Writing – Page 129 – Jean's Writing

Do you think your novel could be a novella?

Published on March 15, 2016May 3, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell17 Comments

This is something I’ve considered before.

Novel or Short Story, Part 2

Maybe I just need to wrap things up and call it a day.

Writing a novel is a daunting task. A finished novel, after editing and cutting, will be about 60,000 words. Which means I need to write about 80,000 or more. Gotta give the editor plenty to slash out of the manuscript. Sigh…

So maybe I should consider changing my goal.

Have you ever considered the novella?

There is a lot more wiggle room regarding word count, with a novella. Usually between 30 to 60,000. With fewer words, comes fewer characters, fewer scenes, and fewer conflicts. Story structure is still very important but with the novella, things happen fast. There isn’t time to drag out the tension nor room to waste words.

No, we must get to the point quickly, leading the reader to the climax with little detours.

How would you go about taking your current WIP and turning it into a novella?

Make an outline using 3 acts
Limit the characters to those necessary to the purpose of the story
Edit out unnecessary characters and subplots (this is hard)
Limit to one single but satisfying conflict, question or goal
Increase and build the pace toward the final conflict during the 3rd act.

Want to read more about writing a novella read the following article from Bridget over at Now Novel

How to write a novella: 6 essential tips

What do you think? Do you see a novella in your future?

Do you think it would be harder or easier to write a novella?

Still want more? Click and read Part 1:

Why Not Turn Novel into a Short Story?

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Do you know how to avoid a stale bio?

Published on March 14, 2016March 10, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell14 Comments

Not smothering your screen with Febreze, nope that’s not going to help at all.

I’ve been doing some housekeeping on my website lately and realized my bio needed a bit of updating too. So I wondered if maybe I might not be alone.

Do you need to update yours?

Like most things about writing, a bio needs editing and tweaking to keep it fresh. If you’re like me you spent hours writing a good description, posted and then forgot about it.

I mean writing about myself in the third person was embarrassing enough the first time much less revisiting it again and again.

However, as a writer, we are always evolving and changing and our bio should say that to a degree. And you need to have more than one bio.

Why? Because what works for your website may be too long for a contest but may not be long enough for an in-depth interview. And won’t work at all for a byline.

So what to do?

Write several now.

That way when the time comes you aren’t struggling to write one that meets the requirements of the publisher. You will only need to tweak it a bit.

Most ask for a third person bio, however on occasion, a first person is requested. As with all publishers, the rules are important. Read them carefully.

The things that should be included in a bio are pretty basic. Name, rank, etc.

However, don’t include:

I’ve been writing only 6 months and look how great I am. It’s taken 5 years to write this amazing novel. (really?)
I love writing! I love writing more than ice cream. (if you didn’t love to write you wouldn’t write.)
My husband thinks this will be a best selling novel! All of my friends love my book. (they don’t care.)
Copyrighted with the US Copyright Office, so don’t try and steal my story. (Geez.)
I have 5 kids, 3 cats and love to knit. (not important unless the book is a how to knit matching sweaters for kids and cats.)

So what type of bios do you need?

A short one sentence byline that can be tagged before an article:

Jean M. Cogdell, Author and blogger currently living in Texas.

A short paragraph bio, (usually 50 words or less) for contests and magazines.

Jean M. Cogdell, grew up in a small SC town, but now lives in Texas. Her first book, Tryout’s for Ben, available at Amazon.com. Published stories and essays in magazines, anthologies, and journals, online and at Amazon.com. Read about her writing and life on her website, at Jean’s Writing.

A longer paragraph for where requested.

Jean M. Cogdell, Author and founder of Jean’s Writing a blog dedicated to learning and sharing more about the art of writing. Her first book, Tryouts for Ben received a Five Star Review from Reader’s Favorite. The book is available at Amazon.com. She has published short stories and essays in various anthologies and journals, for more information, visit her website. Ms. Cogdell grew up in a small SC town near the Great Smoky Mountains but now resides in North Texas with her husband where she is currently working on a new book due out this Spring.

