Jean M. Cogdell

True Love Waits

Published on February 12, 2015April 16, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

open_window-t2 — Thanks to Lillie McFerrin Writes

She waited and listened, sitting in the same chair for hours. The road remained silent and empty, just like the last year of her life.

Another day gone, one day left, his letter said this week. Her hand trembled as she moved to close the window and shut out the cool night air. In the distance, a cloud of dust clouded her vision and she ran to meet her love half-way.

What this about?

Lillie McFerrin Writes Five Sentence Fiction

Prompt -Open

Join in the fun, write a story in five words and join in the fun.

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A writing tip worth reading

Published on February 8, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell3 Comments

Get your story pacing right.

I’ve read many writing tips on story pacing. Bet you have too. Wish it were as easy as moving to the beat of a good song. If it were, I’d set up a metronome next to my computer. For me though getting the pacing right in a story is often times a combination of magic, mystery and dumb luck.

However, this morning’s newsletter from On The Premises, a Web-based fiction magazine, was an ah-ha moment for me.

In spite of a story, submitted for publication, flooring the judges with a killer ending the story was rejected.

Why was that story rejected?

Tarl Kudrick, co-publisher of On The Premises, explains in plain English their thought process and provides helpful suggestions too.

… I found its first half predictable and slow [… .]

Get a couple of good writing techniques.

… If you find yourself writing “the boring part” just to get to “the good part,” here are two techniques that should help[… .]

This critique helped me and I hope it will help you too.

Mr. Kudrick goes into detail on how to cut the purple prose get to the point and keep the story moving.

… What’s the absolutely shortest possible way to get the critical information to the reader?[…]

Free to submit – Cash prizes

On The Premises challenges writers to produce a great story based on a broad premise supplied by the editors. Entrants pay no fees, and winners receive cash prizes in addition to exposure through publication. The winners are published in new issues every four months. Opportunity for feedback and critiques are available.

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Get the info you need to publish on Kindle

Published on February 7, 2015February 7, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

Do you ever wonder…

How hard it is to self publish?

Should you self publish on Kindle?

Is there a secret to self publishing?

I don’t know about you but I love to do things the easy way.

Graeme Shimmin, Commercially published novelist shows you, not just the easy way but the right way, in 3 steps how to self publish.

He explains, in specifics, what every writer needs to do and how.

How to sign up on KDP
Understanding your copyrights
Converting to the correct format
Finding and selecting a book cover
Publishing Territories
Pricing and Royalty

Get Graeme Shimmin’s article:

How to Self Publish on Kindle in Three Easy Steps

Read how he makes self publishing simple.

Did you find this helpful? Then click and share with your Twitter and Facebook friends.

Spelling Homework

Published on February 5, 2015April 16, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell15 Comments

Mazie traced the letters and sounded out the words as we worked on her assignment.

My heart raced as flashes of depraved evil played in my mind and I dreaded explaining the word villainous to my sweet ten-year old.

I forced away the memories and focused as she read, “Wicked, bad, hateful… .”

She paused, tilted back her head and shrieked, “Oh, that’s Robbie and James when they pull my hair and chase me on the playground, they’re wicked, villainous boys.”

Her peals of laughter chased away the dark shadows of pain and I smiled relieved loving her more in her innocence.