Writers – Page 96 – Jean's Writing

Do you want a great tip?

Published on August 27, 2015August 26, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell2 Comments

Well, I’ve got 3 editing tips for you!

If you’ve read any of my posts you know that I’m a bit weak when it comes to self-editing. Always searching for a new tool, new tip or a better way to edit my writing.

Should I ever find a shortcut for fixing my mixed up tenses, I’ll be over the moon happy.

Writing involves way too much DIY editing. So I rely on several editing programs, but no program is a substitute for a great hands on tip by a successful author.

Love, love, love when I learn something new that helps me!

Thanks to Rachel Carrera, Novelist for requesting editing tips and to Kristina Stanley for her terrific tips.

I really liked Kristina’s suggestion to keep a spreadsheet to track things like scene beginnings.

Scene beginnings! Never thought of that! Thanks Kristina.

Click here and read On Editing with Kristina Stanley for help with your editing process.

Now gotta go work on my spread sheet.

spreadsheet

Do you have a good self-editing tip?

Share in the comments!

You’ve made it this far, please give me just two more seconds and hit Facebook and Twitter and share.

Thank you!

If you’re not already, I’d be much obliged if you would follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

How to look good on video

Published on August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

We’ve talked about making your best video.

And what programs make work the best.

But what about looking our best?

Rachelle Gardner came through with some really good and common sense tips to help us look good on video.

Wish I’d read her blog post before I made my videos.

Read her blog post, How to Look Good on Your Webcam and make a better video.

Please share my post with your Facebook and Twitter friends.

If you’re not already, I’d be much obliged if you would follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

Are you staying current?

Published on August 25, 2015August 24, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

What’s current in your genre?

Do you know?

Want to write YA?

Find out what they are reading and writing. Stay Young at Heart

A good place to start is WattPad.

One of my granddaughters, a writer of fanfiction, turned me on to Wattpad. There you can see what’s trending with the YA group, find contests and even test the waters, if you’re brave enough.

Are you writing murder and mayhem? Romance? Hot XXX? Or Children’s books?

So maybe you need to find out what is trending in those genres. A good place to start is with the best sellers list. Check out what everyone is saying about the top ten on Amazon, Goodreads and Barns & Noble.

I don’t have a crystal ball, and I’m not suggesting that you try to guess what the next big thing will be. However, I do believe it’s good to stay current.

For instance, LOL is now old school. Sigh, I was just getting used to using it. LOL RIP

Reading and writing are an important part of my life and I’m always looking for ways to improve. Staying current and reading good writing, no matter the genre never fails to help.

Do you think it’s important to know what everyone is reading?

How do you stay current?

How do you keep your writing from getting stale?

Let me know in the comments section and then share this post with your Facebook and Twitter friends.
If you’re not already, I’d be much obliged if you would follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!

Do you know what to say?

Published on August 24, 2015August 23, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

How do you write a good bio without sounding like a politician?

As a woman who grew up in the South, I was instructed to be modest and not brag about myself. That boasting was vulgar.

So how in the hell can I write a good bio that will not seem either vulgar, boasting or worse come across as fake.

To make it worse each publication wants a different type of bio. Some want 50 words, others want to know everything about you. Sometimes the bio needs to be in first person, other times it needs to be written in third person. Sigh.

So I want to give a big shout out to Rachelle Gardner: Literary Agent, Editor & Publishing Coach, for her post on how to write a terrific bio.