#WritingCommunity – T.J. Manrique Author

Emotional Engagement

Hi, and welcome back. Last week, I ran a poll on Twitter to find out what authors thought about Emotional Engagement. The most surprising response was “What? I never heard of it.” I included that option trying for humor but turned out to be an honest to goodness answer. I’ll start by illustrating the concept.Continue reading “Emotional Engagement”

WORD COUNT

WORD COUNT. Like that, in all capital letters. It is a very important concept to grasp in our writing journey. There are several reasons for this. I’ll start by the least sexy of them. No, it does not have to do with the genre. It does not have to do with the cost of editingContinue reading “WORD COUNT”

Editing Paralysis

What is editing paralysis, you ask? Let’s talk about it a little. It is a condition that happens to some writers. They finish the book. Leave it for some time, usually a couple of weeks. Then go back to it with the intention of editing, polishing it to a high gloss, to then send toContinue reading “Editing Paralysis”

In Medias Res

In medias res translates from Latin as “in the midst of things”. Today, the advice of many academics, authors, and writers is that you should begin your narrative by plunging your Main Character (MC) into a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events. The situation may or may not be theContinue reading “In Medias Res”

Every Story Has Been Told Before

Every story has already been told. Really? How come, then, just in self-published novels there were well over one million in Amazon last year? If we include what’s been published in the traditional publishing route, we will be up in the two million-plus novels, easy. Keep in mind, that does not include the novels that,Continue reading “Every Story Has Been Told Before”

What’s the big deal with first lines?

First lines. Every book has one. They have evolved. A lot. The changing tastes of the audience and the way people look at books have made them change with time. Of course, many people (and me) blame Twitter for some of this. People are now used to short bursts of information. Limited and, by definition,Continue reading “What’s the big deal with first lines?”

What happened to stand alone SciFi novels?

Why aren’t there any stand-alone SciFi novels anymore? Last year, the first week of December, I finished the book I was reading. It was an analysis of the U.S. Constitution. I wanted to find out… I’m just weird. Let’s leave it at that. I posted on my Twitter account asking for suggestions from the #WritingCommunity.Continue reading “What happened to stand alone SciFi novels?”