Fiction Scribe

The Author’s Corner Newsletter is holding a poetry contest with the theme The Heart of a Poet.

The fee is only $1 and you can find the guidelines here. If they reach 100 submissions, then the prizes increase.

Let me know if you enter and how you do. I just might enter as well.

Disclaimer: I in no way take responsibility for the validity of any submission opportunities. It’s up to you to use your judgment when submitting your work anywhere.

This week’s pet peeve ties into last week’s pet peeve about spelling. This also is in a wider scope of your overall writing habits instead of just fiction writing.

Most, if not all, word processors (and even my wordpress “write post” box which I’m typing in) will catch spelling mistakes and point them out to you in much the same way: the red squiggle.

My question is this: What if you’re typing or doing that old fashioned thing called handwriting, where there is no spell check, and someone is going to see it? Be it something as simple as a shopping or to-do list, a love note, or a letter for a friend. If you have bad spelling, what will that have as an influence on your reputation as a writer?

Friends and family may and will likely forgive you, but what about others in the writing industry? If you can type up a wonderful manuscript, but wander around forums or blogs typing “lk u gt sumptin wrng wit yr kybored” (like you “got” something wrong with your keyboard) how likely is it anyone is going to show interest when you ask them to go “chk” out your book?

I used an extreme example, but personally, I’m very unlikely to look at the work of a writer who shows poor writing or spelling skills otherwise.

Take care in all you do. People will notice. I’ve received emails about mistakes on my blog before.

Think of your passion. Think of the one thing (or more than one thing) you could talk about for ages. Think of your passion and how great it would be if you could get paid for it. That’s the ideal, isn’t it? Find your passion and learn how to get paid for it.

I was originally going to be a scrapbook blogger, truth be told. But, due to a mix up, I was in a “woe is me” mood and told one of the bosses how nice it would be if I could blog about writing fiction.

Here we are three months later, and I couldn’t be more proud of my “baby.” I’m writing about writing, my longest held and truest passion, and I’m getting paid for it. Could life be any more grand?

What’s your passion? Would you like to get paid for sharing it with others? Well, here’s your chance.

451press wants more bloggers! What do you like? Coin collecting? What do you know about? WWE? What are you an expert on?

If you’d like more information, go here. Otherwise, you can apply now if you like.

What’s your passion? Tell 451press about it today.

Don’t forget to put my name or the URL to my site in how you heard about 451press.

That First Line is hosting a contest which yours truly will be entering. For writing one great line, you could win $500.

The rules are pretty simple. The only one you truly need to worry about is making sure you’re over 18. No worries if you’re not, though, because you can have your parent or guardian submit for you.

There is also a link to the 2006 winner who had a fantastic first line, in my opinion.

If you’re unsure or have a feeling you might be unintentionally plagiarizing, then check out Plagiarism Checker for a quick look to make sure you’re not.

For $5 you could win $500. All you have to do is write that winning first line.

The contest deadline is March 31st.

Best of luck.

Thank you, once again, to wonderful Sara and her ability to find sites I just love.

On the menu, we have three sites with writing prompts aplenty for poets and prose writers.

Poetry Thurday is run by blogger Dana, a poetry lover. Even if you aren’t a poet, many of her prompts can be applied to fit your writing talents.

Sunday Scribblings is a fantastic blog with a large list of participants. Share your ideas and see how many people agree or disagree with you!

Patchwork Farm’s past prompts not only give you interesting prompts, but also a set time for how long you should write. Ideal for the writer who thinks the more rules, the better.

It’s all about the prompts.

Enjoy!

There are moments in life that will delight you like no others but won’t mean a single thing to the next person. When you try to explain, you will be met with silence, puzzled expressions, and staring. Yet the moment will still be the bright moment of your day, week, month, or even year. You won’t care about the people staring at you because you are just too excited to care.

Thank goodness my fiancé is a writer. He understands.

My bright moment came while writing my novel “X” the other night. I love when you’re writing your story and something just falls into place. Like the one ton weight falling from the sky in a classic cartoon, the element is suddenly there, falling on the exact right spot.

For example, I have a character who has been reading a book since I wrote his first scene. He not only reads the book, but when he finishes, he pauses for a moment and begins reading it again.

When I wrote his first scene where he was reading the book and wrote later scenes with him reading it repeatedly, he, the book, and the reading had no point. I just knew I would need at least one extra body in the story, and I knew I wanted him reading a book.

Much to my delight, pages later and still reading his book, he took on a new importance which influences not only “X” but all the following books as well. He turned into the important figure I didn’t know I needed and became the owner of the book already mentioned in following novels I already have finished.

Ah, I love it when things fall into place. What I love even more is my fiancé just smiles when I stand up and, without a word, start dancing around the living room.

Have you had any wonderful moments like that in your writing?

“I get asked all the time… “Can you give me a few tips about being a writer?� And you sense that gleam in the eye, that hope that somehow, this time, you’ll drop your guard and hand over the map to the Holy Grail or, preferably, its URL. I detect, now, a slightly worrying edge to all this, a hint of indignation that grammar, spelling, and punctuation have a part to play (“Don’t publishers have people to do all that?� was one response) and that the universe is remiss in not making allowance for the fact you don’t have the time.

