Writers in the Storm

Be sure to visit Writers In The Storm next week! Not only will we be publishing our 100th post, we'll also be kicking off our Going To The Chapel Contest, just in time for "wedding season." Speaking of contests...here's a winning blog from Charlotte Carter.

Throughout the year, I judge quite a few entries in unpublished writing contests. I’m thrilled when I find a really well written entry. I’ve been known – at least once – to give a perfect score. I’ve even referred one entrant to my agent.

But I dread finding mistakes that drive the score down. Hoping to help others learn what NOT to do, here are eight examples.

One author wrote wonderful, creative, original metaphors. They were great! Except there were too many, sometimes three on a page. I got a bad case of metaphor-itis and had to lower the score.

Actions cannot happen simultaneously. Try to picture what this character is doing: She stood and carried the baby as she followed the doctor down the hall. You cannot stand and carry and follow all at once. These actions should be in sequence. Standing, she lifted the baby into her arms and followed the doctor.

One author had clearly been told to use the 5 senses. Excellent idea. But not all in one paragraph and then totally forgotten throughout the rest of the manuscript. Weave the 5 senses into every scene so the reader shares the same experiences as the characters.

Dialogue is good. Dialogue by itself is not enough to tell an emotional story. It’s talking heads.

Read your entry carefully, slowly, aloud, or have someone else do it for you. Silly mistakes and typos can cost you points.

Commas are your friends. Or rather, properly used commas make your sentences understandable. Leave them out and the reader, or judge, has to continually backtrack. Commas used willy-nilly are just as confusing. Don’t guess. Get someone to help you.

You do not fool a judge by not starting a new page for a new chapter. We know you’re trying to squeeze every word into the limited number of pages that you are allowed. It doesn’t help.

Your synopsis, no matter how short, has to include the ending. Don’t make the judge — or an editor — guess how the story is going to come out.

What are some of your contest pet peeves? What has your own experience been with contests?

Books that leave you smiling
from Love Inspired
Big Sky Reunion, available now
Big Sky Family, 11/2011
www.CharlotteCarter.com

By Lyn Horner

When I started looking into publishing with Amazon, my biggest questions were how to format my book, create a cover image and upload everything. However, there were also legal and financial matters to consider.

Below are several frequently asked questions with answers obtained from Amazon’s KDP Guidelines and Community.

Note: Parts of this post were originally published on Jenny Hansen's Blog as The Pros Do The Finish Work.

I read a great article last month that discussed the differences between Editing and Proofreading and (of course) I got to thinking about analogies could relate to writing. These rules apply whether you’re dealing with business documents, such as white papers, articles or novels.

Like most writers, I've always hung out with a boatload of other writers. That doesn’t mean that I saw much of other peoples’ works in progress until I coordinated a contest several years ago. This experience changed the way I see writing. Period.

I got to see firsthand what separates the Amateurs from the Professionals – the ability to both Edit and Proofread. In novel writing, editing is King and proofreading is Queen.