Writing Historical Fiction – Since I like doing research and writing historical fiction, I found this post by author Kelly Kernel on the Publishers Weekly blog pretty interesting. The title of the guest post is, “The Impossible Task of Writing Historical Fiction.” Kerney wrote the book, Hard Red Spring, covering the entire 20^th century in Guatemala’s history. She writes that it took her a decade to write this book. In the post, she writes:

“So, funny enough, covering a thousand years of history is not what turned out to be too much research. That, I needed. The over-research came in the details. The Writing God is a cruel god, indeed.

As maddening as this all sounds, the research is the easy part. What makes a coherent history does not necessarily make a compelling novel—and vice versa. But to succeed you have to somehow do both.”

If you’re into writing or reading historical fiction, the post above will be of interest to you.

SANTA CRUZ BEACH

Pockets Magazine submission guidelines. The magazine is accepting regular submissions plus contest submissions. Visit their link for more information.

[This one-inch picture frame on my desk] reminds me that all I have to do is to write down as much as I can see through a one-inch picture frame. This is all I have to bite off for the time being. – Anne Lamott

Writing tips—Take a look at the writing tips on this blog post. On the Writing for Children and Teens blog, Cynthea Liu posted the “Best Writing Advice Ever,” by asking many, many authors their best advice for writers. The list of advice by these authors is long and fascinating.

And while you’re at it, here are the submission guidelines for Peachtree Publishers. Write, write, write. Never give up!

Here’s another tip from Writers’ Digest Weekly Planner: “The nonfiction book proposal should include a discussion of the target market, competitive title analysis, your author bio, a marketing plan/platform, a chapter outline, and sample chapters.”

Authors and Editors – If you’ve ever wondered what the relationship between editors and authors is, read this excellent post by Lynn Neary on the NPR blog. The title of the article is “What Exactly Does An Editor Do? The Role Has Changed Over Time.” Excerpts from the article:

How much do editors shape the final book we read? According to Rebecca Saletan, vice president and editorial director of Riverhead Books, “The first task is [to] just take it at face value: What is this writer trying to say? What is the project of this book?” Saletan explains. “Once you understand that, then you have to make tough decisions: Is this a good idea? Will there be an audience for it? Is this the right person to tell the story? Do they have the ability? If they don’t have the ability, what’s lacking? What can you bring to it? That’s all the initial phase of evaluation. What I’m looking for is a mind that is capable of grappling with the structure of something as big as a book.”

Read the entire post to find out more. Very interesting.

“Possibly the greatest role a book can play in the lives of young readers is to assure them that they aren’t alone.” – Richard Peck

Time Management – Do you struggle like most writers with finding the time to write? I know I do. Trying to squeeze in writing time is sometimes difficult with the many things we have to do during the day. So … here’s an article on just this topic written by Jan Fields on the Institute for Children’s Literature blog. Some of her tips include: (1) Give Up Perfection, (2) Don’t swamp yourself with goals, (3) Map your Most Creative Time of the Day, (4) Carry a Notebook With You Everywhere … and more … Visit the above website to read more.

Two days ago I conducted a writing workshop for students in the Rio Grande Valley. The school was in San Juan, Texas, and the students were enthused and eager to write their stories after we discussed the structure of story. It was a most enjoyable session.

Short-Short: A complete short story of 1,500 words or less. – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Writers’ Rejection Letters – Has some of your writing ever been rejected? I believe, most of us, at one time or another have received those dreaded rejection emails. A while back, the rejections came via snail mail. But a rejection, no matter how we get it, is a rejection. Boo-Hoo. So how do we deal with it? Do we take it personally and give up? You might want to read an excellent article on the Write for Kids blog titled, Dealing With and Learning From Rejection,” by Suzanna E. Henshon, Ph. D. Her subtitles include:

Be Professional

Rejection is a Subjective Process

Timing

It’s Part of the Writing Process

Why Are You Getting Rejected?

Writing is a Long Apprenticeship

May Not Get Published by a Traditional Publisher

MOVE ON

Visit the above website to learn more on the subject of writers’ rejection letters. It will help to put things in perspective.

Books

On another note, here is the list of the 2016 Tejas Star Book Awards. Some of my writer friends are on the list. I am proud to have been on their list several times. Congratulations to all!

Synopsis: A brief summary of a story, novel, or play. As part of a book proposal, it is a comprehensive summary condensed in a page or page and a half, single-spaced. – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner