Courtney Wendleton's Blog, page 13
March 5, 2017
7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Self-Publishing
by J.U. Scribe
It’s been over a year since I published my book, Before the Legend. This past year I’ve learned so much about self-publishing and marketing. Although I’m thankful for the little successes and milestones I was able to reach, there were several things I wish I could have done differently before and after self-publishing my book. The first three in the list are things I already knew before publishing but underestimated while doing this process. Here are my top 7 things you want to do before you self-publish.
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Why Closure is Important in Cliffhangers
by Millie Ho
I’ve always wondered how Breaking Bad managed to get away with so many cliffhanger episode endings AND leave us with a feeling of completeness at the same time.
After re-watching the series for the second time, I think I have the answer: closure.
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February 28, 2017
#TPAV is now a New #Release
Chrissy White is an artist with minor psychic abilities. She is also a magnet for the wrong kind of men. She has been in and out of the hospital since she was 16 because of her boyfriend. After her last stint in, her friends wanted to cheer her up, so they took her to a party hosted by music mogul Drake Douglas. The two hit it off the next morning, but Chrissy is suspicious and does not believe he really likes her. Drake does everything he can to woo her, even going as far as stealing and setting up a world class art show. Trouble hits when unexpected guests come to town and ruin their small happiness. They are torn apart by the uninvited and complicated life differences.https://books.pronoun.com/to-paint-a-vampire/
Source: #TPAV is now a New #Release
Description—Writer Crack & Finding the Write Balance
Description. Ah the crack for most writers. Many of us never met a modifier we did not love. Forget a BLUE sky. Why would you have a BLUE sky when you could have a cerulean sky?
*chops up line of metaphors with a razor and snorts*
Granted, there is also the other side of the writer coin; those who never use description or very sparse description.
Also known as…freaks.
I am KIDDING!
….kind of.
But even if you don’t use a lot of description, don’t fret. That’s just your voice. Readers like me who looooove description will probably gravitate to other books and that is OKAY. This doesn’t absolve y’all completely though. If you use very little description, then it is more important than EVER to use the right description.
Personally, I’m not a fan of austere modern houses with stainless steel everything and weird chairs no human could…
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Dear Writer: STOP Releasing So Many Novels!
by Michael Cristiano
As I’m sure you know, dear readers (or Mom… Hi, Mom!), I’ve come to a couple realizations over the past year or so since the release of my first novel. The biggest revelation, the one where I decided to go back to writing for myself, I’ve written about extensively already, and you can read that post here…
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February 24, 2017
#TPAV has hit #Amazon!
Chrissy White is an artist with minor psychic abilities. She is also a magnet for the wrong kind of men. She has been in and out of the hospital since she was 16 because of her boyfriend. After her last stint in, her friends wanted to cheer her up, so they took her to a party hosted by music mogul Drake Douglas.
The two hit it off the next morning, but Chrissy is suspicious and does not believe he really likes her. Drake does everything he can to woo her, even going as far as stealing and setting up a world class art show.
Trouble hits when unexpected guests come to town and ruin their small happiness. They are torn apart by the uninvited and complicated life differences.
February 23, 2017
Greatest Fear #Boogeyman
Currently Reading: Slenderman by Willow Rose, A Storm of Swords (Song of Fire and Ice book 3) by George R.R. Martin, Beauty’s Punishment by Anne Rice and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling.
Books Read: 20/85 Books pledged to read this year.
TBR List: 4997 I reread a couple of books, so technically my TBR didn’t go down….stupid I know.
Words Written: 18,828
I’m not talking about the fear of failure or dying. I’m talking about the scariest, nastiest thing that keeps you up at night. Some people have a fear of clowns or spiders that instantly causes them to freeze up.
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I’m working on a new book that involves a big bad boogeyman type coming after the MC (no names worked out yet it’s that new) and her family. While trying to think of the thing’s backstory, I tried coming up with my greatest fear and I can’t think of it.
I have things that freak me out and things that downright scare me, but nothing that makes me stop dead in my tracks or causes my entire body to shake uncontrollably.
Everyone has a greatest fear, but what does it mean if you can’t pinpoint it? Are we becoming oversensitized to violence, gore and horror in general that we no longer have a tangible greatest fear? No matter how irrational.
Think about it, horror movies have transitioned from what I consider horror to more gore than anything. Movies I do consider horror are now referred to as “psychological thrillers” like Black Swan with Natalie Portman or Shutter Island with Leonardo DiCaprio. They both have components of a broken psyche that make people do horrible things and not realize that they are the monsters. To me this is horror because it can and does happen. We learn at a young age that humans are the true monsters (thank you Scooby-Doo) and not things like the Boogeyman.
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Horror movies are now things like Sinister, Nightmare on Elm Street or Scream. Great movies but technically slasher flicks. Someone or something goes around filleting people, gratuitous boob shot and people dying because they had sex. It’s like an expensive “Abstinence” ad. Yes they are good but not horror.
My point is getting away from me, sorry.
Are there such things as greatest fears anymore or is everything now a psychological, non-tangible fear? Is that even real with the newest generation being more rewarded for just participating and told to not fear failure? Have we lost the ability to fear and have a great rush of adrenaline when we find that biggest fear? Is the horror genre dead?
February 20, 2017
How to Be Taken Seriously as a Writer
by Kate Colby
So writing is your creative calling, your life’s purpose, your ultimate joy. Congratulations! You’re part of (in my totally unbiased opinion) one of the best groups of people in the world. You know it, I know it — and yet, your friends and family don’t.
After all, what’s so special about being a writer? Literally billions of people on the planet write every day. It’s a basic life skill, one of the first we learn. And as a career? Psh! You might as well steal a cardboard box from behind your local grocery store and get comfy on the street.
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The Pros and Cons of Writing a Series
Happy Friday!
Just a quick note for you today, as I want to share a guest post I recently wrote for author Margarita Morris’s website. In this article, I break down the unique advantages and challenges that writing a series offers, as well as provide a few tips for approaching one.
Click here to read “The Pros and Cons of Writing a Series.”
After you’ve read the post, feel free to leave a comment with your own experiences, tips, or any questions you have about the writing process!
Brides and Grooms – Make Wedding Planning Less Stressful
Is there anything more stressful than planning a wedding? There probably is, but it won’t feel like it at the moment. At the moment, getting your wedding in shape is the most stressful thing in the world. And, that isn’t an over exaggeration. After all, there is a lot to get ready in such a short space of time. Plus, there is so much money involved. In the end, your wedding will be one of the greatest days of your life. The thing is, don’t you want to enjoy the build up, too? You don’t have to wait until you walk down the aisle because you can have fun planning the wedding. Yes, that sounds ridiculous now, but it isn’t with a few handy tips.
Have Perspective
The reason why wedding planning is so stressful is because you are in a bubble. You think that if anything goes wrong…
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