Insecure Writer's Support Group Day, Write Club 2019 and Scott Walker, RIP
he Blogging from A to Z April Challenge has begun!*crickets*
It feels very weird not to be participating in it at all, but between work and school and life, things are just too busy at the moment. I can't even keep up with proper commenting on regular blog posts!
Good luck to all of you doing the challenge! I'm really looking forward to reading the entries, even if I don't always manage to log in and cheer you on in comments.
Today is Insecure Writer's Support Group Day!
A really good question this month:
If you could use a wish to help you write just one scene/chapter of your book, which one would it be?
The main action scene, certainly!
I get my characters into place, the antagonist is there with his weapon, and... I stall. Whose fist goes where? Who's wielding the knife? What sorts of sounds and smells and other senses do I need? What kind of biting repartee takes place as they spar?
Oddly enough, I used to have more trouble writing dialogue. So I think, as with many things, the answer to my troubles is simply to practice, practice, practice.
I'm trying to keep up an edit or write every day schedule, even if it's for only half an hour. It really does help to keep your hand in.
Speaking of writing every day, I'm also hoping to enter this year's edition of WRiTE Club!
"WRiTE CLUB is back for its eighth straight year and whether you’re serious about writing…or just like to dabble…it’s time to tighten up those laces. The “little contest that could” – known for identifying talent that goes on to realize their own publishing dream – continues to be associated with the DFW Writers Conference which has recently been recognized as one of the best writing conferences in America by The Writer magazine! ...
"Here’s the ABCs of how it works. When the submission period opens (Mar 18-Apr 14), you simply send in a 500-word writing sample using a pen name (details on how to do that below). Once the submission period closes, all the entries are read by a panel of twenty volunteers (I call them my slushpile readers). The slushpile readers are a diverse group of avid readers and they each will select their top samples. Their selections narrow down the contestant pool to the thirty writers picked by the most judges. Over the course of the next eight weeks, we’ll hold daily bouts (M-F) right here on this blog – randomly pitting the anonymous 500-word writing samples against each other. The winners of these bouts advance into elimination rounds, and then playoffs, quarter-finals, and then ultimately a face-off between two finalists to determine a single champion. The writing sample can be any genre, any style (even poetry), from a larger piece of work or flash fiction -- the word count being the only restriction. It’s a way to get your writing in front of a lot of readers, receive a ton of feedback, all without having to suffer the agony and embarrassment of exposure. How cool is that?
"And how are the winners of each bout determined? By you and other WRiTE CLUB readers! Anyone who visits my blog during the contest can vote for the writing sample that resonates with them the most in a bout. All I ask is that you leave a brief critique of each piece to help the contestants improve their craft."
Visit DL Hammons' blog for more details!
I've got my scene ready to submit!
In other, sad, news, Scott Walker has passed away. I found out totally at random, through Twitter:
Here's the Divine Comedy album that features that cover song:
Are you taking part in the A to Z or WRiTE Club?
Which scenes would you like help writing?
Which scenes would you like help writing?
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