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 into my penchant for reading a chapter or two before sleeping at night. Ideally, a chapter will take an idea or an action and work through it to a logical stopping point. 

The length of the chapter needs to fit the pace of the story. If the chapters are too short, the book may end up feeling choppy - too many stops and starts. If the chapters are too long, the reader may get bogged down with too much information. 

Short chapters can be used to insert needed information or to add a sense of urgency. I have read chapters that were a page and a half long but added something necessary to that stage of the story. Longer chapters can be used to detail specific events or time periods.

Each chapter should have its own arc. Looking at word count, shorter chapters could run around 1,500 to 2,000 words, whereas longer chapters may run closer to 3,500 to 4,000 words. Do what feels natural for the flow of your story. Word count is only a mechanism used to keep track of your story. Let the words flow as they will. 

Combining short and long chapters is a good way to keep your readers' attention and keep them interested in and excited about your story.

If you are having a hard time deciding what chapter length best serves your story, go with your gut. What feels right to you? What feels right for your story? Take a look at authors that you admire in your genre. How do they structure the length of their chapters?

The editing stage for all writers is where they see what works with their book and what doesn't. This also applies to chapter length. This is where you see what needs to be added, where it needs to be added, and what needs to be taken out. 

Happy writing!

December 2023 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without written permission of the author.

This material is not authorized for use with AI training. 

 

The Reality of Writer's Block

 

I don't know any writer that has not experienced writer's block. We all deal with it from time to time. What causes it? It is not necessarily just because you are not clear on where you want your writing to go. We can experience writer's block due to the following:

• Having a bad hair day.
• Stress in other parts of our life affecting our ability to concentrate.
• Being not happy with what we have already written.
• Being not clear on where our work is headed.
• Being physically or mentally tired.
• Knowing where we want to go with our writing but being unsure of how to get there.
• Lack of self-confidence.
• Not feeling motivated.

What we do not want to do is lose ourselves in negative self-talk.

• I don't have time to write - I have too many other responsibilities.
• My writing isn't selling - maybe I am not a good writer.
• My last book had reasonable sales - can I repeat that, or was it a fluke?
• I have too many distractions. (Here, we need to fess up to allowing those distractions to go on,)

How can we get ourselves unblocked?

• Take a break - walk away from our writing.
• Work on another project for a while, then come back to the one we were blocked on.
• Make some notes about why you are stuck.
• Move on to the next chapter. You can come back to this part of your work later with fresh eyes,
• Talk to your characters - all of them. Have a round-table discussion about how they feel about your writing, their characters, and the plot. Take their input seriously!
• Come up with more than one ending, and see where your characters want to take it. 

When our writing flows, it flows. My feeling is that my characters are using me as a mechanism to get their thoughts and actions on paper (e-paper, in my case.) They all work well together - I just write it all down!

(c) May 2023 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the author's consent.

The Chicago GuideToCopyediting Fiction

What attracted me to this book was the phrase "The Chicago Guide To." I wondered if it was any relation to The Chicago Manual of Style, which I have had as a resource for more years than I can count. It turns out that, yes, it is related. Where the Chicago Manual of Style is used primarily for non-fiction work, The Chicago Guide To Copyediting Fiction is geared towards copyediting fiction work. My primary work is in the genre of cozy mysteries, so this book is ideal for me. Yes, I copyedit my own work, and I self-publish through Kindle Vella, Kindle Direct, and Create Space. The publisher for both books is the same - The University of Chicago Press.

Part I of this book is an overview of a fiction copyeditor's approach to a manuscript. Part II covers building a fiction style sheet, Part III covers grammar and usage, working with dialogue,  and blending fact and fiction. (As fiction writers, we know that our stories are based on the real world, on fact, but whatever happens in that real world is fiction.) Appendix A covers style sheet templates, Appendix B covers file management, and Appendix C covers the use of multiple monitors. There is also a glossary of terms, a list of recommended resources, and an index.

