I’ve been meaning to read Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat for years now, so after I finally read it over the weekend, I was kicking myself for not getting to it sooner. I’ve discovered that books on screenwriting help me tremendously when I’m struggling with plot, and the way Snyder explains structure really clicked with [...]
Lots of excitement today. First off, I want to thank you all for your enthusiastic comments about my book trailer! I’m so glad you liked it (or were too nice to say otherwise…) Now on to the winner of my April/May Debut Giveaway: Precious! Hooray! Thanks to everyone who entered. Stay tuned because I’ll be [...]
As I may have mentioned, I consider myself primarily a fantasy writer. But my latest project (a tween novel which will be going out to editors soon) is 100% realistic fiction. I was downright shocked when the story didn’t morph into fantasy like all my previous attempts at writing realism. This one was happy to [...]
Last week, my husband and I headed down to NYC for my college reunion. While we were there, I was able to meet up with my editor, Rebecca, and her assistant, Aubrey, for lunch. It was so great to meet both of them in person since I’d been in touch with them via email and [...]
Today’s insightful guest post comes from Kip Wilson Rechea: We all know the kind of novels prized for beautiful language as much as–or sometimes even more than–story. The kind of book that leaves striking images planted in your mind. The kind of images that make you fall in love with the novel. Frequently classified as “literary” or “lyrical,” beautifully-worded novels [...]
As I was reading Save the Cat by Blake Snyder, a handy little book on screenwriting, I came across an interesting checklist for figuring out “if your character needs more oomph.” I shared this with my writing class yesterday, and we agreed it was applicable to fiction writing as well as screenwriting. Ready to take [...]
First off, thank you all so much for celebrating with me on Wednesday! My book is finally starting to feel real. I can’t wait to have a cover to show you guys–I’ve seen a mock-up of it but not the final version yet. Hopefully I’ll be able to share soon! My revision is going well. [...]
Short post today since I’m right in the thick of revising. First off, it’s the last day to enter my Feb/March debut giveaway! You can’t say no to free books, can you? Second, I’ve been rereading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to help me get into the humor mindset as I’ve been revising. Anytime I [...]
Back in January I did a giveaway featuring newly-released novels by my fellow Elevensies (i.e. 2011 debut authors). Since I want to keep spreading the word about awesome new books, here’s my latest Elevensies giveaway (with more to come throughout the year). The winner of the giveaway will get to choose one of the Elevensies [...]
I don’t think I’ve ever done a Friday Five before, probably because I don’t usually have five mildly interesting things to say. But since this week has just been crazy, a list of tidbits pretty much reflects my state of mind. So let’s do it, my first ever Friday Five! 1. I’ve been doing a [...]
