewrite takes about three times what I spent writing the first draft. The third edit is the slowest. That’s where I haul out the Thesaurus, look for the right word, finalize the structure – you get the idea. It’s like polishing the silverware. I want to get rid of the last bit of tarnish and let its essence shine.<br />
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I also learned something important in my freshman year in college. I was lucky enough to go to Pomona College, one of the Claremont Colleges. In 1888, it set down in what is euphemistically called the Inland Empire in Southern California. Pomona College looks like New England stuck on the opposite coast. I applied there because I liked the ivy-covered buildings. True story.<br />
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I loved the English classes. They were unlike anything I’d previously encountered. The first semester was devoted to Anthropology – don’t ask me why. Ruth Benedict’s <i>Patterns of Culture</i> was quite the eye-opener to a Catholic school girl. But it was the second semester that focused on writing. We were used to fooling our high school teachers with vacuity disguised by padding. I think they must have graded us by the pound. Our professor was having none of this. <br />
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Our first assignment was to read and report on Faulkner’s short/long story, “The Bear”. We gave it our all, and I’m sure none of us understood it. I still don’t. But senseless prattle didn’t cut it in this classroom. We reeled under a torrent of “D”s and “F”s. Class discussion centered on our outrage.<br />
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“What did you mean by this?” our professor asked, his voice dripping with displeasure as he’d read passages from several papers. The hapless authors always gave answers as inane as their papers. Most common was, “I know what I mean, but I can’t explain it.”<br />
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“If you can’t explain it, you don’t know what it means,” he roared back. This man was obviously not going to be fooled by the weight of our papers. What to do? We decided we had to learn to write differently. That was a long time ago, but it’s yesterday in my mind. It’s important to be precise. To understand everything you put on paper, to know why it’s there, and communicate it clearly.<br />
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Whenever I find I’ve written a bunch of pretty words that are actually obfuscation, I will ask myself: “What does this really mean?” If I can’t answer that, I probably have to throw this out.<br />
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So what did I learn from these two classroom experiences? Think about what you want to write. Have a plan, but keep it simple. Just get it down, you’ll have to rewrite. <br />
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You learn the most from people who challenge you. <br />
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Above all, when you write, be sure you know what it means.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-74566622588758494202017-04-04T01:00:00.000-05:002017-04-04T01:00:09.103-05:00Three Authors - There Be Fantasy Here<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Three of my favorite authors</b></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> have books coming out this spring. Patricia Briggs, Margaret Weis, and Robin Hobbs are contributing to my bottomless desire for new reading.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17499087_10208353857697698_3170043701929858266_n.jpg?oh=b9c04cfc51bfb73ef862475b6d0c51f1&oe=596B6FF1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17499087_10208353857697698_3170043701929858266_n.jpg?oh=b9c04cfc51bfb73ef862475b6d0c51f1&oe=596B6FF1" width="179" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Margaret Weis</b></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Like other people seek oxygen, I inhaled the books of team Tracy Hickman/Margaret Weis in earlier times. I could never get enough. By the time Ms. Weis released the </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Star of the Guardian</i></span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> series, I thought I knew what I was getting. Boy Howdy was I wrong. The level of writing, the intrigue, the political morass; it was an amazing set of books, one of the kind of tales that I want to read again and again just to see if I missed something.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enter </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spymaster. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Released March 21st, this tome is sitting in an UPS truck and making its way to my home even as I type these words. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Spymaster-Dragon-Corsairs-Margaret-Weis-ebook/dp/B01L7B9VG4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490970971&sr=1-1&keywords=spymaster" target="_blank">Spymaster, The Dragon Corsairs</a></b></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjswONxhy9qowgBchYSprauaFgIkKjCGd6y-oqjqFQgMgFMIAnN5xU7hQH3Xl8EFzUt07yF5Is4ozBmssk7vuZYs9zHAPc-45k3wSCf5tHRKg7PPzBq53b62Bh7I4tnWVr4o-JM5Y9aEYv/s1600/silence-fallen-by-patricia-briggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjswONxhy9qowgBchYSprauaFgIkKjCGd6y-oqjqFQgMgFMIAnN5xU7hQH3Xl8EFzUt07yF5Is4ozBmssk7vuZYs9zHAPc-45k3wSCf5tHRKg7PPzBq53b62Bh7I4tnWVr4o-JM5Y9aEYv/s200/silence-fallen-by-patricia-briggs.jpg" width="131" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Patricia Briggs.</b> Already at my side and consumed is </span><a href="http://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Silence Fallen b</span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">y Patricia Briggs.</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Her continuation of the Mercy Thompson series came out March 7th. I was introduced to Ms. Briggs’ books via a wonderful employee at Barnes and Noble. It was the third book, </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Iron Kissed, </span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">but I was hooked even though I usually don't start a book series in the middle. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her <i>Alpha and Omega</i> series branches off in another direction without losing the rich history of the shifters and werewolves. My personal favorite is Bran, the Marrok or leader of the werewolves. I sincerely want much more of him. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Fallen-Mercy-Thompson-Novel-ebook/dp/B01H17UAF4/ref=pd_sim_351_16?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AVKP8MDFW4BXMDX6KVGC" target="_blank">Silence Fallen</a></b></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i></i></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Robin Hobbs. </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks to the advice of my good friend <a href="https://mainewords.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marcy,</a> I started a new series </span><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The Farseer Trilogy </i><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">a couple years ago. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Little did I know the journey I was about to take. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0r32nZsetCo076XwYCqQXLHrSpqI-TVtMICydaPS8aNqNnYNpy0pRWYWpEn_DzA0pgYHhB0YDdZqyq7X6nZUn3veFdJU_7GbnBVnv3b1xLuVo-VnMEtnhonE6fe8XuVB8iU_eVknjnnDs/s1600/cover-reveal-assassins-fate-by-robin-hobb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0r32nZsetCo076XwYCqQXLHrSpqI-TVtMICydaPS8aNqNnYNpy0pRWYWpEn_DzA0pgYHhB0YDdZqyq7X6nZUn3veFdJU_7GbnBVnv3b1xLuVo-VnMEtnhonE6fe8XuVB8iU_eVknjnnDs/s400/cover-reveal-assassins-fate-by-robin-hobb.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fitz</span></td></tr>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fitz and Fool evoke such emotions. Scenes about Nighteyes are wonderful, difficult, thought-provoking, and a dozen other emotions. Fifteen books later, my enthrallment has not waned. </span></span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">May 9th, the release of the last of the Fitz and Fool trilogy is due, <i>Assassin's Fate. </i>The cliffhanger at the end of <i>Fool's Quest</i> was a killer, btw.</span></span><br />
