Finding Your Voice

Leah McNaughton Lederman on Her Collection of Short Work, "A Novel of Shorts: The Woman No One Sees"

Leah McNaughton Lederman — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 12:26:05 GMT

Current Revision posted to Finding Your Voice by Leah McNaughton Lederman on 9/16/2023 12:26:05 PM

Author and editor Leah McNaughton Lederman was inspired to put together her short story collection, A Novel of Shorts: the Woman No One Sees, when a specific character kept showing up in her stories. Esther, who is described by readers as tragic, deranged, and scary yet lovable, is a cleaning woman who obsessively collects dust from the places she cleans. The idea initially stemmed from her own experiences with cleaning. Four of her short stories with this character had previously been published when Lederman decided to pull a larger collection together.

When it comes to publishing a collection of short stories, Lederman advises writers to explore self-publishing or small presses, as it can be challenging to get agent representation for this type of work. No matter the avenue, Lederman cautions writers to be ready to take on the business side of being a published author.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../LeahMcNaughtonLedermanonHerCollectionofShortWorkANovelofShortsTheWomanNoOne.mp4

Tags: fiction, Short Stories, video, Horror

Leah McNaughton Lederman on Her Collection of Short Work, "A Novel of Shorts: The Woman No One Sees"

Leah McNaughton Lederman — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 19:50:52 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Finding Your Voice by Leah McNaughton Lederman on 9/15/2023 7:50:52 PM

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../LeahMcNaughtonLedermanonHerCollectionofShortWorkANovelofShortsTheWomanNoOne.mp4

Tags: fiction, Short Stories, video, Horror

Leah McNaughton Lederman on Her Collection of Short Work, "A Novel of Shorts: The Woman No One Sees"

Leah McNaughton Lederman — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 16:25:47 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Finding Your Voice by Leah McNaughton Lederman on 9/15/2023 4:25:47 PM

Tags: fiction, Short Stories, video, Horror

The Importance of Finding Your Unique Voice as an Author

Aleatha Romig — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 19:13:18 GMT

Current Revision posted to Finding Your Voice by Aleatha Romig on 9/1/2023 7:13:18 PM

With over fifty titles in her portfolio of romance books, New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig believes it is the uniqueness in her stories and author voice that draw readers to her books. There are cookie cutter structures that many authors are told to follow and while these might work for some, she tends to not follow a formula. Romig is a pantser, not a plotter, and lets her well-developed characters tell the stories. She weaves in lots of twists and turns and finds herself being surprised sometimes. Hitting a bestseller list like the New York Times has certainly helped her career and her notoriety in the genre. The romance genre is not always taken as seriously as some other fiction genres and being a bestseller can definitely give your author platform a boost.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheImportanceofFindingYourUniqueVoiceasanAuthor.mp4

Tags: Mystery – Thriller – Suspense, fiction, Romance and Erotica, video

The Importance of Finding Your Unique Voice as an Author

Aleatha Romig — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 19:11:47 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Finding Your Voice by Aleatha Romig on 9/1/2023 7:11:47 PM

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheImportanceofFindingYourUniqueVoiceasanAuthor.mp4

Tags: Mystery – Thriller – Suspense, fiction, Romance and Erotica, video

The Importance of Finding Your Unique Voice as an Author

Aleatha Romig — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 23:58:27 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Finding Your Voice by Aleatha Romig on 8/31/2023 11:58:27 PM

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheImportanceofFindingYourUniqueVoiceasanAuthor.mp4

The Advantage of Short Stories for Writing Humor

Chrome Oxide — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 13:39:55 GMT

Current Revision posted to Finding Your Voice by Chrome Oxide on 10/25/2022 1:39:55 PM

When author Chrome Oxide started his humor writing, he found out it was much easier to maintain his style over a shorter piece of work. He discovered that short stories are a better fit for him. A short story limits how much you can develop the plot and characters, so he is able to focus more on the punchlines. In turn, he says having the extra length to expand on story elements is one advantage to writing full-length novels.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheAdvantageofShortStoriesforWritingHumor.mp4

Tags: fiction, Short Stories, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Subscriber, video

Balancing Humor with Good Storytelling

Chrome Oxide — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 19:56:53 GMT

Current Revision posted to Finding Your Voice by Chrome Oxide on 7/24/2020 7:56:53 PM

Author Chrome Oxide enjoys integrating a lot of different types of humor into his science fiction and fantasy stories. He adds humor to his character names, organizations, events, and even story titles. The key to making the humor work is that the story is still moving forward and keeping the interest of readers. He also uses pop culture and musical references to make sure that each reader can find some humor that is relatable.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../BalancingHumorwithGoodStorytelling.mp4

Tags: fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy, video

Balancing Humor with Good Storytelling

Chrome Oxide — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 19:04:48 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Finding Your Voice by Chrome Oxide on 7/24/2020 7:04:48 PM

