Subjectivity

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I have been working out of town, with very sporadic internet access… so I am working on catching up with all your blogs.

I realized how subjective writing and reading is the other day. A good friend of mine suggested a book that he thought I HAD to read, so I suggested one in return and went and bought the one he recommended.

I couldn’t get though 15 pages, before I had to put it down… I nearly threw it in the garbage, I hated it so bad.

I am not going to reveal the name of said book, because it is fairly new and don’t want to cast a bad light on it, or to offend anyone who thinks it is good.

It’s a weird deal; if I hated a book you loved, it seems to drive a wedge between people.

I will tell you about an old book that caused the biggest augment me and my best friend ever had. It was: Lord of the Rings

I couldn’t finish the first book, it was slow, hard to get into… and plain boring. I hated it; I don’t know how anyone could like it. The movies were ok, but that’s about it.

And I am sure you might disagree, and all the more power to you… it’s what makes writing an art.

What I am trying to get at? don’t take ever critic to heart, you might have 10 people read your book, to find only one person really got it. Don’t change everything to fit all opinions, focus on the one that has the same taste you do—and work from that one most. I am only talking about subject matter and craft, the technical aspect of writing can come from most anyone versed in advanced story telling.

What’s your opinion?

Read any books you hated that other people loved?

Does it bother you if other people hate the books you love?

Thx for your support, and any comment you might leave!

Pay Back

I am so horrible at blog awards, so I am doing a hybrid, I won’t pass on the award because I know some people prefer not to participate. I’ll list those wonderful bogs that inspire me, give me hope, and offer priceless advice or just an awesome read.


Really, if you want a great follower and a fantastic blogger to meet, just follow the links I’ll leave. They all rock and make me feel special; they make the world a better place: and me a better writer. They don’t appear in any order, they all have a place in my heart. Thx for all you do for me! If you can, let them know you're comeing from my blog, so they'll know I care.

The other side of the story : Probably the single biggest factor in my development as a writer… her advice is priceless; her blog is full of awesome advice put in a way you can understand, so you can put into action! I highly recommend you follow her and read all of her post—new and old!

Creative Arts Anonymous  : I love her blog, I love what she writes... a must follow!

Rockets and Dragons  : She is a hard nut to crack, probably my first follower… I know she is my first steady commenter, she is a huge reason I am still blogging---even though she has kind of faded from blogging lately. Definitely worth a follow, her topics are great and thought provoking!

Nancy S. Thompson : great blogger, writer, teacher and an all around great person to get to know---her blog is worth the visit.

The Write Stuff  : Wonderful lady and great blogger, I just started following her.

Sarvenaz Tash    : Love her blog, and can't wait to read her book... worth a follow.

So, You're a Writer...  : A must follow, she is worth the effort to get to know.

Peggy Eddleman: Will Write For Cookies  :What can I say, she rocks, her blog is pure fun... give her blog a visit!

From Pen to Paper... : She has a great blog, fun to visit, awesome to get to know... go give her a follow!

Writtled :  Great blog... Awesome reviews, fun to visit!

The Character Therapist  : A perfect place to get to understand how you can relate to your characters better---nice blog to learn from.

Marcia Hoehne : I love what she does... Give her a visit.

YA Author Elana Johnson : You probably already follow her, but if you don’t, she is a must… great blogger, writer and funny as well.

Paranormal Point of View : Awesome blog... give her a visit!

Random Thoughts : She rocks; I owe her a lot… worth a follow.

Beyond the Pages : If you like book reviews this is the spot for you.

The Bookshelf Muse : A Thesaurus for everything, plus a great writer’s insight… go now!

Inner Owlet :  Very inspirational, great person and awesome posts…

BANG OUT THE PROSE : Just started to follow her, nice blog, great posts-check it out.

Michele Shaw :  She is a great writer, blogger and offers impressive writing advice... I owe her a lot.

.W.I.P. It : Go now... she is a must follow.

Weaving a Tale or Two : She knows a lot... more than she'll admit, great place to visit!!