“So, instead, I give tips on how to be a professional boxer. A good diet is essential, of course, as is a daily regime of exercise. Pay attention to your footwork, it will often get you out of trouble. Go down to the gym every day – every day of your life that finds you waking up capable of standing. Take every opportunity to watch a good professional fight. In fact watch as many bouts as you can, because you can even learn something from the fighters who get it wrong. Don’t listen to what they say, watch what they do. And don’t forget the diet and the exercise and the roadwork.

“Got it? Well, becoming a writer is basically exactly the same thing, except that it isn’t about boxing.

“It’s as simple as that.� – Terry Pratchett, Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2006

I say … and you think … ?

1. Limit ::
2. Voice ::
3. Change ::
4. Expression ::
5. Tailor ::
6. Lemonade ::
7. Thought ::
8. Phoebe ::
9. Impression ::
10. Sister ::

This is one last reminder about 451Press’ comment contest. You have a few more days left this month to get your comments in and get a chance to win $500 just for sharing your thoughts.

There is the $500 first prize and five $100 prizes, which means you have a total of ten chances to win some cash.

Remember, all you have to do is give a thoughtful comment and you’re automatically entered in. Each comment you make is one more ticket in the hat for you, so to say. Also remember you can comment on any post I’ve ever written, so you might want to consider some archive digging.

Good luck!

NaNo? Didn’t that end in November? Well, yes, but the people who put on NaNo also put on other events.

In June, the same people who brought you NaNoWriMo are bringing you Script Frenzy, the write-a-screenplay-in-a-month challenge.

I think this is a wonderful idea to help being in those non-novel writers who didn’t participate in NaNoWriMo because they write different forms of fiction. Screenwriters move in somewhat different circles than other writers, so this will be a great opportunity for people to try something new and/or meet their brethren.

Good luck!

Character Cluster

Do you have or need a character but are lacking in the personal details? Do a character cluster.

Say you have a cheerleader. This is what comes to my mind. (This is sort of like Unconscious mutterings, but for your characters.)

Cheerleader > bubble gum > white tennis shoes > athletic > tall

There you go. A bit like character-in-a-bag. By picking one word for my character, I now have she’s a gum chewer who is tall, athletic, and wears white tennis shoes. This is, of course, a very basic example, but you get the idea.

Pen names are something I find quite interesting. Some people use them because their birth name(s) aren’t exactly smooth on the tongue. They feel a more “mainstream” name would suit their purposes better. Others want some anonymity and thus use a pen name to achieve it. Historically speaking, women weren’t allowed to be published, so they adopted male names in order to do so.

I don’t feel there is anything wrong with using a pen name unless it is purposely ridiculous or somehow offensive to other people. Sometimes people don’t feel they fit their birth name while others enjoy taking on the persona of another person for their writing. There’s nothing wrong with that.

However, you should be very careful when using a pen name if you decide to do so.

eSSORTMENT lists a few pros and cons about using a pen name including the con that if you’re a beginning writer, poorly choosing a pen name can lower what little leverage you have with publishers.

I have played with the idea of a pen name in the past, but have never felt I truly needed one. Now, my fiancé and I have decided we will both be changing our last names when we get married (to a last name we have yet to choose), so I feel that will give me all the anonymity I need.

Seeing as it will be my married name, I won’t have to fear one of the other cons listed in the article linked above - a pen name becoming an inescapable label if an author wants to go back to his/her real name.

Do you have a pen name? Why or why not?

Also, Wikipedia has interesting article on pen names if you’d like to check it out.

Writing, depending on your specific writing craft, isn’t always the most social of paths to take. Other people tend to be more subjects to study than people to actually interact with. People can be put off by writers as well, feeling they are being studied. This is usually an accusation made with false modesty, but some people genuinely don’t like it.

For those of you who visited yesterday, you probably noticed something horribly wrong. I thank you for bearing with me through it as the wonderful people at 451Press support who hunted through my posts until they found the problem: a piece of code I had typed incorrectly.

Ah, such as life. Thank goodness for technical support when you’re absolutely in panic mode wondering what happened. I was like a moaning ghost around the 451 forums yesterday, I’m afraid. Bemoaning the cruel fate of my “baby,” which it turns out I unintentionally inflicted upon it. You can be assured I will certainly be doing a post about proofreading soon.

So lots of hugs for Kim and the support people at 451Press!

Thank you for getting me back online, and thank you to my dear readers who have stuck around through it all.

At times, the writer’s existence can be a lonely one. That’s why we have writing forums, writer’s conferences, write offs, and much more.

A friend of mine - Aspiring Romance Writer - is holding a fun activity over on her blog called The Writer’s Game or 101 Lines. She’s already posted up the first line of a story which will have a plot completely determined by those who decide to stop by and comment.

I think this is a great way to not only stretch your creative muscles but to get to know other writers as well. Her blog accepts anonymous comments, so don’t worry if you don’t have a Blogger account.