The Novel Start to Hope and Faith

Check out the opening to my novel, Hope and Faith, and weigh in with your comments. I've posted the beginning to the novel on my Hope and Faith blog. Does it grab your interest? Do you care about the characters? Should it be a Prologue or a Chapter 1? Do you want to read more? Your comments are appreciated!

Writers Group News and Success!

I’m pleased as punch to share some great news from my writers group, Humble Fiction Café.

Publishing Success!

Death by Dorlana Vann
Representing the death card in Tease Publication’s Dark Tarot Series, this is a two-in-one novel containing Jaclyn’s Ghost and Passage to Mesentia. Two great paranormal novels in one book, click here for details and brief descriptions of both stories. Available now at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

A Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers II by Colleen Sell
This is a collection of fifty great dog stories. Susan H. Miller contributed The Dachshund That (Almost) Conquered the World, a most enjoyable story for dog lovers everywhere. Available now at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

I encourage you to purchase these books and enjoy the talent of both Dorlana and Sue!

Other Success!

Kelli Meyer was accepted into the esteemed Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop. They only accept 16 students each year, so it’s quite an accomplishment to be accepted into this six-week writing program.

Way to go Dorlana, Sue and Kelli!

Five Things I Hope to Accomplish This Summer

Fun related:

• A Trip to Disney World – This is something I've talked about summer after summer. Our last visit was just after 9/11, the park was empty – no lines, no wait. But the kids were too young to remember. It's way past time for another Disney vacation.

Writing related:

• Work on my Novel – Get at least half-way through the rewrite of my novel, Hope and Faith. The Humble Fiction Café writers' group classes for our Six Month Novel Project (6MoNo) will be completed. No more excuses!

• Write one short story and post to my blog. This is part of my New Year's Resolutions.

House related:

• Wash the windows on the front and sides of the house. I recently did the back windows and they look so much better!

• Organize and clean out my office. Perhaps a better name for my office would be multi-purpose room, as it serves as my day job office, writing space, and sewing area (lol – as though I sew). It also contains the household record-keeping area, bill-paying site, reference books, and the piano. It has a tendency to collect material, and needs a thorough organization/cleaning.

What's on your agenda for the summer?

Lest I Forget Friday

A variety of information and topics to share with you

Most of you probably already know, but in case you don't, the Shell Houston Open is in full swing. Held at the Redstone Golf Club – Tournament Course, many charities benefit annually from this event. This year, parents and teachers from Maplebrook Elementary school are staffing the concession booth at the 16^th hole. The funds they raise will benefit the school, so stop by if you're in the area.

I'm very excited to announce that I recently signed up to participate in 31 Days to Build a Better Blog presented by Darren Rowse of ProBlogger. It's a 31 day project to improve your blog through theory and assignments, and it begins on April 6^th. Fingers crossed for some exciting upcoming blog enhancements!

Which leads me to my next topic. If you are a repeat visitor to this blog, you may have noticed a different look – and that is the addition of google ads. So tell me, like 'em or leave 'em? Are they a distraction or not? If I get feedback they're bad, then they're outta here!

If you haven't visited my newly launched blog Hope and Faith, then I invite you to visit and share your thoughts on novel prologues. Do you like them or not, and why or why not? I'd like to get some lively discussion and opinions on the subject, so please feel free to share.

Stay tuned for more information about a potential new blog launch containing valuable information that will help business development professionals, particularly when it comes to cold calling. Brrr, the word itself makes some professionals shiver. I'm in talks with some folks about making this happen, and I'll keep you posted here.

Finally, on a very happy note, I am pleased to announce that despite the heavy rains and hail hurled at earth and in Texas this week, our garden fares well. We've enjoyed radish that is so much tastier than the grocery store variety, and look forward to more tasty treats soon!

Have a great weekend!

Check it Out!

I am pleased to announce the origination of a new blog dedicated solely to my novel, tentatively entitled Hope and Faith. I invite you to check it out at http://sheryltut.wordpress.com/. Please visit, feel free to comment, and ask questions. I appreciate your help in keeping me focused on getting the novel rewritten and manuscript ready! Thank you.

Insomnia

Last night, I tossed and turned fitfully before succumbing to insomnia. Even though the rain typically produces a lulling melody that makes sleep come easy, I was too excited and in a state of agitation and worry. Finally, I got up and headed for the word processor.

First, the excitement. Recently Dorlana Vann of Humble Fiction Café gave an informative presentation on pacing and tension, and I am delighted to be reading a book that vividly reflects those teachings. More on the book in a review once it's finished.

