Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Merry Christmas to all

May God bless you all in this Christmas season. I hope that you will take the time to share the true joy of the season, to bring light into someone else's world - to give them the hope of the one true light.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great
joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:13-14

May this glorious gift from our heavenly Father be the gift you share this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Sent!





Finally finished. Daffodils was sent today. I struggled with the final submission piece over the long weekend. Here's the blurb to go with the submission. I'll keep you all posted!

Margaret Ellington moves to Solsta, CA after her husband dies, hoping to find satisfaction in her teaching career. She vows never to marry again unless she can love with all her heart – and she’ll never be able to do that unless she can finally get over her first love.


Lukas North is determined to reclaim the love he threw away over ten years earlier, and begins his campaign by sending flowers daily to Margaret. He realizes that she may need more time to recover from losing her husband so he’s determined to let their relationship develop slowly—but letting her go is not an option.


When the position of principal opens up at a Solsta school, Lukas goes after it wholeheartedly, but keeps it a secret from Margaret in case it doesn’t work out.


Can their budding relationship be built on anything less than complete honesty?


Happy writing my friends!


Donna B Snow



Tuesday, November 2, 2010

New Beginnings

The beauty of God's creation is amazing! I've decided to rewrite one of my stories to submit as an inspirational. Even as I was writing it originally, I wanted to let God lead but I fought to do it my way. Well it was rejected I'm happy to say because now it can be what He wants me to write, not what I was writing to suit someone else. ...a few small changes and it will be ready to submit.

Pray that this time I get it right!

Here's a little peek at Daffodils:

Lukas watched Margaret step around him…his Megs. God, he wanted to hold her, to wrap her in his arms and cry with her for all she had lost, for all they had lost. She looked brittle, like fine crystal that might shatter with too much pressure. Dear Lord, give her the strength to get through this. Please take away this burden of grief she carries. It’s gone on long enough, Lord. Help me to be the friend I ought to be, and if it’s your will Lord, please heal the pain I caused her so long ago.


Tuesday, August 17, 2010

God's Love



For there is ONE GOD, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 1 Tim 2:5-6

Have you testified that He is your ONE GOD...Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

God bless you all in your writing endeavors. He's given us the words to share. Let's get them out there.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Just another day



Hope you had a great day! As Phil Collins would say, "Just another day, for you and me, in paradise"...hard for me to imagine it any other way, but I know it's very different out there in many other parts of the world.

I can only thank God for the many blessings He's given me, for the life I have only Him to thank for. Our gifts and talents come from Him. Don't forget to give thanks.

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Hope your writing is going well, or whatever other project you're working on. I'm still struggling through a schedule of writing/editing (mine and others)/online presence... I'm trying to keep some evenings for myself other than a quick check of emails (although my best time for writing is in the afternoon), evenings for editing also (others) and anything else I can fit in between is gravy...

Do you have a best time for writing? or a time that you keep for yourself? Tell me about it, I'd love to hear from you.

DonnaB

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Writers and Readers opinions count

I'm not sure how many of you are writers or
how many of you are readers, but either way,
how do you feel about a writer who writes in
multiple categories. Should they use a different pen
name? or should they use the same name
because you want to see anything they write.

Or does that only apply to authors in print. I know when I find an author
I really like, I chase down everything they've ever written. And then
I'm sad when I finish and there is no more until I find my next great
author to follow. So here we are in a whole new day of publishing.
Does that change anything? Do you still check out whatever you can
find by an author that you like?

And do you read more than one category - say historicals and romantic
suspense...or paranormals and contemporary? Or are you a one category
kind of reader?

I'm a multiple category kind of writer and I'd really like to know your
opinions on this!

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Writers and Beginnings...




In the beginning...yes, what? what happened in the beginning? In the beginning God created...

When you're the writer. You are the creator. You have to create a world that someone wants to read about . You probably don't have to "create" a whole new world (unless you write sci fi or paranormal), but you have to create an image of something happening, something that will make the reader say...and...and...and want to keep reading to find out what happens to this/these characters you've introduced them to.

So how do you do this? You've heard it all before but I'm going to say it again. You need to hook the reader IN THE BEGINNING. You have about two paragraphs to hook some people - a page for others, if you're lucky. The back cover blurb, and yes, the inside cover excerpt are yours to choose also and they will initially draw readers in, but how often have you picked up a book - read the back, read the inside, turned to the first page...thirty seconds - make them count!

So, here you are, on the spot - MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN! Whether it be in the character's thoughts/memories, or an actual occurrence, draw the reader in and make them want to know where this is going, what happens next.

Make your first words count or the first reader - your favorite editor or agent will be sending off one more rejection and never look back. Don't blame them. Bait that hook and draw them in.

