Writing Tip Wednesday--Writing Advice from Mellanie Szereto

Welcome to Writing Tip Wednesday! I'm hijacking this week's post to share some very important writing advice for all writers. As I push through judging IGO Contest entries, I've noticed a few things. They remind me of staring at the ever-changing patterns of a kaleidoscope--different yet the same--for each entry.

The Craft of Writing

Like any craft, writing takes practice and requires a set of specific skills. Those skills must be learned and developed in order to complete a project of good quality. Some writers have a natural aptitude for some of the basics. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling fall into this category. Many (far more than half) of the contest entries I've judged over the past several years are weak in those areas. Even some published authors have a difficult time deciding where to put commas and how to punctuate dialogue. There, their, and they're cause lots of headaches, not to mention how to avoid misplaced modifiers and comma splices. What if grammar, punctuation, and spelling are weaknesses?

Invest in a resource library. It doesn't have to be extensive, but it should contain a Merriam-Webster or Oxford dictionary and at least one widely used style guide like Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). While these three areas are some of my greatest strengths, CMOS is my go-to guide for all grammar and punctuation questions. I refer to it on a regular basis. High school level handbooks, such as Writers Inc. and Plain English Handbook, are also very helpful.

Besides basic knowledge of grammar and punctuation, writers need to learn writing craft rules that apply to fiction. Point of view (POV), showing vs. telling, backstory vs. exposition, and goals, motivation, and conflict (GMC) are among the most important. These areas are linked to almost all other aspects of writing craft and, done correctly, provide a strong foundation for any story. How can writers learn and improve those skills?

Again, books on writing craft are a worthwhile investment. My Writing Tip Wednesday: The Writing Craft Handbook covers a lot of writing craft topics, while Debra Dixon's book on GMC focuses on a narrower one. Attend conferences, workshops, and online classes. Many RWA chapters offer monthly programs on a variety of writing topics. Kristen Lamb's Warrior Writer blog is an excellent free resource, as are other writing blogs.

Take time to expand your writing skills. Learn them. Practice them. Get feedback and improve.

Writing is a journey, not a destination.

Bio:

When her fingers aren't attached to her keyboard, Mellanie Szereto enjoys hiking, Pilates, cooking, gardening, and researching for her stories. Many times, the research partners with her other hobbies, taking her from the Hocking Hills region in Ohio to the Colorado Rockies and the Adirondacks of New York. Sometimes, the trip is no farther than her garden for ingredients and her kitchen to test recipes for her latest steamy tale. Mellanie makes her home in rural Indiana with her husband of twenty-eight years and their son. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Indiana Romance Writers of America, Contemporary Romance Writers, and FF&P Romance Writers.

Check out Mellanie's books and appearances on her website at href="http://www.mellanieszereto.com">www.mellanieszereto.com.
She loves to hear from her readers! Contact Mellanie at mellanieszereto@hotmail.com.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authormellanieszereto
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/mellanie_szereto
Google+: http://www.plus.google.com/mellanieszereto
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mellanieszereto

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!

Author Spotlight + Cover Reveal--Me!!!

Welcome to Author Spotlights on Mondays! I'm running a little behind already this week because of other obligations, but give a warm welcome to ME! Life's been hectic with my son's tutoring schedule, trying to keep up with laundry and meals, writing, blogging, helping plan and pull off a couple awesome IRWA events (Making Magic Conference with Lani Diane Rich and Alastair Stephens/The Future of Self-Publishing with Liliana Hart), and squeezing in my IRWA board and website duties.

March isn't going to give me a break, either. Besides the usual, I'm a facilitator on the Chapter Leadership forum all month since I'm evidently well-versed in myRWA website creation and maintenance. Me, a techie??? LOL I never thought I'd see my name in the same context as knowing my way around anything involving technology. A monthly IRWA meeting, an out-of-state wedding, and several days of playing nursemaid to my daughter after minor surgery are also on the schedule.

I do have good news, though. The first three Writing Tip Wednesday handbooks will be available in a boxed set by the end of the month! My fabulous cover artist sent me this last night--

Book 1: Strong writing craft is the foundation of a good book. Punctuation, grammar, writing technique, and preparing for publication are all part of writing craft. This compilation of Mellanie Szereto’s Writing Tip Wednesday blog posts addresses these topics and encourages writers to learn and improve their craft along the road to publication.
From commas to hyphens and active vs. passive sentence structure to misplaced modifiers, review proper punctuation and grammar for clean narrative and dialogue. From character arc to POV and self-editing to identifying genre, learn writing technique and how to prepare a solid manuscript for any publishing path.

Book 2: A writing career consists of much more than the simple sit-in-the-chair-and-write approach. Knowing the ins and outs of contracts, social media, and author branding is vital to getting, being, and staying published, no matter the chosen path to publication. Education, writers’ block, and fear of failure—and success—all contribute to the delicate balance, along with the business aspects of writing and dealing with reviews and piracy.
This compilation of Mellanie Szereto’s Writing Tip Wednesday blog posts addresses these and many other topics related to creating, growing, and maintaining a healthy writing career.

Book 3: With all the choices in the publishing world today, many authors are self-publishing, either as the sole means of getting their work to readers or as hybrid authors with more than one publishing avenue. Writing books comes first and last, making it an ongoing and vital part of a successful career path.
While self-publishing offers writers another choice on the road to publication, it requires hard work and knowledge about topics like covers, ISBNs, and metadata. Education is essential for a creating a professional product. This compilation of Mellanie Szereto’s Writing Tip Wednesday blog posts on self-publishing guides authors through a comprehensive to-do list, including step-by-step instructions and images for formatting and conversion software.

Get all three e-books for $4.99! I'll post as soon as the set is available for purchase on my Facebook page and website, so like my page and check my website.

Bio:

When her fingers aren't attached to her keyboard, she enjoys hiking, Pilates, cooking, gardening, and researching for her stories. Many times, the research partners with her other hobbies, taking her from the Hocking Hills region in Ohio to the Colorado Rockies or the Adirondacks of New York. Sometimes, the trip is no farther than her garden for ingredients and her kitchen to test recipes for her latest steamy tale. She is multi-published with Siren-Bookstrand and is self-publishing her foodie contemporary series, Love on the Menu, in addition to her nonfiction handbooks, Writing Tip Wednesday: The Writing Craft Handbook, Writing Tip Wednesday: The Writing Career Handbook, and Writing Tip Wednesday: The Self-Publishing Handbook, based on her informational blog series. Mellanie makes her home in rural Indiana with her husband of twenty-eight years and their son. She is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America, Indiana Romance Writers of America, and PASIC. Visit her website at http://www.mellanieszereto.com.

Links:
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Mellanie-Szereto/e/B005FAKVWC/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1425306654&sr=1-2-ent
Facebook: www.facebook.com/authormellanieszereto
Twitter: www.twitter.com/mellanieszereto
Google+: www.plus.google.com/mellanieszereto
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/mellanie_szereto
E-mail: mellanieszereto@hotmail.com

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!