Monday, December 6, 2021

Holiday Book Recommendations

 


The holiday season is here - a time to celebrate with friends and family, to enjoy good food and good times. It is also a season for giving. Below is a shortlist of books that I think you might find interesting. 

Enjoy!

Cozy Mysteries

  • Claws For Alarm: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery. Rita Mae Brown, Bantam, 2021.

  • Wedding Cake Murder (A Hannah Swensen Mystery). Joanne Fluke, Kensington, 2016.

  • Broken Bone China (A Tea Shop Mystery). Laura Childs, Berkley, 202 (reprint edition).

  • Mistletoe Cake Murder (All-Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery). Lena Gregory, Lyrical Press, 2021.

  • Deck The Donuts (A Deputy Donut Mystery). Ginger Bolton, Kensington, 2021.

Fiction

  • State of Terror. Louise Penny & Hillary Rodham Clinton, Simon & Schuster/St. Martin’s Press, 2021.

  • The President’s Daughter. James Patterson & Bill Clinton, Little, Bantam and Company and Knopf, 2021. 

  • The President Is Missing. James Patterson & Bill Clinton, Little, Brown & Company, 2018.


(c) December 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.




Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Short Chapters versus Long Chapters

 


Which do you prefer - short chapters in a book or long ones? I really prefer shorter chapters, possibly because I like to read a couple of chapters in one of my current books before Igo to sleep at night. Shorter chapters fit into this very well. 

Shorter chapters offer more frequent stopping points in a book, which are sometimes necessary. We can read to the end of a chapter, put our book down, and then return to start a new chapter. We don't have to reread something to figure out where we are (or where the author is). As writers, if we use the tool of shorter chapters, we have the advantage of holding our reader's interest.

 We can fit shorter chapters into our day, as we have our morning coffee, during lunch, a few quiet minutes in the afternoon, or a few minutes before we go to bed. Books can take our minds off of the stress of the day, and give us a bit of respite. A ten-minute reading window is a perfect way to recharge!

Chapter lengths of 1500 to 2000 words are good, but I find that I also like the occasional 500-word chapters. A single page, imparting pertinent information.

Longer chapters give the author time to expand on a given theme, to "connect the dots" as it were. IMHO, it also slows down the pace of the book. When I have a limited amount of time to read, I don't want to have to stop in the middle of a chapter and pick it up again later.  

As writers, we can use chapter length to set the pace for our books. We can use it to hold our reader's attention, and we encourage our readers to want more.

Where do you come in on the short chapter versus long chapter discussion?

November 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.



Sunday, October 3, 2021

Do Not Play Your Readers For Fools

 


I hold in high esteem authors that create a series around their protagonists. Their characters can and should grow over time, but their essence should remain the same. I have several such authors that I follow, and so far I continue to enjoy their work, with the sad exception of the last two books that I read from a specific author that shall remain nameless.

All of a sudden the protagonist is accused of murder, arrested and placed in a holding cell. This is a small town, so we see not only their lawyer but family and friends traipsing through the holding cell. (It's a small town - our protagonist is the only person in said cell all weekend.) Then the family member making bail for them doesn't know how to make the bail, so a close friend steps in. This does not present the character of the family member as they have been presented so far in the series.

In the second book (from the same series) another family member is accused of murder. This is totally out of character for this individual. To make matters worse, the victim is being presented as this horrible person, while so far in the series they have been presented as a womanizer, and a bit ignorant, but not as the devil incarnate.

Throughout both books, the protagonist has a running conversation in her mind with herself and the devil on their other shoulder. Which, while out of character, might not be so bad if the author had not made the questionable decision to place these thoughts in italics. 

Too many changes that make absolutely no sense. As a writer, if you cannot think of a way to keep your series going, then end it and start another one. Do not play your readers for fools!

(c) October 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author. 



Saturday, August 28, 2021

Here Is What Bonnie Is Up To!


This is going to be a very short blog and one in which I promote myself. 

As you all know, if you follow this blog, I decided to place a serial story on Kindle Vella. The app is now live, and my continuing story can be seen here. If you enjoy my story, please take the time to follow the episodes, and comment on them. I look forward to reading your comments!

