Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Drama in a Small Town: ANNETTE DRAKE SPOTLIGHT
Drama in a Small Town: ANNETTE DRAKE SPOTLIGHT: Annette Drake The joys and perils of the writing life Skip to content · About the Author · Annette’s blog · ...
ANNETTE DRAKE SPOTLIGHT
The joys
and perils of the writing life
Author spotlight: Joyce Brennan
Welcome romance author, Joyce Brennan.
Why do you write fiction?
I came from a small town in Ohio and never felt the need to write memoirs or non-fiction about my life. That said, I pull from my experiences growing up in a carefree atmosphere. I remember the politics of a small community and the gossip about almost everything. It gives me more than enough information to write fiction.
Please tell us about your book. What ideas or images inspired this novel?
The Hidden Journal is about a timid widowed woman from an abusive marriage who grows and changes. Jenna Mitchell relocates from Chicago to a small Kentucky community. A designer of greeting cards, logos and advertising copy, she works from home on her computer. Due to the economy, she loses most of her income and is forced to take job in a local antique shop and eventually buys the business. Her life is interrupted when she finds a journal written by a deceased doctor who exposes secrets that devastate the man she plans to marry.
I came from a small town in Ohio and never felt the need to write memoirs or non-fiction about my life. That said, I pull from my experiences growing up in a carefree atmosphere. I remember the politics of a small community and the gossip about almost everything. It gives me more than enough information to write fiction.
Please tell us about your book. What ideas or images inspired this novel?
The Hidden Journal is about a timid widowed woman from an abusive marriage who grows and changes. Jenna Mitchell relocates from Chicago to a small Kentucky community. A designer of greeting cards, logos and advertising copy, she works from home on her computer. Due to the economy, she loses most of her income and is forced to take job in a local antique shop and eventually buys the business. Her life is interrupted when she finds a journal written by a deceased doctor who exposes secrets that devastate the man she plans to marry.
Do you have an ideal reader in mind when you write? If so,
please describe that reader.
I hope to attract readers who have always lived in large communities, readers who have never experienced the closeness of a small town and readers who have lived the experience and can relate to gossip and innuendoes of growing up in a community where everyone knows everyone.
I hope to attract readers who have always lived in large communities, readers who have never experienced the closeness of a small town and readers who have lived the experience and can relate to gossip and innuendoes of growing up in a community where everyone knows everyone.
Please describe your writing routine.
When I’m beginning a novel, I write in the mornings. I strive for 1000 words per day, five days a week. I create a character analysis for my main characters. I write everything. Editing usually take longer than the original writing.
What advice do you give new writers just starting out?
I started out as a pantser, but now I try to have at least an outline. I want to know how the story ends before I start writing. I recommend that you know your characters inside and out. Find out what they want and who or what keeps them from achieving their goals. Give your character the worst possible scenarios and allow them to struggle through the dark times. Make sure your main character has deep conviction, good or bad. Give her/him flaws…we all have them. Sprinkle backstory throughout your manuscript. Don’t hit your reader with character descriptions in the first chapter. Limit your points of view. Most of all, enjoy writing. It will show in your finished novel.
When I’m beginning a novel, I write in the mornings. I strive for 1000 words per day, five days a week. I create a character analysis for my main characters. I write everything. Editing usually take longer than the original writing.
What advice do you give new writers just starting out?
I started out as a pantser, but now I try to have at least an outline. I want to know how the story ends before I start writing. I recommend that you know your characters inside and out. Find out what they want and who or what keeps them from achieving their goals. Give your character the worst possible scenarios and allow them to struggle through the dark times. Make sure your main character has deep conviction, good or bad. Give her/him flaws…we all have them. Sprinkle backstory throughout your manuscript. Don’t hit your reader with character descriptions in the first chapter. Limit your points of view. Most of all, enjoy writing. It will show in your finished novel.
More about The Hidden Journal:
When Chicago
designer, Jenna Mitchell, moves her business to Crestridge, Kentucky, the
market collapses. Left without an income, she takes over a local antique shop.
Angry words are exchanged when she meets handsome Drew Kelsey. A neighbor
becomes matchmaker and brings the couple together.
Despite their rocky start, they fall in love and look to the
future. Marriage plans crumble when Jenna discovers a journal that discredits
the Kelsey name. Stella Ledbetter waits for the opportunity to take Jenna’s
place in Drew’s life.
How to connect with Joyce:
Friday, January 24, 2014
Drama in a Small Town: THE HIDDEN JOURNAL
Drama in a Small Town: THE HIDDEN JOURNAL: The Hidden Journal, is my latest ebook available on Amazon or from the Tirgearr Publishing web site. www.tirgearrpublishing.com I had f...
