Queen: Four Women Tilting at Windmills

The newest book from Jane Roop, Queen: Four Women Tilting at Windmills: Dames Quixote: Book 1, is available for preorder! The story, according to Amazon: Margaret, Dan’s perfect trophy wife, was every inch the Prom Queen and always socially correct—until she and her three friends began tilting at windmills. She did not agree with their efforts to take down the local womanizing bully, but she became the stone that tipped the scales… Read More

Congratulations, Jane Roop on Queen!

Congratulations to Wordherder Jane Roop. Her latest book, Queen, is available for preorder! Check it out!

Indie Author Day, October 8

Thanks to Wordherder Darin Ramsey who discovered that October 8 is Indie Author Day! From the Indie Author Day webpage: During the Inaugural Indie Author Day on October 8, 2016, libraries from all across North America will host their own local author events with the support of the Indie Author Day team. In addition to these local programs, each library’s indie community will come together for an hour-long digital gathering at 2 pm… Read More

Off the Grid Poetry Prize

Thanks, Lenora for the information about the Off the Grid Poetry Prize. Whoo hoo! A poetry context for the senior demographic! Submission is online at the Off the Grid Press webpage, deadline is August 31, 2016. Prize is $1000 and publication of the winning submission. From the webpage: Off the Grid Press is an imprint of Grid Books. The Off the Grid Prize was founded in the fall of 2011 to provide a… Read More

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 3: The First Act, by K. M. Weiland

From: http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/secrets-of-story-structure-pt-3-first Once you’ve hooked the reader, your next task is to put your early chapters to work introducing your characters, settings, and stakes. The first 20-25% of the book comprises your setup. At first glance, this can seem like a tremendous chunk of story to devote to introductions, but if you expect readers to stick with you throughout the story, you first have to give them a reason to care. And this… Read More

The Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 2: The Hook, by K. M. Weiland

From: http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/secrets-of-story-structure-pt-2-hook Readers are like fish. Smart fish. Fish who know authors are out to get them, reel them in, and capture them for the rest of their seagoing lives. But, like any self-respecting fish, readers aren’t caught easily. They aren’t about to surrender themselves to the lure of your story unless you’ve presented them with an irresistible hook. Our discussion of story structure very naturally begins at the beginning—and the beginning… Read More

How Parallel Narrative Multiplies Your Story Choices, by Linda Aronson

From: http://www.lindaaronson.com/parallel-narrative.html Very often things like flashbacks, flash forwards, non-linear narratives, multiple plots and ensemble casts are regarded as optional gimmicks stuck into the conventional three act structure. They’re not. Each of the six types I’ve isolated and their subcategories provides a different take on the same story material.  Suddenly, one idea for a film can give you a multitude of story choices. What do I mean? More than six ways to… Read More