writing tips – Page 19 – Jean's Writing

Unique, beautiful or strange; how do you select the best name?

Published on March 27, 2018April 5, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell18 Comments

Naming characters can be hard. Is for me. I worry over them like newborn babes.

So…

Just how important is choosing the right name?

Turns out very! That is if you want to write memorable characters. No writer wants their readers to go whats-his-name killed whois.No, we want our characters to come alive on paper. Well, how do we select really good names? I don’t know all the answers but Anne R. Allen wrote a post…

10 Tips for Finding Memorable Character Names for your Fiction

In her post, she gives us ten things to consider when selecting names.

Name only star players.
- I love this tip. A delivery guy is just a delivery guy.
Don’t confuse readers with same sounding names.
Don’t change names in the middle of the story.
- Nickname? State it up front and go with it. I need to give this some thought.
Make sure the name fits the century.
Check the spelling and name is familiar in the country, state you’re writing about.
Don’t make up fake names unless writing fantasy.
- Only works for fake worlds.
Run your chosen names through Google.
- Good advice. Don’t want the name to be a real person living around the corner.
Avoid overused names.
- Hmm, may have a problem here. Got work to do.
Try name generators.
- I like Scrivener generator but there are several on the web.
- Check the obituaries for a cool name.
If you decide to change a name mid-stride of your WIP, do a search and replace to catch each one.

I believer her tips could also apply to places.

Click on Anne’s link above and read her entire post, she gives a lot more information and a few great resource links.

Well? What did you think?

Do you need to change a characters name?

Think you are better prepared to select a name?

Do you have any good tips to share for picking the perfect name?

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You need to double your Amazon security

Published on March 16, 2018April 10, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell24 Comments

You heard right.

Time to double security and protect your books on Amazon.

Now, not only do I need to work on this year’s taxes, but looks as if I may need to work on my Amazon account.

What the hell? Hackers are now invading Amazon? You’ve got to be kidding me.

I feel as if I’m playing Wack-a-Mole trying to avoid hackers and stupid people. This is getting ridiculous. I change my passwords from time to time, but now I’ve got to do more to keep these crooked jerks out.

Thanks to Janice Hardy over at Fiction University for the warning.

Here’s what I learned today about Amazon Security…

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) accounts are linked to my regular Amazon account.
Hackers attempt to break into customer Amazon accounts every single day.
If a Hacker gains access to my Amazon account they have access to my KDP.
A Hacker will change my password, locking me out of all my accounts.
Two-step verification is the best way to protect both.
Set up two-step verification through my Amazon account.

Two-step verification is a pain in my butt. There I said what most of you are thinking. But getting back control of KDP and the books you’ve slaved over for months is more important.

Click on the link to read the entire article and get step-by-step instructions on how you can protect yourself and your Amazon accounts.

Is Your Amazon Account Secure? By Janice Hardy

Do you use two-step verification with accounts?

Did you realize if a hacker gets into your Amazon account that KDP is toast?

Do you have a security tip you can share?

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How to transform your writing into beautiful magic

Published on March 14, 2018April 5, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell13 Comments

I’m not talking about witches and warlocks. Nor, voodoo, potions, or card tricks.

Deception TV Show — Photo curtsey of IMBD

I’m talking about rhythm that unlocks magic in a story.

Makes you want to dance.

Every story has a rhythm. A story can stop and stutter like a car running out of gas. Or purr along like a smooth luxury car, as the rider enjoys the view. Or take your breath away thrilling you with the speed and power of a race car.

Which type of rhythm describes your story?

How a story flows, transforming words into poetry. Lyrical writing produces a rich, layered, evocative, and beautiful story. Rhythm creates and connects emotion to your reader.

WAIT. Don’t stop reading. NOT talking poetry or song lyrics. I’m talking musical storytelling.

About writing a story that moves the reader on a deep, emotional level. Words with musical magic. To write a story that takes my breath away with images and movement. That’s my goal.

So far here’s what I’ve learned about writing with rhythm:

The brain loves music.
Readers recognize rhythm in a story.
Creates a mood.
Pace determines rhythm.
Repetition is effective.
Avoid purple prose. (too many adjectives)
Vary sentence length.
Rhythm makes words dance on the page.
Use soft and hard sounds.
Tension and release, add rhythm to a scene.
Write with your ear. Listen for music in the words.
To be, is, and was suck the music out of the sentence. Substitute with verbs.
Adjectives next to nouns sound better than a preposition.
Music can help. So, I’m gonna listen to more music.

One day, I hope to write something worth remembering. Words that transform the reader and leave them wanting more.

What about you? Do you write with rhythm?

Have you ever thought about the rhythm of a story?

Do you have a tip to help me add beautiful, magical rhythm to my words?

Want to read more about rhythm writing? Check out the articles below.

Rhythm in Writing: How to Make Your Words Swing and Swirl by Henneke

5 Tips About Writing with Rhythm By Mark Nichol

Does Your Writing Have Rhythm? By Jami Gold

Choose words for sound. Improve your Alice Effect By Jack Hamann

Poetry: Making Music with Words by Melissa Donovan

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What is the image you want to project?

Published on March 12, 2018April 5, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell3 Comments

Are you being true to your persona?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition:

“the personality that a person (such as an actor or politician) projects in public: image”

In other words your image. Your image as an author.

Learning how to share on social media can help us improve as writers and bloggers. And possibly sell more books. Now, who doesn’t want that?

Donna Galanti wrote an article that talks about how a writer can present a consistent image to readers on social media, and she really got me to thinking about mine.

I’m not sure I’ve hit the mark with my author persona, yet. But I’ll keep trying.

Donna suggests the image doesn’t need to be genre-based unless that is all you want people to know about yourself.

So how can what can we do to help readers know what to expect?

Define and keep up a message that is constant and on target.
Share with your peeps what they can expect to see from you.
What they see is what they get.

What can you expect from my blog?

Whenever I learn or find something exciting about the writing craft, I’ll share here.
I write stories because I love writing. I write a blog post because I love learning and sharing. And I will always try to reflect that love here.
I write on this blog because I want to be a better writer.
Learning from Y’all, has improved my writing. I do my best to thank you each for your knowledge and expertise.
I believe in possibilities, anything can happen and want to encourage other writers with this blog. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll both make the NYT Bestseller list.

According to Donna’s post, I need to update my “about me” page. So that task just got added to my to-do list. Y’all stay tuned and keep an eye out for a new and improved page.

As Shakespear wrote, “This above all: to thine own self be true,…”