All posts by NewEngland_Muse

I'm a traditionally and self published author. I write in the genre of children and YA at the moment but working my way up to adults. I'm a sports loving, photo taking gal who loves to sing/dance to my own enjoyment. I love to laugh even at myself. I am also owned by 8 birds and 2 hamsters, and yes they know it. :)
Character Development, Critique, Form, Writing, Writing class

Critique Form

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My instructor passed out a form for us to critique the work of others.

I thought we could pass this form to our beta readers. They can use it as a guideline. We could use it ourselves and see if we are spotty in some areas. Each section is worth five points for a total of 20 points.

Plot

-Attention needs to be paid to plot development

-The story lacks credibility in places

-Good start/good ideas but loses direction and force

-The story holds interest throughout but the ending is disappointing

-Flows smoothly,well researched, almost there

-This is a well-crafted story and it is clear that the author has considered all the aspects of the plot

Characterization

-The characters do not always come over as real people

-Told from the viewpoint of too many characters, so that the readers learns little about them

-In general, the characters are believable , although there is room for improvement

-The characters are well drawn and true to life/does the character have an inner life

-Strong characterization means that the reader’s sympathies are instantly engaged.

Pace

-The story starts slowly

-The story needs a more varied pace

-Side-issues slow the story down

-In general, the story moves well, although there are times when interest wavers

-A good pace is maintained throughout

-This story’s page-turning quality is excellent

Dialogue

-The characters all tend to speak with the same voice

-Some attention should be given to the dialogue, which does not always ring true

-Although the dialogue is believable, there are places where it serves no obvious purpose

-In general, the dialogue sounds authentic

-the sharply written dialogue reveals much about the characters

-The dialogue is excellent, adding a sparking dimension to the story

Author, Bike, Book, children's book, Electronic submission, Jasper, Laid back, Manuscript, Publishers, Publishing House

MS has been requested

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Another publisher has tossed his name in the hat. I received an email for a request of the complete MS for “Jasper, Amazon Parrot: A Rainforest Adventure”. He inquired if I had an illustrator on hand.

This is someone from the free writers conference that I attended on February 25thof this year. The giddiness had not really evaporated from the previous publisher. Now the mood is full blow WOW.  They say milk does a body good, well so does this. An email was received last night saying it had been received and placed in the queue. I will know in 4-6 weeks. The waiting game begins.

I am trying to not over think this for that can get a person in trouble. Instead I will focus on my NaNoEdMo and continue to write. But as I do baby woohoos comes out of me and a big smile ends up on my face. It can’t be helped. I just want to stand up and shout, but what I would yell is uncertain, just now that is the sentiment that is radiating from my body.

Telling Jasper the good news, he just cocked his head to the side then lowered it for me to pat him.  That just about sums it up right as far as he was concern. If only his laid back attitude could be passed on through me right now.

Author, Book, Character Developement, Characters, Creating Real Life Characters, Creative Writing, Emotions

Check List for Creating Characters

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Creating Writing Characters Plus Check List Guide

These are my notes from week 7 of my Character Development class.

Some tips to tell how to create characters in your story. A good story has characters that are unique.

-Give names to your characters-each of them need a name and personality so one’s readers can identify with them.

-Picture how your characters look- Imagine how your character look by appearance. It could be about the clothes they wear or even the devices they use. For me I went through magazines to find my characters that said HELLO and matched what I had envision they would be if I came across them on the street.

-Create problems for your characters- Remember your characters need problems or conflicts, so it will add more meaning to your story. Show, don’t tell your reader about the threat the characters are facing or problems they may have.

-Good guys and bad guys- Protagonist/Antagonist, Hero/Villain. A good story is one that tells about the good and bad. In this way, your readers will learn about each character and it will make them want to read more of your story.

-Make your characters have friends and enemies- Your characters need both. It is in this way to make your readers feel that your character is real.

Create characters- A creative writer knows how to create characters. Each character must be unique and make readers care about them. To create good characters, you can look at your friends, anyone around or animals and nature.

-Decide your story’s viewpoint- Before you start your story, you need to decide whether you want to tell the reader everything related to your characters at once or if you want to reveal it in st ages. That is your call.

Make power words- Powerful words are very important in story-telling. Using powerful words is like having a magic wand. So think and write vividly as much as you can think of.

-Make characters speak- Make your character speak to each other or think. This will help your readers hear your characters talking and get to know them.

-Edit your story- After you finish your first story, give yourself time to rest before starting to edit. So it is easy to find mistakes in one’s story. And find out all the errors including spelling and grammar errors.