Dear Fellow Writers,
Hi folks! I'm Betty Wryte-Goode, your BWG writing partner. Hardly a moment goes by when I'm not writing, reading, or meeting with my writers group. Add to my writerly duties, my obligations to work and family and, as you can imagine, I'm one busy lady! Still, I do my best to stay on top of all the best writing resources on the web.
On my recent travels through the Wide World of the Web, I found some exciting resources that I simply must share with you.
I found my first link when Mr. Wryte-Goode asked me to critique his new NASCAR story. Now, as you might imagine, even a veteran writers group member will have some difficulty critiquing the work of a loved one, so I turned to the internet for advice. Lucky for me, The Critique Corner offered suggestions of how to give a helpful critique of a new writer's work without stomping all over their dreams. You can read it, too, at: http://thecritiquecorner-writethatnovel.blogspot.com/2011/08/critiquing-techniques-helping-new.html. I hope it will prove as helpful to you as I found it to be.
Speaking of my family, my charming little Wryte-Goodes have kept me running so much lately, that I've had some trouble actually sitting down to write. Fortunately for me, Wendy Bailey offers exercises to remove writer's block at: http://joanswan.blogspot.com/2011/07/writing-exercises-to-remove-writers.html Thanks to Wendy, I was able to start a new story earlier this week!
As I wrote my new story, I found myself wondering which elements I should be certain to include. The internet offered just the answer to my question at http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/the-5-essential-story-ingredients?et_mid=513366&rid=3053857 where Steven James told me about the Five Essential Story Ingredients.
But then, I was stumped when I tried to write some dialogue. For heaven's sake, most of my daily conversation is answering "Why, Mom?" So I had to get my creative juices flowing. I was thrilled when BWG member Carol L. Wright helped me through my dialogue woes with her tongue-in-cheek blog conversation revealing how not to write dialogue at: http://carollwright.blogspot.com/2011/07/dialogue.html
As I played with my story, I began to ponder turning it into a longer work. I've never written a full-length novel, but this year I feel like it might be time to try. A friend suggested I check out National Novel Writing Month, which runs for the thirty days of November. Thousands of would-be authors help motivate each other to produce 50,000 new words on a novel. I still have time to do some research and start an outline before it begins. If you're interested in joining in, sign up at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/.
Like you, I have a number of projects going at any given time. Recently, I heard from a copyeditor who did more than correct my grammar and punctuation; he tried to rework the voice of my story, Dreams of the Eggplant. (He clearly knows nothing about the feelings of an eggplant!) I am not alone in my sense of outrage. Lev Raphael, author of nineteen books, discusses his frustration at having acopyeditor try to change his voice at: http://www.bibliobuffet.com/bibliopinions-columns-194/archive-index-bibliopinions/853-stet-stet-stet-082408
As I look ahead to the query process (and fret about my copyeditor's advice), I wonder how I might convey voice and characters in a query letter without turning an agent off. As I considered this question, I found QueryTracker.net offers just the advice I need: http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2011/08/conveying-thy-characters-in-queries.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+QueryTracker+%28QueryTracker.net%29
Speaking of queries, does anyone know what agents are really looking for? Well, I've found some folks who do! Janet Reid of Fine Print Literary agency has a great blog called Query Shark. She rips apart real life queries submitted to her. Sometimes it can seem a little brutal, but the truth hurts. You can find her comments at http://queryshark.blogspot.com. Each Wednesday, Bookends, LLC, another literary agency, gives tips on queries submitted to readers of their blog at http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com. And did you know that Marla Miller also offers query critiques online? By perusing these query critiques, we can all learn how to make ours better. Marla Miller even has video clips of critiques on her website, so you can listen while you sort the mail or fold laundry. (Multi-tasking. I love it!) You can find Marla's critiques at: http://www.marlamiller.com/quick-query-critiques/. Who knows? Maybe she'll pick mine one day.
But not everyone is going the traditional route. "Queries, Schmeries," one writer friend told me. He's decided to go the e-book route and self-publish. Brave soul. I have to remember to tell him about an article I found that explains when you need an ISBN--and how many you need if you're putting your book out in several e-book formats. It's at http://www.publishingbasics.com/2011/03/07/do-i-really-need-a-separate-isbn-for-my-e-book/. Feel free to pass it on to your friends taking the plunge into self-publishing.
I was so excited about the prospect of querying and e-publishing that I ran out and bought the perfect outfit for my next author photo. (I think I might look a little stressed in my old photo above. What do you think?) Anyway, when I got home from the store, Mr. Wryte-Goode had that expression on his face. You know the one I mean--the how-much-did-you-spend-on-that expression. Well, wasn't I glad that I had just read J. J. Murphy's two part examination of tax tips for writers on the Sisters in Crime blog. You can find part one here: http://sisters-in-crime-sinc.blogspot.com/2011/07/tax-tips-for-writers-part-1-of-2-parts.html Part two is here: http://sisters-in-crime-sinc.blogspot.com/2011/07/tax-tips-for-writers-part-2-of-2-parts.html Thanks to J. J. I was able to reassure Mr. Wryte-Goode that my outfit was a tax-deductible business expense. In fact, I was so persuasive that I might just try for a pair of new shoes.
Now I'm off to finish my word count for the day and then hurry off to the store. Happy writing, everyone!
Betty Wryte-Goode
Betty Wryte-Goode is a writer, mother, and wife who lives in the Lehigh Valley. Her passions include writing, reading, shopping, and exploring the internet. Betty is always looking for writing tips, so if you have any you would like to share, please send them to her through our Submissions/Contacts page, with the subject line, "Attn: Betty."