Well, I needed the eye of a skilled editor. And I got it. For a very affordable price, Margo Dill gave me two pages of praise (specific praise) along with suggestions on how to improve the manuscript--and ways to implement those suggestions.
I realized that my subject is compelling, I've done a fairly decent job of creating a narrator, but I need a plan. I need some planned tension or excitement (Is that really a necessary component? I'm just kidding.). I need to rewrite the manuscript and keep some of it, but scrap a lot of it.
The last couple of weeks I've been a slacker. My summer job was keeping me busy, which I used as an excuse. I belong to a writing accountability group, and I wasn't always achieving my small, weekly goals. What was going to nudge me into getting back into a writing groove?
A change of scenery did it. I had a couple of hours between the end of a workshop and the beginning of an evening writing critique group meeting. I went into a fast-food place, saw they had a counter with an electrical outlet (my laptop was in need of juice) and had a bite to eat... after which I wrote. I met my weekly goal while I was sitting at that high counter, and the change of scenery was responsible for the success, I think.
Sometimes heading to a restaurant or coffee shop and sitting there for an entire morning or a whole afternoon is a good thing. For me, there is enough distraction, allowing me to occasionally take a momentary break from my writing, but not so much to prevent me from writing anything. I've done this at Starbucks, but I prefer the funky, neighborhood places.
What unusual places do you like to use for your writing? And now onto book blurb stuff...
Look at the photo below. That is the cover of your book. You choose the genre. Is it a coffee table book on candid pool pics? Is it a photo collection of crazy kids doing crazy things? You decide.
Write an enticing blurb--150 words or less. (The title doesn't count in the word count.) Blurbs are those enticing bits that prod you into buying the book. Sometimes they're on the back cover of the book. Sometimes they're on the inside front cover. What they always try to do is lure you into purchasing the book.
Lisa Ricard Claro was the original creator of this writing challenge. She moved to Florida, she's gone through three sixteen cabana boys (they don't have the energy to keep the pool clean enough, constantly falling behind and are always falling short when compared to Lisa's word count) and Lisa's too busy to host a weekly book blurb. Check out her blog, along with her books. She's a wonderful writer and a wonderful friend.
Include your blurb in a blog post. Include a link to this post. Also, link your post to Mr. Linky. Mr. Linky is easy. If you've never done it, you'll be impressed with how simple he is. And then, check out the other blurb(s). It's interesting to see the different directions writers take, given the same photo.
Not Very Good At Breaking Bad
Byron had seen every episode of Breaking Bad at least seven times. He loved the power that Walter White had amassed by the time the series was almost finished.
Byron started trying to live just like Walter White. He ordered a children's chemistry kit, and started dabbling in mixing things up. This Walter-wannabe had enough college classes under his belt, and got hired as a substitute teacher. Not quite ready for working with the high school kids, Byron filled in for the kindergarten and first grade teachers.
And when he was home, Byron paraded around in nothing but his tighty-whities.
But then things started spiraling out of control. Byron’s wife refused to dye her hair blonde, she refused to change her name to Skyler... and then she left him.
Can Byron win his wife back? Or will he have to shave his head and go 100% Walter White? (146 words)
And for anyone who'd like to play along, here is the picture for next week:
