Writing Craft - Newsletter

 

 

OPEN FORUM REPORT:

We have quite a few hot topic threads up, and as they get cold, I’ll prune them out.  Come check it out.  If you don’t see what you want, click on the ‘new topic’ link and start a new topic.  Here’s where you can get your questions answered right now!  Forums take place on the Post a Note Board  Look for the ‘Forum’ topic. 

Because of some nasty spam attacks, all new Post a Note registrations must be approved by me, you’ll have to email me your user name and password at MaryRosenblum@forums.longridgewritersgroup.com  and I’ll sign you up myself.  

FROM THE INSTRUCTOR'S DESK

Writing tips from Donna Ippolito, Long Ridge instructor.

Donna Ippolito has been writing, editing, and teaching others to write for more than 20 years. From 1985 to 2001, she was editor-in-chief at FASA Corporation, a Chicago publisher that packaged best-selling science fiction and fantasy novel lines for Penguin Books and Time-Warner. These included the popular BattleTech, Shadowrun, Earthdawn, and Vor series. So check out her websites at www.expert-editor.com and http://dreamscoop.blogspot.com/.

Prior to that, Ms. Ippolito was an editor at the Swallow Press, a prestigious publisher of both literary and commercial titles. Writers published by Swallow include celebrated novelist Anaïs Nin; Jungian analyst Linda Leonard; futurist Robert Theobald; Zen poet Lucien Stryk; and distinguished anthropologist W. Y. Evans-Wentz. She also worked as a senior editor for Consumer Digest Magazine and was a founding editor of Black Maria, a quarterly journal of women’s writing.

______________________________ 

Sara A. asks: Big question for Donna. How does a writer at heart start out with writing a novel? Is it necessary to form a structured outline or can they just let it flow into several pages before revising and tearing it apart? Donna writes: There are surely as many answers to this question as there are aspiring novelists, but the only way to “start out” is to commit to one concrete action that you can take immediately and then do it. Don’t obsess about whether it’s the “right” way or the “wrong” way or you might never get started. A journey may be long or short, easy or difficult, but it can only begin by setting your foot on the path. For you, the first step might be finding a time and place where you can write without interruption on a regular basis—even if it’s only 5 minutes a day or 5 minutes a week. I know of writers whose only time to write is while sitting in their car during red lights or on their lunch hour at work or by getting up an hour earlier or by staying up an hour later at night. Writing is a discipline, and whether you write a good novel or a bad novel, it’s a major accomplishment of will and energy. But unless you make writing a habit rather than a luxury, you’ll never get beyond the wishing and hoping stage. As for whether to create a plan or just sit down and let the writing flow, even the sketchiest plan is a useful strategy. It will give you a sense of direction—the energy to keep moving forward. This plan can change often—and usually does--so you aren’t stuck with anything. After writing a bit, you might decide that another personage is actually more interesting as the main character or to use first-person rather than third-person voice (or vice versa) or to throw out your first chapter because it’s all back-story. You’re the boss, and revision will always be the true art of writing. Some writers do like to fly blind when writing, but even a numbered list of the story’s main events will save time and help keep you on track. As the editor of several mass-market fiction lines, I always asked writers pitching me a novel idea for such an “outline” of their story’s 8 or 10 key plot points. Later on, I would ask for a detailed plot synopsis and chapter summaries, but you can begin with a similar rough list just to move yourself from the first steppingstone to the next. Without some kind of plan, you can easily get bogged down in back-story or research or write yourself into a corner because you don’t have the engine of a plot to keep things moving forward. Another jump-starter is to join National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which runs from November 1-30 every year. You might not write the Great American Novel during NaNoWriMo, but you’ll still generate 50,000 words from scratch by the end of 30 days. Once signed up, you’re also able to join a local group of other NaNoWriMo writers, get online support, and become part of a global community of writers through the NaNoWriMo online forums.  Among the published novels that got their start during NaNoWriMo are Water for Elephants and Ape House by Sara Gruen. “The wonderful thing about NaNoWriMo is that it gives you something to edit,” Gruen said in one interview. “Because the only thing you can’t edit is a blank page.”

