The Frasier Entries are in! Now all we can do is sit down, cuddle up with our bags of popcorn, and wait for the results. In the meantime though, My Book Therapy will spend Fridays introducing you to the work of our all-powerful judges. This week we are pleased to introduce you to Joann Durgin and her new book: Twin Hearts. Q: Tell us a little bit about Twin Hearts. A: Josh Grant is a man seeking redemption. He’s not looking for love, but finds it in a most unexpected and tender way. His twin sister, Rebekah, is torn between two very different men: a dashing, British aristocrat offering her the world, and the other a humble, faithful Louisiana lumber man. When family tragedy strikes, the twins lean on Sam and Lexa […]
Read the RestArchive | May, 2012
Thoughts On Writing A Review
I’m venturing out. Being bold. I’m going to talk about writing reviews. You may wonder what this has to do with writing or being a writer. Everything. Writing is art. That’s the first thing I want you to remember. Art. And art is subjective. I’ve read many books that I’d have written differently, but I choose to read the story as the author portrayed it. There are so many things going in an author’s heart and mind while writing it is IMPOSSIBLE to think of every angle, every pitfall, every emotional high or low. Many times an author will have an objective in mind and during the writing process¾changes, editing, rewriting and proofing¾and the original objective gets chipped away. What seemed clear in the author’s mind doesn’t quite communicate in […]
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Brainstorming Strategy # 2: Villains
Have you ever known someone who would put you down in any way that they could? Then you have met with a villain. It is easy to think that a villain is just for suspense or thriller type novels, but they are a great source of conflict in all genres. To figure out the best type of villain for your novel, start with figuring out the end of the book goal for your characters. These would be things like love, safety, freedom, security, etc. Then look for the type villain that would make reaching that goal difficult. Also, at this preliminary stage you should consider the competence of the character, or what they are especially good at. You want the villain to oppose this as well. Romantic Suspense: *Sarah is […]
Read the RestQuick Skills: Tips and Tricks for building Scenes
There are three stages to the discovery stage of writing a novel: Character development, Story development, and Scene development. Like building a house, the book takes shape as you craft each scene. Yesterday, we went over scene rhythm, how an author knits together the story, through Action and Reaction scenes and the components of each. Here are some tips as you work through each component. Action Scene Tips: Goal – A character has an overall story goal, but inside those goals are smaller goals, goals derived by the situation, or his motivation, or the events happening around him. For each scene, make your goal specific, tangible, measurable and timely. This will give an urgency to your scene, and will make your character alive and interesting. A character that wants something […]
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