Happy New Year!

 

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In case your 2024 was less than salubrious (Imgur)

2021 New Year Funny Saying

And because any year that ends or starts out with Moon Moon is a good year :) My best to you all!

Just for old time's sake, Moon Moon

3T Writing Tidbit

 NaNo-NowWhereIGo?

If you're like half a million writers, you took part last month in NaNoWriMo, the national novel writing month. What if you won? You poured 50,000 words of your heart and soul onto the page, virtual or concrete. And when you read through it...

Well, no first draft is a complete winner. So what do you do now?

When I was doing NaNoWriMo, there was a single blog post on that subject. I've distilled some of the recommendations here.

But they're come a long way! Not only are there resources on what to do next, there is an official Now What challenge during the months of January and February! See an example here from 2023-24. Support for all your post-soul-pouring needs in one place.

What are some things you can do in the meantime?

1. Get a deck of index cards (or the e-space equivalent). Read through your novel. Each time a scene changes, start a new card. 
1. Write on it: 
1. characters; 
2. action; 
3. how it advances either the emotional content or the plot.
2. Look at your cards for point 3. Doesn't advance the emotions or plot? They're boring filler scenes. Chuck 'em.
3. Look at your cards for point 1. Are there any characters you can dedup? Dr. Watson was Holmes's biographer... but he also did medical and pathology diagnoses, and as an army doctor was often Holmes's muscle as well. Conan Doyle could have written three separate characters, but combining these attributes made Dr. Watson a beloved and more realistic character.
4. Finally, look at the order of the cards. What if you moved the first one somewhere else? What about the one in the middle? Play with rearranging the cards and see if something clicks. Is there more tension if you delay a scene, or bring one forward? Is there a more satisfying payoff? Have fun!
   

Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits.  

2T Repeat Performance - Wine, Books and Music—Stand Out!

I've done a number of blog tours over the years, posting on different sites. Now I'm bringing them to you!

Originally published January 10, 2013 for the Samhain Blog

Wine, Books and Music—Stand Out!

Touring California wineries on a recent trip to LA was a revelation. See, I grew up with German Rieslings and Liebfraumilch, and my usual table wines are crisp and fruity—and simple. What you taste at the beginning is what you taste all the way through.

California wines are intensely complex. Peppery, buttery; hints of leather or notes of raspberry and plum. There are overtones and undertones and starts and finishes—and that’s before aeration, which adds richness and nuance. Even a Muscatel that my husband and I bought in an LA grocery store was a medley of flavors.

Why all the complexity? One reason surprised me.

The wineries are trying to stand out. They’re competing with a globe’s worth of well-established, famous wines: French and Italian; German and Portuguese; Australian and Brazilian.

As an author and musician, I understand scrabbling to find your audience. A single voice, pushing to be heard in a choir of millions, is hard. Some books sell hundreds of thousands of copies while similar books languish. 

The wineries show us that the voices and books that impress aren't necessarily sweeter or better written. But they are different, new in a way that stands out from the rest. Many grab attention by being piquant or complex.

So how’s this for complexity? Biting Love—spicy stories with powerful vampires, overtones of action, notes of humor, under(the covers)tones of sex and a finish of music and love.

Hugs!
Mary

Strong men. Stronger women.
http://maryhughesbooks.com