Author Heather McCorkle

Here is an abbreviated recap of last Monday's chat on finding the right beta readers or critique group: Heather McCorkle   Finding beta readers or critique groups can be the easy part. Finding GOOD ones, and keeping them, is much harder. #WritersRoad Yelena Casale   to  @HeatherMcCorkle There has to be a good balance betw a constructive critique and encouragement #writersroad Heather McCorkle   The key is to know what you're looking for in betas or crit partners, and be ready to reciprocate. #WritersRoad Karen Strong   It's important to know what you're looking for: Do you want structure, grammar, character development? Helps to know first. #WritersRoad Karen Strong   For instance, I'm not much into grammar and misspellings. I like having CPs who can do structure/plot/character stuff. #WritersRoad Melinda Primrose   to  @Yelena_Casale and you have to be willing to take the constructive criticism #write...

My Seattle trip to visit my Critique Sisters and meet new friends was fantastic! Though the weather was wet it wasn't nearly as wet as I expected, and I had a wonderful time. Celebrating the holidays with friends makes all the craziness worth it and all the hardships of the year melt away. I wish I could celebrate with each and every one of you in person, but for most of us, we'll have to settle for social networking celebrations! I'm so thankful for all of you though, I hope you know that. As for what's feeding my muse on the literary front, I'm reading a signed copy of Between by Cyndi Tefft. Today on the Spruce Knoll for Endangered Species tour you can find me over at The Fiction Enthusiast with my friend Christie chatting about cougars. You know you can't resist that!

With all the conflicting advice in the industry it can be hard to figure out which advice to take and which to leave. If that advice comes from professionals that you respect then it becomes even harder. I've been to a lot of conferences, workshops, and retreats and  often the information that comes out of it can be overwhelming. Agents and editors are often looking for different things and they all like slightly different styles. Like you and I, they are individuals. "Hold the presses Heather! You mean to say the Gatekeepers are human?!" "Yep, that is precisely what I mean." I've had agents tell me they didn't like my beginning because it was a prologue. Several have told me don't use prologues, they are awful, no one likes them, people skip them...and all manner of negative feedback on the subject. On the other hand, I've had agents who loved the prologue beginning of my novel and felt it set exactly the right tone. When something like tha...

Last weekend I not only attended the Western Washington SCBWI regional conference, I also spent any and all free time in between with my Critique Sisters . In workshopping our novels I realized just how important they are to me and what being part of a critique group is all about. There is much more to it than just critiquing one another's work. A good critique group acts as support when you need, helping to hold up the crushing weight of rejection by reminding you why you write and why you love it. They inspire you and push you to be better, guiding you on the path to accomplishment. On the other end of that spectrum they know when you need a kick in the rear to get you moving along or pull you out of a rut. When your work is not up to your capabilities they aren't afraid to tell you where you can improve it and help you achieve it. Not every critique group works this way but I'm honored and thankful to say that mine does. These ladies aren't just my critique partne...

As you know I don't normally participate in blogfests. Though I love reading them I don't usually have the time to write them. But this one hosted by one of my favorite set of bloggers, Erica & Christy , I couldn't pass up. This is the Hot Mug Blogfest in which we're supposed to show our favorite mug and give a little story behind why it's our favorite. This mug was a special gift from a dear friend who went above and beyond to support me. Anytime I'm feeling down or like I need a little extra encouragement this is the mug I reach for. Last year I attended a writer's conference in New York. It was my first time going to the Big Apple and I was going alone. Though she couldn't attend the conference with me, my critique sister Karlene Petitt hitchhiked on a flight (she's a pilot) and met me in New York for dinner. She brought me chocolates from Belgium and this beautiful mug as a memento of my trip. This mug will always be special to me, not ...

