Here is The Writer's Challenge:
Write 1000 words a day - that's about 4 manuscript pages - every day, come hell or high water, until your novel is written. Then get an agent. Then get it published.
This is the year you write your novel!
I'm updating weekly-ish and whenever something exciting happens, so please come back often, browse the archived information, and use the search feature to find information! Learn more about my books at ShoshannaEvers.com
Yesterday I actually worked on the plot of "Snowed in With a Millionaire", just like I said I would. I think the power outage that knocked out my internet helped - all I could do was use my laptop to write until the battery died! If it wasn't for that power outage I very well could have spent hours looking for the perfect sink for my bathroom renovation.
Right now I'm reading "Ruthless Awakening" by Sara Craven, a Harlequin Presents novel. So far I am really enjoying it.
In my writing class last night, Maureen, who has written a children's book, was told by our teacher that she should write a query letter and see about getting it published. I'm slightly jealous since I haven't heard any comments like that yet for "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant", but she's got a great story so I hope it sells.
And on that note, I wanted to share some information I found about writing for children. The suggestions regarding revision really hold true for any type of writing. From cbiclubhouse.com, "The Community for Success-Minded Children's Book Writers", here are five ways to make your children's book manuscript shine before you send it to a publisher.
Today I will be continuing my work on "Snowed in With a Millionaire". I have to get the plotting done before NaNoWriMo starts next month!!
Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers
Yesterday, instead of writing, I ripped the sink out of my bathroom (ah, the joys of a DIY bathroom renovation). I did, however, review a couple of notes my writing teacher, Vinnie Daquino, made about my novel "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant." All in all it seems like the people in my class are enjoying my book, which makes me very happy - and slightly less afraid to send it out into the world. Just not yet.
Today I wanted to share with you writing advice from the great Ray Bradbury. He has published about 500 novels, short stories and poems, so he knows what he is talking about.
Usually I do love writing - it's why I do it so much. I especially love the feeling of creating something new - perhaps that's why I have a drawer filled with the first 30 to 50 pages of a novel, and then I let it go and start something new. At least I have two completed novels under my belt (even if one of them, a young adult horror novel entitled "Ambition" is truly awful).
And during the month of November, just 24 days from now, I will write "Snowed In With a Millionaire." And I will blog about it.
But for today... today I will work on the plot of "Snowed In" and try not to obsess to much about my bathroom renovations.
My work on "Snowed in With a Millionaire" is really not going so well. Part of the problem is that I am renovating my bathroom and every free second I have is spent googling info about that! My only consolation is the knowledge that NaNoWriMo is coming up and I have to have my plot outline completed by November 1st or I will be writing by the seat of my pants.
One of my fellow students in my Advanced Writing Workshop suggested that my novel "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant" would make a good movie. I told her thanks but I have no desire to write screenplays and be in that whole scene. I used to want to be a screenwriter. I wrote two feature film length scripts, one of which I actually produced myself. It made an awful movie, to be honest.
But at the time I read a book called "Writing Scripts Hollywood Will Love: An Insider's Guide to Film and Television Scripts that Sell" by Katherine Atwell Herbert. I just pulled it off my shelf to review for you, dear reader.
It's brutally honest, which is a good thing. It gives the advice that it's super hard to break into the business - practically impossible - and that you have to know how to market yourself and schmooze to get in. You also have to live in Los Angeles. This is what the book says, and I believe it. When I was into script writing, I too lived in L.A. I guess now that I'm writing novels it's good I live in New York!
It talks a bit about how you should only write prose that is needed to show what the audience will see and let the dialogue do the rest.
I'm so not into screenwriting anymore that the whole concept is foreign to me now. I love how in a novel you can really get into a character's head. Not so much with a script - you have to leave it up to the actor to portray whatever he is thinking.
The book is pretty old (1994), so there are probably newer, better books about screenwriting out there - but I will not be buying them.
Today I am going to get obsessed about renovating my bathroom and probably ignore my own personal writer's challenge to get my plotting done. I'm being honest here. But hopefully I'll feel guilty enough to work on my work-in-progress at least a little bit.
Wish me luck, and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers
Sorry I'm putting this up so late today, I was having technical difficulties. I won't bore you with them but suffice to say I couldn't post a new blog till now. Grrr.
Yesterday I put my revisions for "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant" into the computer and emailed them to my Advanced Writing Class, who liked them. I didn't do any plotting for "Snowed in With a Millionaire". I know, I know, what is wrong with me? The good news is that I now have a real deadline - I need to have this outline finished by the end of October because I have to write the whole novel in the month of November! Yes, you heard me. I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo this year.
Now, you're probably wondering what a good Jewish girl like me is doing blogging about writing Christian Romance. But maybe you're interested in writing inspirational romance that's faith based. I like the idea since I consider myself very spiritual and even a bit religious (Jewish though of course) but my understanding is they really want you to be Christian to write for them. One of the interesting things about writing inspirational romance is they have extremely specific rules that must be followed. Here is what Steeple Hill requires, from eHarlequin.com:
Mission Statement
Steeple Hill’s fiction program features wholesome Christian entertainment that will help women to better guide themselves, their families and other women in their communities toward purposeful, faith-driven lives.
