#amwriting – Page 10 – Jean's Writing

Do you need to increase your word count?

Published on November 24, 2017November 28, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell1 Comment

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

Feeling a bit stuffed? Now you need to write and write lots of words.

Yes, it’s fun to relax and be with family, but now it’s time to get back on the horse and ride that WIP (work in progress) to the finish line. Or at least around the bend.

Love, love those Amazon Black Friday deals too!

But, now that you’ve finished your Black Friday shopping…

How about a few tips to increase your word count?

Then check out a post by Janice Hardy (link below). She gives us 3 ways to get the job done faster.

What I liked about her tips…

Take a few minutes and make a list for each scene or chapter.
- I’m a big list maker. This works better for me than outlines. Listing everything I want to accomplish in a scene gets my mind ticking and my fingers typing. Love this idea.
Write a quick summary of what the POV character wants, and is trying to do.
- I took a different approach with this tip. I looked at my list and made a quick (2-5 sentences) summary of each item.
Remind yourself why a scene is important. Janice suggests you finish the sentence, I want to write this scene because…
- Readers need to know is not a good reason. I liked this tip because it can avoid info dumps and bore the reader to death.

Get inspired, click on the link below and read Janice Hardy’s entire post.

After you read her tips, which ones do you think will help you?

Do you have any tips to help me increase my word count?

Do you worry about word count?

3 Ways to Boost Your Word Count Every Writing Session by Janice Hardy

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What blogs / websites / columns are written from a fictional POV?

What do you think are the most popular genres?

Published on November 22, 2017November 28, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

Is your genre one of the top percenters?

I hadn’t given this much thought, until reading a great article on Medium by Erica Verrillo from the Writing Cooperative. And boy howdy, the stats were eye-opening. Erica gives stats on most popular genres with readers, agents and includes which genres make the most money.

What surprised me most?

Most books sold by genre…

#1 – Children’s Fiction sells more than three times the number of adult books.
#1 in sales – Children’s fiction
#2 – Adult General Fiction came is second in sales.

Agents most requested genre…

First Choice of Agents is NOT Children’s books, although these books are number one in sales.#1 – Request by agents is YA Fiction.
YA Fiction #1 requested
#10 – Last on the lists for Agent request is Women’s Fiction. I’d expected this to be higher.
Agents work on commission of 15%.

The genre that makes the most money…

#1 – Dollar maker is Romance and Erotica, this includes self-published romance.

#2 – Crime and Mystery novels
#3 – Inspirational and Religious books, (go figure.) This includes self-help books.
#4 – Fantasy and Science Fiction

Click and read Erica’s article to discover all the nitty-gritty details.

What are the most popular literary genres? By Erica Verrillo

Where did your genre fall?

Any surprises?

Will any of these stats change your approach to writing?

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Writers, look at the apps I found

Published on November 20, 2017November 20, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

Wow! I’ve found another list of apps to help us.

Last week I wrote a post with a lot of helpful apps for writers. Then today I read a terrific article with ten more. Of the ten, I’m familiar with just two!

That’s right eight new apps!

I don’t know about you, but I get excited when I learn about new tools that make my life easier. Whether it’s a light-weight vacuum, a new grill, a beautiful pen, or a new app for writers. Anything that helps my writing, keeps me organized, and on track, is alright with me.

Derek Haines from over at Just Publishing Advice gives us a list of his must-have apps.

The two I’ve used before…

Cliché Finder. Free and easy to use. Simply copy and paste.
Grammarly. Y’all know how much I love this one.

The apps from this list I’ve added to my writing aides file are…

Piktochart. This looks terrific for PowerPoint presentations, newsletters and graphs.
BibMe. I don’t do a lot of bibliographies, but you never know when I might.

Click on the link below and read Derek’s complete list!

Now tell me, which ones are new to you?

Did any of his app list look interesting?

Leave me a comment and share your picks.

Ten Must-Have Online Writing Tools For Writers By Derek Haines

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Writing and need help? Check out this terrific list

Published on November 17, 2017November 28, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Thanks to Erica Verrillo over at Publishing… and Other Forms of Insanity, for providing us with such an extensive list of websites.

There is something here for every writer. There is information on queries, marketing, publishing as well as how to write a good book. So get ready because if you’re like me, down the rabbit hole, you’ll go, once you begin to click.

Which of the 27 websites is new to me?

Agent Query. Although I’m nowhere ready to send out queries, this will definitely go on my “hope to need” list.
Free Writing Events. Yay! Who doesn’t want to submit without the added cost of submission fees? Oh yeah, this one is a definite must-read.
The Grinder. Like Erica, I once used Durotrope until they became a paid service. I can’t wait to check out this one.
Jae Writer. Now this one sounds like the perfect website to learn more about the craft of writing. Count me as a new follower.
Manuscript Wish List (#MSWL). Whoa! What writer wouldn’t want to get inside the mind of agents and editors?
The Passive Voice. Again, a great blog to learn what agents think. Plus, a bit of legalese from an attorney.
Pub Crawl. Here you can find an insider’s perspective from authors and publishing professionals. Cool!
Savvy Writers. Almost a million followers! Doris-Maria Heilmann blogs cover everything you ever wanted to know about publishing your book.
Susan Dennard. Her blog is filled with writing and publishing resources for aspiring authors. Everything from story-telling to the finished book.
Women Writers, Women’s Books. All things about women authors. Well, I definitely qualify.
Writing Career. Provides places that actually pay writers. Alright!

Not bad! I’m familiar with 16 of the 27! Now I can’t wait to dive into the other 11 websites. I just love learning new stuff! Gonna be a busy weekend of reading. See you on the other side of that rabbit hole. LOL