Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Engaging readers

I've had a sore throat and fever since Friday. I only bring this up because it seems to have impacted my ability to type. Now, I understand that I don't want to talk because my throat is raw, but not wanting to type seems a strange byproduct. Maybe it's just fatigue rearing it's ugly head and demanding to be noticed. I try my best to ignore it most of the time, but lately the two of us are having a knock down drag out war (and fatigue is winning).

So, I'll be brief. Or at least more brief than usual. First of all, congratulations to Lynette who has finished her manuscript! You go, girl! Now, of course, I have to put in my little 'I told you so'. Because I did tell her that if she stuck to a word count goal she'd finish in no time. The advice was mine. The effort and determination hers. Good job, Lynette.

Second, Harlequin VP Isabel Swift is blogging. I'm finding her posts interesting and informative. My favorite so far : "Are You Engaged." In it, she talks specifically about series romance, but I think the comments are applicable to all writing. You can check it out at http://isabelswift.blogspot.com/

So, as you're writing today, think about how well you're engaging your readers with your words, your story, your unique voice. How are you taking the predictable and skewing it to reflect your vision?

5 comments:

Sabrina L. Fox said...

I'm not...that's the problem. LOL. I need to work on making my readers care about my characters. I know that. I just have a hard time making it happen.

On another note, my interview with Shirlee is posted on my blog Hope you'll check it out. Thanks for doing it, Shirlee, and I hope you're well soon. ;)

Anonymous said...

Shirlee, glad you are feeling better. And relieved to know fatigue hunts you down too. I was beginning to think you were superhuman. :)
Thanks for the word count bit, here and on sabrina's blog. I think I am going to have to make some adjustments to how I set goals.
Sabrina, thanks for sharing the blog interview. Of course, now I am stumped on finding a mousy character from Even in the Darknes.
Cheryl

Shirlee McCoy said...

Oops. The mousy character isn't in Even in the Darkness. Keep looking, though. Maybe you'll find another one I can use. LOL

Thanks for posting that interview, Sabrina.

Anonymous said...

I realized that it was the dark character who was from Even in the Darkness about 20 minutes after I posted that. (and if it is who I think it is, then he does seem to have an interesting past that I can't wait to read about)

Lynette Eason said...

Thanks Shirlee..smile.