Monday: Missy Tippens brought us tips for nurturing creativity using improv.
Tuesday: Carolyn Miller stopped by and shared with us about what Piques her interest and where her ideas come from. The winner of A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh is: VINCE!
Wednesday: Ruthy Logan Herne brought us a fun post where we all wrote a mystery together... Writing exercises are a fun way of getting the brain's wheels turning. Remember Missy's post about creativity and the brain on Monday? Brains get habitual like the rest of our body, so it's not only good to shake it up a bit and go outside your comfort zone, but it broadens the scope of our creativity. Tell us if you had fun with that because we can schedule more hands-on posts, but we want to know that you like it! Leave a comment below OR e-mail us at Seekerville2[AT]gmail[DOT]com
Friday: Winnie Griggs brought us great post about article writing. The winner of her choice of one of Winnie's books is Sandy Smith!
Monday: Jan Drexler will be digging into what it takes to give your characters emotional depth in her post, Bleeding onto the Page: a writing exercise. Plus, she's opening up her own private prize vault for one commenter!
Tuesday: Stephanie Morrill will be at Seekerville teaching us the "2 Questions to Ask To Be Sure Your Scene Matters."
Wednesday: Debby Giusti will be talking about writing the beginning of a story and all the details that need to be included in those important first pages. Be sure to stop by and leave a comment to be included in the drawing!
Friday: Pam Hillman will be in the house today. She's brewing up something spectacular. :)
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| Pam Hillman (along with 25 other Christian authors) invites you to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! Start HERE AT STOP #1 to collect the clues through all 27 stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 3 grand prizes! Also, many of the authors are hosting giveaways at each stop, so take your time along the way. Pam is giving away 2 sets of her NATCHEZ TRACE NOVEL series at PamHillman.com, Stop #21 |
STARTING MONDAY MORNING AT 10:00 AM!!!!!
A new BookSweeps promo for all lovers of small town romance and small town fiction! CONTEST GOES LIVE AT 10:00 AM.... and it's to help build author's BookBub lists. Nothing to buy, darlings.... But we authors and our editors and marketing departments love that list. It helps get the word out to readers for new releases and great deals... My featured book is my first Amazon bestseller "Welcome to Wishing Bridge".... Winners get a bundle of books and an e-reader!
Here's the link for Monday Morning!!!! http://bit.ly/2HAvA51
How about a "Colorado Cowboy" for y'all?! Join JustRead Publicity Tour in celebrating the book birthday of Mindy Obenhaus' upcoming release, Her Colorado Cowboy on March 19, 2019! There will be a fabulous prize too!
Then, starting on March 20th, Mary Connealy's The Unexpected Champion completes the High Sierra Sweethearts series and we're celebrating too! The publisher, Bethany House is giving away the series plus MORE! Be sure to stop by JustRead Publicity Tours to enter!
Writers Beware -- Avoid These 10 Time Thieves by Edie Melson at The Write Conversation
25 Ideas for Your Author Blog by Bryn Donovan at Fiction University
Indie Authors Find Footing in Christian Market Publisher's Weekly Report
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING, SEEKERVILLE!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHuge thanks to all the peeps that played in our Build-a-Mystery post, it was so much fun to work and play with you. I love that stuff...
If you can Build-a-Bear, why not a book, right????
Also, thanks again to Carolyn Miller for coming by and sharing her expertise with us. Gifted, talented lady. Kudos to her!
I'm working and doing a birthday celebration this weekend... Farmer Dave's birthday is coming up and we're celebrating today. But I've got some edits that need my attention and a book proposal... so in between celebrating and a fun St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, this gal's got some work to do. Bless you all... and have a wonderful St. Patrick's Feast Day!
I would like to see more of the build a book.
ReplyDeleteHi guys, I just realized I didn't stop by ONCE this past week. Was busy with the local Town Meetings and elections. Looking forward to next week, looks like some good posts.
ReplyDeleteI'm at a plateau now, between books and projects, researching two potentially BIG books, as in saga, but not ready to start them yet, so it's a time of setting goals and reflection on where I've been. Interesting that it coincides with Lent...
See you Monday.
KB
We've missed you, Kathy!
DeleteI vote for more hands-on posts like this week's mystery. I didn't have a chance to participate, but I did enjoy reading through all the comments. What fun! I've been lurking a lot more than commenting lately, but it's always fun to check in and I always learn something! Have a great weekend, everyone!
ReplyDeleteGlynis, we're glad to know you're out there lurking! :)
DeleteHappy Weekend. I am happy to see sunshine and clear skies with no precipitation. Please pray for all those in Nebraska and the other states as well who have been impacted by the terrible floods.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to win a book from Winnie!
I will be praying, Sandy.
DeleteCongratulations to the winners!
ReplyDeleteIt's a sunny Saturday here, too, and warm enough to start melting some of our snow! Of course, that melting will only add to the floods downriver. Praying for Nebraska, eastern South Dakota, Minnesota, and other states impacted by this year's spring floods!
Today is a work day for me. With hubby semi-retired, my "Saturday" falls somewhere in the middle of the week.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
By the way, I just finished Mary Connealy's High Sierra Sweethearts series! What a wonderful set of stories! Be sure to follow the link in the Seeker Sightings to enter the contest to win them!
