michellebark.bsky.social
Senior #editor at DarlingAxe.com. Award-winning #author, Ironman #triathlete. michellebarker.ca
294 posts
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Thanks, Mindy!
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Thank you! It was such a great day. I'm still glowing.
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Titles can be hard. But once you hit on the right one, you know.
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A lot of revision involves trying things out and seeing if they work. For me, anyway.
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I like urban fantasy. Cozy fantasy, I'm not sure I've read any. Examples?
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Good rule!
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Yes, I'm also a fan.
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I definitely have moods when it comes to reading as well. I can be in the wrong mood for a book and put it down, and then pick it up two months later and love it.
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Ha, I love how specific that is.
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Ha, good distinction. I do agree that most creative decisions are guidelines rather than rules. But there are some things that work more effectively than others. And yes... grammar.
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Yes, I write to think things through as well. Somehow works better on paper than in my head.
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I really liked it.
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They are so different. The Big Sleep is noir, gritty. No. 1 Ladies' is more on the cozy mystery side. Charming. Both make very good use of voice, but in really different ways. I couldn't think of two books with more contrasting voices than these ones.
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I won't deny I use the occasional adverb. And I do like the idea of the road to hell being paved with unnecessary words 🙂
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100%
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Congrats!
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Agreed. First person definitely does a good job of establishing connection and finding voice.
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I have a client who has done exactly that, and while I like the voice (I think first person can be really strong), I have heard people say first person has YA vibes and shouldn't be used in adult fiction. But I mean... Jane Eyre?
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Thank you, that's helpful.
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Thank you. It is actually quite a complex question. I tend to hold my outlines loosely and hope that my characters surprise me—which they usually do. And then hope that they also surprise the reader.
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They do. He and Hammett were definitely doing something different. I just find it hard to enter those worlds and hard to stay.
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You have my highest respect. Thank you for standing up for what you believe in.
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Sometimes you need down time too.
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I love it when unexpected things come together.
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I prefer the color.
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Ah yes, I've had that happen too.
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Sometimes. More often than not I either can't read what I wrote or can't understand it 😅