Happy writing!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Memorial Day

In memory of all who have lost loved ones while representing our country, I
pray that your memories are sweet and that God is holding them in the palm
of His hand.

For all of you out there with men and women serving now, my prayer goes out
to them that God covers them with His hand and keeps them safe from harm,
bringing them home to the ones who love them.

May your Memorial Day be filled with loving memories and thoughts of warm
"Welcome Home" messages.

Happy Memorial Day!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Show, Don't Tell, Ugh


DON'T TELL?

Show, don't tell has got to be the hardest lesson for most writer's to learn - and a lot of writers never do. If it was easy, then all those wannabe writers would have no trouble getting published and those overburdened editors and agents would be waving a white flag of surrender from beneath a mountain of submissions.

There are many ways to describe this, but the simplest is active instead of passive writing. Here's a simple example of telling. "He tied his shoe." Okay, that was simple and straightforward and told me exactly what happened - dull, boring, unimaginative. If a whole story is written that way (and many have been), then no matter how good a plot line is, the reader will be bored very quickly. The reader probably won't know why, but they will have to force themselves to continue reading instead of being hooked and drawn in - or, worst case scenario, they will put the book down and never finish it. Then, unfortunately, they will probably tell everyone they know that the book is terrible.

So instead of telling ("He tied his shoe."), what's the option? Let's show what he's doing. "After tripping over his shoe lace again, Nate stepped to the side, set his books down and bent to twist the laces together. That looked right. Isn't that the way mama showed him to do it? Other bodies hurried past him when the school bell rang."

There is a lot more to be learned - a depth of character, setting, even plot - by writing actively. Show don't tell means just that. Show what's happening as if the reader is right there watching, instead of hearing it from someone else.

There are some key words that are clues to "telling". Was, had, seemed, wanted to...are easily spotted and fixed. Past tense verbs usually indicate the writing is passive. They're telling about something that happened. But the telling can be put into dialogue to make it more active.

Setting is often difficult to put into active terms, but otherwise many people skim over the descriptive prose until they get to dialogue. In other words they are looking for active writing. One option to make your description of setting active is to describe it amidst something that's happening.

For instance, "Mark couldn't believe his eyes. The back yard had somehow been turned into the Garden of Eden. He couldn't begin to name all the different flowers blooming back here. The morning sunshine sparkled on dewdrops making the colors almost fluorescent. Pink, purple, yellow, orange - and the piece de resistance - blue morning glories in full bloom covered the arbor at the end of the slate walkway."

The event should make the reader unaware of the setting that's being drawn for them and yet a picture has been painted in their mind.

This is the art of a well written piece. The reader should never be aware of the mechanics of the writing.

Hopefully this has helped to show the difference.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

When is your writing good enough?


Let me tell you right now, if you just finished writing your story, literally just put your pen down, or took your fingers off the keyboard after typing "The End"... it's not good enough.

Even if you think it's the next Harry Potter, uhuh. Set it aside for a day, a week, a month - the longer you can keep your fingers out of it, the better. Especially if this is the first story you've ever finished and you are just so darn excited and want to get your masterpiece out there - don't do it!

If you proofread it right away, guaranteed, you will not see any of your mistakes. You're too wrapped up in it. The story is still alive in your head, so any gaping holes in the plot are all being filled in with what you already know...and they may not actually be written down.

Yes, folks, this is experience speaking.

So, you've given it some time and you go back and read your story. And you think, it's pretty good - that's not good enough!

If your mother, your sister, your cousin and your best friend have all read it and said "It's good"- it's not good enough.

If no one has said, "Wow, that's great!" and if you can't say that yourself - then it's not good enough.

Okay, so now it's time to get your red pen ready. Find a good critique partner - someone who's not afraid to cross things off and tell you how bad it really is. Cause now it's time to get to work and polish, polish, polish and yes, rewrite if that's what it needs.

So set aside that story you just finished - start another one, or read a few books. Just don't touch that story until your brain can't tell you every detail about what your character was wearing, or saying, or doing, or thinking especially.

Don't touch it. Don't send it anywhere (except maybe a critique partner, but it's not even ready for that at first, probably). Let it lie - unless you're anxious to see your next rejection letter.

If you can't say it's great, then it's not good enough!

Until next time...


Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Writer Rejections






So the question is, "When is a rejection not a rejection?"

If you're a writer looking to get published, let's face it, YOU WILL BE REJECTED.
So I repeat, "When is a rejection not a rejection?"

It's all subjective. "No" is still a no, except when it's followed by "but." (No, this is not
making you the butt of a joke or any other such fodder...)

Say you submit to Publisher X and you get a response of "Sorry, your work does not fit with the market we sell to."

