Posts Tagged ‘Writing’
Posted on January 8, 2010 - by Monica Valentinelli
Marathon Wrap-Up and a Quick Look Ahead
First of all, marathoners — I owe you an apology. I had a summary post written (I really, really did) but somewhere in between plowing full steam ahead to 2010 and my WordPress updates I lost it. I’d like to share with you some closing thoughts on the Marathon.
For me, December was a kick start [...]
Posted on November 29, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Puking Content, Plagiarism and Too Much Free
I’m sure many of you have thought something along the lines of, “My gosh, there’s a lot of misinformation on the internet.” And you would be right.
I don’t know about you, but I feel like it’s too easy to get sucked into providing editorial on bad information to set the record straight. Of course, [...]
Posted on November 23, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Guidelines and Rules for the December Writing Marathon
In my previous post entitled Who’s Up for a December Writing Marathon? Some Proposed Rules, I offered some generic guidelines to see what you might think. Because December is a little over a week away, I’d like to share with you the specifics of this marathon.
Posted on November 19, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Who’s Up for a December Writing Marathon? Some Proposed Rules.
I know that many of you might be writing for National Novel Writing Month, and if you are – I hope that it’s going really well for you. Writing 50,000 words in a month is not an easy task, and it can be very exhausting. I knew that my schedule for November wasn’t going to allow for NaNoWriMo, so I wasn’t able to participate. Admittedly, I feel a little guilty about not making a concerted effort on my writing this month, even though I’m waiting to hear back on several projects.
So, in the interest of “getting back into it” I propose a December Writing Marathon for 20,000 words minimum.
Posted on November 12, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Why Your D&D Game Doesn’t Make a Great Novel
Have you heard the line, “Your D&D game won’t make a great novel?” If you’ve heard me speak on panels before, or if you’ve read several submission guidelines from agents or publishers, you might have. I’d like to tackle why.
First, let’s get all the bad mojo out there on the table by saying something completely [...]
Posted on October 21, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Songs for the Cyclical Nature of Publishing
I’ve been really busy working on revisions for ARGENTUM and a few gaming-related things that have popped up. In between thinking about all the cool projects I’ve been working on and lamenting my novel revisions, I heard a song in my head. Literally. That song was “Bang Your Head” by Quiet Riot. I thought to [...]
Posted on October 7, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Writer’s Block? Check out this Horror Plot Generator
It’s often funny how I get ideas from the weirdest places. Last month at a writer’s meet-up, we were presented with some word lists to help foster our creativity for character types. Before I went to the meeting, I was having a terrible week. (I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about.) I was [...]
Posted on August 20, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Writing Reviews Can Help You, Too!
Writing a review of someone else’s work is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to learn how to do. Teleporting out of my creative mindset to critique a book or a movie was pretty challenging, because it forced me to deconstruct how someone else put together a particular body of work. So [...]
Posted on July 22, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Write First, Sell Later
Before I ever started working in online marketing, I was a writer. I’ve always been surrounded by words and music, so the creative side to me has always been there. The thing of it is, I didn’t realize that writing professionally meant thinking of it as a “job” until much later — even though I [...]
Posted on July 9, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
My Stance on Writing for Free
There have been a lot of discussions about “free” lately, so I’d like to weigh in with some thoughts on the subject.
Most publishers within the book publishing industry are currently based on a business model that does not pay authors an annual salary to write an unlimited number of books. Typically, authors sign a [...]
Posted on May 29, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
My Philosophy on Writers, Readers and Critics
After a very, busy week following my appearance at WisCon 2009, I felt it was time to sit down and share my philosophy toward other writers, readers and critics. In the past, two weeks I’ve met more new people on-and-offline than I have in the past year. Since many people are unfamiliar with me and [...]
Posted on April 29, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
The Importance of Being Persistent
In an earlier post, I wrote a letter to new writers where I described how the path of a writer is one that winds, ebbs and flows. How do you keep following the same path? One of the qualities that a writer must have is the ability to be persistent. Well, that one word can have a lot of connotations, so I’d like to explain what “being persistent” means to me.
So what does it mean? Well, if you want to be a writer it means you don’t give up. It means when you “think” you have no readers, no chance of success, or that you’ve just written something terrible you keep on the path. You see, it is too easy to drown in self-pity or thoughts about how you’re a horrid writer, but the truth of the matter is that you (and only you) have control over that. To be blunt, if you think you suck — get an editor, or get your work critiqued. If you believe you can’t write horror because your fight scenes are terrible, try perfecting your dialogue for a while instead. Practice, practice, practice and play with your words. If you take a break, plan to get back on that wagon, but don’t ever give up completely.
Posted on April 21, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
An Open Letter to “New” Writers
Dear Writer,
First? I’d like to congratulate you on your decision to become a writer. Being a writer has never been an easy thing for anyone to do, at any point in history. I’m not talking about technology, I’m talking about writers like the Marquis de Sade or Edgar Allen Poe or even Beatrix Potter. Journalists like Margaret Fuller, Alice Dunnigan, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward have challenged the way we think about our world through their reporting. From comic book writers to biographers and everyone in between, the list of writers who’ve influenced our social consciousness goes on and on.
But I’m not writing this letter to talk to you about why writing is “difficult” or why it’s “important.” No, I’m putting these words together for an entirely different reason. You see, the path you take to becoming a successful writer really has three trails that intersect with one another. The first trail is the one that led you to your decision to write — whether that be “just” a short story or a blog post, that’s what started you on the path.
My Recent Releases
The Queen of Crows
Download THE QUEEN OF CROWS e-book at DriveThruHorror.com
Family Games: The 100 Best
Order through Amazon.comBuried Tales of Pinebox, TX
Available at Amazon.com
Available at DriveThruHorror.comCurrent Project
