Month: April 2018

Friday Fun-Day Writing Prompt: Kill Your Adverbs

TGIF, readers and writers! For today’s writing prompt, I want to focus on the editing stage of writing. Namely, this prompt will deal with tightening our writing and exercising restraint. It’s time to take a look at our use of adverbs.

Adverbs: writers love them, editors loathe them. When used prudently, they can sharpen the reader’s mental image of a scene. However, writers tend to rely on them a little more than we should. For this writing prompt, we’re going to look at one famous author’s advice for how to use adverbs–or, rather, how to keep from using them.

Mark Twain once gave the following quote:

Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very;” your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.

–Mark Twain

In this exercise, I want you to do what Mark Twain suggests. However, you will not just substitute the word “very.” Instead, you’ll be replacing every use of any adverb.

The exercise, as usual, is simple:

Take one page from your WIP–whether it be a short story, a novel, or even an essay–and every time you use an adverb, replace it with the word “damn.” CAUTION: Remember to save this new version of the page as a new file. Any time you make changes like this, you will want to keep the original. Otherwise, if you realize that you liked it better the first time, you won’t have the original copy to return to.


Image retrieved from inkonhand.com

Once you have replaced all your adverbs, take a break for a few minutes. Watch TV, put in a load of laundry, walk the dog, whatever. Then, after about five or ten minutes, go back to the page you changed. How many times do you use “damn?” Is it scarce? Or do you find it in almost every line?

After noting how often “damn” appears in this version of the page, make a third version in which you remove every appearance of “damn.” Take another quick break, five or ten minutes like before, and then read over this third version. Now that you’ve seen all three versions, what do you think? Were your adverbs justified or superfluous? Is your writing tighter and cleaner without the adverbs, or does it feel choppy and like something’s missing? Or should you find a version in between these, not using quite so many adverbs but not removing all of them?

While many editors–and even acclaimed writers–claim that adverbs and adjectives can be the death of good writing, this is not always the case. Sometimes adverbs are necessary, as are adjectives (but that’s another story). You have to discover for yourself what works best for your writing style. After all, good writers learn the rules; great writers learn them and then break them. This prompt, though, will help you to see adverbs in a new way and learn to not throw them in willy-nilly.

What was your experience with this prompt? Did you learn anything about your writing style? What do you think of Twain’s advice? Are adverbs overused? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Possible Products for The Writer’s Scrap Bin

As you might recall from the anniversary post, I am considering creating merchandise for The Writer’s Scrap Bin. These products, as explained in the Yop Poll on the same topic, would be used to help raise money to keep this blog going. Whether these products would be for sale, as an incentive for a routine pledge, or both, I haven’t decided. I might also use them as giveaways to my newsletter subscribers as well. Before I make these decisions, I want to show you some of this potential merchandise and get your opinion.

All merchandise will be made through Vistaprint. I’ve tried my hand at designing some products on there, and I’ve signed up for the monthly Promobox. All of this merchandise might end up for sale, or maybe only some of it.

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This first gallery has images of prototype merchandise I’ve designed with my logo. These include: a pen, sticky notes, a mug (front and back), and, just to show you everything I’ve been working on, my business cards. They’re very simple but because they have my logo, I’m fairly fond of them. I will probably make adjustments, including fading my logo on the sticky notes and creating a higher-quality image of the logo for use on merchandise. However, these images should give you an idea of what will be available.

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The second gallery depicts the products from my first Promobox. This Promobox included: a t-shirt, flat notecards, small stickers, and a premium pen. As they are part of the Promobox subscription program, they were designed by one of Vistaprint’s professionals with minimal directions from me like which colors and style I would prefer. These are, in my opinion, stunning. I am especially fond of the t-shirt and the flat notecards.

As the Promobox is monthly, I should have more options to present to you every month until I can no longer afford the $25/month. I will try to post about future Promobox products on the Facebook and Twitter accounts for The Writer’s Scrap Bin. However, I will most likely be updating this information on the blog’s new Instagram account.

