Indie Block Party – Post 7 – Writing Tips

Writing doesn’t have to be a lonely endeavor. Join us for the Indie Block Party to meet your writing “neighbors.”

Participants will have the opportunity to share a little about themselves and their writing, while getting to know the other like-minded crazies that make up the Indie Writing World. Indie block party

Week 1
Day 1: Introduce Yourself
Day 2: Introduce your WIP
Day 3: Interview one of your Characters
Day 4: Interview one of your Neighbors (not your real neighbor…the one who signed up on the linkey after you 😉 )

Week 2
Day 5: What are you reading?
Day 6: Top 5 books
Day 7: Share your most helpful writing tips
Day 8: Share your most helpful social media & networking tips

Full instructions are available at The Peasants Revolt or Dawna Raver’s blog.

Three must read books for writers and the best advice from each:

1.  Save the Cat by Blake Snyder 

“You must give it a twist.” – other wise why should the reader keep reading.

“The whiff of death.” – At some point near the last 1/4 of your novel you have to have a death scene. Something, anything has to die.  It spurs the MC towards the climax.  

2. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland 

Create a scene list. – I’m a list person. 

Interview you characters and know them inside and out. – It all starts with well rounded character and it’s the author’s job to create that character. 

3.  On Writing by Stephen King 

“The real importance of reading is that it creates an ease and intimacy with the process of writing.” – When I write, I read stuff in my genre. It helps me get in the right mind set to write. 

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.” – I make time every day to read, now if I can make time every day to write, I’ll be good. 

Share your most helpful writing tips.

The Nineties Blogfest

1990 – Favorite Movie – Goodfellas – Best Gangster Movie Ever

1991 – Favorite Sitcom – Seinfeld – although it debuted in 1990, I didn’t start watching it until season 2.

1992 – Favorite Album and Album Title – 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of . . . by Arrested Development – Song:  Tennessee, Mr. Wendal, People Everyday.  Favorite Lyric:   “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he’ll eat forever.”

1993 – Favorite Reality Show – The Real World Los Angeles – MTV was the only channel that was doing reality shows and The Real World was the original.  This season featured Tami, David, Beth, Jon, Aaron, Dominic, Irene, Glenn, Beth.  It was more then 7 because David got kicked off by his roommates for inappropriate behavior and Irene got married.  This show has come a long way.

1994 – Favorite TV Drama – My So Called Life – The whole series the cast would refer to other characters by their full name:  Angela Chase, Rayanne Graff, Jordan Catalano, Rickie Vasquez, Brian Krakow (I did that from memory.) It was a great show despite being cancelled after the first season.

1995 – Favorite Movie Character Name – Keyser Soze from The Usual Suspects

1996 – Favorite Concert – The Fugees – Tallahassee, Florida

1997 – Favorite year for Movies – Titanic, Good Will Hunting, As Good as it Gets, Starship Troopers, Grosse Pointe Blank, The Devils Advocate, Boogie Nights, G.I. Jane, L.A. Confidential, Donnie Brasco (“For get about it”), Deconstructing Harry, Amistad, Face/Off, Contact, Affliction, Eve’s Bayou, Gattaca – Now, I am sure you could do this with any year, but truly some great movies came out this year along with a few of my all time favorite; Titanic, Good Will Hunting and Face/Off.

1998 – My favorite Book – Bag of Bones by Stephen King – one of his best.

1999 – Favorite Acting pair – Edward Norton and Brad Pitt in Fight Club

What are your favorites from the 90’s? 

Insecure Writer’s Support Group

It is Insecure Writer’s Support Group time and it couldn’t come at a better time for me.  As always, I must thank the wonderful Alex Cavanaugh who has created this most safe and secure setting for us writers to vent our insecurities.

I am editing my first story.  I am subsequently having it critiqued by two very diligent CP’s.  I have to find about 12,000 words to add to my second novel in order to declare the first draft finished.  I have a really good outline for my third story and I am dreaming about it every night without prompting which is kind of cool.  I don’ t know if I should start writing now or wait for Nanowrimo.  With all that in the air, I am insecure and scared and frustrated and tired with occasional bouts of mania.

Will I ever get to the point where I feel like my life is clicking on all cylinders or is that something that only us writers can create for our characters?

I just want some steady, on tracking, moving forward type of progressive in my writing.  Stephen King writes 2,000 words per day.  That’s the kind of stability I want.

Anyone else ever feel like they wish they hadn’t started this whole writing thing. Now that I have started, I can’t stop, but I just wish it would be easier every once in a while.

This image makes me feel calm.

 

Genre Favorites Blogfest

Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh comes up with the greatest Blogfests.  I am excited to participate in yet another one.  Genre Favorites Blogfest.

List your favorite genre:
Movie
Music
Books
And a guilty pleasure genre from any of the three categories!

Click the badge to the right to visit other Blogfest participants.

A quick disclaimer to this blog post. I have been staring at this blank screen for hours trying to narrow down my favorite genres in each section.  It is so hard for someone who seems to like any and everything.  I like my diverse taste in entertainment.  I just want to make sure you realize and understand how difficult this was for me.  Feel my pain.  OK, we are ready to continue.

Movies: My favorite genre in movies is Science Fiction

Examples – Star Wars, Matrix, The Terminator,

Music:  My favorite genre in music is Hip Hop and R&B and any groups that touch on that genre in any way, shape or form.

Example – Jay Z, Beyonce, TI, Linkin Park

Books:  My favorite genre in books is Suspense/Mystery.  I include a lot of different types of books into the category.  You might not agree, but I don’t care. haha.

Examples – Stephen King, James Patterson, John Grisham, Dan Brown

Guilty Pleasure:  My favorite guilty pleasure in music is boy bands.  Old and new.

Examples – NSync, New Edition, 112, One Direction (newest obsessions)

I swear I am not a 12 year old girl, but I love this song, especially with the 50’s Grease soundtrack sample.

These are my favorite genres.  What are yours?  

Listen, Watch, Read . . .Repeat – Mike_Reverb

I saw this great post by at Mike_Reverb.

These are the books, song and movie that over and over again make me feel how I felt the first time I experienced them.

Non Fiction Book – Marriage of the Sun and the Moon – non fiction – I read it in college at a time when college was almost over and I couldn’t get any stimulation from my surroundings any longer. I just couldn’t wait to get out and see what life had in store for me. Every time I need that jolt again, I revisit this book.

Fiction Book – The Regulators by Stephen King – The first book that sucked me completely into the world and life’s of the people in the book. The book still scares me.  One of the only books that I re-read once every couple of years.

Song – Dangerously in Love Part 2 – It is how I hope to feel about someone someday. Love never gets old.

Film – Goodfellas – I own the DVD, and have it on the hard driver of both of my computers. Even when it comes on TV, with commercials, all the dubbed over cuss words and violent scenes deleted I still sit and watch it. I am also 100% into every emotion of the movie even though I know what is coming next.

What does it for you?