Ink in the Book

Before I get back in full swing of  things I wanted to make an announcement that doesn't pertain to my writing. Hey guys! I'm going to be a grandma!! I'm going to be a NeeNa!!!! Coming August 2013!!!! My married daughter will be having her first baby! AND... My next to oldest son proposed to his girlfriend, so my family will be growing in two ways next year!! Ink in the Book will be back to regular posting after the New Year, and Operation Agent Ink will be posting workshops soon, complete with full schedule. But for the next few days, I'll be enjoying my children a little while longer!

Merry Christmas everyone! I'll be back after the holidays!! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a joyous New Year. Come back the first week of January for a brand new Ink in the Book!!!!

Yes, it is silent around here... If you have nay suggestions for the final month of workshops, leave a comment below. The schedule has een made, but I am waiting on a few return emails before spilling the beans on what to expect in January. But let me say it's going to be great. We will be discussing the complete submission package: Query Letter Synopsis First 5 pages There will be a query letter break down and examples of what to include, how to catch an agents attention with a luring hook and how to trick, er, I mean entice an agent to want to know more about your book. There will be more agent giveaways. These were planned for last week, but things didn't turn out as I had expected (but still awesome!) so January will be busy the first few days of the workshop. Someone requested an detailed schedule in advance, so I will list each class, discussion session, contest, and workshop in January. This will give everyone plenty of time to prepare for the month and he...

Good Morning Guys and Dolls! What an amazing week last week, huh? I was thrilled with the final turnout of the question and answer. It went so well that we are planning another Twitter Party in January, right before the pitch opportunity. What do you all think? Isn't that great?? I had planned to make a nice long post on what to expect for January workshops, but something has come up today and I've been put in a pinch. So, my post will be late tonight, okie dokie? This is me right now >>> This is me right now!!!! How about you all? Do you have any questions? Do you have anything you'd like to send in for the mentor program? We've had several new participants sign up, why not say hello? It's great to have ya'll! Oh, yeah, before I forget, did you see the secret Santa Agent commenting on the blog or on Twitter? I'll be posting who she is and her wish list tonight, too:) Please comment below and let me know what you'd like to see ...

Update #1: Jordy Albert of the The Booker Albert Literary Agency just confirmed she'll be here today for the Twitter Live Event! Update #2 Pooja Menon of the Kimberley Cameron & Associates just confirmed she will be available today on the live Twiter Event:) Surprises never case to make me smile:) Especially good ones! Now, yesterday, I felt pretty down and out. But all things work for a reason and I think today's plans may trump yesterday's plan. Anyone interested in doing a live Twitter event? #AgentInk is going to be featured on Agent Terrie Wolf's Twitter and will be hosting a live Q&A session this afternoon. Her associate Louise Caiola and MAYBE James Schinke *might* be there, But I know Ms. Terrie and Ms. Louise will. I'm checking with other agents and editors, too, and hope to have others join in the fun. What an awesome Christmas gift!! It's like having ANGELS among us. Details: When: Friday (today) Where: #AgentInk Time: 4:0...

It's  Day Two of Operation Ink and Agents are sneaking around and checking the naughty and nice list! Jack Frost messed things up yesterday and froze up my computer. But, Santa helped out and we are back in business today! Gotta question for an agent?  Don't be shy! Did you ask a question yesterday? Check out the answers today!! Hey guys! I'm sorry:(. I don't know what happened to our agents today. Maybe they will make their way around tonight.  I will announce winners tomorrow.  UPDATE AGAIN! Agent Terrie Wolf enailed and said shes running late in the publishing world but is very close to being here! right here on Ink in the Book!! UPDATE: Hey everyone! I'm hoping more agents stop in after while, maybe this evening. I guess they all were swamped with business today. If you've posted a question, check back tonight, okay? There are still prizes! re Thanks guys and dolls:) Update #1 is at the bottom, in red. Update #2 is in green Door Prize#1 Ramdo...

