You tell me...

I know we've got lots of writers out there and lots of readers, too!

So I want to know, what do you like to read? And of course, what do you like to write?

I'll go first! ;-)

I love to read romance. There's nothing better than a mushy story about a man and a woman and a happy ever after. Makes me smile. I also like to read some YA. I say some because I'm super picky in that department. The offspring generally recommends books that I end up loving. Man that kid has good taste. Wonder where she gets it from? *winks*

Above anything, though, I just like a good story. Good pace, good plot, and nothing really sad (cuz I HATE sad. I HATE to cry.) And no matter what, I love as story where the protagonists is a strong and dependent woman (or girl). And of course, there's gotta be a alpha dude in there somewhere, too.

And as for writing, well, I'm all over the place there, too. Originally I was a hardcore romance writer. I've branched out a little since then, trying to get my feet wet (and not drown) in a different pool. I've yet to see if I'm any good in that area. No matter what, I write what comes to me...no matter what kind of story it is. Sometimes a story just has to be told.

Now you tell me folks. Whadoya like? And why?

~JD 

Girls Writes Boy...Boy Writes Girl

There are lots of girls out there writing from a guys perspective. And there are lots of guys writing from a girls perspective. So there are plenty of examples of where it works.

On the flip side, I'm sure there are some examples of where it doesn't/wouldn't work.

YA, MG, Picture Books, General Fiction, Sci-Fi, Thriller, etc, etc, can all be written from either a man or a woman--no matter who the MC is.

Romance is the only genre where this question is...well, questioned. Let's face it, men don't really know what women want. HOWEVER, there have been some very successful MALE romance writers (most of which wrote under a female pen name because of gender bias).

There is a lot of room for people to argue this point one way or another. I, however, don't base anything on gender. This world is diverse, WE are diverse. So instead of wondering if a boy/girl could write a good perspective from the opposite sex, ask yourself:

CAN YOU WRITE ANY PERSPECTIVE WELL?

If you're a girl, can you write a girl? At any age?
If you're a guy, can you write a convincing guy? At any age?
So the same is asked if you are writing from a different perspective.

Can you be convincing in any perspective? You're a writer, you're creative, you develop people from scratch. It's not a gender issue--is a creative issue.

CAN YOU BE CREATIVE?

You've written characters who are professional race car drivers, chefs, killers, tech freaks, etc. I'm pretty sure you aren't any of the those people. Well, I hope you aren't a killer. If so, please unfollow me. ;-)
Back on point... if you did write characters that are nothing like you how did you write those convincingly? You researched, right? So now the question is:

CAN YOU BE AUTHENTIC?

Your gender doesn't matter. Your mind does.

And in the end, if you are still second guessing yourself, do MORE research. Or have someone who knows about it read it. Let me know if you are able to catch Jeff Gordon on the racetrack or Charles Mason during visiting hours. But seriously, if you are worried about writing from a different gender POV, have that gender read it to see what think. Or research it. And read it. Lots of reading helps.

Do you peeps have any good examples of male writing female and vice versa? Do you have any specific examples (of your own struggles/successes) you'd like to share?

~JD

Grammar Police: American English vs British English

We've all seen the difference in American English and British English when it comes to words. Sometimes British folks use different words all together, and sometimes they use different spellings. Let's have a look-see.


Bathroom/Loo
Theater/Theatre
Fall/Autumn
Potato Chips/Crisps
Elevator/Lift
Color/Colour

And the list could go on and on...

But did you know that the British use of commas and periods in conjunction with quotation marks different than ours? If you read a British newspaper or book publishing in Britain, you'll undoubtedly see the difference. And this folks, is why some professionals think that we tend to get our wires crossed when it comes to writing quotation marks. Hmm, I knew there was a reason for this! ;-)

In the US, periods and commas go INSIDE the quotation mark. In Britain, they go OUTSIDE the quotation mark. Like so:

The Sheriff said, "Whoa." (American version)
The Sheriff said, "Whoa".  (British Version)

"Whoa," said the Sheriff. (American version)
"Whoa", said the Sheriff. (British Version)

And as far as this Sheriff can tell, question marks and exclamation points remain the same in both cases.  I think. ;-)

Now don't you feel better to know that bit of information for the beginning of your week? YES!

~JD

Posting Excerpts Online: A Do or Don't?

Let's see...JD's been at this writing thing for, ah...three years now and I remember the first thing I wanted to do when getting online:

Post excerpts of my work.

Afterall, if people can't SEE it, how can they fall in love? It was on my blog, my FB account, and other random places. Mind you, I didn't post the stuff to get feedback, I posted it just because I wanted people to read it (let's forget that it was total crap). So, I didn't have a good reason. Newbie. :-)

Now, there are several good reasons to post your work online:
1. To get feedback. (Thank you, Nathan Bransford's Forum!)
2. To make a point about something. (Like that time Sarah and I posted crits of our pages, which you can still find on this here blog. Well, my pages, anyway. Sarah's had to come down--read below to find out why.)
3. People DO do it to get a fan base (fanfic websites, their blogs, etc). And hey, if this works for you--go for it!

But there are also reason not to post your work online:
1. Some people are paranoid their idea will get swiped.
2. Some people don't want the attention (good or bad) that comes with it. Or they do want the attention and then realize they aren't getting the kind they didn't want!
3. And whatever reason you have come up with.

There are lots of reasons on both sides (depending on you).

In either case, there's ONE very important thing to remember:

When you snag that super agent and your book goes out on sub, all those excerpts need to come down. And even after the subbing is over and you've got a book deal, you'll still need to keep the book contents out of sight. Why?

When your agent is subbing, publishers might google you. What if they find a super old crappy copy of the book? I guarantee the book that is out on sub is way different than the original. The publisher needs to know about the book NOW, not the book ten years ago. And then once you land that contract, the book will change even more and the publishers want possible readers to see the BEST of you. The BEST of your work. So when you get the final, polished copy, you will be able to share excerpts, lines, etc. But you'll have to wait until that opportune moment.

I'm sure there are even more reasons you could add to all three of these topics. What do you guys think? Any of you had to go through this? What was your experience like?

~JD

Grammar Police: The FINAL word on Ellipses...

Well, folks, after a tiring nationwide search for the ever annoying question about ellipses, the Sheriff FINALLY has a decent answer for you.

First: THERE IS NO OFFICIAL RULE on how to format spaces with ellipses. Not ONE single rule that everyone follows. Seriously.

Second: My first post about ellipses is the most common form of use.

Third: HOWEVER, publishing houses can (and do) adopt their own rules about ellipses. So, let's face it...whatever our publishing house tells us to do, we'll do.

My editor at Omnific does things one way and my good friend Sarah Fine's editor, does them another. So, for now, whilst editing your MS, don't fret about the ellipses. Your publishing house/editor will fix them right up for you! Just please remember to use only three dots. THAT is a standard rule.

Whew...whoever knew three little dots could be so confusing? ;-)

~JD