What would you think? Would you buy any of the above products or pledge a monthly donation to this blog to get them? Can you think of any other kinds of products or design ideas which would persuade you to buy these? Would you sign up for the newsletter if these were one of the monthly giveaway options? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

The Importance of Editing and Proofreading

I have a teachable moment I’d like to share with you. I slipped on the editing for the most recent critical response I turned in for my Master’s program. It wasn’t terribly bad, but there were still two mistakes and that’s bad for me. I had been working on it for hours before I submitted it, and that made me sloppy. I left a word I meant to remove and two words were flipped. This incident just reminded me that even editors need help sometimes, which brings me to the worst-kept secret in the writing/publishing world: everyone makes mistakes.

Whether you’re a writer or editor, you are just as capable of making a mistake as anyone else. Maybe you missed a comma or used “compliment” instead of “complement”. Maybe, in your haste to get the words out, you skip one or accidentally type them out of order. You could even be editing work for a client and forget some obscure grammatical rule, thus allowing an error to slip into the final copy. It happens to even the best writers and editors. That’s why we all need a second pair of eyes for editing and proofreading.

Before I go any further, I need to clear up a common murky area. As minor as it seems, there is a difference between editing and proofreading. Editing involves an in-depth examination of the writing for flow, word choice, style, and, yes, spelling and grammatical errors. This process usually goes hand-in-hand with rewriting, albeit after the beta reading stage. (Of course, it all depends on what your personal writing process is.)

Proofreading, on the other hand, happens much later in the writing cycle. It typically takes place just before the work hits the shelves, physical and electronic. Proofreaders check for grammar and spelling as well as other superficial elements of the work, including the work’s layout. (For example, they would let you know if there’s weird paragraph formatting in an e-book or an inconsistency in font size/style.)


Image retrieved from Clare Lydon

No matter if you write short stories, novels, poems, or essays, editing and proofreading are essential. Otherwise, you will end up with egg on your face. If you work as an editor professionally, you still need to have a second set of eyes look over your writing, even for a school assignment. (Don’t let your pride get in the way like mine did. As my mother always says: if you can’t be a good example, at least be a horrible warning.)

Poorly-edited writing is one of the quickest ways to alienate potential readers. If your work is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors or it lacks flow, readers will not want to suffer that no matter how good the plot or message behind it is. Unfortunately, too many self-published writers make this mistake. They assume that they have looked through the writing enough to have caught all the errors and proceed to publish their books or collections without getting someone else to look at it. Why? One word: money.

Professional editing and proofreading cost a lot of money. Even Fiverr editors and proofreaders can charge a pretty penny, if they’re good and experienced. Mind you, some charge less and are still good, but they are typically either desperate for money or new to freelance editing, so don’t expect their rates to stay that cheap over time. (I’ve been that freelancer and I’ve learned quite a bit since I started a year ago.)

It’s preferable to get an unbiased editor or proofreader, but if you can’t afford it, friends and family are better than nothing. Some might be too kind to let you know about your errors but others aren’t, so if you rely on friends and family for editing, make sure to cast your net wide. That way, you’ll have a better chance of getting someone who will be honest and helpful.

One is better than none, but two or more editors and proofreaders will be your best bet. Like I said before, everyone in this industry makes mistakes. We’re only human, after all. Sometimes errors just run by us unnoticed. The English language is also very complicated. It’s hard to keep track of all the rules and exceptions. Very few, if any, people know all the rules and apply them properly. That’s not to mention the issue of American English vs. Queen’s English (U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.). For those reasons, multiple editors and proofreaders are preferable to one.

This process is long and tedious, and you need to take this into account while planning your book release timeline, if you’re self-publishing. There will be no instant gratification. However, editing and proofreading are essential. It’s bad enough to turn in a short assignment with one or two spelling/grammatical errors; publishing a full-length book unedited could ruin your career before it’s really begun. Even if you’re submitting your manuscript to a traditional agent or publisher, you’ll want it to be fairly polished. Otherwise, they won’t take you seriously.

