Since we have been getting some questions about what exactly First Page Friday is, I thought I would take a few minutes today to explain it. I was at a conference in April where there was a panel of national agents and editors. They all said the same thing---that if a manuscript hasn't caught their attention by the first page they reject it. They wanted to see fresh and original writing that drew them in, and of course, one free of typos and grammar errors.As I talked to my writer friends and my editor friends, we all came to the same conclusion---everyone...
Friday, 30 December 2011
Thursday, 29 December 2011
I've been thinking a lot about Melanie's comment yesterday, that she's in a "writing depression." There are so many images evoked with the use of the word "depression." We have the Great Depression, depression as an illness, depressions you can make with your fingers when you're making certain cookies, you get my drift.So, when I hear writing depression all these things crowd into my mind--people looking sadly at a camera with a lot of dust behind them, feeling sad, eating cookies without restraint. But what does this have to do with a writing...
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
I saw this quote and it really fit me right now, so I'm including it in my post today."Do not lose hold of your dreams, or aspirations. For if you do, you may still exist, but cease to live." - Henry David ThoreauI haven't done any writing for two weeks. I have a ton of excuses, but it really comes down to the fact that my brain has been elsewhere. And oddly, I can't seem to write when I can't engage my brain.I know I'll get back to it. I have a lot of writing goals that I want to share with you next week that will babystep me to where I want...
Tuesday, 27 December 2011
Enduring Light by Carla Kelly is a sequel to Borrowed Light. It picks up pretty much where the last one left off, but to be honest, it had been quite a few months since I'd read Borrowed Light and I had forgotten a lot of details. Since those details were pretty pertinent to the plot in Enduring Light, I would definitely recommend that you read Borrowed Light before this one. So, here's a bit of background. Julia Darling had taken a position as a cook for a rancher in Wyoming named Paul Otto. The author did an incredible job with their love...
Monday, 26 December 2011
For all my Canadian friends, I hope you're having a relaxing Boxing Day. I know I am!All my kids are happily playing with the Christmas presents they got yesterday, and I've been puttering around doing nothing really. I got rid of a flower arrangement that I've had for fourteen years. For some reason I woke up today and thought, you know, I think I'm done with that. It's been sort of a freeing thing. Like starting over with a blank wall. Has that ever happened to you?How was your Christmas? What have you been doing tod...
Sunday, 25 December 2011
Friday, 23 December 2011
This is one of the most amazing critiques I've ever seen for MG fiction. Thank you so much to Jill for submitting and Angela Eschler for critiquing!The Entryby Jill CampbellMy name is Ripcord Fire Dragon, but you can call me Rip. Maybe I have another name, maybe I don’t. I look average. But don’t be fooled because I am anything but. In fact, I am most likely a superhero. Only I don’t wear tights, usually. But don’t go blabbing about this because then all the girls will try to kiss me and want my autograph and...
Thursday, 22 December 2011
As a family, we've been reading short Christmas stories each night. I thought I would share three of my favorites with you today and hope you enjoy them. The last one is a bit longer, but worth it. I hope you are enjoying your holiday season!The Camel Had Wanderedby Janet Eyestone BuckOur family has always enjoyed a Christmas tradition of setting out a ceramic nativity scene--complete with wise men, camels, shepherds, sheep, and of course, Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. Each season the nativity scene was the same.One year when my children were...
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
For some reason I thought I would get some writing done even though all eight of my kids were home for the holidays.HAHAHA! *holds sides*Yeah, that didn't happen. Although we did make a gingerbread house and an army of deformed gingerbread men and I actually thought about acting out some of my story with the gingerbread men to see if logistically what I was thinking of doing would work. But that's as far as I got.So, this week my word count was 0. But I mulled ideas over a lot. How did you ...
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
So last night I was all hopped up on gingerbread cookies and thought that I would cruise Amazon for a book to read until I fell asleep. I saw Sarah Eden's Seeking Persephone and I had wanted that one since it came out, so I clicked the button (it's so easy!) and said Merry Christmas to myself.It was 10:30 p.m. so I went upstairs and told myself I'd only read the first chapter and then go to bed. I read one chapter, then two, then three, and the next thing I knew it was 2:30 a.m. and I was finished. It was that good.I love regency romance and...
Monday, 19 December 2011
Can you believe Christmas is just six days away? It hardly seems like it's real. My kids can hardly wait.In order to make our holidays a little more fun and to create some family memories, I'm trying to add to our family traditions. We always go to see light displays and we do a gift exchange, and we do Sub for Santa, and make gifts for our neighbors, but this year I wanted to try making gingerbread houses, and maybe decorating sugar cookies. I'd also like to see A Christmas Carol at our local theater. Other than that, I've run out of ideas...
Friday, 16 December 2011
I cannot stop listening to Ready, Steady, Go by Paul Oakenfold. It's like it is the new theme song for the book I'm working on. Have you heard it? Click here for the link to it on Youtube. You have to hear it and if you read my book in the future, you should listen to it while you're reading. Ha! On to First Page FridayThe EntryGlow by Rebecca Talley Shakespeare? I yawned and then drummed my pencil on my desk while Ms. Neal with her purple-streaked hair and diamond stud nose jewel read the lines from Romeo and Juliet like she was caressing...
