Terry Odell's Blog, page 67

Have a Safe and Considerate Fourth of July

Have a Safe and Considerate Fourth of July

Fireworks are illegal in our county, but if you plan to celebrate with pyrotechnics, please be considerate.

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Getting it Right or Making it Good

Getting it Right or Making it Good

Are “right” and “good” synonymous?

Heather’s Chase is on its way to my editor. I’ve cut another 5,000 words from the novel. A lot of those words were passages where I described the places my characters were visiting on their tour of the British Isles. Were they accurate? Yes, because I’d been to all of them. Do readers need to see every little detail about every venue? I spent a lot of time confirming things where my notes (as always) and photos didn’t include ...

What’s Up?

What’s Up?

Pixabay

I’ve been going through my manuscript, getting it ready to send to my editor. I’ve run checks on overused words and phrases using SmartEdit—which, as always, finds a new one every time. This time it was “about.”

But there’s another little word I make a point of checking.

My high school Latin teacher used to share his opinions on unnecessary words and redundancies. Saying “From its earliest beginnings to it final completion” pushed his buttons. He co...

Beyond the Headlines

Beyond the Headlines

First – for reasons unknown to me, my email service did not send an alert about Friday’s post. If you missed it, you can find it here.

I thought I was done talking about social media here, but I have one more complaint. I don’t deny that there’s value in being able to be connected, especially when live interactions are so limited, but there’s something I’ve been seeing recently that bugs the heck out of me.

**Okay, there are a LOT of things that bug the heck out of me, but I...

Heather’s Chase Beta Readers Chiming In

Heather’s Chase Beta Readers Chiming In

Heather’s Chase who have reported in, which always lifts my spirits. While I’m writing, imposter syndrome sets in every time. Every book gets harder, because (I hope) I want it to be better than the last. I wonder what I was thinking, trying to write another book. Will anyone (except my mother) like it?

I hadn’t used beta readers in a while, and those who volunteered were all “new to me” readers.

So, it’...

What’s Next?

What’s Next?

I’ve committed to an editor for Heather’s Chase. She said “No later than July 1st” to start working. I figure I won’t get the manuscript back with her feedback before late July. What’s next? What do I do in the meanwhile?

Take time off. Not sure I could handle this. It’s been about a week since I finished my draft, and it’s the first time I’ve felt the side-effects of the pandemic-imposed isolation. Not sure I’d be happy doing jigsaw puzzles. I suppose I could catch up on a few TV s...

Who’s Your Friend

Who’s Your Friend?

According to Dictionary.com, a friend is:

a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.
a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter
a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile:

In my world, a friend is someone who will help you move. Or hide a body.

So, I’m totally puzzled by how important having social media ‘friends’ is to some people.

Due to the nature of Facebook, I am required to have a profile page in order t...

12 Steps To Intimacy

12 Steps to Intimacy

Starting June 29th, I’ll be teaching a 4-week course for Savvy Authors, The 12 Steps to Intimacy.

Ever wonder why sometimes a touch is sexy and sometimes it’s a major ick-factor? It’s not just who’s doing the touching, but when. Explore the way humans are hard-wired for long-term relationships, and how Morris’s twelve steps can make the relationships in your books resonate with readers. The workshop will cover each of the twelve steps and show how each can be used to move ...

Intimacy and Transitions

Intimacy and Transitions

Starting June 29th, I’ll be teaching a 4-week course for Savvy Authors, The 12 Steps to Intimacy.

Here’s a little about the course:

In 1971, anthropologist Desmond Morris published “Intimate Behavior”, in which he explored the development of relationships. Some years later, Linda Howard took the twelve steps Morris describe and applied them to the world of romance writing. Ever wonder why sometimes a touch is sexy and sometimes it’s a major ick-factor? It’s not just wh...

Tips For Choosing an Editor

Tips For Choosing an Editor

Image by Anne Karakash from Pixabay

If you’re an indie author, one critical step before publishing your book is to have it edited. If you’re traditionally published, your publisher will provide an editor, so you may or may not have much of a say in the process. How do you go about choosing an editor?

I’ve been with one editor for most of my books. We’ve worked together long enough to know what to expect from each other. However, I learned recently that she is no longe...