Have you poured your heart and soul into a draft of your novel or spent the month of November writing 50,000 + words for NaNoWriMo, and now don’t know what to do with all your effort? Perhaps you are not sure if you have hooked your reader. Maybe you are stuck with the muddle in …
Well-known authors—mostly dead—push to the front, vying for mention in my quote challenge blogs. Either write things worth the reading, Or do things worth the writing. ―Benjamin Franklin I’m trying, Ben, but you forgot to publish the DIY how-to section. The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes.” ―Agatha Christie …
Writer’s Wisdom: A Quote Challenge by Violet Carr Moore Read More »
The initial reviewer of the first chapters of my most recent mystery novel asked “Where’s the conflict?” The next critiquer said “Lacks tension.” The third reader followed with “Needs more action.” Number four summed it up with “Nothing worth turning the page in these chapters.” Nothing. Worth. Turning. The. Page. The manuscript took shape as …
Gretchen McNeill will be the guest speaker at our next monthly meeting on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at the Four Points by Sheraton, 5115 Hopyard, Pleasanton. Gretchen McNeil is an opera singer, clown, and writer. She has written the Young Adult horror POSSESS about a teen exorcist which debuted in 2011. Her follow up, TEN …
We are proud to sponsor a workshop conducted by New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni, “Creating Plots and Playing God” on Saturday, April 6, 2013, 12:30-4:30 p.m., at the Four Points by Sheraton, 5115 Hopyard in Pleasanton. Check in begins at 12:00 p.m. Snacks and beverages provided during break. Does your novel or story keep …
April 6, 2013 Robert Dugoni Workshop: Creating Plots and Playing God Read More »
Sage advice to writers, “Never say never.” That prompts another never–never say always in a novel unless you can prove it. “She always washes her hair on Friday evening.” Oh? What about the Friday scene when the protagonist was hospitalized from a skiing accident? Every is another word to omit. “You can set your clock by my neighbor who brings in …
I reconnected with a childhood friend awhile back. We had lost touch after junior high. The high school in our district had been plagued with vandalism and violence throughout the mid-60’s as the Civil Rights movement escalated. My parents, their minds made up that it was not a safe environment for a mousy white girl, …
The ocean tide pushes a wave toward the shoreline, crashing onto the rocks and bowing a hasty retreat. Another wave follows, drenching the wet sand, obliterating all but the memory of the previous wave. A photographer captures the scene and enhances it through digital format. A painter dabs at canvas with brushes and watercolors. A …
Ghosts and goblins disappeared at midnight October 31st while my fingers hovered over computer keys to click the first words of National Novel in a Month Writers contest. Futuristic writers extracted spooks from closets with paranormal or sci-fi tales and waited alongside suspense and romance writers. Millions of new characters were born. Authors will nurture …
November 2010 President’s Message from Violet Carr Moore Read More »
October oohs and boos are a writer’s arena. Paste the smiles of toothy pumpkins to poetic pages. Crunch fall leaves under the feet of young trick or treaters as they bite into confections. From fairy tale to futuristic, swing their colorful costumes close enough to touch the glitter. Plunge ghosts and goblins from the shadows …
October 2010 President’s Message from Violet Carr Moore Read More »