Do you have a question that you’d like Donna to answer?  Here's your chance to ask her something. Email your question about all things writing to me and I'll pass it on so that she can answer it in the next Newsletter issue. You can mail your question to me at:    MaryRosenblum@forums.longridgewritersgroup.com 

 

THE SPRING PROMPT

Here we go, our SPRING prompts.  This was technical fun. I wanted the ‘essence’ of spring here, but in verses, each beginning with the letters S P R I N G.  Here is our final  batch!     It was fun! 

___________________________________ 

THE WEBEDITOR’S PICK –  Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest - Final Month!

This is thanks to Hope Clark’s ‘Funds for Writers’ newsletter.  Thank you, Hope!

By the way, I’ll be talking with Hope about her use of Pinterest to promote her work in my next issue of The Literary Midwife, the newsletter I send out from my New Writers Interface site. 

21st year. $5,550 in cash prizes, including a top prize of $3,000.  Seeks short stories, essays and other works of prose, up to 5,000
words. All entries that win cash prizes will be published on  WinningWriters.com (over one million page views per year) and
announced in the Winning Writers Newsletter, with over 40,000  subscribers. Both published and unpublished work accepted. Fee
per entry is $16. Enter online or by mail. Postmark deadline:  April 30. Judges: John H. Reid, Dee C. Konrad. Winning Writers  is one of the "101 Best Writing Websites" (Writer's Digest,  2005-2012). See guidelines, past winners, and enter at  www.winningwriters.com/tomstory

 Okay, it’s a fee contest, but it’s a BIG contest and if you win or place a lot of people will notice you. 

 

THE WANT ADS:

____________________________

"The Fanatics chronicles the struggles of a wounded police officer, who was forced into hiding, to reach his family with the Gospel in the face of certain death. Meanwhile, as his sister tried to keep him safe in spite of the dangers she faces for helping a "Fanatic," she also learns what really happened to her parents and who she really is. It's a thrilling narrative from start to finish with a "God-bump" raising, surprise ending!"

This novella sold over 76 printed copies within 2 months of its release and quickly rose to be included in the top 100 on Amazon at that time. It is currently carrying a five star rating with several good reviews. Get your
e-book copy today for only $1.99! http://www.amazon.com/The-Fanatics-ebook/dp/B009XV1KEC

If you have any questions or would like to purchase a soft cover copy of "The Fanatics" instead of the e-book ($9.99 + s/h), please feel free to contact me at "kjvbible4me(at)gmail(dot)com".

____________________________

I'm a fellow Sophisticate (a nom de plume that defines members of the Counter Intelligence Corps, US Army)  fictionalizing significant work by several Agents who were engaged in Aggressive Counterintelligence Programs. Seeking individuals who have some experience or knowledge that would help enrich an already inflated manuscript - 300 plus pages.  At present am trying to make it presentable and need to have a fresh pair of eyes to see if it is going somewhere. Also need suggestions regarding  writing style for gushing bit of literature. Please us my e-mail address of ew20810@gmail.com . Offer some bon a fides to establish your ability to contribute to the art of writing and/or knowledge of subject matter. --  E. Wells

____________________________

Deadbeat Dads, by Roseanne Dowell; After her husband leaves for a younger woman, Erica Morris just wants to make him pay child support. She starts a group for ex wives of deadbeat dads and is surprised at how many there are. In the process of rebuilding her life, someone tries to blackmail her. Can she put the past behind her or will it catch up? 
Published by Books We Love Ltd. and available from Amazon -amzn.to/YW5asx

____________________________

Vera Minette Bradley lost too many loved ones in her life, and she wanted answers. Was it God's timing, someone playing God, or hospital error? This 18 chapter novel explores these questions when Vera returns to a small town she fled during the threat of a hurricane because her sister is ill and hospitalized. Jesus is our refuge through the storms of life, and Vera, her loved ones, and friends go through many in this inspirational romantic suspense. If you're a fan of humor, romance, suspense, mystery, or inspirational novels, enjoy this one for only $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJWSF5A -- B. J. Robinson

