Thank you, Sherrie, for giving me a title to post.
I see it's been a while since I dropped in here. So much for the daily journal idea. I knew it couldn't last forever! But lately my brain has been so occupied with digging into the roots of these various proposals that I simply haven't had the mind to blog anything except fluffy drivel. Not that I ever blog much more, mind you, but usually I have a point I want to get across, at least. Not today. Today I'm just waving hi and telling the world I'm alive, and maybe, should the waves of creativity not drag me under, I'll reach shore eventually.
I'll happily respond to questions, however. I obviously have a latent teacher gene.
Did everyone get enough sleep over the weekend or did that lost hour catch up with you today? (My PC wouldn't believe it was daylight savings time. I had to correct it firmly.)
The Taunting Sky
13 hours ago
4 comments:
Pat, I love your latent teacher gene. Especially if it's the one that's kept you hanging with us all this time. :o)
I usually don't have anything to blog about either. Unless it's a rant about something I ran across on the net or someone else's blog, etc., and I've been trying to avoid those. Rants, that is. Must stay upbeat. So I write about writing progress and keep a word count meter on the blog. It helps keep me motivated.
I enjoyed your post on WW the other day. But it sent me off on my old tangent about tag lines magically turning into high concept lines and that whole debate. I've yet to come up with a high concept line for one of my historicals. If you figure out the secret, let me know. ;o)
Ha! Welcome to the Fluffy Drivel Club, Pat. I like your blog because it is down-homey, funny, self-deprecating, and educational. I may not have time to respond every time I visit, but I do read your posts.
I don't have any questions for you, but I do have an observation. In the Romance world, we hear over and over how important it is to grab the reader by the throat in your first few pages, your first few paragraphs, your first paragraph, your first sentence. I always sort of felt that was emphasized in Romance more than other genres.
But I just finished critiquing/editing a manuscript for a huuuuuge author who writes mainstream bestsellers, and who has one of the top NY agents. The agent really made a big deal about beefing up the first 50 pages, wanting them to be a real grabber. Mind, this is a top agent who is telling this to an established bestselling writer with a devoted following! Putting her name on the cover of a book guarantees the publisher will make barrels of money.
It just brings home to me once again how important openings have to be, and how I need to continue passing that on to my own clients.
I attended a conference workshop once, and I'll never forget the workshop presenter's statement that when you're trying to get published, you aren't competing with all the other thousands of unpublished writers out there--you're competing against those who are already published. That definitely puts things into perspective!
Sherrie Holmes
Professor Pat! I love, Love LOVE your latent teaching gene. You taught me how to detect POV shift and how to make my opening line a killer. You also introduced me about High Concept and I think it was you who taught me how to avoid sagging middles. I know there were other lessons too, but they've become such a part of me, I don't remember...
Here's a question that's been banging around in my head. How do you turn off your internal editor? Do you have an special thing you do?
Sherrie said..."you're competing against those who are already published."
Wow! I never thought about it this way. Now One must wonder if there is any hope.
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