Today is a big shopping day across the country. Argos, a UK-based retailer, starts it off with this fun video about shopping for the right gift.
Too much fun!
A Personal Thanks
Since this is the week when those of us in the United State celebrate Thanksgiving, I thought I’d take a moment to say a few words of gratitude. To Tamela and Bob Tamela Hancock Murray and Bob Hostetler are two of the finest literary agents in the business. It is fun to work alongside you both. There is a reason you were both nominated for the Agent-of-the-Year award by ACFW this year. [Now, get …
Fun Fridays – November 22, 2019
I totally would have done this to my daughters if I had thought of it. It is also a bit of a metaphor for clarity in our writing. If the reader misunderstands it whose fault is it? The reader? The writer? Or simply blame the editor, that nameless person who labors in the shadows. Even better, blame the literary agent!!! Thanks for the link: Trissina Kear (my daughter)
What Caught My Eye
Last week we talked about the hook, the sound bite, or the ability to "say it in a sentence." One reader asked for examples so I thought I'd give you a few.
Below are the short pitches of proposals that have caught my eye over the years from debut authors. Please realize that the sound bite is only one of many factors that goes into a great proposal. Ultimately it is the execution of the …
Fun Fridays – November 15, 2019
This video gives mind-blowing facts about linguistics. In particular, how pronunciation has changed over time. Thus, if you are writing a historical novel, be careful in assuming the words you use meant the same in your era and that they they were pronounced like they are today. Made me think of older poetry or song lyrics and some rhyming couplets. No wonder they sometimes don’t rhyme when …
Veterans Day – 2019
Today, November 11, 2019, is the 101st anniversary of Veterans Day, celebrated in the United States. Originally known as Armistice Day, it was set to honor the end of World War I, which happened on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. It became a legal holiday in the U.S. in 1938 and was renamed as Veterans Day in 1954. It is our opportunity to thank and celebrate all those who …
Fun Fridays – November 8, 2019
This video is what you need to go outside and do today. If not literally, do it imaginatively. It’s important to take the proverbial happy break. And what better way than in a pile of leaves? The last bit of the video is an illustration of finding the “needle in the haystack!”
Say It in a Sentence
Can you present your book idea in one sentence?
Can you present that idea in such a way that the reader is compelled to buy your book?
What motivates someone to spend money on a book? It is the promise that there is something of benefit to me, the reader.
Books are generally purchased for one of three reasons:
Entertainment
Information
Inspiration
If your book idea can make me …
Fun Fridays – November 1, 2019
A video about an unusual intern’s visit to Penguin Random House. I bet they were paid like a typical volunteer intern, except a little fishier! Enjoy! Makes one wonder what publishers like Blink, WaterBrook, Cook, Tyndale, Lion, Orbit, or Skyhorse could do with this idea!
C.S. Lewis on Writing
by Steve Laube
On June 26, 1956, C.S. Lewis replied to letter from an American girl named Joan with advice on writing:
Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentence couldn’t mean anything else.
Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don’t implement promises, but keep them.