Learning Center

‘Once upon a time’, for every good story begins with that line. A busy mother of two decided that she wanted to try her hand at writing. It was a lovely escape from the reality of dirty diapers, midnight, two in morning, four in the morning, etc. feedings, runny noses and long, cold winters.

So she turned on her Tandy computer and let her fingers do the rest. What began was a murder mystery story based on a small lake side community. How it ended…well, it never did. A few chapters into her loving and very apologetic husband accidentally deleted it. Lesson one for the new writer: back up everything, multiple times if possible.

That wasn’t the end of her writing career, however. Only the end of that particular story.

Which list of descriptors appeals more to you?

LIST A
She liked his car.
He had a soft touch.
His jeans fit well.
The sheets smelled.
She tasted sweet.

LIST B
The roar of his candy-apple red Mustang set off a roar inside her (sound)
The silky caress of her floral scarf reminded her of his touch (touch)
Faded Wranglers hugged the muscles of his mile-long legs (sight)
The musky smell of their lovemaking lingered in the sheets (smell)
Her mouth tasted like strawberries and chocolate (taste)

I attended the RT convention in Kansas City earlier in the month, and this is the first time I've gone to that conference via the Day Pass, and didn't attend the whole thing (parties at night, etc.)

I found I liked it a LOT better that way. I really focused on the workshops during the day, and spent the evening with my sister (who lives in Kansas City and who let me bunk with her during the conference). I was able to catch up with my friends at the conference, sit in on various talks, then leave at the end of the day and relax in the "normal world." I highly recommend this approach to a conference (unless you're a party person; I really am not).

Point of view (POV) is a topic that is hotly debated by writers. Ask a group of writers about this subject, and you'll probably find as many opinions as there are writers.

So what is point of view?

Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition, dates the term at the year 1720 and defines it as "a position from which something is considered or evaluated: standpoint".

Other definitions refer to POV as "the lens through which the reader sees the story" or the angle of focus from which the story is told. Ask yourself who is seeing the action and reporting it to the reader?

One of the things new authors should never do is read reviews of their work. Reviews are for the potential reader. They are not constructive criticism for an author to learn how to make their next work better. That’s what you have beta readers, editors, or critique partners for. However, it’s easier said than done not to head on over to Goodreads or Amazon, just to check out your rankings. Once your there, it’s just a matter of scrolling down to check out the reviews.

The rating system on both Goodreads and Amazon are very subjective. To give you an example, I know someone who rates a book 3 stars if they really liked it. They reserve five stars to those authors on their “must buy” lists. I know someone else that if they liked that same book just as much would give it 5 stars. Yet another reviewer will never give a one star or a five star review because nothing is perfect and nothing is unredeemable. I’ve seen instances of friends and families leaving five stars, and on the other end of the spectrum one reviewer, who hates romance novels, will go out of his way to give all romance novels a one star – just because he doesn’t like the genre.

I wish someone would’ve warned me the Romantic Times convention was Survivor the Book Lover’s Version. WOW! I’ve been to some conventions in my time as a realtor and mortgage professional, but I was not prepared for what unfolded at Romantic Times. I’m still exhausted from the madness and mayhem.

Since I was a first timer, I wanted to assess the pros and cons of the conventions and maybe give other con virgins some advice to help them prepare and navigate the onslaught of activity. First and foremost, you need to decide your purpose at the convention. Do you have a manuscript to pitch? Are you there to network? Do you want to mingle with the readers and build a broader fan base? Educate yourself on craft? Learn about publishers? The list goes on.

“Magic Mike” director, Steven Soderbergh is writing a novella called Glue on Twitter! In recent years, we’ve seen a resurgence of short fiction.

Today it’s easy to download a short story or novella to your Kindle, iPad or phone. These short, intense stories are perfect for a lunchtime read, a sneaky read while waiting to pick up the kids, or a tucked-up-tight-in-bed read.

Many authors think writing short is easy, just do what you usually do but with less words…wrong. Short story writing requires a whole different set of skills. Shorts are smaller, tighter pieces. What works well in a full length novel, doesn’t always translate in a short.

You’ve been offered a publishing contract. How do you know what the clauses mean and whether it is a good contract or how to evaluate two contracts?

While I am not an attorney, I am a literary agent and review publishing contracts regularly, from many different publishers of all sizes. Thus, I can alert authors of clauses to watch out for and terms that are more favorable for authors and those that are not.

Freshening Your Hooks
Should you let your readers off the hook? And if so, when? You are not going to actually tell me you think it's okay to let your reader off the hook, are you? Of course not. Never. Not until the very last period at the end of the story. On the other hand, sometimes your readers need a break from certain hooks. Be kind to your little fish. Don't keep dangling the same hook in front of your readers for too long. Eventually, they may lose interest in that hook, especially if you don't freshen the hook up from time to time.

Here are several ways you can freshen your hooks and keep your reader hungry for more.