Aspiring Novelists

Hello All, I hope this post finds you well.  Things are wet here in my neck of the woods.  West Virginia has been pounded with rain this month.  After the hard winter we've had, I am soooo ready for the sun to come out.  Since I'm stuck in the house, I decided to dedicate the time to my Work-In-Progress.  As of this morning, I am only three chapters away from finishing the first draft of my novel. Although I take pride in knowing I achieved the first part of my goal to write a book.  There is still a whole lotta work left to be done.   I don't have to be Columbo to know the publishing industry is competitive and unforgiving.  Sometimes an author only has one chance to get it right.   I ran across an article which only reinforces this theory.   Angela James over at Carina Press (  http://carinapress.com/2010/02/reasons-for-rejection/ )   has compiled common errors that editors repeatedly run into during the query process.  Many of them can be prevented.  For this reason,

In my opinion, one of the hardest parts of writing a novel is creating compelling characters.  Think about it, each of them has to be unique, interesting and most importantly, believable. This week I really struggled with this because I had to write from a demon's perspective.  I asked myself how in the world can I even begin to understand something so evil.  I took a stab at it and after reading the chapter, I'm not sure if I met the aforementioned criteria. This said, I decided to post an excerpt from my chapter to see what you think.  It would be helpful to know if you  understand what drove the demon/Abaddon to pursue his course of action. Any other thoughts will be welcomed.  Please keep in mind this is an unedited draft. Later I will polish it till it shines, but for now, I just want to know if I'm on the right track.  Also, I'm only posting a few paragraphs because this part of my novel ties up a lot of loose ends.  I don't want to give too much away.  I lo

Hello All, I hope life is treating you well. Aside from a bout of “spring fever,” things are good here in my neck of the woods. Now that the weather is mild and sunny, it is difficult to stay inside and write. Most of this week has been spent outdoors and lunching with friends. Then when I got home, my computer sat accusingly on my desk, bidding me to finish the final three chapters of my work-in-progress. Although the mind was willing, the spirit was not. At first I felt guilty for ignoring my characters and the world I left in limbo. Then I remembered the obstacles I recently overcame and the balance I’ve achieved in my life. Although my story is difficult to share because it shows my vulnerable side, I decided there may be one person out there who can learn from my experience. Over the last year, I have dedicated most of my days to my novel. When I wasn’t writing I was thinking about my characters. Little else mattered. I turned down lunch dates with friends, declined professiona