writing, writing, RIOTING FUN
I'm lying in bed, cutting out pictures from magazines. This will be the Big Party Fun Time for our local group. The Exercises I'm coming up with are pretty Standard but there's a reason they're standard. Just like Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Musical Chairs, they work. (For rioters anyway. Kids, maybe?)
Yes, indeedy, I'll be the woman who tries to get everyone at the party to play charades or cranium or who insists that we do need to get a group portrait to mark the occasion. It really is supposed to be a party, so maybe I'll dig out some prizes.
I have four lil bags of pictures:
male
female
(we are romance writers after all--I'm sticking to humancentric stories, but they can also pick m/m f/f if they want.)
location and
optional object. (potential plot device!)
I'll divide thevictims participants into groups and make 'em pick a picture from each bag. Then the groups have write BACK COPY! YAY!
Kind of like my old contests (they were fun to read. I do so love writing contests, especially with short entries)
cover copy contest 1
The second contest
Here’s why this exercise is great: a lot of epublishers make you write your own blurbs
PLUS
it’s the format for a lot of query letters.
All this and it’s an exercise that can help improve synopsis writing abilities: Focus! Style! (as in focusing on important points of the story while maintaining an interesting and lively writing style).
Interesting tangent: it's been a while since I've written for EC, but they used to forbid their authors to use questions in their book blurb--as in “will she at last find the man to break the spell?”
I guess that style got on their last nerve when every author did it
I think I'm going to also force people to write a couple of paragraphs of setting (from a particular character's POV naturally. The whole "the room contained a white chair, a fireplace and a bureau" thing is fine but dull. How do we feeeeeeel about the room?) Why am I making anyone do this John Gardner thing? Because I stink at setting, don't like doing this particular exercise and need someone else to push me into it.
Hey, at least I won't force anyone to do Karaoke.
This wise woman shtick is going on all month. I'm helping Flo and Terry and Sophia over at athena critiques too.
Yes, indeedy, I'll be the woman who tries to get everyone at the party to play charades or cranium or who insists that we do need to get a group portrait to mark the occasion. It really is supposed to be a party, so maybe I'll dig out some prizes.
I have four lil bags of pictures:
male
female
(we are romance writers after all--I'm sticking to humancentric stories, but they can also pick m/m f/f if they want.)
location and
optional object. (potential plot device!)
I'll divide the
Kind of like my old contests (they were fun to read. I do so love writing contests, especially with short entries)
cover copy contest 1
The second contest
Here’s why this exercise is great: a lot of epublishers make you write your own blurbs
PLUS
it’s the format for a lot of query letters.
All this and it’s an exercise that can help improve synopsis writing abilities: Focus! Style! (as in focusing on important points of the story while maintaining an interesting and lively writing style).
Interesting tangent: it's been a while since I've written for EC, but they used to forbid their authors to use questions in their book blurb--as in “will she at last find the man to break the spell?”
I guess that style got on their last nerve when every author did it
I think I'm going to also force people to write a couple of paragraphs of setting (from a particular character's POV naturally. The whole "the room contained a white chair, a fireplace and a bureau" thing is fine but dull. How do we feeeeeeel about the room?) Why am I making anyone do this John Gardner thing? Because I stink at setting, don't like doing this particular exercise and need someone else to push me into it.
Hey, at least I won't force anyone to do Karaoke.
This wise woman shtick is going on all month. I'm helping Flo and Terry and Sophia over at athena critiques too.
This is good, this is good *looks up from notebook*. More of this please.
ReplyDeleteOh and if you're ever stuck for stuff to blog about, let me know, cos I got questions.