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Before you start writing your book, write a story line first

I need to again praise the J.A. Konrath “Guide to publishing”. He gives really valuable advice and I wished I had read it before I started writing my first book.  (Mind you, I started writing before he actually published his “Guide”).

One of the things he advises is to write a story line for your sequel-book: just a few sentences that describe what happens in each chapter.

This is something publishers/literary agents want to have when a writer promises a sequel. Before any contract is made, they need to make sure you (as a writer) know what will happen in your book No. 2, or 3, or 7 (if that’s how far you’re going).  Continue reading “Before you start writing your book, write a story line first”

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Alison Bechdel and a damsel in distress

I follow a blog which you might also find interesting, so here’s the link. This particular entry was about something called the Bechdel test. This was the first time I had heard of it and what it is about.

In short, this is a test about gender bias in fiction (books or movies). It’s a very simple test to perform. There are three questions that need to be answered:

 

  1. Are there at least two female characters in the story?
  2. Do they talk to each other?
  3. Do they talk to each other about something OTHER than men?

Continue reading “Alison Bechdel and a damsel in distress”

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Editing: Cutting the creation, for a good reason

I’m reading “The Newbies Guide to Publishing”  by Joe Konrath. Really good stuff! For new writers, but also for anyone else who wants to know what happens behind the scenes. Have a look at it, it’s worth it!

What I would like to talk about here is: editing. I’m not doing much of it yet, but it’s something that every writer should do, again and again. The first draft is NEVER good enough for publishing (despite some egotistic opinions of young writers, such as myself :-p).

Continue reading “Editing: Cutting the creation, for a good reason”

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Career tracking

When I was 18, just finishing gymnasium, I had the possibility to have a one day session at the Career Consulting Centre. This organization gives advice on your carrier options best suited for your talents and ambitions. They run you through different tests, some IQ-ones, some psychological ones. Once this is finished and you receive your career advice you can even include that document with your university application.

Although I had a pretty good idea where I was going, I still visited the Career Center, just so that they re-confirm my decision.

Continue reading “Career tracking”

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How it started

When I was about 11 we had a school assignment to write a science fiction essay. So the very first idea of this book appeared: far, far in the future (I’m still not sure how far that will be right now) when teleporting is the standard means of transportation, my female heroine is “ported” to complete some task on a specific planet. As the port is completed, she finds herself on a planet that does not at all correspond to what she´d expected.

Continue reading “How it started”

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The introduction: It’s all about the book

All of this is about writing a book.

I’m really eager to get it finished and completed so it’s ready for my readers.

But – it takes time so to calm my eagerness I decided that I will tell you about the process of writing. Characters, events that make their way into the book, triumphs and miseries as chapters unfold, while  the characters do what I want them to do. Or not, and they do their own stuff instead.

Come back to me with your thoughts, as they might find their way into the book itself.

I hope you will enjoy my blog entries, and in the end the book itself.

– Tara Jade