tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77164435871856178042024-03-14T00:22:25.812-05:00*Lynnette Labelle* @Chatterbox ChitchatA Writer's Outlook on the Craft of Writing, Getting Published, and the Big One... Life.Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.comBlogger513125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-84468438383522737412012-02-03T09:19:00.000-06:002012-02-03T09:19:57.878-06:00Moving to www.lynnettelabelle.comI've talked about this before and some of you have joined me on my other site, but others have clung to this site or maybe you're following me on both. No matter. In case you haven't figured this out, I've been trying to get you over to my other blog through the author spotlights. Well, now it's time to close this blog. I've been blogging at both sites (using the same material) for over a year now and I'm not sure why... Obviously, it makes more sense to keep my blog on my website and get rid of this one, so that's what I'm doing.<br />
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Please follow me at my "new" blog: <a href="http://lynnettelabelle.com/chatterbox-chit-chat-blog/">http://lynnettelabelle.com/chatterbox-chit-chat-blog/</a> on my writing website: <a href="http://www.lynnettelabelle.com/">www.lynnettelabelle.com</a> <br />
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You can also check out my editorial services at: <a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a> <br />
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See you over there. :)<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.lynnettelabelle.com/">www.lynnettelabelle.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-41830362176156374382012-02-02T10:09:00.000-06:002012-02-02T10:09:26.830-06:00Author Shannon Mayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrnJDbxAgp5yEHWCSn2cs77OQXrU03bytbh9YR2v2EvW44VBKNDUrIVY6AXdUUErwlGx9XIGYwXlxQZKR4g-evMYetvlZGGKsqTNFN_xjWXVdkJJ0UxXu9xIOtz2Oj6t-H2R_31TWFZ13/s1600/Shannon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlrnJDbxAgp5yEHWCSn2cs77OQXrU03bytbh9YR2v2EvW44VBKNDUrIVY6AXdUUErwlGx9XIGYwXlxQZKR4g-evMYetvlZGGKsqTNFN_xjWXVdkJJ0UxXu9xIOtz2Oj6t-H2R_31TWFZ13/s1600/Shannon.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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I’d like to welcome urban fantasy writer Shannon Mayer, author of <em>Dark Waters</em>. Shannon has also published <em>Sundered</em>,<em> Bound</em>, and <em>Dauntless</em>. We’ll learn more about <em>Dark Waters</em>, but first, let’s see what Shannon has to say…<br />
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To learn more about Shannon and her books, visit: <a href="http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-shannon-mayer/" target="_blank_">http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-shannon-mayer/</a><br />
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px;">I’m still looking to fill some author spotlight slots. I’m booking for April. If you write romance, thriller, mystery, urban fantasy, paranormal, horror or true crime, and you have a book you’d like to promote, send me an email: lynnette_labelle at yahoo dot com. Make sure to have “Author Spotlight” in the subject line or I won’t open the message. Let me know when your release date will be (if the book isn’t already available) and what genre you write.</div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px;"></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px;">Lynnette Labelle</div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px;"><a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/" target="_blank_"><span style="color: blue;">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</span></a></div>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-5203298448132715852012-01-31T10:42:00.000-06:002012-01-31T10:42:42.618-06:00Before THE Call: Ten Tasks to Complete Before an Agent CallsDo you know what to expect after you get <strong>THE</strong> call and sign with an agent? A lot more work. Why not complete some of those tasks either before you query or while you're waiting for a response from agents?<br />
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Here are ten projects you can tackle before an agent offers representation:<br />
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<strong>1. Write an author bio of yourself.</strong> You'll need this for your website, and your agent will require this information when pitching to publishers.<br />
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<strong>2. Have a professional headshot taken.</strong> This will also be required for the same reasons as #1.<br />
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<strong>3. Create a website.</strong> A website is a must. Don't think that because you're not published you don't have anything to share on your website. Use your bio and headshot. Set up a "books" page to list blurbs for the novels you're querying or writing. This will change once you've sold, but it's something to catch a reader's eye until then. Showcase contests and writing awards you've won. If you've had any articles published, have a page with links to them. Don't forget to list writing related organizations you belong to like Romance Writers of America, or others. Your website might not look like much yet, but it shows an agent and editor you're serious about the business. They want their authors to have a web presence. Plus, once you sell, you won't have to worry about starting a website, just updating it.<br />
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<strong>4. Start blogging and join social networks.</strong> While some agents are fine with you doing this after you sign with them (and others don’t mind if you don’t do this at all), more and more agents refuse to sign anyone who hasn’t already built a following either through blogging or social networks. You need to prove to them that you’re serious about self-promotion and that you’re able to do it. Don’t forget they get a percentage of your sales, so it’s in their best interest if you sell a lot of books. If they don’t feel you’ll promote your books (and since publishers don’t do much marketing, if any), the agent feels you’re too much of a risk. Translation: too much work for very little money. She’d much rather sign with someone who appears eager and able to self-promote.<br />
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<strong>5. Set up a dependable email account.</strong> Free email accounts are great, but have limits. Some aren't stable and you can lose everything in your inbox. What if you had a request from your favorite agent in your box but never knew because that message was lost in cyberspace? The other problem with a lot of the free email accounts is they tend to limit your storage space. Most often edits are done electronically. What if your editor or agent sent you your manuscript with editorial suggestions? Will your email account allow a large file, the size of your full manuscript, to be sent to you or will it bounce back to your editor? What about your fans? At some point, after you sell, you should expect to receive fan mail. Do you have a different account for that?<br />
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Make sure your email address reflects your professionalism. This is not the time to be cute with an address like: imthebest@freeaccount.com or buymybook@freeaccount.com. You want your name to reach people, so use it in your email address. Better yet, use the email through your website server and double up on free advertising. For example: yourname@yourname.com. This tells the recipients your name AND your website address. Clever, huh?<br />
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If you have a name that can easily be misspelled, like mine, you might want to have two email addresses with one forwarding to the other. I could’ve had lynnette@labelleseditorialservices.com and lynette@labelleseditorialservices.com However, my hosting package only came with one email address. Rather than pay for a second, I used my last name instead: labelle@labelleseditorialservices.com Every once in a while, I receive an email from someone who thinks Labelle is my first name, so they address me like this, “Dear Labelle”. :)<br />
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Every email you send can be a source of advertising for you. Simply craft your signature tag with your full name (or pen name if you're using one), website URL, and blog URL. Just don't go overboard with this list because a long signature can turn people off.<br />
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<strong>6. Grow a marketing list.</strong> This way, when your novel is released, you can contact people who might want to buy your book. They've already shown interested in your writing or they wouldn't have given you their email address. Be careful with this. Only contact people who’ve given you permission to do so. Setting up a form on your website or blog to “catch” email addresses is not the best way to form a list. If someone hasn’t specifically given you their email address so you can contact them when your book sells or is released, then they’ll probably consider your message spam. And nobody likes spam. You’ll be lucky if all the person does is delete your message. The reader may report you or refuse to ever buy your books. Not the best way to start off your career.<br />
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If you set up an email capture system on your website or blog, make sure people know what they’re signing up for. (This is the little box where people who visit your sites can sign up for a newsletter, enter a contest, request a free bookmark, or whatever you have in place.) You want your reader to have a reason to trust you with their email address. Don't ever betray them by selling that list.<br />
