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Sunday Post: This Week at Daily Mayo

November 10, 2013 by Meet Brenda 2 Comments

The Sunday Post

Missed any posts from this week? Here’s what I’ve been up to:

On Monday, I reviewed The Most Powerful Women of the Middle Ages and The Stranger You Know. 

Tuesday, I compared the book World War Z with the movie. 

Wednesday, I guest posted at Coffee Addicted Writer, where I talked about bad writing advice you should follow. I also posted a guest post from Seeds of Transition author Carolyn Holland. 

Thursday, I talked about books your kids should read. This would make a great place to start to find the best Christmas gifts for book-loving kids. And as always, hosted Quote Me Thursday- still not too late to join in for this week!

Friday, I reviewed World War Z, and wrote about when I do my book reviews.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: author guest posts, daily mayo posts, posts from the week, sunday post, weekly post recap, weekly updates, Writing Tips

Sunday Post: Inspiring Mantras, Descriptive Writing Tips, a Link-Up and More

November 3, 2013 by Meet Brenda Leave a Comment

The Sunday Post
What did I do this week? Find out!
On Monday, I reviewed the upcoming book by Janet McNulty, Liberty’s Torch. Liberty’s Torch is the final book in the Dystopia series.
Tuesday, author Janet McNulty shared with us technical details on how to make descriptive writing passages better. 
Wednesday, I had author Donna McDine weigh in on her inspiring mantras. Donna McDine has written several children’s books, including Powder Monkey, which I featured here a few weeks ago.
Thursday, I launched “Quote Me” Thursday #3. There is still time to link up if you want to share your favorite quotes from the week. “Quote Me” Thursdays are open until the following Wednesday.
On Friday, I interviewed Janet McNulty about her writing, books, and favorite past times!

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: author guest posts, daily mayo posts, posts from the week, sunday post, weekly post recap, Writing Tips

Mantras That Inspire: Guest Post by Author Donna McDine

October 30, 2013 by Meet Brenda 2 Comments

Today we have a special post from Powder Monkey author Donna McDine. Read my review of Powder Monkey here.

donna mcdine headshotAbout Donna: Donna McDine is an award-winning children’s author, Honorable Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions, Literary Classics Silver Award & Seal of Approval Recipient Picture Book Early Reader, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention, Global eBook Awards Finalist Children’s Picture Book Fiction, and Preditors & Editors Readers Poll 2010 Top Ten Children’s Books ~ The Golden Pathway.

Her stories, articles, and book reviews have been published in over 100 print and online publications. Her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway. Donna’s recent releases of Powder Monkey and Hockey Agony will be joined by two more books to be published by Guardian Angel Publishing, A Sandy Grave,and Dee and Deb, Off They Go. She writes, moms and is a personal assistant from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI, Children’s Literature Network, and Family Reading Partnership.

Learn more about Donna on her website. 

***

Do you have a special quote that you read often to keep you focused? I refer to several different quotes or as I like to call them “my personal mantras” depending on my particular mood or task at hand.
PERSONAL MANTRAS
Writing lets me soar into depths of my soul that I never knew existed!
Let me listen to criticism that I can benefit from and let me forget the rest!
A person with a positive outlook views a closed door as an opportunity to strike out in a new direction.
Positive thoughts (expectations) can change perspective, transform behaviors, and attract good fortune.
What you expect, you fulfill. Think of yourself as a writer who will publish, and often, who will be respected and read, who will have financial returns for your writing investment.
In most cases the road to publication is long. But don’t concentrate on getting published. Concentrate on writing the best work you are capable of. Expect rejection. Welcome revision. When you send a manuscript out, begin something new.
“Don’t let any feeling keep you from writing. Don’t let the world slow you down. Your story is the most important thing coming down the line this year. It’s your year – make the most of it.” ~ Walter Mosley – August 2007
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” ~ Stephen King
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope or confidence.” ~ Helen Keller
“If you live properly your dreams will come to you.” ~ Randy Pausch
“It’s very easy to just become a parent and forget who you are as a person. It’s important to remember that you are a person first.” ~ Lori McKenna – Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine – Summer 2008
“Listen to your inner voice, and if you have a thought at four in the morning, WRITE IT DOWN. Those are the magic moments.” ~ Janine Turner – Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine – Summer 2008
Please feel free to comment on what your “personal mantras” are.
Here’s to a positive outlook!