Lisa L. Regan : I owe her more than she knows...great advice, awesome blog, fantastic person!

Julius Cicero : He is an avid writer, awesome blogger and superb follower.

The Waiting is the Hardest Part : Love what she does... check her out.

Barbara Kloss : Perfect follower, awesome blog... worth a daily visit!!

Julie Musil : I love her blog, great place to go... go there now!

klahanie : He has a lot to say in a very interesting way… go give him a visit… a fabulous blog.

Sophia's Desk : She rocks... wonderful follower and great blog friend!

Untroubled Kingdom of Laila Knight : Worth a visit, she is informative, interesting and fun. She won't disappoint if you choose to follow her.

Mark Noce Stories : I love his work and his blog... Very thought provoking, solid writing topics… go now!

Meetings with My Muse : she has always been a great follower and a wonderful blogger, check her out!


Sharp Pen/Dull Sword : She has great posts, advice and given me awesome support and not to mention; she's one hell of a GAL!

clarity2010 : Smart, informative... awesome post; I never fail to learn something from him and his blog.

Aspiring Novelists  :   Great gal, wonderful blogger and follower... she has helped me a ton...thx!

After Troy - Hektor Karl  :Great blogger; thought provoking posts... go give him a visit.


If I missed anyone plz leave a comment and I’ll add you.



Everyone I have listed is worth a follow and I guarantee you won’t regret it. They are the reason I am growing as writer… go ahead and start clicking on those links.

Second Page

I am posting my second page, since a few of you asked to see it.

Same rules apply: be honest and let me have it.


1: would you turn the page?


Thx for all you do for me.

End of first page:
He’s here; time to put my plan into action.

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Thx for any comment you might leave!

Strike while the iron is hot!

A quick rewrite of my last post, using all your advice… if you haven’t read my previous post, plz do so before reading this one. Thx for all the feedback.


1: does the internal dialog act as a disconnect, rather than the intended use of a closer connection between reader and story?

2: Which rewrite is better, this one or the last?

3: Does the key point of (one-last-visit) hit home now, or does it still need help. I agree with the scar idea… I just don’t end my 250 words and the hook point if I try to add that part. If this still doesn’t work, I’ll have to rethink the whole page construction.

4: which one gives you the clearest image, and draws you in better?


THX FOR ALL THE COMMENTS




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Another rewrite of my first page!

I rewrote this first page focusing on a few issues... well, more like faults really. plz give it a read and let me know what you think, especially those followers that have read my previous pages.



It will be interesting to see the response, because (at least for me) it’s a different writing style.


Plz be honest and straight forward… thx


THX FOR ALL THE COMMENTS

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Me in a Nutshell

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I thought writing was simple: tell a good story, weave in some believable dialog and off you go… I wish.


I have leaned writing is beyond a simple task—it is far beyond a hobby (at least for me) the more you take it serious, the more you realize it’s a second job you don’t get paid for… unless you actually succeed in that job.

My blog commenter’s have helped more than I ever thought possible. Before I started this blog, it was my against the world... now I have you, and I'm amaze me with your insight. So I say thx for all you do for me--and I am sure for others.

If you want a solid blog follower, just click on the people who leave comments here, they are awesome followers and full of wonderful advice.

I know I can write, I know I can make it, I know without a doubt I have what it takes… I just didn’t realize how damn hard it was going to be. The only doubt I have now is: am I willing to do what it takes to see it through—am I willing to work this hard in the possibility it doesn’t happen.

I inevitably come to conclusion (as I am sure you all do) I have no choice but continue… it’s something I must do to complete myself.

So I’ll grow, rewrite a thousand times, and grow some more, in the (seemingly vain) attempt to write something I can be proud of.

Thx for listening, thx for being a sounding board, and most of all thx for making me a better writer.

I only post when I feel a need, I am sure most my post don’t mean a lot to others… but your advice is what gets me through to the next hurdle.

You know I have to ask a question right?

If you could exile one of your flaws, what would it be… what do you always do, even though you know better? (Either in regards to writing or not)

Mine would be: letting myself skip days at a time where I don’t write. Writing every day is the key to finding the end of the rainbow, but I neglect this far too often!!!

