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Category: Thoughts
TyCobbsTeeth
Thank you so much Susan!
Robert A. Smith writing as TyCobbsTeeth
What is your latest release and what genre is it?Society for Supper
(Fiction – Action/Adventure, Thriller)
Quick description: Wide spread drought has gripped the planet and devastated food supplies around the world. Riots have started breaking out as chaos is tearing away at the fabric of society. Ben Donnelly, a former special weapons and tactics officer with the Boston police force, is in the fight of his life, trying to protect his family from the storm of inhumanity.
Society for Supper follows the Donnellys in their struggle to survive in the aftermath of the global food shortage and ultimately the collapse of society. The life they know is ripped away. They learn all too quickly, how we are all part of a precariously balanced community and when the balance is lost – society is devoured by the chaos of desperation.
Brief biography:
I…
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Here, let me help you with that promotion …
Susan Troy’s fabulous idea of a site which is dedicated to Writers Helping Writers, and to indie book promotion.
https://readingrecommendations.wordpress.com/
This is a rerun of a post from April 19, 2014, because I thought it was time to remind a few of you out there …
“Get someone else to blow your horn and the sound will carry twice as far.” — Will Rogers
There is nothing worse – and I mean NOTHING!! – than an author who over-self-promotes!
Now I didn’t say just “self-promotes” but qualified it with “over”, because we all need to do a little bit of promoting, within reason, to get the word out about what we’ve written. Even traditionally published authors need to promote themselves, because many publishers just don’t have the financial wherewithall to deal individually with each author on their list. And you authors already know who your personal and professional contacts are, anyway, so you have a better chance of attracting attention by approaching those people personally.
But what happens when you…
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New writing award for young people: BBC Young Writers’ Award with Booktrust.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the BBC National Short Story Award, Booktrust and the BBC are launching the brand new BBC Young Writers’ Award with Booktrust.to inspire and encourage the next generation of writers.
Young people aged 14 to 18, who live in the UK, are invited from today to submit short stories of up to 1,000 words on any topic. A panel of three judges will select a shortlist of the top five stories, which will be announced in September 2015. The judges will be looking for high-quality writing, stories that demonstrate originality, imagination and creativity, and writers who can capture the reader and hold their attention.
The new Award was announced at the BBC National Short Story Award ceremony back in September when Lionel Shriver was announced as the winner of the 2014 Award.
The five shortlisted writers will be invited to attend the exclusive BBC National Short Story Award…
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Do You Think You Could Write For Television?
Channel 4 has joined the Northern Writers Awards to search for undiscovered writing talent from the north of England. The scheme, launched recently is to identify raw and diverse television talent from the north of England. Launched by Northumbria University, Newcastle, the new award will offer a unique opportunity for two writers to be mentored through the script commissioning process with Lime Pictures and RED Production Company. The Channel 4 / Northumbria University Writing for Television Award will open for submissions on Friday 14 November, as part of the annual Northern Writers’ Awards, and is open to both complete beginners as well as those who already have some writing experience.
One of the winning writers will be mentored by Lime Pictures in Liverpool (Hollyoaks) and will shadow the process of script development, from first draft to broadcast script. This may lead to a commission to write an original episode of the…
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The Seven Deadly Sins of Prologues
To prologue or not to prologue? That is the question. The problem with the prologue is it has kind of gotten a bad rap over the years, especially with agents. They generally hate them. Why? In my opinion, it is because far too many writers don’t use prologues properly and that, in itself, has created its own problem. Because of the steady misuse of prologues, most readers skip them. Thus, the question of whether or not the prologue is even considered the beginning of your novel can become a gray area if the reader just thumbs pages until she sees Chapter One.
So without further ado…
The 7 Deadly Sins of Prologues
Sin #1 If your prologue is really just a vehicle for massive information dump…
In my critique group, one of the first tasks each member must do is they must write detailed backgrounds of all characters. I make…
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What Goes Around Comes Around
Absolutely true. Let's start today off as Truth-Telling-Tuesday! If one is not careful--Karma might run over one's Dogma. Cheer! TyCobbsTeeth
Plot Holes Take the Bite Out of Your Story!
Tweet, Tweet — Twiddle, Twiddle, here comes another plot with a hole in the middle.
If you fail to explain how A connects to B, or state something that doesn’t make sense (without explanation), then you have left a plot hole.
You want your readers to get swept away in your story and be completely immersed. A plot hole can destroy that experience. If the reader drops out of the ride, in order to examine something that doesn’t make sense, you’ve lost them.
You may be too close to the story to see the holes. As you read through it, those gaps may be appear bridged, since the story did come from your head. The answers to those questions are in your noggin, so it doesn’t seem off. Have someone else read through your book, to make sure you didn’t leave any plot holes.
Remember, the reader badly wants to…
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BITE FIRST! –Ask Questions Later
Your novel must open with bite.
One doesn’t hook a voracious reader, one creates a voracious reader by stimulating appetite.
I can tell you, as an avid reader, that I–so badly–want to be invited in. I crave an invitation that cannot be refused.
That opening must build appetite and by appetite I mean, the desire to read –felt as hunger. Appetite exists in all bibliophiles, and serves to regulate adequate literary intake to maintain creativity, imagination, and contentment.
Once you’ve stimulated that appetite, your reader wants to sit down at your table and devour your book. They’re hungry and they need to eat.
How do you stimulate appetite? Well, as a reader, I want — nay, I need something to grab my attention. If it’s properly presented the reader won’t just skim across it — their pupils should grow as they soak it in. You need a statement of…
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Disjointed Jottings by Robert Smith (A.K.A. TyCobbsTeeth) 