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<strong>7. Have a marketing plan in place.</strong> More and more publishers expect the author to do a majority (if not all) of the marketing for their book. If you sign the contract without a marketing plan, you'll have to come up with one fast. Why not take the time to create a well-thought-out plan right now?<br />
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<strong>8. Write the synopsis for your next two books.</strong> Yes, you read that right. Often, agents like to sell a new author as a three book deal, but that doesn't mean you need to have three books ready to go. A synopsis for your next couple of novels will show the publisher you're not a one-book-wonder.<br />
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<strong>9. Brainstorm titles for the novel you're querying.</strong> More times than not, your editor (and possibly your agent) won't like your title. This can be really crushing for some new authors, but if you have other titles to suggest, you have a better chance of ending up with something you created.<br />
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<strong>10. Write your next book.</strong> Don't sit by the computer waiting for a response from the agents you queried. Move on to the next project. This will help make the time go faster and set you up with Plan B in case an agent or editor likes your style but not your first book. As tempting as it may be, if the novel you’re shopping is the first in a series, don’t work on the second book right away. It’s too risky. What if an agent comes back and says she likes your writing but not the concept behind the series? All you have to offer her is a book in the same series. Instead, work on something else. If the agent likes the series, you can switch to book two once you’ve signed with her.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/" target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-30146345978459065162012-01-26T10:48:00.001-06:002012-01-26T10:49:09.117-06:00Author Spotlight: M. Pax<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EnMlOiTo_J6sA7u1Dc7ih53oJ1gYuEhlLmb3jvWnhEWVrSmwQQPd5h7-FniQKhiB7Kgk4BMVsTnMfCpn1XdNEW8K44BWb9ABm3cfIISwXvYpBr6qyBbRbjgQBUeUFt_U5azuh-1lxn73/s1600/moicrop3edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EnMlOiTo_J6sA7u1Dc7ih53oJ1gYuEhlLmb3jvWnhEWVrSmwQQPd5h7-FniQKhiB7Kgk4BMVsTnMfCpn1XdNEW8K44BWb9ABm3cfIISwXvYpBr6qyBbRbjgQBUeUFt_U5azuh-1lxn73/s320/moicrop3edit.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><br />
I’d like to welcome science fiction/fantasy writer M. Pax, author of Semper Audacia. We’ll learn more about this space opera novel—including a giveaway—but first, let’s see what M. Pax has to say…<br />
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To learn more about M. Pax, her book, and the giveaway, check out my writing website: <a href="http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-m-pax/" target="_blank_">http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-m-pax/</a><br />
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I’m still looking to fill some author spotlight slots. I’m booking for April. If you write romance, thriller, mystery, urban fantasy, paranormal, horror or true crime, and you have a book you’d like to promote, send me an email: lynnette_labelle at yahoo dot com. Make sure to have “Author Spotlight” in the subject line or I won’t open the message. Let me know when your release date will be (if the book isn’t already available) and what genre you write.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/" target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-69108360846285068142012-01-25T10:07:00.000-06:002012-01-25T10:07:31.646-06:00Tomorrow: Author M. PaxTomorrow, science fiction/fantasy author M. Pax will join us at <a href="http://www.lynnettelabelle.com/"target="_blank_">www.lynnettelabelle.com</a>. Here’s a little teaser for you.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DPkK3hygPGp6ey9F2WxgMS6j7Ttek6lc9T_PU5kzsxBWHViYf6eq7zfjgJacMcOy6VOnvfMDg7Bvyp4gjxlb-EEz3WX6sqLplmUBdUhTNiiYrx8pNRWE9_3kUdnb5e1C8f6lR06tmw06/s1600/Semper700e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DPkK3hygPGp6ey9F2WxgMS6j7Ttek6lc9T_PU5kzsxBWHViYf6eq7zfjgJacMcOy6VOnvfMDg7Bvyp4gjxlb-EEz3WX6sqLplmUBdUhTNiiYrx8pNRWE9_3kUdnb5e1C8f6lR06tmw06/s320/Semper700e.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Alone. Leda is the last living member of the brigade, the sole defender of her world. War took everyone she knew, leaving her in the company of memories and ghosts. Or is it madness? The siren blares. The enemy is coming. Or is it? The approaching vessel isn’t a friendly design, but it answers with the correct code. Leda must figure out whether the arrival is reinforcements or the final assault. In an aging flyer, she ventures out to meet her world’s fate, the last stand.<br />
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Come back tomorrow for an excerpt and interview with author M. Pax. I’ll have a link to my other blog to make it easy for you to find.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-64644696332434556502012-01-24T09:55:00.000-06:002012-01-24T09:55:06.464-06:00Indie Authors BewareTechnically, this post isn’t just for indie authors, but since I’ve heard so much about a certain issue on the indie loops, I’m going to focus on those authors.<br />
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More and more people are telling you that you need to have your work edited before you publish it on Amazon, Smashwords, or other sites. I agree and not just because I’m a freelance editor. The problem is even hiring an editor doesn’t guarantee your work will be error-free. <br />
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We’ll assume the editor you hire is capable of doing the job. That’s not what this post is about. The problem is that once you have the edited version of your manuscript, you still have to make changes. Sometimes, that means accepting the changes made through Track Changes, but more often, it means rewriting certain parts. Unfortunately, many writers don’t bother to send their revised manuscript back to the editor for one last look. Oh, I see you cringing. Stop it. I know editors aren’t cheap and you’re not made out of money, but your reputation is at stake. Do you really want to put out a book with typos or grammatical errors just because you didn’t have your polished version double-checked by an industry professional?<br />
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I can’t speak for all editors, but I can tell you how I operate. For novellas and novels, I offer a free sample upfront. This allows you to see what I can do for you and it shows me how much work is involved so I can give you a quote. Let’s say you hire me, I edit your work, and return it to you. Maybe you struggled with the first fifty pages and then everything pretty much smoothed out. In that case, you could revise and resubmit those fifty pages and since this is the second time around, there wouldn’t be as much editing involved, so I could charge you less. Or maybe you’re really only concerned about a certain chapter or a few scenes here and there. That’s fine. Send them to me and I’ll take a second look. I don’t need to edit the whole manuscript again, unless that’s what you want. The important thing is that you have the weaker scenes reviewed after you’ve made changes.<br />
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My point is that you don’t have to pay an editor the same fee when you resubmit, unless you’ve added scenes or fresh material, so the cost isn’t necessarily as high as you might think. If you don’t want to spend the money on having your full manuscript edited a second time, then pick and choose the scenes or chapters that gave you the most grief when revising and submit those.<br />
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If you don’t, that’s up to you. Just don’t go blaming your editor if reviewers find typos and grammatical errors in your published book. If you made any revisions after the editor saw the work, she can’t be responsible for the changes you made.<br />
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One last bit of advice, before you send your manuscript to an editor, try to make it as polished as possible. Have your critique group and beta readers go over your story until you’re all sick of it. The closer your manuscript is to publishable work, the less you’ll have to spend on editorial services.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-81197566996095596372012-01-19T09:35:00.000-06:002012-01-19T09:35:54.341-06:00Author Spotlight: Jonathan D. Allen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpm8FfCEx2QbHjEvXogk31b-E2polRH3_YBzIVmg9SCktOJDJtTaoEQTXmNtjrdqe09fnd3iXcMo1bcvV0tISyD0XMl7jkVExR0kk2FegxQAn7uQVnzrC4E_ZmQiGl5FTVR0_L-xMH0jg/s1600/jacket-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpm8FfCEx2QbHjEvXogk31b-E2polRH3_YBzIVmg9SCktOJDJtTaoEQTXmNtjrdqe09fnd3iXcMo1bcvV0tISyD0XMl7jkVExR0kk2FegxQAn7uQVnzrC4E_ZmQiGl5FTVR0_L-xMH0jg/s1600/jacket-photo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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I’d like to welcome dark fantasy writer Jonathan D. Allen, author of <em>The Corridors of the Dead</em>. He has also released a short story, <em>The Kayson Cycle</em>.<br />
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We’ll learn more about <em>The Corridors of the Dead</em>, but first, let’s see what Jonathan has to say...<br />
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To learn more about Jonathan, go to my writing website: <a href="http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-jonathan-d-allen/" target="_blank_"><span style="color: #134f5c;">http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-jonathan-d-allen/</span></a><br />
