Novelista

I offer to review books .  Usually, I will post my review here and on Goodreads as well as post links to buy the book that I got to read.  However, every once and a while, I read a book that won’t get a good review.  This is that book. This book is the author’s first book, so I will not mention the title nor the author’s name.  I have emailed the author about my poor review before posting, and actually have agreed to review the sequel.  With that said, let’s talk about the book and its issues. The premise of the book is that the main character, whose name I can’t remember (problem), becomes a masked hero to save her city from a destructive alien.  The concept is great.  The execution has major issues.  I am going to put my editor’s hat on to critique the issues in this book. The first issue is the prologue.  It could have been a chapter on its own.  I personally feel that the book should have opened on its main character.  The openi...

Sometimes, I edit manuscripts that make me question all I have ever learned about punctuation, especially commas.   I devised this quick guide to commas to reinforce what we learned (or didn’t learn) in grammar school. When to use a comma: Addressing a person by name or nickname. Example: Hello, Sweetums. Jane, do this. Show us on the doll, John, where the commas have hurt you. Linking two sentences with a conjunction (and, but, or, so). Example: This is sentence one, and this is sentence two. Dependent clauses and words that act as clauses. Example: After this clause, you put a comma. Second, a comma goes there. Yes, these examples are on the snarky side. I spent hours editing pages of comma issues, producing deep snarkiness. Had the page not run red, due to my markings, I would have only experienced a mellow, not to mention short, snarky mood. In a list of more than two of the same (nouns or verb...

Whilst wallowing in a sinus pressure haze, all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and veg-watch something familiar.  I chose Iron Man. The movie begins with an attack on Stark’s motor envoy.  Then, it flashes back to all the important details about Tony and Stark Industries.  When it returns to the bombing aftermath, Tony begins his path to Iron Man (even if he doesn’t know it at the time). It’s a great way to introduce a character, show character development, and create an origin story for a character that will last well into the series. As I watched, I wondered if I could use the Iron Man method for my book. The book about which I speak is Dreamweaver.  It doesn’t introduce a new character.  There’s no origin story here.  In fact, it’s a later book in a series with already well-established characters.  So, can I? The next morning, I answered, “Yes.” My main method for writing is to get the story out first, everything...

Beginnings On the docket this year is Dreamweaver , Book 6 of the World In-between fantasy series.  Already the beginnings of the book have used a good portion of a ream of paper and a new pen.  Dreamweaver brings the series back to Berty’s point of view.  Unlike the previous books, it continues exactly where Hope ended.  The sixth installment should be the last novel in this series.  I say should because although planned, sometimes my characters decide otherwise. Once Dreamweaver is finished, different options wait in the wings.  Which book to continue next?  I may just write them all and see which one the pen flows over best.  Or one may beg to be brought to the forefront.  I have some time to contemplate what comes next. In the meantime, I read.  And, I am starting to post book reviews on my blog.  Look for the first one this month.  If an author wishes to have a book reviewed, email me with a review reques...

Handwritten Page from Hope The writing stage of Hope (The World In-between, 5) finished earlier this month.  As I type this blog post, the first editing stage is nearing completion.  I usually go through three or four edits before I hand it off to my editor. Since I handwrite my manuscripts (still), typing it into a workable manuscript format becomes my first edit.  First drafts are messy.  Mine are no exception.  Many pages include scratch-outs, arrows, and words scrunched here and there.  The main goal of a first draft is to extract the story from your head.  I happen to find the pen a more useful tool than the keyboard for this process.  As I type, I change things. Writing isn’t always fluid.  You stop and start, sometimes multiple times a day.  You may forget bits and pieces of what you wrote previously.  A certain word may get stuck in your head, and you end up writing it over and over.  Or, you simply don’...

In a previous post , I talked about using Dragon text to speech software.  After using it, I have to update my recommendation. I used the software to transcribe the second half of Secrets of the Sages.  At first, I thought it was great.  Then, it wasn’t so great.  Let me explain. Secrets is epic fantasy, which means we authors tend to use strange names.  I taught Dragon names like Baldur, Colvin, Goscislaw, Alvar, and Hatcher.  Half the time, it would not type those names when I said them.  I found that frustrating.  There was no explanation for why Dragon stopped transcribing.  I resigned myself to typing the ancient tongue and ancient Fairy languages. In general, it messed up a lot.  I would have to talk it into corrections.  Those didn’t go so smoothly either.  The command, “Go to End,” became “Good and.”  I always had to say, “Cap Hope” when I wrote about Berty’s niece, Hope.  But that was because I u...

