Reader Friday: Surprise!
What’s the biggest surprise a character has thrown at you while writing (or plotting) a book?
Category Archives: #ReaderFriday
Reader Friday: Are There Rules for Good Books?
Reader Friday: Are There Rules for Good Books?
Photo: Ansel Adams with Camera from Wikimedia Commons
My photographer son had an informal holiday party (virtual, of course), and trivia games were played, including quotes from famous photographers. One that caught my interest was this quote from Ansel Adams.
“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”
Do you think this this applies to books, too?
**I’ve been vaccinated, my waiting period is up, and am finally going to see my mom for the first time in over a year. She had COVID, got the antibody infusion, and her doctor said it’s safe to get together. I’m on the road (and in the air) today, so I won’t be around to reply to comments. Don’t let that stop you from leaving them!
Reader Friday: Which Way Are You Going?
Reader Friday – It’s Libation Time
Reader Friday: What’s Your Mantra?
If you could choose one line from a song and adopt it as your mantra, what would it be? Please include title and artist.Reader Friday: Rewrites
Rewriting, love it or hate it?
I love it. Maybe too much. During edits, I often rewrite paragraphs, sometimes entire pages. Drives my editors insane. Drives me insane, too, but I can’t stop. It’s part of my process now. 🙂
Rewriting is where magic happens. The story reaches new heights.
What’s your favorite part of the editing process?
Do you mercilessly kill your darlings?
Do you keep a file for clipped passages?
What’d you name said file?
Ever use those dead darlings?
Reader Friday: Which Hero are You?
A killer abducted you, bound your wrists and ankles, and dumped you in his lair. You only have a few hours to escape before he returns.
Don’t panic! I’ve given you a superpower — the ability to change into a fictional hero.
The transformation is now complete.
Who are you? Why did you choose this hero?
Reader Friday: Are You Publishing Too Soon?
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) teaches us to set a completed draft aside for a while. It’s easy to prematurely submit a manuscript to a publisher, or to push publish too soon for Indies. And sadly, these books languish on Amazon with poor reviews and one-star ratings.
We’re too close to our work. By setting aside a manuscript, we gain clarity. A new perspective illuminates typos, plot holes, clunky sentence construction, wordiness, writing tics, etc.
How long to set aside a manuscript fluctuates between two weeks to two months, depending on the writer.
How long do you let your manuscript rest?
Do you start a new project while you’re waiting?
What’s the longest you’ve waited? And why?
Reader Friday: An Evening’s Conversation
Reader Friday: Jump Inside a Book
As a kid I loved the Gumby (and his pal, Pokey) animated shorts, especially for the times when they would “jump into” a famous novel and appear in the world of that story. They’d interact with the characters and influence outcomes.
If you could jump into a novel and be part of the story, what novel would you choose, and what would you do inside that world?