This book is pure joy to use! I loved the use of sidebars to address specific information. There is an interesting note on Publisher House Styles - IOW, publishing houses that may have their own internal style format. There are also references given for Australian English, British English, and Canadian English. Then we come to organizing character lists (I cannot tell you how many times I have had to search back through a manuscript to find out something simple, like a character's last name or occupation!)   

There are so many things to keep track of that as authors we don't really think about. I am going to have to go back through my WIP and list the people involved, who knows who, significant events, and settings. I will do this not only to make sure everything tracks okay in this book, but I plan to do five more books in this series, and I don't want my readers to spot discrepancies and think they are looking at shoddy writing, that I have not done my due diligence.

As writers, we do need to take care when referencing real people and real events. And we need to make a visible line between fact and fiction in our books. We also have to be careful with things like trademarks, permissions, and quotes. So much to think about!

A lot of the material in this book will not apply to someone like me who is self-publishing, but what did apply to me was gold. This book will sit on the shelf to the left of my desk, right next to The Chicago Manual of Style. 

(c) April 2023 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction not allowed without written consent from the author.

 

AI And Dream Inerpretation

What is dream interpretation? It can be viewed as assigning meaning to the imagery and symbols within our dreams. Dreams can be a way for spirit to bring messages to us. They can be a portent of things to come and/or things to watch out for. They can be a way of addressing stress in our daily lives or addressing shadow issues that we do not feel comfortable dealing with. Dreams play an important part in our lives and need to be acknowledged and respected. 

The world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now found its way into dream interpretation. What AI does is gather intelligence (facts) and turn them into algorithms that help us analyze the patterns and symbols found in our dreams. In essence, we are looking into our own unconscious mind, the mind that created the dream in the first place. 

The app that came to my attention was dreaminterpreter.ai, an app that interprets dreams but also has what is called Dreamer Map, where users can share their dreams with the community and get feedback from other users.

I put into the app a dream that I had some time ago of my mother and I in a speeding convertible with the top down. She was driving. (In real life, we would not have been in a convertible with the top down, and we would not have been speeding.) We were coming up to a curve that I knew we were not going to be able to navigate. We flew off the curve, out into space, towards the ocean. We did not go nose down, we floated down horizontally in a peaceful manner. I woke up before we hit the water.

I had already interpreted this dream as it was very straightforward. The interpretation that the app gave me was spot on.

It is easily seen how this tool can help individuals in their daily lives, but how would we use this tool as writers? We can use it to present flashbacks, we can use it as warnings for the future, we can have our characters entering into conversations with those that have crossed over, and we can have the solution/resolution to an issue present itself in a dream. 

We can create a dream with one AI app (such as ChapGPT) and have it interpreted by another AI app (such as interpretation.ai).

AI is here to stay - we simply need to discover how to use it and what part we want it to play in our lives.

(c) March 2023 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written consent of the author.

 

AI Writing Tools Gone Rogue

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be defined as the simulation of the process of human intelligence by machines. For our purposes as writers, we would be working with areas such as speech recognition and language processing. Current applications in these areas include ChatGPT, AI Writer, Writecream, and CopyAI. 

AI works by taking in large amounts of data, analyzing it for patterns, and using these patterns to make predictions. Chatbots are fed examples of text chats that enable them to produce realistic exchanges with people. (A prime example of this is ChatGPT. Another example that we all encounter is Chatbots that are used for responding to questions on a number of sites. If they cannot answer your questions, they may bring on a live Customer Service Representative or refer you to an e-mail address or phone number.)

There have been recent instances of AI bots going rogue. By that, I mean they gave inappropriate responses or took on aggressive personality traits. The prime example here would be Microsoft's Bing search engine. One reporter trying out the Bing AI was told that he was not happily married. Please note: the reporter pushed the chatbot by asking it to describe the darkest desires of its "shadow self."

The AI app Lee-Luda (by the South Korean company Scatterlab), in the form of a 20-year-old friendly female (released in December of 2020, began using verbally abusive language referencing LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and feminists. This led to it being removed from Facebook Messenger 20 days after its launch.

In March 2016, Microsoft introduced the bot Tay, which was supposed to be an experiment in "conversational understanding." The more chats the bot engaged in, the smarter it became. What happened is that it started posting inflammatory Tweets and had to be removed from Twitter. 

