Somebody give me a Xanax ...

Me and my crazy schedule:

• My novel BITTER LIKE ORANGE PEEL is being considered by an agent. So the impatient fretting must be factored in. You'd be surprised how much time I waste staring at the wall.

• I'm 2/3 of the way into another novel, called WHITE LADY. And loving it. Literary/Crime/Thriller? Really need to figure out its genre.

• I'm 1/3 into my second Writing in Nutshell Series craft book called, Adverbs & Clichés in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions from Perfectly Atrocious Adverbs, and Dull as Dishwater Clichés, into Gourmet Descriptions. You can see the first in the series HERE.

• I'm well on track organizing an anthology called, Indiestructible: Inspiring Stories from the Publishing Jungle, in which many fantastic authors are contributing such as Susan Kaye Quinn, Anne R. Allen, Leigh T. Moore, and many others!

• Critting the wonderful Matthew MacNish's manuscript, Running From Ruby Ridge. Whisper: It's really fabulous.

• I have a few interviews to get done ... whoops, I totally just remembered now.

• Bits and bobs of organizational stuff for the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop with literary agent Katharine Sands.

• Vine Leaves Literary Journal. Never ending. We just hired two more team members! Whoop! And have an awesome contest happening. 1,600 Euros worth in prizes! Bigger whoop!

With all that I have my other life. You know, the one that consists of a day job, that can sometimes be a bit stressful with its deadlines. Somewhere in this other life I also have my partner and dog to pay attention too. Most of the time I have no idea where they are. I should start looking in the cupboards. Or maybe it's me that's gone missing. :-P

What's on your plate at the moment?

Hope you all have a great weekend. See ya Monday!

In which I celebrate by birthday by giving YOU presents! #BookGiveaway

I'm doing a Buy 1 Book, Get 1 Free Birthday Giveaway!

Until February 26th, 2013, I'm giving away a free e-book (mobi, ePub, or PDF) with every purchase (e-book or paperback from any store worldwide). And the best thing about this is, that you can even purchase the CHEAPEST book, and still claim a more expensive one as your free copy. Cool, right?

But think about this ... if you purchase String Bridge, you'll receive both its accompanying soundtrack, AND a free e-book! Even better, I say. That's almost 20 bucks worth of goods for only 3.99!

Feel free to share this with whomever you like. This deal is valid for everyone, worldwide, as long as the purchase is made between Feb 9th - 26th.

If you'd like to tweet about it, here's an easy copy/paste tweet for ya:
Jessica's giving away #books 2 celebrate her b'day! Learn how 2 get yours here! #BookGiveaway #GreatReads #FreeReads http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=17d5a09abac1d1b1f2599bedd&id=bb65e6fb96&e=8af3236a42

To claim your freebies, just forward me your purchase receipt to jessica.carmen.bell@gmail.com, with B'day Giveaway in the subject line. Easy-peasy!

To see the list of books available and their various purchase links, click HERE.

For those who subscribe to Vine Leaves Literary Journal, you may also claim the purchase of the 2012 anthology.

________________________________

PS: If you'd like to get offers like this direct to your inbox in the future, please subscribe to my newsletter.

PPS: My birthday is on the 26th, so don't go sending me b'day wishes just yet :-)

SHOW & TELL IN A NUTSHELL IS OUT NOW! #WritingTip #AmWriting

Click to add me to Goodreads!

Have you been told there's a little too much telling in your novel? Want to remedy it? Then this is the book for you!

In Show & Tell in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions from Telling to Showing you will find sixteen real scenes depicting a variety of situations, emotions, and characteristics which clearly demonstrate how to turn telling into showing. Dispersed throughout, and at the back of the book, are blank pages to take notes as you read. A few short writing prompts are also provided.

Not only is this pocket guide an excellent learning tool for aspiring writers, but it is a light, convenient, and easy solution to honing your craft no matter how broad your writing experience. Keep it in the side pocket of your school bag, throw it in your purse, or even carry it around in the pocket of your jeans or jacket, to enhance your skills, keep notes, and jot down story ideas, anywhere, anytime.

If you purchase the e-book, you will be armed with the convenient hyper-linked Contents Page, where you can toggle backward and forward from different scenes with ease. Use your e-reader's highlighting and note-taking tools to keep notes instead.

I also welcome questions via email, concerning the content of this book, or about showing vs. telling in general, at showandtellinanutshell@gmail.com

Reviews:

“Jessica Bell addresses one of the most common yet elusive pieces of writing advice—show, don't tell—in a uniquely user-friendly and effective way: by example. By studying the sixteen scenes she converts from “telling” into “showing,” not only will you clearly understand the difference; you will be inspired by her vivid imagery and dialogue to pour through your drafts and do the same.” ~Jenny Baranick, College English Teacher, Author of Missed Periods and Other Grammar Scares

“A practical, no-nonsense resource that will help new and experienced writers alike deal with that dreaded piece of advice: show, don’t tell. I wish Bell’s book had been around when I started writing!” ~Talli Roland, bestselling author

Purchase the paperback:
$4.40 on Amazon US
£3.99 on Amazon UK

Purchase the e-book:
$1.99 on Amazon US
£1.99 on Amazon UK
$1.99 on Kobo

About me in a nutshell:
I'm an Australian-native contemporary fiction author and poet, who also makes a living as an editor and writer for global ELT publishers (English Language Teaching), such as Pearson Education, HarperCollins, Macmillan Education, Education First and Cengage Learning.

I am the Co-Publishing Editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and co-host the Homeric Writers’ Retreat & Workshop on the Greek Isle of Ithaca, with Chuck Sambuchino of Writer’s Digest.

For more information about me, please visit: 
Website
Twitter
Facebook

Show & Tell in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions from Telling to Showing

On November 12, my pocket guide, Show & Tell in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions from Telling to Showing, will be released, and I'm super excited about this little book!

When I first started writing, I totally didn't understand the concept of "show, not tell". In theory I could, but when I tried to put it into practice it would just end up being a more fancy version of telling. I always wished there were easy-to-access, and reliable examples out there to refer to. And so this book was born! &

Here's the blurb:

Have you been told that you have a little too much telling in your novel? Want to remedy it? Then this is the book for you!

In Show & Tell in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions from Telling to Showing you will find sixteen real scenes depicting a variety of situations, emotions, and characteristics which clearly demonstrate how to turn telling into showing. Dispersed throughout, and at the back of the book, are blank pages to take notes as you read. A couple of short writing prompts are also provided.

Not only is this pocket guide an excellent learning tool for aspiring writers, but it is a light, convenient, and easy solution to honing your craft no matter how broad your writing experience. Keep it in the side pocket of your school bag, throw it in your purse, or even carry it around in the pocket of your jeans or jacket, to enhance your skills, keep notes, and jot down story ideas, anywhere, anytime.

Of course, a Kindle version will be available at the same time with a slightly different introduction and blurb, as it won't need any note-taking space.

And so, in light of this, I'm going to write up a short advertorial blog post, and transfer it to HTML, for those who are interested in helping me advertise between November 26 and December 10. Are you interested in helping me out? If so, just say yo in the comments, with the date you want, and I'll be in touch via email!

When you were just beginning to write, how did you wrap your mind around the show, not tell rule? Did you crave real examples like me? Do you think your beginner self would have benefited from such a book? Why?