Part 2 of my radio interview from October 30, 2016.
KRFC FM Interview Part 2
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Category Archives: On Writing
KRFC FM Interview Part 1
Part 1 of my radio interview from October 30, 2016.
Write Tip #4: Specificity
Write Tip #4: Specificity. I read something today that described a house as “like an old Victorian”. Well, was it, or wasn’t it? A Victorian is a particular sort of house. Saying “like” makes me think it wasn’t, really, but the author couldn’t come up with a better description – which is lazy. Be specific. Make me see what you see. Don’t be lazy.
Write Tip #3: Ridiculous Encounters
Write Tip #3: Nobody has a fully naked sexual encounter in a conference room in the middle of the work day. If that’s your opener? Don’t expect people to keep reading.
Write Tip #2: Know Your Strengths
Write Tip #2: Know your strengths.
I had to put down a book because the author had beautiful narration and description, but only so-so dialogue. Problem? She tried to tell the bulk of the story through conversation.
Everyone has something they aren’t good at. Everyone can get better, too, but always play to your strengths. I use a lot of dialogue, because it’s the easiest for me. I continually work on improving the rest of my writing, but I know better than to try to do a Henry James and describe everything.
Write Tip #1: Hiring An Editor
Write Tip #1: When hiring an editor, make sure they know the difference between peeked/peaked/piqued, and deep-seated vs. deep-seeded (which…no.). I’ve given up on two books this week because of those. Typos I’m willing to overlook, but an unfamiliarity with basic English expressions? Nope.
Friday Roundup: Nuts and Bolts
I have been editing for what feels like months. Editing is just the suck. Time suck, energy suck, brain-power suck. And though it’s an integral part of the writing process, especially if you want to publish, it often feels as though it doesn’t get you ahead – and sometimes pushes you back.
Truth is, of course, that editing is almost as important as the writing itself. For a pantser like me – someone who writes without an outline or plot already conceived, “by the seat of my pants” – editing has to happen throughout writing a novel, because I can turn myself around and make terrible things happen to a plot if I’m not checking myself.
So because craft has been on my mind, today’s roundup is about the nuts and bolts of writing – story ideas, tips, and neat shit I found this week. Continue reading
Big News
No recap this week, Snowflakes. Sorry. It was a big week, and I was out and about a lot, and frankly, time just got away from me. There will be a Roundup tomorrow, and definitely a recap next week.
But! That’s not the news!
As you may have noticed, I’ve taken down anything associated with my cover image for BLACK. That’s because Continue reading
Friday Roundup
Afternoon, Snowflakes! I’m debuting a new feature today – my Friday Roundup! Every Friday, I’ll be commenting on what I’ve seen around the interwebz during the week. And if you have a tip or a story for me, please contact me! You might be featured on next week’s Roundup!
So. Let’s start with the big one: Amazon vs. Hachette. Lord. There has been so much digital ink devoted to this story – and probably real ink, too, I don’t know, I don’t read papers or magazines much. The amazing J.A. Konrath has several posts up about the dispute currently, but this one is probably the most thorough. And everyone and their dog has a post up about how evil Amazon is, so I’m not linking to those. Continue reading
Dressed to Live