Do you think editing and proofreading are necessary? What has been your experience in these areas? Have you had better luck with professional editors and proofreaders, or have friends and family worked just as well for you? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Writing Tools for the Modern Age: Plotist

Update 11/29/2019: As of December 1, 2019, Plotist will be CLOSED PERMANENTLY.

Technology can be a writer’s best friend and their worst enemy. Sometimes it makes life easier, such as being able to save all your files on one computer; other times it’s more trouble than it’s worth, such as spellcheck and its uncanny ability to sabotage even the most careful of writers and editors. Today, I am letting you know about one technological advancement, namely a website, which might help writers: Plotist.

I usually stick to the basics when it comes to technology and writing: Microsoft Word for writing and e-mail/flash drives for transporting files from one device to another. However, this method proves to be rather tedious after so many years, not to mention messy. I can’t always remember which stories I’ve sent via e-mail, which are on flash drives, and which are still only on my computer. I have notes and outlines strewn all across my digital devices (not to mention my notebooks, but that’s another can of worms entirely). Since I’ve started using Plotist, my writing life has become a little less of a tangled mess.


Image retrieved from Plotist

Now, I wasn’t actively looking for a site or program like Plotist when I found it. Frankly, I just came across the Plotist account on Twitter and decided to give it a try. Luckily for me, the site offers a free 30-day trial of their “Wordsmith” subscription, which is their premium package. A few days into the trial, I was hooked. The timeline and elements features in particular felt like a God-send. (You might call my typical planning methods “organized chaos.”)

Here are the basics of the features offered by Plotist:

  • Planning

For me, this feature is the best offered by Plotist. The website allows users to create “worlds,” which includes information on characters, events, and other “elements.” Genre writers in particular will find this feature useful. I’ve been using it to keep track of elements in my fantasy stories in particular, especially since you can assign multiple stories to a world. I’ve also found it useful for keeping track of the research I’m doing for some historical fiction.

All prose writers will want to check out the timeline feature within the planning feature. You can create color-coordinated timelines for the different characters which populate the world, which can be helpful no matter what genre you’re working in. Even non-fiction and academic writers will want to utilize the timelines to keep track of the chronological order of the events and/or concepts about which they are writing.

Of course, there is also the classic outline feature available. Within each story, you can outline based on chapters, book sections, whatever you want, and the summary of each chapter/section will be clearly labeled and shown above the space in which you write.

  • Writing

With the writing feature, you can write your chapter/section with your outline and chapter/section summary handy. If you don’t want your outline or summary to show, you can just hide them and reopen them as needed. I have found the writing feature as helpful as the planning feature because I no longer need to e-mail my files to myself or transport them via flash drive.

  • Collaborating

There are options to collaborate with other writers through the site. I don’t know much about this feature as I haven’t really collaborated with other writers yet, but there’s more information on the Plotist website.

  • Community

I haven’t explored this feature much, either. However, Plotist runs both a blog and a forum. The blog provides new information regarding Plotist, writing tips, and guides for gifts to give the writers in your life.


Image retrieved from Plotist on Tumblr

How much does a Plotist subscription cost? That depends on which subscription you use. Plotist offers four subscription options:

  • Free

As the name suggests, this subscription is free. You get unlimited public worlds, unlimited public stories, unlimited elements, unlimited timelines, and unlimited collaboration. However, you do not get any private worlds or stories. Essentially, the “public” worlds and stories can be seen by anyone using the site. “Private” worlds and stories can only be viewed by the user who creates them. With this subscription, everything is public.

  • Scribbler

With this subscription, you get all of the free features plus one private world and one private story.

  • Writer

This subscription, which is their most popular, offers all the free features, three private worlds, and three private stories.

