May News and Announcements
It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to April and National Poetry Month. Remember though, that poems should be celebrated all year long, so please keep reading and writing poetry.
May is a month in which we have much to celebrate – summer is just around the corner. Here in the U.S., we honor Mother’s Day and Cinco de Mayo, and for those who adhere to the old ways (or who simply appreciate a little pole dancing), May Day (or Midsummer) is a good reason to throw a soirée.
This Month at Writing Forward
This month, things are going to slow down a little at Writing Forward. I’m going to take some time from now through summer to focus on my own writing and business projects. You can expect about one post each week rather than the usual two posts per week, and the posts will be a little more comprehensive. There will also be bonus posts from time to time. In the fall, twice-weekly posting will resume.
Book Bloggers Contest Announcement
Last year, Jennie Nash stopped by to provide insight on “Creative Cross-Pollination” while she was promoting her novel, The Only True Genius in the Family
The Threadbare Heart is a love story inspired by my mother’s recent marriage to a man she met on the same blind date where she met my father, 54 years ago. It’s a mother-daughter story, as well. Readers of my last novel, The Only True Genius in the Family, won’t be surprised to hear that the mother-daughter relationship is fraught with jealousy and tension. This time, however, I really amped it up. (And I wrote in third person for the first time in six books. I’m very proud of myself!) At the same time that a daughter loses the great love of her life, her mother — a woman in her mid-70s — gains the great love of her own. In the middle of the story, a prized piece of fabric, which the daughter has been saving for more than 40 years, is the last thing saved from a house destroyed by wildfire. It’s that piece of fabric that becomes the bridge between a mother and a daughter torn apart by grief, jealousy and misunderstanding. Click here to read the first chapter or visit jennie.nash.com.
About the Contest
- ON MAY 2ND or 3RD: Book bloggers invite their readers to send in 250-word entries about their favorite mother-daughter relationship in literature. Which pair made you laugh? Made you cry? Made you cringe? Which pair revealed something true about your own mother-daughter relationships? All participating blogs (no more than 30) will be listed on Jennie Nash’s website.
- ON MOTHER’S DAY: Book bloggers post the entry they like the best (and email them + winner addresses to Jennie at jennie.nash@verizon.net on Monday.) Winners** at each blog will receive a signed copy of The Threadbare Heart from Jennie Nash and will be entered in the Grand Prize Giveaway. (Note: bloggers are welcome to enter on other blogger’s blogs.)
- ON MAY 16: Jennie Nash will choose a Grand Prize winner** from all the blogger entries. (How will I pick? Whichever entry just hits me as being heartfelt and true.) The Grand Prize winner will receive a “Book Club in a Box” — ten signed copies of The Threadbare Heart, a call-in from the author, and a delicious rum cake. (Why rum cake? You’ll have to read The Threadbare Heart to understand! I’ve picked out a cake by a baker named Kelli because she started selling rum cakes when she lost her baking buddy to cancer and I loved her story — and I happen to think that good stories are a big part of a good life.) The blogger who submits the winning entry winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to Powells.com.
- THROUGHOUT MAY: Book bloggers may post reviews of The Threadbare Heart., or have Jennie guest blog, give an author interview or do a live chat. Reviews (good or bad) or appearances are NOT a requirement for participating in the contest.
** Prizes shipped to U.S. addresses only.
***This is a contest run by Jennie Nash, not her publisher.
AravisGirls last blog post..Story Artwork
I love the music and food of Cinco De Mayo
Veggie burritos, nachos, and a cold Corona with lime. That’s what I should have had this weekend!
I would say my narrative style is more about my word choice than storytelling. This isn’t always best. Sometimes I need to just GET TO THE POINT. I’m working on it though.
Writer Dads last blog post..7 Steps to Squeaky Clean Copy
You should read Elements of Style – it talks extensively about getting to the point and using concise language. It’s less than 100 pages, a quick read, and it has tons of useful grammar and style tips too. Amazing how they packed so much into that little book.
Style? I guess it would be brute force. sometimes I just have to knock it out and hope it sorts itself out later.
I miss hanging out here. Hopefully I will find some kind of new normal life eventually.
I do that a lot – just knock it out and sort of hope that my voice comes through. I miss you hanging out here too!
It’s such a reminder that it’s what we say and how we say it.
The people with sticky messages always have a way with words. Some are punchy and precise. Others fake left, then go right and then land an “ah-ha” when you least expect it. Yet others do the tango along the way, tickling and teasing your senses into another way to see the world.
