#tipsandresources

Writing my memoir is something I’ve toyed with for years, but memory is a tricky thing. As I get older it’s become more like the childhood game, “Catch me if you can.”

It’s important to understand we’re not expected to recall every tiny detail of every event in our lives.  As one author notes, we’re not journalists reporting facts (if such a being still exist).  It’s about telling a story – our…

How to Deal With Manuscript Critiques

ANNABEL SMITH

I have my manuscript out to my first beta readers and am anxiously awaiting their feedback and critiques. I’ll admit, it’s nerve-wracking. Will they like it? Were my characters well-developed? Was the plot cohesive? Was the story compelling? 

I really want to hear what they have to say. I want honest opinions, but how do I handle the comments and critiques? What if it simply wasn’t…

The blogosphere holds a wealth of information available to writers at all levels. If you’re like me, half of the GB’s on your computer are taken up by saved bookmarks and links.

Whether it’s an article, book, or a single sentence, finding the answer to that one nagging question feels like gold. I call these treasured finds – tidbits and nuggets – a quick and dirty reference source for writing.

 Here are a few of my favorites:

K.M. Weiland on the Most Common Writing Mistakes: Are Your Verbs Showing or Telling?

“Telling is summarizing. Telling gives the readers the bare facts, with little to no illustration.”

“Showing is elaborating. Showing gives the readers the details of a scene, including what the character(s) are seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling, thinking, and feeling emotionally.”

Slushpile Avalanche on Denoting Scene Breaks:

“In fiction, scene breaks should never be subtle… When it comes time to make that break, simply insert a # or a *.”

 Deena Nataf on being – Scared to Write What You Really Think? Why it Will Make You a Better Writer – Write to Done

“Staying neutral to avoid offending anyone will result in words without substance. Not being neutral doesn’t mean you have to be controversial; it means having your own opinion and expressing it.”

Writer’s Path: Ryan Lantz and guest author Jacqui Murray – How To Characterize Love In Your Writing:

“Love is about emotion. That’s where you write it…The reaction of your characters must be in-character.”

Allison Beckert from her blog, Art of Stories on The Relationship Arc

“Writing a relationship functions the same way as any story; it requires its own rising action, climax, and resolution.”

John J Kelley from Writer Unboxed:  The Care and Feeding of Relationships.

“For each relationship of my protagonist, I stripped out each scene in which he engaged the other character and then read them independently, isolated from the distracting swirl of the rest of the story. In doing so, I could see gaps clearly, places where emotional leaps felt too broad or moved too fast.”

I use physical notebooks and desktops apps like the ones below. Whichever method you choose, having these at my fingertips makes writing easier.

5 Ways to Create a Reference Library to Have at Your Fingertips.

  WORD– Open a document and each time you come across a tidbit or nugget, add the topic and link to the document.

 ONE NOTE – in the same way.

 EXCEL – make a spreadsheet of the author, topic, link, and tidbit.

 POCKET – and create a list of favorite articles.

 EVERNOTE – a central collection of notes.

Do you have something similar? How do you collect your favorite tidbits and nuggets on writing?  I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood,  Pinterest,  Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

Tidbits and Nuggets for Writers

The blogosphere holds a wealth of information available to writers at all levels. If you’re like me, half of the GB’s on your computer are taken up by saved bookmarks and links.

Whether it’s an article, book, or a single sentence, finding the answer to that one nagging question feels like gold. I call these treasured finds – tidbits and nuggets – a quick and dirty reference source for writing.

 H…