Good morning lovely guys and dolls! I hope you had a good night's sleep (or a good day, if you live across the world from me!) I'll just get down to the nitty gritty and get it over with today... I'm not for sure what happened yesterday? I had FIVE agents confirmed to be here and answer questions, but alas, only one showed up to participate. I don't know why... I will say, I'm very truly sorry to those who hoped to talk to agent through the blog. I'm very embarrassed and kinda tongue tied today. I really don't know what to say. Because only one agent visited yesterday, I am only giving away her gift. The other agents may have decided Operation Agent Ink Pitch Opportunity isn't something they can participate in at this time and I don't want to impose something on them. Brittany Booker of the Booker Albert Literary Agency has generously offered to give away a Five Chapter Critique!!!!!! Thank you, Brittany!! So, who won? I'm sure you a...

Well, I made time for this blogfest, just because I wanted to say thanks to someone who deserves it! I'm not participating fully, like the "rules" say to post, but I couldn't resist a big THANK YOU! When I didn't even know who Alex was, I would get a comment that would put a smile on my face. It NEVER failed. Then, it got to where as soon as I posted, I expected a comment within 3o minutes from someone named Alex. It didn't matter what time of day I posted and it didn't matter what the subject matter was in my post. I could count on Alex to come along and comment. I thought he had a spy camera. How did he know I posted??? One day, I went to his blog after several days of missing his post and I wanted to catch up on all the things I had missed that week. As you all already know, he posts awesome ninja news, right? So I had to scroll down to the bottom of his page to read it all. There to my astonished amazement was a link to my blog!! I couldn...

Operation Agent Ink Preview! Thursday is our big day and it's full of awesomeness, with agents answering your questions and giving gifts away. What could be better? So, because Thursday will be full of lots of goodies, I've decided to give a little preview to the workshop. I don't want everyone feeling crammed into the afternoon, but hopefully you all will enjoy the day and getting to know the agents participating in the Pitch Opportunity! Oh, and out new agent will be here on Thursday, so I'll be posting who she is and what she has on her wish list!! So, on to the workshop! Here is a checklist to ask yourself as you approach the middle of your novel: Do character relationships change? Do they deepen, get more emotionally involved or love/hate more? Have you given your readers even more reasons to care about the characters and plot line? Is there a sense of urgency present? Are the stakes pushed up even more? Is there a pending death, whether physical, p...

I love Christmas time! It's my most favorite time of the year!! So why not bring the joy and happiness of the season into my blog home?? This week, it's going to be so amazing! I'm gearing up for for Christmas and will be giving away some amazing gifts! Thursday, December 13th, Ink in the Book will be hosting an Agent Question and Answer Post. Participating agents will be lurking around the blog, peeking in from time to time during the day to answer questions YOU want to know!~ I'll be available, too, if you have questions about the workshop. But wait! There's more! (do I sound like a TV commercial??) free digital photos Remember the agent critique giveaways I told you about earlier? It's time to wrap them and put them under my tree. Thursday, we will be giving away these fabulous gifts from our agents. There's first page critiques, first chapter critiques, 3 chapter critiques, and much more! Personal emails and phone calls, too!!! It's s...

Just a short weekend email, guys and dolls!! Because I couldn't wait to tell you.... Another agent has confirmed she will be participating in Operation Agent Ink Pitch Opportunity!! Woo Hoo!!!! Just as soon as she sends me her wish list, I'll post all the information. Also, Thursday, December 13th , our workshop will be full of surprises! You like presents, don't you?? so there will be gifts, giveaways, agent critiques, and other prizes !!! Oh, and an open question and answer segment with Operation Agent Ink AGENTS!! I'll post more details on Monday during check in, but guys, it's going to be totally awesome next week! Spread the word. PLEASE!! I have a new Twitter! Its @TalynnL and the hashtag for Operation Agent Ink is #AgentInk How Exciting, right? Have a marvelous and incredible weekend, you beautiful guys and dolls!!!

