May you be surrounded by those who love you and both give and receive the gifts that truly matter this year. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, no matter how it is you celebrate. Each of you are like a gift to me!
For those who don't know, I love martial arts. It has been an integral part of my life since I was fifteen. I absolutely love a well choreographed fight scene. While I'm not big on the traditional old foreign martial arts film style of using wires to an extreme, I do love an excellent martial arts movie. 47 Ronin surprised me in a very big, and wonderful, way. I'm not sure why, but I didn't expect much out of it. Unfortunately that means I didn't go see it in the theater and I regret that deeply. This would have been phenomenal on the big screen. The story was excellent, a good, Americanized retelling of the tale of the 47 Ronin. The acting was compelling and I loved Keannu in this role. His fight scenes in particular were quite spectacular. I was reminded of Brad Pitt's scenes in Troy, only better. Yes, you read that right. Keannu's fight scenes were even better. I can hardly believe I wrote that, being such a big fan of Brad in Troy. But there you have
A new novel is beginning to demand my attention which means I have to do something I dread almost as much as writing a synopsis. What could be that bad you wonder? Outlining. To say I'm not a fan of it would be a gross exaggeration. I hate outlining, it sucks. Why do it then? Why not just let my muse guide me and write? Because my instructor at a writer's retreat I attended forced me to write an outline for a book I'd already finished and it made me see the error of my ways. An outline will point out all inconsistencies, plot holes, and blatant mistakes. I realized that if I write one before I write my novel, it reduces my revision process dramatically. So, though I hate it, I write the outline and my novel is far better for it. A blogging writer friend of mine, Jamie Harrington wrote an adorable post on outlines that changed the way I feel about them. She made outlining fun and~dare I say~easy. Her agent asked her if she outlines her novels. Check out her entertaining a
Though Halloween is over I have a bag of treats for you! Last week was an excellent week for writers on Twitter. Registration for the Writer's Digest conference has opened! You can check it out here: @WritersDigest Registration is open for the WD Writer's Conference: http://ow.ly/2YPmX Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest introduces us to another new agent. Like he says, new agents are a golden opportunity for writers seeking representation. @ChuckSambuchino New agent seeking writers! Denise Little of The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency http://tinyurl.com/2cdqcqu If you live in the New York area and are seeking a job in publishing be sure to check out this excellent link from ex-agent turned editor Colleen Lindsay: @ColleenLindsay taking resumes for awesome entry-level pub job. Love romance? Good writer? Online savvy? Read on: http://bit.ly/bAmYGD I always thought I was kind of strange because my characters talk to me. Now, agent Weronika Janczuk tells me I
Merry Christmas, Heather, and a wishing you a very happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThe happiest of Christmases and may your New Year bring you only joy!
ReplyDeleteHeather, I hope you have a wonderful holiday too! And a great New Year!
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