Well, hey, yes, they said no to your work, but they didn't say your writing is unmarketable. Matter of fact they didn't say anything at all about your writing. It's just not a fit for them.

So the first thing any writer has to do is target the market they are going to try to sell to. (Well, okay, maybe second. Either you have to write your story first, or your synopsis, or at least have an idea of what your story is.) Because if you're going to write a historical story in space, for instance, I think you're going to find very few markets for it. (Perhaps you ought to consider self-publishing?)

So let's say you've done your homework and you have a list of publishers that all handle exactly the type of story you write. And still you get a "Sorry, your story is not ready for publication, but..."

Ah, is not ready - THERE'S HOPE!

So your story is not ready YET but obviously they liked something and hopefully they will point you in the right direction. Watch for the next installment and I'll point out some of the biggest struggles writer's have.

And I'll bet you can probably name a few.

Until next time.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Winter in New England

Nothing like winter in
New England to leave
you wondering what will
come next. Let's just add
hurricanes and tornadoes
to our list of winter woes.
Snow, sleet, rain and wind...
what a wonderful combination to bring down
power and cable and telephone lines.

I hope all of you are safe and warm in your homes.
God is surely showing His wrath this winter
season!

Have we all read the prophecies of the end times...
earthquakes..., and famines, and pestilence, and fearful
sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Luke 21:11

Sounds a bit like now to me...

Sunday, February 21, 2010

The Lord's Day

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:10

Happy Sunday!
Nothing better than being in the house of the Lord and
hearing a great message. I hope each of you enjoys your
day in God's house wherever you may be.

And if you don't have your own home church, or you couldn't
make it because you were sick, feel free to listen to mine.
Nothing like good preaching to heal us body and soul.

Today the preaching was about growing in faith by God's
grace. I wish I could share the music, too. I was part of an
instrumental ensemble this morning. We played Savior
Like a Shepherd Lead Us.

Sweet!

Did you get a good message today? Care to share it?
The Word of God is for us to share. Go ahead and leave
a comment. Maybe you have something
someone else needs to hear.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Choose

To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Eccl 3:1
If you're enjoying this little story, please let me know. I'm at a crossroad here and I'm undecided which way to go.

You see, this is a romance and therefore it should have a happy ending. And we all want a happy ending, right? But what if there's a lot more to the story than you'll see here. Do I give you the happy ending and ruin the longer story for anyone who reads it later? or do I end it and leave you not quite satisfied? Hmmm...it's quite a dilemma I've created for myself.

Your vote could sway it. And if I don't hear from anyone well then I'll just have to decide on my own and you might not be happy with me but - you don't vote, you lose your right to complain.

Either way, I promise you this: if the story does not get published once it's finished I will offer it as a free download here, complete.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

posting problems

Sorry folks, I have more story but can't get it to post correctly. Obviously it's operator error. I'll get the next installment of the story up as soon as I can.



Enjoy your weekend.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

I'm baaaack


Hi Everyone/Anyone,

Can you hear me? I feel like I'm in an empty room that's echoing all around me. (Great acoustics when I'm playing my guitar!)

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I believe my computers have finally snapped back into shape and should behave enough for us to continue this lovely story.

So stay tuned and tomorrow, 1/27, there will be a new installment to Piece of Heaven - then on the 28th, it's part of a scavenger hunt for The Sweetest Romance Authors blog. So don't miss it!

Sorry to keep you waiting, and happy hunting! See you tomorrow!

Donna

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Computer Woes

Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. Prov 16:3

Well, I thought my computer woes were over and I could get back to writing, but not so! Vista just plain doesn't like me or any of the peripheral equipment I have - so it's back to XP I go. I promise, A Piece of Heaven will continue as soon as possible.

So how many of you have had computer problems that set you back by a week or more? I must admit this is my first bout of major computer headaches and I'll be happy when they're over!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Prayers

My thoughts and prayers are lifted up with all the rest of you for the people in Haiti. May God's hand be on them and the emergency workers who go to help in this tragedy.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Grace and understanding


"In the lips of him that hath understanding, wisdom is found." Prov 10:13

Yes, I'm here to stay. By God's grace I will have a new post for you every day. So please, bookmark me and come check each day's verse and a thought or two. I would love to have you stop by and leave a comment or a verse or a kind word.

In the near future I'm going to start a story line that is going to be kind of a joint effort. If you have a thought as to where it might go, leave a comment and we'll see if that's where the writing muses lead me. Let's have some fun.

God bless you!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

A Proverb a Day


Well since I haven't posted for quite some time I'll start with yesterday's proverb because one line has stuck with me and makes me want to cry.

"But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul..." Prov 8:36a

Oh my goodness did that hit home. And then on top of that I read today's and:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." Prov 9:10a

I feel like I've been given a dose of wisdom that has left me speechless.