Milly Taiden is here today to give us a brief glimpse into her new paranormal read, Sharp Change, as well as giving some helpful writing tips. So let's welcome Milly.....
Tips for Novice Writers:
I still consider myself a novice. Every round of edits is like a punch to the stomach and I question how good I really am. With that in mind, I’d like to point out a few things that I’ve noticed since my first book got contracted and I’ve just finished my fifth book edits. Here are my top five tips for novice writers.
1. POV (Point of View). Read read and read. Make sure that you’re speaking from the right point of view. One character cannot see his own eye color or his face scowling. Ensure that when you’re describing you are speaking in the proper character.
2. Ownerless Body Parts. Novice writers (myself included) have a tendency of wanting to write so eloquently that we use body parts to do things without their owners. Example: His hands slid up her body. Whose hands? Where’s the rest of him? So ensure that whenever you’re writing, there’s a body attached to those hands, eyes and lips.
3.
. Overuse of words (as / and). New writers tend to overuse these two words so much that it can give a reader a headache. How to stop it? Do a search and highlight. See how much you’ve used these words and re-read and replace.
4.
Telling vs. Showing. One could say: She kicked the door down. Or, you could say: She kicked, a swift movement that splintered wood and brought the door down with a groan. So often we tell what’s happening versus showing. As writers, it is our job to ensure the reader can visualize what we’re saying. So we need to make sure our descriptions are apt and interesting.
5.
Be willing to make changes. It’s hard when you have this idea that you have a great story and then you get a contract. Yay! But then edits begin and you realize that your perfect story needs a lot of work. Don’t get stuck! Editors are only there to try to make your story better so it can sell. Make sure that you have an open mind and are willing to work with them. Their vision is to keep your plot as you imagined, but ensuring that it sounds crisp and interesting.Finally, don’t lose hope. I stated above how hard edits can be, and even with the best editor (which I truly believe I have) it can still make a writer wonder how good a writer she/he really is. But you have to just keep going. Take each of the comments/revisions from your previous book into consideration for your next story. It will make edits in the future that less painful. Keep your dream alive.
Thoughts of Chase, the Alpha of the Black Meadows pack, made her heart torpedo in her chest and rockets go off in her stomach. The better-than-a-sundae delicious-looking man with golden brown skin, enough muscles he could share them with his friends and still have left over, turned her to a puddle of goo.
The man had so much sex appeal her girl parts were ready to lift a white flag in surrender just by looking at him, even thinking of him made her tongue wag. Looking at him was like viewing a shot of your favorite dessert and knowing you couldn’t get your hands on it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Milly Taiden was born in the prettiest part of the Caribbean known as the Dominican Republic. She grew up between New York, Florida and Massachusetts. Currently, she resides in New York City with her husband, bossy young son and their little dog Speedy.
She began writing when she learned to put words together and her first book consisted of two homeless dogs living in a park for her second grade English class. She didn’t win a prize, but she acquired a love for writing that never went away.
When she’s not working full-time, texting with her best friend Heidi in England, chastising her son for pulling the dog’s ears, shopping with her sister Jewel or watching scary movies with her husband, she can be found writing on her laptop. She’s addicted to shoe shopping, chocolate and Dunkin Donuts coffee.
A major reader when she can get her hands on a good book, she loves reading all Mina Carter, Cynthia Eden, Cynthia Sax among others
Website: http://millytaiden. com
Twitter: @millytaiden
Facebook: Milly Taiden
Hi I've nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award! To learn more go to my blog: http://livingforthebooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/one-lovely-blog-award.html
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds fantastic. Can't wait to read it. Thanks for the informative post.
ReplyDeletee.balinski(at)att(dot)net