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I’m still looking to fill some author spotlight slots. I need someone for Feb. 9th and I’m booking for March. If you write romance, thriller, mystery, urban fantasy, paranormal, horror or true crime, and you have a book you’d like to promote, send me an email: lynnette_labelle at yahoo dot com. Make sure to have “Author Spotlight” in the subject line or I won’t open the message. Let me know when your release date will be (if the book isn’t already available) and what genre you write.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/" target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-51680125752725148442012-01-18T09:27:00.000-06:002012-01-18T09:27:38.813-06:00Tomorrow: Author Jonathan D. AllenTomorrow, dark fantasy author Jonathan D. Allen is joining us at www.lynnettelabelle.com. Here’s a little teaser for you.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynn8Ojh2mNypAAyhf9LU9BqPfRd2P_Zp7jDmf1gosk86SZd_2stH8qJYhtR3be8QzMcQ1UX44brjnLIispv9v2-tPSAQXaUJLcVwwXO0u1IyJj1FdHH7t3Pw80F5U4l8LbqnyvS0kjCMN/s1600/Full+Original2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynn8Ojh2mNypAAyhf9LU9BqPfRd2P_Zp7jDmf1gosk86SZd_2stH8qJYhtR3be8QzMcQ1UX44brjnLIispv9v2-tPSAQXaUJLcVwwXO0u1IyJj1FdHH7t3Pw80F5U4l8LbqnyvS0kjCMN/s320/Full+Original2.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">In a time long before humans walked the Earth, a mysterious being known only as The Lost Aetelia crafted an elaborate series of Watchtowers, along with their resident guardians, the Aetelia, to watch over the operations of the Universe. In time, a rebellious group of these Aetelia came to Earth in an attempt to challenge the established structure of the Universe. A bitter war ensued, and these rebels, who had come to be known as Watchers, disappeared from human history.<br />
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The time of the Aetelia - now known as angels - is returning. After a fateful night of violence, Artist Matty DiCamillo finds herself drawn into this world by a mysterious savior, who becomes a driving force in Matty's new life.<br />
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Both driven by and fighting the words of prophecy that lay out her destiny, Matty, her lover Kristy, and her best friend Daniel, follow this mysterious savior on a journey from Northern California to Las Vegas on a path that crosses through the boundaries of time and space.<br />
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As Matty struggles to understand her new destiny, she discovers that her mysterious savior may not be who she seems to be, and that even the denizens of the twilight world that she has entered have no idea what lurks behind the stage dressing of their reality. Matty finds herself not only racing to rescue the woman she loves, but learning that she herself could be the cause of the Universe's day of reckoning.</div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Come back tomorrow for an excerpt and an interview with author Jonathan D. Allen. I'll have a link to my other blog to make it easy for you to find.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/" target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a><br />
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</div>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-76145352388060396862012-01-17T09:51:00.001-06:002012-01-17T09:52:08.549-06:00Author Spotlight: Raine Thomas<a href="http://lynnettelabelle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Becoming_cover.jpg"></a><a href="http://lynnettelabelle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Raine-Thomas-Headshot-small.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-thumbnail wp-image-908" height="120" src="http://lynnettelabelle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Raine-Thomas-Headshot-small-120x120.jpg" title="Raine Thomas Headshot (small)" width="120" /></a><br />
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I’d like to welcome YA fantasy/romance writer Raine Thomas, author of the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy: <em>Becoming</em> (Book 1), <em>Central</em> (Book 2), and <em>Foretold </em>(Book 3). She has also released a short story, The Prophecy. Plus, her new trilogy, Firstborn, is slated for a spring release.<br />
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We’ll learn more about <em>Becoming</em>—including a giveaway—but first, let’s see what Raine has to say…<br />
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To read more, go to my writing blog: <a href="http://lynnettelabelle.com/uncategorized/author-spotlight-raine-thomas/" target="_blank_">http://lynnettelabelle.com/uncategorized/author-spotlight-raine-thomas/</a><br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/" target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-2425943368118287032012-01-16T11:35:00.001-06:002012-01-16T11:40:32.123-06:00Tomorrow: Author Raine ThomasTomorrow, author Raine Thomas is joining us at www.lynnettelabelle.com. Here’s a little teaser for you.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8LVcr0IhfMp4fzsKvmvtrW-4rGQTZyJxJwTQBzBmTGlCUCKhDlkBC8dmEm2mApStMLBIcQKwdKmlxYc0Hry-FI1jIO2FTqis1U4ijomE388KUgm1Uo6kOrXp6w5_Jgn4QJdEfwJuAGy-/s1600/Becoming_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo8LVcr0IhfMp4fzsKvmvtrW-4rGQTZyJxJwTQBzBmTGlCUCKhDlkBC8dmEm2mApStMLBIcQKwdKmlxYc0Hry-FI1jIO2FTqis1U4ijomE388KUgm1Uo6kOrXp6w5_Jgn4QJdEfwJuAGy-/s320/Becoming_cover.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><br />
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Every three years, Amber Hopkins explodes. Okay, not a blown-to-smithereens explosion, but whatever it is always hurts like hell and leaves her life a shambles. She’s already worked her way through five foster placements, and she’s doing whatever she can to avoid getting blasted into a sixth.<br />
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As her eighteenth birthday approaches and she feels the strange and powerful energy building, disaster looms. When the inevitable explosion occurs, her life gets its biggest shakeup yet. She’ll not only learn how her fellow foster and best friend, Gabriel, really feels about her, but she’ll discover that she isn’t really without family.<br />
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To top it all off, she’ll finally find out why she’s having the power surges: she isn’t entirely human.<br />
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Amber must Become, transitioning to another plane of existence and risking the loss of the most important relationship she’s ever had. Her choice will impact the future of an entire race of beings, and will pit her against an enemy that will prey upon her doubt to try and take her very life.<br />
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Kind of makes the explosions now seem like a cakewalk.<br />
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Come back tomorrow for an excerpt and an interview with author Raine Thomas. I'll have a link to my other blog to make it easy for you to find.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-24760671639360905052012-01-12T10:17:00.000-06:002012-01-12T10:17:13.189-06:00Author Spotlight: Micheal Rivers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbW6dJtfXW_IhyphenhyphennIMusgk5j5nqyo3HFistVGG2V-G6HjsZIzPtcnfWeR_BelWfF0PltuJe1P_GTpsZGUma71yRwyQd-UT_c6ULtdugQCSz5e6b3t6uDGtRwtFYnS3gf8iz5gXHbqx8K7g/s1600/micheal+rivers+20X20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbW6dJtfXW_IhyphenhyphennIMusgk5j5nqyo3HFistVGG2V-G6HjsZIzPtcnfWeR_BelWfF0PltuJe1P_GTpsZGUma71yRwyQd-UT_c6ULtdugQCSz5e6b3t6uDGtRwtFYnS3gf8iz5gXHbqx8K7g/s320/micheal+rivers+20X20.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>I’d like to welcome Micheal Rivers, author of The Black Witch and Ghosts of the North Carolina Shores. His most recent release is Moonlight on the Nantahala. We’ll learn more about that in a little bit, but first, let’s see what Micheal has to say…<br />
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To read more, go to my writing blog: <a href="http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-micheal-rivers/">http://lynnettelabelle.com/blog/author-spotlight-micheal-rivers/</a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Lynnette Labelle</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/" target="_blank_"><span style="color: blue;">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-76373232152922022322012-01-11T10:22:00.002-06:002012-01-11T10:29:20.044-06:00Tomorrow: Author Micheal RiversMy work schedule is pretty full for the next couple of months, so I have to make some changes. My blog schedule will now be Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’ll try to have one writing related post and one author spotlight or guest post.<br />
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Tomorrow, author Micheal Rivers is joining us at www.lynnettelabelle.com. Here’s a little teaser for you.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuVYGUadJE0A0nd0JVufJQSe-7TdAwCUuBK6DMwKfqTX2ePejjFKjBKsBUhmCMn2oHJekfQc9WGcJYMAr7AfDLRVBm1BGUiEFmiszRjOps7YGbIzAgxNszEjJyNBhCOCOEepyKcXkIRwp/s1600/Moonlight+on+the+Nantahala+kindle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRuVYGUadJE0A0nd0JVufJQSe-7TdAwCUuBK6DMwKfqTX2ePejjFKjBKsBUhmCMn2oHJekfQc9WGcJYMAr7AfDLRVBm1BGUiEFmiszRjOps7YGbIzAgxNszEjJyNBhCOCOEepyKcXkIRwp/s320/Moonlight+on+the+Nantahala+kindle+2.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br />
There are those who believe that true love can never die. It is neither an impossible affair of the heart nor is it just the words of poets wooing your soul. The tale of Edward Caulfield stands as a testament of the love he held in his heart for a woman he was never allowed to grow old with.<br />
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Come back tomorrow for an excerpt and an interview with author Micheal Rivers. I'll have a link to my other blog to make it easy for you to find.<br />
