Top 10 Posts Countdown #9

Writer's cave hiatus--finishing Assassins Bite among other things. Enjoy the top 10 posts from my blog in the meantime :)

#9 Guest Sarah Grimm Opens the Bedroom Door

When it comes to love scenes in a romance novel, I am SUCH a voyeur. Shocking, but true. A voyeur. I never thought that term would apply to me, but it does. If a love scene takes place behind closed doors, I feel…cheated. I’ve invested time into this book, fallen in love with the hero right along with the heroine, and for what? To have the bedroom door slammed in my face? Noooo!

So I’m a voyeur, a ‘leave the bedroom door wide open, thank you very much’ kind of reader. I don’t want to use my imagination about what is going on in the bedroom. I want the details! Lots of details. So it would only make sense that this is how I write.


Read more:
http://maryhughesbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/guest-sarah-grimm-opens-bedroom-door.html

3T Writing Tidbit

Here are some of the things on my edit list. Note: not every occurrence needs correcting. Sometimes "he said gently" is exactly what I want.

• Remove backstory from the first 30 pages
• Mark any sections I feel like skimming. These need to be energized or cut.
• Look for generic sigh, smile, nod, shrug. Substitute character-specific gestures.
• Look for she/he said/did x-ingly. Substitute a strong verb.
• Make the first description of each character memorable
• Remove words which say what has already been said/shown
• Make settings more dramatic (what is the impact the location has on the character?)
• x of the y can probably be y's x or cut. (Lawn of the house=house's lawn)
• Make abstract terrors concrete and personal for ordinary people

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.

Top 10 Posts Countdown #10

Writer's cave hiatus--finishing Assassins Bite among other things. Enjoy the top 10 posts from my blog in the meantime :)

#10 Confessions of a Fantasy Romance Author--Guest Helen C. Johannes

I confess—I’m Helen C. Johannes and I write Fantasy Romance. I can’t help it. That’s just where my brain goes—straight to heroes on horseback wielding swords and wearing armor.

You know that song from the movie Footloose (the Kevin Bacon version) where they’re driving tractors at each other and the soundtrack is playing “I Need a Hero,” someone who’s “fresh from the fight”? That’s my kind of guy. That’s Arn, Prince of Val-Feyridge, and the hero I’ve had stuck in my head since high school.
Read more:

http://maryhughesbooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/confessions-of-fantasy-romance-author.html

January 1T Olio -- Happy New Year!

Sharing some fun New Years links...

http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20140102 (New Years resolution: take over the world)
http://xkcd.com/1311/ (The last prediction for 2014 gave me chills)
http://imgur.com/gallery/urbsikf (For EMTs on New Years Eve)

And a few more links just for fun...

http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4767 (Hiss...)

http://xkcd.com/1269/ (Internet privacy?)

http://xkcd.com/1253/ (Filter out the worst names)

http://xkcd.com/1267/ (Sorry about the mess)

http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=1279#comic (Compromise book ban)

http://xkcd.com/1274/ (Come on guys, get it together)
http://xkcd.com/1272/ (Shadow...facts? LOTR gets real)

http://sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4826 (and suddenly Eve)