This is the fourth post in the Writing Shortcuts mini series where I discuss all the things I learned in the second draft that I wish I had known (and done right!) during the first draft of my current WIP. Check out post #1 and #2 (setting) and #3 (pacing) to catch up! Apparently everyone in the world besides meContinue reading “Writing Shortcuts: (Part 4) Characters”
Tag Archives: young adult fiction
Writing Shortcuts (Part 3): Pacing
This is the third post in the Writing Shortcuts mini series where I discuss all the things I learned in the second draft that I wish I had known (and done right!) during the first draft. Check out post #1 and #2 (setting) to catch up! While reading through the first draft, I slowly cameContinue reading “Writing Shortcuts (Part 3): Pacing”
Writing Shortcuts (Part 2): Getting Setting Right the First Time
Attention! This post was graciously sponsored by Grammarly. (Thanks Grammarly!!) I use Grammarly for proofreading because, as I’m sure all the zombies in the crowd will agree, two sets of eyeballs are better than one! (Is anyone else as excited for Halloween as I am?!) Now, onto our regularly scheduled program: writing shortcuts, first drafts, and setting.Continue reading “Writing Shortcuts (Part 2): Getting Setting Right the First Time”
Writing Shortcuts (Part 1): Things I Wish I Had Learned Before Draft #1
For the past five months I’ve been plowing my way through what I thought was going to be a revision of my WIP but morphed into a complete rewrite. Though I kept pieces of Draft #1, and used it as a loose outline of the chronological events that occur in the plot, ultimately I cutContinue reading “Writing Shortcuts (Part 1): Things I Wish I Had Learned Before Draft #1”
Top 15 Books on My TBR ASAP Pile
Inspired by the Top Ten Tuesday meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish (I know, I’m a day late) I felt the need to pare down my intimidating TBR list of 800+ books on Goodreads to something a little shorter, a little more able to fit on a single post-it note when trotting offContinue reading “Top 15 Books on My TBR ASAP Pile”
10 Fun Facts I’ve Learned from Books
I loved this post over at Shae Has Left the Room last week, about the trivia tidbits and larger facts that various young adult authors learned from their childhood reads. Inspired by the complete list of books I read in seventh grade that resurfaced in my life around the same time, I thought this wouldContinue reading “10 Fun Facts I’ve Learned from Books”
Hey Girl, These Are a Few of Book-Lovers’ Favorite Things
Hey girl (or guy), if you haven’t heard about the recent Ryan Gosling fad in the book world yet, it’s about time you did. There has been a fiery explosion of popular tumblrs, one to satisfy every breed of book lovers, in which attractive photographs of Ryan Gosling are paired with variations of supportive, comfortingContinue reading “Hey Girl, These Are a Few of Book-Lovers’ Favorite Things”
How Winning a Writing Contest Can Improve a Writer’s Self-Esteem
Wonderful news, folks! You are officially reading the blog of the winner of Honorable Mention in the 2011 Writer’s Digest Young Adult Fiction Competition!* According to their congratulatory email, “competition was fierce,” so I’m super proud! While first and second place comes with fame (publication of their entry in Writer’s Digest) and fortune (they wonContinue reading “How Winning a Writing Contest Can Improve a Writer’s Self-Esteem”
Readable Christmas Presents: The Best Books of 2011
For those of you stuck in that dangerous position of having more Christmas shopping to do, but no idea of what to get, the bookstore is a great one-stop shop to get something for everybody left on your list. I won’t mention which books I might have gotten for who (you can’t spoil the surpriseContinue reading “Readable Christmas Presents: The Best Books of 2011”
What 1,100 Words Looks Like: Gearing Up for NaNoWriMo 2011
I’m currently plowing through the book No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty, the creator of NaNoWriMo, as I prepare for the incredibly unplanned month of writing ahead of me. (Being that I’ve gotten SNOWED IN the weekend before Halloween–strange and unacceptable–I have time to start and finish an entire book.) Reading it is actuallyContinue reading “What 1,100 Words Looks Like: Gearing Up for NaNoWriMo 2011”
Hannah Karena Jones 