I recently had the honor of being named as a finalist in the ACFW Genesis contest, and had two days in which to make changes to my entry to resumbit for the finals.
That was a tense two days, as I agonized over every word, every sentence and every paragraph (and for that matter--every comma). My entry consisted of a one-page, single-spaced synopsis and the first fifteen pages of my manuscript.
The whole process underscored for me the importance of the first few pages of any novel. Here is the…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on May 28, 2009 at 9:57am —
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We've all heard the expression: "Actions speak louder than words." I've always believed this. You can tell someone you love them time and time again, but unless your actions prove it, your words are wasted.
In my study of the craft, I realized that the same is true for our characters...
(Visit http://wordvessel.blogspot.com to read the rest of this post.)
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Added by Cathy Bryant on May 21, 2009 at 9:40am —
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As writers we need strong motivations for our character's actions. Guilt and shame are two complex emotions that can be used as character motivation. Join the discussion at
http://wordvessel.blogspot.com.
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Added by Cathy Bryant on April 24, 2009 at 8:20am —
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Is curiosity an emotion, or is it a state of mind—part of the intellect? Just curious...
Synonyms: inquisitiveness, interest, questioning (think about a child), prying, snoopiness, intrusiveness, nosiness, intrigue
Once again, I believe there are degrees of curiosity, but this time from the synonyms that have a positive slant to those that are more negative: desire to learn, inquisitiveness, intrigue, interest, questioning, intrusiveness, snoopiness, nosiness, prying
Quote: "Curiosity is lyin…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on April 22, 2009 at 9:43am —
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Ahh...contentment. There's nothing quite like it.
Let's dig into it with our brains and see if we can find fresh ways to convey it on the page.
Synonyms: satisfaction, gratification, happiness, pleasure, peace, ease, serenity, comfort
I happen to believe that there are ...
(Join the discussion on character emotion at
http://wordvessel.blogspot.com.)
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Added by Cathy Bryant on April 21, 2009 at 9:16am —
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I'm taking part in a blog challenge during the month of April hosted by ProBlogger. It's called "31 Days To A Better Blog," and one of the challenges for this week is to have a list post.
Since I'm always looking to improve my writing skills, I decided that my list post is going to be my editing checklist.
The great thing about this checklist is I can use it for other things besides my own writing. I can use it when I read a book for review or when I critique other writers. Here's my list--hop…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on April 11, 2009 at 8:19am —
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"Anger is short-lived madness." ~Horace
"Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before--it takes something from him." ~Louis L'amour
According to Webster's Dictionary, anger is: "a feeling of displeasure and hostility resulting from injury, mistreatment, opposition, etc."
Synonyms include: animosity, annoyance, antagonism, exasperation, fury, hatred, indignation, ire, rage, and violence.
Even with a brief look at quotes, definiti…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on April 10, 2009 at 8:32am —
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How do you show emotion when you write your characters? How can you best express to your readers what your character is feeling?
Randy Ingermanson, on his Advanced Fiction Writing blog, mentions that readers want a "powerful emotional experience." When I thought back over my own personal favorites...
(Visit http://wordvessel.blogspot.com for the discussion on characters and emotion.)
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Added by Cathy Bryant on April 9, 2009 at 10:19am —
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As I was writing a book review the other day, I started thinking about how book reviews and author interviews have helped me so much in my quest to be a writer.
From the beginning of WordVessel, I knew I wanted to interview authors, so I could pick their brains and learn from them. I really kind of fell into the book review end of things, but I'm not sorry.
Here are the ways that book reviews and author interviews have helped me as a writer.
(See http://wordvessel.blogspot.com for the rest of…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on April 3, 2009 at 8:38am —
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The 2009 Christy Award Nominees were announced at the Christian Book Expo. I've read only a few of these, but I would love to hear a discussion in the comment section about the ones you read, if you liked them, and why.
(Please visit
http://wordvessel.blogspot.com to enter the discussion.)
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Added by Cathy Bryant on March 25, 2009 at 11:01am —
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I'm about to allow you a rare glimpse into my CDO brain (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder alphabetized). Consider yourself forewarned!
As you know, I'm taking a writing break at the moment to take care of...ahem...a few things that I let slide while I was writing and editing my novel.
