Janice Hardy's Blog, page 105
June 5, 2018
Three Things to Know Before You Pitch in an Online Pitch Event
By Rosanne Brown, @rosiesramblesPart of the How They Do It Series
JH: Pitch Wars and other online pitching events are all the rage these days. While more options for getting our work to agents and editors is good, the pubic nature of it comes with its own share of downsides (as well as benefits). Please help me welcome Rosanne Brown to the lecture hall today to share some tips on surviving an online pitching event.
Rosie Brown is a graduate of the University of Maryland, a former editorial intern for Entangled Publishing, and an alumni of the Pitch Wars contest. She is represented by Quressa Robinson of Nelson Literary Agency. She can be found on Twitter @rosiesrambles, where she is usually yelling loudly about Star Wars or complaining about how much she hates the cold.
Take it away Rosanne...
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 2, 2018
Real Life Diagnostics: Would You Keep Reading This Opening Scene?
Critique By Maria D'Marco Real Life Diagnostics is a weekly column that studies a snippet of a work in progress for specific issues. Readers are encouraged to send in work with questions, and we diagnose it on the site. It’s part critique, part example, and designed to help the submitter as well as anyone else having a similar problem.
If you're interested in submitting to Real Life Diagnostics, please check out these guidelines.
Submissions currently in the queue: Three
Please Note: As of today, RLD slots are booked through June 23.
This week’s questions:
Is the internalization, description, or narration too much at this point?
Is there too much background that sounds like an infodump?
Am I telling too much?
Would you want to keep reading?
Market/Genre: Unspecified
On to the diagnosis…
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 1, 2018
Get Two Full Days of Writing Workshops at the SCBWI Florida Mid-Year Workshop: From A-Z
A head's up for you teen, tween, and kidlit writers out there. There's still time to register for SCBWI Florida Mid-Year Workshop: From A-Z in Orlando on June 15-16.
This conference has a different format from what I've done before, with an interesting and in-depth focus on the markets and genres chosen. Instead of multiple workshops every hour, attendees get to choose full-day workshops and intensives (though honestly they're both "intensive" since they're all day), with multiple sessions and presenters each day.
You sign up for say, my novel intensive and you get five sessions on writing and publishing a novel in the kidlit market with three co-presenters. So you get a well-rounded view with different opinions and experiences, from authors and editors. It's pretty cool and looks like it'll be a lot of fun.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
May 31, 2018
CON CHOICE: On Picking Events and Building Great Genre Experiences
By Damon Suede, @DamonSuedePart of the Indie Author Series
Thank you as always to Janice for letting me chat with y’all about the challenges of promo and genre authorship. Today, she suggested we take a look at event selection: how to choose the venues best for your work and how to maximize your conference budget.
When I talk about cons I refer to conventions, conferences, and any large gathering of genre folk focused as a community on the books they love and we write.
Now, because I'm an obstreperous creature I'm going to state a few heretical beliefs that just keep right on saving my bacon in this crazy thing we call genre fiction. Some of this may fly in the face of things you've assumed or heard about author events. I make no claims as to provenance or wisdom, but these harsh truisms spring from over 30 years earning my crust in professional entertainment and the wild, wicked world of genre gatherings.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
May 30, 2018
Another Loss, Another Break
It breaks my heart that I wrote a post just like this almost exactly two years ago.Yesterday, my husband and I said goodbye to our youngest cat, Puck. He was diagnosed with cancer in mid-March, and while we discovered it early enough to cherish our last few months with him, there was nothing else we could do.
He was a little trooper, and stayed playful, loving, and sweet as ever (even chased, caught, and ate, lizards on the patio right up to the end) but yesterday morning we knew things had tipped and his quality of life was about to fade rapidly. We wanted to spare him that, so it was time to let him go.
Puck was the most amazing cat in the world. A gentle giant at almost 19 pounds, he was always there to snuggle and play and throw his stuffed squirrel toy around like a Frisbee. He was a special, special guy and I've never known a cat like him. I've had great cats all my life, but he really was a step above.
We'll miss him terribly, and feel privileged to have known him and to have had him in our lives. He was deeply loved, and will be deeply missed.
My guest authors and contributors will continue, but I'll be taking a break for a little while. I thank you all for understanding.Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
Anohter Loss, Another Break
It breaks my heart that I wrote a post just like this almost exactly two years ago.Yesterday, my husband and I said goodbye to our youngest cat, Puck. He was diagnosed with cancer in mid-March, and while we discovered it early enough to cherish our last few months with him, there was nothing else we could do.
