Some good information from Susan Jordan for indie authors who want to add lyrics to their book. I did in my first book “Rosebloom” and did manage to get the approval of the rights owners. It took a lot of work, but I managed it. I like this idea better! Thanks Susan!
It’s easy to equate revision with failure. “If I knew what I were doing, I’d get it right the first time,” many writers think. Revision is the best friend a writer c
an have…
So writes Vicki Krueger on the Poynter website, which is a journalism blog, but I think her 9 points work well for novel writers as well. Point #3 is put it away (for a few minutes). Of course for novel writers, this should be much longer. I am always surprised how a couple week away from a manuscript can clarify ones writing.
I also heartily believe in reading out loud and from print vs off the computer or tablet. I always pick up more from reading print.
The best-selling novelist shares his secrets to writing. I’ve read Kings book: On Writing. It’s a good book to read but not as much about how to write better but how King writes and thinks about writing. You’ll probably find a gem or too as Glenn Liebowitz did in this post on inc. I’m not in love with Kings book as much as Glenn, but it’s worth a read. You can’t deny Stephen knows how to write.
Source: 8 Simple Writing Strategies That Helped Stephen King Sell 350 Million Books | Inc.com
I’m not sure who amassed this large alphabetical list of interesting words (I couldn’t find a citation on the post) but as writers, I thought you’d like to see the list. I’m always looking for interesting words. But be careful – don’t use too many in one piece. Everything in moderation, people. 🙂
Source: Sesquipedaedalus: Prettiest Words: A Work in Progress
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High school student, Anais Mohr has some wonderful insights for those writing middle grade fiction. I think she’s hit it right on the mark. Nice post, Anais!
Independent Publisher: THE Voice of the Independent Publishing Industry
If you’re a writer, I hope you’re also a reader. I know I am. And I’m not just talking about reading books in the genre that you write it. I also mean books about improving your craft.
I’ve been doing this a while now, so I’ve been to writing workshops or weekend writer events and I’ve gotten lots of suggestions about what to read. I’ve shared some of these books with you in the past: The Writer’s Journey, Techniques of the Selling Writer, Take Your Character to Lunch, Writing Dialogue, Eats, Shoots and Leaves, Woe is I are all some of my favorites. Story by Robert McKee is good if you feel like picking apart you story, but as a book, it’s a bit hard to read. And I continue to write down titles of books I want to take a look at.
Alinka, in this post (The 10 books every successful author needs to read) mentions the book On Writing by Stephen King which I also read. It’s an interesting book, if you want to learn a bit (and just a bit) about how Stephen writes, but it’s more about him and his writing philosophy. She also mentions Bird by Bird, which I also read, but didn’t get a lot from it. It’s a book that is a bit hard to describe. The author talks about writing and hanging in there with your writing but that’s about all I remember. Some people really like that book, though, so don’t just go off of my opinion.
And speaking of reading, I have a few ebooks on sale for the holidays, including my latest historical fiction on the creation and creators of Nancy Drew: Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand up – Just .99!
So Happy Holidays! And Happy Reading!
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Here are some techniques to add intrigue to your writing from John Yeoman. But of course, as with most things, used too much they can become annoying to readers, so be careful and judicious when adding such things.
Writing Fiction: 10 Ways To Keep Readers Hooked | Write to Done.
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image from jmdeditorial.co.uk
As some of you know, I’m writing my first MG story (so far the title is “Agnes in Istanbul – An Adventure Mystery) so when I come upon something related to middle grade fiction, I read it. In case you write in that genre or are thinking about it, here is a post that discusses what makes a story MG vs, say, YA. If you read these genres to educate yourself what these aged kids are reading, you get a sense of what they are saying.
I think it is always a good idea to read in the genre you are writing. It’s not that you have to copy things others are doing, but there are some basic concepts that writing for MG that are good to know, some of which is mentioned in this post by Micheal Canon and Molly O’Neill.
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Since I am currently writing a mystery and I have not written in that genre before, my eye is drawn to any post about writing a mystery. Here is a short one by Sharon Arthur Moore. She also has a link about a previous post about “traditional” mystery writing.
The Mystery of Mysteries: 16 Steps to Writing the Cozy Mystery » Writeonsisters.com.
Kudos, Damyanti, for sticking up for common decency. If James’ writing is bad, then don’t buy her book or read her book. None of this shameless, personless online degrading. We aren’t in 5th grade people. Lets discuss poor writing in a better forum than in a bully tweet.
Christine
p.s. I did not read or purchase her book for two reasons – not my kind of reading and I also heard the writing was poor. There are so many good books out there to read to waste time on poorly written one. And honestly, her editor and publisher need to be discussed as much as James. They printed the books, after all.
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