Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 247
February 25, 2010
On Revising
Today I'd like to welcome Bob Sanchez to the blog. Bob, a retired technical writer, has published two novels, When Pigs Fly and Getting Lucky. His blog is http://bobsanchez1.blogspot.com and is the webmaster and frequent reviewer for the Internet Review of Books at http://internetreviewofbooks.com.
Elizabeth asked me for a post on revising—not necessarily how to do it, but how I do it. Writing and revising aren't separate processes, but are closely bound together. Revising is writing...
February 24, 2010
Characters and Conflict
My third grade daughter brought a children's chapter book home from her school library a week ago. The book was about a fifth grader who decides that grades and standardized tests aren't accurate assessments of children's abilities and can make students feel stigmatized. The girl decides to make straight Ds on her report card.
I know…my eyebrows went up, too. :)
But she'd picked the book out herself, was excited about the novel, and was reading it carefully to take (ironically) a...
February 23, 2010
Making the Ordinary Extraordinary
My husband's sister and her husband live in Africa where they work as translators. My sister-in-law speaks French fluently and perfectly accented. Her husband speaks 5 or 6 languages, including Swahili.
For years they lived in Nairobi, Kenya. Life there; apart from election violence over a year ago, living in a guarded housing compound, and occasional run-ins with police (who aren't like our police); was pretty tame compared to life in their current home in Bunia, Congo. Congo hasn't...
February 22, 2010
BSP (Blatant Self-Promotion)
My upcoming Delicious and Suspicious will be released July 6, 2010, under my pen name Riley Adams. Just in time for the backyard grilling season! Here's the back cover copy:
Welcome to Aunt Pat's barbeque restaurant--family run and located in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee. Named in honor of Lulu Taylor's great aunt, the restaurant is known for its ribs and spicy corn bread, but now the Taylor family will be known for murder--unless Lulu can clear their name...
Rebecca Adrian came t...
February 21, 2010
The Bare Minimum
I get a lot of emails for different organizations that I either volunteer for or belong to. Sometimes I want to get out my highlighter and mark the information I need.Frequently I'll get a page-long email with only one sentence that was actually important.
It's easy to get overwhelmed with information overload.
On one hand, it's wonderful to have so many writing resources and tips online. When I was starting to seriously write (seven years ago), there wasn't enough information online. Now th...
February 20, 2010
Arguing
I belong to a couple of Yahoo groups for cozy authors. One subject that's been hot on the boards lately is the way some authors argue with their readers on (mostly) Amazon. It's almost like the social media phenomenon, which has resulted in a casual relationship with our readers via Facebook and Twitter, has gotten authors in the mood to fight back when a reader gives a negative review.
I think it's a really bad idea.
Usually, if a reader doesn't enjoy your book then they're honestly writing a...
February 19, 2010
Subplots
I have a subplot in my current WIP that wants to take over the world.
In the same WIP, I have a small subplot that stays meekly in its place.
Subplots are a lot of fun for me—I enjoy both reading them and writing them. It's nice to have a short break from the main plot every once and a while take a breather.
But problems pop up when subplots get ambitious and want to take over my novel.
They do have their uses, though. While the main plot of my books might be many chapters away from...
February 18, 2010
Hiking Through A Quilted Garden: Metaphors For Writing Fiction by Kit Dunsmore
Photo by Dana Geary
Kit Dunsmore is a contemporary fantasy writer living in northern Colorado. She's currently working on a novel about a witch who tries to rescue her best friend from a necromancer without breaking her vow never to use harmful magic. You can find her at Kit's Home for Orphaned Armadillos.
My first attempt at this post on how I write fiction talked about generating a series of drafts, grafting together the best of the material, and how much concentration each stage takes...
February 17, 2010
Brainstorming—by Kathy McIntosh.
Today I'd like to welcome Kathy McIntosh to the blog. Kathy is an editor, PR expert, professional speaker, and professed word lover.
BRAINSTORMING FOR FICTION WRITERS: Get Drenched in Ideas
Whether you have a novel plotted in your head, or have a few simple thoughts about a character, an event, or a terrific action scene, the end product can benefit from a good initial brainstorming session with trusted writer colleagues.
Brainstorming is particularly useful if you're both at the point o...
February 16, 2010
The Feeling Something is Wrong
All day on Monday, I had the feeling that something was wrong.
I'd set my writing goal for the day. I had a couple of errands that I needed to do.
But I felt completely lethargic. And I couldn't think very well. I wrote some pages and looked at them with disbelief. I'd written this?
The kids came home from school. I started going through backpacks and getting supper ready…very sloooowwly.
Finally I realized—I needed to go to the doctor.
Sinus infection.
If I'd only paid...
