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?
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?
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?
Take a trip back through time. You’re a little kid–maybe in the 4-6 year-old range. Santa (or Hanukkah Harry, or St. Nick, or whoever is in charge of delivering presents for special occasions) has arrived with his bag, and he’s brought you the one gift you explicitly asked for. The one you’ve been dreaming of. That you’ve tried so hard to be good for.
This is “The World Revolves Around Me” time. Pure selfish, unadulterated greed. What did you ask for?
And whatever you celebrate, I hope you get what you want this year!
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
Do your reading/viewing/listening habits change with the holidays? I’m going out on a limb and saying for most here (I’m an exception), the “holiday” is Christmas. December is filled with Christmas releases in books and television. Radios play nonstop Christmas music.
Are you a fan?
What are your favorites? New ones? Classics? Night Before Christmas? A Christmas Carol? Die Hard? Charlie Brown? Hallmark? Lifetime?
Do you tune in “All-Christmas Music” stations? When do you start?
Here’s my favorite holiday song, one I think is appropriate this season, regardless of what holiday you observe.
As a reader, are you a loyal fan? Let’s test that loyalty. 🙂
Suppose your favorite author switches genres, from gritty thrillers or sci-fi to YA or HEA romance.
Would you continue to read their books?
What if they never returned to the genre you love?
“Depends” is not a complete answer. Please explain.
Image by Виктория Бородинова from Pixabay
What’s the worst writing/publishing advice anyone ever gave you? Best?
The worst advice I got was from an early critique group leader, when I was writing my first attempt at a novel, who said, “Don’t let anything bad happen to Sarah.” Happy people in happy land, anyone?
Best advice? “Do what you’re good at. Do what you love. Hire out the rest.”
Let’s stroll down memory lane.