Cheryl Cowtan on Writing

1-2-3, 1-2-OMG! I finally did it. I purchased Scrivener. Now I have to hold onto my self-worth as I try to wrap my brain around the interface. I keep telling myself, so many experts can't be wrong , right? Surely, when I've mastered this program, I'll come out on top. On top meaning I will have a tool that will give me more functionality, save me more time, and overall, make me a more organized and efficient writer. Currently, I'm doing pretty good with a combination of MS Word and Excel, so this baby better be awesome to convince me to convert for long term.  So I start to learn it like I learn all things - jumping in with both feet. Click, click, click, click.... cli... That didn't work. So basically, I've purchased the Scrivener software that experts are saying is functionally amazing, but its user interface is so non-intuitive, I can't figure it out, and I used be an Internet Business Consultant. Surely my skills aren't that rusty...

Wordle for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Wordle is probably the easiest tool for finding overused words in your novel, because you just paste your entire manuscript into Wordle and wait for the results. Wordle creates an image of the most often used words in the text, increasing the font size of a word based on how many times it was used. The Pride and Prejudice Wordle is interesting as a comment on societal manners at the time it was written by Jane Austen (Mr, Miss, Mrs). Wordle will increase the font of words used more often in your Manuscript. The Wordle above is from my current manuscript The Fergus She . If you notice, the word "Angus" is in the largest font. Angus is hotter than this! The visual  is telling me I used "Angus" more than any other word, which is good beca use he's the hot highlander my protagonist, Rachel, is lusting for. W here is Rachel's name? you might ask. The Fergus She is written in first ...

Writers often practice their skills when writing their first books. When listening to the "Writing Excuses" podcast, the hosts stated that many writers learn while they are writing, and as a result, may have some earlier materials available online that may not reflect the author's current skills. It makes sense. Some authors write and quickly publish, some keep their books longer, editing and polishing, and some hold on to those manuscripts until completely assured the writing is the best it can be, which can take years. I know I have learned so much working with beta readers and an editor, and if I were to crack open an earlier unpublished manuscript, that I had previously thought was complete, I would be able to make many revisions and improvements. For authors who published and moved on to the next book, learning the craft as they produced, their published books may be examples of that learning in action. In other words, earlier novels will...

A beta reader brings a reader's perspective  to your manuscript. Recently, due to union action, I found myself with extra time to invest in my writing. If you've ever been on strike, you'll know how non-productive it is, and for some of us, that is enough to send us scrambling for something to do. While walking the picket line, I reconnected with a lovely co-worker who just happens to have a Masters in English. My writing came up during our conversation like it usually does: "What have you been keeping busy with?" "Oh, still working away on my novel."  Do not feel unworthy of asking for help. You need readers to read your work. Usually I say this with a tinge of embarrassment because I've been "working" on my novel for quite some time. However, I was very fortunate. My colleague, Dania, offered to read over and respond to my current manuscript, The Fergus She . Immediately, I got that internal cringe of "Oh...

Pacing is the speed at which events occur in your novel. Pacing can occur within lines and within the entire novel, which is the speed at which you move the plot along. Generally, you want scenes (where things happen) to move quickly, and interludes (where you describe or your character ponders) to slow down. Pacing problems occur when scenes go by too quickly or are too slow. One can leave your reader feeling confused and a little ripped off, and the other will bore your reader into putting your book down. I am currently reading an Indie novel and though there is some bang-on pacing at the beginning and at the 3/4 point, there are a few areas that had me pulling out of the story and wondering what the author was up to. The too fast example: The main character finally finds a necklace of power and when she puts it on her head flies back, lightening strikes, her arms reach out as if embracing the sky and then it's over and she says, "That was weird."...

   Many blogs, articles and podcasts address the reader's error in not following submission guidelines as the reason for rejection.  However, there are many reasons for rejection and one of those can be the writer's style.     A writer's style is affected by the writer's "voice" and how the writer puts sentences together. Style is specific to each writer, it's unique. But that doesn't mean it cannot be changed.     Writers change their style to target their imagined reader, and to mould their writing to the genre and the format.    According to The Writing Centre, you can improve your style by cleaning up wordiness, by reading out loud to catch awkward phrasing, and by focusing on meaning and tone.     One suggestion is to remove repetitive redundant words that mean the same thing. I could remove either one of the "r" words in the previous sentence without affecting the overall meaning.    If you are ...

I'm sitting in an educator's technology conference in Niagara Falls and the keynote speaker is addressing how teaching will change  in the next ten years. "Change" seems to be the topic of every educational professional learning workshop I attend, and the "change" is attributed to our ever-evolving technology. We know education isn't the only industry affected by our advances in tech, so my question is, "what is changing in the writer's world?" As a reader, researcher, author, you know many answers to this question. You will have read or personally experienced self-publishing, engaged in discussions about Kindle ethics, looked longingly at the spot where your local bookstore used to be, and then hammered out your thoughts on a personal blog. For this blog, I would like to look at an impending possibility brought on by the progressive use of technology to market reading materials to the reader--death of the genre. As technology a...