J.D. Meiers last blog post..Outsource Your 80 Percent
The other day I took a literary quiz and one of the questions presented a couple of lines of poetry, and I had to guess who the poet was. Now, I haven’t read much Robert Frost, but I knew it was him immediately. That’s voice. Imagine writing in a way that recognizable. Wow.
Thank you for mentioning the Read with Kids Challenge!
My pleasure!
I haven’t written any fictional pieces in a while, at least not that I can remember, but I generally like to have the narrator speak as casual as possible with asides and tangents that may or may not be relevant to what’s really going on in the story. This is how I tell stories to my friends, unless they tell me they don’t really have time for my “usual” storytelling. I’ve only read “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams and I loved his style. Judy Blume is still an early influence and always had been. But I usually enjoy writing as the main character.
And shame on me, I didn’t write a single lick of poetry all throughout April. I know I’ve gone through enough events and emotions that I could’ve had a poem for each day of the month… something I still want to challenge myself to do at some point.
t.sterlings last blog post..“x-men origins: wolverine” review
If you liked Hitchhiker’s, then you’d probably like Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. I read all the Judy Blume books when I was a kid. They were so racy!
I took a look on Amazon, reading the description… looks awesome. And the main character’s name is Hiro? Oh yeah, I’ll definitely check it out soon. Thanks for the recommendation. There are few people I will just buy a book from because they say so.
Oh yes, the main character is Hiro. It’s an excellent book and an easy read with plenty of humor. Definitely something you’ll enjoy if you liked Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Enjoy!
Hi Melissa: I stopped reading fiction for a long time because I was so busy reading nonfiction books. I just started reading novels again and now I can’t stop. I read “The Other Boleyn Girl” over the weekend and it was fantastic! I can’t believe I had forgotten how much I love reading fiction
Hi Marelisa, I actually stopped reading fiction for several months myself. It sure felt good to come back to it! I have to say, fiction is my favorite for reading
It’s Cindo de Mayo. Shouldn’t we be celebrating writing in Spanish? I did have Mexican food for lunch. On another thought, maybe we should celebrate this month by eating food with mayo in it.
As demonstrated above, I believe my style is that in the middle of a paragraph I would find myself suddenly distracted by a stupid pun and go on to talk about that instead… if that counts. =D
Kelvin Kaos last blog post..Voiceover Gig
I wish I could write in Spanish, but I’m afraid it would come out as a twisted version of Spanglish. I love puns, and your mayo pun is clever
Hey Melissa,
Though John Grisham and James Patterson have simplistic easy to read styles, I have enjoyed several novels from both of them. I suppose that’s their appeal: nothing too complicated and an easy to follow plot. Mysteries are notorious for being too complicated, so I prefer it and similar genres to be simple like those guys. I like the idea of having multiple styles and mix them up. I may write 40 pages in flat prose then erupt like a bizarre flower to give certain scenes more power and make my really sick or weird stuff pop without stepping on the story. I say be yourself, but have dozens of split writing personalities:)
Bobby Revells last blog post..Writing Fiction: Using Literary Theory
I have read exactly one James Patterson novel. As for John Grisham, I’ve seen the movies and once I know the story and the outcome, I lose the desire to read the book, at least with those types of (suspense) stories. They both have mass appeal. However, if you want a really gripping thriller, check out novels by Thomas Harris (author of Silence of the Lambs). He’s an absolute master at every aspect of fiction.
I’ve always loved the way Joan Didion puts words together (though I mostly read her nonfiction) and Edith Wharton to a certain extent too, but it’s hard to put into words exactly why or what it is precisely. And this is something I have only recently started seriously thinking about in terms of my own writing… a very timely post for me
.
Thank you, as always!
Greers last blog post..The Contrast Podcast – Sirens
I believe that once a writer has discovered authors whose voices resonate, that writer has found her mentors. That is not to say we should mimic the voices of the authors we admire, but study them to better understand how they present a distinct voice. I do think that developing a voice comes later in the process of one’s development as a writer, but it’s something worth thinking about at any point.
Hi Melissa! I am really looking forward to this month’s theme. I need a fiction fire! My manuscript is screaming for my attention and May feels like a good month for fiction. Style? Not sure, still trying to figure it out!
Karen Swims last blog post..Life, Death and Dreams
I think that voice is the single biggest challenge for most writers. Many successful writers don’t even have a distinct voice. In fact, I associate a strong writing voice with literary fiction. In any case, let’s all get our manuscripts out and tighten them up! I’m so ready.
True talk, Melissa
.-= Short Poems´s last blog ..Human Hearts (Alliteration Poem) =-.
Good luck with your new ventures!
Thanks! I’ll need it.