where deadly meets fabulous
Apparently I have the attention span of a month-old shih tzu. Despite making a pledge to be more present, I only managed to reign my mind in to the moment for all of about 37 seconds over the course of two weeks. Pathetic, I know. And yet despite its brevity, I did manage to get […]
Read MoreSometimes all my sentences sound stunted. Other times I wonder what is wrong with me that I can’t spell ‘unfortuentley’ right for once? Then I become Totally Convinced that my main character is as fake and unbelievable as Apple Pie Extra. Then I cry. Thankfully none of that apparently matters—at least 46.4% of the time. […]
Read MoreThe last time I completed a manuscript I was filled with excitement and anticipation. This time, it was more like WIDE EYED FEAR. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the last few projects have fallen flat on their 12 point font faces, that after over a year of work I am […]
Read MoreLike the forever sagging waist band on my stretch jeans, something about my latest manuscript is not working. Despite a few strong elements, it just doesn’t seem to crackle, pop, or even fizz, and I wasn’t sure why till I read this quote from Shannon Hale about the importance of telling a story that doesn’t come […]
Read MoreIf it was up to me, I would probably spend every minute I am not sleeping or drinking coffee so I don’t have to sleep, or going to Starbucks to get said coffee, or peeing in the bathroom because coffee always has that effect on me, writing. Naturally, it took me a very, […]
Read MoreThe first page is the most valuable property in a book. If a reader doesn’t feel compelled to get beyond those first few paragraph than the rest might as well be pi numerals. I have been told this many times by editors, and yet one of the biggest pieces of feedback I got about a recent manuscript was that […]
Read MoreI don’t know if anyone else besides the author and the people listed within them ever actually reads them, but I have soft spot for Acknowledgments pages. They are like a little peak behind the scenes, a tiny glimpse into how the book in my hand was created. And sometimes a much needed lull at […]
Read MoreLike setting and conflict, time is one of those Important Novel Elements discussed in every writing class I have ever taken. When does one scene take place in relation to another? How is that conveyed? And whatever you do, don’t go overboard on the flashbacks. All good advice, of course, however, nothing makes me more […]
Read MoreAnything two feet ahead of me no longer exists and the sky is a constant slate of white. The fog has settled on my part of the world and doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon–and I’m starting to think that may not be such a bad thing. In the acknowledgements section of Before I […]
Read MoreApparently I have always harbored a weakness for really pretty clothes. One of my favorite books as child (after Cinderella for Obvious Reasons), The Queen Who Stole the Sky, is about a woman who cuts down the sky and turns it into a ball gown—her hem shimmering with golden stars and rose colored sunsets as she […]
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Book reviews, the occasional rant, and more
Rachel Rueben: The Publishing Blogger & Author
