Writing – Page 132 – Jean's Writing

What is the best advice you ever received?

Published on February 26, 2016February 24, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

To read for pleasure.

I’ve forgotten where I grabbed that bit of sage advice, but every time I hit a dry well, I stop digging and start reading.

The worst advice I’ve ever heard is to just sit down and write. If it were that fucking easy I’d be a Pulitzer prize winner by now. My computer is filled with gibberish from the times I followed that advice. And trust me nothing is more frustrating for this writer than typing gibberish.

If that’s how you feel sometimes then go read something that makes you laugh, or scares the crap out of you.

A good book is like a great vacation.

We all need a good vacation, a break from our muse and the characters that drive us. So take a break and get lost between the pages of the good, the bad and the wonderful tales written by another author.

After you get back all rested, refreshed, and inspired – write!

Read what famous authors have to say about writing advice, click the following article.

Get to Work: On the Best Advice Writers Ever Received By SARAH ANNE JOHNSON

So tell me, what is the best writing advice you ever received?

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

How To Add Your Twitter Username to Your WordPress Blog

Published on February 25, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell2 Comments

This bugs me too!

If I read your post, I tweet it. Plain and simple. I believe it’s the polite and courteous thing to do. My time is valuable, so I’m not going to waste it reading a post if I’m not going to send it on to the social world.

However, if the connection is broken… Well, it’s very frustrating. I feel my efforts to share have been thwarted. Ooh, I love that word, thwarted.

If you’re worried that may happen to your website. Head over to hughsviewsandnews.com and read the following article. Make sure your website is set up so people can send your post out into the world-wide-web.

How To Add Your Twitter Username To Your WordPress Blog

Source: How To Add Your Twitter Username to Your WordPress Blog

And thanks go to Chris over at the Story Reading Ape for another good link!

What about y’all, does it bug you when you try to share a good post only to find a broken link?

How to Make EVERY Page of Your Story Interesting

Published on February 25, 2016February 24, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

Kristen Lamb knocked it out of the park again with this post by Alex Limberg.

I mean, who doesn’t want to make every single page interesting?

I know I do!

Click, read and enjoy!

Source: How to Make EVERY Page of Your Story Interesting

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

What do you need to win a writing contest?

Published on February 24, 2016February 21, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell8 Comments

If I knew, for certain, I’d be a big winner!

I’ve come close a few times, but sigh… I’m still working on grabbing the brass ring.

It’s another year and contests are starting to crop up again. But, if I’m to jump in those deep waters, I want to give myself the best chance of winning. That brings up the question. How?

What can we do to swing the odds in our favor in the face of fierce competition?

winner-1013979_640

After you’ve written that story make sure you’ve hit all the basics. If you’re looking for an edge, check out the following tips.

Engage the reader emotionally.
- Give the reader a reason to love or hate the protagonist.
  - Even in a short or flash piece emotions should run hot.
Be unpredictable.
- Don’t be cliché, or if you must put an original twist on an old cliché.
Don’t put the reader to sleep.
- Keep them on the edge of their seat from line one.
  - I’ve been guilty of rambling on and on about something I thought was important but wasn’t.
Give the reader a satisfying ending.
- Don’t leave them hungry.
  - There’s a difference in a cliff hanger and a bad taste.
Lead the reader down a clear path.
- Don’t leave them wondering what the hell just happened?
  - (Oops, just used a cliché.)
Let the reader breathe.
- Fast, slow, short and long, the pacing helps go the distance.
Know the rules.
- And follow them.
  - I must confess, I’ve blown this more than once.

Want to read more about avoiding contest mistakes?

Click and read this post. Do You Make These 7 Big Mistakes When Entering Story Contests? By Dr John Yeoman, PhD, Founder of Writers’ Village

So, do tell. Are you going to enter more or less contests this year?

Are you too busy publishing or writing that great American Novel?

Have you won any writing contests lately?

What was your secret?

Tell us in the comments section and you can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to with a click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.