#amreading – Page 29 – Jean's Writing

How to discover your writing genre

Published on May 24, 2015May 23, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell14 Comments

What genre is your writing?

Thanks to Ryan over at A Writer’s Path for mentioning Literary Rejections.

The post explaining in detail the definition of each genre, is just one of the many posts over at Literary Rejections with a wealth of information for writers.

Hop over and find out which genre is right for you.

Hmm, so much to read, so little time.

I love comments, tell me what’s happening with you and if you’re not already, please follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

Heart wrenching YA 4.5 Star Read

Published on May 22, 2015May 18, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Note to self:

Once again, remember when 2790 readers rate a book 4.5 stars, it’s gonna be worth my time.

Why I’m ever skeptical is beyond me.

Who doesn’t love Cinderella?

Rebecca Donovan writes a unique, sick, and twisted Cinderella story in Reason to Breathe. What an imagination. She keeps the reader on edge waiting for a happy ending. As I was sucked into the unbelievable cruelty of the life of Emma and I gladly overlooked any editing issues as I rooted for her survival. Just when I thought things could not get worse, they did and the pace quickened giving my nerves no time to relax.

I guess it’s true, a good story trumps all. I can see why young adults love Rebecca Donovan.

Why, you might ask if I liked it so much, did I give the book only 4.5 stars?

Because of the ending.

The ending left me wanting.

I understand this is book one of a three book series and cliffhangers are essential for a series, however I still prefer a more satisfying ending.

The ending left me distraught, and confused, so much so that I immediately downloaded the second book. A success for Ms. Donovan.

For me the Prologue of book two, Barely Breathing, would’ve been a perfect Epilogue for book one. I could’ve slept well that evening and savored the first book before launching into the next one.

Reason To Breathe (The Breathing Series, Book 1) by Rebecca Donovan

(2,790 customer reviews)

Print List Price: $9.99Kindle

Price: $2.99

Kindle Unlimited: Free

I love comments, tell me what’s happening with you and if you’re not already, please follow @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

Is Your Story PRIMAL?—Anatomy of a Best-Selling Story Part 6

Published on May 20, 2015May 20, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell

Great info. Thanks for reminding me about IMDb.com. Not only a good resource for loglines and summary help but just plain fun.

I love comments, tell me what’s happening with you and if you’re not already, please follow @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

Kristen Lamb's Blog

Geiko Caveman.

Okay, so if you have read all the blogs in this series, you should understand what makes a scene vs. a sequel, understand the three-act dramatic structure. You also understand that the antagonist—or Big Boss Troublemaker—is the engine of your story. Without the BBT, your protagonist’s world would remain unchanged. The BBT’s agenda drives the story. It is the engine. No engine, no forward motion.

By this point, you should also be able to decipher a good idea from a not-so-good idea and then, once decided, state what your book is about in ONE sentence. You can have up to three, but let’s shoot for one.

Welcome to part SIX of my series on novel structure–whoo-hoo! Today we are going to discuss gimmick versus fundamentals of a good story.

First, gimmick. Here is the thing. There are only so many plots. DO NOT try to…

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A 4.5 Star Review for the weekend

Published on May 15, 2015May 15, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

No middle ground with this book.

Determining how many stars to rate The Contradiction of Solitude was difficult.

YA is my favorite genre. My grandchildren keep me abreast of what’s trending. It’s great to share their enthusiasm for good reading.

This is one of my granddaughter raved and raved about until I downloaded it. She and I will have to agree to disagree. The Contradiction of Solitude is one of her favorites but not mine.

After finishing the book several days ago I’m still haunted by the words.

I predict you’ll either love it or hate it but you will feel something. The writing is very good and very disturbing. The author gives a peek into the disturbed mind of a young person and her serial killer parent. This book left me shell-shocked.

As I mentioned above, YA is my favorite genre, however I didn’t care much for this story. Ms. Walters writes a dark and twisted tale. It’s been days since I finished and I’m still thinking about the characters.