The Artist Unleashed: MOST ADVICE FOR WRITERS IS DANGEROUS by Alexander M Zoltai

These days, writing advice is cheap, even free on the Web. Cheap also in the sense, “of little worth because achieved in a discreditable way requiring little effort”.

Many of my blog posts have cautioned folks about the flood of "tips" streaming on the ‘Net that’s actually dangerous and will absolutely block their best efforts…

The word “dangerous” has the root meaning “power to harm”, based on the Latin dominus, “lord” or "master".

How could advice from authors considered masters harm a writer? Primarily, I feel, by being accepted as hard and fast “rules” or “laws”.

For every “rule” in the books, some creatively written story has successfully “broken” it :-)

I’m a writer and folks might think I’d be encouraging others to write.

Well, I do; but…

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The Artist Unleashed: HOW MUCH ARE WE INFLUENCED BY WHERE WE LIVE? by Jan Ruth

The only historical event I can remember with any accuracy is good old 1066 and The Battle of Hastings. At school I was hopeless at dates, in fact anything to do with numbers, but I used to love history because sooner or later it usually involved writing a lot of essays. Now though, I suspect there may be more to it. The longer I live and the more places I visit in the world, the more connected I feel to my roots, or more specifically my spiritual home, Snowdonia.

Seventeen years ago we moved from Cheshire to North Wales. Although Cheshire has its history and pretty rural surroundings aplenty, Wales is far more extreme in both aspects. The castles and the rugged hillsides scattered with stone settlements, druid’s circles and ...

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The Artist Unleashed: KILLING THE DOG: READING (AND WRITING) GUT-WRENCHING SCENES, by Dawn Malone

Three-quarters through a critically-acclaimed young adult novel, a book that had completely taken over the spare minutes of my life for two days, I stopped reading. I not only stopped reading, I chucked the book to the other end of the couch. I even stuffed it back onto the shelf for a while. Suddenly, I hated that great book.

Why?



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How to Write Chapter Endings That Make Readers Want to Turn the Page

I'm over at Anne R. Allen's blog this week, talking about how to write great chapter endings.

Anne's also running a contest to win HOW TO BE A WRITER IN THE E-AGE, written by herself and top-20 bestseller, Catherine Ryan Hyde.

See you there?

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The Artist Unleashed: WRITING THE SECOND NOVEL by Carol Cooper

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What is the most efficient way to edit a manuscript?

Holly likes to help!

The most efficient way to edit your manuscript is piece by piece. I've been an editor for more than ten years, and this is the one rule I live by which gets excellent results every time.

Sound ambiguous? Let me explain.

When we read a manuscript from beginning to end, we aren't able to concentrate on every detail at once. For example, let's say at the beginning of your manuscript, you realize you have used the word cafe without the accent on the e. You make a mental note to catch that as you go along. But the next time you see the word cafe without an accent on the e, you forget to change it, because you are concentrating on fixing that awkward grammatical error on that same page.

When editing, you can't expect to do a good job if you read through your book from beginning to end and hope to see the mistakes. You are bound to miss things. Many things. The best way to edit, is to isolate all the things you need to fix, and focus on fixing one thing on your list, before moving onto the next.

Have no idea where to begin? Well, look at that, I seem to have written a book on how to do it! :-D

In Polish Your Fiction: A Quick & Easy Self-Editing Guide, I offer you my tried and tested advice on the quickest and easiest ways to polish different areas of Writing Style, Consistency of Prose, Grammar, Punctuation, Typography, and Layout.

Each section is armed with a numbered checklist for moments when you need that “at-a-glance” reminder and nifty Microsoft Word tricks that will save you time. At the end of the book there are also magnificent accounts of editorial mistakes other authors have made during their careers, to show you that no matter how many times a book is edited, something always slips through—so don’t be so hard on yourself!

Kindle edition available NOW. The paperback and ePub will be released on June 30, but they are available for pre-order. All purchase links are available HERE.

Happy editing! <3

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The Artist Unleashed: THE SECRET TO MATURING AS A WRITER by Julie Musil

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How to enjoy a larger variety of books (and consequently rate them without bias).