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I’m still looking to fill some author spotlight slots. If you write romance, thriller, mystery, urban fantasy, paranormal, horror or true crime, and you have a book you’d like to promote, send me an email: lynnette_labelle at yahoo dot com. Make sure to have “Author Spotlight” in the subject line or I won’t open the message. Let me know when your release date will be (if the book isn’t already available) and what genre you write.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/" target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-2472943872890456082012-01-09T20:23:00.001-06:002012-04-09T14:36:47.923-05:00Editor's First Aid: CRP for Your Dying ManuscriptGuess what! I’m teaching a new class called <i>Editor’s First Aid: CPR for Your Dying Manuscript</i>. Check out the details below.<br />
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Maybe the horror stories about the hard road to publication are keeping you from finishing your novel. Maybe you've had one too many rejections with no explanation. No matter what is killing your writing, it’s time to breathe a little life into your manuscript.<br />
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Not sure where to start? As a freelance editor, I'm telling you there’s only one surefire way to avoid the dreaded rejection slip—<b>know your craft</b>. And I mean <i>really</i> learn it. Knowing your craft inside and out is the only way to identify and correct the problems in your writing.<br />
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Feeling overwhelmed? Maybe you think editing just isn't your strong suit? Don't worry. You don't have to do it alone. I'll walk you through some of the most common mistakes writers make so you can apply CRP to your dying manuscript.<br />
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In <i>Editor’s First Aid</i>, you'll learn about dialogue dilemmas, plotting problems, and bad beginnings, including: <br />
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• The 13 most common dialogue mistakes.<br />
• How to avoid dialogue blunders. <br />
• How to correct episodic writing.<br />
• Understanding poor execution of GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts).<br />
• How to turn up the emotion.<br />
• When (if ever) to add a prologue.<br />
• All about the inciting incident and why it’s the best place to start your story. <br />
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Other benefits of <em>Editor’s First Aid</em> include:<br />
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• A professional editor to answer your questions.<br />
• Opportunities to have your work professionally edited. (Samples will be randomly selected with a minimum of six critiques.)<br />
• A chance to see real examples of how an editor looks at a manuscript. <br />
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<strong>About the Instructor</strong>: Lynnette Labelle is a freelance copyeditor, proofreader, and manuscript editor with over ten years of experience. She’s the owner of Labelle’s Writing on the Wall, an editing and coaching service for writers. Lynnette specializes in developmental copyediting, including line editing, for romance (all subgenres except historical), mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, YA, middle grade, and children’s fiction. She proofreads non-fiction and all fiction genres, and also helps writers create hooky query letters and strong synopses. Lynnette has a bachelor of education degree from the University of Manitoba, where she specialized in English and French. She excelled in Advanced Creative Writing in university and studied writing for children and teens through the Institute of Children’s Literature. She’s a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, Romance Writers of America, RWA Online, and Savvy Authors. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/" target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a> <br />
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When: February 6 – March 2, 2012<br />
Where: RWA Online (<a href="http://www.rwaonlinechapter.org/" target="_blank_">www.rwaonlinechapter.org</a>)<br />
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Hope to see you there. If not, keep an eye on my website. I'll probably teach this on on my own later in the year.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/" target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-58740330522376891432012-01-04T10:10:00.000-06:002012-01-04T10:10:29.549-06:00Editors Passed on Same Book Critique Group Loved: 6 Reasons WhyYou have a critique group and the members love, love, love your work. They’ve been nagging at you for months to send it out. You finally got up enough courage to submit and even received requests for partials and fulls, but in the end, nobody liked the manuscript enough to take it on. What gives?<br />
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Let’s take a look at six reasons agents and editors may not love your work as much as your critique group does.<br />
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<b>1) The Relationship:</b> This can mean different things depending on the group. For some, they’ve developed a friendship with the members of their group and can confuse “she’s a great person” with “she’s a great writer.” Some members may realize you’re not such a hot writer but don’t want to hurt your feelings, so they tell you what you want to hear instead. Others aren’t in the same league as you. Beginners will love stories written by intermediate writers and might even believe the book should be published, when in reality, it still needs a lot of work.<br />
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<b>Lesson:</b> Use a combination of your judgment, that of your critique group members, and feedback you get from agents and editors. If the rejections you’re getting are all canned, you really need to take another look at the book or start something fresh. If you’re getting personalized letters with specific notes on what’s wrong with the work or how to improve it, then you’re on the right track. Just remember, it’s your story. Only make changes if they feel right.<br />
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<b>2) Super Premise:</b> Your critique group loves your premise and thinks this is the next bestseller. They may be right. However, they don’t have the inside information agents and editors have. In this case, the industry experts may love your premise but if it’s too similar to something they’ve recently bought or something that’s currently on the market, they won’t want to touch it no matter how good it is.<br />
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<b>Lesson: </b> It’s not always about the writing or the idea. Sometimes it’s about who gets their idea out first.<br />
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<b>3) Wrong Market:</b> Your critique group loves your fresh ideas and maybe agents and editors do, too. However, you have to research which agents and editors to target. They may love your work but if they don’t feel they can sell it to their market, they’ll pass.<br />
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<b>Lesson:</b> Do your research before you submit to editors and agents.<br />
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<b>4) Tres Rough:</b> Your critique group expects a rough draft or some form of it, so they might overlook certain glaring errors. However, editors and agents won’t. They want polished manuscript on their desk or computer screens. <br />
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<b>Lesson:</b> Take the time to polish your work as best you can. If you aren’t good with grammar, hire a freelance editor (like me—shameless plug alert).<br />
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<b>5) The Whole Is Filled with Holes:</b> Your critique group might read chapters at a time, which allows them to really get into the scenes. However, it also prevents them from seeing the whole picture in one swoop like an editor or agent would when reading a full manuscript.<br />
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<b>Lesson:</b> Have Beta readers go over your full manuscript after you’ve polished it. They should read the book within a reasonable amount of time (usually a month) and should be able to recognize if a character’s eye color changed, if the protagonist did something out of character, or if a scene or chapter really doesn’t fit with the rest of the story.<br />
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<b>6) Too Much Info:</b> This is when the critique group is too familiar with your story either because they’ve seen so many versions of it or you’ve shared too many aspects with them to the point where they can no longer be objective. They start to suffer from the same blindness you suffer from, where they no longer see what’s missing because they believe the elements are there. The story and characters are so fresh in their mind that they don’t notice the plot holes, lack of character development, flat dialogue, etc.<br />
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<b>Lesson:</b> Have Beta readers read your story once it’s polished. These should be new readers so they’ll have fresh eyes on your work and should be able to spot things the critique group missed.<br />
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All in all, critique groups are wonderful tools. However, to rely solely on their input may be costly.<br />
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What are other ways a critique group may give you a false sense of security? How can you protect yourself while still benefitting from a critique group?<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-83820947956764087402011-12-21T10:25:00.002-06:002012-01-01T15:55:41.077-06:00Author Spotlight Coming SoonThis is my last day of blogging for the year, but I wanted to announce something that’s coming soon. In January, you’ll see a few extra posts from me because I’m adding an author spotlight to my schedule. I’m still working out the details, but basically, I’ll post an interview with an author and a short excerpt of their book. Don’t worry. I’ll still include two writing related posts a week. ;) I just thought I’d add a little variety to my blog and allow all of us a chance to get to know some authors and their work.<br />