THE HIDDEN JOURNAL
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www.tirgearrpublishing.com
I had fun writing this novel because I lived in the area for many years. The novel takes place in Crestridge, Kentucky, a fictional community located near Louisville. My character, Jenna Mitchell, is a widow, still haunted by her abusive marriage and carrying the guilt that she might have caused the accident that killed her husband.
Jenna designs greeting cards, advertising logos, etc., she works out of her home. On a whim, she chooses to leave Chicago and the bad memories and purchase an old stone cottage in Crestridge.
.
Follow her misadventures as she tries to make it on her own in a closed community where gossip and rumors are the norm and everyone knows everyone else's business, or at least they think they do. Enjoy reading about Stella, vixen you love to hate, and Jenna's neighbors, seven year old Molly and her grandmother. Will Jenna and the handsome, Drew Kelsey have a relationship?
You can read the first chapter both on Amazon and on Tirgearr Publishing's site.
I know you'll enjoy the trip back to the hills of Kentucky..
THE HIDDEN JOURNAL, by Joyce Brennan www.tirgearrpublishing.com
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
TIMES CHANGE, SO DOES HOW YOU WRITE
I
recently attended a day conference sponsored by the Las Vegas Romance Writers.
Angela James of Carina Press gave a class, “Before You Hit Send.”
Witty and informative, Angela told the group what she looks for as an editor. While I’m an advocate of removing weak adverbs and as many “Was” words as possible, that didn’t bother her as long as the story was strong. She also shared tips when writing with Microsoft Word.
Witty and informative, Angela told the group what she looks for as an editor. While I’m an advocate of removing weak adverbs and as many “Was” words as possible, that didn’t bother her as long as the story was strong. She also shared tips when writing with Microsoft Word.
I
watched group during the presentation. The younger members smiled as they
agreed, seasoned writers cast a narrow glance at the energetic speaker.
What
I took away from the presentation: Read the published books from the company
where you plan to submit your manuscript. Get a feel for what they print.
Writing is a commercial venture. Publishers will only accept what their company
sells. Keep your manuscript tight. Don’t wander off on side stories (my
problem) and make sure every scene and chapter move your story forward. Also,
readers tend to skip pages where the writer adds paragraphs of description.
Keep it short and to the point. Don’t give a complete resume of your
characters, but sprinkle your descriptions throughout your story.
Watch
for the release of, “HIDDEN JOURNAL,” in January from Tirgearr Publishing. You
can go to their web site for more information on my book and those from
Tirgearr’s other authors.
Keep
Writing, Joyce Brennan
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Drama in a Small Town: DISCREPANCY IN WRITING
Drama in a Small Town: DISCREPANCY IN WRITING: I recently gave a presentation on writing Deep Point Of View. I stressed the importance of using strong verbs and eliminating distanc...
DISCREPANCY IN WRITING
I recently gave
a presentation on writing Deep Point Of View. I stressed the importance of
using strong verbs and eliminating distancing adverbs and adjectives. Example:
She walked quietly…she slipped into the room. Or: He thought he should call her…he
called her. She felt sick…nausea bubbled in the back of her throat. She was
going to the mall…she drove to the mall.
Simple hints,
but they make a world of difference in your manuscript.
I finished a
novel written by a well-established romantic suspense writer. She used the word
was thirteen times on one
page. To add to the distraction, she started sentences with: There was, instead
of addressing the action and in one long compound sentence, used the word was three times. It’s difficult
to explain to new writers how this passes editors. I tell them that if you want
your manuscript to emerge from the slush pile, follow the rules and tighten
your writing. Know the rules before you attempt to break them.
Another
distraction is the over use of your character’s names. If you have two characters
in one scene, introduce them once and allow the dialogue to flow without
constantly adding the tags, “John said, Mary said, John said, Mary said.”
Example:
“Hand me the
peanuts,” John said.
“Here,” Mary
said.
“Thanks,” John
said.”
Okay, so that’s terrible
dialogue. How about writing…
“Hand me the
peanuts,” John said.
Mary pushed the
bowl across the table. “They’re salty. Do you want a glass of water?”
“Nah, I’m good.”
The reader
immediately knows who’s speaking without all of the tags.
Another example:
John headed out
the front door. Late for work again, John rushed to the bus stop.
The reader
already knows John is the POV character in the scene. Don’t overuse his name.
You can spice up the scene by showing emotion. Did the character sweat? Did he
trip down the steps? Did he arrive in time to see the bus pull away? Add these emotions if it pushes the scene
forward.
No matter what
your write, put yourself in your main character’s head. Feel what he/she feels.
( but don’t say, “he felt.” Show that emotion.)
Keep writing.
Joyce Brennan
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