Length: 55,000–60,000 words
Executive Editor: Joan Marlow Golan
Senior Editor in charge of line: Melissa Endlich
Senior Editor: Tina James
Assistant Editor: Emily Rodmell
Editorial Assistant: Sarah McDaniel
Editorial office: New York Heartwarming Inspirational Romance
The Love Inspired line is a series of contemporary, inspirational romances that feature Christian characters facing the many challenges of life and love in today's world.
Each story should have an emotional, satisfying and mature romance; however, the characters should not make love unless they are married. These are "sweet" romances. Any physical interactions (i.e., kissing, hugging) should emphasize emotional tenderness rather than sexual desire or sensuality. Please avoid any mention of nudity.
All stories should focus on one hero and heroine who meet as early in the book as possible. The hero and heroine should be on the page together in the first chapter—the first page is even better. By the end of the story the main characters should be in a committed relationship.
In addition, we are looking for opening chapters that are compelling and grab the reader’s attention from the first line of the story. Some ways to create effective openings are to employ dialogue, keep paragraphs short, or open with a dramatic situation. Ineffective openings tend to occur when there is little or no dialogue or the author focuses on background and setup (e.g., heroine is in a car/bus/train/plane, reviewing the reasons why she is returning to or leaving her hometown).
Drama, humor and even a touch of mystery all have a place in the series. Foul language, taking the Lord’s name in vain, euphemisms for curses (heck, darn, gosh) and scenes containing violent content do not. Any subplots should come directly from the main story. Secondary characters (children, family, friends, neighbors, fellow church members, etc.) can also help contribute to a substantial and gratifying story. Stories should be in the third person. Stories can have international settings, though the main characters should be North American.
An element of faith must be present in the books, and should be well-integrated into the plot. The conflict between the main characters should be an emotional one, arising naturally from the story. And the progression of the story must incorporate the faith journey of hero and heroine, whether struggling to accept faith or simply being active members of their church community. By the end of the story, hero and heroine must be both believers and members of a church community.
Because Steeple Hill sells to both CBA and ABA bookstores, we must adhere to CBA conventions. The stories may not include alcohol consumption by Christian characters, card playing, gambling or games of chance (including raffles), explicit scatological terms, hero and heroine remaining overnight together alone, Halloween celebrations, magic or the mention of intimate body parts. Lying is also problematic in the CBA market and characters who are Christian should avoid lying or deceiving others. Exceptions can be made but must be approved by an editor.
We are looking for authors writing from a Christian worldview and conveying their personal faith and ministry values in entertaining fiction that will touch the hearts of believers and seekers everywhere.
See, I'm not sure I'd be able to convey my "ministry values". Plus I love sexual tension in stories, and that's a big no-no here.
Yesterday DH and I saw the movie "Surrogates" with Bruce Willis. It was good - it kinda made me want a surrogate...
Today I will work on "Snowed In With A Millionaire". Wish me luck and good luck to you too!
Yesterday I (gasp!) didn't get a chance to update this blog! I felt terribly guilty about it, but DH and I took the baby up to visit family in the country for the afternoon. The day wasn't a complete wash, writing-wise. While my hubby as using the computer last night (effectively keeping me from working on my "Snowed in With a Millionaire" plot, I took my hardcopy of "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant" and made a few key revisions that I had gone over with my Advance Writing Workshop. We will be buying a new laptop soon.
Today I wanted to talk about NaNoWriMo - that's National Novel Writing Month. It's coming up, starting November 1st! The goal for the month is to write an entire first draft - 50,000 words by computer word count - in one month. This year, I'm going to do it! I'm very excited. There will be many other crazy people like me doing the exact same thing, so I'll have lots of support. One of the rules is you can outline and plot all you want ahead of time, but you can't actually start writing until November 1st. So since it's taking me forever to plot "Snowed in with a Millionaire", I will finish outlining and plotting this month, in October, and then start actual writing in November.
Here is some info about NaNoWriMo from their website, nanowrimo.org.
There are three reasons.
1) If you don't do it now, you probably never will. Novel writing is mostly a "one day" event. As in "One day, I'd like to write a novel." Here's the truth: 99% of us, if left to our own devices, would never make the time to write a novel. It's just so far outside our normal lives that it constantly slips down to the bottom of our to-do lists. The structure of NaNoWriMo forces you to put away all those self-defeating worries and START. Once you have the first five chapters under your belt, the rest will come easily. Or painfully. But it will come. And you'll have friends to help you see it through to 50k.
2) Aiming low is the best way to succeed. With entry-level novel writing, shooting for the moon is the surest way to get nowhere. With high expectations, everything you write will sound cheesy and awkward. Once you start evaluating your story in terms of word count, you take that pressure off yourself. And you'll start surprising yourself with a great bit of dialogue here and a ingenious plot twist there. Characters will start doing things you never expected, taking the story places you'd never imagined. There will be much execrable prose, yes. But amidst the crap, there will be beauty. A lot of it.