Thursday, 15 December 2011
I finally broke down and bought another bookshelf. I’ve been trying to organize my books, but all I could really do was make nice straight piles in front of one bookcase, double up books in another, well, you get the picture.My family had suggested I just get rid of some books, and I really thought about it. I started going through them, just to see if there were any that I could get rid of. That ended up being quite the experience. It was like I was lost in a chocolate box and I had to try the best ones to remember all the flavors. I would...
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Well, this week was much better for me. I added a layer into the story during my revisions, which started the ideas flowing again and I was able to put down almost 3000 words. Can you believe it? I love it when the muse comes back.I'm also totally psyched about my story and how close I am to being done with it. Pretty soon I'll be begging my betas to be brutal (say that fast three times) so it can be the best manuscript it can be. I can't wait!How did you do this we...
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Most of you know I have a book club with my boys and since Christmas is right around the corner, I thought I’d tell you what books we’re reading, in case you have kids that like to read on your Christmas list.Right now, with my nine-year-old, we’re reading The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger. It’s a fun story about a kid who isn’t exactly popular, and he starts talking to his friends through this finger puppet he makes in the shape of Yoda. But Yoda starts to do all these amazing things and so they write a case file about it....
Monday, 12 December 2011
Hey, do you want to win some amazing books for Christmas? LDSWBR is running a great Countdown to Christmas contest and I am spotlighted today! YAY! Click here for all the details on how to win and to hear what my favorite Christmas memories are.This past weekend I was flipping channels trying to recover my sanity by vegging out in front of the TV, and I came across a show that was asking contestants if they would rather eat dog food for a year or be shot in the knee.For some reason, this turned into quite a family discussion, and I thought...
Friday, 9 December 2011
These entries are just getting better and better! I have one Friday slot left open for January if you would like your first page critiqued by one of our amazing editors. Directions are on the sidebar.Let's get to today's entry.The EntryEmergenceby C. Michelle JeffriesAntony Danic let the slide of his Glock .357 slam home. The sound echoed against the sterile surfaces of the industrial kitchen where he waited. Lines of stainless steel appliances and stark white counters filled the room that was half the size of his whole apartment. Elite would...
Thursday, 8 December 2011
It felt a little strange not to have a Word Count Wednesday yesterday, so I thought we'd just have it today. We were all making such good progress and it is encouraging to hear about your successes. I also like having the accountability for myself each week. Not that my word count is anything great for the past seven days and I want to brag or anything.You see, I've broken my own promise and I'm going back and doing revisions. I have a solid first half of my novel, and as I've started the end, I realize I need to go back and change some of...
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
I’m feeling a little emotional today. As most of you know, today is the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The events of that day changed so many people’s lives and shaped the future for generations to come. There was a wonderful documentary on the History channel about it last night, followed by the Ben Affleck movie, Pearl Harbor (and yes, I know some people think that movie is cheesy, but I really liked it.) But the events of that day were shocking and unifying and definitely something to be remembered.Winston Churchill said...
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Well, this has been a disappointing week on the TV and book front. Castle had so much potential this week and there were a couple of funny moments, like when the old lady said she’d shoot the pretty one first and Esposito and Ryan both looked at each other like, hmmm . . . which one of us is the pretty one? And the tiger was a surprise. But the ending was so well-worn with the Beckett tease and no forward movement in the relationship. It’s like they’re just recycling parts of scripts we’ve seen before. Move it along, people!Hawaii Five-O...
Monday, 5 December 2011
My son recently had to do a spotlight and was asked to tell about one of his favorite family memories. I was interested to hear his response and was quite surprised when he said he our family dinner table. In his mind, we’ve had so many laugh-out-loud moments and fun conversations (that we still quote every now and then to laugh over again), that that is one of his favorite memories. This was sort of a parent payday for me. Sometimes getting dinner on the table for a large family is a monumental feat and then when everyone finally sits down,...
Friday, 2 December 2011
Got a nano first page you're dying to have critiqued by a national editor? We have January slots available for First Page Friday. First submitted, first critiqued. Directions on the sidebarHere's today's submission. It's a good one!The EntryAurora Sky: TransfusionBy Nikki JeffordThis was what freedom looked like. Endless stretches of trim green grass under a canopy of elders and stone buildings that resembled medieval castles and old English manors. Walking through the ivy covered archways was like stepping back in time. Even the students were...
Thursday, 1 December 2011
I am so excited about the words I was able to draft on my work-in-progress last month. It was extremely satisfying to see my characters and plot coming together so nicely. I know I have a lot of revision coming up, but to me, that’s the really fun part, polishing it up before submission.Unfortunately, some writers seem to want to skip the revision part and go straight to submission after NaNoWriMo. Some of the editors I know, and the agents I’m acquainted with, were talking last week about the deluge of submissions they get in December and how...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
