Monthly Archives: May 2011

Why I love Charles Dickens–Diving Into the Story World

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Carrie

by Jen Slattery A few years ago someone mailed me a historical fiction about…. Well, I’m not sure what it was about because I never made it that far. I tried. Oh, my, did I try, but after page upon … Continue reading →

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5 Ways to Bore Your Readers

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Carrie

Carrie takes a look at five ways for authors to alienate their readers. Continue reading →

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COTT Congratulates Christine Lindsay

Posted on May 23, 2011 by Carrie

by Michelle Massaro Christine Lindsay crowned COTT champ! Shadowed in Silk won the vote for Best Back Cover Blurb against competitor Sunny Eads. A clip of her winning excerpt: After the Great War, Abby Fraser returns to India with her … Continue reading →

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Story Element: Point of View

Posted on May 21, 2011 by Carrie

One of the first things every writer has to decide when starting a new novel is point of view. Who among their characters will be telling the story? Learn about four points of view. Continue reading →

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So What About the Back Cover?

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Carrie

Article by Lisa Lickel MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT COTT’S EXCITING NEW VENTURE: Join us in June as we premier COTT’s book club! Karen Witemeyer and her COTT winning novel A Tailor-Made Bride is up as our first read (The … Continue reading →

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Organizing: One Less Thing

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Carrie

The following is reprinted with permission from Randy Ingermanson. Randy is best known for his snowflake method of story development, which I whole-heartedly recommend. He also publishes a monthly e-zine. I read the following article in the April 2011 issue … Continue reading →

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Another COTT Victory

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Carrie

This week’s Clash winner is none other than Roseanna White, for her opening pages of A Stray Drop of Blood. She triumphed over the very worthy excerpt from Michelle Griep’s Undercurrent. Congratulations, Roseanna! It’s fair to say that Stray Drop … Continue reading →

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What Are You Telling Your Readers?

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Carrie

In a previous post, I talked about finding the voice of my writing as a body of work and for each individual story. This time, I’d like to talk about finding the message of a story. It may seem like … Continue reading →

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Exciting News, Poll Results, plus…Fish in a Barrel?

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Carrie

Guest Blogger: Michelle Massaro When it comes to books, how easy are you to reel in? Do you swim against the current, requiring a strong line to tug you along? Or do you flow right in to a story’s net? … Continue reading →

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