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Fate-Book-Fitz-trilogy-ebook/dp/B01GYPQRYM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1490972238&sr=1-1&keywords=robin+hobb" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Assassin's Fate</span></a></i></b></span><br />
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you like the urban fantasy/fantasy genre and haven't tried these, give them a go. It'll keep you in reading material for a long time. </span></span></h3>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Depending on how fast you read :D</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span>Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155372788872245758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-63405170072037289452017-03-30T08:00:00.000-05:002017-03-30T08:00:08.580-05:00The Accidental Short Story<span style="color: purple;"><i>A topic that's come up in my writing group is blogging. (Apparently I'm the resident "expert".) I invited one of the members, M.J. Lovgren, to try her hand at writing a blog post. Let us know what you think... </i></span><br />
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I saw myself as a novelist, and pooh-poohed short fiction – even though I loved reading it. Then I started writing short stories by accident. Here are some of the things I learned.<br />
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Making things shorter can be difficult. As Henry David Thoreau observed, “Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.”<br />
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A novel, by its very nature, allows the writer more time and more room. Short stories have to entice the reader and make a point within the same rules – a beginning (inciting incident), a middle (main story), and an end (climax and denouement). They just have to do it faster.<br />
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Even the definition of what is “short” can vary. It can be as concise as flash fiction or almost as long as a novella. I’d put Alice Munro in the second category. (And she won the Nobel Prize for short stories.) Yet, one of my favorites is “<a href="http://www.flashfictiononline.com/f20090204-dinosaur-bruce-holland-rogers.html" target="_blank">Dinosaur</a>,” a lovely 300 word tale published by Flash Fiction Online and The Sun.<br />
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Here’s the accident part.<br />
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I didn’t start out to write a short story. I simply wanted to take a little side trip to discover more about my novel’s antagonist. A nasty piece of work, William was (and is) a middle-aged sociopathic killer. I just couldn’t grasp what made him tick, even though I had done plenty of research. It is generally thought that sociopaths (aka psychopaths) are born not made.<br />
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So I tried writing about him as a pre-teen. His anger and frustration with his next door neighbor, Mary Ellen, came pouring out of the computer. The short story is set in the same place and time I experienced as an eleven-year-old tomboy. But this time it’s William and Mary Ellen climbing the trees in the vacant lot behind my house. What happens next told me how William viewed the world and what motivated his actions.<br />
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This is one way to develop a back story and biography for a main character – something we are continually advised to do. Approaching this in the usual way, i.e. answering standard questions about the character, didn’t work for me. I found it tedious and boring. But turning this exercise into a short story made me immediately understand this character who had been so elusive.<br />
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So, if you find you’re stuck trying to make a character come alive, and the conventional methods don’t work, try writing a short story about him or her. You might like it!<br />
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Posted by M.J. Lovgren<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><i>...And for what it's worth, I've read a good portion of this novel, and William is... scary...</i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-76266991183432627642017-03-28T08:00:00.000-05:002017-03-28T08:00:21.949-05:00Time & Circumstance by Theresa Milstein<span style="color: purple;">Today we welcome Theresa Milstein to the blog for the release of her new book, <i>Time & Circumstance</i>. She's been kind enough to give us a "what if?", and scroll to the bottom to enter her contest. </span><br />
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<b>What if you could control time? What would I do?</b><br />
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If I wanted to control time for my own gains, I could buy stock in Apple when it was low or something like that to make me rich. Then I could write full time, have a cool place to live in the city, and a nice house on the beach.<br />
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Or if I wanted to control time so I had more time, I could slow it down and finish all the to-do items on my list. My stress level would go down. Weekends could be mine again!<br />
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If I could control time, I would love to relive special moments. One example is the trip my family took to Paris many years ago. We each picked on thing that we wanted to do. My daughter chose the Eiffel Tower. Her face lit up when we rounded a corner and it first appeared before her. I took a photo to capture it. My son chose the Arc de Triomphe. I enjoyed watching him stare at all the details up close. The last night we ate at a restaurant that served all of our favorite foods. I would love to relive that trip again. <br />
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Many poems in my collection are about recollecting a poignant period of time in my life: “1986,” “First Apartment,” “Un-Perfect Moment,” “Measure,” “Concert,” and “Summer Song.” For me, writing vignettes help me capture those all-too-fleeting moments.<br />
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<i>“The trunk of this family is lost to history / Photo fragments remain as shadows”</i></div>
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With subtle wit, and poignant imagery, the unrelenting passage of time connects the vignettes in Theresa Milstein’s <i>Time and Circumstance</i>. This reflective collection of real and imagined poetry and prose, speculates on an erratic childhood, the uncertainty of adolescence, and the reality of parenthood, through flashbacks of love lost and found.</div>
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<i>“This everyday, why again, sometimes / ignored tune has measured time in notes, / seconds, minutes, days, years, and so it goes. / It’s a measure of the man he will become.”</i></div>
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About the author:<br />
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Theresa Milstein writes middle grade and YA, but poetry is her secret passion. Her vignette collection, TIME & CIRCUMSTANCE, will be published by Vine Leaves Press in March 21, 2017. She lives near Boston Massachusetts with her husband, two children, a dog-like cat, and a cat-like dog. For her day job, she works as a special education teacher in a public school, which gives her ample opportunity to observe teens and tweens in their natural habitat.<br />
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<b>Leave a comment, and you’re eligible to win a prize during my blog tour! </b><br />
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1 $25 Amazon gift card<br />
1 signed paperback copy<br />
1 ebook<br />
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Answer the question:<br />
<b>“If you could relive any moment in time, what would it be?”</b><br />
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Extra entries if you share on Facebook or Twitter and link it to me.<br />
@TheresaMilstein on Twitter.<br />
@Theresa Milstein on Facebook<br />
#ReliveMoment or #TimeandCircumstance<br />
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<i>Winners will be announced on April 5, 2017</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-54436990342535616692017-02-24T08:00:00.000-06:002017-02-24T08:00:16.274-06:00Fantasy Novel Match<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
So, um, ahem... It's been a while. I meant to post something this week about something, but stress got in the way. Long story, that.<br />