I love writing to the rhythm of a spring rain.   Sitting in my bedroom, the pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof place a spell over my pen.   To the April music, I finished my ghostly short story for Moon Shadows , a +Laurel Highlands Publishing Halloween anthology. The Hunt clocked roughly a thousand words heavy of the 5,000 word upper limit.   It was time to cull my pretties. When I write, I fall in love with each and every word.   I choose them carefully.   I string them together with precision.   How can I possibly eliminate one word, let alone whole lines or *gasp* entire scenes? Brutally. Although pressing the delete key pains me, sentences shortened.   Mind you, tightening of the story would happen during editing anyway.   However, a few words here and there do not lighten the word load. I pruned two scenes.   As lovely as they were, they had to go.   The deleted scenes setup fo...

Well beyond my deadline and well over my anticipated word count, I finally finished the third book of my epic fantasy series, the World In-between . Halloween night, I penned the final words of Secrets of the Sages . Since then, I have been immersed in editing. “I am emptying the ocean with a thimble,” Silvia says in this book. Editing is all-consuming. Before a copy of my manuscript sees a different computer screen, I edit. On my desk, I keep paper and a pen ready for jotting down editing notes. How did I spell certain words in other books of the series? Should I capitalize shaman? What will be the spelling of Teresa’s family’s last name? Et cetera, et cetera. Manuscripts are funny things. They evolve with each reading. When I write, I will have what I call alpha reads. This is when I will read a few rawly written pages to a few close testers (my family). They give me feedback. I learn what works, what needs improvement and what sounded better in my head than...

Regular readers of this blog know that I hand write all my manuscripts before I type them. Typing, for me, is my first edit. Novels have a lot of words that need to be typed. So far, I have published just over a quarter of a million words. After typing the first 30,000 words of Secrets of the Sages, I decided to give up typing novels to try something new. For about the past week, I have been using speech recognition software. I got Dragon Naturally Speaking 12. The regular retails for $99 while the premium version is $199. My consensus, thus far, is good. I use it with my own headset. Not a pricey bit of plastic, but it does exactly what I need it to do. Since my vintage version of Word has gone wonky, I am now using Open Office. After going through the tutorial and reading an excerpt of a novel by Lewis Carroll, I began to dictate my hand-written manuscript. My book was already started in manuscript format—double spaced and first line indent at a half inch. ...

The Bow of the Moon proof arrived yesterday. It looks fantastic! The back shows a rendition of a Watcher’s Locket—so prevalent in this book. Although this is my third published book, I always seem to tweak it after I go through it with my pencil. This time, I decided to include a picture (watermark) of the bow on the title page. My tweaks were minor. I only repositioned a few items. The 6x9 paperback is 252 pages, filling 21 chapters. Bow of the Moon will be available soon in print and for Kindle.  The ebook is already available on Nook , Smashwords , Diesel eBookstore , Make Your Offer , and Kobo .

There is nothing like 70+ degree weather in late October. It gives the senses a false indication that winter is still far away. Alas, my deadlines loom despite the beautiful weather. I have been busy editing the second book in the World In-between series. Book two will be called Bow of the Moon . The mock-up of the cover looks great. I am so excited and can’t wait to see it finished. The description is still in draft mode. What I can share about the new book is that we learn more about the mysterious Watcher and archer, Declan. Berty and company venture to new places in the world on the other side of the portal. We meet Delyth’s brother, Telor, the Crown Prince of Fairyland. Hope, Berty’s young niece, plays an integral part in the story line. More action, magic, and love entwine throughout Bow of the Moon. Once the cover and description are finished, I will post them here for a pre-publication peek. If all goes well, then Bow of the Moon will be launched in early December. I...

So, you’ve just written the last word of the last line of your newest novel. Now what? Do you send it out to agents and publishers? Do you go the indie route? Neither. Writing the novel is only part of the work. Now, it is editing time. Sure, you can send your work to have it edited professionally. But, you should never send your novel anywhere until you have had the first edit. Editing goes deeper than just reading for typos. Sure, cleaning up those typos is important. But just as important, if not more so, is checking your sentence structure, reading for flow, and making sure that you have been consistent from beginning to end. Sentence structure sets the tone of your novel. Ideally, your sentences should be of varied length and syntax throughout a paragraph. I am not one to stick to rules. Playing with your sentences can help move the story along. You don’t want long sentences entangling the reader during a fast action scene. Short sentences and paragraphs will help t...