Multi-published genre author Cait London sent a note (ed: permission granted to repost here) to another writer's list which says "I've long believed in the villain's journey, an antagonist strong enough to meet the protagonist. Really interesting reading fare for mystery writers, from great sources on the Muderati blog.: The Villain's Journey."
The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest 2008 Results were announced recently. My favorite, although it's difficult to pick only one, is the work of one Paul Curtis of Randburg, South Africa ...
"Let's see what this baby can do, Virgil," said Wyatt, as he floored the Charger, brushing a Dart out of the way, sideswiping an oncoming Lancer, rear-ending a Diplomat, and demolishing a row of Rams before catapulting head-on into the sheriff's Viper -- realizing that we'd indeed missed the turn-off to Abilene and ended up instead, in Dodge City.
... rueful Yiddish wisdom that. And logically then, if you're interested in writing and being published, it's best to seek out advice who has had some success in the same field.
A writer I know and who has helped me with my own writing has been " ... published in 28 countries and has written more than 60 books — historicals, category and series, paranormal, and romantic suspense — under the pseudonyms Cait London and Cait Logan."
She has recently been "guest-blogging" for other romance authors, and yesterday she posted a neat little essay on "A Slice of Orange," the blog of The Orange County Chapter of The Romance Writers of America.
It's great stuff, under the title of Advice to Myself as a Newbie Author, ranging from the hopeful "Writing can be a fulfilling career" to the practical "Keep Good Records."
Celebrating the Semicolon in a Most Unlikely Location
Raymond Cuttill (aka iPhoneiscool), sends us this:
"I am writing to you about National Novel Editing Month. Editing is a chore that some writers have difficulty doing. National Novel Editing Month, NaNoEdMo for short, is a group dedicated to the idea of editing a novel throughout March. It is completely free and run by dedicated enthusiasts. The idea is to have a definite deadline and because everyone does it. In March there is also mutual support and a community via the website .
"This can make editing a pleasant or at least pleasanter activity. Often this is done on a novel written during National Novel Writing Month, a separate group, the previous November, but it doesn't have to be. I was hoping you might post this or mention it on your mailing lists, and perhaps some of your writers might like to have a look at it.
"We would also be interested in articles from writers, say 500-2000 words, about editing they would be willing to put on our site. The article could of course include mention of the writer's site or book, etc."
"The site is here. You can register now and the forums are open. Editing starts on 1st March. I can be reached here if there are any queries."
James J. Kilpatrick writes an interesting column on language -- when he's not discussing issues before the US Supreme Court -- and Sunday, January the 20th, he delved into the proper placement of the word only within sentences.
This is the annual message to writers: No little dog trick will do more to improve your prose than mastering the placement of "only." The rule is to snuggle the defining "only" close to the word it modifies. In that regard, we recall a fracas in a schoolyard. There ...
From the Telegraph in the United Kingdom ...
One of the members of the nonfiction critique list of our workshop wrote to suggest a useful feature of our group's blog would be to post successful query letters and nonfiction book proposals.
I know there are a number of examples of both on the Web, but there would be something special about knowing a specific letter worked to earn publication.
If you have been successful with a query letter or a book proposal -- and you would agree to share it with your fellow IWW members -- you can send it to me, and I will format it for posting here on the blog.
If you love words, you will not be diverted from your pleasures if you read James J. Kilpatrick's columns on a regular basis.
Once a political commentator -- still an frequent observer of the US Supreme Court -- he shares his love of the English language regularly through his columns. I find his work on Yahoo's Opinion pages.
His column today is especially appealing for writers of fiction and nonfiction. it's an appreciation of a well-written lament over a young girl's suicide. Says Kilpatrick, "This is the secret: If you would move your listeners to tears, do not let them see you cry." He goes on to note, "The piece runs to 750 words. I counted only 14 descriptive adjectives."
Mr. Kilpatrick does every writer a favor by pointing to that good example.
