Three Links 1/31/2020
Loleta Abi
Writing:
1. https://annerallen.com/2020/01/15-keys-writing-dialogue/ “One of them is lying. Or are both of them lying? You mean maybe both of them are telling the truth? Could be, couldn’t it?
No matter which answer is the correct one, what people say and the words with which they say it, will immediately bring your characters—and your book—to life.
Well written dialogue, skillfully employed, is a potent weapon that will keep readers turning the pages and coming back for more.” I sometimes find myself skimming the narrative and reading the dialogue lately, studying it.
2. https://www.janefriedman.com/how-to-write-a-killer-villain/ “You can’t have a good thriller without a nasty and formidable opponent for your hero. But it isn’t enough to just write a character and call him “the bad guy.” Just as it’s important to create a well-rounded, three-dimensional hero, you must create a villain who is well-developed and not just your standard killer, robber, or kidnapper.
So how can we write a well-developed villain who is a worthy opponent to your protagonist?
Create a backstory” True. I always create a backstory for my villains. It’s a way to humanize them. To make them not shot all the way through with evil.
3. https://stevelaube.com/the-editorial-process/ “It is important to understand the process of a book under the umbrella called “The Edit.” I meet many first-timers who think it is only a one-time pass over their words, and that is all that will ever happen. And many who self-publish, thinking that hiring a high school English teacher to check for grammar is enough of an edit.
There are four major stages to the editorial process. Unfortunately, they are called by various names, depending on which publisher you are working with, which can create confusion. I will try to list the various terms but keep them under the four categories.
Rewrites/Revisions/Substantive Edit
These steps can happen multiple times. You could get input from your agent or an editor who suggests you rewrite or revise sample chapters of the full manuscript. Last year I suggested that one of my nonfiction clients cut the book in half and change its focus. We sold this first-time author. But the writer had to do a lot of work to get it ready for the proposal stage.
Some editors will do this stage after a book has already been contracted because they saw the potential in the proposal. And note that this stage isn’t always necessary. It all depends on the quality of that final draft you turned in to your editor. Few get it perfect the first time.”
Research & Fun Bits:
1. https://stevelaube.com/058-how-to-write-believable-fight-scenes/
2. https://jamigold.com/2020/01/how-to-bridge-the-gap-in-your-storys-momentum/ “It’s time for another one of my guest posts over at Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi’s Writers Helping Writers site. As one of their Resident Writing Coaches, I’ve previously shared:”
3. https://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-writing-year-ever-with-less.html “But that one is now written and done. What would make this the “best writing year ever” for me is to figure out how to write Book #8 with less stress.
For some time, I’ve joked that what propels me to write is deadlines and panic. But there’s more truth than fiction in that statement.
Adrenaline drives me and makes me productive in my writing life, but that sort of propulsion eventually takes its toll. One day I realized that when I begin to feel stressed and panicked, my right knee starts to buckle. When writing deadlines loom, the right side of my neck, and my right wrist and shoulder stiffen and ache to the point where it’s difficult to go to sleep, much less spend hours at the keyboard.”
Some Things More Serious:
1. https://thesilenteye.co.uk/2020/01/28/a-change-in-the-weather/ “There was something wrong… something missing from the world as I walked the few paces to the car. I couldn’t put my finger on it at all, but I was very clear on the essential fact. There was something … different.
It wasn’t until I turned the key in the ignition that I realised what it was; it had stopped raining. And the sky was clear.
The rain has been almost constant for weeks now. The area in which I live has little in the way of rivers. Usually, I miss them and would wish for more. I know of no natural waterfalls around here at all and the streams are no more than tiny, silver threads. At present, though, they are roiling, muddy streaks, spilling over into the flood plains and sodden fields.”
2. https://jenanita01.com/2020/01/27/smorgasbord-cafe-and-bookstore-new-book-on-the-shelves-thriller-vanished-by-mark-bierman/ “Tragedy . . . heartache . . . how much more can Tyler Montgomery and John Webster take? This missions trip, the “healing” one, has only added fresh layers of pain. Construction of an orphanage in Haiti’s northwest . . . yes. But a doomed rescue operation, human traffickers, human anomalies, extreme personal danger . . . risk of death? They hadn’t signed up for those.
Turning their backs on the crisis, however, is unthinkable, it’s just not who they are.
3.
Teaser Fiction & Poetry:
1. https://franceandvincent.com/2020/01/25/fire-and-ice/
3. https://hughsviewsandnews.com/2020/01/25/1530-to-midnight-flashfiction/
Book Reviews, Cover Reveals, & Author Interviews:
1. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2020/01/25/meet-poet-and-writer-sally-cronin-and-a-review-of-her-latest-book/ “Sally Cronin from the delightful Smorgasbord blog is visiting me today over at Writing to be Read as my featured guest for my new Treasuring Poetry series. Come over and learn more about Sally’s favourite poem and other poetic thoughts as well as read my review of her latest book of poetry, flash fiction and short stories”
2. https://mystictalestintin.wordpress.com/2020/01/27/review-the-midnight-scrawls/ “When words meet paper, emotions gain new perspectives. ‘The Midnight Scrawls’ by Fatema Pocketwala is an intricately written collection of poetry on multiple topics. With sorrow, happiness, love and heartbreak – this book inculcates an array of feelings under one umbrella.
War, love, betrayal, brother-sister bonds, the poet has penned down every emotion in lucid and simple verses. The poems spoke to me and they felt so real. I have found a lot of favourites among them and it is a book I would revisit again. The book itself is such a beauty; the picturesque black and white pages are so pleasing. It is also rightly named since it does give the impression of midnight mussing. The poet is very talented with her art and it is visible through each verse. “
3. https://vivdrewa.me/2020/01/27/love-without-prejudice-what-the-heart-sees-new-beginnings-book-4-by-trish-edmisten/ “Being born blind, Ken has always lived a sheltered life, thanks to his overprotective mother and older sisters. If it wasn’t for his best friend, Stone, he’d never have any kind of freedom, let alone a life. Twenty-one years old and still living at home, Ken is ready to be independent. When he moves into his own apartment and meets his new neighbor, Cassandra, he knows he’s made the right decision. Ken wants Cassandra, and the feeling seems to be mutual, but he’s worried. Can she accept that he can be everything she needs, or will she let his blindness keep her from taking a chance?”
A Dash of Words with Loleta Abi Romance Author 
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