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Helen C. Johannes

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Helen C. Johannes

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August 2010


Author Helen C. Johannes lives in the Midwest with her husband and grown children. Growing up, she read fairy tales, Tolkien, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Agatha Christie, Shakespeare, and Ayn Rand, an unusual mix that undoubtedly explains why the themes, characters, and locales in her writing play out in tales of love and adventure. A member of Romance Writers of America, she credits the friends she has made and the critiques she’s received from her chapter members for encouraging her to achieve her dream of publication. When not working on her next writing project, she teaches English, reads all kinds of fiction, enjoys walks, and travels as often as possible.

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Helen C. Johannes Enter writing contests that offer detailed feedback. At some point you need to measure your work against that of others. Learning what you do well is …moreEnter writing contests that offer detailed feedback. At some point you need to measure your work against that of others. Learning what you do well is just as important as learning what you need to fix.

Now I know entrants are at various stages in their writing careers and have varied knowledge of the conventions of writing, but here are some items to pay attention to fixing BEFORE you submit because if you attend to these issues first, you give your judges a better chance to focus on your story rather than on trying to figure out what is on the page. And what you really want them to judge is the story and characters.

Paragraphing

Observe in published novels how dialogue is broken into paragraphs. Put the character’s spoken words in the same paragraph as his/her actions. Readers will be better able to follow who said what if you do this. And following who said what helps the reader see the story without getting lost.

He/She/They used too frequently without identifying who he/she/they might be.

If two male characters are talking, be sure to tag each one clearly with a name or descriptive title because if “he” appears multiple times in a row, you (the author) may be clear as to which “he” is which because you are visualizing the scene in your head, but the reader has most likely lost track. (The same goes for female characters and any time you have more than two characters in a scene.)

The unreferenced “it”

This useful little word can also be a source of major confusion if “it” is not placed close enough to the thing “it” is replacing or standing in for. We, the writer, know exactly what we mean. But readers can’t see inside our heads, so it’s our job to replace all the vague words in our text with clear ones.

When we enter contests, it’s partly because we want to be read, to connect with an audience. We want the judge to assess our story, our characters, our scene setting, our hook, and give us feedback on the story as a whole. The last thing we want to do is interfere with the judge’s ability to see those aspects of our work. My best advice is to pay attention to these few items when you polish that entry.(less)
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Featured Romantasy: THE PRINCE OF VAL-FEYRIDGE

This week N. N. Light Book Heaven is celebrating their Science Fiction and Fantasy Bookish Event with a giveaway. I'm delighted to announce that my award-winning romantasy novel THE PRINCE OF VAL-FEYRIDGE, book one of the Crown of Tolem series, will be spotlighted on Friday, October 10th. Check out allbooks and enter the giveaway to win a $10 Amazon gift card: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.co Read more of this blog post »
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Helen’s Recent Updates

Fierce Poison by Will Thomas
"A man drops dead at Cyrus Barker’s feet. That’s happened before, even occasionally because Barker has caused the death. But he’s never had it happen in his office before. Mostly because his reputation proceeds him into every room and back alley of Lo" Read more of this review »
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Fierce Poison by Will Thomas
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" Great tip! "
"I have probably posted this before, but I came across it while going through the blog tours I've done (2013, if anyone's counting) and it bears repeating. Synopsis in a Snap You’ve just spend weeks (or months or years) writing,honing, and polish..." Read more of this blog post »
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Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief by Benjamin   Stevenson
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A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant
"I don't think I've ever read a romance novel like this, which should be a recommendation in itself, seeing as so many of them follow one of the "standard" plots. You know the sort of thing - hero and heroine hate each other on sight but gradually fal" Read more of this review »
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Murder Will Out by Jennifer K. Breedlove
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Interesting gothic set on an island with a creepy house that everyone is fighting over the right to inherit. Everyone from land developers to the deceased's partner to a long-lost relative believe they have a claim to a house that's seen more than it ...more
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Enola Holmes and the Clanging Coffin by Nancy Springer
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Entertaining with lots of action and a style very much in keeping with the Sherlock Holmes canon even though Enola is not part of the tradition. She is, however, very much like her much older brother in her deductive skills and her risk-taking. This ...more
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The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
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I'm always amazed how Hoyt manages to find or construct legends or tales to suit her stories. This one employs a version of the Cupid and Psyche story as a backdrop for this Beauty-and-the-Beast story. Edward isn't really a beast but he is disfigured ...more
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Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle
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Jayne Castle finds very imaginative types of amber to use in her Harmony series. This time it's obsidian and amythyst-colored amber that provides various uses. The couple make a believable romance, but the star is Vincent, the artistic dust bunny wit ...more
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Quotes by Helen C. Johannes  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Doing what’s right is always simple. Not easy, perhaps, but simple.”
Helen C. Johannes, Bloodstone

“Illusions may flatter us, confuse us, or betray us, Drakkonwehr. Or they may be images we cling to when the truth is too difficult to face.”
Helen C. Johannes, Bloodstone

“Blood answers blood, especially that given for the sake of others.”
Helen C. Johannes, Bloodstone

Topics Mentioning This Author

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“Doing what’s right is always simple. Not easy, perhaps, but simple.”
Helen C. Johannes, Bloodstone

“Illusions may flatter us, confuse us, or betray us, Drakkonwehr. Or they may be images we cling to when the truth is too difficult to face.”
Helen C. Johannes, Bloodstone

“You pathetic humans! It escapes me how you endure any trial long enough even to breed, yet here you are. And why do your kind persist at all? Because every now and then—once a century, perhaps—ONE of you understands this: Death is what you accept only when you have spent all that you are—to the very last drop of your sweat and blood—in order to save what you love. That, son of Koronolan, is what a hero, a true warrior, would do.”
Helen C. Johannes, Bloodstone

“Blood answers blood, especially that given for the sake of others.”
Helen C. Johannes, Bloodstone

“Insanity does NOT run in my family. It strolls through, takes its time, and gets to know everyone personally. —T-SHIRT”
Darynda Jones, Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet

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