In December 2016, Microsoft released a chatbot named Zo (a successor to Tay). It was available on Facebook Messenger, GroupMe, and Twitter. Zo was known to give inappropriate responses and was taken down in April 2019.  

To balance this out, I would also like to mention Apple's Siri, Amazon'z Alexa, and Google Assistant. These are all conversational bots that perform in very positive ways.

Why do AI's go rogue? It's the little things, like lack of human supervision, incomplete or biased data, and poorly designed algorithms. All of which can be overcome with a little bit of thought.

Some individuals, such as Elon Musk, founder of OpenAI, are promoting AI regulation and safety. What we can do to help prevent AI from going rogue is to implement ethical guidelines and ensure adequate human oversight and control. 

How do AI's help us with our writing? They help us improve our grammar, writing, and style. They can help us research given topics, and they can give us outlines for whatever we want to write. They are a fantastic time saver.

Keep in mind that AI stands for Artificial Intelligence. The AI apps function in conversation mode so that the user feels comfortable with them. It is like having a conversation with another human being. You will get back what you put into a conversation with an AI app. I "talk" with ChatGPT on a regular basis. I am extremely polite and try to be as specific as possible. In return, the app is also extremely polite, and its responses are exactly what I am looking for. 

They are not always right. We can get bad or skewed information from them. If what you are asking the app is extremely important to the work that you are doing, I would advise confirming it elsewhere. Treat the chatbot well, and it will treat you well.

References:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11761271/Rogue-artificial-intelligence-chatbot-declares-love-user-tells-leave-wife.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zo_(bot)

https://blog.cfte.education/conversational-ai-examples-how-siri-alexa-google-assistant-have-human-like-conversations/#:~:text=Yes!,with%20answers%20to%20certain%20questions.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/qai/2023/02/16/elon-musk-has-issued-a-stark-warning-over-ai-this-isnt-his-first-time/?sh=107ea1f26509

(c) February 2023 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without written permission of the author. 

How Writers Can Make Best Use Of ChatGPT

 

ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chat box launched by Open AI in November of 2022. It came to my attention pretty much at the same time from two sources: a LinkedIn gentleman that I follow (S. Vincent Shin) and the founder of a course that I was taking related to writing (Ty Cohen).

It is known for its detailed, articulate responses, but also has a significant drawback - it has uneven factual accuracy. I just started using it and found it easy and fun to use. I asked for a title for this specific blog and was given a very nice one that I adapted for use. It also provided me with an outline for this blog, which I did decide to use. (I can ramble on a bit on my own!)

I plan to continue using the program to give shape and focus to whatever I am writing. It will not write the article/story/book for you, but it will give you a solid outline that takes your own thoughts/ideas and brings them to life. This would be very helpful if you were in a place in your writing where you were either stuck or simply lost.

The bot mimics human conversation, which makes it easy to follow. It also has the ability to sort out what is factual and what is not factual about the questions it is being asked.

As the responses from the bot are known not to be 100% accurate, I would advise using it as a starting point and doing your due diligence to verify the information you are being given.

ChatGPT is free to users. I understand that there is also a paid version, which gives users priority during times of heavy usage, as well as access to new features. The app is not currently available for use on iPhone or IOS.

(c) February 2023 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.

Self-Editing For Fiction Writers - How to edit yourself into print

I don't mind editing my own work, but what I am finding is that I miss things. I know that when I am reading a poorly edited book, whether fiction or non-fiction, it loses credence. I write mainly fiction - cozy mysteries, to be precise. I want my readers to enjoy my books and look forward to my next book. I don't want them to be so turned off by poor editing that I slip into never-never land in their eyes.  

I just picked up the second edition of Renni Browne and Dave King's "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers - How to edit yourself into print." Topics covered include characterization and exposition, POV (point of view), dialogue mechanics, sophistication, and voice.

Their first words of advice are to put your manuscript down for a while before you edit it. In this way, you are looking at it with fresh eyes. I have ignored this advice from time to time and generally found myself in a terrible mess and tearing my hair out.  

