Free 5 Part Video Series on The Story Grid

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

I just finished an amazing five-part video series on the craft of story editing, by Shawn Coyne, The Story Grid. It is one of the most informative series I’ve seen to date. In addition to the videos, free downloads and full transcripts are available.

Click here to download all five videos. Buy the book here or on Amazon.

“Story Grids inspire writers by showing them exactly how the literary masters structured their masterpieces. Creating a Story Grid for your own work will literally show you exactly how your Story works. Seeing a novel from start to finish is an indispensable editorial tool.”

Where There’s a Will, There’s A Way

August 19, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 1 Comment

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Helpless.”

I detest feeling helpless. You know the sense of “What now?” I consider myself a strong and independent woman. My philosophy has always been, “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” (Just ask my kids). But, like anything, a time comes when you realize, life and the world are not in your control. Shit happens and sometimes, you can do about it, but sit back and watch.

During my divorce, many years ago, I was determined to buy, set up, and decorate a Christmas tree for my two beautiful daughters. Easy peasy, what was the big deal? When we purchased our tree, the girls’ excitement became infectious. Thankfully the man placed it on top of the car for me. With great effort, we managed to get the tree to the front porch.

A little tall for the apartment, I retrieved the flimsy handsaw I’d bought along with the tree stand, and proceeded to saw on the bottom of the ragged trunk.

Honest to God, I was certain my arms would fall off before the tree trunk. My heavy breathing and blood-red face sent my oldest daughter into a fit of the giggles and then, into song. She began dancing around the porch and singing as loud as she could, “Mama needs a man…”

Between taking breaths, I vehemently denied it and kept sawing, praying silently God would drop one (a man) out of the sky. I am still convinced the trunk contained lead.

He didn’t drop one from the sky, but my neighbor, a tall, strapping man arrived home from work just in the nick of time. He took one look at me, walked over, and in two stokes the ragged trunk dropped to the floor (due to all my efforts of course). He carried it into our apartment, and secured it in the stand. I thanked him, “I almost had it, you know.” I can still see the smile on his face.

The feeling of helplessness grows with aging. I’ve experienced a number of those occasions. But, I always try to remember what I’ve drummed into my kids heads all their lives.” Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I can do it.

As always, I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood and Twitter @cofcmom.

Tips for the Floundering Tweeter

August 15, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

Although, I’ve had a Twitter account for awhile now, I admit I’m not proficient in the use of Twitter. For one, it can be addictive and it’s hard for me to say anything in a 140 characters. I’ve been working on my Twitter presence and thanks to Kevan Lee at Buffer for his article, Twitter Tips for Beginners, I have a number of tips to share with those of you who, like me, are still floundering beginners or, just floundering.

Twitter Tips

Unless you don’t want to get anything else done -Don’t read every tweet. According to Kevan, “If you’re following 100 people, you could see 2,200 tweets per day.” I don’t have that kind of time.
Use Lists: This is something I’ve used for some time now. I currently have nine lists, from writing to politics.
Talk to people. If they tweet, re-tweet, mention, or favor a tweet – recognize them. Say something, after all, Twitter is about connecting with people. In the South, we call not responding – rude!
Use a scheduler. I use Buffer and have for a long time.
Make sure your profile is up to date, professional and says something real about who you are.
Follow as many as you want and more if you can. You follow me, I’m gonna follow you. And, by the way, you can find me on Twitter @cofcmom.
And, Thanks Kevan for this: No. 1 Rule of Tweeting: If you want everyone to see your tweet, don’t start it with an @ symbol. I didn’t have a clue.
You’re not going to be shunned or cut off from Twitter world if you repost a Tweet more than once. Go for it. It’s okay. You might pick up a follower or two.
Don’t forget the # hashtag, but don’t overdo it either. According to Kevan, when you use more than two #’s, engagement drops by 17%. Who knew you could # someone to death. Kevan has a whole article on the science of #hashtags. You can check it out here.

Here’s to Tweeting. I’ll see you on the Twitter playground. I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Twitter @cofcmom, Tumblr, and Pinterest.

Do You Make These 5 Mistakes?

August 13, 2015October 21, 2016 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 8 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I hate making mistakes. I think the number of errors one makes in life should decrease exponentially with age. But then, nobody asked me.

Writing a novel, whether it’s your first or third, is not for the faint of heart. I’m on my first, and the more I read about writing, the more mistakes jump out at me and smack me in the head. Seriously?

5 of the Most Common Mistakes Writers Make

Write & edit at the same time – Oh Lord, I’m so guilty of this one. Every time I read another how-to, chapter one gets a makeover.
No tension or conflict – Maxwell Anderson once said, ” The story… must be a conflict, and specifically, a conflict between the forces of good and evil within a single person. I think I’m okay with this one, but I’ll double-check – everyone loves a fist fight.
Stereotyped characters – If your character is a bored housewife, give her a personality and quirks that make her anything but boring. “Know more about your character than you let on. It’ll show.” Aaron Miles
A main character nobody likes – I was told many times growing up, “If you can’t say anything good about someone, keep your mouth shut.” Okay, maybe that’s not a direct quote, but we all like to feel something good about the characters we read. In one of my stories, the main character kills her husband because he becomes a weak, whiny-ass of a man. I thought she might need a tweak or two (to become more likable) but, come to think of it – I know many women who would love her.
Forgetting who you’re writing for – hint, it’s your readers. Fine, some write because they have to, whatever that means, or for catharsis – maybe sometimes. Whatever the reason you write, if the story doesn’t engage the reader you’re doomed and so is the story. So, make it believable. Don’t write when you’re bored; it’ll show. Give them a story that keeps them up at night, flipping pages.

More on mistakes writers make? Check out Steven James article in Writer’s Digest, 5 Story Mistakes Even Good Writers Make.

What about you? Are you guilty of making these mistakes? I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. And as always, you can follow me on Facebook at SheilaMGood and Twitter @cofcmom.