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But, when I want to zone out, sometimes I find quizzes to play online. Test my knowledge and all that. So, that's what I'm going to leave you with today. A quiz.<br />
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<a href="https://www.sporcle.com/games/Cutthroat/fantasy-novel-title-match" target="_blank">Fantasy Novel Match</a></h3>
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It's timed. You only get so many chances. But you'll probably do better than my dismal 60%. Feel free to brag in the comments.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-47999052521682846162017-01-18T08:00:00.000-06:002017-01-18T08:00:45.035-06:00Let's Write a Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I totally meant to write something this week. And life kind of got in the way. That's kind of how my writing's been going lately, too.<br />
<br />
So, let's jump start our writing. You know the game. I start us off with a sentence. In the comments, you continue the story. You may write as much or as little as you like, just so long as you continue the story where it left off with the last commenter.<br />
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<b>The doorway shimmered in the fading light until it almost disappeared...</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-91776685198751941602017-01-12T09:38:00.000-06:002017-01-12T09:38:57.065-06:00Small Press: How Solvent?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZOiJ8dMoBjD8rQQOYNl11uXLAWmpzimkaULAcmOMs-UBKajz7KHjovE6BhyysuQptZxmvVZixwAmatn1jjEQ9mJPp2f0wH4GaVc6TnNP4z8C6Q1yeGbEicogZIWP8E0aUEaVzmzEuGKd/s1600/alibris_book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZOiJ8dMoBjD8rQQOYNl11uXLAWmpzimkaULAcmOMs-UBKajz7KHjovE6BhyysuQptZxmvVZixwAmatn1jjEQ9mJPp2f0wH4GaVc6TnNP4z8C6Q1yeGbEicogZIWP8E0aUEaVzmzEuGKd/s320/alibris_book.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>After an agent </b>accepts our manuscript, euphoria erupts. We turn
virtual handsprings and tell everyone the good news. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Your words. Your manuscript. You dream of the <i>New</i> <i>York</i>
<i>Times</i> <i>Bestseller</i> list, fame, money, news conferences. But, not so fast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The agent who you worshipped, the one who offered you a
contract, just quit her job at the literary agency. And the agency isn’t
interested in your baby. So, you begin again to find representation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Or let’s say you submitted to a small press. They accept and
seem to adore your writing. You sign a contract and you are back in business. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Then, the unthinkable happens and the publisher declares
bankruptcy and all your efforts are for naught.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, what are some of the reasons?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My publisher, Musa,</b> was amazing. To all their authors and</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEd4PgQ0a7S0uBEvVdnCf1QAi8CkwwmWizLGubcospdLmiSY1sVSucmoxnFgZud49iWpvsKcVeilrKtbiktzZyAlDzF8otiv8enFZ9d5YvXTZGv3xPdd2zhXdKb7hwLfEAAzV6aTwZwYjm/s1600/willie+wonka.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEd4PgQ0a7S0uBEvVdnCf1QAi8CkwwmWizLGubcospdLmiSY1sVSucmoxnFgZud49iWpvsKcVeilrKtbiktzZyAlDzF8otiv8enFZ9d5YvXTZGv3xPdd2zhXdKb7hwLfEAAzV6aTwZwYjm/s1600/willie+wonka.png" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">
employees, Musa seemed solvent. I received my checks on time and they answered
emails promptly. Sadly, I didn’t appreciate how fantastic they were until after
they shut their doors two years ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The publisher seemed to be going strong. They’d hired more staff, publicists, editors,
and creative talent. E-books were offered rather than print. An E-zine was
popular. And yet, they couldn’t do it. Maybe they tried to expand too much, an
overload of authors. Don’t know. Bottom line, it didn’t work out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">But they did right by us. They promptly return our rights
and we received our last checks, every penny.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUjcEMRdv3Gas_fC9MMCp7NEZW0nIH8yaid8wnrukLZwAnzQtqpLZ4FgR9Ek_KS-yFssJWj0TTUQ0nw9_E3twzNt7laUeareXJaYRBV16k2bJBaztZeZgvwulf8eaJt0-IzROKI5UOPRa/s1600/william-shatner-khan-scream-quote-star-trek-wrath-of-khan-500x375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnUjcEMRdv3Gas_fC9MMCp7NEZW0nIH8yaid8wnrukLZwAnzQtqpLZ4FgR9Ek_KS-yFssJWj0TTUQ0nw9_E3twzNt7laUeareXJaYRBV16k2bJBaztZeZgvwulf8eaJt0-IzROKI5UOPRa/s320/william-shatner-khan-scream-quote-star-trek-wrath-of-khan-500x375.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Example of another,</b> less scrupulous publisher is <i>All Romance e-Books, ARe. </i>They gave their
authors three days notice and generously offered ten cents on the
dollar for the last quarter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">They came to the decision to keep ninety percent
for themselves, you see, so they can avoid bankruptcy. Not that they weren’t
raking in the cash. They just decided to keep it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All the time, they were offering gift cards before Christmas and asking
authors if they wanted to advertise on their site. I received a request about
the middle of December for an advert spot. Imagine my displeasure if I’d taken
them up on it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">They
knew they were having trouble but chose to slither along. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Romance Writers of America, RWA,</i> released a statement that read in part:</span><div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">RWA finds it unconscionable for the owner of ARe to withhold information so long and to continue selling books through the end of the month when the company cannot pay commissions. RWA contacted ARe but has not yet received a response.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a last kick in the pants, ARe email to authors stated: </span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“...published authors are offered rights reversion on condition that they consider this "a negotiated settlement of your account to be 'paid in full'...”</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ain’t that special? Holding the authors' rights hostage?<br /></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmXqU9hwbyZTcLpMifc_v9VpIlguTJJGAblO2ZBWkawl3DeHrzJZweGl_AACkjdVIPuDxWCUrc63xZwbKzTNDWaljekVzW4jhqki0jYrMkxKKB7GRCygMk3djCVSDWW8xxp96PC-LjsCN/s1600/f9cef892-2fa8-b635-6ca3-901ce6342860_TWD_403_GP_0530_0050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmXqU9hwbyZTcLpMifc_v9VpIlguTJJGAblO2ZBWkawl3DeHrzJZweGl_AACkjdVIPuDxWCUrc63xZwbKzTNDWaljekVzW4jhqki0jYrMkxKKB7GRCygMk3djCVSDWW8xxp96PC-LjsCN/s320/f9cef892-2fa8-b635-6ca3-901ce6342860_TWD_403_GP_0530_0050.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>How do you know</b> if your publisher is running out on you? Given the above examples, the good and the horrible, I'm not sure an author can. Some good links I have posted below might help but in the end, I think we take our chances. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>I'm sticking with self-publishing. </b>Maybe I'm not making a ton of money but it's enough to pay the groceries. I'll be the first to know if my publisher—ME—decides to go out of business. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/small/" target="_blank">Science Fiction Writers of America</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2016/12/all-romance-ebooks-sudden-closing-many.html" target="_blank">ARe Sudden Closing</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2012/04/guest-blog-post-why-small-publishers.html" target="_blank">Why Small Pub Fail</a></span></div>
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Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155372788872245758noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-16654576680340461092017-01-02T07:00:00.000-06:002017-01-02T07:00:02.723-06:00Dear Unicorn Bell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dear Unicorn Bell,<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two years ago, Kristin
Smith asked me if I’d like to join Unicorn Bell. Huntress and the other
moderators welcomed me with open arms. The fact that you all saw something in
what I was doing on my blog, and you invited me to join you here, thrilled me.