ReplyDeleteJan, I look forward to reading these! They're in my TBR pile calling my name already. :)
DeleteHappy St Patrick's Day...tomorrow! I'll be wearing green to church! :)
ReplyDeleteSandy Smith, the people in Nebraska are in my prayers. The flooding looks horrific. Water causes so much damage.
Ruthy, happy birthday to your sweet hubby!
Georgia was warm and delightful...now we're cold again. Fickle weather!
Hugs to all! I'm working on some rewrites and would appreciate your prayers so the changes come together. Thank you!
Debby, I'm looking at your message before church and was reminded to wear green! Thank you! :)
DeleteGood Evening. I am doing well. Wed. the doctor removed the staples. I am now allowed to bend my knee. I got it bent to 90 degrees yesterday in Therapy. It is incredibly painful to bend it after going 6 weeks without being bent. They also had me walking and I made it 30 feet. It is so difficult to learn to do these things but the therapist are amazed how far I have come in just 3 days. All I can say is it is the Lord. He is so good and faithful. I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks. Hoping I will know then more of a time frame for when I will get to go home.
ReplyDeleteHope everyone has a great weekend.
Wilani, that's wonderful news!! Keep up the good work!
DeleteWilani, I'm rejoicing and giving thanks for your progress! God is so good!
DeleteWilani, I am very happy to hear how well you are doing. Keep working at it.
DeleteHi Ruth:
ReplyDeleteYes!
Yes!
Did I write 'Yes'?
Let's have more writing exercises. I think they attract a few lurkers out to play! And it does not take a few hundred words, either. One of the best posts was just three sentences!
Also I think it might be interesting to write the signature scene for various themes. For example, write your version of these scenes:
a. the scene when the father learns that the 'hidden' child is his.
b. the scene when the heroine in a 'Marriage of Convenience' romance descovers that dispite her best efforts she's fallen in love with her husband!!!!
c. the scene in a 'Runaway Bride' romance where the bride runs through the church and out the doors and down the street!
d. the scene in a 'Regency' when the heroine overhears the hero trash her and her whole family!
e. the scene in a 'Friends to Lovers' when the hero and heroine have their first kiss and both are tempted to say, "That won't happen again". You decide what they do in your version.
f. the scene in a 'baby on the doorstep' where the hero opens the door and sees the baby. (It does have a cryptic note in the basket. What does the note say?)
g. the scene in a 'widow next door with three adorable little kids' romance where the hero discovers the heroine was his prom date twenty years ago.
h. the scene when the hero discovers he's 'in love with a 15 year older woman'. (Probably not, no one has the nerve to write this theme. Well Alexander McCall Smith did it but he's a philosopher and the heroine in the book was also a philosopher. God, did I love that book!!!)
So many romance themes have a signature scene which I very much look forward to reading. How about a new take on any of these key scenes? Can you write what is often the hardest scene to write with a new twist or greater flair?
Vince
Thanks Seekerville!
ReplyDeleteI see I won a copy of, "A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh," (Regency Brides: Daughters of Aynsley Book 1)
Regency romances got me into reading romances years ago and I think this is the first Regency I've seen as a book prize here on Seekerville. (I think Regency is an acquired taste and once you love them, they are exquisite!)
"A Hero for Miss Hatherleigh," is not even out yet. But it will be released in a few days. All good things come to those who wait, usually. (I put that 'usually' in there because I heard Ruth's voice tell me to do it!) It also has one of the best Regency covers I've ever seen. I just know it has to be good.
Thanks again.
Vince
A Perfect Example for Avoiding a "Sagging Middle"!
ReplyDeleteI just wrote a review of "A Most Inconvenient Love", Ruth's new book (or at least one of them) and it has the best 'middle section' page turning narrative I can remember ever reading in a non-suspense book. I mentioned this last week but that was before I finished reading the book. It's even better than I thought then now that I've reached the HEA. This is how to do it if you are not writing a suspense novel.
Writers should give this book a look. I call it a book with a 'surging middle'. It's a textbook example of using 'anticipatory events' and resolving them sooner than the reader expects. As James Patterson likes to say, "Always be exceeding reader expectations."
Readers: you don't have to worry about this. Just enjoy the book as the story speeds by! This is one of the first books I've read in years that I wasn't thinking about reviewing it as I read. I had to read it quickly just to keep up!!!
Brava!
Vince, thanks for the recommendation!
DeleteI always love Ruthie's stories. Must get this one!
DeleteHi, all! I feel like I've been somewhat absent lately. I've been working on pulling together tax documents for us and for family members. It's been a busy several days! But I'm finally done. Hope to enjoy a nice break today. No more crunching numbers! haha
ReplyDeleteTaxes are looming for me! As soon as I finish my rewrites. :) Something to look forward to...NOT!
DeleteCan I join everybody else on the busy weekend? Busy but in a good way. Just... lots of stuff. The best was my 3 yo grand doll was in a pageant yesterday. She loved being a "princess" for a day. They were all adorable, esp. those teeny ones. :) But when asked if she wanted to do it again, she said no. I think she thought RIGHT THAT MINUTE. lol
ReplyDeleteLOVED the writing exercise! Please do more of those. It was fun to see what everyone came up with and how our minds were working first thing in the morning!
ReplyDelete