My second offering is an interview that I did with Joy Ruffen, founder of Leading Ladies Leaving Legacies. Joy is an incredible lady, one who is bringing out the best qualities in the ladies that cross her path. I was honored to be able to do this interview.

Wishing you all the very best on your writing path!

(c) August 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.

 

Saturday, August 14, 2021

Revising Your Manuscript

 


Let's start out with the simple stuff: What is the difference between editing a manuscript and revising it? Editing makes a manuscript look better, revision makes a manuscript sound better. Revise, then edit.

Editing focuses on structural changes, such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. You find your typos, your misspellings, bad grammar - but you do not change the story in any way. Revision means the gloves are off! You can move things around, add new things, add detail, work with character development - the sky is the limit! You are literally re-imagining your story.

When I revise, I check to make sure that my voice is the same throughout the story - that I have not taken any "side trips", and become inauthentic. When I have lost my voice I note that there is usually a common reason - that the story was weak at that point, and/or I was not seeing it clearly. I do not want fifty shades of gray appearing in my storyline! I also make sure that my characters are staying in character with their speech and actions. I don't have too many issues with this, because my characters can be demanding, and tend to write themselves.

Revision is also a chance for me to check for grammar, punctuation, and spelling before the final edit is done. I accept my first draft as a place to be happy, to start on the next part of my journey. It is a chance for me to find my own truth - have I written a story worth reading, a story that my readers will enjoy, or have I put a bunch of words together, albeit nicely, and called it done. 

Some of the things that I look for are unnecessary words, repetition of words, and sentences that do not read well. Sometimes when I get all of this cleaned up I realize that I need to make some major changes to the story. What has happened is that I am seeing my story through clearer eyes, and the puzzle has begun to come together on its own. I listen to my inner voices, even when what they recommend will be incredibly time-consuming. Take the time, shape things up, and I know that I will have a better story and that my readers will want to come back for more.

It is also advised to revise for genre. I write fiction - cozy mysteries - and I self-publish. The only genre requirements that I would put on myself would be no explicit sex, no violence, and no improper language. If you are writing for a brick-and-mortar publisher, you would have to check with them for their requirements.  

Enjoy the process!

(c) August 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.





Sunday, August 8, 2021

Review: The Author Blog - Easy Blogging for Busy Authors



Blogging is just as important for an author as newsletters and a website. it keeps our name out there, keeps our readers interested, and attracts new readers. I blog here on blogger.com. I tend to not have a plan - I simply share my thoughts, share links to writing apps, and whatever else I think will interest my readers, It is very hit and miss. Today I want to share a review about a book from a writer that I follow - Anne R. Allen. I follow her blog with Ruth Harris (Anne R. Allen Blog), which is excellent, and is where I got the heads up on this book!

This is a guide for authors like me who are very "low tech", but who want to build a blog on a solid platform, but not dedicate our lives to it. (I would rather spend my time writing than  blogging.)  The first thing I read (I read back covers before I read the book) was that an author blog is easier to maintain than a business blog. Easy sounds good! 

I loved the concept that authors blog about different things at different stages of their careers. (Makes sense to me!) Fine-tuning blog topics for genre and audience - that I already do (I think). Also covered are basic SEO tips (my eyes glazed over already), and how to write headers that will grab the attention of Web surfers. (Yup, I need some help there!) And ... essential blog and social media etiquette rules are covered! (Whew!)

I am going to start at the end of this book, then go back to the beginning. Allen has included a page entitled "A Note From Anne", where she recommends several books on blogging by other authors. One of them, "Blog It! The Author's Guide To Publishing A Successful Online Brand" by Molly Greene, talks about using your blog to build your brand. I just purchased it!

I am impressed that Allen makes no bones about learning how to blog by trial and error. I think that is the best way to learn. Some of the topics she discusses in this book are:

  • How a blog can help an author's career.  
  • How to get an online profile.
  • Commenting on other author's blogs.
  • Using the blogging platform "Medium".
  • Tips for starting an author blog (along with steps to be taken).
  • How to pick topics for blogging.
  • Topics to leave out of your blog.
  • How to write a good author bio (mine is always a work in progress!).
  • How to write good blog content.
  • Writing a series of posts that are published over time.
  • Why not to work with a newsletter.
  • Making best use of Google.
  • Allowing your blog to change as you grow as an author.
  • Participating in Blog Hops and Blog Tours (they have their place).
  • Making best use of hashtags.
  • Guest blogging (my personal verdict is still out on this one).
  • Using a pen name (I don't).
There is a lot in this little (183 page) book - all of it usable! It is for those looking to start a blog and those that have been blogging for a while. Make best use of 50% of the information in this book, and you will look much more professional! 