3) Art for art's sake does wonderful things to you. It makes you laugh. It makes you cry. It makes you want to take naps and go places wearing funny pants. Doing something just for the hell of it is a wonderful antidote to all the chores and "must-dos" of daily life. Writing a novel in a month is both exhilarating and stupid, and we would all do well to invite a little more spontaneous stupidity into our lives.
Here's a video I found on Youtube about a girl doing NaNoWriMo. THIS GIRL IS NOT ME. I don't even know her name - but she seems to have a genuine excitement for NaNoWriMo that I find positively inspiring, so check it out.
Today I am going to put my revisions into the computer for "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant", but I'm not sure how much I'll get accomplished past that because we're going to visit family again today and to see a movie (Surrogates with Bruce Willis - I'll let you know how it is.)
Yesterday I got nothing done on my plotting fro "Snowed in With a Millionaire". I could give a million excuses (the upcoming full moon, PMS, fussy baby, etc) but what it boils down to is I just wasn't feeling it. Stupid, I know. I tried to write a short story to get my flow going but that ended up just being stale and boring. So I rented a romantic comedy ("Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" with Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. It hit the spot - it cheered me up.
I got some good feedback on Chapter 3 of "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant" from my writing class, so I want to work on that as well, but I have a feeling that is not going to happen just yet if I want to overcome my writer's block and just get going with "Snowed in With a Millionaire". By the way, I read somewhere that romance editors don't like actors, artists, or athletes as their heroes, so my book will probably never see the light of day, but whatever. At least I can get it in good shape.
I wanted to put some information I found in an article by Nina Munteanu about writing a great opening to a novel. You can read the whole thing at writing-novels.suite101.com.
Arouse, Delay, Reward
The writer arouses interest in the reader by providing enough detail to get the reader to ask questions. Now they want something. You tease them with the delay; that keeps them reading and turning the pages. It also gives them the chance to try to come up with the answers themselves. The reward comes in stages. Don’t answer all their questions at once. That’s what the book—the story—is for.
I had big plans for today but so far it has been all about running around - I took the baby to visit my hubby at work for lunch, and then I had a doctor's appointment, flu shot, etc so suddenly it is 5:30pm and I am just sitting down to write this blog, much less get started on my work.
I'm going to just bite the bullet and get to work, since tomorrow we're supposed to drive up to the country to visit family and I don't know if I'll be getting anything done at all.
Wish me luck and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers
Avoid starting your story at the beginning: instead, start mid-way, when something is already happening.
Quell the urge to put a lot of information about setting, character and situation: get things in motion first, then fill in slowly here and there. Let the details unfold with the story.
Avoid starting your story at the beginning: instead, start mid-way, when something is already happening.
Quell the urge to put a lot of information about setting, character and situation: get things in motion first, then fill in slowly here and there. Let the details unfold with the story.
Avoid starting your story at the beginning: instead, start mid-way, when something is already happening.
Quell the urge to put a lot of information about setting, character and situation: get things in motion first, then fill in slowly here and there. Let the details unfold with the story.
Avoid starting your story at the beginning: instead, start mid-way, when something is already happening.
Quell the urge to put a lot of information about setting, character and situation: get things in motion first, then fill in slowly here and there. Let the details unfold with the story.
Avoid starting your story at the beginning: instead, start mid-way, when something is already happening.
Quell the urge to put a lot of information about setting, character and situation: get things in motion first, then fill in slowly here and there. Let the details unfold with the story.
Avoid starting your story at the beginning: instead, start mid-way, when something is already happening.
Quell the urge to put a lot of information about setting, character and situation: get things in motion first, then fill in slowly here and there. Let the details unfold with the story.
Last night I had my Advanced Writing Workshop, which was fun. I sent Chapter 3 out to the teacher to review, and it looks like I need to tweak my opening scene for Chapter 1. But the big news is that I renamed my novel! Maureen, a woman in my writing class who reads as many romance novels as I do, suggested that "Marrying a Movie Star" isn't an appropriate title because they don't marry as part of the plot. She's right, of course. So now I have renamed it (drumroll please) "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant". Fun, right?
I am a little concerned about my word count for "Movie Star", however. I am confused as to whether Silhouette is using computer word count or 250 x pages word count. Because if it's computer word count, then I am like 10K words short! I've been searching on the internet for the answer and I keep getting conflicting advice.
Yesterday I worked on my plot for "Snowed in with a Millionaire", and I realized what I need to do today - I need to open up a new document and start plotting all over again from page 1. Of course, the past two weeks and 30 pages of plotting that I have already done will be in my head, but I think what's hindering me is it's all jumbled in my head. I need to start fresh.
I wanted to share with you an interview with Stephanie Meyer, the author of the "Twilight" series. She discusses how she started writing and how she ended up getting published. I bet the ten agents that rejected her query are kicking themselves now!!
I'm a huge fan of Stephanie Meyer, but I gotta say, I am also insanely jealous. What an unbelievable story she has!
Today I am going to restart on a fresh document my plotting for "Snowed in with a Millionaire."
