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Some days I have a lot to say. But there is only one blog and all of my posts are compiled in chronological order. To sort through and read only the posts you are most interested in, you can select from the three topics described below.
4N6Fact Fridays, fun forensic facts from the news. You know you want to read them! The weekly posts will appear on this blog under category 4N6, and also on tumblr.
Film2Fiction: Of all the things I pretend to know a lot about, writing is one topic where I have plenty of boots on the ground experience and lots to share. To view my blogs on writing select F2F.
And finally, book love. I review books I have read and loved and think you should read them, too. Click on book<3
Author Archives: Sheryl Scarborough
One reader says your characters are off; another thinks your plot sucks. Still someone else criticizes your theme. What to do? Cry? Argue? Revise? You can’t please everyone… so you’ve got to please yourself. I urge you to consider: The story of the Blind Men and the Elephant. Basically, you wouldn’t want to create a whole manuscript based on the comments of a few “blind men” would you? So, what to do? My suggestion is to find a great critique group — if possible fall in with a group of writers who are ahead of you in their technical skill. But, they should … Continue reading
On Writing
Comments Off on Feedback: How to Sort it Out
If you’ve been working on the same book (concept, manuscript, idea) for MORE than three months I’m here to tell you to MOVE ON and ‘stop petting the kitty’. Petting the Kitty is a metaphor for continuing to edit your first couple of chapters as opposed to moving on and FINISHING your story. We almost always know what happens in the beginning of our story. This is the part that comes to us as a thunderbolt. It’s the genesis of our most brilliant idea ever. We love it! And it makes us feel good to keep working on it and … Continue reading
On Writing
Comments Off on STOP Petting the Kitty!!
Once we tap into teens… write our books… sell them and wait until they hit the market THEN we have to learn a whole new set of rules and promote our little darlings. And hopefully recruit and grow an audience. Here’s a link to a recent blog post about just that, written by Greg Pincus. It’s a good read.
Writing for YA
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Most authors who write YA (young adult) are adults; and so we’re always on the prowl for new and better ways to capture the authentic teen experience and harness it into our current WIP. Alas, authentic teen experiences, out in the open and available for capture, are about as abundant as Unicorn eyelashes! Teens who read are smart, savvy and discriminating. So short of jumping into the nearest time machine where can we go to find authentic teen moments? Here are a few suggestions. MUSIC: I bought Taylor Swift’s album Fearless (the platinum version) and I’m using it as inspiration for … Continue reading
Writing for YA
Comments Off on Tap… tap… tapping into Teens
Okay, two inspirational stories in two days… this one I’ve linked from Agent Jill Corcoron’s facebook page, an interview with author Mandy Hubbard who wrote and managed to SELL Prada and Prejudice — her story is worth the read CLICK HERE! I’ve already put the book in my Kindle… and I’m keeping the story close to my heart. There IS hope, shifting market and bad economy be damned! Keep writing, persevere, don’t lose hope and your publishing deal could be in the bag, too! (sorry for the pun!)
On Writing
Comments Off on Prada and Perseverance