Integrating Humor into Writing and Dialogue While Maintaining Authenticity

Laurie Finkelstein — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 18:22:39 GMT

Current Revision posted to Finding Your Voice by Laurie Finkelstein on 2/7/2020 6:22:39 PM

Laurie Finkelstein, an author, speaker, and artist, says her books’ humor comes from a place of pain, like a lot of humor does. As someone who has dealt with anxiety and depression her whole life, Finkelstein has found that humor can offset some of the accompanying pain. Whether she is writing fiction or nonfiction, the humor is a part of her, and it comes out naturally when she is writing. Finkelstein doesn’t try to force the humor – she lets her characters speak and simply writes what she hears them say. She recommends that authors do not try to force humor into their writing, but instead let their natural voice and point of view shine through.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../IntegratingHumorintoWritingandDialogueWhileMaintainingAuthenticity.mp4

Tags: fiction, Subscriber, video

More than Just Talk: Painting a Scene with Dialogue and Narration

Helga Schier — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 20:22:07 GMT

Revision 2 posted to Finding Your Voice by Helga Schier on 1/9/2020 8:22:07 PM

People don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say. That’s true in real life and in fiction. Dialogue is not only about what is being said, but also about what is left unsaid. That is the playing field of narration: it shows us how people interact nonverbally, exposing the subtext that may not be apparent if you only hear the spoken words. So, how do you strike a perfect balance between the two? This webinar with editor Helga Schier does not give you a ready-made formula for the right mix of narration and dialogue. Instead, she explores the functions of dialogue and narration in a scene, so that you can find the mix that’s right for your novel. This webinar explores how the interplay of dialogue and narration:

• Creates the atmosphere of a scene
• Exposes the context and circumstance of the dialogue
• Reveals the personality and relationship of the dialogue partners
• Builds the underlying tension, conflict, or motivation
• Drives the plot forward.

Here is the handout that goes along with this presentation: www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../More-Than-Just-Talk-Handout.pdf
www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../MorethanJustTalkPaintingaScenewithDialogueandNarration.mp4

About the Presenter:
Helga Schier, Ph.D., is the founder and owner of withpenandpaper.com, an independent editorial services firm. She is also the editorial director of Equinox Books, a new publisher of quality genre fiction. With over 25 years of experience, Ms. Schier guides authors through the development and revision process. Ms. Schier’s editorial work focuses on the refinement of story, character, and style, helping writers sharpen their vision, refine their voice, and unlock the potential of their manuscripts. Her clients are published, self-published, and not-yet-published writers. Ms. Schier has published essays on contemporary contemporary English and American fiction, and a novel series. Visit her website or contact her at helga@withpenandpaper.com or visit http://www.withpenandpaper.com/.

Tags: fiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

More than Just Talk: Painting a Scene with Dialogue and Narration

Helga Schier — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 20:22:07 GMT

Current Revision posted to Finding Your Voice by Helga Schier on 1/9/2020 8:22:07 PM

Tags: fiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

More than Just Talk: Painting a Scene with Dialogue and Narration

Helga Schier — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 19:40:59 GMT

Revision 1 posted to Finding Your Voice by Helga Schier on 1/9/2020 7:40:59 PM

People don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say. That’s true in real life and in fiction. Dialogue is not only about what is being said, but also about what is left unsaid. That is the playing field of narration: it shows us how people interact nonverbally, exposing the subtext that may not be apparent if you only hear the spoken words. So, how do you strike a perfect balance between the two? This webinar with editor Helga Schier will not try to give you a ready-made formula for the right mix of narration and dialogue. Instead, she will explore the functions of dialogue and narration in a scene, so that you can find the mix that’s right for your novel. This webinar will explore how the interplay of dialogue and narration:
• Creates the atmosphere of a scene
• Exposes the context and circumstance of the dialogue
• Reveals the personality and relationship of the dialogue partners
• Builds the underlying tension, conflict, or motivation
• Drives the plot forward.

Tags: fiction, Subscriber, Recorded Webinar

Bringing a Teenage Voice and Experiences to a YA Novel

Sheryl Benko — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 19:10:47 GMT

Current Revision posted to Finding Your Voice by Sheryl Benko on 11/18/2019 7:10:47 PM

Author and film post-production supervisor Sheryl Benko says the summer before turning sixteen is a vivid time in her memory, partly because of the freedom associated with getting her driver's license, and partly because she had a sick uncle at that time. Benko remembers this being her first experience of grappling with mortality. This was challenging to wrap her head around as a teen, but also necessary to go through in order to understand life. Benko thinks media involving teens going through hard times and personal growth can help everyone better understand life. She used these experiences and memories to inform the teen narrator in her young adult novel The Last of Will. Benko also gets creative inspiration from the work of John Hughes. The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and other films were about teens on the surface, but really, they were for all generations.

www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../BringingaTeenageVoiceandExperiencestoaYANovel.mp4