Thanks, ladies!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">And thank you to all
Unicorn Bell readers for embracing me and my Dear Writer posts. Your comments,
shares, and support were amazing, I was honored to be able to share writing
advice and writerly motivation. I truly hope I helped and inspired you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today is a new year,
though. I am sorry to say that I will be stepping down from being a Unicorn
Bell moderator to make room for other responsibilities. I’m going to
continue blogging at <i><a href="http://www.writewithfey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Write with Fey</a></i>, but even
there I’ll be blogging a little less. This will allow me to focus on writing, freelance
editing, and being an administrator for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (my
big job with them is the monthly newsletter).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Before I go, let’s take
a walk down memory lane. Here are all of my Dear Writer posts published on
Unicorn Bell:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Writing
Advice:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/06/dear-young-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Young Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/06/dear-aspiring-author.html" target="_blank">Dear Aspiring Author</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/12/dear-late-blooming-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Late-Blooming Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/08/dear-writer-not-writing.html" target="_blank">Dear Writer Not Writing</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/03/dear-time-strapped-writer_11.html" target="_blank">Dear Time-Strapped Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/05/dear-blocked-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Blocked Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Writing
Life:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/04/dear-withdrawn-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Withdrawn Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/06/dear-degree-less-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Degree-less Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/08/dear-scrambling-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Scrambling Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/10/dear-distracted-writer-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Dear Distracted Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/10/dear-pmsing-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear PMSing Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/09/dear-im-worst-writer-ever-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear “I’m the Worst Writer Ever!” Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/09/dear-my-writing-sucks-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear “My Writing Sucks!” Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Writing/Publishing:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/03/dear-lazy-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Lazy Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/03/dear-scared-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Scared Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/03/dear-mad-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Mad Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/08/dear-impatient-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Impatient Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Marketing:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/08/dear-confused-facebook-author.html" target="_blank">Dear Confused Facebook Author</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/11/dear-debbie-downer-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Debbie Downer Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Editing/Critiquing:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/06/dear-beta-readers-and-critique-partners.html" target="_blank">Dear Beta Readers and Critique Partners</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/06/dear-writer-with-editor.html" target="_blank">Dear Writer with an Editor</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/11/dear-editing-is-crap-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear “Editing is Crap!” Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/11/dear-i-hate-grammar-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear “I Hate Grammar!” Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Goals:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/10/dear-goal-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Goal Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/06/dear-unfocused-writer.html" target="_blank">Dear Unfocused Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Inspiration:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2015/03/dear-uninspired-writer_9.html" target="_blank">Dear Uninspired Writer</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thank you again for
making my time at Unicorn Bell special.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve cherished your
friendship, and I look forward to continuing it. You can sign up for my <a href="https://vr2.verticalresponse.com/s/chryschroniclesnewsletter" target="_blank">free monthly newsletter</a> for updates as well as giveaways. (I’m doing a 12-Month
Book Giveaway throughout 2017!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ll see you around the
blogosphere. :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">XOXO,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chrys Fey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Author of Hurricane Crimes, 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and
Witch of Death. Blogger. Reader. Auntie. Vegetarian. Cat Lover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-62754315492928448762016-12-23T20:43:00.000-06:002016-12-23T20:53:29.771-06:00 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Being A Writer<br />
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Sorry for the delay of today's post. I waited for my new charger/adapter because it's burdensome to write, format and upload blog posts on my phone. Alas, it came but it was the wrong one. So here I am, working on this post on my phone and no other computer at my disposal as I've started my winter vacation from work.<br />
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So here goes...this writing journey we're on isn't always easy. But it's it'd be nice to know a few things before that first step to one day being a published author.<br />
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<b>Chrys</b><br />
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I wish someone had told me just how hard it is to be a writer. Being a writer isn’t simply the act of writing a book but rewriting it, revising it, and editing it again and again until you either hate it or it’s as “perfect” as you can get it. Then, if you want to publish, there’s the all-new ball game of querying, rejections, rejections, and more rejections. After that comes the hard work that follows a contract; getting the book ready for publication, which could take a year.<br />
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What. You don’t think I’m done, do you? I’m just getting started. What comes next is the hardest part of all. Once you have a book/eBook published, it’s time to market: find readers and get reviews. Unlike the previous steps, these two tasks never end. And sometimes, they only get harder. There’s no one right way to do it. All a writer can do is everything in his/her power.<br />
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So, no, it’s not easy being a writer, but those who are passionate will grit their teeth through it and keep on keeping on. Or…keep on writing on.<br />
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<b>Marcy</b><br />
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I wish: someone had told me to get involved with other writers, told me that revisions are absolutely necessary (yup, didn't know that when I started, thought a novel should just come out perfect the first time, lol), and that practice eventually makes pretty good :)<br />
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<b>CD Coffelt</b><br />
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Things I wish someone had told me... Biggest on my list is how much rejection hurts and how hard it is to overcome. The iron skin comes with time but after publishing, prepare yourself for snarky reviews.<br />
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<b>Angi </b><br />
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The first thing I wish I’d been told about being a writer is about how lonely it can be. While I’ve been blessed with a wonderful support system for writing, not everyone has that luxury, and it can make it terribly hard and lonely for them. Even writers with great support systems are bound to run into someone, even within their support system, who isn’t interested in hearing about the latest plight their characters have become mired in. Or that isn’t interested in hearing about all the interesting facts they discovered about the process of rigor mortis, or about life in Ireland in the 1600s while they were researching their latest manuscript. Sometimes they’ll get to share these facts with someone, but other times, they’re going to be stuck with keeping that information inside their own heads. It’s also lonely because often non-writers don’t understand how frustrating the process can be. They don’t understand that you don’t know how long it’s going to take to write it, or how long the book is going to be. They also don’t understand how much research has to go into making certain things accurate. They don’t get the desolation of writer’s block. This is one reason why having a great support group is so important, even if the author has to find an online writer’s community to rejoice with them when the writing’s going well, and to commiserate with them when it’s not.<br />