  • Wordsmith

The Wordsmith subscription, which I got to try for free as part of a 30-day trial, gives users all the free features as well as unlimited private worlds and unlimited private stories. After the trial ended, I decided to subscribe to this option using the annual payment option. (It’s normally $99/year, but I caught a special price of $80/year in March. Either way, it’s cheaper in the long run.) Not everyone will find this expense necessary; I’m just a rather private person, especially when I’m in the initial planning and writing stages of a story.

You can also access the blog and forum for free.

Unfortunately, they do not have an app for iOS or Androids yet. However, you can still access Plotist through Chrome, Firefox, IE, and Safari, even on your phone or tablet. I’m hoping that they will have an app for iPhones soon but, for now, I can work with using it on Safari.

You can learn more about Plotist and pricing options on their website.

Have you ever tried Plotist or similar websites? What have been your experiences in this area? Any alternative sites, apps, or methods you’d like to suggest? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below!


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Friday Fun-Day Writing Prompt: Unlucky Friday

Happy Friday the 13th! Despite its reputation, I’ve always loved Friday the 13th. Or perhaps it’s because of its reputation? I really don’t know. All that I do know is that I love Friday and thirteen is one of my lucky numbers, and so Friday the 13th is usually a good day for me. (The jury is still out on today considering my dog didn’t let me sleep much.) A lot of people, however, seem to consider Friday the 13th as unlucky, and it’s that reputation I want to focus on for this writing prompt.

I could go into the history of how Friday the 13th became an “unlucky” day, but that would take too long. (You should look it up, though. It involves greed, a corrupt government, and the Knights Templar. You couldn’t make this stuff up.) Instead, let’s jump to the good stuff: a perfectly unlucky day.

What’s a “perfectly unlucky day”? It’s a day when nothing can seem to go right. From the time you wake up until the time you go to bed, everything seems to blow up in your face and, by the end, you just want the world to go away. We’ve all had that sort of day. Maybe it’s not as drastically bad as in the movie Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, but it’s still the worst day you’ve ever had. This is the kind of situation I want you to throw your characters into.


Image retrieved from Amazon

As usual, the prompt is pretty straightforward: write a story in which one of the main characters in your WIP experiences their worst day ever. The story can be a part of the character’s everyday life or a major plot point in your WIP, depending on how evil you’re feeling. All that matters is that nothing goes right for them that day.

However, don’t make the bad day illogical or implausible for your character, either. With very good and very bad luck in stories, it’s easy to rely upon coincidences. For this prompt, I want you to avoid coincidences as much as possible.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say part of your character’s very bad day is catching their partner, who works in the same office as them, having an affair with a coworker. You will want to avoid a set-up such as your character runs out of staples, goes to the office supply closet to get more, and just so happens to catch their partner making out with a coworker. Instead, have them notice that their partner and the coworker seem to have been flirty for a while. Then, because they are in a bad mood from having a bad day anyway, your character becomes paranoid and decides to follow them during lunch. During this stalking, your character finds them sharing a kiss in the stairwell, and their suspicions are confirmed.

I suggest that, before actually writing the story, you create an outline of the unlucky events that will happen to your character. Obviously, this outline will just be a guideline, but it’s good to go into this with half an idea of what you want to write. It’s easier to avoid coincidences that way.

This exercise is meant to test your character’s limits. What will they do under the pressure of a bad day? Will a normally calm character have a meltdown? Will a nervous nellie be oddly prepared and step up to the challenge? Take this opportunity to really explore your character’s personality. After all, a person’s true personality shines in the worst of times, not the best.

How did this prompt go for you? Did you learn something about your character that you hadn’t thought about before? What sort of torment did you put them through? Leave your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

New Poll: Affiliated Writer’s Forum

Happy Thursday, fellow writers! As I said in the anniversary post, I’ve been toying around with the idea of creating a forum for writers which will be affiliated with The Writer’s Scrap Bin. Before I proceed, I want your opinion on the idea.