A little while ago I got to spend a few days with my critique partners the Scribe Sisters while they attended the  PNWA conference. We had a great time catching up and I got to see a bit of Seattle Washington. That's me on the right with Karlene Petitt in the middle and Linda Gray on the left. The fourth Scribe Sister, Jule Rowland, hadn't arrived yet when we took this picture. I didn't attend the conference because I didn't have time to stay for most of it but they did take me as a guest to the opening note dessert where I got to hear bestselling author Andre Dubus. Though I didn't agree with everything he said about writing he was a very dynamic speaker and I liked him so much I bought his book The House of Sand and Fog and got it signed by him. You can read my take on his opening note here . My friends each did fantastic at the conference pitch sessions. They were all asked for their novels by both agents and editors! A huge congratulations to the Scribe...

                                 www.clash-of-the-titans.warnerbros.com/ Fear is the titan we all must slay to be able to take the steps down the road to publication. It's around every corner and bend from critique partners to querying. Putting ourselves out there isn't easy. Our writing digs deep into most of us and exposes things nothing else can. Allowing others to read that can be hard. Some people write a book but can never bring themselves to allow a critique group to read it, let alone send it out to agents. How do you slay the titan? There are two vital elements you must have. 1) Strap that armor on and arm yourself my friend. Your armor is those supportive people you choose to surround yourself with. My support comes from family but also from friends I've met at conferences, on Twitter, Facebook, and writer n...

 Knowing when to stop editing and start sending their work out isn't easy for a lot of writers. It wasn't always easy for me. Many writers second guess themselves at every bend in the road to publication and because of it they may linger at the crossroads. Not only have I seen friends of mine caught at this crossroads, I've been caught there myself before. The question is, how do you break the cycle and go down the right road? Or more importantly, how do you know when it's time to take that road to submission? Going it alone without help of any kind will almost always result in taking a left, right, or going back instead of forward. Or worse, it can result in going forward when your manuscript isn't ready. I've been guilty of both. What do you do if you're going it alone as so many writers do? You've heard me say this before, attend conferences, workshps, retreats, any place where you can improve your craft. This will help build your confidence and p...

A friend of mine who hates editing recently asked me what inspires me while I'm editing. It kind of surprised me because I realized I hadn't really thought about it much. Of course I listen to music, a lot of blues and old rock and roll, recently even a little Bob Marley (that could be the spring weather bringing that on!). But I realized at this point in the process is isn't music or pictures so much that keeps me motivated. This bookshelf is what keeps me motivated while editing. It is filled with books that friends of mine have written. Just seeing them sitting on the shelves reminds me that I can do this. It motivates me to be the best I can be so my books can sit next to theirs one day. This shelf reminds me that my goal of becoming published is reachable and that there is a publishing house out there somewhere that will love my work. If you don't have published friends don't worry. Just the anticipation of sending it off to a critique buddy can be enough t...

Yesterday my critique group worked on the mid points of our novels. The big question is, what is a mid point exacatly? Well, since you asked... Think of it as the point in your story where your protagonist (main character) becomes completely committed to the course of action that utlimately leads to the climax of the book. While it can be a low point as far as action is concerned, its a very important point as far as the arc of your protagonist is concerned. Put simpler, the mid point is like the point of no return. So knowing all this, mine must have been perfect, right? Wrong! I'm a firm believer there is always room for improvement and its a good thing because there was room to spare on every page. The main thing I learned today is that even when you think a chapter is pretty solid a critique partner will catch things you didn't even realize were wrong. With three critique partners like I'm lucky enough to have this ...

It occurred to me that those writers who read my earlier entry and have never attended a workshop might be wondering what Plot Point 1 is. I'll try to do my instructor justice by recapping it in a way that makes sense. Plot points are areas of the manuscript where something changes for the protagonist. It's a pivotal point in the story, a twist you might say. Typically a novel will have the inciting incident (or the catalyst, the thing that sets the whole story in motion), a plot point, or two, then a mid point (where your character arc really starts to develop), then another plot point or two, and finally the climax. My instructor teaches that three plot points are pretty typical though some say four or five. So when I say I'm working on plot point one that means I'm editing the first chapter where something major changes for my character. Tuesday night I discovered my plot point one needed to be broken into two chapters. I had too much going on. The action rose an...