Lynda Engler's Blog
November 7, 2017
UNDER THE MOUNTAIN releases Nov 8th!
Wednesday Nov 8, UNDER THE MOUNTAIN, the final volume of the 5 star INTO THE OUTSIDE series will hit the shelves. Pre-order your Kindle copy today for only $0.99.
#postapocalyptic #SciFi
Isabella and her new family have been captured and imprisoned in the underground city of Mt. Weather. They and other captive mutants face certain death cleaning lethal radiation zones Outside unless Dr. Rosario’s cure can save them.
But can Isabella’s brother Luke and the Mt. Weather rebels convince enough of the army that the mutants are worth saving? Without their help, the mutants are doomed.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076L96T1D
#postapocalyptic #SciFi
Isabella and her new family have been captured and imprisoned in the underground city of Mt. Weather. They and other captive mutants face certain death cleaning lethal radiation zones Outside unless Dr. Rosario’s cure can save them.
But can Isabella’s brother Luke and the Mt. Weather rebels convince enough of the army that the mutants are worth saving? Without their help, the mutants are doomed.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076L96T1D
June 14, 2017
FREE today on Kindle (6/14)
Head over to Amazon for a free Kindle copy of Into the Yellow Zone: A Post Apocalyptic Novel in advance of it's release on AUDIBLE at the end of the July.
5 Star #Kindle reviews, #SciFi #Dystopian
5 Star #Kindle reviews, #SciFi #Dystopian
April 3, 2017
New post-apocalyptic novel: Into the Yellow Zone
I'm so excited that the sequel to Into the Outside released March 31, 2017. Into the Yellow Zone: is available for order on Kindle and in paperback at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9ZHZUB.
Follow Isabella and her friends in the next step of their exciting journey:
After leaving her underground shelter with a passing mutant tribe, 16-year-old Isabella, her new husband Malcolm, two young tribe members and two little children, seek the mad scientist Telemark village’s priestess saw in her visions. Is he looking for a vaccine to keep humans from suffering the ravages of their poisoned world? Or are Araddea’s visions merely hallucinations born of her mutated mind?
Follow Isabella and her friends in the next step of their exciting journey:
After leaving her underground shelter with a passing mutant tribe, 16-year-old Isabella, her new husband Malcolm, two young tribe members and two little children, seek the mad scientist Telemark village’s priestess saw in her visions. Is he looking for a vaccine to keep humans from suffering the ravages of their poisoned world? Or are Araddea’s visions merely hallucinations born of her mutated mind?
February 18, 2017
Into the Yellow Zone available for pre-order
The sequel to Into the Outside releases March 31, 2017. Into the Yellow Zone: A POST APOCALYPTIC NOVEL is available for pre-order on Kindle at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9ZHZUB.
I want to thank my beta-readers for helping me polish this sequel and I hope the readers enjoy following Isabella and her friends in the next step of their journey:
After leaving her underground shelter with a passing mutant tribe, 16-year-old Isabella, her new husband Malcolm, two young tribe members and two little children, seek the mad scientist Telemark village’s priestess saw in her visions. Is he looking for a vaccine to keep humans from suffering the ravages of their poisoned world? Or are Araddea’s visions merely hallucinations born of her mutated mind?
I want to thank my beta-readers for helping me polish this sequel and I hope the readers enjoy following Isabella and her friends in the next step of their journey:
After leaving her underground shelter with a passing mutant tribe, 16-year-old Isabella, her new husband Malcolm, two young tribe members and two little children, seek the mad scientist Telemark village’s priestess saw in her visions. Is he looking for a vaccine to keep humans from suffering the ravages of their poisoned world? Or are Araddea’s visions merely hallucinations born of her mutated mind?
August 27, 2016
Three Easy Steps to Successful Editing
Originally published at
http://www.lyndaengler.com/blog
The writers brain – okay maybe every brain! – has two sides. The left is for editing, the right is for creativity. One side comes up with inspiration and the other side perfects it. I don’t care what you think: you cannot do both at once. Effective writing means turning off the editor brain and just writing, writing, writing. But once you are done with all that creativity, it’s time to turn on the editor side of your brain. Trust me – this works.