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I’m looking for books in romance, paranormal, thriller, horror, mystery, urban fantasy, and true crime. If your book falls under one of those genres, email me. Let me know when your release date will be and what genre you write, and we’ll go from there. Put “Author Spotlights\” in the subject line, so I know it’s safe to open your email. My address is: lynnette_labelle at yahoo dot com.<br />
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I blog at a few different places but will only post the author spotlights at: <a href="http://www.lynnettelabelle.com/"target="_blank_">www.lynnettelabelle.com</a><br />
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Happy holidays. See you next year!<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-49458375045235182652011-12-19T10:33:00.000-06:002011-12-19T10:33:36.335-06:00Raising the Stakes<i>Raise the stakes. The stakes aren’t high enough. This story lacks oomph.</i> Have you heard any of these lines before? Was it in regards to your story? Yikes. If that’s the case, you need to understand how stakes work.<br />
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But, what are stakes? They’re the fear factor of the story. They affect the suspense, conflict, and impact of the plot. Why are the characters doing what they’re doing? What will happen if they don’t do this? <b>What will they lose?</b> Often, authors use the life or death of the protagonist or that of someone they care for as stakes. But, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, the outcome affects the world. For example, catch the villain, destroy the virus, or everyone will die. And other stories focus on intimate stakes. If a character doesn’t achieve his goal, he’ll be miserable or devastated.<br />
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So, what are stakes really about? Goals. Without them, your character wanders around doing things for no reason. There are no consequences and no rewards for what he’s doing. And therefore, the reader doesn’t care about him. <br />
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But the stakes need to be important to the character. If Sean needs to keep Kathy safe from a mob hit because that’s his job, then his job needs to be important to him. What will happen if he loses it? Of course, you can go a step further with this and have him develop feelings for her. Now, the stakes have just increased because if he fails to keep her safe, not only will he lose his job but the love of his life, too.<br />
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The next time you hear that you need to raise the stakes in your story, you’ll know this means your protagonist doesn’t have a strong enough goal or his goal isn’t properly motivated. But, you’ll need to dig deeper if you’re going to raise the stakes. The protagonist’s goal must follow him throughout the story and after each failed attempt at achieving his goal, his need to reach the unattainable becomes stronger.<br />
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Now, go back to your WIP and double check if your stakes are high enough. Even if you think they are, can you possibly make them higher? Can you punish your poor character even more? Always ask yourself, “What does my character have to lose?” Then, make him lose it (only to regain it later, at the end of the novel) or force him to fight so he doesn’t lose it—whatever “it” may be.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-52052768053813139632011-12-14T09:57:00.000-06:002011-12-14T09:57:49.260-06:00How Does a Writer Plot Successfully?A plot sparks, ignites, and finally explodes in the closing scenes, or it should, if you’re doing your job. The story shouldn’t just spark and ignite only to fizzle out. It needs a constant increase in tension. Options for your characters must continue to disappear—especially when your character needs them the most—only to have the story end with a logical conclusion.<br />
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But how does a writer plot successfully? Here’s a little cheat sheet you can use:<br />
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-Don’t start the first scene with explanations, just get the story moving.<br />
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-Begin with the character reacting to a problem, one that’s pulling her life in the wrong direction.<br />
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-Make your character’s life hell. Don’t put her in situations where she’s comfortable. She needs to be on her toes, constantly looking for a way back to her “normal life”.<br />
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-The plot forces your character to change in order to survive the story. Without this transformation, the ending won’t be plausible.<br />
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-Make sure your protagonist’s goals and motivations are strong, and that the conflict she’s up against is almost impossible to overcome. A woman who’s afraid of dogs because her friend was attacked as a child is too weak to keep a story going. However, if the character is terrified of dogs because she was attacked and nearly killed when she was younger, and now her job as a reporter requires her to go undercover at a dog mill or she’ll be fired, that’s conflict. Now, add that the meanest dog escapes and has the reporter’s daughter trapped against a wall. The reporter will have no choice. She’ll have to do more than face her fear, she’ll have to conquer it as well.<br />
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-Don’t just torture your characters, torture your readers, too. Make them care about your characters and then put those characters in danger, be it physical or emotional.<br />
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-Make your characters act in ways that most people would be afraid to act. Have your protagonist stand up to bullies, for example, but only after she’s gone through a series of situations that have prepared her for the fight. She can’t go from being cowardly one minute to a brave hero the next without any kind of transformation in between or the story won’t be believable. <br />
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-Show your character’s changes through her actions or decisions, not summary.<br />
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-Have her react to events that occur in the story. She can’t simply sit around and worry.<br />
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Of course, plotting is a little more complicated than that, but following these tips will keep you from making many of the mistakes beginner writers make.<br />
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Do you have any tips you’d like to add?<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-4455391307174126952011-12-12T11:34:00.001-06:002011-12-12T11:34:52.387-06:00The Nightmare of Writing Dreams...Writers sometimes use dreams to show something about their story, but do you know why that’s not necessarily the best approach?<br />
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<b>-The cliché:</b> Dreams have been used too often and by too many writers, so the idea is no longer fresh. It’s cliché. With the publishing industry being harder to break into as ever, is it worth taking the risk? I know many writers who tried to get traditionally published and came close but just couldn’t get their foot in the door. (Don’t you love it when I use clichés in the same paragraph where I preach about why you shouldn’t use them? Do as I say, not as I do. Oh, there I go again!) These same authors were told by acquiring editors that there was nothing wrong with their writing or their story, just that it wasn’t unique enough. Still want to use a dream in yours?<br />
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<strong>-The super dream:</strong> The actual dream can sometimes be more powerful and exciting than the regular story, leaving the reader feeling disappointed when the character wakes up and gets on with his regular life. Remember Bobby’s dream on the TV show Dallas? I was just a kid, but I recall my mom talking about this and how everything that had happened on the previous season was dismissed by having Bobby wake up from a dream in the first episode of the new season. That was the beginning of the end for that show. They lost many viewers that night. Why? Because the viewers felt cheated. They’d wasted a year getting to know characters and plots that weren’t real and now they were expected to readjust and pick up where everything had left off before “the dream”.<br />
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<strong>-The long-winded dream:</strong> Writers have a tendency to create long, detailed dreams, which take the reader away from the true story for too long. You’ve heard the term “keep the story moving”, right? What editors mean when we say this is that you need to continue to develop characters and the main plot. Stopping for a flashback or dream is fine as long as it doesn’t happen so often that the reader loses sight of the real plot, and as long as the distraction/backstory isn’t so long that the reader disconnects with the characters and main plot or is jolted when she returns to the actual story.<br />
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<strong>-The scratch-your-head dream:</strong> Starting a novel or chapter with a dream can sometimes be confusing for the reader. If this is the beginning of the book, a reader may grow to like the characters and situation in the dream only to be disappointed when she realizes what she’d read wasn’t the real story. I’ve had that happen before and can tell you I wasn’t able to get into the actual plot after I discovered the characters I’d fallen in love with weren’t going to reappear because they were a part of a fabrication. Maybe I would’ve liked the main plot had I not been introduced to these characters and this other world, but that’s not the way the author chose to write the novel. As a result, I was disappointed and didn’t finish the book.<br />
