Live Write Thrive | Insights, inspiration, and practical advice for writers

Time 2020-09-19 16:05:38

Web Name: Live Write Thrive | Insights, inspiration, and practical advice for writers

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When I think about the many novels I’ve written, I realize I don’t always start with a plot idea. Sometimes a topic or theme intrigues me, or I’ll have an image of a character in the throes of a moral dilemma. I remember reading about how C. S. Lewis came up with his Narnia series. He had a picture in his mind of a faun carrying a parcel and an umbrella through a snowy wood. From there, the The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe sprang into existence.The novel I’m currently writing, a supernatural thriller called Lightning Man, also was sparked by a picture in my head. I saw a man at the top of a mountain, his arms outstretched in a messianic surrender to the heavens, willing lightning to strike him for the tenth time, intending to stop a terrorist by sacrificing his life as he grips the bad guy. From there I had to ask a lot of questions to find my story, and I encourage you to do the same with the ideas that excite you.I wove a complex plot around that character and climactic moment I saw in my head (it’s taken me a couple of years, but it’s all in place now). But it all started with a picture of a nebulous character.For my novel Someone to Blame, I started with  the word blame. You could call it a theme or topic. I wanted to explore the ways people blame themselves and others and the damage and hurt blame causes. From that germ of an idea, a plot developed—a story about a family who’ve suffered the loss of two sons and moved to a new town hoping to start over, only to get drawn into a heavy drama that mires the town in blame and subsequent danger. Continue Reading Today s guest post is by Emma Eggleston.Writing is your passion. You spend hours dreaming up the perfect characters and their marvelous adventures, months writing the first draft, and weeks rewriting, editing, and tweaking your work.All your friends and family have read your manuscript, and they absolutely love it. You are at the point where you are satisfied with the story you have created. You research the top literary agents for your genre, craft a flawless query, cross your fingers, and bravely send out your submissions.Then, you wait.Slowly, the responses start trickling into your in-box. Your heart starts to race as you click that email notification and prepare yourself to read the message. Your eyes quickly scan the words, and your stomach drops when you realize it’s a no.Time after time, you find yourself facing rejection. Your book is your baby; your characters are your best friends. You would be lying if you said the rejection didn’t hurt. Now, you are questioning whether or not your book is as good as you thought. Months of sacrifice and weekends spent agonizing over your manuscript only to receive disappointing responses leaves you feeling like throwing in the towel altogether. Continue Reading Today s guest post is by author Noelle Sterne.Mainly a nonfiction writer, for years I promised myself I’d write a novel. I finally plunged in, and of course it was daunting. Inching along, I learned many things—and scribbled them down instead of working on the next chapter.Here I offer you twenty-four of these lessons. Whether you’re an aspiring novelist, in the throes of writing your first or thirty-fifth novel, or petrified at any stage, I hope these lessons help in your wars with your own works. Continue Reading Subscribe to My Blog Enter your e-mail address to get all weekly posts delivered to you: Don t wander aimlessly strategize your career! Sign up for my newsletter to get cool news and offers and your free ebook.Send me my free ebook! New! An extensive online video course that will teach you to become an emotional master. Learn the secrets to showing emotion in characters and evoking emotions in readers!CLICK HERE to ENROLL Take my FREE email course to learn how to get your books discovered! It's free!CLICK HERE to get your first email! Want a One-On-One Consultation?Get the professional feedback you need! Want to write great books? Not just so-so ones? Whether you're writing your first book or your tenth, you can benefit from a critique.Affordable, insightful, and thorough, my critiques will fast-track you in your writing career. What are you waiting for? Submit your pages here! Testimonials Susanne went above and beyond, making important plot suggestions and pointing out holes in the story, along with providing an excellent job of line editing and proofreading. Nice job, quickly and effectively done. Richard Mabry, MD, authorThe Prescription for Trouble Series Susanne is more than an editor; she cares about your book as if it were her own. As a first-time author, I appreciated Susanne s help, which was essential to me publishing a quality book.  