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: author blog posts, author donna mcdine, author guest posts, mantras that inspire, personal mantra, Writing Tips, Writing Tips

Descriptive Writing Tips (Guest Post by Author Janet McNulty)

October 29, 2013 by Meet Brenda Leave a Comment

This post is part of the book tour for Liberty’s Torch hosted by Enchanted Book Promotions. 

janet mcnulty dystopiaAbout the Author:  Ms. McNulty began writing short stories at an early age. That passion continued through college until she published her first book: Legends Lost: Amborese under the pen name of Nova Rose. Since then she has gone on to publish a mystery series, children’s books, and even a dystopian series.

Recently, her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s causing her to visit her grandparent’s and record her grandfather’s memoirs before they become lost. The final result is Grandpa’s Stories: The 20th Century as My Grandfather Lived It. She did this to preserve her family history before it becomes lost.

Ms. McNulty currently lives in West Virginia where she enjoys hiking, being outside, crocheting, or simply sitting around and doing nothing. She continues writing. She is finishing up her dystopian series (the second book, Tempered Steel, is to be published in August 2013 and the final one, Liberty’s Torch, in November 2013).

Twitter|Amazon|Facebook|Goodreads|Website

**

You sit down to open the book you just picked up at the library.  It’s inviting cover causes you to salivate a the words residing inside.  The book crinkles as you open it.  You read the first paragraph. Nut instead of a captivating beginning you find that you hold the printed words of horror!  The page is full of bland words that put you to sleep.  The cause: lack of descriptive writing.

How do you write a good descriptive paragraph?  That is a question many authors must answer.  When you decide to write a book, you have to do more than tell a story.  You have to show the story.  The only way to do this is through good descriptive verse.

Consider your favorite books.  Read through them and study how they write.  How do they show the story?  How do they draw you in?

Read the next two paragraphs:

One:

The ship on the ocean moved about in the waves. Wind blew around it.  Lighting flashed.  More waves  hit the great ship covering it in water.

Two:

Lightning streaked the night sky.  Tumultuous waves tossed the splintered ship as though it were a mere toy.  Foaming water crashed onto the deck drenching any unfortunate enough to be on it.  More lightning flashed followed by roars of thunder.  The ship lurched violently as humungous waves attacked it relentlessly forcing it to dip below the water before shooting back up to the surface once more.

Which one draws you in?  Which paragraph makes you envision what is happening?  That is what you have to do as an author.  Use descriptive verbs.  You may need a thesaurus to help you out, but that’s okay because it will become your next best friend.

Try this:

Jenna touched the burner and it burned her hand.

Good start, but it doesn’t show much.  But you could write it like this:

Jenna small hand brushed the coiled burner of the stove.  Instantly, searing heat struck her forcing her to jerk her hand back.

Better right?  The words “searing heat” indicate what made her pull back and what she felt.  These two sentences tell you that Jenna’s hand is small and that she jerked her hand back when she burned it on the stove that was still on.

You want your audience to be able to see, hear, and fell the world in your books.  You do not need to have page length descriptions for this.  By simply adding a few words in your sentences, you can show your world without overloading people with long descriptions.  However, many people already know what mountains, forests, or even oceans are like thanks to television and movies.  You can use this to show your world with your touch, without writing a long description.

Consider this:

High up in the mountains the rag tag group of soldiers and exiles crept single file along the narrow ledge.  Pebbles clattered as they rolled down the cliff face.  Fierce winds howled around them chilling them to the bone despite the warm sun that shone upon them.  The thin atmosphere made the trek difficult as many struggled to breathe from the exertion.  Wheezing, they carried onward hoping that the elf knew his way through the mountains and eager for even a small amount of relief.  Men carried small children on their backs.  Others supported the elderly that had difficulty even walking.

A whistle broke their concentration.  Everyone halted.  Dismayed, Tesnayr looked out at the gorge below.  The path had ended on the escarpment they were all on leading straight to the empty air ahead of him.  Five crevices stood silhouetted against the abyss forming a straight line to the other side.  If it’s not one thing; it’s another.  Tesnayr bit his tongue to prevent himself from screaming in frustration.  These people trusted him to lead them to safety, to deliver on his promise.  He had led them to their death.

You can see and feel the plight of the people.  And with the help of television many already can picture the mountains so the author didn’t have to do a lot of work.  She was also able to describe the scene in two paragraphs instead of two pages.  You don’t want your descriptions overly long because that will slow down your story and your reader will lose interest.

