Category Archives: Writing Articles, Tips & More

Quote I love: Seriously? I’m a writer

Posted on by

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I love …

Another quote from my own life.

The other day I was editing my latest manuscript, and I asked my partner how to spell something. I was trying to determine if I needed a hyphen in the context of the sentence. Without even looking away from her iPhone she said,

“What’s the big deal if it’s hyphenated or not.”

Seriously? I’m a writer. It’s a big deal.

Now, don’t get me wrong … my partner is always, always supportive of my writing. She wasn’t trying to be mean. She was trying to be funny … I think. But a part of her really wanted to know if I gave that much thought to every single word.

And it got me thinking. When I submit a manuscript, I want it to be as polished as I can make it. I write an extremely rough first draft. When I go back over it again and again, I’m looking to not only improve the plot, the characterizations, and voice, but I’m also looking to correct the grammar and catch any errors. I want to be able to read through it one last time without catching any typos or misspellings. I want to print it out and not have made one red mark by the time I get to the end. Then I know it’s ready. Now, I’m NOT saying it’s perfect. I certainly miss stuff. A LOT of stuff. And I don’t know all the rules I should be following. I’m still learning about grammar and the craft of writing. But I want it to be as good as it can be — for me, at that moment.

So are there other authors who feel the same? What’s your process for editing? How do you know when you should stop editing? Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear what you think.

Sloan Parker

Video I love: On Meeting An Agent

Posted on by
Once a week, I post a video I’ve seen recently that I’m loving. So here’s this week’s Video I love…

This one’s for all my writing friends. Be sure to watch both clips. There’s a link at the end to the second one. Funny stuff. Thanks to my writing pal Connie for passing it along.

<<embedded video below>>

Does anyone have a real life experience that matches the video? Want to share? Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sloan Parker

Quote I love: Better to Dare Greatly Than Not to Try

Posted on by

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I love …

Someone mentioned this quote in one of my writing groups last week. It’s from US President Theodore Roosevelt and has always been one of my favorites. It reminds me that even when something seems hard, seems impossible, seems so out of reach that you wonder why you’re even trying it, that it’s better to give your all and try your best than never to have given it a shot to begin with.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt
26th US President (1901-09)

I recently told a friend an idea for a story I was planning to write. She looked at me like I was crazy. She doesn’t read romance so I tried not to give her opinion much weight. She’s not familiar with the genre, after all. But it did make me question my idea. In those moments, I try to go with my instincts and write the best story I can. Quotes like this help me remember that at least I’m taking a chance and daring greatly.

What do you think of this one? Comment on this post or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sloan Parker

Quote I love: Keeping the Reader in Mind

Posted on by

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I love …

Last week, I read the following in this blog post aimed at inspiring writers to become masters of their craft:

“As writers, we owe it to our readers, to our editors, to our agents, to ourselves to produce the best possible stories. We owe it to the people who put down good money for our books to make our next story better than the last.”

Christy Lockhart
Bestselling Author
Silhouette Desire, Silhouette Intimate Moments, Ellora’s Cave, and Loose Id

I like statements like this. They remind me to always keep the reader — who has spent hard-earned money on a book — in mind. Readers put faith in an author and a story. As I look forward to my first release, I hope to always remember to honor that trust by doing the best I can with everything I work on. At the end of the day, publication means my stories aren’t just for me anymore. I want others to enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Feel free to comment on this post or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sloan Parker

Quote I love: It’s supposed to be hard

Posted on by

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I love …

“Everyone thinks they can write a book. The only people who really know how hard it is are the ones who have tried.”

Nathan Bransford
Literary Agent
Curtis Brown Ltd

I like statements like this. They help keep me sane. Writing isn’t always easy, but it is also one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. There’s nothing like opening a blank document and filling it with words until you have a story you love, characters you’re proud of, a romance that inspires.

Any other writers feel the same? How about you readers … do any of you have aspirations to write a book? Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Sloan Parker