__great editing resource: Ellen Brock’s Novel Boot Camp

Tags

books, creative writing, editing, editors, free, free editor lessons, handling romance, help, how to avoid info dumping, need help editing, service, stories, strenghtening the setting, the climax, the saggy middle, writing, writing belieable antagonists, writing believable dialogue

Have you finished your novel? Are you editing it? I found this great resource called ‘Novel Boot Camp‘ on Ellen Brock’s blog. She posts a lesson every weekday of the month of July. I really like this initiative and I’ve gained a lot of Ellen’s short and sweet blog posts that have great take home messages. Even if you haven’t finished your first draft, she has great lessons to keep in mind while you write.

Blog posts include:

• Handling Romance
• Strengthening the Setting
• The Climax
• The Saggy Middle
• Writing Believable Antagonists
• Writing Believable Dialogue
• How to Avoid Info Dumping

There are many more lessons to read and the month isn’t over yet! Let me know if you read some of her posts and whether you were able to gain anything from it.

– Ermisenda

__agent and editor wishlist

Tags

agent, books, editor, help, looking for agent, looking to publish, publishing houses, self-published, unpublished, writer, writing resource, writing tips

Any writers out there looking to publish their novels or seek agent/editor help? Have no idea which editors/agents are looking for what? Well the #MSWL exists! I found this writing/publishing resource shared on a social media site and thought someone who reads Ermilia may benefit from it: The Agent and Editor Wishlist.

The link goes to the Tumblr archive of tweets which were sent out. So for those Twitter-ing birds out there, the agents and editors put their queries under the #MSWL hashtag which stands for Manuscript Wish List.

I hope that helps someone out there!

– Ermisenda Alvarez

__youtube channel or role playing site: help!

Tags

book reviews, booktuber, busy, community, confused baby, crazy ideas, fun, help, life, proposal, q&a, role playing sites, rp sites, stories, writing, youtube channel, youtube project

Dear beautiful followers (I unconsciously typed flowers first, peculiar… 😛 ) and readers. I have a question for you all!

I, Ermisenda, have a crazy mind with too many ideas. Too many projects and sprouting from every pore of my skin. Recently, I have been debating over two new projects to embark on. While they will not be directly Ermilia related (because Eliabeth already has her plate full), I will like it related to writing/books and the like.

I’m confused and need your help.

My two proposals are…

1. Youtube Channel

I feel like there will be a point in my life where I will start a real channel and attempt to win the Youtube channel realm. 😛 I’ll be the greatest booktuber ever! I’m not sure how successful that would be though. Since Ermilia runs a blog and naturally we do a lot of typing…do any of you think it would be fun/beneficial/exciting to see some youtube videos from me (Ermisenda)? If so, what would you like the videos to be about?

At the moment I have three broad categories:

1. Question and Answer (Q&A). You guys ask questions, I answer them. Can range from favourite colour, top ten books, or what I ate for breakfast.
2. Book/Game Reviews. Rather than just typing out the reviews there would also be a visual medium available.
3. Reading out loud excerpts from novels. It would most likely be the first chapter of a novel you vote for. Also, we are likely to make a video where I read chapters of Leocardo’s side for those who enjoy audio more than reading text.

2. RP Site (Role Playing Site)

For those of you who are not familiar with this kind of site, get prepared for awesomeness! This type of site is where Eliabeth and I met each other. It is also the crowd I hung out around for many years because I enjoyed writing in these communities so much.

__picture it & write

Tags

community, contributors, fiction, help, inspiration, life, photography, poetry, punishment, rosikifish, stories, storm, writing

I urge people to join in, comment with your paragraph of fiction to accompany the image. It doesn’t have to follow my story or reflect the same themes. It can be a poem or in a different language (provide a translation please :)). Anyone who wants to join in, is welcome. This photograph has been reblogged under Ermisenda on tumblr and will soon be added to the Picture it & Write gallery on Facebook.

Thank you Rosikifish for your lovely photograph contribution this week! Check out more of her fantastic photography on her blog.

Every fortnight we hope to host a photograph suggested by contributors. So, keep those photograph recommendations coming. Submit your favourite images (with credit) for next week’s Picture it & write!

The wind whipped and pulled my hair; it tugged at my sleeves and buffeted my skirt. The chilling force lifted my clothes and limbs. A sudden blast of wind smacked me down into the moist grass. Tears of pain streaked my cheeks and my dress absorbed the frost. The storm taunted and tormented me. Piercing howls shook not only my ears and mind, but my very core. I threw my hand in front of me and I grasped onto a slick tuft of grass. I couldn’t see more than a few meters ahead. Would this be the end? There was a dark grey haze before me.

– Ermisenda Alvarez

Everyone is welcome to use the button, just link them back to the Picture it & write category or Ermiliablog! 🙂 Share your love for Picture it & write on your blog with the image below. Be proud, and stylish 😉 !

Do you see people or do you see workers?

Tags

employees, Germany, Gilmore Girls, help, host family, maids, money, Single in Suburbia, Starbucks, study abroad, wealth, Wendy Wax

You enter your favorite book store, coffee shop, or restaurant and someone rings you up.  Are you talking on your cell phone?  Do you ask them how their day was?  Do you see a person standing before you or do you see a worker bee sent from the cosmos to wait on you?  Our tendency is to look down on those serving us, but one thing I picked up from my host family in Germany is that every job is important, therefore every person who performs a job is important.  Imagine if all of the janitorial staff vanished overnight.  Sometimes we don’t appreciate what we have.

Thankfully, society seems to agree with my host family.  People who disregard the help are seen as snobby rather than admired.  Take these examples from the TV show Gilmore Girls and novel Single in Suburbia…