I simply can t thank her enough. My book went on to win first place in the 2015 Feathered Quill Book Awards! W. Lawrence, authorSyncing Forward Susanne s critique service is really top-notch. I love the fast but thorough work that she does every single time. My book she critiqued called I Won t Cry hit three best-seller lists right away, and I could not have done it without her. Shaquanda Dalton, authorI Won't Cry Working with Susanne has been fabulous. She has a wonderful sense of what works and what doesn t without moving away from the heart of the story. I am thrilled with the job she has done on my current work in progress, and I no longer have to stress about how my book is going to turn out. I have a great editor to take all the hassle out of the process! I am so excited to have found her. Thanks, Susanne you are a blessing! Elena Dillon, authorBreathe Susanne is a writer with a wonderful imagination and also a gifted copyeditor, able to point out a wide range of necessary improvements in manuscripts while remaining completely positive and encouraging. A great writing mentor! Grace Bridges, publisher, authorFaith Awakened Susanne is always accessible and eager to help. With years of writing experience and several books already tucked into the completed file, she comes at the craft of writing with a tool belt full of knowledge and creativity. She tackles editing with the heart of a mentor. One aspect I especially appreciate in the help I ve received from Susanne is her dedication, which translates into always finishing the job. I would highly recommend her. Catherine Leggitt, authorPayne and Misery Susanne Lakin, already a gem of a novelist, shines with extra brilliance through the facets of her superb editing and critiquing services. Susanne took our good work and made it great through her remarkable ability to find and fix subtle problems that would nag at a reader s subconscious, yet in her editing never stole the heart or the voice of our work. Some editors rush a job when it comes in with a short deadline. Susanne did not. Above all, Susanne is lovingly blunt, but not confrontational. I don t want an editor who glosses over trouble just to keep my business. Her commitment to good writing is always the first focus in her reviews. I ll go back to Susanne Lakin often—for quality work, for quick work, for a helping spirit, and for exacting honesty. She s a diamond in the world of editors and critiquing services. Austin Boyd, authorThe Proof (2007) and H2O The Novel Susanne was terrific to work with! She is a wonderful editor who caught my mistakes, smoothed out my writing, and made my final product much better. I really appreciated her prompt replies to my questions and her clear, thorough explanations of suggested changes to my manuscript. I would highly recommend Susanne for a great editing experience and for a final product you will be proud of. John Claeys, authorApocalypse 2012 Susanne doesn t change the mood of your work, she smooths out the wrinkles. She taught me things to spice up and improve my style. Her help resulted in my first novel winning the CSP Book of the Year 2010 Award for fiction. The publisher could not have made a better choice. Pola Muzyka, authorAbducted to Kill Our lives are shaped from the books we read; therefore, the most valuable job to both publisher and author is their editor. Editor Susanne Lakin is a gifted wordsmith, coach, and mentor. Our authors have grown and learned from Susanne’s professional editorial direction without losing their voice. As a small book publisher, we are grateful to Susanne for always completing projects ahead of schedule and under budget. Alice Nicholas, publisherPecan Row Press Susanne made the difference between my being unpublished and moving on to publication. Within months after her stellar edits, a publisher sent me a contract for my Middle Grade novel, and now my first book has been published. Thank you, Susanne, for making my dream come true. Jeanne Williams, authorJust Claire Editing is the best form of book promotion an author has at his disposal. In many ways, a book is only as good as its editor and is frequently the medium that distinguishes professional writers from amateurs. My sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Lakin for her professional polish that makes my book shine. Dawn Mattox, authorThe Advocate-Ritual Abuse Susanne Lakin performed CPR on my novella and brought it back to life with incredible skill. Worth every penny! I intend to use her for my next project too. Thanks, Susanne! Renee Yancey, authorHave Cash, Will Marry Susanne is a concise, dynamic, and artistic writer. Her dedication, care, and attention to detail pushed me to revisit my work with new insight. I was able to delve deeply into my soul and  create a memoir worthy of publication. Being associated with her was like touching gold, and under her guidance I grew from an aspiring writer to an author. My success is due to Susanne, and I am forever grateful and blessed to know her. C. C. Gross, authorRising Up from a Long Way Down Susanne Lakin has both the heart and skills that make her an exceptional editor and coach. I was dead in the water with my manuscript unsure where to find the help I needed to move forward until I discovered Susanne. She became the wind in my sails, and I m thrilled to say I m now ready to publish! Rod Smith, authorHoly Libido Susanne s editorial skills were amazing, not only is she fast but also very accurate as she had been able pick out the numerous needles in the haystack in a record time without missing any. The best thing about working with her is that I believe the story and the voice are noticeably improved without being changed much. Betsy Cheung, author2018 Susanne is an amazing editor. She worked with patience and skills to improve my manuscript to perfection. She is also a great motivator with encouraging reminders, and kept urging me with ambiguous sentences until I got them right. Now my book shines thanks to her expertise. Lilian Gafni, authorFlower from Castile Trilogy: The Alhambra Decree I was just a writer before working with Susanne Lakin—she made me an author. Her developmental suggestions made all the difference in my book. She’s fast and fair, and easy to work with. Cathy