Hi guys (and gals)! June is here--school's almost out, the weather is warming up, (and Clash of the Titles is launching its summer bookclub. More below).
I've been wittling away at my redraft and am happy to say I am now about halfway through it. At this rate I should have no problem finishing it in time for the ACFW conference and for entering the OFN contest again in September. I am learning so so much. Last year at this time, I felt I was growing leaps and bounds but now? ... now I've come so far that it's hard to imagine I ever finished this novel without those skills. I've come across two awesome resources that every writer simply must check out and bookmark:
The Bookshelf Muse- (thesaurus for emotion descriptions, setting descriptions, and all kinds of insights for facial expressions and visceral responses)
Deanna Carlyle's 1000 Verbs to Write By- (an exhaustive list of descriptive ways to have your characters walk, sit, stand, put, etc)
Looking for some encouragement? Check out Jessica Patch's blog. Her current devotional series is insightful and uplifting.
Want to know how to navigate Twitter? Kristen Lamb's blog is just the place for you.
Need to find some good summer reads? COTT will show you what books readers are enjoying.
You can even participate in the COTT Summer Bookclub and connect with other lovers of Christian Fiction to read and discuss an award-winning title. I've never been part of a book club before, so this will be a new experience for me. It should be fun since our first book is by COTT champ Karen Witemeyer. I can't wait to dig in to A Tailor-Made Bride. Who out there is going to join me?
What are you doing today?
I love seeing my besties drop by and I love making new friends. If you are usually a lurker, I want to meet you! For 9 more days, when you comment on any post on my blog, you will be entered into a drawing for a $10 Amazon gift card. If you mention me and link back here on your own blog, you'll be entered a second time. Have a great week!
Showing posts with label Kristin Lamb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kristin Lamb. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
“In the Beginning” Part One–Normal World
I stumbled upon this awesome post, on this awesome blog, which just so happens to be what I've been working on this past week in my own first page. Just had to share with you! Enjoy...
Anyone in publishing will tell you that one of the most important parts of your novel is the beginning. As an editor I hear, “Oh, but wait until you get to the good part on page 50. This is all the lead up.” Um, no. Doesn’t work that way. You might have a humdinger on page 50, but you are competing against authors who hook readers in the first 1-10 pages.
Many agents freely confess that they can tell by page five if they will even bother reading the entire sample submitted. I know. Nothing has changed. I spoke at the DFW Writers Workshop Conference this past weekend and sat through the Agent Q & A. Agents have a lot on their plate, so they are looking for a reason to put a story down. Why?
Because agents are out to get you. They are really psychic vampires who feast on the crushed dreams of writers. Muah ha ha ha! Kidding!
To be blunt, agents love great writing. They also want to be good at what they do and make at least a living doing it (like the rest of us ). How do they do this? By helping writers sell a lot of books. They understand that a novel’s beginning is the “hook” that will make or break a novel when it comes to readers. Agents want writers to succeed, and they know that excellent beginnings are vital to selling many, many books.
I actually believe that, as e-readers become more popular that beginnings will become more important than ever. I know that I frequently download free samples. I figure if a writer can interest me (sell me) in 3 pages, then I will read 5. If she can hook me in 5 I will read the free 30 pages. If I make it through 30, then this writer deserves my money and my time. But, remember, she had to make it past 3. Good writers do their homework and know what goes into a great beginning. I recommend studying great beginnings so you know what they look like.
So what makes a great beginning? Glad you asked. There are a lot of components that can go into a great beginning, but I am only going to discuss one of those components today—normal world. I believe if you can understand why normal world is important, the functions it serves, then you will be less eager to cut it out completely.
Read the rest of the article here (you won't be disappointed!!)
Anyone in publishing will tell you that one of the most important parts of your novel is the beginning. As an editor I hear, “Oh, but wait until you get to the good part on page 50. This is all the lead up.” Um, no. Doesn’t work that way. You might have a humdinger on page 50, but you are competing against authors who hook readers in the first 1-10 pages.
Many agents freely confess that they can tell by page five if they will even bother reading the entire sample submitted. I know. Nothing has changed. I spoke at the DFW Writers Workshop Conference this past weekend and sat through the Agent Q & A. Agents have a lot on their plate, so they are looking for a reason to put a story down. Why?
Because agents are out to get you. They are really psychic vampires who feast on the crushed dreams of writers. Muah ha ha ha! Kidding!
To be blunt, agents love great writing. They also want to be good at what they do and make at least a living doing it (like the rest of us ). How do they do this? By helping writers sell a lot of books. They understand that a novel’s beginning is the “hook” that will make or break a novel when it comes to readers. Agents want writers to succeed, and they know that excellent beginnings are vital to selling many, many books.
I actually believe that, as e-readers become more popular that beginnings will become more important than ever. I know that I frequently download free samples. I figure if a writer can interest me (sell me) in 3 pages, then I will read 5. If she can hook me in 5 I will read the free 30 pages. If I make it through 30, then this writer deserves my money and my time. But, remember, she had to make it past 3. Good writers do their homework and know what goes into a great beginning. I recommend studying great beginnings so you know what they look like.
So what makes a great beginning? Glad you asked. There are a lot of components that can go into a great beginning, but I am only going to discuss one of those components today—normal world. I believe if you can understand why normal world is important, the functions it serves, then you will be less eager to cut it out completely.
Read the rest of the article here (you won't be disappointed!!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)