Through Dorlana's lesson, I realized how important constant tension is to the overall enjoyment of a book. The writer not only has to make the reader care about the character and what happens to him or her, but be concerned about what happens next. When the character has overcome one challenge, the next adversity must already be set up. The presentation was very insightful.

As far as the agitation and worry, I love to blog, but of recent, my blog postings have fallen off in frequency. Partly due to my incredibly busy life, but I also wonder where to go with the blog. I feel like it's time to notch it up a bit, take it to the next level, but how and what is that?

And if it isn't enough that I've let my blogging posts fall off, I have been equally remiss in setting aside sufficient writing time for my novel. Oh, I'm working on it. Slowly. I complain about not having the time to work on the novel, yet I realize we all have the same amount of time – 24 hours each day. What we do with that time is what counts. My fault is in not making writing a higher priority.

In a nutshell, my worries stem around writing and the goals I've set for myself for this year.

I may or may not do a facelift on the blog. It hasn't been so long ago that I gave the blog a new look, but I am thinking about exploring a three-column layout. The reason is so that I can post my 2009 writing goals in plain view as a continual reminder of the things I hope to accomplish this year, and for my readers to hold me accountable. I want people to ask how the novel is progressing and keep me to task.

How are you doing with your goals for this year?
Do you think it is helpful to have your goals in front of you on a constant basis?
Is it helpful for others to know your goals?

Split is Positively Rejected!

Happy holidays to all! 2008 has been an exciting year, and one of my highlights was having Split published. It provided a vast array of learning experience and even more exciting…

Split is Positively Rejected!

Recently, Humble Fiction Café entered our book, Split, into the 16th annual Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards. We did not win. I am happy to report however, that we received some fantastic scoring and commentary.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being excellent, Split received outstanding marks as follows:

Plot – 5
Grammar – 5
Character Development – 4
Cover Design – 5

Wow – I’m still excited by those impressive marks. The judge went on to comment that he liked the overall theme of the book, as well as the variety of voices and writers. He mentioned a few stories by name where he particularly liked the ending, and said all the stories were good reads! Additionally, he found value in the end of story explanations. The judge complimented Humble Fiction Café saying that through our writing he felt we liked one another and he sensed good will.

Equally beneficial, the judge also mentioned areas that could improve the book, such as stronger character development, and less focus on plot twists that occasionally resulted in sudden, sometimes violent endings. The judge felt there were too many stories with the character Beatrice, but also said they were all good so he wouldn’t know which stories to cut.

Overall, I think the commentary and our scores were outstanding. As writers, we value this kind of feedback because it helps us know what we did well, and how we can do better in the future.

If you haven’t yet read Split, I invite you to do so. If you’ve read Split, I would love to hear from you. What did you like best about the book? How do you think the book could be improved?


Happy Holidays!

National Novel Writing Month is Over – so Now What?

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is officially over. I'm pretty sure that just about anyone that knows me or reads my blog is aware that I participated and won at this event by completing a 50,000-word novel. How exciting is that? Congratulations to everyone else that participated in the event. Regardless of word count, you've accomplished an amazing feat.

A friend recently asked me if I would do it again, and without hesitation, I answered a resounding "yes." The lessons learned through the month long event were invaluable, requiring discipline and the support of my family. The fact that I now have a drafted novel is incredible to me. I wouldn't want to trade the experience …but now what?

I've got a plan that I will share with you here, and you can respond in the comments to tell me if you think it will work. My plan is simple, I think. During December, without reading my NaNoWriMo novel at all, I am working on character biographies and plotting. These are details I didn't have time for before or during NaNoWriMo, so I'm taking the time now. I want to nail down the personalities that make each character unique in my story, and then work on tightening and strengthening the plot and sub-plots.

There is much in my NaNoWriMo novel that will need to come out, but many places where I will need to embellish. My goal is to take a fresh look in January, with stronger characters and plot points, and begin a rewrite.

Whether you consider yourself a WriMo or a NaNo'er (I've seen them both touted), what are your plans now that the month is over? Are you going straight into a rewrite? Are you sitting your manuscript aside for a time to gracefully age? Who's in it with me for next year?

NaNoWriMo Week One Recap

Whew. Week one is officially behind us for WriMo's around the globe, and so begins week two. Here's a recount of what I've learned so far.