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Other things I’d wish I’d been told was how much research you have to do. Well, that’s as long as you don’t want to get angry letters from some attorney telling you that your attorney character would have never handled a case the way he or she did, not unless they were trying to get disbarred. Or have some nurse tell you that your nurse wouldn’t have conducted the procedure you had them conduct because they didn’t have the authority to do so, even if they possessed the knowledge to. Or have a forensic expert tell you that there was no way your police officers would have received the DNA results in the timeframe they did, even if the lab wasn’t backed up. Or have some history professor tell you that there was absolutely no way your heroine would have been allowed to do something or own something you claim she did or owned, due to the laws of the time period you set your story in. Or that an article of clothing your character was wearing wouldn’t have been possible because your story was set a good decade or more before that particular article of clothing existed, or that it was called something different at that time and that the name you used for it didn’t exist until fifty years after your story was set. Then you have the joy of deciding how much of your research information to include to be accurate without creating an unnecessary infodump. I’ve had to research the resulting damage from a meteorite impact; proper police procedure when someone finds a body; the procedure for a heart transplant; laws of inheritance (and I STILL don’t have that one 100% clear!); the rate of decomposition of the human body under certain conditions; and what type of impact would be required to break both femurs at the same time. (Did you know that the femur is the hardest bone in the human body, and that it takes roughly 1700 PSI to break it? And that’s an average, since other factors can be involved, such as the angle of the impact, the person’s health and age, etc.)Ah, and number three is a hard one. Dealing with rejection. It stings at the least, rips a hole in you at the worst. There’s no quick and easy cure for it, either. You just have to develop thick skin. But rejection is one of the hardest ones to deal with. Most writers start out because they start writing and they generally get good responses. That opens the possibility to them that hey, maybe they actually have the talent to get published. But then they start sending their babies out into the world and they find that no one else wants them. So then they start second-guessing their capability. Maybe they don’t have the talent everyone led them to believe they have. New writers especially need to find the company of other, more experienced writers. Most more experienced writers are going to tell you what’s wrong with the story, but you need to be prepared to hear the truth, since some writers are more gentle in their criticism and others are less so. I’ve even seen some who are pretty brutal in pointing out the problems with another’s work. Rejection stings. I don’t care if it’s your first time or your 2,001st time. It stings. You just have to realize it’s not personal. Maybe that particular agent had already waded through 50 other horrible zombie apocalypse novel submissions before reaching yours and their eyes were crossing. Maybe they had just signed their third vampire romance and knew their house wouldn’t stand for just one more, even though they loved yours. Maybe they were having a bad day and you misspelled their name. Maybe they knew the market was already glutted with motorcycle-riding PIs. Or maybe you didn’t pay attention to their guidelines and you missed the fact that they just aren’t interested in star-crossed lovers who commit suicide at the end. But you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. And sometimes it hurts to realize that this particular manuscript should just be retired and stuck in a drawer for a while. Maybe you could dust if off after you’ve had several bestsellers. Or maybe you’ll pull it out with that intention, only to discover it actually was pretty terrible and you can justifiably burn it.And I also wish someone had told me about the investment of time. You have to make time to write. It’s not going to come just naturally built into your day. You have to make a conscious decision to write, and then you have to do it, no matter what. You have to set a schedule for yourself and you have to stick to it. Will you take a day off? Will you work short periods seven days a week? That’s up to you, but you have to set it and stick to it. If you sit around thinking that you’ll write when you have time tomorrow, you’ll find that tomorrow comes and you don’t have any time to write. And then you’ll think you’ll write the next day, and then next, and the…well, you get the point.There are other things I wish I’d been told, but this is probably too long as it is. In spite of the things I wish I had been told, I wouldn’t change any of it for anything. Because one thing I knew without having to be told was how wonderful you feel when you finish a manuscript, the sense of accomplishment that fills you. And sometimes that makes all the hard stuff worth it.<br />
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<b>Me</b><br />
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What I wish someone told me about writing?<br />
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Like how the bible wasn't faxed straight from heaven, all those books on the bookstore shelves didn't appear out of nowhere. You can think that you can write a book or write better than a particular author(s). But you're not just writing a book. You're doing so much more. You're giving yourself with every word, edit, revision, beta testing, querying, rejection and doubt, rewrite, etc. again and again again. You might have a better chance at getting hit by lightning than making a living writing. Even with all or lack thereof the marketing and publishing at your disposal once you do get a deal, there's no guarantee you'll be a successful or bestselling writer. Yet you can't help but to write anyways. Because you're a writer.<br />
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What do you wish someone told you before you started writing? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-40869256928186035622016-12-21T09:00:00.000-06:002016-12-21T09:00:01.320-06:00Best Gifts You Should Give a Writer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />It's part two of this week's special roundup with the UB bloggers. And with Christmas days away of course today's post is about gifts. And in particular, gifts you'd like to receive, as a writer.<div>
<br /><b>Chrys</b><br /><br />Well, I wish I could get an agent for the book I’m shopping around, but that’s not something anyone could give me. Although, it is my biggest Christmas wish.<br /><br />A few good gifts for writers are a couple of ink cartridges, a portable keyboard, a lifetime subscription for Microsoft Office Home and Student, a bookcase, and Scrabble. But the best gift of all would be purchasing one of their books (if they’re published), reading it, and posting a review on Amazon and Goodreads. This gift is priceless.<br /><br /><b>Marcy</b><br /><br />Gifts: Definitely buy an author's books (and tweet about them!), a good pen (I like the Micron 005, which is probably too fine for many but I draw, too, and it is so smooth AND it's archival), maybe a wireless mouse (those pesky wires), Roget's Thesaurus (if they don't already have it), or any one of the following: Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale, and a foreign language dictionary (very helpful if you write fantasy, imo), an adult coloring book with some good colored pencils, and hand lotion (the good stuff you get at the nice shops that smells divine).<br /><br /><b>CD Coffelt</b><br /><br />Gifts for Writers. Easy-Peasy. Notebooks, pens. How about an external drive to backup your precious manuscripts? An Amazon Prime membership. Or a gift card to Dreamtime or IStockphotos.<br /><br /><br /><b> Angi </b><br /><br /><br /> There are several things that I feel would be the best gifts for a writer. First, there are the obvious big-ticket items. A new laptop or computer; writing or editing software; enrollment in one of the proven writing workshops, like Clarion; an external drive for storing previous works and the current WIP; a new printer; or ink and paper for the new printer or for their current printer.<br /><br />Yeah, those are all dream items, but not everyone has the finances for those types of purchases. So for those whose funds are a bit more limited, there are always other options. Notebooks; pens and/or pencils; writing books like Writer’s Market, On Writing Horror for your Horror writers and other genre specific books for writers of other genres, as well as police procedurals for writers who might write mysteries. On second thought, police procedurals are great for any writer to have, simply because police procedure might pop up in other genres as well. There might be a murder in a romance, or someone might be arrested in a horror manuscript, and that author needs to know just enough about police procedure to know if their scenes involving the police are accurate. Medical references are also good, so the author will know if the injuries they described from a car accident are in keeping with the description of the accident. They also need to know if any activities they described the character doing after the accident would be possible with the described injuries. Other books would include Elements of Style, The Chicago Manual of Style, and On Writing. On Writing doesn’t take you through proper grammar and sentence structure, but there’s some sound advice in it, along with a good dose of humor as you read about the early life of Stephen King. And we can always use some comic relief in life, right?<br /><br />Other great ideas are gift cards for Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or other bookstores. Those are great because if you’re not sure what types of books the writer wants or needs, they can decide for themselves. They might even choose to pick a book for reading pleasure, and I agree with Stephen King’s assertion that writers should both write a lot and read a lot. Filing cabinets can also be a good idea for the author, depending on the individual writer’s needs.<br /><br />And don’t forget the nice little gifts that will allow the writer to pamper herself or himself! A favorite perfume or cologne; a day of R&R; or something else that you know is near and dear to the writer’s heart.<br /><br />Hope this gave you some interesting ideas for the writer in your life!<br /><br /><b>Me</b><br /><br />Books. Books, books, books. Did I already say books? Everyone knows I'm a book lover but for the life of me, only once did I receive a book as a gift. And that was when I was a little girl and the director of the daycare I went to, who noticed I loved to read, gifted me Fudge-A-Mania. Loved that book so much that it became in tatters. Unfortunately, I don't have that book anymore because it was thrown out one day by my mom/aunt during a move. Hint, most writers like to read. So even if you don't know which book to get, they pretty much make it easy for you. Just check out the writer's Goodreads library shelf. And whatever they haven't read yet and what they want to read, you get. Another good gift to give a writer are pens. Yes, pens. And I'm talking about the nice ones that seems to siphon the words from you like flowing water. Also, giving a good review. There's no greater gift than that too. You can also give extra adapters (especially in my case), USB drives or a tablet with keyboard works too.<br /><br /><br />What other gifts you'd like to add to give to a writer?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-39621884393042204592016-12-19T07:00:00.000-06:002016-12-19T08:35:44.689-06:00Social Media Hashtags Writers Should Follow and Why<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzgy_QLOzwdISlSxEDWH9JAJ9yW3g-gT_-afK1e_OiFT4hOELLuFI1ETpA58jiXxCKxkVaL5fdLZPKyHixInh7gIYioj7lhCdeSjhRj5Mmd4zjyvtYvqQCOqSs9JXZbomY-fzWgr1zqg/s1600/Social+Media+Hashtags+Writers+2.0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzgy_QLOzwdISlSxEDWH9JAJ9yW3g-gT_-afK1e_OiFT4hOELLuFI1ETpA58jiXxCKxkVaL5fdLZPKyHixInh7gIYioj7lhCdeSjhRj5Mmd4zjyvtYvqQCOqSs9JXZbomY-fzWgr1zqg/s400/Social+Media+Hashtags+Writers+2.0.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
