Pacing

Before we begin - the winners are!!!

Sharon Johnson Mayhew - Signed Rack Card 
Leigh Talbot Moore - Canvas Tote
Southpaw - Critique
Jennifer Allis Provost - Ebook
BN100 - Signed Print Book

Congrats! I will email you with info. And NOW the post:

Pacing builds emotion in the reader. How? It creates the mood. Everything from anticipation and fear to grief and hope. It's a very important tool in the writer's repertoire. So how do you control it? Here are a few tips.

• Skip the status quo. 
• Ask yourself if the scene is moving the plot forward. If the answer is no, it better at least be building character, but ideally it will be doing both. If you've written the funniest scene in the history of the universe about your character brushing his teeth, you should consider cutting it or changing it to move the plot forward.
• Trust the reader to fill in the blanks. You don't have to take us for the car ride when the character goes to visit his long lost mother. We can use our imaginations to get there. 
• Slow it down.
• But ONLY when it counts. If it's a pivotal scene, take your time with it. Immerse us in sensory details. Give us some internal dialogue and character reaction.
• Is the killer about to attack? Build tension by putting the reader on the edge of his seat as each step echoes, each stair creaks, each shadow moves...
• About to have the first kiss? Don't just go for it. Tease us! 
• Speed it up.
• Punctuate the right scenes by making sure all isn't equal. You are basically highlighting the important parts in the reader's subconscious by controlling how much attention they pay and how deeply they are immersed in the scene.

What do you think? Other pacing tips you have to share?

Contest and Tour Schedule

*Breaking news: THE BINDING STONE is available for only .99 cents on KindleThursday and Friday this week! Click here to check it out* 

Okay - NEXT week will be writing related, I promise! LOL But you DO want to WIN stuff, right? I hope so. Cuz I took your advice and I'm having a contest!!!

You will have multiple chances to win because I am doing some ebook giveaways on other blogs as well. But here's the contest for MY blog:

1. Tell me one wish you'd make if YOU had a genie. 

2. Tweet, FB, Blog, write on your forehead, whatever to get the word out! LOL If you do that last one I want a pic! Extra points for everything.

3. You can win one of the following: A print copy of the book (as soon as it's available and only in the US I'm sorry to say) signed by MOI, An ebook copy of the book, a critique (5 pages), a lovely canvas tote bag with the gorgeous BINDING STONE cover on it, a signed rack card with the same lovely art. 

That's 5 prizes! AND the best part? I might just ADD prizes if I get enough interest. So spread the word!! Just fill out the form below. 

Here's the schedule for my lovely blog tour this week:
Tuesday: 
I have a guest post on Stina Lindenblatt's blog
Wednesday: 
Interview/character interview on Margo Berendson's blog 
Interview on Julie Musil's blog
Thursday: 
Laura Pauling has an Excerpt from the book!
Friday:
Leslie Rose features me on her blog

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Day Two

I kind of feel like I have a hangover from partying too hard or something! LOL 

I had an awesome launch day and I want to thank all of YOU for supporting me.

I have some cool prizes and things still to come, so I hope you'll stick around. But I'll continue to blog on writing so don't worry - it won't be all about THE BINDING STONE. Unless it's lessons learned and that sort of thing or I have something special to announce.

-Lisa 

Impromptu Contest!

In honor of my book birthday I will GIFT A COPY to the most creative tweeter using #TheBindingStone hashtag & link: amzn.to/YTaymY by 9PM PST tonight!! 

Get creative and help me spread the word at the same time! :D It'll be fun. Let's see what you can come up with!!

It's HERE!!!

THE BINDING STONE  is now available on Amazon Kindle!! Click here to visit.

Mothering Your Writing

First - the winner of the 5 page critique (via randomizer.org) is MARGO! Yeah! I'll email you with detes.

In honor of Mother's Day, and as a mother of three, I want to talk a bit about parenting. Parenting your manuscript that is. Take a look at this post via Agent Carly Watters. It got me thinking. We do treat our work like our babies, and I get it, but it isn't always healthy. 

So how do you KNOW you're in that unhealthy zone?

• Do you read for revision, but see nothing that can or should be changed?
• Do you have a suspicion that the minute you send it out in the query world it will be gobbled up immediately?
• Do you like your own writing better than anything else out there?

What should you do if you're there or close (even on occasion)? 

• Put the manuscript in a virtual drawer and start working on something new. Because you know what? Until I'd written several manuscripts I was so enamored with my characters it was hard to concentrate on other things. Now I enjoy diving back in with old friends, but I can separate myself just fine between.
• Make sure you use good critique partners. You have to have another set of eyes. Trustworthy ones. It takes time to find good ones, but they're worth their weight in gold. And be open to criticism, even if that means holding off for another day or two when you get notes. 
• Force yourself to rewrite a section. Even if you think it's perfect. Start over and do something different. Maybe try a new POV. You'll realize there might be more than one way to say things. 

Any other tips? Have you ever fallen into this trap? 

NEXT WEEK STARTS MY BLOG TOUR FOR THE BINDING STONE!! Stop by for a schedule and giveaway info on Monday. 

It's coming...

Pretty Isn't it?

Soon my friends. THIS MONTH my first novel, THE BINDING STONE, will be available to the masses. Eep. I'm thrilled and scared and happy and excited and anxious and well you get the idea. 

So here is my question to you:

What should I do for YOU to celebrate? Everyone runs contests, but is that enough? What will get you (yeah you, the people that read but don't say hello!)  to comment and enter? To celebrate with me????

Suggestions? 

Be creative because you know I love that. And to prove it I'll pick one legitimate suggestion/commenter and do a five page critique for you! Just leave your comment and email so I can reach you. I'll use randomizer.org to pick a winner!

Don't forget to add it on Goodreads. Mostly because I'm obsessively checking the page. 
*sits and stares at computer*
*refreshes screen*
WHAT? I have an A type personality! ;D 

And come like my author page on FB because it's pretty new and I'm pretty lonely over there. :( 

And because I always like giving you posts of value - I want to leave you with my new favorite quote.

"A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe."
- Madeleine L'Engle