Ruth L. Snyder's Blog, page 18

Critiques and Reviews: two ways to help Writers

As a writer, I’m all too aware of my humanness. I know I’m not perfect. When I try to critique or proofread my own writing, it doesn’t work very well. I miss things that are obvious.I’m thankful that I have people in my life who are willing to give me honest feedback on my writing.

If you want to help your writer friends, offer to help them by providing a critique or a review. Others may differ in their definitions, but I see the two as different. When I’m asking for ways to improve my writing BEFORE something is published, I’ll ask for a critique. When I’m asking for a review, I’d like people to tell others why they should or shouldn’t read what I wrote AFTER it is published.

Critiques

Dictionary.com defines a critique as:

“An article or essay criticizing a literary or other work; detailed evaluation; review.”

Criticize:

“1. to censure or find fault with.

2. to judge or discuss the merits and faults of:

to criticize three novels in one review.”

I expect people to be critical, but also tell me what they like about my writing. I want to know:

Does my title accurately describe what I’m talking about?
Do I grab the reader and keep his attention?
Am I communicating clearly?
Are there points that need to be reworked?
Does the storyline make sense?
Are my facts accurate?
Do I have any passive sentences?
Am I using any cliches that need to be reworked?
Have I chosen words that convey the right mood?
Is my grammar correct?
Is my reasoning clear?
Do I have typos or typesetting that need to be corrected?
What descriptions did you like?
Can you picture what I’m writing about?
Did my writing evoke emotion? How?

Some helpful comments from recent critiques:

I want to “see” Jack’s immediate reaction – to be inside his skin. Maybe add. . .
It has good vocabulary, though controlled for the age, familiar objects and activities, and action that children can relate to.
I would like to see the Dad more involved if possible. You talk mostly about Your experiences with the children. Maybe now you should write one for the Dads and let your husband share some of his thoughts.
I was trying to figure out is the theme to show independence and responsibility in something a child of this age can do? Or did I miss the boat?

Remember: When you offer a critique, make sure you’re kind as well as honest. Help the author improve what they’ve written, but make sure you tell the author what you like and what he or she has done well.

Reviews

Many readers read reviews to help decide whether or not to purchase a paperback or e-book. I appreciate people who are willing to exchange a free copy of a book for an honest review. (Note: If you would like to join my list of reviewers, send me an e-mail!) When a book or article has all 5-star reviews, I get suspicious. Most books and authors are not perfect! However, you should be careful about being “nitpicky” when doing reviews as well. Be gracious, but honest.

Amazon.ca has this to say about writing reviews:

“Tips on writing a great review

Include the “why”: The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked a product, but also why. Feel free to talk about related products and how this item compares to them.
Be specific: Your review should focus on specific features of the product and your experience with it.
Not too short, not too long: Written reviews are limited to 5,000 words. The ideal length is 75 to 500 words.
Be sincere: We welcome your honest opinion about the product–positive or negative. We do not remove reviews because they are critical. We believe all helpful information can inform our customers’ buying decisions.”

If you read a book and appreciate what the author has to say, make sure you write a review. This not only informs potential readers, but also encourages the author to keep writing and/or to try harder next time.

Here are some reviews I’ve appreciated. Notice how specific the reviewers are about what they like:

She writes with a light touch and a lot of humour about the chaos that reigns in her household.
The author’s personal experience living in Africa lends a powerful authenticity to the story.
The details of the foreign setting help us feel the scorching heat, smell the stench of sickness and decaying flesh, and experience Cecile’s nervousness as she faces government officials who are determined to shut her clinic down.
There were lots of lose ends and they come together naturally and with the right amount of believability. It was romantic without being over the top.
Ruth L. Snyder takes us on a fast-paced ride with dizzying plot twists. Read it.

Do you offer critiques or reviews? What advice would you add?

 

Enjoying God’s Art Show

This morning as we were eating breakfast, the sunrise was breathtaking. I snapped a few pictures to share with you. Enjoy your day!

The streaks in the sky caught my attention

 

Time to take some pictures!

 

 

Amazing beauty and depth of colour

The colour is moving up higher in the sky

 

 

Clouds to the south reflecting the sunrise

 

Clouds to the south west reflecting the sunrise

Watching for guidance and direction

As some of you know, my parents were missionaries during my early years. This meant that we often spent time in other people’s homes with different rules and expectations. My siblings and I knew we were expected to be on our best behaviour at all times. We learned to keep our focus on our Dad. When we were asked a question, or wanted to do something, we would check his eyes. My Dad had an uncanny ability to communicate clearly without saying a word.

