Weekend Edition – At the Intersection of Words and Life plus Good Reads and Writing Tips

A fantastic blog, Live to Write – Write to Live has great weekly posts and the Saturday version includes some awesome links!

Live to Write - Write to Live

At the Intersection of Words and Life

A winter landscape that provided the perfect backdrop for my writerly reflection.

I’ve noticed a theme emerging in my last few weekend edition posts. For whatever reason – where I am in my own writing journey, the usual end-of-year reflections, the muted desperation that seems to pervade the news these days – I find myself wanting to better understand how this writing thing fits into my life. I want to explore the “why” as much as the “how” and the “what.”

I am not questioning whether or not I should write. No matter what happens, I will always write. It is too much a part of who I am and too deeply embedded in how I experience the world. I may as well lose my sense of sight or hearing as lose my ability to write. Putting words down is how I give…

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Why some TV shows rock

Some shows on TV are awesome. Big Bang’s popularity went through the roof with watchers and Modern Family was unknown one day and famous the next. It got me thinking, why are they such a hit? Well, there’s the acting, which is really great but, in my humble opinion, I think it’s the writing.

Check out this post on this exact subject for Modern Family.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1442437/reviews

“…Witty, dry, smart, outlandish, silly, clever, cute, sarcastic, subtle, not-so subtle. HILARIOUS.” That has to be the writing.

And look at this other review, this time for the Big Bang:

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2007/09/28/the-big-bang-theory-pilot-review

“The writing in this episode was some of the best we’ve seen in a standard sitcom in some time — it’s very smart….If the writing remains at the level seen in the pilot, we’re certain the show will continue to be worth watching.”

I find this fascinating. If good writing can help elevate a show, it can certainly do the same for a book. And good humour is very hard to write well.

I like to add humour into my books. I like to think it adds a little something to help the reader keep interested. Sitcoms like the Big Bang and Modern Family are great teaching tools because of their amazing writing.

So really, I’m not watching TV. I’m researching. 😀

Top posts for July

These are your favourite 10 posts for July. From the silly to the funny to the informative, they’re all here.

10. My husband wasn’t at all pleased that this one was so popular. Ha!

9. This one was self-indulgent with funny cat pictures that made me laugh. Apparently, I’m not alone.

8. I was so grateful that this one was a hit. I was overwhelmed with the support I found!

7. A post on writing tips with a joke and a quote. People loved it.

6. Teeny, tiny but it hit a spot with people. Coffee and writing. Ahh…

5. This award post was another hit. If you haven’t checked out the nominees, I’ll just say they’re really awesome blogs!

4. Everyone loved these Writing tips.

3. Posts I loved this week are usually a hit but this one was a definite favourite.

2. A surprise hit, this one was me trying to get over a bad review. People shared their support and struggles with bad reviews. The responses were so positive, they were almost worth that nasty review.

1. By far the number one choice of all readers was Need a review?

There you have the top 10 posts of July. Thank you so much for reading and making it such an awesome month!!

Writing tips

Great posts with fantastic tips. Check out the little blurbs to see if they’re for you. My hope is that they help you find your personal writing muse.

We all get Writer’s Block. From a bad review, a nasty comment or just simply a bad day, doubt can creep up on us and destroy any and all inspiration. If you’re there, check out this post. It won’t magically fix everything, but if nothing else, you’ll know you’re not alone. A big thanks to Positive Writer for the inspirational post.

One thing that I play around with are the subplots. I love taking a chance with a risky theme or a quirky character in a subplot. But there are limits, because I don’t want to destroy a good story with a terrible subplot. Here is an excellent guide for those subplots. A fantastic article from Live Write Thrive.

We’ve been told prologues aren’t good, but why? Kristen Lamb details the pros and cons in her excellent post: the seven deadly sins of Prologues. So enlightening!

Everyone has their own way of writing, but if you’re into plots and outlines, here‘s a guide on how to do that well. A big thank you to The Beginning Writer for the great post!

If you’re dreading that first scene and just can’t find the words, here‘s a few tips on how to do just that from Jodie Renner. A big thank you to Crime Fiction Collective for the great post!

For those of us who are having trouble getting into that chair and writing, a great tip to find that focus before you write from Writerology.

Finally, one quote to inspire you,

And one to make you laugh,

Writing tips!

Found a whole gaggle of writing posts that might just come in handy to all the authors out there.

1. Before you send out your query letter or your manuscript, read this checklist. Don’t make the mistake I did and mess up your blog address or their name (yikes!). A big thank you to Chuck Sambuchino for the great post!

2. If you’re trying to meet word goals, read this article on how to write faster–and better too! A great post by Anna Elliott.