More than a few blogs posts ago I did a post about Twitter hashtags on my blog. About which ones a writer should follow and why. Then I had a crazy idea, well maybe not crazy. More like cool. What if I had everyone on Unicorn Bell pool their knowledge. And share their nuggets of information on the same subject. But this time on a broader scale.<br />
<br />
So that’s what we’re doing today and for the rest of the week. We’re doing a writerly roundup this week and today’s post, see the post title, are about hashtags.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Chrys</b><br />
<br />
Two Twitter hashtags I believe all writers should follow are #MSWL and #StoryDam.<br />
<br />
Using #MSWL, you can find out what agents and editors are looking for. These tweets let writers know what kind of manuscripts are on their wish lists and when to query. You can also check their website <a href="http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/">www.manuscriptwishlist.com</a> for agents’ profiles with a more detailed list of what they’re looking for in general.<br />
<br />
#StoryDam is a weekly chat that happens on Thursdays at 8pm ET. Every Thursday, there are 6 new questions that you can answer using the format A1: (Your Answer) for one tweet, A2: (Your Answer) for your next tweet, and so on. Tweet, retweet, favorite. Get to know other writers, make friends, and gain advice. The questions are posted on their blog/website. <a href="http://www.storydam.com/">www.storydam.com</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> Marcy</b><br />
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Twitter: I don't tweet much but I do like #MSWL - it's very helpful!<br />
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<br />
<b>CD Coffelt</b><br />
<br />
Hashtags. Many hashtags I followed in the beginning are extinct. The one hashtag I still follow is #querytip. A writer never knows when something good might pop up.<br />
<br />
#amwriting is one of my all-time-favorites, if not for information then as a virtual hug and encouragement.<br />
<br />
Facebook is more “buy my book” screaming but Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors is great for advice. As a sidebar, I belong to several family groups that are closed to the public. It is a great way to exchange information and photos. I love that aspect of FB.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Me</b><br />
<br />
I’d said it once already and I’ll say it again. Definitely think about participating in #WIPjoy. Your story feeling stagnant? Your writing journey is making you feel isolated? #WIPjoy is a month long event. And a good way to rejuvenate the feelings of love and passion you first had when you started writing. Like finding out that the love is still there in a relationship. Plus, you get to network with and befriend other writers. The next #WIPjoy part is January 2017. Just follow @simmeringmind for the <a href="http://simmeringmind.com/about-wipjoy/">details</a>. And follow the daily prompts and post on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.<br />
<br />
Have any social media hashtags you’d like to promote? Why?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-44477495619697500892016-12-02T08:00:00.000-06:002016-12-02T08:00:34.161-06:00100 Best Novels QuizLike Monday and Wednesday, today I'm giving you another quiz to play.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhialoMd7x-Bp3nSIfpWkdAm-McvdrsPGRPxX6k7yVf23186QvXDL53ivpL715mtehMU8HeO1P_PbjSoRDEp3HvGmuoPLW8eujrpPI2Y22Q7-LMu6rmwOypts6njlDAIbFY4Pet0VWnH4wL/s1600/What+if+question+marks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhialoMd7x-Bp3nSIfpWkdAm-McvdrsPGRPxX6k7yVf23186QvXDL53ivpL715mtehMU8HeO1P_PbjSoRDEp3HvGmuoPLW8eujrpPI2Y22Q7-LMu6rmwOypts6njlDAIbFY4Pet0VWnH4wL/s320/What+if+question+marks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div>
This one is a bit of a challenge. And they give you 15 minutes to do it in... </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/jakethegoldfish/scattered-literature-modern-library-board" target="_blank">Modern Library Board's Best 100 Novels</a></h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This quiz only shows 55 of them, but it's kind of particular. The titles are between 2 and 9 words long, and the full title (including all articles) must be entered for it to read. But, all the words in all the titles are given. Just...in alphabetical order. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A few tips:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Just type titles into the typing bar. It'll fill in the correct spot for you. </li>
<li>Spelling...counts. But, all the words are on screen, so you can check your spelling.</li>
<li>The top 100 novels by the Modern Library Board is a thing. I bet you could look it up. Not that I'm advocating cheating or anything... </li>
</ol>
<div>
Again, I'd love to know how you did in the comments. I didn't cheat, and it shows in my score... </div>
</div>
<div id="spoiler" style="display: none;">
108/198 words. 54%. It looks like I missed 27 of the 55 titles (although, they don't count it like that).</div>
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Show/hide</button>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-22569049403934297322016-11-30T08:00:00.000-06:002016-11-30T08:00:23.284-06:00Guessing the First 200 WordsIt's the end of NaNo. Tomorrow's December with holidays and parties and decorations and stress. Let's take a load off...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHWiBh3cZZ_iFz1RgLodQ0NV1p5XTSk3BEVM7xqXzCyyLvz0rEaXjNRE4zH-48c2f6tTksuL7Sx4LdxJMfAot5sVLywq525a1BWUI-OhKrso5X4hBW9Gi_fLxJnYl-Kmt14b0DOLYUOHM/s1600/question-mark-213671_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHWiBh3cZZ_iFz1RgLodQ0NV1p5XTSk3BEVM7xqXzCyyLvz0rEaXjNRE4zH-48c2f6tTksuL7Sx4LdxJMfAot5sVLywq525a1BWUI-OhKrso5X4hBW9Gi_fLxJnYl-Kmt14b0DOLYUOHM/s200/question-mark-213671_1280.jpg" width="157" /></a></div>
<br />
...with a random quiz. This one is going to take some time (15 minutes), but it's not as hard as you think.<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/lolshortee/first-200-words-to-kill-a-mockingbird" target="_blank">First 200 Words: <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i></a></h4>
<div>
A few tips: </div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>You'd be surprised how many "and" and "the" are going to show up. As well as the other usual words that we use to make sentences make sense. Start there.</li>
<li>You don't have to go in order. Start with the obvious words. And all instances of the same word fill in at the same time.</li>
<li>It reads down in columns, so the first word is in the first box, the second word is <u>below</u> the first word, etc. </li>
<li>Spelling counts. Capitalization doesn't matter. They fill in the punctuation. </li>
</ol>
</div>
Good luck. Let me know how you did in the comments.
<br />
As for me... <br />
<div id="spoiler" style="display: none;">
I got 140/200 or 70%.</div>
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(Full disclosure: I did cheat. A little. If I had the book, I would have cheated a lot.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-86955344955330007082016-11-28T08:00:00.000-06:002016-11-28T08:00:11.761-06:00Books by Their Covers QuizDid everyone have a pleasant Thanksgiving? Since it's Cyber Monday and the end of November (for all you NaNoers out there), I thought I'd keep things easy. How about a little literature quiz?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXAm82sbtb-gOs3nDbPnF4TkJH0ZN3tAl9fB32dM0ApWh2Pz4M3qS7TIM5slFYPfLS9r93pPnglFuyvjKvU2eFVN__kALaP4Xfz5hImfj0VTQDGp5p_eGgFXMpz0Nt3Eh23g8ed85nPQ_/s1600/7004084680_46fea91b78_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXAm82sbtb-gOs3nDbPnF4TkJH0ZN3tAl9fB32dM0ApWh2Pz4M3qS7TIM5slFYPfLS9r93pPnglFuyvjKvU2eFVN__kALaP4Xfz5hImfj0VTQDGp5p_eGgFXMpz0Nt3Eh23g8ed85nPQ_/s320/7004084680_46fea91b78_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcleod/7004084680/in/photostream/" target="_blank">(c) Scott McLeod</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This quiz shows you a book cover, and you have to come up with the title. Some of them should be familiar. Some of them might not be.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.sporcle.com/games/g/bookcovers" target="_blank">Books by Their Covers Quiz</a></h4>
<div>
A couple tips: </div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>You don't have to go in order. If you recognize a cover, just type the title into the typing bar. It'll fill in the correct box for you.</li>
<li>You don't have to worry about "the" or "a". I skipped all sorts of articles, and it still found the correct box. </li>
<li>No one will know if you cheat... </li>
</ol>
</div>
Please let me know how you did in the comments. If you want to know how I did, feel free to click on the "spoiler button": <br />
<div id="spoiler" style="display: none;">
19/24 or 79% </div>
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(And no, I didn't cheat. If I cheat, I get 100%.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-3827409623785561012016-11-21T14:20:00.000-06:002016-11-21T14:20:03.753-06:00Three Writerly Dohs!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbagtxr4fdGQAXTCEpsjqZmJt5inTLAZ5WQQq08x1b6pX-_OLuLknMWOnATZiszxvZsnH_bN6gc2d5Sx8Yl_jBwKnis_RHjB_5PB08uuRJ5_SO9WR2Ce8NvrDcaHnTFSITwichc9EQyIh/s1600/IMG_0632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzbagtxr4fdGQAXTCEpsjqZmJt5inTLAZ5WQQq08x1b6pX-_OLuLknMWOnATZiszxvZsnH_bN6gc2d5Sx8Yl_jBwKnis_RHjB_5PB08uuRJ5_SO9WR2Ce8NvrDcaHnTFSITwichc9EQyIh/s320/IMG_0632.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As a writer and blogger, I’ve stumbled down many an alleyway mostly due to naiveté. And chasing squirrels. Lots of squirrels.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I recognize how stooopid they were, those instances of Doh! and I cringe. Of the multitudes of *facepalm*, three big Don'ts stand out. And since most writers have little time to dink around with long posts, here is:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Monumental Advice Number One</b></div>
