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.

 

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.

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.

 

 

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.