Archive For The “Nancy’s Notes” Category
My first book, Crystal Unicorns, is self-published on Amazon.?? But most of us, including me, still have that itch to be traditionally published especially by one of the bigger houses.?? To do so, you simply have to have an agent.?? The big publishers don???t read unsolicited manuscripts and unagented materials.?? Sounds unfair, I know, but…
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As writers, we want our characters to breath with life.?? To do that they must have emotions and be true to them.?? To kill off a main character in front of your protagonist and not have them react is unrealistic.?? But are the emotions you expect them to have all of the ones they might…
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It???s the first thing your reader sees.?? Whether it is the front, back, or spine, it should immediately draw their attention.?? You want them to pick it up, to open it to the first page.?? Then you have about thirty seconds to make your case.?? I???ve been known to open a book to find its…
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?????????????????????????????? No, it???s not a gang???well, it is???but not the West Side Story Jets and Sharks fighting with knives.?? A writer???s street team are the proverbial ground pounders spreading the word of your brilliance and talent. ?????????????????????????????? We all know we are backed by friends and family who love us and wish us success. Street…
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?????????????????????????????? Why is it important to review Nonfiction genres when most of us write Fiction??? Because learning is good and it is writing and???well, you don???t really believe Memoirs are completely factual, do you??? Anything based on a person???s memories is definitely going to be partially fiction. ?????????????????????????????? Even fiction requires research and that means…
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I write romantic suspense, but there are times when I wonder about the specific differences between the genre and am I crossing over into mystery or thriller.?? So I undertook a quest to find out what each genre has that the others don???t. Mystery:?? There is a question that drives the story.?? Who dun…
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I???ve read several different professionals opinions on how to get started on a story.?? The all basically boil down to ???Just Write???.?? The closest suggestion that fit my needs was using ???The Snowflake Method??? by Randy Ingermanson buy even that sounded complicated. So I adapted his method to fit my needs. I do heartily…
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?????????????????????????????? Plot devices (also called plot mechanisms) are used to move the plot forward in a story.?? They may have a direct bearing on the outcome, such as finding the secret code to decipher a mysterious message that will save the world.?? Or just appear like a ghost to divert your attention. ?????????????????????????????? Authors should…
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Everyone knows the myth of Sisyphus, that rapscallion that upset the Greek gods and ended up pushing a boulder up a hill each day, to just see it roll back down into the valley each night.?? It translates out as the hopeless, never-ending, search for release and finding none…at least that is my take on…
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?????? Recently I was asked how I build suspense in my books. As a writer of romantic suspense, I admit that at first I had no idea.?? CRYSTAL UNICORNS just poured out of me as I released a lot of angst.?? It was with my second, SHARK BAIT, that I realized I needed to know…
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