____________________________ 


I am writing a novel based on my own experiences from 1937 -1952. I have a fictional heroine and a fictional hero. The setting is the tip of the Paliser Triangle or Central Saskatchewan. It begins just when Hitler was setting himself up in Germany, continues through the war, and into the problems of peace. It reflects the basically rural and small town living at the time. The hero trains at Dafoe, Sask and because of his skill with codes, he is sent to a base in Ontario to learn spying. ( There was a secret base).The USA has a man called Donovan who is involved with training men to spy and to work overseas. Before the USA enters the war, a group of men from the USA and Canada based just off British Columbia listen to Japanese broadcasts. He decodes a message that is really the announcement that Hawaii will be bombed. It is sent to Washington where it is considered and kept without further action. Hawaii is bombed and the USA is in the war. Next my hero trains in handling a fighter plane in England and then he has assignments to bomb Germany cities before he begins his real work: spying and getting important scientists out of German held territory including Prague. This is under the direction of Bill Donovan who later founded the CIA.

    The heroine has been made pregnant by the hero before he is sent off and the veil of secrecy falls. The mother of the girl forces her to marry the brother of the hero. This man has returned because of " shell shock" but there is a deeper story of dishonorable discharge. The man is mentally unstable and an alcoholic. The heroine suffers abuse in the marriage with this man.

    The story does have a happy ending when the hero returns in 1946.

    I am looking for two or three Critique Buddies with whom I can work on line. I have taken  two courses from Longridge. -- Dolores Ewen   dewen@accesscomm.ca.

____________________________ 

Sydelle Voeller offers   Daisies Are Forever , a contemporary romance, published by Books We Love and Sydell Voeller Special Edition (also by Books We Love)
Please visit my website
http://sydellvoeller.com/

­­­­­­­­­­­­­ _____________________________  

Aoife Edwards is a college freshman, oppressed by her power-hungry stepmom who now controls her father's fortune and sees her as a marketable commodity. A strange, blue-skinned man drops into her life and opens a door into both her hidden past, an alternate universe full of dangers, new powers and magic, and a truly bad-to-the-bone Demon King. Do check it out for a great fantasy romance romp!  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/243619

_____________________________

 

REVIEWS AND TIPS: 

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Reviewed by Christine Calderwood

http://www.draftingdreamsblog.blogspot.ca

I love reading books that get me excited; that make me want to get on the phone and share. And Sarah Addison Allen's "The Girl Who Chased the Moon" did just that. It's not often I read an author who uses descriptions like "crumbling oak leaves" or "blonde hair shining like meringue". And what do you think about "...the last sunlight of the day was coughing through the dining room windows."? (The sun? Coughing?) I don't know about you, but I find these descriptions incredibly refreshing in a world that likes to just slap its work full of sloppy cliches.



While Allen's "The Girl Who Chased the Moon" may not have the same plot quality as Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca", her quirky characters and delightful settings will make up for any criticisms you might have. Allen describes her style of writing as Southern-fried magical realism and it's obvious she spends a lot of time eliminating from her stories any trace of the "blase".



"You tell me this book is good..." I can hear the hesitance in your voice and I anticipate your next question before you have a chance to ask it. "So what is it about?"



The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Reviewed by Christine Calderwood

http://www.draftingdreamsblog.blogspot.ca


I love reading books that get me excited; that make me want to get on the phone and share. And Sarah Addison Allen's "The Girl Who Chased the Moon" did just that. It's not often I read an author who uses descriptions like "crumbling oak leaves" or "blonde hair shining like meringue". And what do you think about "...the last sunlight of the day was coughing through the dining room windows."? (The sun? Coughing?) I don't know about you, but I find these descriptions incredibly refreshing in a world that likes to just slap its work full of sloppy cliches.