While I didn't end week one with the expected and hoped for count of 11,669 words, I did end the week with 7,447. So, I'm behind. But I think a better way to look at this is that it is way more words than I've ever written in one week on a novel before! In that sense, it's a success!

My story is also evolving from what I had originally imagined. The protagonist marries early on in the story, and my intent has been to keep her married. But the schmuck she's married to has turned out not so nice. I don't know if she can stay married to him now or not. Perhaps he will redeem himself later on in the story; time will tell. It is as though the story has taken on a life of its own, and I am simply the typist.

Of course, it is also terrible! I would be horrified to have anyone read the dribble on these pages I call a novel, so I know the real work is ahead when it is time to go back and edit.

Anyway, thus far, NaNoWriMo has been an exciting and fun adventure. I am so glad that I signed up for the event.

Now I must cut short this post to get back to my novel. Week two needs to be even more productive than week one, so I must keep pushing myself to get this done. Write-on!

NaNoWriMo Progress Report

I wanted to post a very brief progress report here of NaNoWriMo. With day 2 completed, I am still in the game at 3990 words. You can see my progress on the word counter at the top of the left hand column here.

While I think my Chapter One is OK, my Chapter Two is absolutely horrible. I don't know if there is a salvageable word there when I go back at a later date for editing.

Anyway, it's started and with 27 and 1/2 days left to go! Happy writing fellow Wrimo's!

NaNoWriMo Here I Come

I've done it and I'm so excited… and nervous. I've registered for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)!

Like last year, I don't have the time. And believe me, I've debated as to whether I should do this or not. But unlike last year, no more excuses! I feel like if I don't do this now, I just may never write a novel.

Last year's decision not to do NaNoWriMo was tough. And yes, while my month of November was certainly easier as a result, I did have regrets. So I'm going to bite the bullet this year, and just do it. Anyone else who is participating or wants to participate, please be my writing buddy. Look for sheryltut in the Authors section.

In my final few days before NaNoWriMo kicks off, I'm looking for tips and tricks for success. Here is a blog posting that I found helpful and wanted to share.

Paperback Writer: Pro-to-NaNo: "Pro-to-NaNo
Twenty Bits of Advice from a Pro for the New NaNo'er"

My blog posts may fall off in frequency this coming month, but I will get back to blogging as fast as I can. Do stop by the blog anyway, as I plan to add a word count widget. I appreciate everyone's support (and thank you Chrissa for the "Go Sheryl Go, You Can NaNo!" cheerleading card)!

Good luck to everyone participating. Please remember to add me as a writing buddy. Experienced NaNo'er's? Please put your words of wisdom in comments!

Review of John Grisham’s Bleachers

This is not a typical John Grisham book, nor in my opinion, as good, although enjoyable enough and readable. Bleachers is not a story about a lawyer, a law firm, or a scandalous crime, characteristic of many books by John Grisham. Rather, it is the story of high school football as told by a few former players as they reminisce their days of glory. Centered in a small town dedicated to the sport, Bleachers explores the relationship between the overvalued former team players and their revered coach.

What doesn't work? For one, nothing really happens. We have former teammates coming together at the bleachers of the high school field while their past coach lay dying. Now that in itself shouldn't make it a lesser book*, but with less action there needs to be more character development. And in Bleachers, character development is lacking.

If you want a quick, easy-to-read, book that can easily be put down and picked back up later, this works. If you are looking for something more meaningful or suspenseful, then I recommend looking elsewhere.

*One of my favorite books is Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom and not a lot happens in it either

Goodreads

If you are like me, you like to read. But you're busy, and nothing is more frustrating than wasting time reading a not-so-good book. It's a rarity when I put a book down as unreadable, but there have been many books I've finished that I've wished I had. Or better still, I wished I hadn't even bothered starting. And so now I'm a member of Goodreads.

At Goodreads, reader reviews are available for books that you place in one of three default bookshelves… "read," "currently-reading," or " to-read." It is customizable in that you can add or modify your bookshelves, but these are the defaults and they have suited me well.

Any time I hear of a good book, or I read a good review from a friend, I can immediately place the book in my "to-read" bookshelf, which is a great feature. Later, when I am ready to make a new book purchase, or even if someone asks for my book preferences, I have a complete list of books that I know I want to read.

"Currently-reading" is where I put books that I am reading, but haven't yet finished. From there, once the book is finished, it is very easy to move it over to the "read" bookshelf and add a review. I have found the reviews on each book to be so helpful in determining whether I want to read a book, so I always make sure to add my review to the books I finish.