Like The Writer’s Scrap Bin, this forum will be a place for writers to come together and support each other’s writing aspirations. However, this forum will allow for more direct contact among its members. Members will be able to share resources, give advice to fellow writers, critique each other’s WIP, and more. Best of all, access to the forum will be free.

Here’s a rough outline, which is subject to change as this idea takes shape:

 

Forum Title

The Writer’s Lounge

 

Section Titles

Administration Topics

General Discussion

Writing Advice

Writing Prompts and Contests

Writer’s Workshop

Book Club

Affiliated Websites

 

Possible Host

Tapatalk

 

As with The Writer’s Scrap Bin, staff will monitor the forum for spam, trolling, and other inappropriate behavior to unsure the best, most stress-free experience possible for the forum’s members.

At the moment, I plan to allow promotion of members’ works WHEN APPROPRIATE. For example, a writer can announce in the General Discussion section that their new book is available on Amazon. They could also tell others about free book giveaways and other special promotions. However, randomly dropping a link to one’s book in a thread about, say, how to craft a query letter will not be allowed. If members abuse this privilege once the site is live, this policy might be changed.

Unfortunately, The Writer’s Lounge will only be able available in English at first. I hope to expand into other languages as The Writer’s Scrap Bin continues to grow. Right now, though, I can only confidently write in English, and I cannot afford to hire translators. Regardless, that does not mean that only people from English-speaking countries will be able to join. So long as you feel comfortable reading English, you’ll be able to participate.

So, what do you think? Does The Writer’s Lounge get your seal of approval? Or is it another one for the scrap bin? Vote in the poll and share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Book Reviews: Lakewood by Reggie Hill

I have another book to show you, also by one of the authors of Sunshine’s Excellent Adventures. For this review, I’m shifting gears from a children’s book to a short collection of family/home-based tales and poems reminiscent of Driving Grandpa by John Redstand. This collection is called Lakewood: Reggie and Anita’s Camelot by Reggie Hill.

We all have that one special place which makes us feel absolutely at peace, the happiest we could ever be. For Reggie and his wife Anita, that place is their lake house, appropriately dubbed Lakewood. Built by Reggie’s grandfather during World War II, Lakewood is Heaven on Earth for this couple. Whether it’s turning a childhood hideaway into a guest house or the joy of spotting two river otters playing the water, Reggie and Anita make the best of every simple pleasure their lakeside home can offer them.


Image retrieved from Amazon

In less than forty pages, Reggie Hill gives readers a slice of this Camelot through several stories and poems, each only a few pages long. As with Hill’s Sunshine’s Excellent Adventures and even Redstand’s Driving Grandpa, there is no single, complete plot to tie together the stories and poems in this collection. Rather, they are connected Lakewood, Reggie and Anita, and a feeling of love and nostalgia which only shines through a narrative when the writer truly loves what he/she is writing about.

I must say that there is a surprising amount of character development spanning these stories and poems, particularly for Reggie. Readers get a clear view not only of Reggie’s family history in relation to Lakewood but also Reggie’s personality. While he is ready and willing to shoot vermin which work to ruin his nirvana, Reggie also has a big heart, as made evident by the fact that he didn’t want to shoot the otters eating their expensive fish. He would have if needed, but fortunately for him—and for me as an animal-loving reader—he didn’t have to.

Of course, Reggie isn’t even my favorite character/person in this collection. No, that title goes to Reggie’s grandmother, Granny Good. A plump, spunky, and adventures elderly woman from a bygone era, she’s the sort of grandmother that every child wishes they had. The joy with which Granny good helps Reggie to launch his homemade missiles warmed my heart and made me laugh; after all, joy is contagious. It’s unfortunate that only one of these stories–albeit probably the longest one–involves Granny Good. I think Hill could have written an entire book about his time with Granny Good alone. Perhaps, one day, he will.

I wish that we could have seen a little more of Anita. It’s probably best that Hill focuses on the location instead as it avoided the stereotypical “growing old together” trope. Still, it would have been nice to see more of Anita as Lakewood means so much to her as well.