<br />Tell no one you are writing/have written a book. If you have a spouse who supports you, it’s okay to tell them <i>(she said grudgingly)</i> but use digression. If he's a talker, well...<br /><br />By keeping your writing career mum, you will avoid these Questions.<br /></span><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“So where is your book? I keep checking the NYT bestseller list but *insert the snark here* haven’t seen your name."</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“I saw this ad about publishing your own book. They call it a vanity press. Why don’t you use them?”</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">“It’s been three months since you finished the book and still not published? Wow. “*insert pitying expression*</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Advice Number Two:</b></div>
<br />Do not disparage agents, agencies, or your fellow authors on your blog. Self-inflicted wounds, i.e. shooting yourself in the foot, lose their charm after the first direct hit. No good can come of offending your potential clients and backers.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Last of the Three For-Heaven’s-Sake-Don’t-Do-This Rules</b></div>
<br />Posting rejections, the number of queries sent, the extra pages requested might seem like a good idea. But do you really want your followers to see this? Anytime I consider posting my stats, I refer to the Number One and the inclination dies.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do you have any deep regrets since starting this business? I’d love to hear more from writers who committed the First Mistake, their friends and family’s responses, and how they dealt with them. </span></h3>
</div>
Huntresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08155372788872245758noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-12509019975141972932016-11-18T07:00:00.000-06:002016-11-18T13:26:35.300-06:00Dear “I Hate Grammar!” Writer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dear “I
Hate Grammar!” Writer,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Many
writers hate grammar. I used to be one of them. But to write well you have to
understand grammar to some extent. In this post, I am providing quick
rules, examples, and tips to help you understand some areas of grammar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TO7O5es-cgk/WAgN9UXC6TI/AAAAAAAAGNw/21_WBmVW07ExL7sAuVtjgc69uH13KsyMgCLcB/s1600/grammar-389907_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TO7O5es-cgk/WAgN9UXC6TI/AAAAAAAAGNw/21_WBmVW07ExL7sAuVtjgc69uH13KsyMgCLcB/s400/grammar-389907_960_720.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from Pixabay</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;">1.</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;"> </span><b>You and I <u>or</u> You and me?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The quickest way to figure this out is to cut out “You and” from the sentence. Does
“I” sound better or does “me?” Whichever one makes more sense is the correct pronoun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ex:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Where would you like <strike>Mary and</strike>
me to stand?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sounds good. "Me” is correct.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now let's</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> look at it this way:</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ex:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Where would you like <strike>Mary and</strike>
I to stand?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sounds bad. “I” is incorrect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;">TIP:</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The POV we are in is always mentioned last. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ex:</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Mom and I went to the mall.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;">2.</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;"> </span><b>Italic letters or quotations
for the names of songs/books/movies/TV shows?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
names of <b>songs</b> and other short works part of a bigger work (chapter titles,
names of TV show episodes) are always in <b>quotation marks</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">EX:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I listened to “Baby One More Time” on repeat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
names of whole works such as <b>books, movies, and TV shows are italic</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">EX:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I watched <i>Gone with the Wind</i> last night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;">3.</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <b>Who or whom?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Who – he/she/they<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whom –
him/her/them<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ex:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The woman who hit my car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She hit me car. (Who is correct.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ex:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> To whom do I address this
letter?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Do I address this letter to him/her/them? (Whom is correct.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;">4.</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red;"> </span><b>When to capitalize titles
with names.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Always capitalize titles when they appear with a name. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ex:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> President Obama, Queen
Elizabeth, Dr. Cristina Yang, Chef Ramsey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Capitalize titles used as a
substitute for a name. When it’s like this, it’s like a nickname. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ex:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I looked at the Chief and
knew the criminal got away.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">("Chief" is referring to one person and is in place of a name.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lowercase
the title when the term is used in a general way, not for a specific person. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ex:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The duties of a president are daunting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="color: red;">7 Fast
Tips:</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Seasons
(summer, autumn, winter, spring) are lowercase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Directions
(north, east, south, west) are also lowercase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Use em
dashes at the end of dialogue when there’s an abrupt stop, such as when one
character cuts off another character’s speech.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Use
single quotation marks inside double quotations when a character is quoting
someone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No
question mark for an indirect question.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There’s no such word as “alright.” Correct: All right</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">-<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Already”
means it happened in the past. “All ready” means prepared. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Author of Hurricane Crimes, Seismic Crimes, 30 Seconds Before, and 30 Seconds. Blogger. Reader. Auntie. Vegetarian. Cat Lover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-55439428446610412492016-11-14T07:00:00.000-06:002016-11-14T07:00:10.830-06:00Dear “Editing is Crap!” Writer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dear
“Editing is Crap!” Writer,</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
Editing your book can be difficult, especially if you don’t know how to edit. I
know writers who hate the task, and others who enjoy it. I actually enjoy it,
so I’m going to share some tips and techniques to help you get the job done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">First,
download my pdf <a href="https://chrysfey.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/the-ultimate-editing-list.pdf" target="_blank">The Ultimate Editing List</a>. I’ll share a little of what you can
find in it, but the full list will really help you make your writing stronger
and tighter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whenever
I edit, I start by using the Find tool in Microsoft to hunt down unnecessary, cluttering, filter words. I input them one at a time, take a look
at every sentence with the no-no word, and cut as many of them as I can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some
of these are: that, just, like, really, very, only.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once I
eliminate these “naughty” words, I do my first of several rounds of editing. I
typically do three rounds before I give it to 2-3 beta readers. Then I
implement changes based on my beta readers’ notes and go over it once more for
good measure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gahKnami70g/WAgKnQd_XYI/AAAAAAAAGNg/opiUFHFGEfksU43mTJLe7zpnxfdJ6dZIACLcB/s1600/2349632625_4eba371b56_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gahKnami70g/WAgKnQd_XYI/AAAAAAAAGNg/opiUFHFGEfksU43mTJLe7zpnxfdJ6dZIACLcB/s400/2349632625_4eba371b56_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from Flickr</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4 Editing Techniques:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Print out your manuscript.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Having
a tangible form of your book that you can hold and edit by hand is always
useful. Buy some red pens and highlighters, punch holes into your manuscript
pages, and put them in a binder for accessibility. Read each page, each line.
Cut out words, sentences, and whatever else needs to go. Add words and
paragraphs of descriptions. Make notes on the side to fix scenes or add more
emotion. When you’re done, transport the changes to your Word DOC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TIP:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Reading through the
full story after these changes are made is wise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Read backwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Start
with the final paragraph, read it in its entirety, and work your way up,
paragraph by <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">paragraph.
