Terry Odell's Blog, page 52

Happy Blog Anniversary

July marks the 15th anniversary of this blog. Hard to believe I’ve kept it up that long. I was looking at my first posts.

My very first post was about how I started writing, and lessons learned from my first mentor, Sandra, who had encouraged me to read Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne & King, and how I resisted. And regretted resisting once I read it. Still highly recommend it.

My next post was about a research trip to the shooting range, followed by one about the value of critique gr...

The Significance of Character Names

I spent the weekend reviewing Trusting Uncertainty, and while it wasn’t totally glitch free, I’m as confident as I can be that I’ve caught them, and T-Bone and Chelsea are ready for the world. Release day is July 27th.

Next? After a day or two to shift gears, I’ll be back on the Triple-D Ranch, and dealing with something that’s been bothering me. Names.

Names need to suit characters. I’ve always tried to find appropriate ones for age, gender, ethnicity, especially for major players who’ll be on ...

It Never Gets Old

It Never Gets Old

Yesterday, the UPS man delivered my proof copy of Trusting Uncertainty. Although the vast majority of my sales come from the digital format, there’s something about seeing the book looking and feeling like a book that’s special.

Next, I face the task of reading it yet one more time. It reads differently as a paperback, and no matter how many times I (and my editor and critique partners) have been through it, little things manage to creep in. One thing I look at is spacing. I’ve...

Television Writing Tips

Television Writing Tips

I’m having some fun over at The Kill Zone blog today, with some tongue-in-cheek suggestions for creating successful television shows.

Please drop by.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Now available for Preorder. Trusting Uncertainty, Book 10 in the Blackthorne, Inc. series.
You can’t go back and fix the past. Moving on means moving forward.

The post Television Writing Tips appeared first on Terry Odell.

Memory Lapses

Memory Lapses

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

Trusting Uncertainty is almost finalized. I’m awaiting the print proof to see how the finished product looks. I’ve been over the manuscript countless times, but there’s always something that sneaks through. Reading it in paperback format often brings some of these elusive critters to the surface. After that, it should be ready to go.

But there’s a week between ordering the proof and actually having it in hand. What to do? Enjoy the time off? The...

Excerpts

Excerpts

Last time, I talked about adding front and back matter to books. One piece of front matter I mentioned as being part of my front matter was a short excerpt.

My challenge was choosing an appropriate one from Trusting Uncertainty.

My take: It should be interesting enough to entice a reader, but not include spoilers. It shouldn’t include anything from so far into the book that readers won’t be thinking “Hurry up and get to that part already” as they read. So, as I was listening to my compu...

Front and Back Matter

Front and Back Matter

Front and back matter go hand in hand with putting a book on the market. You can’t get by with just the story. You need descriptions, covers, plus the ‘extras’ that go before and after the story. These are the moments when I almost wish I had a publishing house to do it for me, but I’ve heard enough horror stories about cover art and book descriptions that I keep reminding myself I have control. Nobody can say, “That’s your cover. If we spelled your name right, it’s final. ...

Editing Takes Ears As Well As Eyes

Editing Takes Ears As Well As Eyes

I’ve been busy getting Trusting Uncertainty ready to make its formal debut. My editor returned her edits, I replied with my corrections and comments, and spent the weekend running the manuscript through Word’s Read Aloud option. It’s a tedious process, and since I’m not an auditory person, not one I look forward to. But, no matter how many times I’ve seen the words, hearing them is a different experience. And, since editing has been the topic of my posts of lat...

Podcasts – Getting Started

Podcasts – Getting Started

Today, I’m turning the blog over to author friend and critique partner, Karla Brandenburg, who is undertaking a new venture–podcasting–and is sharing how she’s getting started.

Terry and I have been critique partners for more years than I’d care to admit to (let’s just say more than ten) and she and I have lamented many times about the difficulties and vagaries of marketing. It’s frustrating on most days. We regularly share what we’ve learned – when something works and...

Taking the Day Off. No Excuses

Taking the Day Off. No Excuses.

I had planned for a meatier post today, but most of yesterday was spent taking the Hubster down to the Springs to have his wisdom teeth extracted, then a stop at the pharmacy, getting everything squared away, and I didn’t have enough brain power to offer something I felt was worthwhile. Over the weekend, however, I did make 3 different pureed soups, so at least that’s covered. If there’s interest, I’ll be happy to share the recipes.

I also decided I deserved at le...