Tag: #amwriting

How to Make EVERY Page of Your Story Interesting

Published on 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 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.

  1. 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.
  2. Be unpredictable.
    • Don’t be cliché, or if you must put an original twist on an old cliché.
  3. 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.
  4. Give the reader a satisfying ending.
    • Don’t leave them hungry.
      • There’s a difference in a cliff hanger and a bad taste.
  5. Lead the reader down a clear path.
    • Don’t leave them wondering what the hell just happened?
      • (Oops, just used a cliché.)
  6. Let the reader breathe.
    • Fast, slow, short and long, the pacing helps go the distance.
  7. 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?top-secret-1076813_640 (1)

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.

Related articles

Do you need help with structure?

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell16 Comments

I do! And I’m still learning how to outline a story with a structure that doesn’t collapse at the first strong wind of criticism.

building-block-606439_640

Have you ever loved a story, but wondered why no one else did?

sad-674811_640

Me too.

Often.

I’m a pantster. Nothing better than sitting down and letting my muse loose on the keyboard. Too bad, writing by stream of consciousness often ends, as do most streams, into a raging uncontrollable river. And where do rivers end? Into a vast ocean, that’s where.

Then after spending hours, days and sometimes months writing thousands of words, all I can do is try not to drown amid the ocean of a rambling story. So I give up and decide to fix it another day. I’ve no idea how this happened.

Does any of this sound familiar?

I’ve begun to fear; my problem may be lack of structure.

If you’re a pantster, don’t go to yelling just yet. I’m still a pantster but, I’m learning to use structure. Because I believe there’s a way to marry both the outline structure and write pantster style.

Got a story that just aggravated you almost to insanity? Nothing is working? Take it and try breaking it down into 3 simple acts and then break those acts down further.

Got an idea for a story? Start by simplifying it with 3 acts. Then one idea under each act and an idea under each one of those headings.

Here is the basic outline I’m working with.

Act I – Opening

  1.  Hook – conflict
  2. Protagonist in daily life before transformation
  3. Opportunity to change
  4. Resistance to change
  5. Point of no return
  6. Opportunity accepted

Act II – Entering the new situation

  1. Location
  2. Meeting friends, enemies, romance;
  3. Transformative experiences
  4. Problem brings them together
  5. Problem drives them apart
  6. Crisis Hits

Act III

  1. Terrible Secret Revealed

By breaking down the story little by little, I’m giving it time to grow and hoping to find more freedom and inspiration with smaller chunks.

One of my favorite books is Save the Cat Kindle Edition by Blake Snyder and although the book is primarily focused on script writing the principles can be applied to writing a story.

So tell me, do you use the 3 Act structure or a more indepth outline? 

Do you write with or without an outline?

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.

 

Related articles

How to tips for designing your book cover

Published on by Jean M. Cogdell23 Comments

Every day I learn more and more about what it takes to launch a book. 

Writing the story is just the beginning.

Even if you can afford a cover designer, the decision regarding the final visual product is yours. That’s a heavy responsibility.

That first impression can get a reader to stop, click and buy. First impressions are very important.

Should you design your book to blend with what you see on the bookshelf at Barnes & Noble? Or do you want your book to stand out from the crowd?

tulips-15155_640

We all want our book to be eye-catching. To make the shopper, whether on Amazon or in a brick and mortar bookstore stop and look. And of course, hopefully, buy.

But there is a fine line I think in between something unique or something bizarre. The same with copying the latest trends in book covers. We run the risk of coming off too trendy if we mimic other authors.

So, with or without a designer, where do you start? As with any story, research.

  • Check out other books in your genre, on the Best Seller Lists (all of them).
  • Look at books by your favorite readers. What do you like, or dislike about those covers?
  • Consider the books that are in ebook and print form.

I fall in the DIY camp. It takes a lot more time and effort but can be done.

Like a cook, making a recipe handed down from her grandmother, I add a pinch of or dash of the following to bake up a beautiful (hopefully) cover:

  • An Illustrator located through a referral from a local writers group.
  • Free image editor (similar to Adobe) Sumo Paint
  • Adjust image size as needed (ie 300 dpi) with Paint.net  by Windows 
  • Use ebook template to size and adjust book template with Canva.com
  • For additional images free of copyrights I like Pixabay.com and Openclipart.org 

Trendy or Unique?

I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer. Just like each book and each story, it’s yours. Do the research and it your way! 

Check out Jo Robinson’s post on book covers.

IT’S ALRIGHT TO HAVE A TRENDY BOOK COVER

What do you think? Trendy or Unique? Have you designed your own book cover? Are you in the midst of designing a cover? What programs or websites do you prefer to use to get the job done?

Tell me your thoughts in the comments section.

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.