Jenelle Jack Pierre's Blog

In high school and college, there’s a list of books we have to read. From these books stem a series of quizzes, exams, lectures, and essays.

During my free time, I’ve read a few books in their entirety that I didn’t particularly enjoy. I’ve done this for several reasons including word of mouth, bestseller lists, there was an ad or article on the book, or because of my own curiosity. I’ve also guessed from the opening chapter that a book wasn’t to my liking, only to plod through to the end and form the same conclusion. Many times, it was because I’ve previously read books with a slow start and as I kept reading, I became engaged in the story.

In the end, ‘free’ time is always valuable. So I’ve formed 3 reasons to read or not read a book.

To Read
1. The topic genuinely interests you.
2. For a few minutes, you forgot where you were because the story took over your imagination.
3. You are entertained or feel like you’re learning more about yourself, other people, life, etc.

Not to Read
1. You’ve read 2 or 3 chapters and you’re still not engaged in the storyline.
2. Whenever you pick up the book to continue reading, you have to skim through back pages because you don’t remember what has happened.
3. You think to yourself ‘There’s another book I could be reading.’

I am currently editing my short story collection, Loves Onlookers, which will be available in August. One of the stories in the collection, Someone Else, Somewhere Else is now available for FREE on Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble. Get your copy today and please leave a review!

Update The book will be available in July 2012.

Life is about new beginnings. With new beginnings come new opportunities, but also challenges and mistakes we did not expect. So it is with writing. These are the mistakes beginning writers should avoid.

1. Have No Focus

What you create is fully under your control. Your aim should be to finish what you’re working on, not just to see where it goes. Outside factors may not be controllable, but inside factors (motivation and focus) are always fully within your hands.

A writer’s main focus should be to create good work.

2. Have Only One Copy Of Your Work

I began writing my first novel during my freshmen year of college. I was learning to balance my classes, work part-time, and write a novel at the same time. One morning, I was trying to finish up one of the middle chapters of my novel, but was in a hurry because I had to get to class for an exam. I clicked save and got up quickly, kicking the computer tower, and spoiling the disk. I took it to my campus’ tech team, but even they couldn’t recover the disk. At last, I had to retype eleven chapters based on my last printed draft.

Hence, the reason you should have more than one copy of your writing. Always save your manuscript to your flashdrive and one other place, your desktop or via email. Just in case.

3. Send Work Out Too Early

Many writers rush to put out their work because of outside variables. They feel they have to compete with other writers or show the world what they’ve written. What they don’t realize is that there’s no need to gallop through the writing process. Extra time is what your work may need to become truly memorable. You want your writing to resonate with readers and not be added to the slush pile of books they regret buying.

4. Devour Everything On Writing

There is a lot of information available on writing. There are writing blogs, writing forums, tons of articles on writing, industry news on writing, etc. But all this reading about writing adds up and may prove counterproductive.

It’s important to learn about your craft, but your priority should be practicing your craft. So good luck and happy writing.

Originally posted at The Fiction Enthusiast

Many people have dreams of publishing a novel someday. They think about, they dream about it, and they sit down and talk about it. There’s a full range of wannabees out there, and in order for you not to be one of them, you must start at step one.

1.Begin to Write

In order to grow as a writer, you have to write. Luckily for you, this can happen at any time. Like in 2012. Many beginners read numerous novels, not only for entertainment, but as a way of deciphering what makes a book good. Reading the work of others is important, but equally as important is writing. We don’t learn to drive by riding in the car and watching others. We have to get behind the wheel. It’s important that you carve out regular periods of time to put words to paper. The goal is not perfection. The goal is strengthening your writing muscle. There is value in getting to work and establishing daily or weekly goals. You do not need to read every blog, writers forum, and magazine on writing out there. You do need to write so you can get a lot better at it. At the same time —

2.There’s No Need to Rush

I was sitting at my desk, browsing through the Barnes and Nobles website, and noticed that there was a “Meet the Writers” link. I clicked on it. Browsing through the section, I noticed that the majority of authors had studied writing as undergraduates or graduates. I had written two young adult novels that were collecting dust on my computer after numerous rejection letters from literary agents. Sometimes, these letters came back with words of encouragement. After some time had passed and I reread my stories, I realized that they could be improved. I’d enjoyed studying Communications as an undergrad, but I realized that it might be a good idea to now focus on what I loved: writing. I researched schools and applied to Johns Hopkins University. During the program, my writing gradually improved, I met other writers, and I learned more about the publishing industry.

Today, indie publishing has allowed thousands to bypass honing their writing skills. You don’t necessarily need to enter a two-year writing program. However, you should take some writing classes, whether it’s at your local community center, online, or by enrolling at your high school or college. This leads me to my next point.

3. Learn Your Craft

Serious writers view writing as something special. Books, television shows, movies, and music all begin with the writing. The world is full of noise, and things thrown out at us to catch and consume. It’s for this reason that you should learn the basics of good writing, including how to create characters and build a believable world within your story. Let readers be enlightened, entertained, feel some type of emotion whenever they read your work.

This will only happen if you build a solid foundation as a writer. And readers will come back to you because you’ve respected their time.

4. Embrace What Makes You Different

You may admire an author’s young adult novel or short story. She inspired you to write. You love the way that she constructs sentences, writes descriptions of places, make her characters leap off the page. But to be inspired by an author does not mean you should imitate them. Readers want to hear your voice coming through in your writing. Readers want original stories. Original stories come from original, creative writers.

Originally posted at NicolesYaBookHaven.com

Before I Breathe is a realistic, contemporary YA novel. When people ask me what the novel is about, I tell them it’s about a teenage girl who gets swept away with the novelty of first love and ends up making some poor decisions, but she pulls her life together and makes a U-turn. I hope Kalena is a character readers will root for throughout the book.

Want to be a writer? Find out about the “5 Emotions of Becoming a Writer” with my guest post at The Readiacs.

http://www.thereadiacs.com/emotions-w...