From presenting examples of the best way to present a paragraph, using scenes to tell your story, to doing the writing exercises presented in this book - these are all wonderful ways to interact with what the authors are teaching.

It is important to establish our characters, and the authors do a good job of showing the best ways to do this. I like their use of checklists in each chapter - they make the editing/tightening-up process much easier.

Write your story - then go back in and make it better!

I find this book to be a good resource for editing. I know I will do a much better job editing my books if I heed what they say. The bottom line of editing is that it is in this process that we, as authors, are able to polish our work so that it stands out and continues to attract readers.

(c) January 2023 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written consent of the author. 

 

Amazon Shorts

What exactly are Amazon shorts? They are short Kindle (e-book) reads, defined by page length: 15 minutes (1-11 pages), 30 minutes (12-21 pages), 45 minutes (22-32 pages), 90 minutes (44-64 pages), one hour (33-43 pages), and two hours, or more (65-100 pages). They cover all genres, which makes me happy. 

I have a game plan - I am going to submit Kindle shorts in non-fiction categories - self-help, Tarot, self-care, conscious thinking - topics that I want to write about (and get paid for) while at the same time creating a residual income. I am aiming for the 22-32 and 44-64 page lengths. At the minimum, I can do one a week and see where they go.

If you want to join me, you might want to check out this site: short reads and short stories. Advance warning - this is a promotion for a paid-for program that addresses genres, themes, markets, and price levels. It is relatively inexpensive, so I did purchase it. I have not used it yet so I am not recommending it - I am just putting it out there as an option.

What we are offering our readers are stories that they can read in one setting. If they like one story, the chances are they will go on to buy more. I am still going to write a series of full-length books, but I would like to use the shorts as another stream of income. 

 

Here is a link to an article on Medium entitled How To Make Money Writing Short Books On Amazon

Here is a link to a YouTube video on Kindle Shorts - How To Short Books On Amazon

(c) Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written permission of the author.

 

Into The New Year With Ty Cohen

 

Ty Cohen - this is a name that you want to remember. If you want to make a consistent passive income from your writing - seek out Ty Cohen. If you want to know how to get the best results on Amazon - search out Ty Cohen. If you want to know how to promote your books on Amazon - search out Ty Cohen.

A few months ago Ty Cohen's Kindle Cash Flow program found its way into my radar. I ended up purchasing the program as well as his program on advertising on Amazon. These are obviously paid-for programs, but I felt the investment was well worth it, because it was an investment in myself and my future.

Ty Cohen is a very well-spoken individual who addresses his programs to both authors and non-authors. (Yes, he does show step-by-step how to get a freelance writer to write your books for you. This is basically aimed at the Kindle Shorts program.)

I am going to start with the Amazon advertising program, then move on to the Kindle Cash Flow program. I will let you all know how this works for me. And that is the operative phrase - "how it works for me", because how a program works is dependent on an individual's understanding of the program and how to implement it.

You can visit Ty Cohen's site and see what programs he has to offer: Ty Cohen.

You can see his You Tube videos here: Ty Cohen.

Wishing you all a stellar 2023!

(c) January 2023 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written consent of the author.

Into the New Year

 We are very close to the New Year. Here are some of the things that will help us, as writers, get off to a good start:

• Set goals for 2023 for both writing and for reading. When we read, we relax, but we also gather new ideas for what we might want to include in our own work.
• Be okay if your writing does not read well (to you). Once the words are down on paper, they can be revised.
• Block out time for both writing and revising. One of my favorite webinars from 2022 was one that Laurie King presented on Facebook about revising our work.
• This is a perennial problem for me - using social media and promoting my own work.
• Take classes - whatever classes appeal to you. There are many that are offered as digital classes on the Internet.

Here are some of the places where I look for classes on writing and writing-related content:

• Master Class
  
• Infostack
  
• Jane Friedman
  
• Gotham Writers
  

Wishing you all a stellar writing year in 2023!

(c) December 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written consent of the author.

