Cheryl Cowtan on Writing

I've participated in PitMad and NestPitch on Twitter, and both have provided the opportunity to pitch my manuscript to potential agents. I have also benefited from the wonderful opportunities to share my hopes, my dreams and my work with like-minded writers (who are also moms, dads, teachers, and members of communities all over the world). Currently I'm participating in PitchSlam, and I have found this pitching competition offers a new benefit--critique by professionals. The process works like this. Pitch 35 words Receive feedback for improvement Submit first 250 words Receive feedback for improvement Submit revised 35 word pitch and revised 250 words What I found is the reviewers caught some pretty obvious mistakes in my work that I did not catch after multiple reads. And once I followed the suggestions, the improvement of my pitch and first 250 is encouraging. Compare the results yourself. My first 35 word pitch: Name: Cheryl R Cowtan Genre: Adult / Dark F...

In a society where expressing ourselves is more trendy than ever, authors can use memorable and powerful lines from their novels to bring attention to their work. People love quotes from novels because they reflect, in better words than most of us can come up with, life experiences, feelings and views on important issues. Quotes also have the ability to affect us on a sentimental level, reminding us of a time we may have first experienced the novel being quoted.  The best lines are timeless. How to Choose Quotes from your Novel For writers, quoted lines from a novel can accomplish a number of things, but the most important goal for quoting your book is to create a curiosity or desire in the reader to read more. Consider this goal when searching for good lines.  Your quote also functions as a sample of your writing. The quote you choose can do any of the following: Show the author's style Show the quality of writing Express the genre through c...

Let’s Get Organized  Writers take a gazillion notes.   I don’t have to tell you this, because you know all about it. You also know how difficult it is to organize notes, search through paper notes, and sometimes even find all the notes you've written.  In this day and age, going digital is the best way to keep track of your notes. If organized properly, digital notes are sortable, searchable, editable, accessible from anywhere, and light as a feather to carry around. In this blog, I'm going to show you how to be note-efficient. ____________________________________________________ The following is an excerpt from "Technology #WritingTips for Writers". First 100 subscribers at http://www.cherylcowtan.com get a free copy at book launch. _____________________________________________________ The first step in getting note-efficient is finding the right software. For writers, finding a software that will meet all of our needs is like trying to pic...