Bev Pettersen's Blog, page 8
February 13, 2020
Winter Writing Festival – Check in Week 5
We’ve got another week under our belts – how did you do? Are you still excited about your project? Or have things begun to lag a bit? Know that we’re here to cheer you on (and that those moments are totally normal!) One way through it is to pop into the chat room or come hang out on the blog. We’re glad you’re here.
Now that we’re closing...
February 11, 2020
Tagline for a Vampire Puppy
We’ve all been working hard on the Winter Writing Festival. So hard that I think we need to have a fun assignment today on Log line/Tagline Wednesday. To make it extra easy, let’s make the form less than 50 words and no more than 3 sentences.
Everybody ready? Here’s the hard part. This isn’t a tagline for your story. This is for a non-existent story about a vampire puppy. The idea is to create a catchy log line to practice the skill without the need to make it accurate for a particular story...
February 6, 2020
Winter Writing Festival Check In – Week 4!
Another week is in the books! Are you getting some words? Have you hit a snag? Have you visited the chat room yet? Is February weather trying its best to ruin your mood? It’s time to Check In again, take stock, and get fired up for another week!
As always, we’ll have encouragement, camaraderie, and prizes as we touch base and check in on our goals.
For those who are keeping track of...February 4, 2020
FORGET THE RULES !! LETS GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT !!
There are entire blogs and even books, probably, about how not to start your novel. One rule that has been floating around for years is:
“Never start a novel with dialogue.”
Guess how I started my very first romance novel, my 2008 Golden Heart finalist manuscript?
“You are planning to murder me, aren’t you?”
Lost in Love
I could plead ignorance, as I was utterly clueless about writing at that point. No one had told me the rules. I didn’t even know there were rules. So I just wrote...
February 3, 2020
Ruby Tuesday with Autumn Jordon
Welcome to another Ruby Tuesday! Today we’re talking to Autumn Jordon, and we’re going to talk about the publication path. It’s Autumn’s tenth year of publishing, so that’s a great reason to chat! (And celebrate!) Congrats, Autumn, and please tell use . . . how did your first published book come about? Was it the first book you wrote?
I guess you could call the story behind my first published book, ‘Obsessed By Wildfire’, a Cinderella tale. While helping a friend brainstorm for her next book...
Mentorship Monday
Happy first Monday of February!
We’re in the second month of the year and I’m sure you have questions for the Rubies about whether to submit to an agent, getting past the sagging middle, or how to market your shapeshifter romance. And guess what? We’re here for you. We may not always have the answer, but we’ll help you find where to get the answer.
So what’s on your mind this Monday? Hit us up!
January 31, 2020
Winter Writing Festival Check In – Week Three!
Welcome back, scribblers! It’s time for the Week Three Check-In Annual Ruby Slippered Sisterhood Winter Writing Festival! Another week is in the books! Are you getting some words? Have you hit a snag? Have you visited the chat room yet? It’s time to Check In again, take stock, and get fired up for another week!
As always, we’ll have encouragement, camaraderie, and prizes as we touch base and check in on our goals.
For those who are keeping track of point totals, you should now be up to 22...January 26, 2020
Misery Loves Company…Let’s Brainstorm
Earnest Hemingway used to say that the best medicine for writer’s block was defrosting the refrigerator. Unfortunately for us literary types in the twenty-first century, this is no longer a viable option.
Everyone gets stuck. And there is often no rhyme or reason to it. We just have to suffer. But here’s another truism: misery loves company!
I often find that the best way to get unstuck is to call up my critique partners and whine about my holey plot, my two-dimensional characters, and my...
January 23, 2020
Winter Writing Festival Check In – Week Two!
Welcome back, writers! The second week of the 10th Annual Ruby Slippered Sisterhood Winter Writing Festival is complete! Are you still going strong? Building up momentum? Flagging a bit and need a pep talk? Whatever your status, it’s Check In Friday! Which means we have prizes for a few lucky commenters and LOTS of encouragement and camaraderie as we touch base and check in on our goals.
For those who are keeping track of point totals, you should now be up to 15 points!That’s one for each...
January 21, 2020
Wordsmith Wednesday: Strong Opening Paragraphs
Welcome to Wordsmith Wednesday: Opening Paragraphs! I’m your host, Tamara Hogan.
In this monthly feature, we’ll analyze strong opening paragraphs by looking at examples from both published books and unpublished manuscripts.
The unpublished manuscripts part is where you might come in. 