Very quickly! PLEASE! If you have sent anything to the workshop email and NOT received an email in return, please resend your material to my regular email address: inkinthebook at gmail dot com For whatever reason, I have had several email me and tell me they sent stuff in, but did not receive a response. I'm worried! So I have decided to discontinue the workshop email and use my regular email. I hope it doesn't cause problems for you and so sorry for the missed communications!!

Good Morning beautiful guys and dolls!!! How are you today? I'm doing simply wonderful today!!! I hope your Friday is shaping up into the beginnings of a FANTASTICAL weekend! I have some AGENT INSIDER news you might enjoy as you work on your character development workshop. It's from Mary Sue Seymour and Marisa Cleveland!! What makes a good character? Mary Sue says: Perfect character - if it's a hero, it's guy you would like to date [if you weren't married!], and if it's a heroine, it's a gal that could be your best friend. Marisa says: Perfect characters are not perfect - they are characters with flaws and it's best when their greatest strength is their greatest weakness and the book actively engages the character in that realization and takes them on a twisted journey as they come to this conclusion and deal with it.

Today's workshop will be writing exercises. I know! I hear your groans! But the best way to write better is to write more? Write? er... I mean right? I won't delay the ink stained pen and smudged paper. Let's get busy! Writing exercise #1 Writing real human relationships can be enhanced by using real life situations. So first, think of a friend, or maybe someone you don't really like, and write down at least 5 feelings/emotions you have about him or her. What happens when you express these feeling? What are your thoughts? What body movements are involved?  Use these emotions and body movements in your writing! Writing exercise #2 What would the above person in exercise #1 have to do in order to prove to you that he or she has sincerely changed? Writing exercise #3 Now, think of someone you know who has had a turn of attitude since you have known them. What changes did he or she make? How did that change make you feel? Writing exercise #4 From the above...

Like Monday, I'm running behind. But have no worries guys and dolls. I will post the workshop!  We will be discussing Character Development. I have been looking forward to this workshop for weeks! We will also touch on the the Middle: From Sagging to Exciting. It's coming...It will just be late:)

Believe it or not, I almost forgot today was the fist Wednesday of the month! Sorry for posting so late in the afternoon today, guys and dolls! What am I insecure about this month? Does it ever change, or it always the same old same old? YES It changes and this month, I am being totally completely honest.... I must sit  back and ask, is it worth it? Is the waiting, the rejection, the wondering, the tears, and the waiting some more? Is it worth it? I know it is. I know I MUST stay focused and determined. But it's hard. It's hard to see other writing friends I have met who started the publishing journey the same time as me. See them with agents, or contracts, or published books. It's hard. It really is! Don't get me wrong. I am so thrilled and happy for them it's almost like seeing my own work published and successful. But then reality sets in and I know it's not MINE, but my good friend's manuscript soon-to-be published book. Can I act like it ...

Hey all! It's check in time! I'm sorry for the late posting. I know check in is on Monday, but yesterday, I spent the day in  Nashville Christmas shopping! I got better deals than Black Friday and I'm so happy!! So how's your writing coming along? Any questions or comments about passive voice of plot holes? Go ahead and send them in to workshop ink in the book at gmail dot com (no spaces) No one sent in material last week and we missed an a half page critique from the mentors:( But this week, we have extended the half page critique~ So go ahead and send in you questions!! Agent Inside news you can use...What do the Agents have to say this week? Let's hear, straight from the email answer! What makes a good first sentence, first page and first chapter? Agent Brittany Booker says -   First off- what makes a good first sentence is 'the voice.' That first sentence should say something about the plot, character or storyline that would let the r...

