Terry Odell's Blog, page 78

Wandering About Edinburgh Castle

We spent time in Scotland on our trip. Edinburgh Castle was our first stop.

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Wandering About Edinburgh Castle on our trip to Scotland #travelphotography
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Push Your Characters Out of Their Comfort Zones

Micro-Tension: Push Your Characters Out of Their Comfort Zones

We’re always talking about taking our characters out of their comfort zones, making them do things they don’t want to do, making them face things they don’t want to face. These are usually things that mark critical turning points in a book. The claustrophobic hero has to rescue someone from a cave. The guy with the snake phobia has to drop into the pit filled with the slithering beasties.

But what about the little things? The simp...

Cliffhangers. Are They a Sales Ploy?

Cliffhangers. My Take.

I’ve mentioned that I’d downloaded a number of giveaway books recently as part of promotions I was taking part in, and that I’d seen serious problems in quite a few of them. These were written by indie authors, and honestly, some of them were perfect examples of why some people think indie books as a whole are sub-par. I already expressed my feelings on the subject, so I won’t repeat it here. Okay, so I lied. Don’t publish a book without having it edited. Traditional au...

All Aboard the Train to Edinburgh

The Train to Edinburgh

Continuing our 50th anniversary vacation trip.

After two busy days in London, our driver dropped us off at the train station where we boarded a train to Edinburgh. Here are some shots of our day. Taking them through glass on a moving train posed some challenges, but I did find some acceptable ones.

Interesting architecture in the station.

We arrived early, and they don’t announce platforms until the train arrives, so we spent time watching the board.

For pictures of t...

Don’t Push the Publish Button Too Soon – Part 2

Don’t Push the Publish Button Too Soon – Part 2

Hitting the publish button too soon can do more harm than good. Editors can help you avoid rookie mistakes.

Last week, I talked about hitting the publish button before the book was ready, and focused on the mechanics of writing dialogue.

There are some other aspects of dialogue that should be considered as well. One problem I noticed was including too much of the “commonplace.”

Transcribing actual conversations would include all the hemming and...

Taking a Holiday Break

Taking a Holiday Break

I’m taking a break to celebrate Rosh Hashana. I spoke about the writing break I took while on vacation over at the Pro Writers Writing blog yesterday, although a writer is never totally “on break.” Ideas are everywhere, and details can make a book come alive. I shared some of the differences I noticed while touring the British Isles.

I’ll have answers to last week’s dialogue questions next time, along with more pitfalls of publishing without editorial eyes on a manuscri...

Roaming Around Windsor Castle

During our vacation, we visited a LOT of places.

One stop on our two days in London was Windsor Castle, where we wandered the grounds and the gardens. One thing we noticed everywhere we went was the construction work. Unlike so many places here in the states, where it’s a “tear it down, build something else” mentality, these buildings are likely to be around a few hundred more years. I tried to avoid getting too much into my photos, but it’s also the reality of the place.

More pictures here...

Don’t Push the Publish Button Too Soon

Recently, I participated in a giveaway promotion and wanted to see what other offerings there were. Like any reader looking for something new, I looked at covers, and then the book descriptions and downloaded a handful that seemed interesting. This promotion was restricted to indie-published books, and after reading a few of them, and as an indie author, I had to speak out. Sadly, it was all too easy to see why a lot of people think indie-published works are inferior, which is a shame, becaus...

Release Day for Remaking Morgan

It’s Release Day for Remaking Morgan! I hope you’ll forgive a purely “about my book” post today. I’ll get back to writing-related posts, and some more pictures from my trip soon, I promise.

I want to thank everyone who didn’t wait for release day and pre-ordered the book. It’s been in the top 100 “Mystery Romance New Releases” almost since day one. I’m gratified to know that people trust my books enough to want them even before they go live. And for those who don’t like to pre-order, you don’...

London From the Eye

One of our events in London was a Champagne Flight on the London Eye. Because of a large Brexit protest, roads and bridges were closed to traffic, so our apologetic driver let us off as close as he could get, and we hoofed it the rest of the way, dodging our way through throngs of people, not to mention numerous street hustlers enticing people to play their shell games. When we arrived, our ticket allowed us to bypass the main line and be escorted with the rest of our group to our car, where...