by Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73
So, I dared to suck. I sent the story out. Yesterday, the comments from the editor came back. Guess what?
I don’t suck. Continue reading “Dare to Suck: Part 2”
Lessons from “The Avengers”
by Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73
Okay, so I saw “The Avengers” yesterday (me and millions of other folks, judging by the box office receipts). First, if you haven’t seen the movie, go see it. As soon as possible. Even if you don’t like superhero movies. Why? I’ll tell you why. Continue reading “Lessons from “The Avengers””
Taking the Plunge
by Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73
I know yesterday I said, “Don’t be afraid to suck.” But today, I feel a little like this:
See, I sent my first story out to an editor. A real editor. Not a friend, not a friend of a friend. I’m going to pay this woman to rip m baby to shreds and tell me how to make it better. Continue reading “Taking the Plunge”Don’t Be Afraid to Suck
by Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73
Confession time: Sometimes, I’m stupid. See, I don’t always learn the lesson the first time. The universe has to tell me again, and again, and again, and…
You get the point. Continue reading “Don’t Be Afraid to Suck”
Playing the Revision Game
by Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73
At one point this morning, I had three Chapter 21s. No, I am not joking.
I was frustrated. I kept trying to make new things happen, and the story traveled down the same well-worn path. The wrong path. I wanted to drag the entire manuscript to the trash. Continue reading “Playing the Revision Game”
Making Bread – and Stories
by Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73
We borrowed a bread machine last week from one of the husband’s co-workers. See, we’ve been thinking of buying one, but wanted to make sure we didn’t just love the idea before plunking down the cash. Continue reading “Making Bread – and Stories”
Slow and Steady
by Mary Sutton / @mary_sutton73
So, here I am. Been a week of unemployment and a week into Rewrite #2 of the novel. I think I came up with a title I don’t completely hate – Out of the Blue. See, without giving too much away it speaks not only to one of the details in the story, but the idea of this woman breaking out into her own as an investigator. Continue reading “Slow and Steady”
Baby Steps
So, the big news of today, I’m guest blogging for Writer Wednesday over at “The Blotter,” a blog from my friend and Sisters in Crime sib Joyce Tremel. Check it out if you are so inclined, and read an excerpt from my first Jim Duncan short story. Continue reading “Baby Steps”
Title First – or Story?
A few weeks ago, I cam up with a great title for a mystery: Every Other Wednesday is Murder.
Here’s the problem. I don’t have a story to go with it. Continue reading “Title First – or Story?”
Life is Fiction
So, a lot of authors these days are encouraged to set up “author blogs.” This is my attempt at it.
I recently saw a link to an article, via Twitter, that said blog writing is hard for fiction authors. Well, maybe. One of the things the article mentioned to help was to identify your reader, just like you identify a reader for a story. Well, for the purposes of this blog, I hope my readers are like me.They like a good story. Yeah, I write mystery, but I don’t just read mystery. Wasn’t it Faulkner who said that to be a good writer you must read, read, and then read some more? Or something like that. Continue reading “Life is Fiction”