While Allen's "The Girl Who Chased the Moon" may not have the same plot quality as Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca", her quirky characters and delightful settings will make up for any criticisms you might have. Allen describes her style of writing as Southern-fried magical realism and it's obvious she spends a lot of time eliminating from her stories any trace of the "blase".

"You tell me this book is good..." I can hear the hesitance in your voice and I anticipate your next question before you have a chance to ask it. "So what is it about?"

Emily Benedict, an orphaned teenager, goes to live with her grandfather in the small town of Mullaby, North Carolina. Upon arriving, though, she finds that there's a lot about her mother's past that she doesn't know. There are others in Mullaby who also struggle with the past and in time, both you and Emily will get to know these people and are able to call them friends.

As well, if you read "The Girl Who Chased the Moon", not only will you meet the young baker, Julia, but Allen also includes all the cake recipes from her book on her website, http://sarahaddisonallen.com.

Allen says, about her work: "It took twelve years writing as close to full-time as I could manage to finally make a living from it. Twelve long years, folks. This is what I know: There's no shortcut. There's no secret handshake. You sit down, you write. YOU FINISH IT. You revise and make it the best you can make it. You do your research on where to submit and you submit it. Then you start writing something new." Then she sums up the writing process in her usual, vibrant colours: "It's all about rinse and repeat."

I don't know about you, but I think this is amazing advice. And after reading such wonderful work, it sure gave me a lift! Sarah Addison Allen is proof that determination and hard work do eventually pay off.


Other favourite quotes from "The Girl Who Chased the Moon":
Speaking of Emily's grandfather, the giant of the town - "He seemed badly constructed, like a skyscraper made of soft wood instead of concrete. He looked like he could splinter at any moment"

"It never occurred to [Sawyer] that she knew where he lived. It made him feel important to her somehow. Though that was probably his delusion speaking. It spoke to him often about Julia." - A delusion speaking? This makes me laugh! I love it! It seems that, almost without trying, this author can make me smile. 

 

- Christine Calderwood

Christine, what an excellent review!  Thank you so much for sharing this with us!   If you have read something or visited a blog that you really enjoyed, share it with us!  Send me a review and it’s a clip for your next query letter, if I publish it!

 

      MaryRosenblum@forums.longridgewritersgroup.com   

REMINDERS

To receive all the issues of the Long Ridge E-NEWS plus short updates and reminders simply click here and subscribe: http://www.longridgewritersgroup.com/rx/email_updates.shtml! It's free and easy. Surely, you don't want to miss a thing.

For help in using the CHAT ROOM, you can check out the several articles we have that will help you if you click here If you're still stumped, you can use the Help Desk http://www.longridgewritersgroup.com/rx/Chat_Help_Desk.shtml for a direct connection to our technician, Frank Ball, for help with your particular computer system.

If you need help with the Post-A-Note, check out the nuts and bolts help article at http://www.longridgewritersgroup.com/rx/st01/ichat_post_a_note.shtml" for some great information on how to use the Post-A-Note and visit with other writers on the website.

Return to Top

91 Long Ridge Road, West Redding, CT 06896 Phone: 1-800-624-1476 Fax: (203) 792-8406 E-Mail: WebEditor@LongRidgeWritersGroup.comCopyright © The Institute, Inc., 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 No part of the electronic transmission to which this notice is appended may be reproduced or redistributed in any form or manner without the express written permission of The Institute, Inc.

 

Return to Newsletter

Home | Writing Course | Short Story | Full Story | Writing Test 
 Send Me Full Info | Enroll | Our Instructors | Our Credentials | Sample Lesson 
College Credits | Tax Deductibility | From Overseas  | Writer's Bookstore  
Free Writer's News | Life Support for Writers | Chat Room  | Live Forum | Writing Craft
Calendar of Events | Professional Connection | Transcripts | Post a Note | Surviving & Thriving
 Student Center | Privacy Policy | Web Editor | Comments | Writing for Children 

Copyright © Writer's Institute, Inc., 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
No part of the electronic transmission to which this notice is appended may be reproduced or redistributed in any form or manner without the express written permission of Writer's Institute, Inc.