Finish your novel. Then, step away from it for a while, preferably a few weeks. Go do something else. Write something else, read, take a cruise. Whatever. But STAY AWAY FROM YOUR MANUSCRIPT. Now… take a deep breath and let’s get started editing!
Step 1. Read through your book as fast as possible. Don’t take notes. Don’t edit. Just read. This step is searching for the intuitive feel a reader gets from your overall story. The goal of this step is to figure out how well you’ve captured what you set out to do.
Step 2. Now read it again, but this time focus on how well each component works in your story. This is a broad, sweeping edit that looks at style, tone, structure, pacing, and characters. As you do this second read through, ask questions and take notes.
Does your story draw the reader in within the first ten pages? Does it have a hook?
Does your main character have an opponent or antagonist that is captivating on their own?
Is there sustained conflict from your protagonist or antagonist? (If it’s a mystery, you may not know who the antagonist is, but then you should have multiple possible opponents – each should be developed enough to be interesting.)
Are the characters motivated enough to propel the plot forward?
Does the “middle bit” (the second act of a 3-act-play plot structure) grow steadily in complexity?
Are your time, place and situation clearly laid out so the reader is grounded in a “venue”?
Does Act 3 build to a climax?
Is your climax the top of your conflict arc and does it change everything for the protagonist?
Does your main character prevail because of their own actions?
Has your protagonist had a life-changing experience?
Does the ending satisfy all the questions brought up in the story?
Is your prose all in the same verb tense?
Is your point of view consistent?
Step 3. Go in for the nitty gritty now. Read again, but this time you are paying attention to elements such as scenes, pacing, conflict levels, characterization, narrative, dialog, and setting. As you do this third read through, ask questions and make notes in the story.
Are additional scenes needed in places to fill out the story arc?
Do you need more conflict in certain places? Is there enough tension?
Can weak scenes be deleted?
Does every scene reveal crucial information?
Does the scene propel the plot forward?
Does the scene have consequences that decide what happens next?
Is something meaningful happening?
Is your dialogue sharp and focused? Cut out useless chit chat and boring greetings. Cut to the meat of the story in each line of dialogue.
Does each character have their own unique voice? Dialogue should be realistic, but don’t overdo dialect or shortened words.
Does your writing use action words? Action verbs create vivid mental images.
Does your writing use enough sensory words? Use all five senses – not just what something looked or sounded like. Introduce sensory actions like hunger, thirst, itches, heat, cold, pain, and soft touches.
Go forth and edit, edit, edit now!
http://www.lyndaengler.com/blog
The writers brain – okay maybe every brain! – has two sides. The left is for editing, the right is for creativity. One side comes up with inspiration and the other side perfects it. I don’t care what you think: you cannot do both at once. Effective writing means turning off the editor brain and just writing, writing, writing. But once you are done with all that creativity, it’s time to turn on the editor side of your brain. Trust me – this works.
Finish your novel. Then, step away from it for a while, preferably a few weeks. Go do something else. Write something else, read, take a cruise. Whatever. But STAY AWAY FROM YOUR MANUSCRIPT. Now… take a deep breath and let’s get started editing!
Step 1. Read through your book as fast as possible. Don’t take notes. Don’t edit. Just read. This step is searching for the intuitive feel a reader gets from your overall story. The goal of this step is to figure out how well you’ve captured what you set out to do.
Step 2. Now read it again, but this time focus on how well each component works in your story. This is a broad, sweeping edit that looks at style, tone, structure, pacing, and characters. As you do this second read through, ask questions and take notes.
Does your story draw the reader in within the first ten pages? Does it have a hook?
Does your main character have an opponent or antagonist that is captivating on their own?
Is there sustained conflict from your protagonist or antagonist? (If it’s a mystery, you may not know who the antagonist is, but then you should have multiple possible opponents – each should be developed enough to be interesting.)
Are the characters motivated enough to propel the plot forward?
Does the “middle bit” (the second act of a 3-act-play plot structure) grow steadily in complexity?
Are your time, place and situation clearly laid out so the reader is grounded in a “venue”?
