Search found 14 matches

by wonderactivist
September 23rd, 2010, 1:02 pm
Forum: Writing
Topic: -ing words
Replies: 13
Views: 3948

Re: -ing words

I am not a grammatical person, but just as a reader perusing this example, I find the original sentence stronger and more interesting than any of the revisions y'all presented...sorry. Correcting grammar almost always leads to stronger prose, but sometimes it leads me to rewrite the whole thing to a...
by wonderactivist
September 20th, 2010, 1:05 pm
Forum: Writing
Topic: Plot or Character - Which Comes First?
Replies: 35
Views: 15505

Re: Plot or Character - Which Comes First?

Mine sort of nudge each other forward. My current WIP is a sequel, so the characters preceeded the plot. In the first book, I'd say that it was more of an idea that set it all in motion--an action scene that I rolled around in my head for a while. I'm weird like that. I tend to think in scenes, and ...
by wonderactivist
September 18th, 2010, 8:59 pm
Forum: Connect With a Critique Partner
Topic: Looking for Critique parter for Mystery, Children's book etc
Replies: 1
Views: 1903

Re: Looking for Critique parter for Mystery, Children's book etc

Dear Babs, I will be honored to partner with you, but be warned that I have an 87,000 word mystery and a second one in the works. I certainly wouldn't expect you to read the whole books unless you just wanted to. I owe Karma because I've had 13 beta-readers, none close friends. One way to find beta-...
by wonderactivist
September 17th, 2010, 10:22 am
Forum: Excerpts
Topic: First 250 words
Replies: 9
Views: 4251

Re: First 250 words

Hey this is my first stab at feedback here, so don't weigh it very heavily. Keep in mind that I read mainly novels, mysteries and thrillers, not sci-fi/fantasy; but I have read HP, LOTR, lots of Bradbury and Scalzi so I'm not a complete newbie to this genre. I'm actually planning to pick up a Briggs...
by wonderactivist
September 16th, 2010, 9:17 pm
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Rejection Stats
Replies: 227
Views: 148995

Re: Rejection Stats

Thanks, I'll try that. I'm working on the new query but maybe I'll start with the first three pages or something...it's kinda overwhelming to post something online. Can it come down after a few days or does it have to stay up?
by wonderactivist
September 16th, 2010, 1:38 pm
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Rejection Stats
Replies: 227
Views: 148995

Re: Rejection Stats

I think it's a whole lot easier to post when we have only a few out...so far. I'm on my way to building a bigger rejection pile. First I have decided to not curse in the query, but more importantly, I've read some articles that got me to focus more on what my book is REALLY about, rather than the ba...
by wonderactivist
September 14th, 2010, 8:28 am
Forum: Writing
Topic: Memoir as a first book
Replies: 6
Views: 2265

Re: Memoir as a first book

Hey Quill! Don't resent it, just tell us about your "platform." That's what they're looking for in memoir. There is hope, however. I work in a bookstore and the memoir shelves are bursting with people who weren't well known before they broke through, suddenly. with a work that touched othe...
by wonderactivist
September 13th, 2010, 4:42 pm
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Rejection Stats
Replies: 227
Views: 148995

Re: Rejection Stats

Genre: Mystery Queries: 5 Form Rejections: 2 Personalized rejections: 1, then add the two below Requests for partials: 1, then personalized rejection Requests for fulls: 1, then personalized rejection Contest entries: 1 Contests outstanding: 1 Frazzled nerves: 20,000 Redoing my query: By all means, ...
by wonderactivist
September 11th, 2010, 9:26 pm
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Specialized Query: Mystery
Replies: 4
Views: 2090

Re: Specialized Query: Mystery

Thanks Mira! I deeply appreciate the support. Over this weekend I've been skimming through The Fire in Fiction by Maass - great book! He talks specifically about mysteries, saying something like, 'So you're going to start with a murder - now that's original.' His point is that, yes, even in our genr...
by wonderactivist
September 9th, 2010, 1:27 am
Forum: Writing
Topic: Hi, my name is Regan and I’m stuck in a plot hole.
Replies: 23
Views: 8158

Re: Hi, my name is Regan and I’m stuck in a plot hole.

I just wanted to agree with Margo on the back burner. With mystery issues, I'll make a chart and list ideas, but I don't force the resolution because it usually will evolve naturally over time. One technique that saved my current book was rewriting entire chapters from a different POV...or just sort...
by wonderactivist
September 9th, 2010, 1:07 am
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Specialized Query: Mystery
Replies: 4
Views: 2090

Re: Specialized Query: Mystery

Thanks Mira, I will consider posting it, but I'm fairly new here and thought it would be important to get my feet wet before asking for critiques. My query needs major work, I've sent it four times now with three rejections, plus one request for a partial which was eventually rejected. From a differ...
by wonderactivist
September 5th, 2010, 4:43 am
Forum: Finding An Agent
Topic: Specialized Query: Mystery
Replies: 4
Views: 2090

Specialized Query: Mystery

In my mystery there are 7 major suspects. I wrote my query following the advice online and from a conference, but I realized tonight that it doesn't sound as mysterious as I would like. It focuses on the main conflict of the story which, in the absence of the other 6 conflicts, pretty succinctly tel...
by wonderactivist
September 1st, 2010, 9:59 am
Forum: Writing
Topic: How do you know when to end a chapter and start a new?
Replies: 17
Views: 10279

Re: How do you know when to end a chapter and start a new?

Hi Mike, I'm no expert, but the advice I received is to write the scenes initially as they appear in my head. When I revise, I look for breaks that drive the reader forward, leaving a cliffhanger or that feeling of an unfinished song. I avoid the types of breaks that my English teacher would have ad...
by wonderactivist
August 24th, 2010, 8:57 am
Forum: Writing
Topic: How do you get yourself to write?
Replies: 40
Views: 18841

Re: How do you get yourself to write?

Hi Mira & everyone, I'm new here and this looks like a great place to start. For most of my life, writing was a challenge. I didn't believe in my ability so I rarely wrote. When I did, some professor or employer would read it to the class or make me the corporate editor, but proposals and philos...