Emily H. Bates's Blog, page 11
August 13, 2015
The secret to getting past page 1
Well, after my griping yesterday about not getting past the first page in my latest edit, fortuitous circumstances gave me just the right push.
You see, I had printed off the manuscript in hopes that having it on paper, rather than on the computer, would help get the process going. And it did, but not exactly how I expected.
When I pulled it out to work on it, I realized that, for whatever reason, page 1 hadn’t printed.
Which meant that I couldn’t get stuck on the first page.
And just like th...
August 12, 2015
Getting past the first page
The past couple of weeks have been utterly abysmal in the writing arena. I have two manuscripts waiting for me to go another round of editing. I even have critique buddy’s comments to get me started.
But every time I look at the first page, I think, “I am going to die if I have to read this one more time.”
So I’ve been running away from those two manuscripts and outlining another project. Unfortunately, this is about the tenth outline I’ve attempted for this story, because it never comes toge...
August 8, 2015
Is it Fall already?
Yesterday was summer–sunny and warm and beautiful. Today is gray and cold, with rain forecasted for the whole weekend. Isn’t it August still?
I’m not complaining, though. I’ve never been a huge fan of hot weather, and I like getting these little breaks. It does make me feel like fall, though, so I’m taking advantage of a temporarily quiet house to listen to Harry Connick Jr.’s “When My Heart Finds Christmas” and get some serious plotting done.
What are you listening to and working on today?
...
August 7, 2015
New Old Reads
When I got my Kindle four years ago, I immediately downloaded about a billion free classics to read. I got around to a few of them, but e-reading doesn’t come easy to me, and the surge of classic literature faded.
Now that I’ve upgraded to a smart phone, however, I’ve realized that I can sneak three or four minutes at a time with those classics during all those pockets of time when I don’t have a book with me. Physical books are still my instrument of choice, of course, but it’s been really n...
July 27, 2015
And the winner is . . .
Today is the end of the ERUPTION giveaway! And the winner is:
I’ll be in touch with you to get your address. I wish I had enough copies for everyone—this is a truly stellar book!! Keep an eye out for more giveaways in the future! Nothing makes me happier than handing out free books, except maybe receiving free books.
And in lieu of a writing challenge today, I want to point you toward the Gotham Character Questionnaire, to which I was alerted by A Cup of English Tea. I’m alw...
July 22, 2015
Bonus content!!
In celebration of having all my files back in one place, I went wandering through some of my old, discarded story bits. Lo and behold, I discovered an alternate beginning I had written for Demon’s Heart about a billion drafts ago! The story originally started about ten days earlier than it does now, but for pacing and plotting reasons, I jumped the beginning forward for the later drafts. Take a peek!
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Rustav made his way through the crowded streets of Markuum, the shouts of dockworkers and...
July 20, 2015
Who doesn’t love free books?
Today, BumblesBooks is bringing one of you lucky readers a FREE BOOK! We’re giving away one signed copy of ERUPTION by Adrienne Quintana! Here’s the summary from Goodreads:
Jace Vega has finally landed her dream job—working for Omnibus, an up-and-coming tech firm. But a mysterious message from her future self sets Jace and her old friend Corey racing to piece together clues before Omnibus destroys their future—and their past. This fast-paced thriller will keep you guessing till the very last...
July 17, 2015
All together now . . .
I’m not one of those scribble-on-napkins authors. I’ve never been able to write my story ideas on whatever scrap of paper is handy, because I’m so paranoid about it getting lost. When I was younger, I had specific notebooks devoted to specific story ideas, and not one of those notebooks could ever be spoiled with anything other than its designated story. It just couldn’t be done.
For years now, though, I’ve been writing on the computer, and I love my layers and layers of files neatly organize...
July 15, 2015
Learning from others’ mistakes
This post is partially an apology. A while ago, there was an ebook on sale that I had heard great things about. I bought it and told several people that they should get it while it was on sale.
I finally got around to reading it last weekend and I–am–mortified.
Now, I’m not in the business of shaming books or authors, so I’m not going to mention the name of the book here. Just know that if you bought a book on my recommendation and it was teeming with objectification of women and erratic plot...
July 13, 2015
Shoring up weak spots
Description is Written Enemy Number 1 in my world.
Part of the problem is that I don’t like to read books that are heavy on description. I loved the plot of Robin McKinley’s The Blue Sword, but when she was describing everything in Corlath’s tent down to the etching on the handle of the tea cup . . . get me to the fighting, please!
I know not everyone is that way. I have two fabulous writing buddies in particular who write gorgeous descriptions, and they’re always great at encouraging more de...
