Skip to main content

First Blood...

I’m an unpublished author, fighting the slushpile. I hope to share with you guys both my experiences at trying to get published and the writing nuggets I’ve pick up through reviewing.

Here’s what the blog will hopefully include:

1) I spend a lot of time critiquing chapters and a lot of time repeating myself. I hope to post weekly tips and articles with advice based on those reviews.

2) To tell you lovely people about my manuscript: ASHES TO EMBERS. It’s an urban fantasy for young adults with a hint of romance. I’m at the stage of querying, so I’ll be posting updates on that.

3) To offer critiquing tips to those just starting out. Reviewing other manuscripts is a big part of joining a writing community but it doesn’t need to be thought of as giving and it should contain more than just ‘I love it’.

4) Finally, I have a freebie (sorta) in the form of a chapter by chapter editing service. Basically, I enjoy working with writing to help them develop their stories, so instead of posting ‘free reads’ on a writing forum, I thought I’d make it more official. Pop to my website for more details and a contact form (www.samanthacook.baxx.net). I’ll be posting about it later and also info about the awesome unpublished books I’m reading.

Cheers for reading. Comments are welcome and followers are adored. =]
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Your Best Character: Quiz and Contest

The best characters are put through hell and yet can still carry the story forward on their broken shoulders. Your plot will fall flat if your characters are one dimensional and strong characters can make a cliché story really shine; characterisation takes work and thought. The key to character development is to ask questions. Maybe spend time thinking about the scenarios that have happened to your character which won’t make the final cut of the novel. The questions below are designed to test that (to some degree). [NOW CLOSED, REVIEWS PENDING] Answer at least 5 of these in a comment with a link to your story and I’ll give you an in-depth review. Reviews are approximately 1000 words and take me well over an hour, so if you’re looking to polish up your manuscript then don’t miss out. Also, the opening chapter with the most interesting and well-developed character will be featured on this blog! Feel free to write about anyone as long as they feature in the same story. You can ans...
9 comments
Read more

Opening Chapter: Quiz and Contest

The opening chapter is pivotal. It needs to draw in an intended audience – it needs flare and promise of things to come, with writing that earns the reader’s trust, luring them into the next chapter.  I’ve made a quick quiz to test whether your opening has what it takes. You don’t need all of these things for a good chapter. Hell, I bet there are a few I’ve forgotten too! Answer each of the following using evidence from your opening. If you can’t, then maybe you need to spice up the chapter. 1) Is your opening line unique, scene setting, or hooking? 2) What makes your character unique? 3) Pick out your best line of description. 4) Pick out your quirkiest line. 5) Is the genre and sub-genres obvious? 6) Is it clean from silly mistakes – have you read through more than 10 times? 7) Does it end on a cliff-hanger? 8) What makes it different from other novels in that genre? 9) Does it start close to the action? 10) Are you happy with it?...
6 comments
Read more

Show Vs. Tell: Round 1

Hands up if a critic has told you ‘show don’t tell’ (SDT). Keep that hand up if you found it rather unhelpful at the time or if that critic didn’t elaborate much. Yes, it’s a pesky phrase. Showing rather than telling can be a pretty powerful tool, and here's what it really means: Showing brings your words to life, creates imagery, and lets the reader know exactly what’s going on. It doesn’t tell you facts explicitly, but builds an idea in your head so that usually you understand it in far more detail than you would have. Good writing makes you realise a fact without being told it straight. As a writer it forces you to explore your imagination further really think about your story and your characters. It adds depth. *But showing is not always better than telling.* Telling adds pace. It moves the story along and sums up ideas that may be unclear if let to just showing. It doesn’t try to add detail to a relatively boring fact. It lets you know what piece of information is imp...
3 comments
Read more