While any reader would get some joy out of reading sweet stories about a lakeside home, I think that readers who grew up in small towns and around lakes will have a greater appreciation for Lakewood. The descriptions reminded me a great deal of a lake that my dad and I went to when I was younger. It does not have the same kinds of animals as Hill’s Lakewood, but it is also man-made and both fill me with this “back-in-the-day” feeling. I longed to have the panoramic views of my lake as Reggie had of his and to be able to see nature scurry about as he does. (And I’m not even an outdoorsy person!) My lake is not my Camelot, but Hill helps me to feel that Lakewood truly is Reggie and Anita’s Camelot, and I think that those readers with similar experiences with lakes and less-populated areas will sense this truth more prominently.

In addition to these very short stories, Lakewood also includes some very descriptive and awe-inspiring poetry. Just like the stories, each poem is light-hearted and, sometimes, flat out funny. My favorite in particular has to be “Sunshine Sugarbunny Hill”. This poem illustrates the daily life of one of the resident rabbits of Lakewood in a way which makes the rabbit seem majestic and heroic but also quite the scoundrel.

This verse from “Sunshine Sugarbunny Hill” has especially stuck with me:

He is a thing of beauty but a constant challenge

Behind his golden eyes is a view,

Of an ancient and dangerous world

His fur is like cuddly golden down,

But a timeless beast rests deep in his tiny heart

These lines, to me, capture the tone of the overall collection best. Lakewood is beautiful but changing, a remnant of another time; it is a peaceful sanctuary but, at the same time, it has its own beasts within (just ask the muskrats).

Lakewood: Reggie and Anita’s Camelot by Reggie Hill is not an action-filled collection. The plots for the short stories are simple and, admittedly, sometimes not even true “plots.” Nevertheless, this book is a wonderful memoir of funny tales, beloved memories, and priceless photographs. If you’re looking for stories and poems which will leave you with that warm, fuzzy feeling, as though you’ve finally come home for the first time in years, you’ll want to take a look at Hill’s Lakewood. And at only forty pages, it’s the perfect snack-sized read for boring waiting rooms and tiresome bus rides!

You can buy Lakewood: Reggie and Anita’s Camelot by Reggie Hill as an e-book or in print on Amazon. As with Sunshine’s Excellent Adventures, you’ll want to view the Kindle version on a larger screen for the best reading experience; don’t want to miss out on those beautiful photographs.

Do you know of any books I should read and review? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Book Reviews: Sunshine’s Excellent Adventures by Reggie and Anita Hill

Good day, beloved readers! I have another book to bring you, one which is probably best suited to cat lovers, children, and the young at heart. In this post, I will be reviewing Sunshine’s Excellent Adventures by Reggie and Anita Hill.

Sunshine is a sweet, adorable kitten with an uncanny ability to make friends. His secret, you ask? “The best way to make friends was to treat them exactly the way he wanted to be treated.” This philosophy serves Sunshine well as he transitions from living under a big pier with his mother, brothers, and sisters to a new, permanent home with the humans Anita and Reggie. This new home turns out to just be the beginning of the happiest time of his life, his happiest adventures.


Image retrieved from Amazon

In thirteen short pages, Sunshine’s Excellent Adventures follows Sunshine on his adventures, from his firsts—first home, first trick, first vet visit—to everyday adventures such as making friends with Speedy the Squirrel and his daily chore of making Reggie and Anita laugh. Each adventure serves as its own story, very short stories with minimalist plots, but stories nonetheless. All that connects these stories to each are Sunshine and his journey as someone’s beloved pet, but that’s enough to string the adventures together.

With simple writing and vibrant illustrations, Reggie and Anita Hill create a fun and adorable account of this kitten’s life. Sunshine is a very likeable character; he’s outgoing, kind, and loving, a cat that young and old readers alike will feel a connection to. Reggie and Anita only explore the other characters very briefly, including the fictionalized versions of themselves. They take the time to portray Sunshine’s mother, Momma Motley, as tender and caring in order to give a good picture of Sunshine’s first home, but they show very little else about her. Normally, this lack of characterization for the supporting characters would bother me. However, as this book seems to be for children, it doesn’t really detract from the quality.