I like to read book reviews. Mainly to get an idea about what inspires someone to make their opinion of the book public. Let's say that I'm sorta conducting a character study. :-)

I've noticed that many book reviews lean heavily toward a bias on 'taste' rather than critical opinion. This can result in a lot of negative reviews of books that are actually wonderful reads. And I don't think it's very fair to give a book 1 star just because "I didn't like it."

So how can we learn to appreciate (and consequently rate) books that are different to what we would usually read? Here are some things you can ask yourself:

1. Does the writing represent its genre well? (NOT, I hate science fiction, this book is shit!)

2. Are the characters' personalities developed well? (NOT, I hated the protagonist, she was a bitch. This book is shit!)

3. Is it paced well? If it slows down in places, are the slower moments warranted and utilized for a specific purpose? (NOT, Man, I got so bored when the guy was describing his home town, and then talked about how it shaped his entire life. I mean, I wanted action, action, action! This book is shit!)

4. Is it executed/edited well? (NOT, I would have written/edited this book differently. This book is shit!)

5. If it is about a subject matter that you aren't entirely keen to read about, do you think someone who is keen about the subject matter would enjoy it? (NOT, omg, this book was way too violent. I hate reading about violence. This book is shit!)

Do you think it's possible to appreciate a book for what it IS, rather than criticize it for what it ISN'T?
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Don't forget to sign up to help promote INDIESTRUCTIBLE in September! 100% of the profits go to BuildOn, an amazing charity that aims to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education.

AND ADD IT TO GOODREADS!

If you could Tweet about the sign-up form it would be great!

You can just copy/paste this:

INDIESTRUCTIBLE—Help promote fab new #IndieAuthor book—All profits go 2 @buildOnEmpowers! Sign up here:http://goo.gl/mNjo3 #amwriting

Some clichés really take the cake ;-)

Today I'm over at the Wow! Women On Writing blog, talking about how to subvert clichés. Hope to see you there!

Aussie Craziness and Self-Editing Tips

Today, Leigh T. Moore is interviewing me on her blog. But it isn't any ordinary interview. Trust me, her questions are more entertaining than my answers! I hope you drop by!

I'm also over at Laura Howard's blog today talking about A QUICK & EASY STEP TO MAKING YOUR MANUSCRIPT SHINE. Hope to see you there too!

Have a great week everyone!

BREAKING ALL THE RULES. MAKING IT REAL.

I'm writing a novella at the moment called THE BOOK, set in the late 70s, early 80s. The book is a journal. And the whole story revolves around the relationship each of its characters have with 'the book'.

Source

The mother, Penny, who always writes in it because she wants her daughter, Bonnie, to have it when she's older. The father, John, who wants to continue writing in it, but because he no longer lives with them, it makes things difficult. And Bonnie, who thinks the book is full of sadness because it always makes her mum cry, and the step dad, Ted, turn violent from jealousy. Bonnie wants to get rid of the book to protect her mum from its demons. But the book will end up bringing Bonnie's parents back together. That's the plan anyway. Who knows where it will take me as I write.

But there's a catch.

Penny and John's points of view are written in the form of their entries in the book only. And because they're separated, they've promised not to read each other's entries. The point of view of Bonnie is 1st person, present tense. So I'm writing like a 5-year-old girl would speak.

You know what is really interesting about this? The setup means I'm defying all the rules of the craft.

The journal entries are all just 'telling'. Bonnie's POV is young, so it's full of awkward grammar, repetition, plenty of redundancies, and words you couldn't even find in a mad hatter's dictionary. But it's how she speaks. And it's real.

And before you tell me a book like this isn't going to work, I'm going to tell you it is. It will be a project I will self-publish, so I don't need any agent/editor approval. And it will rip your little hearts out, folks. That's a promise.

Sometimes, we have to sacrifice the rules to make something real. This is one such case, and I'm damned excited.

Have you ever written anything that was 'technically wrong' on so many levels, but just knew it was right?

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
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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?