Does Act 3 build to a climax?
Is your climax the top of your conflict arc and does it change everything for the protagonist?
Does your main character prevail because of their own actions?
Has your protagonist had a life-changing experience?
Does the ending satisfy all the questions brought up in the story?
Is your prose all in the same verb tense?
Is your point of view consistent?
Step 3. Go in for the nitty gritty now. Read again, but this time you are paying attention to elements such as scenes, pacing, conflict levels, characterization, narrative, dialog, and setting. As you do this third read through, ask questions and make notes in the story.
Are additional scenes needed in places to fill out the story arc?
Do you need more conflict in certain places? Is there enough tension?
Can weak scenes be deleted?
Does every scene reveal crucial information?
Does the scene propel the plot forward?
Does the scene have consequences that decide what happens next?
Is something meaningful happening?
Is your dialogue sharp and focused? Cut out useless chit chat and boring greetings. Cut to the meat of the story in each line of dialogue.
Does each character have their own unique voice? Dialogue should be realistic, but don’t overdo dialect or shortened words.
Does your writing use action words? Action verbs create vivid mental images.
Does your writing use enough sensory words? Use all five senses – not just what something looked or sounded like. Introduce sensory actions like hunger, thirst, itches, heat, cold, pain, and soft touches.
Go forth and edit, edit, edit now!
July 11, 2016
Into the Outside - free on Kindle July 12-16th!
Into the OutsideWhile all my books are always free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, I like to share it with the rest of us "regular" Kindle folks as often as possible. (I confess, I do not have a KU membership.)
Starting midnight on Tuesday July 12th, through end of day on Saturday, July 16th, all downloaded Kindle copies of "Into the Outside" will be FREE!
So, if you've had it on your To Read list, now's your chance to get it for free.
Oh, and if you've read it, please, please, please, add a review to Goodreads or Amazon (or both!)
Thanks a bunch, and happy reading!
Lynda Engler
Starting midnight on Tuesday July 12th, through end of day on Saturday, July 16th, all downloaded Kindle copies of "Into the Outside" will be FREE!
So, if you've had it on your To Read list, now's your chance to get it for free.
Oh, and if you've read it, please, please, please, add a review to Goodreads or Amazon (or both!)
Thanks a bunch, and happy reading!
Lynda Engler
May 19, 2016
Plot it Out or Fly By the Seat of Your Pants?
There are two different approaches to novel writing. Figure out the plot in advance or just start writing and see where your journey takes you. Actually – there is a third approach, a combination of the two. Each has its merits, each its pitfalls, and every author makes their own choice.
Plotters have it all figured out beforehand. They have an outline (even if only in their head) of the whole story before they start writing. While this approach will keep you from pulling out your hair, binge drinking, and sleepless nights of wide-awake terror, it could also make for a story that feels mechanical, rendering scenes lifeless and flat.
The “flying by the seat of your pants” method opens up the writer to sudden moments of inspiration when their subconscious dumps creative surprises onto their keyboard. Stories written using this method can follow a brisk pace, filling the writer’s journey with creative answers to plot questions that may even surprise the author. Of course, moments of true creative genius can be few and far between, and the author may suffer from writers block when those brilliant creative moments don’t come. And then there is the problem with a creative flash of genius that takes the story down a road that completely destroys other parts of the plot. These side road trips can cause days/weeks/months (fill in the blank) of arduous rewrites.
Blending the two methods makes for a much more effective strategy. Start with an outline – a road map from start to finish. Follow your instincts at first, but also follow the map you created. Inspiration will still hit but those moments of brilliance will become more thoughtful and purposeful now that they have a structure to fit into. Don’t overplot – listing every single event that will happen isn’t necessary. Leave room for flying by the seat of your pants.
Combining the two strategies is all about being flexible. Keep all your writers tools and strategies handy, and pull them out as you go along, whether it’s in the plotting phase or the genius phase. Using all your intermingled strategies slants the odds in your favor that in the end you will have a vivid, complex and readable novel, rather than a near-miss manuscript.
