I attended an seminar on adding humor to your manuscript. Guess what? Although I thought I could be funny, at least have a little humor...it's harder than you think to put it down on paper. It loses something in the translation, so to speak. I decided to take notes on the things I read that make me snicker and start from there. When you write romantic suspense, you usually don't include prat-falls, but your heroine can certainly trip over a pair of shoes left in the middle of the room when she's late for a date, or dress in her best only to be caught in a downpour. Maybe when the hero leans down for that romantic kiss, she could sneeze. I'm going to work on it, because a little humor goes a long way.
Secondly, in order to be a good writer, you must read. Read every genre. Read non-fiction as well as fiction. Every year there are new words (slang) added to our vocabulary, and have you noticed that companys are changing their names to initials? Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas is now called, "T" Other casinos are following suit. As a writer you want to keep up with the times, but be careful that you don't date your manuscript.
I went to the Desert Hearts Reading Group this afternoon. The leader, Linda Cutler-Smith, chooses the romance books we will read and discuss, also giving us an alternate in case we don't care to read a specific genre. What a great group. We meet in Las Vegas at the Sahara West Library and beside discussing books, we feast on the wonderful treats Linda brings.
Next, I am leading a Memoir group. What fun it is to hear all of the family stories and helping the writers put their thoughts into words. I am blessed to have such good friends.
Last, please go to Snowy Creek Books and read the wonderful reviews I've received on, "Unexpected Gifts." I am so pleased with the input my readers give me. The book is on their catalog page and on Amazon.
