fiction – Page 7 – Jean's Writing

What is the difference between suspense and mystery?

Published on July 31, 2017July 31, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell8 Comments

To be honest, I’m not sure I know the answer.

Although, I’ve been reading and researching both genres for months.

My favorite movies and books are mystery/suspense. I’m writing (I hope) what will turn out to be a suspense novel. Once I re-read the following article compliments of Dan Alatorre and his guest blogger, Allison Maruska I may decide it’s a mystery. Stay tuned.

What did I pick up from Allison’s post?

In fiction, as in life, timing is everything.

Solve a mystery.

Stop the suspense.

These two genres fold into other genres such as romance and Sci-fi. There is always something to stop or something to solve.

Now your turn. Click and read how Allison Maruska explains the Suspense & Mystery genre.

Suspense vs Mystery: What’s The Difference? A guest blog post by Allison Maruska

What did you think?

Did you already know the difference?

Do you agree with her analogy?

Talk to me, I love reading your comments.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

What novel are you reading right now?

Published on July 28, 2017July 28, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell28 Comments

Or just finished reading?

Or just loaded on your Kindle, or bought at the bookstore?

It’s Summer and time to read. I love nothing better than curling up with a good book reading late into the night by the glow of my Kindle.

I’d love to know what you’re reading. Share with us what you’ve been curled up with, or your most recent favorite finds. No review necessary. Unless the book is terrible, a heads up will be appreciated. But the book title and author will do just fine.

I’ll go first. Finished three books this past week, I give all of them 4 stars. (I went on a wild reading binge.) Best Eaten Cold by Tony Salter, and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay 4 stars, and The Circle by Dave Eggers.

Loaded on my Kindle, for this week is Watching You by JA Schneider.

Best Eaten Cold: The terrifyingly believable new psychological thriller from Tony Salter by [Salter, Tony] Disappearance at Devil's Rock: A Novel by [Tremblay, Paul] The Circle by [Eggers, Dave] Watching You: A Police/Psychological thriller with a mind-bending twist (Detective Kerri Blasco Book 3) by [Schneider, J.A.]

Wait, don’t want to end without mentioning a book on writing.

I’m always reading, re-reading or consulting one. The most recent reference book added to my arsenal is Writing the Natural Way by Gabriele Lusser Rico. This book was originally published in 1983, but a 15th edition was released in 2000. Unfortunately, it’s not available in e-book, but I scored a copy of the original edition at my local Half-priced Book Store so you might want to check one near you. This is a terrific book for writers. There is a wealth of information between the pages, and before you read that last page, you’ll be inspired to tackle your WIP with fresh eyes. I’ve enjoyed my copy so much I’m considering getting the revised edition too.

Ready set go. Your turn.

What are you reading?

What’s on your Kindle? Or on your bookshelf?

Talk to me, I love reading your comments.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

How to find the write answers at the right time

Published on July 24, 2017July 20, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell15 Comments

Stop struggling to write and wait.

Or write something else, or read.

That’s right, sometimes you just have to wait for the answer to find you. If you know me, waiting is not my strong suit. Sigh…

I’d been struggling, writing and rewriting a specific scene. I bet I’ve rewritten that one scene twelve ways to Sunday and wasn’t happy with either of them. The more I struggled to find the answer the more mired in the mud I got, unable to move past that scene. Google didn’t even help.

What to do, what to do? And then just when it looked darkest…

A wonderful blogger/writer came to my rescue. God, I love y’all!

BECCA PUGLISI over at Writers Helping Writers posted a terrific article that pulled my WIP right back on track.

Today I spent all morning mapping out the rest of my story. Have I decided on which of the twelve scenes I’m going to use that sent me off the rails? No. I’ve moved past it and will let my characters decide later. I’m too busy writing the book.

Following Becca’s instructions, I…

opened Excel sheet
listed my characters
listed days of the week
jotted down what each character did on what day. Just a few words.

Next, I use each of these notes to write a scene. As time goes by, I’ll add more notes to the spread sheet and write more scenes. Many of you may use a similar technique with note cards or sticky notes but to see it in a spread sheet really helped me jump past that muddy ditch and keep going. As the story plays out, I’ll know how to move past that tricky part. Click on her link and read the whole article.

Plotting for Pantsters Posted by BECCA PUGLISI

Do you have a trick for getting past a sticky story part?

What do you do to stay on track?

Give me your tips, I need all the help I can get.

Talk to me, I love reading your comments.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

What do you think, is it really never too late?

Published on July 3, 2017July 1, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Only if you’re dead.

Even if you’ve published that book a year ago, as I did. Go ahead and register that copyright. Better safe, than sorry.

A big shout out to CHRIS THE STORY READING APE’S BLOG for always pointing us to important and relevant information.

This week it’s about Copyrighting. Chris hooked us up with Susan Spann who dispels seven myths about the process. She explains everything in simple easy to understand terms. Even I got it!

So use the clicker on your computer and read how to protect your hard written words.

The Truth Behind Popular Copyright Myths by Susan Spann on Writer Unboxed site.

Have you registered your books?

Did you find the process easy?

Will you register them now after reading this article?

I’m waiting for your comments, love to hear from you.

And don’t forget to go over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.