Hey guys and dolls! Do you have a book you no longer need? A book on writing craft? Would you love to put that book to good use and swap it for something you've been dying to get your hands on? Well, now is your chance!!!! My bloggy friend, Christi Corbett, has arranged a book swap for Christmas! She's putting together a list of "Writers Craft" books people no longer need and are willing to mail out to a friend in need in exchange for a book you'd like to swap. Visit her blog at Christi Corbett to add you book to the list and browse the other books available! Thanks, Christi!!!

First, sorry about the wonky formatting. I tried, but couldn't fix it... Passive voice. Do you know what passive voice is and why you shouldn't use much passive voice in your writing? It's fairly easy to define, but much harder to avoid in you writing. Passive Voice: It can be defined as using the object of a sentence as the subject, combined with a the "be" form and past participle. Example: The snowman                               has been melted                          by the sun. Poor snowman! Frosty just can't take the heat! But, seriously, here's the breakdown.   The snowman is the wrongly placed subject. has been melted uses the "be" form verb has been and adds the past participle melted . by ...

Hey all! I'm sure all you want to read about right now is Who Won The Two Sentence Workshop? Am I right?????? Drum roll, please................ T. Drecker!! Hey! You get a one page critique and review from an EDITOR!!! She's an amazing editor for an online magazine and blog. And she's excellent at what she does. Her work will thrill you and hopefully help make your first page first rate! And, you also get a creative and inspirational review chock-full of awesome ideas that will make your first page as perfect as possible.!! Whoopty Doo!! Please send your first two pages, single spaced, as a word document, to workshop ink in the book at gmail dot com (no spaces) Yay! I'm so happy! Tomorrows workshop will discuss plot hole fixes......AND Passive voice: How to Get Active!

Hey all you beautiful guys and dolls! I've had a personal invasion from a body snatcher!! Okay. Not really. But I have had a few obstacles jump up and I will not be back from my holiday until Wednesday. I feel really bad about the delay, but life does happen and sometimes things can't be avoided or changed. I'm sorry for the inconvenience of the missed workshop classes. PLEASE don't lose faith or give up on the workshop. I'm coming back! I also have the winner from the first two sentence mentor workshop. I promise to announce the winner and the prize on Wednesday:) Don't throw rocks at me! We all live life, right? Thank you for understanding. (I hope)

Another quick jump in just to let everyone know I had a fabulous time over this holiday week! I've been so busy, and when not busy, we were driving down the road:) I have another dinner tomorrow, and then Thanksgiving holiday will be over for another year. Whew! so much turkey and dressing. Mmmmmm!! How abut you? How was your holiday and family time? See ya'll on Monday for check in and Workshop fun!

Hey blog friends:) Just checking in to say hi! We're traveling home today and should get they late tomorrow night! I've not been home all summer so I'm completely excited. With my broke foot, traveling is hard, but I'm trying to ignore the pain in exchange for seeing my family. Happy Thanksgiving bloggy friends:)

Today, my post is short and sweet. I'm Thankful for my husband's NEW JOB and knowing I will soon be in a house and out of my waterless camper!! AND My children will all be celebrating Thanksgiving together with me on Monday. I'm so happy I could burst! Have a great weekend my friends! Thanks Brenda, for hosting this hop!

Okay guys and dolls! Here's my posting for blogs I would miss if they ever quit blogging and those I already miss! This blogfest is hosted  by Alex J. Cavanaugh , Andrew Leon , and Mathew Rush I would miss Tara Maya. Her blog is filled with amazing writing tips and unique ideas and I have enjoyed the learning process the past couple of weeks. Her real life writing technique puts the pen to paper in a way I can see her tips put to the test. So I know they work! I would also miss Ella over Ella's Edge . I've only known her a very short while, but in this short time, I have fallen love with her blog, her creativity, and the inspiration I get every time I visit. Her pictures and photos are simply beautiful, her poetry uplifting, and her words all cozy and comforting. Who do I miss? Well, she's not really gone, but I wish she blogged more than she does. She blogs on a regular basis, I just wished she blogged more:) Who is it? Janette Dolores. Her posts are alw...