Food For Thought

 

How we approach something will have a great deal to do with how successfully we use it. I am currently looking to create multiple streams of income from my writing. I have already decided to use Amazon as my "portal". It is easy to upload written material (whether book-length or pamphlets), and Amazon has a huge audience. 

There are many programs out there that talk about different systems for making money selling books on Amazon. I recently came across one that sounded good to me, so I signed up for a multiple-day live event that will take place this coming January. That seemed a bit far ahead, but it sounded good, and the price was right, and it is something that I am looking forward to.

The downside is that I have been getting over half a dozen e-mails daily since then with videos and upsells. For the first couple of days, I was overwhelmed. Then I told myself that all I needed to do was watch what I wanted to (some of the videos were free training) and not watch the rest.

I am happy with this decision. I don't want a live phone call from an associate, although for many people, this will work well. I don't want to be pushed into anything. This is the important thing - take from any program/opportunity what you want, what works for you. If you have questions, ask. Be open to what these programs/opportunities have to offer. Check out their credibility on the Internet. Read past the sales pitch - recognize BS when you see it.

By combing through the information in the program I have signed up for, I know that I can create a solid foundation for continuing sales for many years to come. No building of a new website, no e-mail lists, just good digital content to offer and an effective way to advertise it.

Do not be afraid to take only what you want from any opportunity. Be who you are. Live a balanced life.

Wishing you all much success with your writing!

(c) November 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written consent of the author.

Story Line - Life Experiencees Applied

 

"Story Line - Finding Gold In Your Life Story," by Jen Grisanti, is an oldie but a goodie (published in 2011). It crossed my path in its own time, in its own way. And yes, it is all about how to approach writing scripts. I am not a scriptwriter (yet), but I do believe that the information Grisanti shares is applicable to the genres I do write in - flash fiction and cozy mysteries.

Grisanti has stellar credentials - she was mentored for twelve years by Aaron Spelling, was Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount, and served as a mentor in the CBS Diversity Program. In 2008 she launched her own company, Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., and was hired as the Writing Instructor for  NBC's Writers In The Verge.

The foundation of this book is to help writers connect with their audience on a strong emotional level. This is done by writers going deep within themselves and using their personal experiences to add depth and authenticity to their writing.

The book is organized into the following categories: Setup (where the story starts), Dilemma (dilemma as used to clearly establish the character's goals), Action (the actions taken to achieve a goal, coming from the writer's own experiences), and Goal (the character's life after their goal is accomplished).

I am a pantser - I do not write out more than a bare-bones guide for my stories. What I found in reading this book is that when I use my own experiences, I write from a stronger place. I am more confident in my work, and my stories pull together easier.

Grisanti encourages the reader to take a deep dive into themselves. To look at themselves, to work with what they know. Each of us will take away something different from this book, but each of us as writers, will be better people for it.

(c) October 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.

Writers Resources For 2022!

 Welcome to 2022! Quite frankly, 2021 was not my best year as a writer. I have a half-finished project that I need to address, and then I can start on goals that I set last year, but did not meet. Among those goals would be my first Christmas cozy mystery, and my first cozy mystery.

To start out the year I would like to share a few writer's resources. The first two were brought to my attention by a writer friend, Jean Maurie Pullman. Thank you, Jean Maurie!

• Master Class is a paid-for Internet site that offers unlimited access to over 100 instructors, with new classes being offered monthly. 
• Open Culture is a free site that offers free movies, classes, online degrees, and more!
• Resources For Writers is part of the Writers Helping Writers site, focusing on marketing.
  
• Dragon Anywhere presents software that makes dictation easy.
  
• Medium is a place where people meet and share ideas.
  
• Vellum is a great software for creating/formatting e-books.
  
• GoodReads is a great place to create an author profile and promote your books, and leave reviews on other people's books. 
  
• Substack is a newsletter platform where writers are paid by readers for their writing.
  
• National Centre For Writing is a jackpot for writing resources!
  
• Writer's Resources This is a great site for writing contests, writing conferences, and more!
  

Wishing each of you a stellar writing year for 2022!

(c) January 2022 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without written permission from the author.

 

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.

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.

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. 

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.