I was supposed to do a blog award post; sorry I’ll have to do it later… I am horrible when it comes to those.

Thx for any comment you might leave.

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Writing advice

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Take advice not criticism: the difference? Advice is given out of a desire to help, criticism is to tear down. Crave advice, ignore the other… life is too short and it suffocates your inner writer.

Always seek advice or direction from your superiors… in other words, ask advice from writers who are above your skill level. That way you’ll progress and see value in what you do. You wouldn’t ask directions from a lost person, would you?

Finish your first draft before tearing down your own work, and then seek outside advice. If possible do two drafts before receiving advice from other readers!

Nothing you write seems good enough, but you must learn when to move on!! This one is huge and is different for every writer. But there comes a time when you stifle your growth as a writer by staying with a story too long. If it works after 10 revisions… great, if not, it might be time to move on.

The biggest lesson for me was: just because I received a bad critic from a solid writer, doesn’t mean I have to start from scratch. It just means I need to focus on my deficiencies and build on what I do well as a writer.

It might take 7 to 10 focused rewrites to make a solid piece of work. I should be thankful I see growth after each one… if I don’t, it might be time to move on where the motivation is stronger with a fresh story.

Each time we revise, we cut out weak points in our work. I now see this as a success: rather than a failure like I had before.

If you take two things from this rant they should be: there is always something to learn and we as writers should see the positives in what we do!!!

Keep writing and keep believing!!!

What advice would you give?

Thx for any comment you might leave.

Who am I?

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I often wonder who I am, and what do I want to get out of writing… maybe my problem is: I can’t answer those questions.

Since my last post I haven’t written a thing… my intention was to immediately begin a complete rewrite. But I haven’t been able to do it yet. I am not sure if its confidence or the lack of understanding exactly what, or how, I am going to fix the prevailing issues that exist in my manuscript.

I have worked to tighten my plot, define my MC goals and elaborate on missing world building details, but for some reason I can’t write a thing. Nothing feels right or has that pop.

I think the hardest part is realizing what needs to be showed vs the parts that need to be told. I am learning emotions and scenes that evolve action should be shown, and crisp exposition should be told… but it goes much deeper than that.

I think it boils down to me not really know what I am doing or how to fix it—but at least I am trying—and soon I hope to find that piece of literature or advice that makes me see the light.

I am leaps and bound farther than I was when I started, and I hope to keep learning.

I guess the biggest problem we as writer have is this: the day we find out our best writing isn’t even close to being good enough for publication.

What advice can you give a struggling author? To me or anyone that might read this.

Thx for your support and advice, it means the world to me.

And thx for any comment you might leave!!!

Change of Plans

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Ok, change of plans. I am going to rewrite my original story, focusing on a tighter plot and a precise POV, with proper motivation and goals. I received a ton of comments regarding my story and characters; they urged me not to abandon the story, which they feel is really compelling, but to focus on making it better through tighter writing and structure.


With a complete rewrite, I should be able to achieve the desired goal with a plot, story and characters I have already fleshed out.

One question: do you focus on showing rather than telling during the first draft? Or in later revisions?

The reason I ask is this: I find it slows me down, because my mind isn’t set to that mode of writing.

Thx for your support and any comment you might leave!!!

Starting From Scratch

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After some serious thinking I am scratching my manuscript and starting a new, a new sense of direction and a better understanding of how I need to tell a story.


I want to thank each and every one of you… I have received 5 emailed critiques of my first page, and one critique (from a blog contest) of my first chapter, and everyone has lead to my decision. I see the mistakes I am making, and more importantly, I see how to fix it.

I wish there was something I could do to repay all your: support, advice, examples and motivation. You help me grow and give me hope, without you I wouldn't be on this path, without you I would be lost.

All those bloggers out there, who tagged me… I’ll try and get to them tomorrow.

I just wanted to thank you all; I am blessed to have such wonderful people to help me grow.

Thx for any comment you might leave!!