Plotters have it all figured out beforehand. They have an outline (even if only in their head) of the whole story before they start writing. While this approach will keep you from pulling out your hair, binge drinking, and sleepless nights of wide-awake terror, it could also make for a story that feels mechanical, rendering scenes lifeless and flat.
The “flying by the seat of your pants” method opens up the writer to sudden moments of inspiration when their subconscious dumps creative surprises onto their keyboard. Stories written using this method can follow a brisk pace, filling the writer’s journey with creative answers to plot questions that may even surprise the author. Of course, moments of true creative genius can be few and far between, and the author may suffer from writers block when those brilliant creative moments don’t come. And then there is the problem with a creative flash of genius that takes the story down a road that completely destroys other parts of the plot. These side road trips can cause days/weeks/months (fill in the blank) of arduous rewrites.
Blending the two methods makes for a much more effective strategy. Start with an outline – a road map from start to finish. Follow your instincts at first, but also follow the map you created. Inspiration will still hit but those moments of brilliance will become more thoughtful and purposeful now that they have a structure to fit into. Don’t overplot – listing every single event that will happen isn’t necessary. Leave room for flying by the seat of your pants.
Combining the two strategies is all about being flexible. Keep all your writers tools and strategies handy, and pull them out as you go along, whether it’s in the plotting phase or the genius phase. Using all your intermingled strategies slants the odds in your favor that in the end you will have a vivid, complex and readable novel, rather than a near-miss manuscript.
April 13, 2016
Looking for beta-readers for novella
I am looking for some beta-readers for a 12,800 word (40 pages, double spaced) scifi/time travel novella I have recently completed. NOT proofreading (although if you find typos, please let me know). I’m interested in knowing reader response to how it flows, theme/plot, character development, dialog, and setting.
Description: Ophelia's husband disappears at the most inopportune times. After 10 years, she's not sure why she puts up with it, other than the fact that she's loved him since she first saw him in college, before the physics experiment that started Will involuntarily sliding through time. And there's nothing anyone can do about it. Or is there?
If you have time for a read through in the next week or two, please send your email address to author@lyndaengler.com so I can send you the draft.
Thanks!
Lynda
Description: Ophelia's husband disappears at the most inopportune times. After 10 years, she's not sure why she puts up with it, other than the fact that she's loved him since she first saw him in college, before the physics experiment that started Will involuntarily sliding through time. And there's nothing anyone can do about it. Or is there?
If you have time for a read through in the next week or two, please send your email address to author@lyndaengler.com so I can send you the draft.
Thanks!
Lynda
March 23, 2016
Into the Outside - free on Kindle March 26-30th!
Into the OutsideWhile all my books are always free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, I like to share it with the rest of us "regular" Kindle folks as often as possible. (I confess, I do not have a KU membership.)
Starting midnight on Saturday March 26th, through end of day on Wednesday, March 30th, all downloaded Kindle copies of "Into the Outside" will be FREE!
So, if you've had it on your To Read list, now's your chance to get it for free.
Oh, and if you've read it, please, please, please, add a review to Goodreads or Amazon (or both!)
Thanks a bunch, and happy reading!
Lynda Engler
Starting midnight on Saturday March 26th, through end of day on Wednesday, March 30th, all downloaded Kindle copies of "Into the Outside" will be FREE!
So, if you've had it on your To Read list, now's your chance to get it for free.
Oh, and if you've read it, please, please, please, add a review to Goodreads or Amazon (or both!)
Thanks a bunch, and happy reading!
Lynda Engler
March 19, 2016
Short is the New Long
I thought short stories stopped being relevant for professional writers decades ago, when mainstream magazines (i.e. The Saturday Evening Post) stopped publishing fiction. Wrong.
Short stories are having a revival in the digital age! Thanks to consumers who want quick bites of info and things like Kindle Singles, consumers love short.
Working on a SciFi Short called Time Wives. It's getting some beta reading right now, but I intend to publish it by end of April. Will keep you posted.
Short stories are having a revival in the digital age! Thanks to consumers who want quick bites of info and things like Kindle Singles, consumers love short.
Working on a SciFi Short called Time Wives. It's getting some beta reading right now, but I intend to publish it by end of April. Will keep you posted.
