Comments for Not All Those Who Wander

Comment on Playing To Your Writing Strengths by lawrenceez

lawrenceez — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 11:37:16 +0000

I agree, Amy. People sometimes suggest I write short stories, but I feel short stories are actually a lot harder to write than novels. Inez, congratulations on your self-publishing ventures.

Comment on Some Thoughts on Book Reviewing by Dr. Tom Bibey

Dr. Tom Bibey — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:16:57 +0000

Revision is like the old bluegrass saying:

Q: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”

A: “Practice, practice, practice.”

drtombibey.wordpress.com

Comment on Some Thoughts on Book Reviewing by Cliff Burns

Cliff Burns — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:09:42 +0000

The problem with reviewers (of all media) in the blogosphere/cyberspace is that too much of it seems to be the province of “fan boys”, who have the “This rocks!” or “This sucks!” mentality, rather than providing informed, in-depth critiques. Critical thinking is sorely lacking…as are basic literacy and language skills.

Thanks for this post and continued good luck with your literary endeavors…

Comment on When Questioning Your Writing Can Be A Good Thing by Amy

Amy — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:18:18 +0000

Cliff – Normally I’d agree that revising and questioning should come after the first draft, but in this case I was stuck in such a rut that I really needed to step back and re-evaluate some of my characters before I could progress. Thankfully, it worked and I’m now piling up the words again.

Thanks for the advice and the encouragement though!

Comment on When Questioning Your Writing Can Be A Good Thing by Cliff Burns

Cliff Burns — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:32:38 +0000

For me, the questioning comes AFTER I’ve finished the first draft and have commenced work on revisions. The two greatest secrets for good editing/revising are 1) read your work out loud and 2) periodically take a few days, even a week off, then come back with a fresh perspective.

In both instances, the results can be nothing short of astonishing.

Good luck and write on…

Comment on Playing To Your Writing Strengths by Amy

Amy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:31:04 +0000

Thanks for the comment, inez. It’s great to know that someone’s out there has tried what I’m advocating and found it works. Hopefully I’ll have the same luck!

Comment on Playing To Your Writing Strengths by inez

inez — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:58:10 +0000

A publisher once told me that I should not attempt a novel first, because a novel was the hardest to do. Like you, I don’t feel that much at home with short stories – and I’ve already self-published my novels. The reviews have been great! You really do need to play to your strengths

Comment on Going On A Writing Retreat by K. Jayne Cockrill

K. Jayne Cockrill — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:29:43 +0000

Excellent idea! I go on the occasional writer’s retreat myself, and it’s always fruitful. It also helps to go on retreats with other writers just to connect up and talk about the writing life. Join an online support group or something. I belong to Austin WriterGrrls (Yahoo Groups), and we throw about writing topics and such, and it really makes the life easier know there are so many out there who understand exactly where you’re coming from and what your distractions are. Anyway, good luck on your retreat. Hope you get (got) a lot done.

KJ
http://interminablewriter.wordpress.com

Comment on The Fickleness Of Inspiration, Or ‘Why I Keep Cheating On My Novels’ by K. Jayne Cockrill

K. Jayne Cockrill — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:24:58 +0000

Yes, I do think it’s better to scrap one novel — if you’re not far into it — than to end up hating the whole process. But I would hope I’d find some ways to get excited about it by adding new elements, settings, characters, plot twists, histories that make the character fascinating, etc. Minor changes in the way one is writing can sometimes add a whole other dimension of that jazzed feeling toward your story.

Good luck!
KJ
http://interminablewriter.wordpress.com

Comment on R.J. Ellory – ‘A Quiet Belief In Angels’ by Stephen Clynes

Stephen Clynes — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:26:41 +0000

This is a quality read that haunts the reader and forces you to question your prejudices. You are shown just how easy it is to feel bad and think the worse of people.