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If you’re considering having a dream in your story, figure out why you feel a need to do so. What are you trying to accomplish by using the dream? Is it a way to show backstory or foreshadow an upcoming event? Is there another way you can show this without stopping the flow of the main story? If there’s absolutely no way around using a dream, make it brief, using only the strongest elements and quickly returning to the real story.<br />
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Have you ever used a dream in your book? Why did you choose to add this element to your plot? Looking back, did it add or take away from the main story?<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-28850123207218804672011-12-07T10:22:00.000-06:002011-12-07T10:22:24.384-06:00Author Branding: Why Do It?What can cause a reader to expect a certain tone or outcome from YOUR writing and something utterly different from someone else’s? It’s a little thing called branding. But what is branding and how does it work? Here are two examples:<br />
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1) Let’s say Judy strolls down the romance aisle in her favorite Barnes and Noble. She happens to come across your book. She’s never heard of you before but feels the back cover blurb is interesting enough to take a risk and buy the novel. What’s Judy’s expectation? That your book will follow the same “formula” as other romance novels she’s read and loved. She wants the hero and heroine to meet fairly early in the story, but something will keep them apart. By the end, they will conquer that conflict and live happily ever after.<br />
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Judy’s expectation: ROMANCE. Why? Because your book was placed on the shelf with other romance novels and most likely had the word romance written on its spine.<br />
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2) Michelle has bought every book you’ve written thus far and has been excitedly awaiting your next masterpiece to hit the bookstores. When that finally happens, she rushes to the “New Arrivals” shelves and grabs the book without reading the back cover. She loves your work and KNOWS this novel will be as great or better than the last.<br />
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Michelle’s expectation: CONSITENCY. What do you think would happen to Michelle’s expectations if she was accustomed to your romantic stories only to discover your new novel was about flying monkeys and how they escaped from a lab on Mars?<br />
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Branding has a lot to do with your readers’ expectations. They associate your name to a certain type of writing including the style, tone, and genre you write. This is why agents and editors will tell you it’s dangerous to write a little bit of this and a little bit of that. They recommend you stick to one genre for example and build a following. Does this mean you will forever be writing romances when there’s a mystery novel brewing in the depths of your core? No, but it does mean you have to be smart about how and when you present this new genre to your readers. Some authors, like Nora Roberts, have chosen to use a pseudonym so their readers know what to expect when they pick up the book. Nora Roberts = Romance. J.D. Robb = “In Death” series. Other authors have kept their name and tried to please both their readers and themselves by releasing one novel in their original genre and another in the new genre during that same year. This is a little riskier and can alienate some of their followers, but certain authors are successful with this system.<br />
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Have you thought about branding? If you’re not published, now’s the time to decide what your brand will be. So, what IS your brand?<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-2812729481636418222011-12-05T10:53:00.001-06:002011-12-05T10:54:05.467-06:00Readers' Expectations - Know 'EmWhen writing, have you ever considered your readers’ expectations? If you haven’t, you might want to think twice. I once watched a movie that really disappointed me: “Trial by Fire” aka “Smoke Jumpers” with Brooke Burns playing the main character. When I started watching this movie, I was hooked because of the sexual tension between firefighters Kristen and Ray. The fire burning between them was as hot as any inferno they’d fought in the line of duty. However, when the external conflict was resolved, I expected there to be an extra clip showing these two characters could now be together… or they couldn’t because of their working relationship. Yet, NOTHING was mentioned at all. The last we were shown of their potential love interest was when they went on a “date”. A fire interrupted their time together as they both rushed to the scene. The blaze was extinguished and that was that. Talk about misleading and bad writing. I’m not sure if the DVD version “Smoke Jumpers” ended this way. I saw “Trial by Fire” on TV and that’s how it played out. My expectation was for them to get together because of the sexual tension between these characters all throughout the movie. <br />
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The writer didn’t take my expectations into consideration. Why put any sexual tension into the script if the writer wasn’t planning on following through with the romance? There could’ve been plenty of conflict without the budding romance. But leaving this loose end dangling in the wind is a major no-no. Disappoint a reader, or a viewer in this case, and she won’t be back. Granted, there’s the possibility the script was cut short because of a time constraint, but then the scenes with sexual build-up should’ve been cut or changed.<br />
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Think about this example when you’re writing. Who is your audience? What will your readers expect from YOUR writing?<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-81084513865914801202011-11-30T10:08:00.002-06:002011-12-05T10:14:15.222-06:00Beginnings: The Embellished and the TearjerkerAs a writer, hopefully, you realize how important your beginning is to your story. If you don’t invest time and probably tears (yours, not your characters’) into the first few pages, then why should the reader? I’ve talked about beginnings before. Here are a couple more types of beginnings to avoid.<br />
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<b>The Embellished:</b> This is when a story, especially a mystery, thriller, or romantic suspense, starts with the discovery of a body or a murderer in the act of killing. Those beginnings can be great, but the rest of the story has to follow the same level of darkness or mystery. The opening shouldn’t be so disturbing that the rest of the story can’t live up to that situation. An over-the-top, sensationalized beginning requires an action-packed, fast-moving story that keeps the reader on edge. Otherwise, the opening will seem contrived and the reader will feel manipulated. This doesn’t mean you can’t have slower scenes to give the reader a breather but that the danger hinted at or shown in the beginning should present itself throughout the novel.<br />
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<b>The Tearjerker:</b> This is when a character starts the story off with tears, especially when she “loses it”, and the reader doesn’t know why. The problem with this opening is that, while it may be well-written, the reader doesn’t know the character, what she has gone through or is going through now. There’s no way of evaluating whether the character is justified in her sorrow or being melodramatic. Plus, since the character is still a stranger to the reader, it’s easier to shut the book than take the time and effort to figure out what’s going on. Save this scene and use it once the reader has built a rapport with this character, then the situation will have a stronger impact.<br />
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I can’t say I’ve read many published books that started out with either one of these beginnings, but I have read some unpublished work like this. Opening scenes need to be a balance of a hook and set up—and I’m not talking about a backstory dump here—otherwise, you risk losing the reader.<br />
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Have you read stories with either of these beginnings? What’s your favorite kind of opening scene?<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-17947975015964552982011-11-28T11:14:00.000-06:002011-12-05T10:14:15.223-06:00The Nascar BeginningIs a quick-paced beginning the best way to start a story? It’s one thing to launch with an inciting incident, it’s another to have characters running from an unknown and unseen assailant. While some might think this is a “hooky” approach, what it often does is alienate the reader because she feels as though she’s turned the TV on in the middle of an action movie. She doesn’t know the characters or the situation, so why should she care? Why should she continue to watch the movie or read the book? At least with a movie, she might be drawn in by a certain actor she admires, or the hunky looks of the hero. But in a novel, the reader doesn’t have that visual benefit.<br />