I think of those experiences when I read Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”

I’m now much older and away from the direct guidance of my earthly father. Instead, I look to my Heavenly Father for guidance and direction. I have to spend time with Him and pay attention to what He’s showing me to do.

In my work with InScribe, I often feel unqualified to lead. God continues to remind me that He has called me and He will equip me and guide me. This is His organization. He is the one who works in and through the executive and members to proclaim His Word. As we continue to keep our eyes on Him He will continue to counsel us with His loving eyes.

NOTE: I shared this devotional at the beginning of the recent InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship Annual General Meeting.

Five Minute Friday: Long

This is my first attempt at 5 Minute Friday:

Long means something different to each person. When we are young:

-long is waiting until our parents are done talking

-long is driving a few miles (Will we ever get there?)

-long is waiting for supper when you’re hungry, especially when Mom tells you no snacks are allowed!

-long is waiting until you’re old enough to go to school

-long is waiting for Christmas to arrive

As we grow older, the definition changes:

-long is waiting several years for something

-long is having to run any distance more than across the yard

-long is a feeling you have when you think of wanting to spend time with people who are no longer alive.

(I have to admit that I broke a couple of the rules – I found myself overthinking, and I did backspace a couple times. I’m looking forward to continuing with this challenge. Maybe next time I’ll follow the rules better!)

5 Minute Friday is a weekly challenge for bloggers to write for (you guessed it) 5 minutes on a given word. No editing. No deleting (it’s HARD!). If you would like to join me and other amazing 5 minute freewriting friends, please visit Kate’s blog and linkup!

Intentional Blogging:

Want to learn more about blogging? Check out the Intentional Blogging Challenge!

 

Canadian Thanksgiving 2014: The blessings of family and Nature

One choice I’ve been consciously making this past year is to find things to thank God for. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, not because of the food, but because it gives me an opportunity to really focus on the many blessings in my life.

This past weekend my husband and I decided to take our children to Three Hills to spend time with my parents and two of my nieces. The week before Thanksgiving was hectic for both of us. In fact, we planned to leave at 1 p.m. and finally made it out of our yard at 4 p.m. However, making the trip was well worth it. Here are some of the blessings enjoyed this weekend.

A rainbow – the first of many wonderful surprises I encountered over the weekend.

A cockatoo at the Three Hills Guzoo delighted us with its clever sayings

Another unexpected delight

Holding a skunk? Don’t worry, this one was de-scented :)

This beautiful sunrise greeted me when I stepped out of our camper on Sunday morning.

My dad and I enjoyed the fall scenery by taking a walk

We enjoyed conversations, food, singing, and laughter with my parents

Although my sister is in Africa, her two oldest daughters are in Canada. It was good to spend time with them this weekend. We especially enjoyed singing together.

What’s camping without a campfire. Yet another delight we were able to enjoy on Thanksgiving weekend.

Tips on Becoming a Better Writer shared by Glynis Belec

In my last post, I shared that I was getting ready for our InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship Fall Conference. It was great to reconnect with writer friends and meet some new writers as well. Last week I shared a summary of the conference on the InScribe Writers Online blog. Today I’d like to share some tidbits I picked up in a workshop offered by Glynis Belec. (The quote above is one of the gems she shared.) Here is some advice from Glynis, along with some additional comments from me (in parentheses):

Make sure you read and write daily (This one is still a struggle for me, but I’m writing this post at 6:00 a.m.)
Join writing groups (I belong to InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, The Word Guild, and The Christian PEN)
Use writing prompts (Google “writing prompts” and you’ll find all kinds of interesting inspiration.)
Read your story out loud, record it and listen to it; Get feedback from others
Expand your vocabulary; Use a dictionary and a thesaurus (I’ve switched to using online resources like dictionary.com and thesaurus.com
Re-read books and articles and examine writing structure/words/etc.
Use proper grammar – check out the grammar course from universalclass.com
Watch out for cliches – get a copy of the Dictionary of Cliches
Don’t underestimate the power of the word “said”
Know your audience and focus on them
Edit with a professional
Know who your literary heroes are; Read both historical and contemporary authors
Make good use of your local library
Meet other writers (Attending writers’ conferences and workshops is a great way to do this!)
Write what you know or what you’d like to read – make sure you do your research (I enjoyed sharing some of my early childhood by using the Kalahari Desert for the setting in Cecile’s Christmas Miracle .)
Try different things to find your niche
Focus on how God wants you to tell your story
Focus on the success of your individual story, not on trying to become the next best-seller
Keep an idea book or file
Journal when you are going through something (Glynis shared how her book, Mrs. B Has Cancer, was written using her journal she kept when she was going through cancer.)
Writing needs to be fun too
Make sure you make time to move your body while you’re writing – take breaks often and stretch
Enter every contest you can and ask for feedback every time you can (One of the perks of membership with InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship is monthly contests. These are a lot of fun and you get feedback from other writers.)
When you submit and receive a rejection, don’t take it personally. Your work just doesn’t fit at this time. Did you know Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected 123 times?!

