Ah, the slush pile. What is it? A) stacked 7-Eleven drinks B) defrosted snowmen C) a collection of drunk writers D) All of the Above and not what you think D is correct. And here’s why: The name of anything is a subjective connotation. A person’s name could stir wistful memories of lost love, or - for a different person - sighs of relief if their significant other was a bit Looney Tunes. In writing, title is king. Would "Gone with the Wind" have been as successful if Margaret Mitchell had used one of her other working titles for the novel which included "Tomorrow is Another Day" (maybe), "Not in Our Stars," "Tote the Weary Load,” "Bugles Sang True.” (Wikipedia). Bugles Sang True? Really? So
I think writers deserve battle pay. The rejections pile up. That’s if you’re lucky. Lucky? Yeah, because sometimes you don’t hear anything at all. At least someone is reading your stuff. Have a hide of a rhinoceros. Because all that rejection can be hard to take. Just ask some very famous people. And in spite of all this, I keep writing and sending stuff out. And I ask myself, how do I continue? Why do I continue? How do I keep going? I keep going by writing that next story, thinking of a new manuscript, perfecting what I already have, meeting with my critique groups (because writing is lonely and we all need that emotional support and kick in that pants.) Why do I keep going? Ready for the
One of the toughest things in writing: a first line. Because it matters that much. It grabs the reader and keeps them engaged to read more. Let me repeat: it matters that much. And it doesn't matter if you're writing short fiction, a novel or a picture book. In January, I won the 2Elizabeths Love & Romance Short Fiction Contest for my piece The Shoebox. I revised the first line at least a half dozen times until I got this: "It was January 21st and no one should die so young." Ouch. It even hurt me and I knew where it was going. Isn't that what we all want as a writer? To do that to a reader? An Evolution This past weekend I went to a SCBWI workshop and sat with children's book author Kelly
Okay, so I made that word up. As a writer, you should not be fearsome, as in causing fear. But one should be fierce. You should be Fiercesome. It's a state of writing fiercely. Akin to killing your darlings. This blog will focus on short fiction and picture books writing. That's what I do. And the two are, well, cousins. Not directly the same family like siblings but close enough that they share some of the same genetic code. So what do they have in common? - Get in and get out. Start in the action, move your characters through their issue and get out. - Limit your characters You only have limited space so character development is not an option as in novel writing. - Be a Brutal Editor Cut,
