Tell us about your WIP in three or four sentences (no time like the present to nail your elevator pitch). Please include genre.
How’s the writing going?
Are the words flowing from your fingerprints?
Or are you bleeding for every word?
For non-writers or if you’re in between projects: Tell us about the last book you read (in three or four sentences).
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?
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 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.
What are your writing goals for 2020? Are you on track to achieve those goals?
We all know writing is a marathon, not a sprint. For many, the pandemic demolished their writing goals for the year, or at least set them back.
I don’t want to push you if you’re not ready — we all cope differently and on our own timeline — but setting goals can help steer your writing dreams back onto the track. 🙂
Name one writing goal you hope to achieve this year. What about in 5 years? 10 years?
What’s the best writerly gift you’ve ever received? Why was it so helpful?
Are you hoping for a writerly gift this year? If so, what?
Bonus Questions:
What’s the best gift you’ve received from an author? What made it so special?
Do you include reader gifts in your holiday promotions? Care to share where you create/buy your promotional gifts?
Photo credit: https://littleshop.fandom.com/wiki/
With the holidays in full swing, many of us have recipes somersaulting through our mind, along with a mile-long to-do list.
In the Coletta household, the first whiff of the holiday season triggers my family to drool in anticipation.
Not-so-subtle chants for almond biscotti waft through our house, similar to Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. “Feed. Me!”
I shared this recipe in the comments last year, but some of you might’ve missed it. If you’re interested in adding a tasty treat to your holiday table, the recipe is as follows…
Ingredients
3/4 C (180 ml) Whole Almonds
3 Large Eggs
1 t. Vanilla Extract
1/2 t. Almond Extract (optional)
2 C. Flour
3/4 C. Sugar
1 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread out almonds on a baking tray and bake 8-10 minutes until light brown and fragrant. Let cool a few minutes, then chop coarsely.
Reduce over to 300 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment (wax) paper.
Whisk eggs and extracts in a separate bowl, then whisk in the dry ingredients. Lastly, fold in your almond pieces and stir till you get a doughy consistency.
Flour your cutting board (or whatever surface works for you) and divide the dough into 7″ logs that are about 3″-4″ wide. Transfer logs onto baking sheet and bake for approximately 35 minutes or until firm to the touch (log will spread during baking).
Remove and let cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and slice 1/4″-1/2″ pieces on the diagonal. Place slices of biscotti on the baking sheet and bake an additional 10-15 minutes on each side until golden. Keep in mind, the longer you bake the crunchier they’ll be, so the time depends on your preference. My family likes them somewhere between soft and crunchy.
To Triple the Recipe (which I do; makes about 60 biscotti)
2 1/4 C. Almonds
9 Eggs
4 1/2 t. Vanilla
6 C. Flour
2 1/4 C. Sugar
3 t. Baking Powder
3/4 Salt
Be sure to make more logs so they cook all the way through. Then proceed as above.
A word of a caution: once you make almond biscotti a la Coletta ;-), you may have to do it every year.
Care to share your favorite holiday recipe?
If you could choose one line from a song and adopt it as your mantra, what would it be? Please include title and artist.
Let’s stroll down memory lane.