One of my main goals is to get my writer "stuff" better organized. I think I've accomplished that (at least to some extent), and decided to pass on what I've done in the hopes that someone else might benefit from it…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on March 24, 2009 at 9:49am —
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Today I'm going to meander off the beaten path to introduce you to one of my all-time favorite musicians--my son, Jase Bryant! :)
I know what you're thinking. How can she possibly be unbiased? She's his mother, for crying out loud!
Okay, I'll admit it, I am a wee bit biased...BUT Jase's music would appeal to me even if I weren't his mother.
Jase is the introspective, deep thinker in our family. Sometimes the insight that flows out of him amazes me. This is the kid, that at age 3, said to me w…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on March 12, 2009 at 11:01am —
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My obsessive-compulsive, type-A, perfectionistic personality has struck again.
What a learning process. Not only am I learning a glut of information about writing and editing, I'm learning loads about myself.
My most recent bout of self discovery? I have a tendency to let my life get out of balance. (Okay, I already knew this. Now you know that I spend a large portion of my life re-learning things.)
Yes, I want to finish this novel. Yes, I want it to be the best it can be at this stage of my…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on February 25, 2009 at 7:54am —
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I'm thrilled to welcome friend and author Amy Deardon to WordVessel. Let me introduce you.
Hi Amy! Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m married and fortunate enough to be able to stay at home with our two children, now 15 and 12. In my life B.C. (before children) I did bench science research and taught anatomy and physiology at an undergraduate level.
I undertook a personal quest to investigate the claims of Jesus’ resurrection with the goal of destroying them. To do this I studied biblical a…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on February 23, 2009 at 9:08am —
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WordVessel is proud to welcome author Rachel Hauck, as she shares her thoughts on the writing life.
A Therapist Thought: Writing In The Midst of a Busy Life.
By Rachel Hauck
Early on in my writing life, I had to give up the notion that writing time would come easy, be ideal and full of inspiration.
When I signed my first book contract, I was working full time for a software company as a department manager. I’d recently become a worship leader at my church, adding that to my job as youth pasto…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on February 19, 2009 at 9:27am —
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One of the most wonderful parts of my writing journey has been discovering a whole passel of writers I never knew existed, and having the pleasure of reading their books. One of my greatest discoveries was author Susan May Warren. (You can find my previous interview with Susan May Warren here, and the review of her book, Finding Stefanie here.)
Not long after, I stumbled across My Book Therapy, a fiction editing service by Warren and fellow writers, Rachel Hauck and Sarah Anne Sumpolec, and I'v…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on February 17, 2009 at 8:40am —
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I just finished up a week of vacation.
Now before you start hating me, let me just say this vacation was the most unusual vacation I've ever taken...
(See http://wordvessel.blogspot.com for the rest of this post.)
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Added by Cathy Bryant on February 16, 2009 at 9:19am —
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The word "love" is often used without much thought. We use it to describe our affections for everything from people ("I love Bette Midler") to food items ("I love chocolate ice cream") to items of clothing ("I love those shoes").
Human love is imperfect, and often based on how others respond to us and what others can do for us--a "strings-attached" kind of love.
Ah, but perfect love...
God Is Love.
"...God is love." (1 John 4:8b, NIV)
I've written other blog posts on who God is. (If you're…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on February 15, 2009 at 3:17pm —
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Links For Writers - Part 2 (includes building a platform, marketing, author representation, time management, word count, plotting, critiquing, words, contracts, forums, active/passive voice, reference helps, synopsis, blogging, publishing, screenwriting, manuscript preparation, queries, tax info, and blog tours--Whew!)
http://wordvessel.blogspot.com
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Added by Cathy Bryant on February 13, 2009 at 8:17am —
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Here are some links for writers I've come across in my cyberspace surfing that I thought might be helpful to you.
NOTE: A listing on this page doesn't mean that I recommend the site, and they are listed in no particular order.
This list is by no means complete, so please don't be offended if I don't have your wonderful site listed. (It just means I haven't discovered you yet or I inadvertently left you off the list!) If your blog or website has useful information for writers, please feel free t…
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Added by Cathy Bryant on February 12, 2009 at 8:29am —
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