Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 116

Why Your First Sentence Needs to Sing

Every now and again over at the Gutsy Great Novelist, host Joan Dempsey challenges us to post the first sentence and the first sentence only of our works-in-progress.  Some people explain why they can’t do that, and then post the first paragraph, the second sentence, or whatever. But what they often fail to realize is … Continue reading Why Your First Sentence Needs to Sing →

3 Reasons to Type Out Your Mentor Text

A friend of mine has been studying early readers to get a feel for how to shape her own story. “But I just can’t get it right! My story is still way too long.” My advice for her was to type out her mentor text. Her: But I read it. Me: Now you need to … Continue reading 3 Reasons to Type Out Your Mentor Text →

3 Cozy Mystery Quirks

I had to laugh at this meme when I saw it. Cozy mysteries are quirky in a lot of ways and that’s something to keep in mind if you are going to write one. Quirky Characters If the main characters in a cozy isn’t quirky, one of the secondary characters is. I’ve read books where … Continue reading 3 Cozy Mystery Quirks →

Why I Love My Library

That photo on the right is my local library branch. It is the library that I rode my bicycle to when I was a young reader. I’d check out a basketful of books and then bike home. As I think about it now, my mother who always caught an earful about how tiny the basket … Continue reading Why I Love My Library →

Social Media Marketing

Some time ago I took a social media marketing webinar with Ania Marcos. One of the things that she encouraged us to do was figure out the what, why and how of what we write. From that, everything else would flow. As an example, she encouraged us to look at Apple’s corporate motto. “Everything we … Continue reading Social Media Marketing →

My Work Routine

One of the things that I’ve realized as a working writer is that how I write best changes. What worked five years ago is not ideal today. When you have a deadline, ideal may be less important than laying the words on the page. But the reality is that I have sciatica. It isn’t really … Continue reading My Work Routine →

Why Writers Need to Talk to Each Other

One Saturday in April I was talking to some of my writing friends. I don’t get to visit with these ladies often because we are in Arizona, Nevada, etc. You get the point. We are each in a different state! But we were on Zoom. One of my friends told about a frustrating experience she … Continue reading Why Writers Need to Talk to Each Other →

Books In Translation

I’ve been thinking about books in translation a lot lately. About a month ago, I listened to an audiobook a friend recommended, Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People. The book is set in a small town in Sweden. As I listened, I knew that there were things that I wasn’t entirely understanding such as when people used … Continue reading Books In Translation →

3 Ways to Recognize a Hoax

Last week I got a message from a reader who had seen my post, “Scams, Cons, and Things to Watch Out For,” over on the Muffin. Unfortunately there are always people trying to take advantage of writers. Oh, let’s be real. There are always people trying to take advantage of people. I decided to write … Continue reading 3 Ways to Recognize a Hoax →

Passive Voice: The Best Test Ever

“Eliminate passive voice whenever possible.” My editor is so polite. He doesn’t have a fit when he finds passive voice in my work. But as soon as he mentions it, my mind goes blank. Sometimes I’m like that when you put me on the spot. I think the big problem with this is my grammar … Continue reading Passive Voice: The Best Test Ever →