define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true); define('DISALLOW_FILE_MODS', true); May 2012 » Page 2 of 6 » My Book Therapy

Archive | May, 2012

Using Dialog and Prose to Create the Setting

By on May 24, 2012 in b. Building a Scene, How do I write Dialogue, Rachel Hauck

Last night I sat in a small circle of writers disguising themselves as readers. As we discussed the book of the month, one of the reader-writers said, “The dialog and language really drew me in. It was part of the setting, really.” That hooked me right there. Not to read the book because, well, I wrote the book, but as a blog topic! Using Dialog and Prose to Create the Setting. I never thought of it before but word choice, dialog, the arrangement of words can really help put the reader in the mind set of the PLACE the story is being told. The era. The region. The social class. Education. Even values and belief systems. We’ve all heard word choice is key to the author’s voice. We’ve also learned […]

Read the Rest
Continue Reading • Comments { 0 }

So How Much Time Do I REALLY Have to Spend on Social Networking?

By on May 23, 2012 in Learn the art of Social Networking, Social Media Primer

Truthfully—the bare minimum. Yep, you read that right. But what about the hype, the promises, the RESULTS? Don’t the results increase in direct proportion to the effort? No, not so much. Fairly quickly, the return on investment when, it comes to time and social networking, begins to diminish. I that sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s the absolute truth. That said, how much time is required? It depends…on your expertise, your audience and the desired result. Your Expertise: With any new skill, including social networking, there is a learning curve. It takes time to come up to speed on how to use Twitter, Facebook and Blogging platforms effectively. But, you don’t need to become an expert. After all, you want to be a writer—not a social media expert! Here are the skills you […]

Read the Rest
Continue Reading • Comments { 1 }

So How Much Time Do I REALLY Have to Spend on Social Networking?

By on May 23, 2012 in Learn the art of Social Networking, Social Media Primer

Truthfully—the bare minimum. Yep, you read that right. But what about the hype, the promises, the RESULTS? Don’t the results increase in direct proportion to the effort? No, not so much. Fairly quickly, the return on investment when, it comes to time and social networking, begins to diminish. I that sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s the absolute truth. That said, how much time is required? It depends…on your expertise, your audience and the desired result. With any new skill, including social networking, there is a learning curve. It takes time to come up to speed on how to use Twitter, Facebook and Blogging platforms effectively. But, you don’t need to become an expert. After all, you want to be a writer—not a social media expert! Here are the skills you need to see […]

Read the Rest
Continue Reading • Comments { 0 }

Conversations: The Next Level by James Scott Bell!

By on May 21, 2012 in Editing Basics

I had a rare treat a couple weeks ago. While Sally was slugging away on her manuscript, I felw out to LA to tape a talk show – (It airs on the fall *to see pictures, of the fun day, check out: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/scribbles-blog/) Part of that fun was spending the day with one of my favorite authors and writing teachers, James Scott Bell.  A casual conversation about writing all day lead to me furiously jotting down his brilliance in my hotel room later that night. Jim Bell is an expert in the writing craft, has penned a number of fabulous books by Writer’s Digest (Plot and Structure is dog-earred on my shelf!) and I was thrilled to hear that he has an advanced writing seminar he’s presenting this year around […]

Read the Rest
Continue Reading • Comments { 1 }
MBT Menu