Writing Tip Wednesday--Writing Advice from Michelle Graham

Welcome to Writing Tip Wednesday! Iced Latté is now live at most online retail outlets and I'm in the process of adding links to the blog and my website!

This week my guest is Michelle Graham! She has some great advice, so read on. Welcome, Michelle!

Things That Drive Me Nuts As A Reader

I’m a voracious reader. I also judge my RWA chapter’s contest, and I have critiqued many manuscripts in a variety of capacities, from personal to professional. There are some things in books that will make me want to toss my Kindle at the wall or have me screaming in frustration at my computer. Following is a list of things that drives me absolutely nuts and that I wish all aspiring authors could eliminate from their writing. I’ve even seen professional writers do some of these things. No one is perfect.

I’ll admit that I have been guilty of making some of these mistakes myself, but if I had had this list when I started my writing career, I could have avoided a lot of rejection. I hope you find it helpful!

1. Characters who are TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) – “You’ve had 10 beers? Why yes, I think I’d love to let you drive me home.”

2. Damsels in Distress – “Oh, how tragic that I’ve been kidnapped and tied up! If only a big, strong man would come and save me!” (see #1)

3. Misunderstandings – So you saw him having lunch with another woman and instead of asking him, you just assume he’s having an affair and go off and have a snit fit?

4. Ridiculously descriptive language – She plucked the blood-red cherry from the heavily laden tree, which drooped from the weight of its abundantly flavourful load, and savoured the sweet explosion of sticky juice between the impeccably flossed enamel of her teeth.

5. Huge passages of backstory; especially at the beginning – She hung up the phone and remembered every single event from her birth to the phone call in question.

6. Characters who have long internal monologues, especially which feature arguing with themselves – “I’ve always been afraid of commitment. Maybe if I hide and don’t answer the phone, I won’t have to deal with her. But if I don’t deal with her now she’ll just keep calling. How I hate the sound of the phone ringing or her annoying nasal voice. I just won’t answer the phone. But what if she tried to call from a different number and I talked to her by accident? Maybe I should just answer it. I remember a time when I didn’t hate answering the phone…”

7. Typos or incorrect usage – Eye sea your knot a grammer nerd.

8. Trick endings – It was all a dream!

9. A huge cast introduced in the first 2 pages of the book - also a huge cast with similar names (I’m Terry and this is Jerry, Carrie, Larry, Tammy, and Pammy).

10. Endings that drag on – So we lived happily ever after. We had a beautiful wedding with 3 kinds of cake and bridesmaids dresses that had a sweetheart neckline, which matched the bow ties of the groomsmen. Then we went on a beautiful honeymoon and had lots of beautiful sex. Once we got back we bought a beautiful house and made beautiful babies and lived into our eighties and had a slew of great-grandchildren…

Thanks this awesome list, Michelle! My head almost exploded when I read #7. :D Writers, are you guilty of any of these mistakes???
 
Bio:

Michelle is a multi-published author with books available from Siren Publishing and Evernight Publishing. She lives in southern Ontario with her husband, son, daughter, and two fur babies.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.graham.562114
Twitter: @MichelleGAuthor
Website: www.MichelleGrahamBooks.com
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/michelle-graham
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Graham/e/B00BCO7B7S/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_7?qid=1437961977&sr=8-7

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!

Author Spotlight + Giveaway--Michelle Graham

Welcome to Author Spotlights on Mondays! This week my guest is Michelle Graham and she's giving away $10 in Strandbucks (for use on the Siren-Bookstrand Publishing website) to one lucky commenter!!! How about chasing away this endless cold winter with a hot book and a fun interview, Michelle? :)

Me: Do you prefer writing single title or series?
Michelle: I like stories that stand alone, but I like having more than one set in the same world. As a reader, I like to get glimpses into what’s going on with other characters as a series progresses and so I write that way, too.

Me: I love a good conflict. What draws your main characters to each other and keeps them apart?
Michelle: Usually the first thing bringing my characters together is sexual attraction and intense chemistry. They quickly discover that a relationship has to be built on more than great sex and that’s where the conflict comes in. At least one of them has something they’re keeping from the other person, or else they have different expectations for the relationships. Sometimes there’s also external conflict in the form of a psycho ex, or an angry parent.

Me: What’s your favorite sub-genre to write? To read?
Michelle: I find it easiest to write contemporary. I’ve started to dabble in sci-fi and paranormal, but I’m still uneasy about world building, because I love to read paranormal especially, and I know how picky readers can be when there are inconsistencies in the world the author has created.

Me: I usually get plot ideas in the shower and while driving. When/where does inspiration strike you?
Michelle: I often get ideas while showering or driving, too. I think it’s because those are the rare moments in the day when I don’t have other people competing for attention. Although occasionally I’ll get an idea in a strange place, like the grocery store, or the library.

Me: What new stories are you working on?
Michelle: I’m waiting on edits for the next book in my Losing It series and getting the third book ready to submit. I’ve also started a sci-fi story for a new series being developed by Evernight and it’s been a lot of fun to imagine sexy aliens and the out-of-this-world stuff they can do! Plus I’ve got tons of ideas swimming around in my head begging to be written.

Author Bio:
From her first Disney movie, Michelle Graham has adored love stories. After falling in love with her husband over a Slurpee, she’s a firm believer that love can happen anywhere. Michelle and her hubby are raising their two children and a cat in southern Ontario, where she writes sizzling, sexy love stories for the modern reader.

Website: www.michellegrahambooks.com

Blurb:
Many people remember losing their virginity as an awkward experience filled with pain and followed quickly by regret. Online hook-up site Losing It, hopes to change that. For those who’ve made it to adulthood with their virtue intact, Losing It matches virgins with experienced lovers who will make their first time unforgettable, with no embarrassing emotional entanglements.
Losing It in Vegas is the story of twenty-one year old Rowan Cassidy who is sick of being a virgin. With no romantic prospects in sight, she turns to Losing It to find her a man willing to do the deed and leave it at that. Bruce McGovern is between lovers and stuck in a dry spell so he takes a chance with Losing It. He and Rowan meet up in Las Vegas and somewhere in the midst of all the hot sex, feelings emerge that neither of them expected.

Links:
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/losing-it-in-vegas-mf
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Losing-It-Vegas-Michelle-Graham-ebook/dp/B00J0CUFG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395877308&sr=8-1&keywords=losing+it+in+vegas
All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-losingitinvegas-1450355-340.html
Evernight: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/losing-it-in-vegas-by-michelle-graham/
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/losing-it-in-vegas-michelle-graham/1118943949?ean=2940045777117

I'm getting warmer already! Remember to leave a comment by midnight on Wednesday, April 2, for a chance to win $10 in Strandbucks!

Romance...With A Kick!