3. If you have trouble meshing time passing in your novel, check out these great tips on how to do it seamlessly. A big thank you to C.S. Lankin.

4. For those of us who write romance, this is a great one to add some spice to our novels. Writing good chemistry and sexual tension are easier said than done. Check out this how-to post by one of the experts, Susan Squires.

5. You need a great start-up line? You need a hook to end your chapter? Look no further. Monica M. Clark has done all the hard work for us. Check out this great post on hooks to keep even the most indifferent reader turning those pages.

Here’s hoping you can use these! 🙂

Writer’s doubt

I fight writing doubt on a daily basis. It helps me to know that others do as well. It also helps me to know I’m trying to help others fight that doubt. Here’s another round of help for you and me!

This post helps fight doubt by writing about it. Written by Bryan Hutchinson, it’s not only motivational, it gives you tips and ideas.

I always believed the pros write perfect manuscripts effortlessly. This post helped me deal with that myth. Flog a pro is a weekly theme for Writer Unboxed.

Just like the title says, Five ways to Gain Confidence and Overcome Writer’s Doubt by Live Write Thrive.

A great post on how to feed your inner muse and keep writing by Deborah Lee Luskin.

Steven Pressfield wrote this great post on how to let-go and let the universe bring your success to you. No stressful worrying needed!

Men with Pens has this funny, witty post on how to find your muse and what to do once you find her! 🙂

Carlos Cooper wrote this inspirational post for when you’re having trouble.

Here’s a great post on how to embrace your fears and still write on the Positive Writer.

Whew! Quite a few links! I didn’t think there would be this many…and that in itself might be a hint at how prevalent writer’s doubt is.

Writing tips

I read these and thought they were too good not to share. Writing tips that I certainly needed. I hope you find them just as useful!

Emily Wenstrom argues that there are three times you should stop writing. Check it out here.

Jane Friedman gives 3 great insights into writing success here.

LEA NOLEN shares the ins and outs of tropes here. (Ahem…I have to add that I had no idea what a trope was.)

Tracy Hahn-Burkett has these great tips for writing with a completely different perspective here.

Hope they helped get you writing!

Editing help

I got Olivia’s Choice done all on my own. I combed through the book over and over and over again. I did this for an entire year. Until I got to the point that if I saw it one more time, I was going to throw it across the room.

Then I got a review back that commented on the superfluous words in the book. Nuts. I knew almost immediately I couldn’t do it alone. That’s when I heard of D. Emery Bunn.

I’ve said before he’s like a grammar ninja. I’ll add that he has suggestions that strengthen the message and deliver the punchline without taking away the flavour of my writing. I told him I only wanted line edits…and of course he did much more. To say I was impressed vastly underrates my reaction. I was blown away.

I wanted to mention him on my blog because he honestly did such an amazing job. I know my book will be so much better because of him. Not only will it be grammar perfect, it will be tighter and deliver the message with less words. For example, Emery suggested a change in the Glossary at the beginning that compacts it and helps make it easier to read.

If you’re looking for someone to do some editing, I can’t recommend him highly enough. On a personal level, he’s approachable and very reasonable. On a professional one, he did an incredible job and finished early!

Here are his links:

http://www.demerybunn.com/blog/

 http://www.demerybunn.com/blog/contact-me/

Scrivener: A video how to

I know Scrivener can be intimidating if someone is new to it. I certainly can’t do it justice by saying, do this, don’t do that, touch that thinggie and avoid that doohickey.

I thought, instead, I’d share some videos on how to use Scrivener. Please note: they use pictures (worth a thousand words).

Here’s a tutorial video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HrgXr4MOdo

Here’s an introduction video to tempt your taste buds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLasH88XqAc

 

Info dumps

I too have had trouble with the dreaded ‘info-dump’. I knew better than to start a story with the entire character back story but I couldn’t see how to get it in there. Then, I spotted a dialogue and thought, perfect!

Wrong.

My dialogue went something like this:

Anna: “Hi, Roberta. How are you?”

Roberta: “Hi, Anna. I’m better thanks. I’m almost over my cold, though it certainly wasn’t as bad as the pneumonia I had when you were in love with Henry but he back stabbed you by going out with Louisa and you heard about it through your best friend Veronica by accident. How are you?”

It was a disaster.

So, how does a pro do it? Well, I got a link or two for you. 😀

Janice Hardy does such a good job of explaining it here, I couldn’t resist putting a link. She’s a pro and she explains it so much better than I ever could. Here is another post on what an info dump is and how to avoid them. And finally, this one on how to weave information into the story naturally.

A big thanks to her for those awesome posts!!