Terry Odell's Blog, page 135
July 28, 2016
Microsurgery for your Manuscript – Part 2
On Monday, I talked about reading out loud to help you fine tune your manuscript. As I mentioned, you’ll catch things your eye never sees because it’s seen all those words for months. Today, I’ll continue with my last step before sending my manuscript to my editor.
Run it through SmartEdit
After getting rid of the obvious, I paste the entire document into my SmartEdit program and let it show me my frequently used words and phrases. This is also a good time to catch more of those distancing,...
July 27, 2016
What’s Cooking Wednesday – Blistered Snap Peas and Tomatoes
Blistered Snap Peas with Tomatoes
Ingredients:
1 lb sugar snap peas
1 T olive oil
t Kosher salt
1 small jalapeño, diced fine (more or less, to taste)
1 pint grape tomatoes
c chopped basil
zest of 1 lime
Sea Salt
Instructions:
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 pound snap peas and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and jalapeno. Cook until tomatoes are softe...
July 26, 2016
In the Interview Room – Sandra S. Kerns
Today I welcome Sandra S. Kerns to Terry’s Place. Sandra is the author of the two romantic suspense series, Masters Men and Master Security.
What’s your biggest distraction when you should be writing?
Netflix marathons. It happens when I turn on Netflix during my lunch break.
Plotter or Pantser?
Pantser, though stories and characters usually percolate in my head for quite a while before I start writing so I do have an idea of where the story is going. However, the characters still take me in...
July 25, 2016
Microsurgery for your Manuscript – Part 1
Last week’s craft post dealt with major surgery on the manuscript: cutting huge chunks out of the manuscript, and how to check to be sure you didn’t leave any instruments or sponges in the body after performing the surgery. In my case, I decided the entire first chapter didn’t need to be there, which was a relatively easy fix. Deleting a plot thread was more problematical, but I did that as well.
Once that’s done, you should be good to go, right? Not quite.
Your story is finished, but not the...
July 22, 2016
Friday Field Trip – The Crags
Hubster’s second botany class field trip was to the Crags, which are rock formations located south of Divide, facing the northwest slope of Pikes Peak. Since it’s a botany class, they were looking at plants, not rocks.
Aster and friend
Bistort
Columbine and friend
Marsh Marigold
Mouse-eared chickweed
Prairie Smoke
Whipple’s Penstemon
Have a great weekend, everyone!
July 21, 2016
Cutting – It’s More Than the Delete Key
Based on feedback from beta readers, I decided to delete a plot thread from the current manuscript. It wasn’t doing a whole lot other than creating some tension which was quickly resolved. Should be easy, right? Go to the scenes showing that thread and delete them.
Trouble is, threads don’t exist in nice, tidy packages. While I had a couple of scenes dealing with the thread that I could delete in their entirety, there are still places where I’d foreshadowed, places where I’d followed up, and...
July 20, 2016
What’s Cooking Wednesday – Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin
This goes together in a flash. Then let it cook while you do something else.
Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
cup soy sauce
1 T mustard (I used stone ground)
2 T olive oil
3 T maple syrup
2 green onions, chopped
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
2 pounds of pork tenderloin (2 small)
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients except the meat.
Place tenderloins in crock pot
Pour marinade mixture over the meat
Cook on Low about 5 hours.
If you’re around, you can turn the meat over once or twice...
July 19, 2016
In the Interview Room – Toni Noel
Today I welcome Toni Noel to Terry’s Place.
What’s your biggest distraction when you should be writing?
My yard is my biggest distraction. If I hear the weeds calling my name I’m unable to write. I love gardening as much as I love writing, so I have this constant push-pull going on, but I’ve recently discovered a long-lasting week killer that works.
What’s on your desk?
You wouldn’t believe how much my desk can hold. It’s a seven foot door supported by two tables. There’s room for my PC, prin...
July 18, 2016
Giving Away Books
We interrupt my usual Monday writing craft posts to give away some books.
I’m busy getting my third Triple-D Ranch book ready to my editor. While I was waiting for feedback, I did some office clearing, and gave away a box of books to one lucky reader. Guess what. I kept cleaning and now have SIX small cartons of books. Minimum of 5 in a box, conditions vary. Genres lean toward romance, romantic suspense, mystery or thriller. Each box is a random assortment.
I’ll give away the first box via a...
July 15, 2016
Friday Field Trip – Flowers of Lovell Gulch
Hubster took a botany workshop and there are three field trips included. He’s sharing pictures from the first trip, to Lovell Gulch Colorado.
Blanket Flowers
Dwarf Mistletoe
Geranium
Juniper
Monument Plant
Paintbrush
Penstemon
Stonecrop
Have a great weekend, everyone!
