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Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Poems by the DozenThe poems are arriving daily, by mail and web--yes, Virginia, you can
enter online now!
I say "poems by the dozen," and as of yesterday, we had exactly one
dozen. That's pretty normal for a deadline five weeks away. Most of us who enter writing contests wait
until the very last minute--which you can actually do now, thanks to the new online entering. Isn't that cool? Why
wait in line when you can enter online!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Your Novel: Starting Off on the Right FootWhat's that old saying--The journey of a thousand miles begins with one
step? Applying that to writing a novel, I could say, "The writing of a novel begins with one word." Followed by another, and
another, and another . . .
But that beginning, those first words, carry a great deal of weight. Your
opening chapter must introduce the characters and their journey as well as time and place. The hook must pose enough questions
that the reader is intrigued and wants to tag along for the ride. And it never hurts to have prose that makes each sentence
a reader's delight.
So let me ask you this: Does your story begin well? Are your characters
intriguing and can they carry this story for the duration of the journey? Feedback is the best way to find out the
answer. Join a critique group or find a good reader. (By good reader, I mean someone who is well-read, and preferably
not related to you.) Or spring for a critique through The Write Helper. We're published writers, and we know what it
takes to get your story into print.
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