Another thing to like about Goodreads is the friends network. Friends are people that you know that can see your reviews, what you've read and are reading, etc. Even better, Goodreads lets you set automatic email updates when your friends have added books or reviews. What better way is there to hear about a book and then be able to add it to your "to-read" list? Word-of-mouth from someone you know and trust is the best!

Anyway, that's why I'm a member of Goodreads. I hope you also have an opportunity to check it out! And if you have read Split by the Humble Fiction Café, please don't forget to add your review.

Win An E-Book!

I am proud to be a member of the Humble Fiction Café (HFC). It's with pleasure to announce that two of our writers group members, Dorlana Vann and Theresa Law, have books being published by Tease Publishing as part of their Dark Tarot series. It is also with pleasure that I tell you these two authors have sponsored contests where you can win a free copy of the e-book, Jaclyn's Ghost.

Here's what to do…

Visit Dorlana's blog on Dark Tarot and participate in the discussion on ghosts. But better hurry, because today is the deadline! Do you believe in ghosts?

It's too late to enter Theresa's contest, but she was looking for romantic moments. Do you have one to share?

By the way, I've read Jaclyn's Ghost and highly recommend it! I think it would make a great addition to anyone's summertime reading list.

That's it for now!

Book Review

Book Review: A Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

I like all the Jodi Picoult books I've read so far, although this one didn't quite capture me as much as most of hers do. Jodi has a terrific ability in developing character and she's not afraid to address difficult topics, such as this in Perfect Match.

Perfect Match is about a working mother who is faced with numerous emotions after learning her 5 year old son was sexually assaulted. Nina Frost is a DA, and she knows the legal system doesn't work in favor of the victim in sexual abuse cases. Her son is clearly traumatized, and Nina will do anything she can to prevent him from re-living the horror by testifying on the witness stand.

Very good plot twists and turns, and great character development. I give this book 4 stars!

Good Reading

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about some of the books I’ve read lately. Here are a few that I would recommend reading.

The Weight of Water
by Anita Shreve
This is an interesting book as it is two simultaneous and interwoven stories, one set in current day and one back in time. Anita seamlessly switches between the stories and keeps the reader engaged. Set in New England, you can feel the cold winters and the storms as the present day heroine, a newspaper photographer, learns more about herself in the search for the truth of a historic double axe murder. The story line is haunting and it pulls at your emotions. Definitely worth reading.

The Desert Crop
by Catherine Cookson
Set in England in the 1880s, this is a story of family conflict, poverty and love. After his father remarries for the promise of future money, Daniel Stewart must give up his dreams of attending university and help out on the failing farm. But giving up university is only the beginning of his sacrifices as he devotes his life to his father’s new wife and their growing family. It takes tragedy to change his life course and open his eyes to true love. Enjoyable, easy to read book.

The Testament
by John Grisham
A really good Grisham book, this story involves an eccentric billionaire and his dysfunctional and greedy families, a missionary heiress, and a lawyer who embarks on a truly remarkable adventure into the jungles of Brazil. The story grabs the reader from the start and doesn’t let go. The imagery is vivid, the characters real. Hard to put down once started.

The Excusinator

Something is gnawing at me. It's November. The month of NaNoWriMo, and like last year, I'm not participating.

As a writer, it seems I have a history of holdups. I remember well at a very young age handwriting the start of stories in notebooks. I still have many of those story beginnings. And all the while I would think, if only I had a typewriter, then I could really write.

Then my parents gave me an old manual typewriter, one that actually used to belong to my grandparents. Man, that thing was old. Clack, clack, clack. I can still hear the keys as I typed away more unfinished new stories thinking, now if I just had an electric typewriter, one with a correction key, then I would have everything I needed to be a writer.

What do you suppose happened? You've probably guessed...I received an electric typewriter as a gift. Beautiful thing it was, it had a semi-word processor built in and you could type a limited amount of text into it, modify or correct the text, then push a button for it to type. And type it did. That machine was fast as the blazes, and yes, it had a correction key. I marveled at the invention as I wrote more stories, albeit unfinished, and thought, wouldn't it be great to have a word processor, one that will store my stories so that I don't have to re-type them with every change?

My first one was a DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) model, and I bought it from the company I worked for. Now everything was in place for me to become a writer. The stories grew longer, even journal entries became word processed, and I was happy. Until I got to thinking how nice it would be to have the ability to do research, look up words, and other activities on a home computer, better known as a PC. Yes,
I thought, if I had a PC, then I would be all set to write magnificent stories, even novels.