You can also consider these two paragraphs:

They walked as the wind blew around them.  Sand surrounded them.  Their skin felt dry.

A decent start, but something is lacking.

The wind blew fiercely the next day making their trip difficult.  Despite their attempts, the sand pelted their skin sending sharp stings with each assault.  Dana tied a scarf around her nose and mouth.  It provided some protection, but grit still found its way into her teeth.

Better, right?  You can imagine having sand in your mouth or your skin feeling raw from the storm.

Adding descriptions can be as simple as sticking in one or two words.  Consider the case of Jenna’s hand.  By inserting the word small, I just told you the size of her hand without lengthening the sentence.

So play around with your sentences and descriptions.  Can you see and feel the world in your stories?

About Liberty’s Touch

liberty's torch coverWant to learn more about the exciting conclusion to this YA dystopian universe?

Synopsis

Six months have passed since Dana and Kenny parted.  Forced to live as a wanderer, Dana discovers a crashed drone and learns of the chaos within Dystopia and what President Klens has planned for the resistance. Realizing that she must go back, Dana acquires the help of a seventy-year-old man and an old friend.  Upon her return, she finds that rebellion is in the air as the government continues to eliminate dissenters.

Forced to disguise herself, Dana searches for the resistance to tell them of President Klens’ plans.  After a few run-ins with the officers and narrow escapes from Colonel Fernau—his obsession with her growing each day—she learns that the people of Dystopia yearn to be free from their oppression.  What they need is a leader.  Knowing that everyone she cares for will never be safe so long as the government reigns supreme, Dana must decide how far she is willing to go achieve freedom.

Read my review of Liberty’s Touch here.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: author guest post, descriptive writing tips, dystopia book 3, janet mcnulty author, janet mcnulty dystopia, liberty's torch book, Writing Tips

Improve Your Writing: Finding Your Voice (and the best place for it)

September 11, 2013 by Meet Brenda Leave a Comment

Writing Tips Wednesday at Daily Mayo

As a freelance writer, I know a lot about writing in different voices. Some clients want a voice that is funny, some want simple, some want informative, some want technical, and so on. I have to be able to write in many different formats and voices.

What I have found through all this, is not how to achieve different voices, but instead, what my own voice is. You might not think that you can find your own voice by writing in many styles (I didn’t), but it turns out you can.

My personal writing voice varies depending on whether I am writing fiction or non-fiction. In both, however, my voice typically eliminates useless phrasing and imagery. My writing is simple and to-the-point. I don’t really like to wax poetic in my prose, and I don’t like to add forced drama to my fictional writing.

This is my voice and who I am.

Some people love it, and some people hate it. I’ve had potential clients turn me down because my normal writing voice is not what they are looking for. I’ve had others who have consistently requested for me to work with them again and again because they love the way I write.

So, what is the moral of the story? No more or less than you have read other places. Write how you write (as long as it is error-free grammatically speaking) and you will eventually find the right market or client for your style. I’ll give you some examples of a few vastly different writing styles for comparison:

Orson Scott Card is a fellow straight-to-the-point writer. His background is in theater, which eliminates much description and carries things along quickly and efficiently. He is an excellent writer. 

Erin Morgenstern is a poetic prose writer. Her story, The Night Circus, is beautiful and reads like a piece of art. She is an excellent writer. 

George R.R. Martin is a immersive writer. His stories focus on creating a rich universe that comes to life with its incredible detail and history that reaches far beyond the confines of the story. He is an excellent writer. 

None of these writers write the same. The clients and editors that love Erin would not want George or Orson. Orson-lovers probably would not like George or Erin, and so on.

So, my message to you today is:

Search for your voice and develop your own style. Use others for inspiration, but never stray from who you are as a core writer in whatever you do. There are people out there who will love your style. You just have to find them. 

 

Filed Under: Miscellaneous, Writing Tips Tagged With: finding writing style, finding writing voice, finding your voice, wednesday writing tips, Writing Tips, writing tips wednesdays

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Meet Brenda
Meet Brenda
Writer, Editor, Blogger, Book Nerd
I'm Brenda. I'm a writer and a reader.
Daily Mayo is all about having fun while reading, without rules! If you love books as much as I do, join the DM Book Lover's Club to keep up with the latest in the book world and get the DM Book Club Reading List.
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