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How is this approach different from starting with an action-based inciting incident? Knowledge. It’s fine to start in the middle of a scene and even have that particular scene be exciting and tension-filled. But, the writer has to take the time to share some information with the reader. Make sure she has the chance to get her bearings and understand the context for the action taking place. She needs to know whether or not the POV character is the protagonist or a side-kick, and why she should care about this individual. Slip some of this information to the reader and she’ll jump right into the story without looking back.<br />
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How do you start your stories? Do you build them up with information and then spring into action or do you try to do it all at once? Have you read stories and felt lost right from the beginning because the author didn’t set things up properly? If you’ve experienced this, did you continue to read anyway or put the book down? <br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-82478530147149275252011-11-23T09:48:00.002-06:002011-12-05T10:14:15.224-06:006 Common Backstory PitfallsBackstory tends to have a bad reputation, but it’s essential to a story’s development. Through backstory, we learn about a character’s motivation and depth, how a fictional world functions, how the stakes are raised, and discover obstacles or fears that may prevent the character from moving forward. Unfortunately, many writers don’t know how to correctly insert backstory into the plot. Here’s a list of six common backstory pitfalls:<br />
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<strong>1. The dump.</strong> This is when a large chunk of backstory is tossed into the plot and pulls the reader from the immediate story. A way to spot the dump is to look for a page or more of backstory. The writer usually feels she must include this in order to inform the reader about the character’s past and how it influences him today. This can still be done, but not as a large section. Slip it in here and there.<br />
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<strong>2. The lesson. </strong>This is when the writer uses backstory to teach a moral or preach their opinion to the reader and shouldn’t be done. A fictional story is not a platform for the author to rant about his beliefs.<br />
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<strong>3. The attention hog.</strong> Backstory shouldn’t draw attention to itself or take away from the main plot. It should be subtly included as a part of the story.<br />
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<strong>4. The leap. </strong> If a trigger isn’t used to pull the character from the story, then there’s often more of a jolt to the reader. A trigger can’t always be used, but should be whenever possible. Types of triggers include dialogue, events, scents, or sounds. (For example, the smell of a pumpkin pie baking in the oven causes Jodi to flashback to her youth, when her mother used to bake. There was one time in particular, when she and her mother were putting the ingredients together to create a new recipe for pumpkin pie, but Gary stormed into the kitchen, drunk as ever, and threw the bowl against the wall.) This trigger allowed the character to smoothly transition into a flashback. She’d also need something to bring her back to reality. Maybe the phone rings or someone says something to her, etc.<br />
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<strong>5. The rush. </strong> This happens when the writer is so excited about her story, she rushes to tell the reader everything as soon as possible. Instead, tease the reader by dividing the reveal of backstory into small segments scattered throughout the beginning of the novel.<br />
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<strong>6. The POV blunder.</strong> Sometimes, writers use backstory as a way to explain how their fictional world functions. This is fine if done correctly. The problem is when the writer forgets to keep the character’s POV in mind. If the character is a teenager, she’s not going to have the same understanding of life as an adult. If the story is a historical, whatever may not seem normal for today’s standards may be perfectly acceptable back then and therefore the character wouldn’t draw any attention to it.<br />
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This is not to say backstory shouldn’t be used. A story would be dry without it. However, the trick is learning how to sprinkle the information throughout the story without the reader noticing.<br />
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Are you guilty of any of these pitfalls? Which ones? How do you add backstory to your novel?<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.labelleseditorialservices.com" target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-69027161254432736722011-11-21T09:37:00.000-06:002011-12-05T10:14:15.224-06:005 Subplot Blunders to AvoidSubplots are important in a novel to create a multi-layered effect, but there are certain blunders to avoid when using them. Here’s a look at five common subplot mistakes:<br />
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<strong>-Weakening of the main story.</strong> This happens when subplots are more interesting than the main plot or when they go off into so many directions it’s hard for the reader to follow the main story.<br />
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<strong>-Competing.</strong> Subplots shouldn’t take up the same word count as the main plot, nor should the reader ever be away from the main story for too long.<br />
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<strong>-Adding word count.</strong> A subplot should never be written simply to add words to the story. There should always be a reason for the subplot and it should be tied, in some way, to the main story.<br />
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<strong>-Rising and falling.</strong> The subplot should be considered a mini story and treated as such with a rising and falling sequence which, in the end, shows some sort of growth or change.<br />
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<strong>-Resolving.</strong> With more than one subplot, it’s important not to resolve all of them simultaneously or in the climax of the main story. Resolving one subplot at a time causes a stronger focus on the remaining plots.<br />
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Are you guilty of any of these blunders? Which ones?<br />
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For the last couple of weeks, I've been gathering information on writers though a questionnaire in hopes of matchmaking some of them so they can form critique groups. Over the next week or so, I'll contact those who have sent in a questionnaire. I believe I have a match for most of you, but not all. I wish I could've helped everyone, but I simply couldn't. If the match wasn't there, I couldn't create one. Of course, I'll always keep those writers in mind when I get queries about critique group. Otherwise, good luck on your search.<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com/"target="_blank_">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a>Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7716443587185617804.post-28256784047360690022011-11-18T09:59:00.000-06:002011-11-18T09:59:47.537-06:00Critique Partner #5: Jennifer KayToday is the last day to hand in your questionnaire for my FREE critique group matchmaking service. I'll notify everyone of their matches next week.<br />
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<strong>Note:</strong> The questionnaires will be posted as they were given to me. I am not editing them, so any spelling or grammar mistake is theirs, not mine. Even if the writer has given me permission to use his/her name, I’ll refer to that person as Critique Partner # (whatever number he/she is assigned.) This does not mean anyone has been paired up yet. I simply needed a system to identify everyone.<br />
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Critique Partner #5 is Jennifer Kay. If you're interested in becoming her crit partner, please contact me at: lynnette_labelle at hotmail dot com. Put "Critique Group Matchmaking" in the subject line or I won't open the email. It would also help if you could attach your questionnaire. I'm going to ask you to fill one out anyway. ;)<br />
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Here's more about Jennifer Kay.<br />
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<strong>Critique Group Questionnaire</strong><br />
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<strong>About You:</strong><br />
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1. In a paragraph, tell us a bit about yourself. (Married? Kids? Pets? Job? Anything you’d like to share, but don’t talk about writing here. Those types of questions will follow.)<br />
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I’m a structural engineer who designs buildings and bridges by day and aspires to become a published author by night. I’m recently divorced and have a four-year-old daughter and a new Siamese kitten. We live in the Midwest, and enjoy spending time outdoors and visiting local attractions. Both of us love stories of all kinds – movies, television series, plays, and especially books!<br />
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2. What made you decide to start writing?<br />
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I’ve always been a reader, but after college when I suddenly had more free time and desired a more creative outlet than my number crunching day job, I decided to write.<br />
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3. How long have you been writing at a serious level?<br />
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The first year or two I floundered all over the place trying different genres, styles, age levels, and points of view before finding my home in children’s literature. During<br />
that time I wasn’t really serious about writing, nor did I finish anything I started. I’d say I began writing at a serious level eight years also when I began a middle grade science fiction manuscript that became my first completed manuscript.<br />
