Three Things Thursday

From  Ms. Brenda

What am I doing with my time?

One of our Utah writers, Johnny Worthen, is writing.  He debuted his BEATRYSEL which was released last year by Omnium Gatherum Media in L.A. Then his YA paranormal trilogy, THE UNSEEN, kicked off last July from Jolly Fish Press with the release of ELEANOR.  Next year the trilogy will continue in June with CELESTE, THE UNSEEN, followed later by DAVID, THE UNSEEN.  (He also said he would appreciate your looking for it, even though it’s “The Unseen Trilogy”!)

Additionally, he will “unleash upon the world” his “satirical neo-noire detective Tony Flaner in THE FINGER TRAP in the fall, and when I met him last mid-September he had just received notice from Cherokee McGhee publishers, VA, that his political mystery THE BRAND DEMAND (an Edward Abby-esque MONKEY WRENCH GANG) will come out in May.  Not to mention stories in anthologies, and a novella, DR. STUART’S HEART (companion piece to BEATRYSEL).

And what am I doing with all my spare time?  What are you doing with yours ? ? ?

From Ms. Cheryl

Challenge for this week: Write down twenty things about your character that your reader will never know.

This is a great way to prep for Nanowrimo if you’re planning on it. By doing this, you add depth to your character that naturally comes out in your writing without ever being said. Try it!

From Me

Cheryl has given us a NaNo exercise. I’ll add another.  (This is three exercises to get you ready for next month!)

We’ve talked about this a ton before.

The opening of a book. How it needs to grab the reader.

So–

Come up with as many first lines as you can in 20 minutes. Do that every day for one week.

After the 20 minutes, reread your lines.

What do you love most?

What does each line do for you?

Do you connect with any? All? None?

Write your emotions–and maybe a few lines of direction on your favorites.