This technique helps you to focus on the sentences rather than the plot. It’s <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">also a
great way for you to focus on the flow of the sentences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Change the font size and
color.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Changing
the way something looks gives your brain a rest and a way to spot new things. I
like to make the font size 16 or 18 and change the color to dark blue, green, or purple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Download your document to
your Kindle device.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This
can be easily done by emailing the document to yourself, accessing your email
on your Kindle, and opening the document to be viewed in your library. This is
usually my final form of editing when I feel I’ve edited as much as I could but still want to make sure it’s ready for someone else to view it. I like this
technique because I get to see and read my story as a reader would. I can spot
inconsistencies, typos, and where I may need to add more emotion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2 Steps After You Edit Your Book:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Get at least two beta readers
to take a look and point out any errors and plot holes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>See: </b><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/06/dear-beta-readers-and-critique-partners.html" target="_blank">Dear Beta Readers and Critique Partners</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> If you are self-publishing,
the final and most important step is to hire an editor. Yes, really. Yes, even
after you edited it yourself. Look around, research, and get recommendations
from other writers. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>See: </b><a href="http://unicornbell.blogspot.com/2016/06/dear-writer-with-editor.html" target="_blank">Dear Writer with an Editor</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You
don’t have to do all of these techniques, but picking at least two will really
make a difference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">QUESTION:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> How
do you edit your books?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Author of Hurricane Crimes, 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and
Witch of Death. Blogger. Reader. Auntie. Vegetarian. Cat Lover.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/chrysfey">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrysFey">Twitter</a> / <a href="http://www.writewithfey.blogspot.com/">Blog</a> / <a href="http://www.chrysfey.com/">Website</a> / <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chrys-Fey/e/B00GWLZJ8O/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1431100007&sr=1-2-ent">Amazon</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>P.S. Today's post on my blog is <a href="http://writewithfey.blogspot.com/2016/11/100-marketing-tips.html" target="_blank">100 Marketing Tips</a>.</b></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-59399162451308952842016-10-11T08:00:00.000-05:002016-10-11T08:00:22.286-05:00Starting Over<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLpzUCkuCTu6YDWMjbTuUQtszNgIphtdh2DpsBbuj9-VF24tTCn69kmv3lq9DLSSL45WLncBN1LhW7l3dOR12gLgZKfEUExnfNf83BCcxw5rtP8wW1l-2eo3uSbiYF7Ykj2rfQmqlTJZL/s1600/writer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhLpzUCkuCTu6YDWMjbTuUQtszNgIphtdh2DpsBbuj9-VF24tTCn69kmv3lq9DLSSL45WLncBN1LhW7l3dOR12gLgZKfEUExnfNf83BCcxw5rtP8wW1l-2eo3uSbiYF7Ykj2rfQmqlTJZL/s320/writer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I just put away the novel that I've been working on for over a year. I had to do it. I'm going to have to restart it from the beginning to fix some issues that were making the ending unwieldy. So, while that novel is "resting", I'm going to start a brand new novel.<br />
<br />
This time, I'm going to keep my story bible current.<br />
<br />
You know what a story bible is, right? It's a collection of relevant info that you need easy access to. For example, there should be a list of character names, especially minor characters, so you're not calling the best friend's husband Bob in chapter two and then Henry in chapter fifteen.<br />
<br />
Story bibles are vital for multi-book stories and speculative fiction. These are the keepers of timelines as well as rules of the land. I keep world maps and alternative calendars, too.<br />
<br />
My problem is I only think of my story bible when I need the information. So, that info is rarely in the bible. I have to hunt it down in the text, and only then do I add it to the bible. Let's just say that can be a bit time consuming.<br />
<br />
So, this time I'm going to keep a file on the world, and I'm going to add things like place descriptions as they come up. Of course I say I'm going to do this every time, so perhaps I need some sort of plan. Like one day a week I spend just updating the story bible. Yeah, that sounds like a plan.<br />
<br />
Do you keep a story bible for all your works? How do you update it?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-7008801924613123992016-09-30T07:00:00.000-05:002016-09-30T07:00:05.526-05:00Dear “My Writing Sucks!” Writer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dear
“My Writing Sucks!” Writer,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“My
writing sucks!” This is a statement many writers say at every stage of writing
(first draft, last draft, every editing round, before and after critiques). We
say this because we expect perfection. We want our stories to be golden right
from the start, but that never happens, and that’s fine. Actually, that’s great!
You want to be able to make your story better as you go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
fact is, every writer thinks their writing is crap. It’s normal. We read
amazing published books by best-sellers and compare their skill to ours. We
can’t help it, can we? These authors are the ones we admire, so it’s easy to
feel that our writing is inadequate next to theirs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But
these authors go through this same thing. They can think their writing sucks,
too! And they have! The only difference is they have professional,
top-of-the-line editors to help them. Once they’re done, their book is the gem
that we later buy, read, and praise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
same is true of your book. Once you’re done perfecting it, it is the gem that readers and other writers praise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So
remember, you may hate your work-in-progress now. You may think your writing is
crap, but it won’t stay that way for long, will it? Not if you’re determined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Grab
your determination and turn your crappy writing to gold!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Author of Hurricane Crimes, Seismic Crimes, 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. Blogger. Reader. Auntie. Vegetarian. Cat Lover.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/chrysfey" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> / </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/ChrysFey" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Twitter</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> / </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://www.writewithfey.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Blog</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> / </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://www.chrysfey.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Website</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> / </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chrys-Fey/e/B00GWLZJ8O/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1431100007&sr=1-2-ent" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Amazon</span></a></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4393512822627120580.post-56749751004665302752016-09-26T07:00:00.000-05:002016-09-26T07:00:00.680-05:00Dear “I’m the Worst Writer Ever!” Writer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dear
“I’m the Worst Writer Ever!” Writer,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I can
guarantee you that every writer has said they're the worst writer ever at least once. More likely,
several times. Even New York Times Best-Sellers have said this at one time or
another. I’m sure some of them still do. When best-sellers can think their
writing is crap, aren’t we in good company?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I used
to have these thoughts whenever I read a really good, vividly written book. I’d
sit there with the book in my hands, my jaw unhinged, and I’d be thinking, <i>I
don’t write like this</i>. Over time, as I grew as a writer, I stopped having these
thoughts. I came to realize I don’t need to write like the authors I admired,
because I write like myself, and that is good enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You
don’t need to be like anyone else or write like anyone else. You are enough.
Your writing is enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>There
are some things you can do to help your confidence, though:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>1.
</b>Take a writing improvement course or a writing class at your local college.
<a href="https://www.universalclass.com/" target="_blank">Universal Class</a> offers online courses. You can take as many as you want with a
one-year subscription that costs $189. They have writing and grammar courses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>2.</b> Go
to writing workshops or seminars. Many can be found online.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>3.</b>
Read books on the writing craft.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>4.
</b>Join writing groups. This could be critique groups or organizations like
Romance Writers of America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Daily
mantras for you to say to yourself:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>-</b> I am a
good writer.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>-</b> I may
not write like [name of your favorite author], but I write like [your name].</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>- </b>My
words mean something.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>-</b> My
books will get published because God gave me this passion and these story ideas
for a reason.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Believe
these mantras with every fiber of your being, send it out to the universe, and
they will happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Author of Hurricane Crimes, Seismic Crimes, 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. Blogger. Reader. Auntie. Vegetarian. Cat Lover.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14