So you think you have what it takes to withstand upwards of one hundred bamboo shoots under the fingernails, deafening silence, and personal attacks on your self-worth? Well great, let’s get to querying your completed manuscript!
Category Archives: Uncategorized
How long does it take to write a novel?
Among the (online) writing communities that I frequent I see this question asked time and again. New writers wonder just how long does it take to write a full novel? What even qualifies as a novel? Industry standard generally dictates that a novel must be 50,000 words or more, but the issue of timing isContinue reading “How long does it take to write a novel?”
#MoodPitch
I am taking a break from the perpetual polishing and querying today to create a few mood boards for an upcoming Twitter event called Mood Pitch. This will be the first of any Twitter pitch events I participate in, so I am hopeful and excited. Twitter has been an asset to me over the courseContinue reading “#MoodPitch”
Post-Mortem Anxiety.
Dramatic title for dramatic feelings. I opened my book this week after a full month of doing everything except writing. School started in mid-August and as an educator, it always feels like it takes a good few weeks to get back into the swing of the balancing act we call life. And so, I slept,Continue reading “Post-Mortem Anxiety.”
UNDER THE CAROLINA STARS: An Excerpt
An excerpt from Chapter 1 of the completed novel UNDER THE CAROLINA STARS by Addison Brannon: The corner of a ragged brown envelope poked from a stack of building ledgers and receipts. With an air of resignation, William pulled the envelope from the stack and sat down at the table, smoothing the pages with aContinue reading “UNDER THE CAROLINA STARS: An Excerpt”
Sweet Summertime Queries
July. It’s hot in Arkansas. The midges are out in full force and the ground is cracked from drought. The only place hotter than my current post is the hellish trenches of the publishing industry right now. Ok, I’m being dramatic…. Exceptionally dramatic, but not about the Arkansas heat. But here is a bit ofContinue reading “Sweet Summertime Queries”
“It is Finished.”
Ok, I recognize the drama the title of this post effectuates; however, I’m feeling pretty dramatic today. I have completed a novel which is HUGE news! My first novel is currently under the working title of UNDER THE CAROLINA STARS. It clocks in at 91,336 words and about 360 pages. I started this book fiveContinue reading ““It is Finished.””
Beating Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome is something that I have heard of often but seldom experienced. While perusing the #WritingCommunity on Twitter as I do on a daily basis now, I encounter this phrase often. It has led me to some serious self-reflection. Have I ever had imposter syndrome? Perhaps yes but it has not been so prominentContinue reading “Beating Imposter Syndrome”
80,000 words and done?
Today I hit my novel completion goal of 80k words. On February 6th of this year, I thought I had finished my first draft only to find that I was about 30,000 words below the industry standard for Historical Fiction and only slightly larger than a novella. Around this time, I started tweeting profusely andContinue reading “80,000 words and done?”
The Submerged History of the Cherokee at Tellico.
Awiakta’s retelling of the event at Tellico in the 90’s is made even more poignant by a Google search in 2022. There is no harrowing tale of the cry of thousands of Cherokee people praying for the salvation of their heritage, there is no news story breaking the hearts of it’s readers, there is less than a sentence mentioning the Cherokee people on the TVA webpage: Telling the Story of Tellico.
In 1838 the Appalachian Cherokee were removed to Oklahoma; in 1979 they were erased at Tellico.
The Neophyte Novelist 