(c) August 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.

 



 

Monday, August 2, 2021

Kindle Vella Live!

 


Kindle Vella - the new serial medium for storytelling - went live this past week. As someone who made the decision to submit a story, this was great news! Truth be told, there is not a lot of money to be made there, but I found the process to be interesting, and it is another way for a writer to get their name out there. Another plus is that, as I understand it, once a story has been live for a month it can also be published in other venues. 

I found it interesting, and at times exasperating, to write in episodes, as opposed to chapters. I did not plot the story out at all (I am basically a pantser as a writer, but I do usually set out some idea of where I want each chapter to go), I simply allowed it to write itself. My protagonist was fairly well-formed from the beginning. She is an antique shop owner, having left a career in New York City and returned home to take over her Grandmother's antique shop. She has a black cat by the name of Midnight that seems to have some powers in his own right.

Her boyfriend, Tom Hargrave, won't tell me what he does for a living and did not disclose his last name until almost halfway through the book. He has excellent taste in both coffee and wine and gets along well with Midnight. He seems to take everything in stride when Anne's antique shop is broken into, and a local person is found murdered in the alleyway on the same night.

Check out the wide range of stories being offered on Kindle Vella here.

Check out my story (with about eight episodes to go) Anne's Antiques. If you likely story, please say so! And feel free to leave comments. The first three episodes for all stories are free to read, the remaining episodes are paid for through the purchase of tokens,

Enjoy!

(c) August 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from this author.

Monday, July 5, 2021

Character Worksheets

 


Character worksheets give a bit of boundary to writers like me who are "pantsers" (we write by the seat of our pants, as opposed to writing from a script). Most worksheets include the character's full name, where they were born, DOB, where they live, where they went to school, their age, and their hair color. This can be expanded to include just about anything, such as what they like to eat, what they like to read,  and how they are related to other characters.

I am in an interesting place - halfway through my first Kindle Vella book, and I don't have anything written down (outside of the story) about my characters. I have had to refer back to previous chapters to keep names and what happened when straight. So my next project, before I write any more episodes (Kindle Vella is episodes, not chapters) is to go back and start a bible for this book.

The type of worksheet I have described here builds each character separately. We can take this one step further and create a worksheet that reflects the ongoing relationship between different characters.  We might want to ask questions such as:

  • What is the history between these two characters?
  • Do they like each other?
  • Are they frenemies?
  • Are they armed combatants?
  • Does one or both of them hold a grudge?
  • Do either of them feel "entitled"?
  • How do they see each other?
  • Are they working at cross purposes?
  • Are they supportive of each other?
  • Are they telling the truth?
  • Does one (or both) of them have a secret that they cannot afford to have known?
We can look back at this list as see how our characters are changing as the plot develops, how they are growing, and what new things we need to know about them.

Have fun with this!

(c) July 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Do You Have A Plan For Marketing Your Book?

 



Do you have a marketing plan for your book? I have a heck of a time with marketing and do not have a plan. I am very hit and miss, promoting through my newsletter (which has a very low readership), Facebook (through posts, not through paid advertising), Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. So I am semi-organized, but yet to see results. My goal is to support myself through my writing, so something has to give here. There has to be some kind of "Aha!" moment that allows me to move to the other side with promoting my work, to make it part of my overall plan for my books, and to have my promotions be supportive of me, So what should I be looking at?

The first thing that you need (aside from a book or books to promote!) is a website. I use free templates, you may choose to have someone do your website for you. It all depends on what your budget is. What do you want to include on your website? 

  • A signup link for your newsletter. (Yes, you need a newsletter! I use Mail Chimp.)
  • An updated author's bio. (I hate writing my own bio!)
  • A page where you list your books, with a short synopsis, and a link for purchasing.
  • Your social media links.
Make sure that your social media on all platforms is branded - that it all works together, that you are using the same headshot and bio. Include a link to your newsletter, and to your blog. (My blog is separate from my website, many people include a blog on their website.) 