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4. How many completed manuscripts do you have under your belt?<br />
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I’ve completed three middle grade manuscripts and am about half-way through a longer young adult manuscript. I’ve also completed several picture book manuscripts.<br />
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5. What’s the genre of the story you’d like to have critiqued?<br />
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Middle grade fantasy to start with, but in the future I’d be interested in getting critiques on young adult heist manuscripts and pictures book manuscripts. I tend to bounce around within the children’s literature age levels and genres.<br />
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6. What genre(s) do you normally write?<br />
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Fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and heist.<br />
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7. What genre(s) do you like to read for pleasure? Name some authors you’ve read (and enjoyed) recently.<br />
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Picture Books: Fancy Nancy, Curious George, Olivia, Where the Wild Things Are<br />
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Middle Grade Books: Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, 39 Clues, Princess Academy, Tunnels<br />
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Young Adult Books: Gallagher Girls, Heist Society, Eragon, Vampire Academy, House of Night, Hunger Games, Twilight<br />
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Adult Authors: Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, Patricia Cornwell, Lisa Scottoline, George R.R. Martin, Lee Childs<br />
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8. What genre(s) would you prefer not to read?<br />
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Historical Fiction and / or adult age level<br />
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9. Are you published? If yes, what, where, and when?<br />
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No, though I do currently have an editor interested in my middle grade fantasy novel and am working on a revision based on her notes.<br />
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10. Do you have an agent? Care to share his/her name and<br />
company? (Not required, just curious).<br />
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Yes. Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency<br />
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11. Have you entered any contests and what were the results?<br />
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No.<br />
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12. Are you a member of RWA or any other writers’ groups?<br />
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I’m a member of SCBWI.<br />
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13. Are you a plotter or a pantser?<br />
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Pantser, though I usually loosely plot a couple of chapters ahead of me and have a vague idea of where the story will end up.<br />
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14. If you join this group, what will you have the members critique?<br />
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b)something your agent wants you to edit before she can submit?<br />
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15. How often would you wish to exchange work to be critiqued<br />
and how many pages at a time?<br />
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Exchanging a chapter once or twice a month would be great. Not sure I could sustain a<br />
critique every week.<br />
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16. What are your strong points and areas of improvement as a writer?<br />
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My strength is crafting worlds, characters, and storylines. I also have a good grasp of<br />
pacing and proper grammar. My biggest weakness is showing emotional reactions and the mechanics of varying sentence structure, word choice, and dialog methods.<br />
17. Rate your strength/weakness in the areas below using the following scale:<br />
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1- Need a lot of help<br />
2- Still working on this<br />
3- I stumble sometimes<br />
4- I rarely struggle with this<br />
5- Very strong in this area<br />
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a) grammar: 4<br />
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b) spelling: 4<br />
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c) punctuation: 4<br />
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d) description: 5<br />
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e) dialogue: 3<br />
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f) narrative: 4<br />
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g) POV: 4<br />
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h) passive voice: 4<br />
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i) action/tension: 3<br />
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j) tight writing : 3<br />
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k) show vs. tell: 3<br />
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l) GMCs.: 3<br />
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18. Describe the GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts) for one of your characters.<br />
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Espi’s initial goal is to have wings like all the other fairies. Her motivation is to conform with others. The initial conflict is that her wings don’t arrive on her thirteenth birthday and she is sent away by her family until they do arrive.<br />
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As Espi adapts and overcomes the initial conflict, a new conflict arises: a wing infection that strikes all the winged fairies in her colony. Espi’s new goal is to find a<br />
cure for the wing infection, and her motivation is her love for her family<br />
members who are sick.<br />
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19. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being fluffy and 5 being very tough but not rude) what level of critique are you comfortable giving/receiving?<br />
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4: Welcome constructive criticism on the story and line edits of the mechanics that are presented politely. Won’t tolerate bashing or put downs of the author. Don’t need ego padding or cheer leading since my family is plenty capable of giving me that.<br />
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20. How would you describe yourself as a critiquer (detailed, line edit type person, big picture/concept person, etc.)?<br />
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Big picture / concept person with the occasional line edit.<br />
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21. Do you have a website or blog? What’s the address? (Are you comfortable with this being posted on my blog? If not, please answer the question and let me know. I won’t post this but need to know more about you when matchmaking.)<br />
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No website or blog thought I have considered starting one in the future. Follow many, many other blogs.<br />
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<strong>Critique Group Specific:</strong><br />
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22. Do you belong to or have you ever belonged to a critique group?<br />
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Have a local SCBWI group who mainly do fluffy critiques of little value to me. Was part of a great online critique group of 3 writers until the leader became ill and had to end the group. Would like to replace that old group with a new one.<br />
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23. A critique group isn’t a place to promote personal agendas such as religion or politics. Will that be a problem for you?<br />
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No.<br />
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24. In this group, you may find writing with swears, graphic violence, and explicit sex scenes. Will that bother you? Can you objectively critique this type of work?<br />
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No, that won’t both me. Willing to critique such work at the young adult age level, but don’t feel it is appropriate for younger readers.<br />
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25. Are you looking for a long term critique group or just someone to help you with this particular story?<br />
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Long term group.<br />
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<strong>Contact Information:</strong> (Please fill this out, but let me know if you don’t want this or part of this to be posted on my blog. For example, you may not want your email address posted but are okay with your name and website mentioned.)<br />
Pseudonym: Jennifer Kay<br />
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Website and/or blog: none<br />
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I'll start my regular writing related posts again on Monday. Have a great weekend!<br />
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Lynnette Labelle<br />
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<a href="http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com">www.labelleseditorialservices.com</a><br />
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Lynnette Labellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03227593491562480538noreply@blogger.com0