Terry Odell's Blog, page 86
February 25, 2019
Writing Commercial Fiction – Superstars Recap 5
I’m continuing my recap of Jeffery Deaver’s workshop on Writing Commercial Fiction presented at the Superstars Writing Seminars. Previous installments: Part 1. Part 2. Any errors are mine, either because I couldn’t take notes fast enough or I misinterpreted what I heard.
Four Elements of a Novel or Story:
Today, I’ll look at the first: Plot or Story. Continually introduce conflicts and raise questions. Raise questions that will have important consequences. Every scene needs conflict. So...
February 23, 2019
Early Readers Wanted
Early Readers Wanted
I have an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of my next Blackthorne, Inc. book, Personal Assignment and am looking for early readers.
In this world of indie publishing, reviews are critical for an author’s visibility on the various stores, and the ability to take out advertising. Most advertising sites require a minimum number of reviews before they’ll even consider your book for an ad.
I’m looking for people willing to read a digital copy, downloaded from Book Funnel (you’ll have...
February 22, 2019
Writing Commercial Fiction – Superstars Recap 4
I’m continuing my recap of Jeffery Deaver’s workshop on writing commercial fiction from the Superstars Writing Seminars. If you missed the first part, it’s here.
February 21, 2019
Writing Commercial Fiction – Superstars Recap 3
The next workshop I attended at the Superstars Writing Seminars was a presentation on Commercial Fiction, given by Jeffery Deaver. Again, any errors are mine, either due to a lack of typing speed or misinterpretation of his word.
Deaver began by defining Commercial fiction as popular, and entertaining. Escapism is fine. He enjoys writing the genre—and getting paid to do it. The competition is filled with other forms of entertainment, such as Angry birds and Candy Crush, as well as television,...
February 18, 2019
Story Structure – Superstars Recap 2
Story Structure – Superstars Recap 2
I’m continuing my recap of Kevin Ikenberry’s presentation on Story Structure at the Superstars Writing Seminar. You can find Part 1 HERE. Again, this covers the material in a brief summary. Any errors are my own, either from misunderstanding or misreading my notes.
Early Greek dramas were plot based, not character based. The three act structure was designed around giving the audience time to take breaks.
The baseline for the 3 act structure:
Setup=25% Con...February 17, 2019
Story Structure – Superstars Recap 1
Story Structure – Superstars Recap 1
I attended the Craft Day add-on at the Superstars Writing Seminars conference. The morning session was Finding the Perfect Story Structure, presented by Kevin Ikenberry
Once again, because these workshops move at a breakneck pace, my recaps will hit the bullet points.
Ikenberry began by quoting Lou Anders. “The story is a movie in the head of your reader.” Throughout the workshop, Ikenberry referenced the way movies are structured, which adapts well to nov...
February 13, 2019
Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day
As I mentioned on Monday, things are very busy here, but what’s Valentine’s Day without a present. No roses or chocolates, I’m afraid. Instead, my gift to you is a free short story: Romancing The Geek.
Stephanie’s lifelong dream is to design toys—sweet, cuddly toys. Instead, she’s hired as a glorified typist, forced to share an office with Brad, a geek, who’s happy programming computer games full of explosions.
Ignoring each other is their solution to co-existence. But...
February 11, 2019
Release Day for the Mapleton Mystery Novellas
Release Day for the Mapleton Mystery Novellas
I just got back from the Superstars Writing Seminars, and I’m still recovering from “Conference Brain.” Three hours listening to Jeffery Deaver was worth the price right there. Things are busy around here. I’m getting ready to visit my mom for her 93rd birthday. (Can you say “Do the laundry!) Then, I’ll be home in time for my own birthday at the end of the month. Not mentioning which one.
But even though I’m in overload mode, I have to share my cu...
February 7, 2019
Ever Have One Of Those Days?
Ever Have One of Those Days?
As I write this, I’m down in Colorado Springs for the Superstars Writing Seminars. It’s a business-oriented conference, although they have added a Craft Day, and one of the speakers is Jeffery Deaver, which was a major trigger in deciding to attend.
Since I live relatively close, I volunteered to help with setup the day before things got underway. I’m no stranger to conferences, and was ahead of the game with packing and organizing. However, no matter what the tri...
February 3, 2019
Editing – Proof Listening With Word’s Read Aloud Feature
Read Aloud: Proof Listening With Word
This article first ran in September of 2017, but since this is what I’ve been doing the past week, I thought it would be worth running again, with some updates. Note: This article is based on using Office 365. The Read Aloud feature isn’t (I don’t think) available in other versions, but I also blogged about using the “Read Selected Text” function, which is comparable. You can find it here.
Any author wants to present the best possible product, which requ...