When working with your newsletter you may want to send a sequence of automated e-mails that act as autoresponders to new subscribers. Provide some kind of sign-up incentives, such as a PDF or other form of downloadable content. 

You can also promote through podcasting, although this is an area that I am not currently making use of. You can also do live broadcasts on Facebook and Instagram. 

Make sure that you have an Amazon author's page, and that it contains all of the information on your work, including links. You can also include your blog and Twitter feeds, and videos.

Get sneaky! On the last page of your book (whether e-book or hard copy) include a link to your website and promotions for your other books. 

This is just a start, but I think that it is a fairly good start. Make a list of what you want to do, and organize that list by priority. You are a writer, and writing is a business. Make your business flourish!

(c) June 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.



Sunday, June 13, 2021

Creating Characters That Jump Off The Page!

 


How do we create characters that simply jump off the page? As you know (well, maybe you didn't know, but you do now!) I am diving off the deep end and writing a Kindle Vella book - the kind of book that comes out in episodes to constitute a series. I had no clue how I was going to do this, so I just started writing. I was pleased to see the plot developing as I wrote, and the characters basically writing themselves.  

My protagonist, Anne Devereux, is the owner of Anne's Antiques. After a twenty-year career in New York City, she is back in her hometown of Fairfax, VA, running her deceased grandmother's antique business. Part of what defines Anne is that she is now back in a mid-sized city environment, where she knows many of the people. She is part of the downtown business community and has a committed relationship with Tom. Just "Tom". No last name yet, and no occupation. And the series is almost halfway finished! 

What I do know is that the characters of Anne and Tom understand each other, and work well together. There is another character that will play a small part in this series. He is a police officer and has the air about him of being a very caring person, one that is knowledgable about his job, and one that deals with people well. These are all characters that the reader can see and feel. They can see them in their minds doing their jobs. They understand why they make the decisions that they do.

What is important to me about a character is that they are believable, that they act consistently, and that my readers will want to read more about them. I find myself having conversations with my characters, and I let them write their own dialogue. 

If you want to see your characters more in-depth you could use the Myers-Briggs personality assessment. This will give you insight into how they will act, and why they will act that way. There is an online Myers-Briggs assessment available here - Myers-Briggs Assessment

Give your characters skills and the opportunity to use them. Let them be themselves, let them talk for themselves. You will have to do a lot less rewriting!

(c) June 2021 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Kindle Vella - I Have Begun!


 In my previous blog, I introduced Amazon's new baby - Kindle Vella! Today I actually started using it. I added the information on story title, story description, story category, and story tags. I still have to find an image to use and upload it, then I can go "live" with that, and start writing my story.

I have a name for my protagonist - Anne Devereau. She lives in Virginia and is the owner of an antique store (Annie's Antiques). she is also mother to a psychic cat named Midnight. The bare-bones story in my mind is that she has an object that has tremendous value, and she is not even aware that she has this object. Strange things will start happening, including a very unusual customer, and her store and house being broken into.  

Now I get the chance to flesh out my characters and their environment. I ran across a very interesting article earlier today that talks about creative ways to craft amazing characters. You can find the article here

Wishing you all happy writing!

(c) May 2021 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author,

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Kindle Vella - The New Way To Publish!

 


Kindle Vella is a new and quite exciting venue from  Kindle Direct Publishing that allows authors to self-publish in a serialized fashion. I cannot wait to get my toes into this water! Stories will be available in the Kindle iOS App and on Amazon. 

Authors will earn 50% of the Tokens that readers spend to unlock episodes. Wait ... What? Tokens? Readers will be able to read the first three episodes of any story for free. After that, they can purchase tokens and redeem them to unlock episodes. The number of tokens needed to unlock an episode will depend on the episode's word length (episodes can range from 600 - 5,000 words). Authors will be eligible for a launch bonus based on customer activity and engagement.

Readers will have access to Kindle Vella stories within the next few months. I certainly am going to have a continuing story up there! This is so 1920'a noir to me - only then the serial stories run in magazines, and the authors were paid accordingly.

