Now that the news has been announced re: the Ludlum contract, one can see why I'm creating a schedule for the year. When my agent calls to discuss deadlines for the contracts I'm under I always have a brief moment where I think: "Oh, let's wait and see when the muse hits and I'll let you know." But that won't work when you're under contract and a whole slew of people are waiting for you to write a story. Or in…
Read This EntryOnce you’re “in the game” as a writer, criticism in one form or another is inevitable. The first comes from the agents who have rejected you, but were kind enough to give some helpful feedback with the rejection. (That’s a good rejection, if one can call it that). Then there’s the criticism of an editor. Usually good, but sometimes forces a situation where you will end up deleting a scene you wish you hadn’t. And finally, there’s the Amazon type…
Read This EntryEvery writer has her strengths and weaknesses. I’m no exception. I love writing dialogue, action scenes, and creating premises. Scenery I could do without. Picture it, you’re writing some great motion-helicopters are shooting at your protagonist from the sky and your character is running away, dodging tree stumps and falling shrapnel. Just writing the scene is exhilarating, not to mention a whole lot of fun. Then it’s over. You’re compelled to “slow” down the story. Contrary to what many believe,…
Read This EntryFor everyone who wondered, writers, readers, casual surfers who just hit this page, let me give you a warning: writing the second novel of your published career is tough. Really tough. Why? Because if you’re like me you are now under contract. There are twenty or thirty people sitting in New York who are waiting to read your next. You’re writing it while still working on marketing the first, and you find yourself in a hotel room staring at the…
Read This Entry“The description of torture, dismemberment, and death was so over the top, that I can’t pass this book on to anyone.” This is what a friend of mine recently told me about a thriller she was reading. The book? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. What disturbed my friend the most was that the violence was against women, and that it escalated throughout the novel to a point that the author was losing her. Likewise, my agent, Barbara Poelle, commented…
Read This EntryTY! RT @bethrenaldi: #WW It's that time again! @talexander @Andrew_Grant @ReneeRosen1 @JD_Rhoades @Jamiefreveletti @mafiahairdreser ...