Adam Heine's Blog, page 16

The Problem With Self-Imposed Deadlines

The trilemma above is a universal for any project. And I've realized this is exactly why my self-imposed deadlines almost never work. I mean, I'll set them, but then I'll get stuck on something, or a problem will appear that I didn't foresee. And once my deadline is broken, replacing it just feels . . . fake.



My self-imposed deadlines don't work because, in the querying and submission stages, the choice above is made for me:



CHEAP, because nobody's paying me. (The only way it could be ch...

First Impact: WARRIORS OVER DARKNESS AND THE UNSETTLED GRAVE by Clarissa

I hope you all had a good vacation. Because it's time for another First Impact Critique,
where we take a look at your queries, first pages, back cover copy, etc.
You want to make an impact right from the start. We're here to help
you do that.



If you'd like to submit your first impact material, send it to firstimpactAE@gmail.com. Details here.



Remember, anyone who offers their comments this month is eligible for either $10 for Amazon or B&N OR a 20-page critique from me.








This
week w...

The Reality of Dungeons & Dragons

As a kid, I was taught that D&D is of the devil, but the reality is much, much worse.







Yup. Good times. Good times.



I realize it's Christmas Eve, and you're probably not even reading this right now. If you are, then know the blog is going dark for the holidays. (And if you aren't reading this . . . weird). I'll be back with a First Impact post on January 2nd.



Have a good break!

We Should Have a Firefly Friday or Something

Cuz this video makes me all manner of nostalgic.

First Impact: TALIHINA GRACE by Randal J. Brewer

It's time for another First Impact Critique,
where we take a look at your queries, first pages, back cover copy, etc.
You want to make an impact right from the start. We're here to help
you do that.



If you'd like to submit your first impact material, send it to firstimpactAE@gmail.com. Details here.



Remember, anyone who offers their comments this month is eligible for either $10 for Amazon or B&N OR a 20-page critique from me.






This
week we have the first page of a cool-looking YA fa...

When Is Piracy Okay?

It's been a while since we talked about piracy. I don't have anything new to say on the subject, but I thought we could have a little discussion starter. So first, a poll: When is it okay to pirate something?



The question is about ethics, not legality. The legality answer is easy and objective (for most countries, the answer is "never").







poll by twiigs.com



ANSWER DESCRIPTIONS:

1) Never. Self-explanatory, I think.



2) When there is no way to get it, even with money. For example, your...

On Covers and Curse Workers

I just finished reading RED GLOVE, the second book in Holly Black's Curse Workers trilogy.



And GAH! This trilogy!



Understand: I LOVE the stories. Love the characters, love the cons (oh my GOSH, the cons), love the powers, love the world. I think I liked WHITE CAT better than this one (the big con felt . . . connier in the first book), but RED GLOVE was still very good.



When I read WHITE CAT, my only problems with it were a minor plot issue and the cover.



Guess what my problems are now.



S...

First Impact: DEATHSIGN by C.A. Schmidt

It's time for another First Impact Critique,
where we take a look at your queries, first pages, back cover copy, etc.
You want to make an impact right from the start. We're here to help
you do that.



If you'd like to submit your first impact material, send it to firstimpactAE@gmail.com. Details here.



Remember, anyone who offers their comments is eligible for either $10 for Amazon or B&N OR a 20-page critique from me.






This week we have the first page of a cool-looking YA fantasy. My i...

The Science of Persuasion

A friend directed me to this great video on persuasion. It's about the psychology behind why people make decisions, and how you can ethically apply these concepts to persuading people to do what you want. This is ridiculously useful if you're trying to get somebody to buy something (like, say, a book you wrote), but it also applies to things like getting people to follow your blog, critique your manuscript, or blurb your novel.



(You can use them unethically too, of course. That's the problem...

Query Letters and That Pesky Bio Paragraph

If you've done any research into writing query letters, you've probably read that you need (1) a hook, (2) a mini-synopsis, and (3) a paragraph about you. I see a lot of confusion about what to put in that bio paragraph. Hopefully we can clear that up here.



(NOTE: This is specifically for fiction queries. In non-fiction queries, the bio paragraph is a lot more important).



RULE #1: If you're not sure what to write about yourself, write:

Thank you for your time and consideration.

And NOTHING...