Tag Archives: Writing

Mar 7 2016

Should You Write FanFiction?

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Oh, Fanfiction….

Derided by many, written by far too many, read by even more.

Here’s the truth about fanfic. There’s a lot of bad fanfic out there. A lot. And the fanfic that is bad is really, really bad.

But its not all bad. There are great fics out there. There are also mediocre fics that become published works, sure (I’m looking at you, Fifty Shades…) but there really is some great reading, if you find the hidden gem among the crap. There are fabulous authors writing amazing fics just for the love of writing about characters they love.

Continue reading →

Feb 29 2016

Dear Guy At The Next Table: I Am SO Using You

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I was out to dinner on Saturday night, and the man at the table next to us has no idea he’ll be starring in one of my future novels.

I’m certainly not creepy enough to tell him that, of course. Hot damn, there was just something about him. He was there with a buddy, and the way he laughed…the way his eyes crinkled. And he had this way of moving his hands that made me want to put them on my body (which was really kind of disconcerting as I was sitting there with my kid).

And then at the end of the meal, he leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms behind his head. Aaauughh. Continue reading →

Feb 22 2016

I Seriously Need More Hours In A Day

Passing time

One of the more frustrating things about being me right now is not having enough time to write all the books I want to be writing.

I’m having to prioritize, but if I had unlimited time to devote to this writing thing (because I had a sugar daddy to pay my bills so I didn’t have to work, a full-time nanny for the kids, and a shirtless pool boy named Javier), here’s what I’d be doing. Continue reading →

Feb 18 2016

Resource Thursday: Facebook Opens Its “Instant Articles” To Individuals

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Freelancers, take note!

On April 12th, Facebook will be opening its “Instant Articles” to all publishers – including freelance individuals.

No  longer limiting itself to media organizations means wider, more diverse content. Their guidelines for publisher qualifications are fairly broad, as well.

All Instant Articles do need to reference a web link, so if you participate you can’t publish exclusively on Facebook. It’s a simple enough thing to set up a target website for article distribution, then reference the site in your article.

In return, Facebook will give you around 70% of the revenue from ads sold within the post, with Facebook doing all the selling.

You can find more information on guidelines and technical requirements here and here, and documentation requirements for publishers here.

 

Feb 16 2016

Got A Boring Character? Give Them A Secret!

Silence

I was working on a project over the weekend, and I have a character that’s just kind of lackluster. I’ve given him some good lines and he’s a likeable enough character, but he needs an edge. Something that makes him click a little better for me.

I’ve found that the best way to deepen a character is to give them a secret. This can be something as simple as “He’s afraid” or it can be something that you plan to layer into the plot later – for instance, Snape’s secret in the Harry Potter stories. Continue reading →

Feb 11 2016

Resource Thursday: A TED Talk Every Writer Should Watch

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I could spend all day watching TED talks. There’s a wealth of great information out there and poignant insight from people with all sorts of amazing life experience. I was pointed toward this particular talk on in an online writing community, and it illustrates beautifully the importance of multiple points of view, of diverse characters that each tell their version of the story.

Continue reading →

Feb 4 2016

Resource Thursday + A Reminder!

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This is going to be a quick one – I’m nursing two kids through strep throat and hitting a tight writing deadline, but I wanted to flag these two:

Calling all FIREFLY fans (squee!!):Fan-fiction contest with Alan Tudyk on Inkitt: Submit Con Man, Firefly or Spectrum stories

Zebulon’s Guide To Flash Fiction Submissions – a comprehensive list of 300 – 500 word flash fiction contests.

And just a quick reminder that WINDSINGER is FREE tomorrow!!! Get your read on and prep for the launch of SEASINGER on Feb 12th!!

Jan 28 2016

Resource Thursday: Writing Opportunities & Contests With Approaching Deadlines

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Hello everyone and welcome to another Resource Thursday. This week: Opportunities and Contests with fast-approaching deadlines! If you’ve got a slamming story or book (or can cook one up in a limited time frame), you might want to check these out:

Opportunities For Writers in Feb/Mar of 2016 (this is a comprehensive list of literary reviews and contests accepting submissions – LOTS of good stuff!)

The Erma Bombeck Writing Competition is open now through Feb 15th. 450 words could get you a free ticket to the writing workshop.

The Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing offers prizes in Poetry and Fiction, covering tuition, room and board at their week-long summer seminar.

The Wisconsin Romance Writers of America has contests for both unpublished and published authors, opening in Jan and Feb, respectively.

The Narrative Travel Writing Contest at Transitions Abroad is now open – if you’ve ever wanted to be a travel writer, this one has no entry fee.

Swoon Reads YA Romance Novel Contest runs bi-annually. Deadline is Jan 31st. No entry fee.

Good luck, and get your work OUT THERE!!

Jan 26 2016

Listen And Learn From Your Critics – But Judiciously

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Today, I’m giving a shout-out an excellent blog piece by author Cecilia Tan. Cecelia is, of course, an author of some renown in the erotica market, but she’s also a highly respected sports writer and the founder of her own publishing house, Circlet Press.

In her post, Cecelia discusses the importance of not just reading your own reviews, but the reviews of others in your genre, as well. Particularly the bad ones! Continue reading →

Jan 19 2016

Yesterday Was “Thesaurus Day” And I’m Really Livid, Irate, Fuming And Cross That I Missed It

Shot of book spine

Where would I be without my thesaurus? It comes in so handy, doesn’t it? I don’t know how many times I’ve been editing and caught myself getting repetitive with certain descriptors. I start sifting through synonyms and find exactly the right one….

And then I end up cutting half of them when I do my final edits because, damn. I am bat-shit crazy with the adjectives. I frequently need an intervention. Continue reading →