Author Heather McCorkle

This week is banned books week , a time when readers and writers celebrate and support the books that have been banned. There is a list at this link of books that are currently banned but it is by no means all inclusive. Books are banned for a number of different reasons at a number of different places. You might be surprised and appalled by the reasons. There are books that are banned simply because they involve paranormal elements. The Harry Potter books are banned. Really. What does banned mean? Some stores, libraries, and schools won't carry the books. On the flip side of the coin, many libraries and stores fight to keep books from being banned. Today I'm featuring a book that isn't on this banned list but it is banned from many schools and some libraries. It is Blood And Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause. It is a young adult novel about a young girl~Vivian~who struggles to find her place in a world that doesn't accept her kind. It is a very mature read for a y...

There is a time and place for backstory and the beginning of your novel is not it. Beginning with backstory is a good way to get automatically rejected by many agents and editors. However, backstory is not the same as a prologue. Backstory is talking about something that has already happened where a prologue is something that is happening~even if it's in the past. The difference is action. Most agents and editors want the story to start right away. Readers want a sense that something is happening, there is something at stake, and there is a way to save what is at stake. The inciting incident should be as close to the beginning of your novel as you can get it. This doesn't mean it has to be in the first chapter so long as what comes first is pertinent to the story and is exciting, suspenseful, or interesting enough to start the novel with. Not sure what the inciting incident is? It is the event which occurs and sets the entire novel in motion. Example: In Harry Potter it was t...

Now that I'm editing instead of writing I've spent a lot more time on the internet, which of course means more time on Twitter! It isn't all play. I'm researching my next novel and I drop in on Twitter for a break now and then. The result is a bunch of excellent tweets for you! If you're on submission or plan on submitting any time soon you must read this one: @ V_Motter 86% rejection rate. Learn how to be in the 14% request. http://tinyurl.com/2eo5nkm If you're thinking about submitting to the Sandra Dijkstra agency you must read this! If you aren't thinking about submitting to them, you should. ;-) @ Natalie_Fischer Check it out!!! Official new SDLA sub guidelines UP AND RUNNING! http://bit.ly/akkt0B  #agents, #amwriting Do you write young adult or are you thinking about writing it? You should read this: @ WritersDigest I wanna write YA - Yeah. So there's no denying that YA and books for teens are where it's at these days. Everyone'...

This week I've entered the red pen portion of my editing process. Though I love the entire editing process this is by far my favorite part. There is something very satisfying about seeing all those red marks across the pages. It's like a reward for me to get to mark something out or add something in that brilliant red color. I think it makes me feel like I'm improving my work and actually getting somewhere. Polishing away the blemishes, chipping away the rough parts, and fleshing it out where it needs it are all a lot of fun to me. I'm told that I'm the minority when it comes to feeling this way, that most people enjoy writing the rough draft more. But I'm okay with being odd. I have been most of my life, why change now?! The music that is feeding my editing muse if very different from the music that I listened to while writing this novel. I'm not sure why that is. I'm listening to a lot of Dropkick Murphy's . I'm still reading Shadow Hills a...

Over at Chuck Sambuchino's fabulous blog there is an excellent contest going on. It's called the "Dear Lucky Agent" contest and it's for paranormal romance and urban fantasy, adult or young adult! The judge is Marisa Corvisiero of Lori Perkins Literary agency. The main prize is a ten page critique by Marisa and a one year subscription to Writer's Market. For all the details click on the embedded links for the contest above. But hurry, the contest is only open until Wednesday October sixth! Read the rules closely and best of luck to each of you.

The first person you have to write for is yourself but there is someone else you must keep in mind while writing, your audience. If you don't know your audience and keep them in mind, chances are they won't connect well with your novel. Genre can help you narrow it down and identify who they are. If you pick up a young adult novel you'll notice they have a particular tone to them, the tone of a teenager. The language is different, the thought process is different, and the plots of such books are focused around what would interest a teenager. A woman's literature novel will read with the tone of woman. It will play to women's interests by focusing on subject matter they want to read about. There is often a more emotional feel to these novels. Thrillers tend to read with an exciting edge that appeals to men. Men have their own language to a point and operate more on action and literal thinking, this is reflected in novels written for them. There are always excepti...

Authors are only half of the equation that makes a novel successful, readers and the affect our work has on them, is the other half. We must never forget that latter half and it's importance. This doesn't mean you have to write your novel differently but it does mean you have to be prepared. Not everyone will love your work, in fact some will hate it. Count on that and accept it now that way it doesn't break your heart when it happens. We can't please everyone and we shouldn't try. Readers buy your book because something about it sparks their interest. They keep reading your book~and hopefully buy your future books~because they connect with it on some kind of emotional level. Before you ask, yes this goes for men as well. Excitement is an emotion, just not a warm and fuzzy one. That emotional connection is the thing you need to keep in mind when you're writing your novel. Ask yourself if you've engaged the reader by evoking emotion. Good characters develop...