#amreading – Page 21 – Jean's Writing

The waiting is over! He’s here!

Published on November 13, 2015November 12, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell16 Comments

Friday the 13th has always been a lucky day for our family, so I’m thrilled to announce Tryouts for Ben is now available at Amazon.com today!

Yes, Ben made it even with all my jumbling, fumbling and amateurish attempts to bring him into this world.

Whew! It feels as though I’ve just birthed a baby elephant instead of a book.

For some, writing and self-publishing a book, of any size, in paper and e-format is easy. They share instructions on how to self-publish in 3 easy steps or maybe 10. I read article after article, followed steps 1 through infinity and more times than not, ended up with a scrambled mess.

But I eventually got to the end. Even if I traveled terrain as rough as the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Seems as if I go about every project the hard way.

However, today is not for whiners. It’s a day of celebration!!

Small though Ben may be, he’s my first and I’m one proud mama.

Please hop over to Amazon and check out my little man.

To get your copy, click on this image….

Now that I’ve conquered Amazon and Createspace I’m off to try my hand at Ingram-Spark.

A big thank you to everyone who helped me achieve this goal.

And a giant thanks for all the encouragement from my blogging community.

Without all of you, I don’t know if I would’ve preserved.

I hope some of you will read about Ben and share it with the young readers in your family.

After you read Tryouts for Ben, please leave a review on Amazon. (Hopefully a kind review.) Book reviews are so important and much appreciated.

Next, a big book! LOL

Leave me a comment and look for me @jeancogdell on Twitter and jean.cogdell on Facebook!

And don’t forget, pay it forward with a click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

Need a good read for the weekend?

Published on November 12, 2015November 11, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Well, I’ve got two for you!

First up, I received an advance copy of this book and boy am I glad.

The Knowing by Ninie Hammon is a hold on to your seat, gripping story that will give you nightmares.

She is the author of one of my all time favorite books, The Memorie Closet. Her new release The Knowing is just as amazing. Can’t wait for the next one.

Page one and I was hooked! Ripped from the headlines, this book is every parents nightmare, Shooter on campus of elementary school. The impact of the shooting on the characters will give any reader pause. Lives are changed as everyone searches for answers.

I’m not a big believer in angels or demons and so I rarely read books on the subject. But, I could not put down The Knowing. The writing and her ability to weave a remarkable story, kept me reading. Move over Stephen King there’s a new bestseller in town.

Congrats! To Ninie Hammon, she hit this one out of the park.

My next recommendation is-

Take Off Your Pants – Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker.

If you are like me, you’ve more “how to” books than you’ll ever read. But this is one you must add to your library. She makes planning your book simple.

Don’t like to outline? No problem.

Prefer to write by the seat of your pants? No problem.

This book gives a plan for combining the best of both writers.

Plus, Ms. Hawker explains “character arc” in terms even a kid can understand. For the first time ever, I “got it.”

This book changed my entire thought process on mapping out a book.

If you’ve had trouble with outlines and characters, I recommend you read Take off Your Pants!

So there you have it, two books for your weekend reading pleasure.

Leave a comment and tell me what you think, read any good books lately? And please join me @jeancogdell on Twitter and jean.cogdell on Facebook!
Don’t forget, pay it forward with a click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

PS:

Coming soon! My children’s book Tryouts for Ben!

Don’t want to write like a dummy?

Published on October 23, 2015October 22, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

Me either.

However, I must confess that I mix up the tenses.

Yep, it’s a curse. But for those of you who know me, know this is not breaking news.

The longer and more complex the sentence the easier it is for me to mix past, present and future. And as a result I feel as if I look like a writing idiot.

No matter how much I study and read on this subject, I still trip up more times than I like to admit.

How to avoid this is not simple, but it is fixable. Thank goodness for great beta readers. Y’all keep me from looking like too much of a doofus.

I loved a recent article at Coppyblogger.

Like I said, I’m always reading on ways to improve my writing skills.

Writing succinct, short and snappy sentences is one way to improve.

Learning to write within boundaries is another. These help not only the content, but also the rhythm of the story.

Another tip is to avoid modifiers and redundant words. I don’t worry too much about using unnecessary words during the draft process, because at that stage I’m more worried about getting my intent down. It’s during the editing when I slash out those little devils.

Reading this article reminded me to write tight.

Let me know what you think about writing shorter sentences.

Is this the solution for writers like myself who are tense challenged?

Of course I know we can’t write an entire book with short, choppy sentences, but maybe, just maybe we should consider less is more when it comes to long complex sentences. Like this one. LOL

Click, read and enjoy—

6 Simple Exercises to Help You Write Better Short Sentences [Free Worksheet] by DEMIAN FARNWORTH

Leave a comment and tell me what you think. Together we can learn the latest writing tips, and join me @jeancogdell on Twitter and jean.cogdell on Facebook!

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