The Beta version of the Kindle Vella library can be found here - Kindle Vella library. This is where authors can start to share their stories. The format is very straightforward: add in the story title, author's name, a 500 character description of the story, an image for the story, a primary category (with an option to add a secondary category), and up to seven tags. Story details can be edited up until the time that the story is published. 

At this time it appears that this serial publishing option is open to U.S.-based authors only. The Kindle Vella store should be available within the next few months.

(c) April 2021 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Monday, March 22, 2021

Pantser Outline For My First Christmas Mystery

 


I have had my first Christmas mystery book running around in my mind for "forever". I know the physical setting - Minnesota, where I lived as a child. I know that the action will take place in a mid-sized town, where people know each other. I know that the protagonist is a reasonably well-off mystery writer and that the victim is a successful lady in her forties who is engaged to a wealthy local gentleman with a secret from his past.  I know that the opening chapter will focus on a Tarot reading that the victim gets from a local reader. 

I need to form an outline so that I don't stray too far from the "facts", and so that the story takes a plausible form that is tightly woven (no holes allowed!). Speaking of which, I would be digging myself into a hole if I tried to write a "step-by-step" type outline. As a writer, I am a "panster" - I write by the seat of my pants. 

Here is what I am looking at so far:

Chapter One: A very elegant lady (the victim) comes into a local tea shop for lunch and a Tarot reading. The reader is very uneasy, as she sees cloudy energy around this lovely lady. The cards show death. The lady leaves, never to reach her destination.

Chapter Two: That evening, the reader learns of her client's untimely death. She sees her client with her hands outstretched as if asking for help. She feels icy fear all around her - this story is not over yet! She calls the protagonist, who hurries over to her house to calm her down.

Chapter Three: The victim was engaged to a mysterious, wealthy local. She was on her way to his mansion when her car drove off the road, and she died. The police found out about the Tarot reading, and want to talk to the Tarot reader.

Chapter Four: The protagonist calls a meeting of her friends, to discuss the death, and to see why the victim is asking for help. Was this not the accident that it seems to be?

Chapter Five: The protagonist attends a local board meeting, which is also attended by the victim's fiancee. He tells her his story and asks for her help. His dead fiancee has come to him in his dreams asking for help too.

Chapter Six: Introduce the assistant to the victim's fiancee. Portray them in a good light. Bring in strange missives that have been coming in through the mail.

Chapter Seven: There is a large Christmas party, where a prominent local woman is poisoned and dies.

 Chapter Eight: The protagonist and her friends meet to go through clues and share information.

Chapter Nine: What the victim saw just before she died.

Chapter Ten: Showdown between the victim's fiancee and his assistant.

Chapter Eleven: Conclusion.

There it is - a bare-bones, pantser outline! 

(c) March 2021 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.




Monday, February 22, 2021

Organized Chaos

 


It is Monday morning, and I am in the middle of organized chaos. I love the word chaos - such lovely energy just zooming around at will, causing havoc here and there! The Cambridge Dictionary defines organized chaos as "a situation in which there seems to be a lot of confusion and no organization, which makes you surprised that the results are good". 

I look at organized chaos a bit differently. I see it as bits of random chaos that are actually diverse small sections of action that within themselves are quite organized. In the end, everything comes together with the desired result. I am seldom surprised that the end results are good.

What I am doing right now - since we are almost to the end of the second month of 2021 - is setting out a rough sketch of the Christmas mystery novel that I will be putting up on Kindle this November, I know who several of the characters are, where the physical setting is going to be, and the "why" of the major story. I am going to leave it to the process to develop the minor stories that make any book captivating to readers.

Since I have decided to do the same setting every Christmas, with pretty much the same characters, I will need to develop a method of keeping track of the "minor" details - what each room consists of, who likes who, who doesn't get along with who, interactions amongst the businesses in the local area and such.

I have the idea for the story in my mind, and I have fleshed it out in my mind. Now to set down what is going into each chapter, and how this will develop from chapter to chapter. It will be a relatively short book - around 50,000 to 60,000 words. Longer than a novella, which is usually set at 40,000 words max.

Off to see where my characters want to take this story!

(c) February Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written consent from the author.

