The Do's and Don'ts of a Literary Journey by Vickie Hall |Lena Sledge's Blog

Thursday, November 8, 2012

The Do's and Don'ts of a Literary Journey by Vickie Hall

Vickie is the author of Secrets of the Red Box. She is a native of Utah, but growing up, lived in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Nebraska. When she is not writing, she's composing music, or shopping with her sister. She loves animals of all kinds and camping with her family. Her favorite pastime is watching old movies on TCM, and unashamedly has a crush on Cary Grant. She is also the author of the book, All That Was Promised.

Secrets of the Red Box
Bonnie has secrets to keep- secrets with the potential to destroy lives, including her own. Running from her destructive and pain filled past, she recreates herself, believing sh has escaped the damning evidence hidden in the red box. When her former life is revealed by a cruel twist of fate, Bonnie faces losing everything, including Glen, the only man she's ever loved. But is Bonnie the woman he thinks she is? Set against the backdrop of the 1940's, Secrets of the Red Box is filled with intrigue and suspense- sure to keep you guessing to the very end!

5 Do's

1. Keep writing, no matter what.

2. Marketing is essential to your success, but find what works for you.

3. Continue to hone your craft - you can always learn something new that will make you a better writer.

4. Seek honest critiques of your work - family and friends are too nice.

5. Always keep a supply of your favorite snacks handy when writing.

5 Don'ts

1. Don't go to a book signing and just sit - you have to engage your potential readers with conversation and interaction.

2. You don't need an agent or a publisher to be a successful writer in today's world.

3. Don't be shy about your writing - tell everyone you meet to check out your work.

4. Don't let a publisher take advantage of you - read a contract very carefully and seek legal advise if necessary to fully understand what you're signing.

5. Don't self-edit your writing - by that I mean, write as freely as you can, without too much interjection of your; inner critic. You can always go back and revise, edit, and change, but doing so while you're writing can sometimes diminish the impact.

5 Books every aspiring author should have on their bookshelf and why?

1. The Power of Point of View by Alicia Rasley

This is a great resource for discovering what perspective works best for you, or for the genre you write.

2. Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
This book really helps define what makes a great character, how to raise the emotional stakes, transformations and why your characters need to change.

3. A copy of the book that made you want to be a writer

4. The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
Still a useful resource, with usage and composition rules, commonly misused words and expressions, and the Approach to Style section is great.

5. Writing on Both Sides of the Brain: Breakthrough Techniques for People Who Write by Henriette Anne Klauser PhD
Left brain is analytical, mathematical, straight line thinking. Right brain is creative, uncensored and free.Tapping into the right brain can open avenues of writing you might never have considered.