Perhaps most impressive about this book is how consistently positive it stays. Sunshine starts as a stray with a mother who worries about being able to feed all her babies. However, even this scenario is portrayed in a positive light as Sunshine makes friends with all the creatures he encounters while wandering around the pier. I suppose that older readers will find a lack of emotional satisfaction in this storytelling style because it somewhat softens the miracle of Sunshine being adopted. Still, younger readers, particularly young children, will find this positivity much more palatable and will be happy to see how happy Sunshine always is.

I would not call this book an “intellectual” read or even a moral one. Still, as is typical with a children’s book, life lessons are woven into the commonplace moments which make up Sunshine’s adventures: make friends by being nice, there’s nothing to fear from a doctor’s visit, it’s better to be your quirky self than to fit a mold, etc. These lessons are too on-the-nose for adult readers, but they are perfect for children who need a little push to go on their own “adventures.”

Overall, Reggie and Anita have written a cute book which will make any reader laugh and go “aww.” If you love cats and happy stories and/or want a light to share with your children, you’ll definitely want to snag a copy of Sunshine’s Excellent Adventures. A word to the wise: either buy the print version or read the Kindle version on a tablet rather than a smartphone. The illustrations will look much better on paper or, at least, on a larger screen.

You can buy Sunshine’s Excellent Adventures by Reggie and Anita Hill as an e-book or in print on Amazon.

Do you know of any books I should read and review? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Happy One-Year Anniversary to The Writer’s Scrap Bin!

Happy Sunday, loyal readers! Sorry for being absent so long. I thought I wouldn’t be as busy the past couple weeks but boy was I wrong. Anyway, as I mentioned in my review of Mumbai Matinee by Ajay Kaul, March 26th was the one-year anniversary of The Writer’s Scrap Bin. It’s hard to believe that it’s been an entire year since I launched this blog. A lot has happened since then. I discovered Fiverr, started Facebook and Twitter pages for The Writer’s Scrap Bin, and I’ve made some friends along the way. It’s been a stressful year, but a fun one.

So, what’s in store for The Writer’s Scrap Bin in the next year?

Well, as far as I can tell, things are going to continue just as they have the past year. I’ll continue to bring you reviews, writing advice, writing prompts, and more. I might even share some of my thoughts on the Disney franchise. We’ll see.

I do have something cooking behind-the-scenes for this anniversary, though. Many months back, I held a YOP poll in which I asked readers if they would buy merchandise with my logo on it. (You can find the poll and vote on it in the YOP poll archive.) While I haven’t decided exactly how I will proceed with this plan yet, I have been experimented on Vistaprint with some possible designs. I even signed up for their Promobox.

So far I have purchased prototypes for a mug, a pen, and sticky notes, and I’ve bought business cards in bulk. I think that the business cards turned out the best, personally. However, I’m still excited about these other products as well.


Prototype pen with my logo

(I’ll be sure to post more images of both the prototypes and the promobox soon so that all of you can check them out for yourselves.)

I also have my eyes set on starting a forum which will run in affiliation with this blog. This forum will be an area for writers to gather, share advice and success stories/horrible warnings, and for writers to workshop each other’s WIPs. It will most likely be held through Tapatalk, the site through which one of my favorite Dragonriders of Pern role play forums is currently hosted. (Southern Weyr: Overdrive and Renewal for fellow Anne McCaffrey fans who are interested in playing.)

What else is in store for this blog? Well, that will depend on what my readers want. While I’ll have the final say on all decisions about The Writer’s Scrap Bin, I’m also open to hearing your ideas. Feel free to share your thoughts on how you want to see this blog grow following its one-year anniversary. Just drop a line in the comments below or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com

I can’t wait to hear from everyone!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011