Fiorelli, authorAl Capone Had a Lovely Mother Susanne made a ton of comments and suggestions on my manuscript, giving me much to think about, and in the end, a better book. She really knows how to push you to make your writing stronger and to get it to the place it needs to be. I would highly recommend her. Sandi Greene, authorIf I Let You Go If you want to look at your manuscript through a totally new perspective and really see what works and what does not, then I cannot recommend Susanne Lakin s editorial services enough! Brannon Hollingsworth, author Skein of Shadows After Susanne critiqued my second book, I returned for a critique of my third. Her insight and expertise were immensely helpful in guiding multiple rewrites prior to publishing. Joyce V. Harrison, authorBlue Flamingo Susanne is a wonderful editor with the soul of a teacher. She has a rare gift for combining honesty, kindness, and encouragement. Her critiques inspire me to dig deeply into my story and her suggestions empower me to improve my craft. I am so much more confident in my skills and excited about my writing, and I look forward to learning even more from her feedback on my sequel. Sara Butler, authorNative Storm Having C. S. Lakin edit my manuscript was easily the single most important step to taking my novel to a professional level. A worthwhile investment I intend to make for the next one. Christopher Michael, AuthorThe Thorn Guard of Cyranessa Much of her advice was easy fixes, but there were times Susanne made me think. I ve really appreciated that about her, and my writing skills are better because of her expertise. I highly recommend Susanne for anyone s editorial needs. She proved herself to me and amazed me with her spot on advice and suggestions. Jean Williams, authorJust Claire Susanne critiqued and edited my manuscript. She is a master at getting inside a story and suggesting ways to make it shine.  And she is a pro at helping with character development, bringing  personalities to life on the page.  Through Susanne’s editing, I learned to become a better writer. Bo Kearns, authorAshes in a Coconut I highly recommend Susanne Lakin’s services. As a new author, after reading her edited version of my book, I went from reluctant excitement about publishing, to fully charged excitement. Thank you, Susanne, for your expertise and the extra boost of confidence. Jamie Hope, authorRevelations A thousand thanks, to Susanne Lakin for her editing guidance and expertise. Writing is a private journey best carried out wearing all-day pajamas with only the dog to offer feedback. When a writer tests the waters of outside readers, he or she must be very brave. Susanne uses her writer’s talent to take would-be authors beyond their solitary space and make them the best they can be. Linda Merlino, authorRoom of Tears Susanne is a pleasure to work with and professional in every aspect. Her expertise can help you take a rough draft and transform it into a manuscript you are proud to present. Her editing skills and detailed critiques were invaluable. Earl Hardy, authorThe Man Who Loved Cats I can’t thank Susanne enough for her insight and advice as an editor and writing coach. Working with her on my book was a joy. God has truly gifted her, and I highly recommend her expertise. Perry Perret, authorTwisted Wolf I have worked with other freelance editors; of them all Susanne was the best. Her feedback, attention to detail, and especially her critiques and suggestions brought new dimensions to my work that helped me improve my craft substantially. Thank you, Susanne. James Knight, author The Book Every Novelist Must Have! Finally, a comprehensive, practical blueprint for constructing a terrific novel--every time! This writing craft book will show you how to go from idea to complete novel a step at a time. Available in print and ebook format! Buy it here on Amazon, in print or as an ebook! Available in all formats online.Purchase the companion workbook here! Seek and Destroy Your Fatal Flaws The ultimate resource to help fiction writers identify and ferret out the fatal flaws in their prose. A must-have for every serious writer. More than 60 Before and After passages.Available in print and ebook format! Buy it here on Amazon, in print or as an ebook! Available in all formats online. Learn the Secret to Show, Don t Tell Best-selling authors of every genre know the secret to hooking readers—by showing, not telling, their story. But writers are not taught how to “show” scenes in a cinematic way. Now you can learn the techniques to bring your story to life!Buy Shoot Your Novel here on Amazon. Learn How to Write the Heart of Your Story Do you want to write a good or a great novel? To reach a reader's heart, you must get to the heart of your story. This best-selling book will show you how!Buy it here on Amazon! Got Grammar? Take the pain out of learning good grammar! With short, sometimes snarky entries, Say What? provides answers to your most common questions at your fingertips. Buy Say What? here on Amazon. Categories 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction First Pages Nailing Scene Structure Novel Structure Say What? Shoot Your Novel The Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing The Heart of Your Story Throwback Thursday Uncategorized Writing for Life Writing Nonfiction 2020Live Write Thrive|Powered by the Standard Theme STRATEGIC PLANNING IN 4 EASY STEPSDon't wander aimlessly—strategize your writing career!  Sign up for my newsletter and get cool updates on releases, special offers, and your free ebook!

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