It took me less than 15 minutes to hyperlink the Weighty Wednesday and Foodie Friday posts to their respective pages. It helps me find them when I title the blog post with the WW or FF first. :-) That was when I realized I hadn't written a Writing 101 post in a very long time. Part of the reason is that those particular posts take a little bit of thought . . . that's not to say my other posts don't take some thought, but let's be real here, most of the time I'm posting 'off the cuff', or "pulling it out of my a$$".
Here are a few of the topics that haven't been covered yet. I will confess that a couple of these particular posts will be very, very short as they aren't my writing strengths, which means I don't have a definite opinion on them.
HA! Bet that surprised some of you!
Personally, I'm leaning toward -- Hooks. And I think Jody suggested Beginnings and Endings about a gazillion years ago. Anyone else have a topic you want to listen to me blather on and on about??
Anyone? *taps microphone* Anyone?
"Ruh-roh, the zombie Apocalypse has already struck! And I'm talking into nothingness!" Aaarrrrgggghhhh! "Run away, run away!"
Here are a few possibilities:
Writing 101 -- Plot
Writing 101 -- Story Structure
Writing 101 -- Dialogue
Writing 101 -- Writing Style
Writing 101-- Punctuation
Writing 101 -- Voice
Writing 101 -- Hooks
Writing 101--GMC Goal, Motivation, and Conflict
Writing 101--Craft
Writing 101 -- Description
Writing 101 -- Using Spellcheck and Grammar check
Writing 101 -- Beginnings &Endings
And yes, some of them DO overlap--genius of you to catch that! Or if you want to know how I approach judging a contest, I'm sure I've jabbered on about that topic numerous times!
Hey, I did do a crit for my friend Cyndi (Texas Two Step) for her next book and she mentioned that I should be an EDITOR. *snork* Yeah, I thought the same thing! It's because I don't worry about the minutiae (line editing) of the story--that's the writer's job until the story is uber-polished--but I tend to see more of the big picture: pacing, character development, etc.
Anyhoo, if you have a suggestion feel free to chime in!
Later, Peeps!
Showing posts with label learning writing craft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learning writing craft. Show all posts
4/5/12
Contest Judging X2
Today I'll be judging those contest entries that I should have finished last week before I left town. *sigh* They are tougher than I expected, more of the first time writer feel to them instead of the "I'm this close to publishing" vibe.
And you see what I'm doing?
I'm stalling! I'm writing a blog post instead of buckling down to judge!
I've read/judged/commented/scored two out of three entries and I'm working on the third one (trust me, I'm GLAD I only have three!). I need to finish it so I can let them ferment overnight. Tomorrow I'll give them one last glance and send them on their way. None of them will be finalists in this contest. They just aren't ready for prime time.
Funny thing is that I thought I would have a higher quality of entries since this is a LARGE, WELL-KNOWN AND PRESTIGIOUS CONTEST. But nope, the contest is open to everyone, which means you get every type of entry possible.
Which also means I need to form my comments in as honest, but not hurtful, manner as possible. I've already learned that no matter how kindly you offer your opinion, feelings will get hurt. It's part of the game, part of developing a thick skin, part of your growth as a writer.
Not everyone will love your work. Period. Get used to it.
BUT as a writer, it's your job to present your work in the possible manner, which means you must learn the craft of writing: grammar, punctuation, pacing, characterization, emotion, dialogue, plot, etc. Some parts of the craft might be easy for you, but that doesn't mean you can ignore the rest of the factors that make a good story.
Okay, I think I'm ready to tackle the last few pages . . .
. . . after I brew a cup of coffee . . . and it has been ten minutes since I looked at Facebook . . . and I forgot to post my walkies on twitter . . . and I do need to run to Sam's Club . . .
Later, Peeps!
And you see what I'm doing?
I'm stalling! I'm writing a blog post instead of buckling down to judge!
I've read/judged/commented/scored two out of three entries and I'm working on the third one (trust me, I'm GLAD I only have three!). I need to finish it so I can let them ferment overnight. Tomorrow I'll give them one last glance and send them on their way. None of them will be finalists in this contest. They just aren't ready for prime time.
Funny thing is that I thought I would have a higher quality of entries since this is a LARGE, WELL-KNOWN AND PRESTIGIOUS CONTEST. But nope, the contest is open to everyone, which means you get every type of entry possible.
Which also means I need to form my comments in as honest, but not hurtful, manner as possible. I've already learned that no matter how kindly you offer your opinion, feelings will get hurt. It's part of the game, part of developing a thick skin, part of your growth as a writer.
Not everyone will love your work. Period. Get used to it.
BUT as a writer, it's your job to present your work in the possible manner, which means you must learn the craft of writing: grammar, punctuation, pacing, characterization, emotion, dialogue, plot, etc. Some parts of the craft might be easy for you, but that doesn't mean you can ignore the rest of the factors that make a good story.
Okay, I think I'm ready to tackle the last few pages . . .
. . . after I brew a cup of coffee . . . and it has been ten minutes since I looked at Facebook . . . and I forgot to post my walkies on twitter . . . and I do need to run to Sam's Club . . .
Later, Peeps!
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