A website bio – Go crazy – Go wild – this is your page to shine!

Personal info about yourself, your blog, family and interests. This is where you can share whatever you think inquiring minds might want to read.

Tell me, when was the last time you updated your bio?

Do you have any special tips or tricks for a good bio?

Do share in the comments and reach out on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

To read more tips on writing a good bio click below:

5 Tips for Your Bio by Debra Eckerling

How to Write Your Bio for a Byline or Query by Suzannah Windsor Freeman

Replacing ugly truth with a lovely lie

Published on March 11, 2016March 10, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell15 Comments

In the old schoolhouse, Karen trembled as memories washed over her like waves of a Tsunami. She gasped for air. Her chest tightened. The pictures that flashed through her mind were not the memories she’d expected nor wanted. Where was the laughter of friends and good times? Ghosts mocked her from the darkened rooms as they moved amid the broken glass and thick dust of the past.

Reunions, even small ones with old flames sounded romantic. She’d been foolish, agreeing to meet Carter here of all places for one last trip down memory lane. I’d be fun he’d said. But there’d been a reason she’d avoided them all these years. Nothing fun about the bullies she’d dealt with every day. How had she forgotten what really happened? By replacing the ugly truth with a lovely lie, that was how.

Something skittered from the door on her left. She jumped out of its way and stumbled back almost landing on her ass. Mice, ghosts, and broken glass were all that remained of her shattered childhood. Karen spun around, turned her back on the old classrooms and hurried toward the entrance. Her heels clicked against the old speckled tile, the echo reminded her of Mrs. Marshall’s typing class. She took a deep breath, slowed her steps and the hammering in her chest eased. A glance at her watch brought tears to her eyes.

Or maybe Carter hadn’t changed. Older didn’t always mean better. The fading afternoon light brightened the front entrance and she let out a sigh of relief. Just a few more feet and she’d be outside within reach of her car.

A metal latch clanged in the distance as a door slammed. She stopped and listened. Footsteps, she heard footsteps. Karen looked over her shoulder but saw nothing in the dim distance of the dark hallway. She raced toward the front door and stepped into the fading evening light. She refused to be the subject of one more joke. Not here in this damned house of horrors.#amwriting

Describli Writing Prompts

In the old schoolhouse

I hope you enjoyed my effort at a writing prompt. Haven’t done one in a while, felt a bit rusty. I can’t tell y’all how much it means to have the encouragement of this community. Thanks everyone.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thanks for stopping by my blog.
You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

How to write a good foundation

Published on March 10, 2016March 7, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell15 Comments

Start with the straight talk about world building that I need.

If I needed it, then I thought maybe someone else needed a bit of help too. I’ve never written a futuristic, or historical story. So I’ve never felt the need to do a lot of world building. However, as of late, I’ve begun to feel my stories needed more depth.

Even when writing in the here and now, we need to flesh out the world around our characters. More than just the who, what and when.

Things to remember:

Community: Is it open, or restricted? What about schools, churches, stores, markets? Who are the neighbors? Traditions and rituals? Standard of living, social conduct, friendly or reserved?
Who is in charge of the family, community, town, school, company or wherever your story is centered?
What about money and jobs? Do your main characters work? What kind of jobs are available? Why? Why not?
What type of technology is used? Or do they use technology? Why or why not?
How do your characters communicate? Text, phones, mind to mind?
What happens if someone becomes ill or breaks the rules?

Thanks to Heather Jackson I now have these questions and more to help me build my “now” world for my WIP.

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What about you?

Do you build the world around your characters or do you let your characters evolve first and then the world come into focus later?

Need help? Then you will love this article by Heather Jackson, click the link below and read her handy checklist.

1 Key Question for Worldbuilding (+ A Handy Checklist)

Thanks for stopping by my blog. You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.