He was a little trooper, and stayed playful, loving, and sweet as ever (even chased, caught, and ate, lizards on the patio right up to the end) but yesterday morning we knew things had tipped and his quality of life was about to fade rapidly. We wanted to spare him that, so it was time to let him go.
Puck was the most amazing cat in the world. A gentle giant at almost 19 pounds, he was always there to snuggle and play and throw his stuffed squirrel toy around like a Frisbee. He was a special, special guy and I've never known a cat like him. I've had great cats all my life, but he really was a step above.
We'll miss him terribly, and feel privileged to have known him and to have had him in our lives. He was deeply loved, and will be deeply missed.
My guest authors and contributors will continue, but I'll be taking a break for a little while. I thank you all for understanding.Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
May 29, 2018
Four Pillars Linking Character to Plot
By Jeff Seymour, @realjeffseymourPart of the How They Do It Series
JH: First chapters carry an extra challenge for writers--they need to make someone want to read the rest of the book. Please help me welcome Jeff Seymour to the lecture hall today, who's here to share some thoughts on first chapters and help us create stronger openings.
Jeff Seymour writes hopeful, heartfelt fantasy that blends modern characters with timeless plots and offers something new and fantastic on every page. His debut middle-grade novel, Nadya Skylung and the Cloudship Rescue , was published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons on May 15, 2018. In his day job as a freelance editor, Jeff helps shape and clean up stories for a talented roster of bestselling sci-fi and fantasy authors as well as newcomers to the business. In his free time, he serves as support team to a wife with an incredible career of her own, pretends he knows anything about raising children, and gathers ideas for stories everywhere he goes.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Take it away Jeff...
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
May 25, 2018
7 Tips for Writers Venturing into Erotica
By Julie Wyld
Part of the How They Do It Series
JH: Erotica and short fiction are two of the fastest-growing categories on Amazon these days, so it makes sense that writers of short erotica would be knocking it out of the park right now. Julie Wlyd visits the lecture hall today to share tips on how to turn steamy daydreams into sales. Note: While Julie kept this article PG, some of her book descriptions and site mentions re not, so be warned before you click a link.
Julie believes adults of every age and gender need touch and sexual fulfillment, and that expanding the individual's sexual horizons leads to a rich, fulfilling life. Nothing makes her happier than to know her stories bring readers to new heights of erotic pleasure and personal acceptance.
Julie writes urban, contemporary, and always sizzling hot erotica for women and men. Sweet or rough, humorous or mysterious, Julie combines intense sexuality with literary sensibility and living, breathing characters.
You can find all at-a-glance details of all her books at her website, where she also maintains a blog. You can also find her on Tumblr (if logged in with safe mode disabled), where she curates a growing and very naughty collection of images.
Website | Goodreads | Tumblr | Amazon |
Take it away Julie...
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
May 23, 2018
How Much Really Needs to Be in Your Novel’s Opening Sentence?
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Writers hear it all the time—your opening sentence has to be perfect. It will make or break your novel. It must contain [random writing technique or aspect that supports whatever point the article is trying to make]. If it doesn’t, your writing career is over.
For new writers, this can be terrifying. That’s a huge amount of pressure to put on a dozen or so words. Even for established writers it can be intimidating. They might wonder, “Is that why I keep getting rejected?” “I that why my e-book isn’t selling on Amazon?”
If you’ve worried about this, you can relax. Yes, the opening line of your novel is important, but the only thing it has to do is this:
Make someone want to read the second line.
That’s it.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
May 22, 2018
Battered But Not Beaten? Pushing Your Character Past The Breaking Point
By Bonnie Randall Part of the How They Do It Series (Monthly Contributor)
In the old days, it was called ‘a nervous breakdown;' the point where the strain and the stress and the experiences outweighed a person’s ability to cope.
Every story has its moment of profound despair—the end of Act II when our protagonist is beaten and their spirit is broken. In my real life, I have been in a personal ‘Act II’ for the past seven months, and I am here to tell you: it is misery. Violence, a death, then the burden of unanticipated responsibilities, duties, burdens and financial hits (what do you mean my hot water heater and my washing machine needed to be replaced in the midst of all this?!) have rendered me ‘inoperable’.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