I've lost count of how many PC's I've owned. I currently have two in my home, neither is more than 4 years old. Both have Word from Microsoft Office, both share a high-speed connection to the internet, both have plenty of memory and hard disk space. They are both technologically in the now, certainly sufficient for any writing career or hobby.

So what's the holdup now you must be thinking? What's left to need in order to write as I've so desired what feels like all my life? Well, this one's a hard one and unfortunately can't be bought at a store. It's time. I'm thinking, time is what I need most now.

I realize at this point, I'm not just a procrastinator…I'm also an excusinator! Every time I turn around I have an excuse why I'm not able to succeed at writing and finishing all the wonderful stories that pop into my mind. While each one of these stumbling blocks has been real, they have also not been something that should delay my writing. In fact, many a great novel was written before the advent of computers, even before typewriters.

So what does all this mean? Other than I do wish great success for my colleagues participating in NaNoWriMo, I also know it's time for me to quit waiting for everything to be perfect. I'm going to start that novel (again), but better yet, I'm going to finish it. Does this mean I'm jumping in to NaNoWriMo mid-month? No. If I thought I hadn't the time to finish a novel in the whole month, how crazy would I be to think I could write it in a partial month? I'll start with baby steps, setting some realistic and attainable goals, and write one chapter at a time.

Now to end on a very positive note, always before when I've created these obstacles in my mind, a solution has always presented itself. I can't wait to see how I can find more time in my days to spend working on my writing.

Sheryl

NaNoWriMo Here I Come, Or Not?

Three weeks and counting. That's how long we have until NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which begins November 1 and ends midnight, November 30. Participants have one month in which to write a 50,000 word novel from start to finish. It's an event geared to get writers' writing. And I know it works.

So my dilemma starts now. Do I participate? Or not?

I can't imagine the dedication, focus, and TIME it must require to finish a 50,000 word novel in just one month. I'm already so stretched for time that I sometimes wonder which way is up. I'm setting my alarm clock earlier and earlier each morning just to get in my required hours for my employer. I spend my evenings racing this one to that affair, and that one to this function. And I mean race. We eat fast, drive fast, and sometimes I think I even talk fast. Seems like there is never a minute to spare.

But I've always, always wanted to try my hand at writing a book. If I wait for a good time, a slower time, it just may never happen. We all know that time keeps getting faster and faster the older you get (isn't that true?).

Anyway, that's my dilemma and I have three remaining weeks to sort it out. Three weeks to decide if I want to add to the already so crazy schedule I have timers going off throughout the day reminding me what's next. So, you'll either see me around during the month of November, or not. NaNoWriMo here I come, or not?

Great Summer Reads!

Summer is a great time for reading, right? Well, I agree, but I wonder...what’s so wrong with winter reading, or fall, or spring? Anytime is a terrific time for a great book in my opinion, and here are some of my recent finds – all wonderful (of course) for summer reading!

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

Absorbing from the time you pick up the book until you put it down. A story about a calm and quiet father, Daniel, who had an angry and criminal youth; his wife, who becomes dissatisfied with how predictable her husband has become; and their daughter, who grows up unnoticed before their eyes and suffers date rape and subsequent consequences. In the story, Daniel is a comic book writer. Immersed throughout and corresponding to the story is the comic that Daniel is working on, depicting his hero rescuing his daughter from hell. Vivid description throughout, easy read.

Jaclyn's Ghost by Dorlana Vann (not yet published)

This is a captivating story, and one that I hope finds a publisher soon! Written by Dorlana Vann from my writer’s group, the Humble Fiction Café, it is a story about a murdered high fashion model, Jaclyn, who becomes caught in the spirit world. She has 48 hours to live as a ghost as she tries to solve her murder. Enlisting the help of a handsome and intriguing more experienced ghost, as well as a living psychic who can hear and speak to ghosts, Jaclyn sets out on an eye-opening adventure. Dorlana is a great storyteller. Link on to her blog to read Chapters 1-4 and a synopsis at http://dorlana.blogspot.com.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Certainly not a new book, but one I’ve just gotten around to reading and what a pleasure. It’s dynamic and moving - it actually brought me to tears at the end. It’s a story about Mitch spending his Tuesdays with a former college professor, Morrie Schwartz, after Morrie was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Morrie taught Mitch valuable lessons on life that we can all learn from. Truly a memorable book.