Fiction Scribe

How would you like $500 for writing one line?

Well, here is your chance.

At That First Line, the Spring/Summer contest deadline is fast approaching! Submit your fantastic one line before September 1st for your chance to win $500.

Best of luck!

Chapter Three of Cheryl Kaye Tardif’s terrifying thriller The River

“Cheryl Kaye Tardif has once again captivated readers in her third novel and latest suspense thriller, The River. Set in the wilds of Canada ’s north, The River combines intrigue, science, love and adventure and is sure to keep readers clamoring for more.â€? ― Edmonton Sun

Read Chapter 1 first, then Chapter 2, then return here…

The River
©2005 Cheryl Kaye Tardif

three

It had been years since she had set foot inside Bio-Tec Canada, the company her father had worked for. The company that was mentioned in Schroeder’s journal. Not much had changed. Even Annette Taylor was still there.

The receptionist’s eyes widened as Del approached.

“Delila, what a surprise. What are you doing here?�

“I’m not really sure, Annette. Who’s in charge now?�

“Edward Moran.�

Moran had been one of her father’s associates, a man with a hard edge and a way of looking at her that made her cringe. She had always avoided him whenever her father had invited her to social events.

“Do you want me to buzz him for you, Delila?�

“I guess so. To be honest, I’m not even sure why I’m here.�

She was starting to sweat and her legs were beginning to shake.

Damn! Not now!

(more…)

Yes, I know that song, but only because of Shrek II.

As some of you may know and I often forget, Fiction Scribe is coming up on it’s first birthday in October. There have been many trial and error type things on this site, but it has overall grown into something I’m rather fond of.

However, I do know it could still use some improvement.

Over the next few days/weeks (depending on how much Life [yes, that's a big "L"] wants to throw in my way), this site will undergo a few changes. Most will be minor and you won’t even notice. A few, however, will be noticeable. I have a mind to retire a few things as well as bring in some other things. There are some things I’m already set on with keeping and getting rid of, but other things could go either way.

This is your change to let me know:

A.) What you’re fond of and will pout about if I retire.
B.) What you could definitely use less of.
C.) Things I had going that faded off and you would like to see back again.
and
D.) Things I haven’t had on the site that you’d like to see.

Like any baby, we’ve been in our nappies stage for a while. My goal is to get out of the nappies by the time Fiction Scribe’s first birthday rolls around.

Thank you.

Thirteen Rules of Writing

1. Develop an addiction to at least one type of office supply.
2. Eat more meals at the computer than not.
3. Buy tennis balls to roll under your feet while you’re writing; given the amount of time you’ll be spending writing or typing, you’ll need to burn all the calories you can.
4. Read as many books in your genre as possible.
5. Read at least a dozen books in other genres.
6. Buy cheap notebooks to write in. You will write crap; cheap notebooks encourage you to get it over and done with.
7. Don’t assume that because you can read, you can write.
8. Don’t assume you can write without reading.
9. Get over any addictions you have to socializing.
10. Realize your first draft will not be perfect.
11. Realize your last draft will not be perfect.
12. Don’t edit as you write. There’s writing, then editing.
13. Buy a lot of different pens and find the one you can write fastest, easiest, and most comfortably with.

101 Reasons now has a new site and a new URL. (No more .blogspot.com for Mr. Reasons.)

I think the site looks great and it’s easy to navigate. Go take a peek, whether or not you have before, and find out all the reasons there are to not write.

Welcome to another edition of the Bird by Bird discussion.

Last week we discussed the first part of the book: “Getting Started”. This week we’ll be talking about “Short Assignments.

I like the way Lamott starts this section out. She doesn’t grab your attention by yelling or being snarky about the writing industry; she talks to you like she would babble on to a good friend. Someone might ask why they would want to buy a book about writing where the author “babbles�, but this is, in a way, one way you draw in your readers when writing a story.

Talk to them like you’re talking to a friend. Give them something or someone they can identify with. Then slowly swing toward the real action – what you’re really trying to say.

(more…)

Last week your word to define was reckling.

Elisa said…. “A baby wrecking ball?”

(I love that definition.)

The actual definition?

Reckling - noun - the weakest, smallest, or youngest of a litter or family.

Eesh. That means I’m a reckling.

Here’s one for you to define this week: trisoctahedron

Enjoy!

This pet peeve is somewhat like the first post about wannabes, but these are wannabes of a more general sort…

In a roundabout way, Bob’s guest post reminded me of a long-standing pet peeve of mine, something I touched on in the recent Bird by Bird discussion:

She goes on to touch on something I feel is very important:

“The problem that comes up over and over is that these people want to be published. They kind of want to write, but they really want to be published.�

And that’s the key, isn’t it? I believe too many people focus on just getting published. People assume because you know how to write, anyone can write a book. I encourage those people to think of it this way: Just because I know how to hold a paint brush and put paint on a canvas doesn’t mean I can create a wonderful work of art.

I got it a lot in high school, but I didn’t truly consider myself a writer. So when some of my friends assumed because I could write a story, they could, I didn’t say anything. But high school is over now, and yet people still don’t seem to understand…

My pet peeve is people who think that just because they can write some letters, just because they’ve read a few book, they assume they can write the next Harry Potter. The truth is, these people who suddenly decide they are the next best seller are usually a.) writing fanfiction of Harry Potter and b.) the ones who have no drive to see it through.

There are people who have natural talent, yes, but not that many.

It’s the non-natural talent types who don’t regard story writing like the art it is who make me mad. You didn’t just sit down and play beautiful music on the piano because you know you can make noise by pressing keys. Neither did you make beautiful pottery and statues because you know how to squish things in your hand.

Writing is an art. You start by learning letters and by reading. You improve by studying the rules and play with them. You go through trial and error, and (hopefully) you improve over time.

It takes work. Work.

So for all those out there who think you can sit down and craft the story of a lifetime, you’d better be prepared to spend your lifetime writing better drafts.

The Bird by Bird book discussion will be continuing tomorrow, don’t forget!

Remember to have your copy of Bird by Bird and have read “Short Assignments�.

Thank you to all who participate. Feel free to jump in at any time on the discussions.

If you are the praying type, you might want to consider doing so for the people who have been through this hurricane and for those who are as of yet preparing for the storm.

Hurricane Dean stepped up from a category two hurricane to a category four hurricane as it passed through the Caribbean. The news so far is that it has now turned into a category five hurricane - the top of the scale.

Having been through two (twin) tornadoes, I know something of weather-related terror. The people who have been touched by this hurricane and who will be touched are in my thoughts.

For more information:
Google News

Elisa at The Book Stacks has made a few (very fun) changes to her game A Book by Any Other Name.

This week, you get to take words she’s already used and mix and match them to come up with your own titles.

If fun writing games tend to get your creativity going, then this one certainly will.

Enjoy!

Need a writing prompt? Stuck for ideas?

This week’s theme at Write Anyway is forgiveness - a subject I think almost everybody has a story to tell about or something to say about.

Get inspiration from music, prompts, random word banks, and more at Write Anyway.

Are you a writer? Are you a blogger? Is it possible to be both professionally?

Yes would be the natural answer to that. But if you’re a blogger, does that automatically make you a writer? Can you balance both, or would you rather pick just one?

In this guest post, Bob Betzen explores his thoughts on the blogging world and the writing world, and whether or not one is better than the other.

My Excellent Writing Adventures
Bob Betzen
Radical Avenue

I’ve been so confused lately. Am I a blogger? Am I a writer? Am I a writer? Am I a blogger? I’m pretty sure I’m a little of both, but if I call myself a bloggerwriter I might get flamed. Seeking enlightenment, I decided to travel to Tibet. Oh yeah, I can’t afford that. So I went to a writers’ conference instead.

First, let me provide a little background. I wrote a book proposal long before I started blogging. I also signed up for the conference about the same time I started blogging. Then over the past several months I’ve developed a new hobby: collecting rejection letters. Apparently I need a little help.

I would call the writers conference a very positive experience. It taught me a lot about developing my craft and gave me insights into the book publishing industry. I sometimes sense a bit of friction between writers and bloggers. And although I’m guessing that some published authors see us as second class citizens, no one told me that directly. I was the only person at the conference referring to myself openly as a blogger. However several of the attendees have their own websites. They just don’t update them on a regular basis. In general people were quite friendly and curious about the blogging world.

Blogging has several advantages over attempting to get a book published. The biggest upside is that as a blogger I can bypass all of the traditional gatekeepers and speak directly to my audience. By gatekeepers, I’m referring to agents, editors and publishers. It’s very frustrating to spend months on a book proposal or manuscript and have it dismissed by someone who probably only read the first paragraph. I’m not blaming agents and publishers; they get thousands of unsolicited proposals a year. As a blogger, I’ve got my work in front of lots of people every day. And while I may not get many comments, if my readership grows or remains stable, I know that I have generated some interest.

Writing for publication has advantages as well. You can work at your own pace. There is no pressure to post every day, and no need to stay current with the latest comings and goings. Also if you get an agent or publisher, you’ve got someone actively engaged in selling your work.

Writing is a lonely profession. I’ve spent hours at my desk carefully preparing proposals, only to get depressed wondering if anyone will ever read them. As a blogger I feel more connected. I can go online at any time and correspond with my colleagues at 451 Press. All in all I’m a happy blogger. Now if I could only find my way back to my own blog…

Last week I challenged you to sit down and write every day. I did for an hour every day, but that wasn’t the minimum time because I know not everyone can afford to write an hour every day.

I have to say, doing this has helped in so many ways. Because I gave myself such a big challenge (an hour or more), I not only had to write, but I also had to work on my time management skills elsewhere. I have now found a comfortable schedule I am quite fond of and works for me. I’ll continue to write every day as for as long as I can squeeze in the time.

It has also been great, of course, for my novel. I now have quite a few pages written and what I feel is a clearer path for the plot. My main character, who I spent many a time complaining about, is now a person a I feel I can work with. I also like my other characters more, which I attribute to…this must be the fourth or fifth rewrite, I think.

Overall, I consider this week’s challenge a success for me.

This week I challenge you to do something different, which is why it comes in two parts. It has to do with how much you plan out your writing before you actually write. Take either the current scene you are working on (if there is a while to go in it) or the scene after and…

…if you’re the type who maps out a scene before you write:

My challenge to you is to put all your diagrams, thought webs, charts, references, etc away. Now write the rest of the current scene or the next scene with no planning whatsoever. Just write, write, write, and let it take you wherever it goes.

…if you’re the type who never maps out a scene before you write:

My challenge to you is to take the rest of the current scene or the next scene to go and plan it out. If you aren’t familiar with doing that, you can use the basic chapter guide:

Chapter name and number:
Previous characters used:
New characters introduced:
Setting:
Important notes:
What happens:

It may not look like a lot of fun to you (either way), but this is an experiment in change. Your voice will never stay fresh if you don’t try new things with what you write, how you write, where you write… Understand what I’m saying?

Don’t keep jostling yourself so you never figure out what you really like, but try new things, including this week’s challenge. You might find you like the different way of doing it, or you may just renew your passion for your current style. Either is a very good thing.

I say … and you think … ?

1. Darling ::
2. Majesty ::
3. Pebble ::
4. Fate ::
5. Instant ::
6. Screen ::
7. Unplugged ::
8. Dairy ::
9. Benefactor ::
10. Market ::

Courtesy of Luna Nina