Thanks, Glynis for your helpful suggestions on becoming a better writer!

New paperback, book signing, & writers’ conference – all in one week!

Yes, you read the title correctly! The paperback copies of The San Francisco Wedding Planner Complete Series II arrived yesterday. I’m excited to share them with you, my readers. As usual, they are available from Amazon.com (U.S.) or can be ordered directly from me. (I’ll have them up in my store next week.)

On Thursday afternoon I will join 5 other members of InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship for a book signing at The Fig Tree bookstore in West Edmonton Mall. The address is Suite 1919, Phase I, West Edmonton Mall, 8882 170 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5T 3J7. We will be there from 1:00-4:00 p.m. and will be giving away a book every half hour. Come join the fun!

 

Although the first two events are very exciting, I’m most looking forward to our InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship Fall Conference 2014 taking place on Friday and Saturday, September 26 and 27th. There’s nothing like the fellowship, networking, and inspiration I enjoy when I spend time with fellow writers who love Jesus Christ. I will be teaching a workshop on blogging this year. Perhaps in one of my future posts I will be able to share what I taught and learned (I usually end up learning more than I teach during workshops).

What are you up to this week? Anything you’d like to share?

 

Finding the part God designed for me

A few weeks ago we brought home a puppy – Husky and Malamut cross. Olaf has brought joy and laughter to our family. He greets us at the door each morning with boundless enthusiasm and will chase sticks until we’re tired of throwing. He also likes to chase his tail. He spins round and round, but his tail always stays just out of his reach. Then he’ll flop down and relax. Here he is during one of his calmer times

Do you ever feel like you’re spinning round and round, chasing something that is just out of your reach? I do. People often comment about how busy I am. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to be busy, but if it’s busyness without focus it gets frustrating after a while.

In the next few months I’m participating in two things to help hone my focus.

1. An online Bible Study using Lysa TerKeurst’s new book, The Best Yes

2. An online course called Audience Business Masterclass from Firepole Marketing

As I make my way through, I’ll share updates about what I’m learning.

What have you been learning lately? I’d love to hear from you.

Experimenting with Word Swag

I find learning fascinating. Not just what we learn, but how we learn, and the incidental learning that happens. Serendipity, if you will. Yesterday I attended a webinar on how to use Pinterest effectively. As I was listening, I received a notification that I had a new e-mail from the Social Media Examiner on How to Create Sharable Social Media. One of the apps recommended was Word Swag.

The links I’ve shared above will give you access to the app (if you have an Apple product of some kind) and show you how to use it. I’ve tried several different apps and this is by far the easiest to use and gives me the results I’m looking for. (I decided to pay $2.99 to obtain more functionality.) Both images included in this post were made with Word Swag. Now my only problem is time In one of my next posts, I’ll share what I like about Canva.

Uplifting Devotionals – One of my current projects

One of my current projects is collaborating with some other Canadian authors to produce a devotional book. The Uplifting Devotional series is being published by Helping Hands Press. Each month a new devotional is being released. My part in the project is to submit 10 devotionals, each 500 words in length. I’ve decided my theme for these devotionals will be what God has and is teaching me through parenting. Here’s the “seed” thought for one of the devotionals I’m planning to submit:

Just Like Mom

Our eighteen-month-old daughter has a new habit. She plants her chubby little feet, gazes directly at her object of wrath, and wags her finger up and down as she stridently scolds, “No, no, no, no, no!” Hmmm . . . I wonder where she learned that from? As parents we need to be very careful what we model for our children. They are watching and learning, whether we realize it or not.

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.” 1 Peter 2:21 NIV

If I want to lead my daughter in the right way, I need to follow in Jesus’ steps. Then I will be able to rejoice when my child does something, just like Mom.

What about you? Are your children following in your footsteps? Do you have any stories to share? I’d love to hear from you.