Courtney Wendleton's Blog, page 19

Know Your Strengths as a Writer

A Writer's Path

by John Briggs

Want to use your writing strengths to reach your readers?

My two greatest strengths as a writer are: I can make you think and I can make you laugh. Sometimes I can do both at the same time. Oh, I’ve been known to make readers cry, or get uncomfortable, or maybe even make them angry, but laughing and thinking? Those are my strong points.

A recent book signing confirmed that for me in a most unfortunate way.

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Fuller House Flip or Flop?

Season 2 was just released a couple of days ago and everybody has been binge watching. Myself included, but as with Season 1 it is painfully obvious that the writers have no clue about the original series. Yes, this is not going to be a “happy go watch the show” post. There are so many things wrong that tick me off.Starting with the biggest thing that irks me: Kimmy Gibbler. By the end of the original series she was bugging me because there was no character development with her then and for the most part, there still isn’t any character development. She is still the dumb best friend comic relief. There are small moments of maturity, but even those are marred by sheer dumb luck. Further perpetuating the stereotypical dumb blonde. In contrast to prove my point about her, at the high school reunion they brought Duane back. The boyfriend who used to say “Whatever” all the time. He matured and made something of himself. Yes, Kimmy was still able to turn him into a big pile of “whatever” goo but that was because I think he still has a crush on her, or that is what we are supposed to think. In any case he went from caveman, to normal human person! Kimmy is still an idiot. The crass, dirty jokes that are part of “aging with the original audience.” The original audience grew up with clean, family friendly jokes. Some may have been aimed at the parents, but were never so openly in the gutter. One instance that sticks out most right now is in Season 2 Episode 1. Fernando is wearing Kimmy’s robe. It is too small and right away you know he is going to bend over and his junk is going to be exposed. In the original, this would have been done with more finesse, showing him bending forward with junk away from camera. Today the junk is blocked out in full view of the audience. Oddly enough I can’t find a screen grab of the scene, but it happened.Then, with the crass and lazy humor, there is the full on shock value of same sex kisses exchanged by hetero characters. Kimmy and Stephanie, a couple of times. Matt and Steve And while there have not been full out kissing between the three, but Fuller House has completely perverted the platonic relationships between Danny, Jesse and Joey. Almost every scene they are in together, the script alludes to them being together. Watching the original series, you know there was nothing like that going on. It would have been ok, but I don’t think that anyone would have even thought about it if Bob Saget hadn’t said that he took the part because he thought it was about being progressive and was “three men in a relationship raising kids.” This was revealed in the Lifetime Movie Network “documentary” about how the series got started. Which had issues of it’s own.

Source: Fuller House Flip or Flop?

When to Ignore Negative Feedback

A Writer's Path

by Tonya R. Moore

I think we call all agree that getting feedback on our writing is very important. Most of the time—whether it’s positive or negative, feedback serves to encourage or help us grow.

We can learn a lot from negative feedback but this isn’t always the case.

Sometimes it makes more sense to simply ignore negative feedback.

Here are three examples of instances in which we really need to just ignore negative feedback:

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On Writing Your Next Story

A Writer's Path

by Lindsey Richardson

Beginnings were never meant to be easy… or impossible. Beginnings are perhaps the hardest parts about writing a novel. And whether you’re finishing your current novel or already completed it and ready for the next, the best thing an author can do is always think about their next novel. It’s one of the many keys to success. Without your next release, how will you gain more readers? How will your current fanbase return or remember you? The next novel is always something we need to think about in the back of our mind.

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#LastChance #Love&Drugs #Sale

November 28-December 3rd

Magdalene is a senior in college, preparing for a trip to Europe and finally got the girl of her dreams. She has a perfect job working for a flower shop (that isn’t your typical flower shop) and not a care in the world. But Magdalene has a couple of pretty big secrets, that she wants to keep. However, the most dangerous of secrets walks in on the first day of school.

Her ex-boyfriend is back in town and ready to violate his restraining order, as well as mess with her job. So she calls in her favor to The Family, and all hell ensues. In the end only one will survive, but who is going down?

The Value of Joining a Writing Group

A Writer's Path

by Kyle Massa

Just the other day, I finished a first draft of a piece I was working on and thought to myself, This is pretty darn good. I brought that piece to my writing group a week later, and after fifteen minutes of critiquing, I was reminded of this fact:

The first draft is never, ever good enough.

Little reminders like this are why writing groups are so valuable. Writing alone and never sharing anything with anyone works for some people, but if you want to write professionally, that’s not really an option. Somebody’s going to read your work, whether that be family members, beta readers, or your editor. And, as solitary as writing can be, sometimes it’s nice to get some outside input.

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5 Key Ingredients All Young Adult Novels Must Have

A Writer's Path

by Katie McCoach

The young adult market is unyielding in popularity, at least for the foreseeable future, but this also means it’s a flooded market with content published daily. So the big question right now is how can an author stand out from the crowd?

The answer is writing a seriously great YA novel. That may seem like the most common advice ever, right? Writing a good book should be the goal of all writers, but to hit the YA readers the hardest an author needs to make sure they are giving readers what they want and telling a good story at the same time. Great content gets noticed, and word of mouth is king in the publishing industry.

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Setting from a Memory

My gloomy prison cell is adorned with a single beat up black Stetson that doubles as an air freshener. Once a week I sneak into the bathroom to steal an Old Spice bottle and refresh the smell. It’s my favorite scent in the world, one that I miss now in isolation. My forgotten room has a perpetual chill in the air as the heater, two rooms down, doesn’t quite reach. Sadly, I no longer notice it as I move to pick up my senior key and class ring. Both worn as a shield against the world and a reminder that soon my sentence shall be up. I turn to the plain brown door that separates me from the harsh reality of my world and cringe at what lays beyond. A disgusted stepmother caring for her toddling son. My younger brother, now a chosen mute, sitting in a chair quietly waiting for breakfast to end and an oblivious dad frying his stupendous hash browns like every Saturday morning. Except, today is different. This is the first Saturday since my step-mom said, “I like it better without you or your brother here.” If it wasn’t for my starving hunger pain, and the mouthwatering smell of bacon, eggs and, god, those delicious hash browns I wouldn’t leave my room. I would be content with staying in my room and hiding from her. I second-guessed going out to eat, to stay with my drool stained Accounting homework but then my ears picked up on the one thing that would drag me out. “Swinging” by John Anderson comes on the radio and I know dad is trying to coax me out with my song. I take a deep breath, paint a happy smile on and prepare for another day of lies and avoidance. I place my hand on the door handle and pull hard against the sticky jam. “Good morning.”

Source: Setting from a Memory

Finding Santa: First Book Blurb and Cover Reveal

The title of Santa Claus is held by one person for a hundred years, passed down from father to son or son-in-law, before he moves on to become Father Time. Candy is the only child of the current Claus family. Her father is in his last year as Good Ol’ Saint Nick and has to find the next Santa before New Year’s Eve or hell will come to Earth.With the help of Jessiy and Steelwell, members of the Legends’ Survival Squad, she sets out to find a man worthy of taking over. Along the way she meets three potential candidates but everything goes wrong from the minute she hears of her task.As the days pass and her prospects look bleak, she begins to doubt herself and the magic of Christmas. Will she be able to restore her faith and save the world? Release Date: December 23rd, 2016

Source: Finding Santa: First Book Blurb and Cover Reveal

Cursed Cross

Source: Cursed Cross