Wednesday

Who is your favorite author? Is there more than one? Do they write fiction, non-fiction, history, biographies, mysteries, romance, intrigue, YA, Adult? Who would you recommend I add to my library, and why?

Saturday

I was sitting at my desk, re-reading my manuscript for the hundredth time, and I realized something. This girl that I am writing about is really cool. There are so many challenges she's going to have to face, so many difficult situations she has to overcome, that I feel for her. Odd huh? Since I am the one creating her. I can picture her in my mind, actually see her, and my heart goes out to her.

I can't wait to see the reaction from my readers when they find out what happens.

Thursday

As I am sure with most authors, writing is like breathing. It is something I just have to do. The stories inside me are begging to come out. Most of the time, I can't write them fast enough, but once in awhile there is a very special tale, one that takes a little more thought, worry, and effort. That is the case with the series I am working on. The story is there, the people, the situations, but they, the story, the people, the situations, want to be carefully portrayed. The words need to be just so, the descriptions clear, vivid, and perfect. Each character reveals themselves in unique ways. Each has their own story and knows their importance in the protagonist's life. They come to me, one by one, introducing themselves, and tell me what I am to write. They help me see the world they live in and what they are to do in order to help or hinder, to love or hate.

It has been an amazing experience. I hope that one day, when "The Enchanted Ring," the first book in the series of "Norphendril", is published, that you will find these people just as intriguing, that you fall in love with them, live with them, can't be without them, as I have.

Monday

The book, "Stephen King On Writing," was recommended to me by several people, the first, being my brother-in-law. Wow! Great book! There is so much useful information that it's hard to choose which passage is my favorite. There's just too many. But this one I had to include on my blog; it struck a chord.

"Whenever I see a first novel dedicated to a wife (or a husband), I smile and think, There's someone who knows. Writing is a lonely job. Having someone who believes in you makes a lot of difference. They don't have to make speeches. Just believing is usually enough."

Ditto!

Saturday

Sometimes the naming of people in my stories comes with ease, but sometimes finding just the right ones eludes me. So, I purchased, "Character Naming Sourcebook." In the first chapter, the author, Sherrilyn Kenyon, gives ten major guidelines which I find quite helpful.

1. Capture the persona.

2. Choose a name in keeping with your character's heritage and personality and/or trade.

3. Make the name harmonious.

4. Keep the character's name consistent with his or her time period.

5. Keep the character's social status in mind.

6. Use nicknames.

7. Vary the names of the characters.

8. Remember the genre.

9. If you choose a name that breaks the rules, explain it.

10. Avoid the names others have made famous.

Not only does Ms. Kenyon give advice, but she includes the meaning of the names and includes the origin, such as Latin, Greek, French, etc. It was fun learning about my own name.

Tuesday

Query letters are tough. Every agent wants something different. Getting a handle on what each one is looking for is difficult, but there are two things that are consistent: a new voice, and the hook.

On the front of the book, "Hooked," written by Les Edgerton, it says:

"Write fiction that grabs readers at page one and never lets them go."

SO TRUE! If you don't hook your readers from the get go and take them on a wild ride, they may never pick up another book you have written.

Friday

I love writing for YA, probably because I am a kid at heart, and like most adults, long for the energy that I have lost and the outlook on life. When you get to my age some of the magic disappears in life. I love trying to recreate it, to remember.

Here's some good advice from the book "Writing and Selling the YA Novel" by K.L. Going.

"The important thing to remember when creating your plot is to make sure there is something that ties everything together from beginning to end."

When I read this I went right to my novel and checked to see if I had incorporated this principle. It wasn't as clear as I thought it should be and so worked it in.

Wednesday

The revision of my first chapter is finally finished. Hooray! Now on to the second.

I found a very interesting quote that I have to share. It comes from the book "Your first Novel," by Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb. New authors should have this book in their libraries.

In chapter one:

"Your idea might be a character you want to follow, a setting that haunts you, or a scene that keeps playing in your mind. A writer gets ideas from everywhere--- by watching people pass in the crosswalks, by elaborating on childhood memories, by retelling nightmares, or by taking pieces of history and contemplating alternate outcomes. Inside you there is already the seed of a story that drives you to move closer to the fire and speak. Give it a name. Not a title--- that comes later. Just name it, so it will know its master."

This hit me with such power. Thank you Ann and Laura.

Tuesday

Well, I'm back from a wonderful fourth of July holiday with family and friends; it couldn't have been better.

Today I came across a wonderful bit of advice I just had to share from the book "Finding Your Writer's Voice," written by Thaisa Frank and Dorothy Wall, which is an amazing book if you are trying to find voice.

"This is very important to remember. You can learn the concepts of craft by taking classes and reading books. But you won't know how to work with them and they won't have concrete meaning unless you discover them in the outpourings of your own voice."

This is so true. I have read many books, have attended several classes and conferences, but nothing really clicked until I caught the vision of voice. It was always this mystical thing until one day there was an ahha moment and suddenly my writing was different.