Don't forget to enter the title contest to win a Barnes & Noble gift card + a goodies basket from my local coffee shop, Village Coffee. http://robyn-campbell.blogspot.com/2010/06/questions-or-comments-about-title-post.html#comments

What do you think of your novel opening? That first sentence of your story. The one the agent will read and within 6 seconds she/he will make a decision based on those words. Those first very important words. 

These beginnings have to make you remember. Make you  imagine. Make you want to read more and more. 

I have struggled over my beginning with SEVENTY TWO HOURS. That first sentence. UGH! So many rewritten first sentences, first paragraphs, and first pages. 

I finally got mine. Or did I ? ^_^ See? That's my struggle. As soon as I would rework the sentences/paragraphs/pages, I would question what I wrote, send said junk to Beth, where she would tell me what the problem might be. Then, I would start anew. 
 

Of course, you know my personal favorite:

"The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it." Oh man! That is sooooooooo good!

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Or:

"Marley was dead: to begin with."

"I am Sam. Sam I am.

"TRUE! - nervous - very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?"

"Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin."


"He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish."


Did I mention I finally got mine? Maybe... ^_^

 

First Draft-itis

 Don't forget to enter the title contest to win a Barnes & Noble gift card + a goodie basket from my local coffee shop, Village Coffee. http://robyn-campbell.blogspot.com/2010/06/questions-or-comments-about-title-post.html#comments


First draft-itis. I have it. Can't shake it. 

 This is ONLY known to writers. It starts when you KNOW that you KNOW the next book you will  be working on. In other words, you have your idea, you've mapped out the way you THINK the story should go, you may have done a character chart, (I didn't have to on this one) and you are ready to type those AWESOME first words, CHAPTER 1. Well, some writers don't put their book into actual chapters until it's finished, but you know what I mean. ^_^

This is MY moment! I get to have that time in my writing life when I try to ruin the lives of my main characters in every way possible, only to play hero to my wonderful characters at the RIGHT moment and pull them to safety. I am their hero, yanno. They end of lovin' me. Uhhuh.

So...as I type those awesome, tremendous first words, I leave you with this: GET MESSY WITH YOUR FIRST DRAFT! HAVE FUN! I know I will! =)

"You can't wait for inspiration.  You have to go after it with a club."  Jack London

Questions or comments about the title post?

What's a girl to do??

I decided to announce the title contest next Monday. I am waiting on test results today and can't seem to think of much beside that.


I did want to give a SHOUT OUT to my sweet friend Rachna Chhabria. Please visit her blog over at Rachna's Scriptorium. She has a lot to say about writing. Her posts are always spot on and she is a lovely person. Rachna hails from India. So (as Rachna puts it) head over, grab a virtual chair, a cup of coffee and say hello. She's a great person to know and she's always ready to discuss anything writerly. ;)  http://rachnachhabria.blogspot.com/2010/05/our-internal-conflict-versus-character.html

I love you all!

Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated! ^_^ Could be titled, I'M BACK...

It is so great to be back blogging again. I don't know how all of this will go, because there is something wrong with me. They (the powers that think they know what they're doing) are giving me tests. I might hear something this week. And so it goes. As if I don't see enough hospitals and doctors, huh??

For my first post back, I had to tell y'all about my super-duper writing pardner, Beth Revis's new blog venture. She has come together with a group of other like-minded, YA authors who are debuting next year and started a new website blogging about the genre, their books, and other dystopian works. Right now they have four members and have the fifth lined up.

As you know, Beth's debut sci fi is coming out in Spring 2011 from Razorbill; there is also Julia Karr--her title is XVI, about a society that forces couple to get together on their "sex"-teenth birthday (Hmmm, verry interesting); Angie Smibert--who wrote Momento Nora, about a world where people elect to erase bad memories; and Jeff Hirsch, whose debut is The Long Walk Home and is set after the apocalypse. All great books coming from wonderful writerly minds!

The new blog is called, The League of Extraordinary Writers. I have been over there this past weekend and it is going to be of the lovely, fun-to-read variety. Launches today. Go check it out. Here's the link: http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/

And may I say how much I missed all of my most wonderful blogging pals. I can't wait to get back into the saddle. For right now, I will be blogging on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedule. On Wednesday, I will announce the title contest.

Now to blog hop. Until I have to hit the bed. I can't stay up too long these days. Good thing school is almost over. *GIANT HUGS* to all my sweet writerly friends. I loves you all!

Super cool, awesome, super awesome contest.

I had to take a break from my break to tell all MG YA writers about this contest going on over at Dear Editor. YIKES, it is just so wonderful. Edit of your MS. Is that too cool or what? SWEET!!!!!!!!! Here's the link. http://dear-editor.com/news/

'Jesus on the Cross' by Rembrandt