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Symbolism Helps Readers Remember Our Characters

 


I think we can all recognize this photo as Michelle Obama at President Joseph Biden's inauguration. I was actually looking for a meme that I had seen on the Internet, with Mrs. Obama wearing this outfit and carrying a Jedi-type laser sword in her hand. Unfortunately, I could not find it. At any rate, I knew that Michelle Obama would be THE person to use as an example of showing symbolism in our characters.

As writers, we paint pictures with words. Our characters come to life through our words. Pretending that we know nothing of her background as a lawyer, mother, wife, or former FLOTUS, what can we see in this literal picture? She is conversant with COVID rules/regulations and follows them. Looking at her hair, we know that she takes care of herself. She is tall, and she stands tall. She can wear clothes that make a statement without having the clothes walk in the door before she does. Her belt buckle makes a subtle fashion statement, as does the length of her coat. This lady personifies power in subtle ways. Taken together, all of these symbols tell us that in a story her character has strength, integrity, and a boatload of self-confidence. And she is wise - she would know the right people.

Symbolism in writing allows us to present a complex picture of an individual character. It can be the small things - the colors they wear, the movies they watch, the style of furniture in their home, the type of food they eat, where they work, or where they went to school. Symbolism can be a theme that runs through a story - my immediate thought as a mystery writer is that this theme can help leave a trail of clues as to what happened, who did it, and why. 

Symbolism can be the thread that holds our stories together!

Happy writing!

(c) January 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Friday, January 1, 2021

2021 - Thoughts On A Writer's New Year


Today is January 1st, 2021. We are just over two weeks away from inaugurating a new president, and a new way of life for the U.S. Or rather, a return to a more sensible, responsible way of life. The COVID-19 crisis is still going strong here in the U.S., but we do have two vaccines available, and the projections are that by the end of March everyone that wants a shot will have had their first shot. (Both vaccines that are out right now require two shots.) We are looking at opening up businesses again, creating jobs, and opening up our economy.

As writers, we have seen our professional lives impacted in different ways. Large and small scale in-person conferences were canceled, as were venues such as book signings. We were unable to connect with each other except digitally. Whatever each of us learned, we need to take into 2021 and make it part of our professional (and personal) foundation.

While 2021 will present its own challenges, I personally am going to treat it as a "regular" year. What do we do at the beginning of a "regular" writing year? Here are some of the things that I am going to be doing.

Personal Goals:

  • Continue my daily thankfulness blog, where I list at least five things each day that I am thankful for.
  • Block out the hours each day that I can write. (I am still working full time.)
  • Meditate daily (for me this is best done at the beginning of my day).
  • Exercise at least a few minutes each day.
  • Set aside time on a daily basis to read for pleasure.
  • Eat in a healthier manner.
Professional Goals:

  • Set out my writing projects for the year. I want to write 1-2 cozy mysteries, as well as a small Christmas book each year. I would also like to have a half-dozen journals out there, as well as 18-20 page pamphlets on differing topics.
  • Redo my bio.
  • Create a template for the back cover material on my books,
  • Join at least 1-2 professional organizations, keyed towards women, mysteries, and cozy mysteries.
  • Check out writer's software. I am currently learning to use Scrivener, so that will be my go-to software for now.
  • Continue using Grammarly, with an eye to eventually using the professional version. Grammarly and I do not always agree on the "state of the state"!
  • Since I am going to continue self-publishing, I will need to look deeper into having my books professionally edited.
  • Look into writing articles for magazines, and entering writing contests.
Your lists will be different because they will be tailored to your life and your lifestyle. I do feel that it behooves all of us to do a deep dive into what we would like to accomplish during the next year so that we can move on to the second step - how we are going to accomplish the goals we are setting.

Below are a few previous blogs that may be of some help in starting out your New Year:

  • https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1380693857976784266/4277007376417915275
  • https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1380693857976784266/2103853801358826129
  • https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1380693857976784266/2714324547621901620
  • https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1380693857976784266/8694947898499657310
January 2021 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction prohibited without written consent from the author,

 

Long Chapters Or Short Chapters - What Is Your Preference?

Does it make a difference to a reader whether the chapters in a book are long or short? It does to me. I like shorter chapters, as they feed...