A Fragile Will
By Glen Ebisch
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
When high school English teacher Cassandra Reilly is laid off, she takes a poorly paying part-time job at a local nursing home to make ends meet. Her employment problems may be solved when one of her patients passes away after naming her in his will as the director of a new literary research center. But Cassie isn’t certain she can handle the position, and her doubts increase when she receives a threat against her life.
The lawyer who handles the will proves to be a source of support and comfort, and Cassie hopes their friendship will deepen into love. As the danger increases and Cassie faces her doubts about her own abilities, she begins to develop a new strength of character that will help her achieve her life’s goals.
Five Tips For Future Authors
As someone who has been writing for a number of years, I have five suggestions for those who are just starting out on the road to become a fiction author. I don’t claim that these ideas are unique to me and many of them you may have seen before, but it never hurts to have good advice reinforced.
1. Read
If you are going to be a writer, you must be a reader. You must, of course, read the type of book you plan to write in order to understand the conventions in that particular genre, but you must read more widely than that. Reading books of a type that you would never write can give you valuable lessons about style and how to express yourself. It can also show you how a skillful writer handled a situation that may come up in your own writing in a different context.
2. Read About Writing
I am assuming that you have down the basics of grammar and style, but it is always helpful to read at least a few books about writing fiction. You can learn a great deal from this type of book about developing plot, fleshing out character and pacing a story. You will also find that different authors have different approaches to the art of writing, and this will liberate you to try your own methods. There is no one right way to write, but you may find that reading about writing will keep you from having to reinvent the wheel.
3. Persist In Any Project You Start
If you begin a short story, keep working on it until the end: the same with a novel. Giving up at the start of a project deprives you of the benefit of learning how to handle each stage of a book. Working on beginnings is very different from persevering through middles, which is also different from wrapping things up. Even if the final result is seriously flawed, you will have learned more from completing it than if you gave up. Stopping in the middle of a piece can also reinforce a tendency to quit when the going becomes tough, which is never a good practice for a writer.
4. Polish Your Work After It Is Done
Once a story is finished, let it rest for a while, maybe a week or two. Then return to it and give it a good second read, looking for all the ways in which it can be improved. How many rewrites you find necessary will depend on the type of writer you are. Some writers do numerous drafts of a piece before being satisfied with the result. Other can write an almost flawless first draft that requires minimal polishing. You will quickly come to know which type of writer you are. Once the book is as you want it, have someone else read it and give you suggestions. A second reader, especially if that person enjoys the genre you are working in, can be invaluable. Only then should you consider sending it out.
5. Attend Writing Conferences
Writers’ conferences are usually available in most parts of the country and are often specific to particular genres. The workshops may be valuable to beginning writers because experienced professionals will often cover the nuts and bolts of the process. If you have a completed work to market, you may also be able to meet with editors and agents to discuss sales. There is also something inspirational to be gained by meeting people like you who were once starting out and who now have accomplished the goal of becoming published writers. Seeing that they are not so different from yourself can be a motivation to go back to your desk and keep working on the next story.
This list could no doubt be expanded extensively, and I would invite you to look at lists coming from other writers. But I think this list covers the five that have been most important in my career, and I hope they will be helpful as you pursue yours.
Author Bio
Glen Ebisch taught philosophy in college for over twenty-five years, and for the same period of time has been writing mysteries, first for young people, then for adults. He has been fortunate enough to have seventeen published books.
Glen lives with his wife in western Massachusetts and now focuses full time on writing, exercise, and travel.
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/28JWTul
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glenebisch
On Red Adept: http://bit.ly/RAPFragileWill
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