My first creative writing class was in my junior year in high school. I loved it so much (thank you, Miss Dearborn) that I repeated it in my senior year.
Forty years passed before I wrote any more short stories, poetry, or fiction.
In the meantime, I wrote just about every kind of advertising copy you can imagine: brochures, traditional print ads, speeches, radio & television commercials, direct mail letters, white papers and news releases.
From 1999 to 2001 I served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Suriname, South America. My assignment was "rural community development." To tell the truth, I had a lot of down time in the village, where I laid happily in my hammock and read a lot of novels. Finally it struck me: why not write one?
Ever since I'd met the editor of Romantic Times on a cruise to Bermuda, I'd thought about writing a romance. After all, what could be easier? I thought.
I plunged into writing my eco-adventure romance, Hard Amazon Rain.
Little did I know that romance is perhaps the toughest genre to write. Those romance readers have real strong ideas about what they want and what they don't want in their stories!
In Suriname, I was intrigued by the story of Elisabeth Samson, the first black woman in the country in the 18th century to get legal permission from the Dutch to marry white. I started out to tell her story in third person, but along the way this "voice" emerged. I have no idea where it came from.
Elisabeth Samson, Forbidden Bride was published by a small press in 2004. It subsequently created a furor in Suriname, where I was publicly accused of "stealing (their) black culture".....and that's a whole different story for another time.
By that time I was hooked on writing books. I've learned a lot along the way, book/tape/seminar/conference junkie that I am.
Where do I get my story ideas?
I've been blessed in my life with jobs and adventures that have taken me to many countries in the world and led me to meet a lot of interesting people. I take two or three of them, put them in a bottle, shake it up, and ask myself, "What if?"
I'm sure you've also found yourself on occasion in a situation where you thought, "You just can't make this stuff up!"
For the record, I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington--hence the "webbed" feet-- and spent most of my adult life and career in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In Los Angeles...
Finished writing your memoir? Get ready for EDITING, where your major work begins. This short guide covers everything you need to know to edit your book like a pro, and take your story and your writing from good to POWERFUL!
POWER EDITING FOR MEMOIR WRITERS helps you look at every aspect of your writing--from your initial story concept, through the telling of your story, to how you craft your sentences.
This short, concise, no-nonsense guide makes the editing process easy. It introduces you to a fantastically easy editing system, shows you how to use powerful word arrangements called "rhetorical devices", and how to use the NUMBER ONE SECRET to power up your writing today!
POWER EDITING FOR MEMOIR WRITERS is arranged in two sections: Part One addresses the elements of your story, and how you have used them. Part Two addresses your sentence structure, grammar and word usage, with tips and tricks professional writers and editors use every day to write and market best-sellers.
By editing as well as possible yourself, you can drastically reduce, or even eliminate, professional editing costs.
The author has purposefully kept this book as simple and concise as possible--under three hours to read--with practical information you can APPLY RIGHT NOW to your manuscript.
Carolyn V. Hamilton is a former marketing, advertising and copywriting executive with several published books, including fiction, non-fiction and memoir.
In her private coaching program, "Memoir to Legacy", she helps aspiring memoir writers share their stories of adventure, adversity, personal challenges, trauma and redemption.
"Power Editing for Memoir Writers is the perfect name for this helpful book. Whether you're writing a memoir or fiction, this little book is filled with tips on putting the story together and then editing it. Ms. Hamilton explains each point in simple, to-the-point language. I appreciated the resources she offered to look deeper into her points. All writers, new and experienced, will find gems within the pages of this book." - Janet Glaser
"Carolyn V. Hamilton has written a wonderfully practical how-to book for memoirists: Power Editing for Memoir Writers. In succinct chapters, she gives answers to questions that plague both beginners and veterans of the genre, questions such as "What font type should I use?" "How do I avoid rooky mistakes?" "What questions should I be asking myself and others to create powerful scenes that will appeal to readers?" She also inserts other helpful sources, including web sites and books. In this advice-filled tome, it was easy, too, to jump ahead or backwards to sections that were most pertinent. The book is practical with do-able tips. For instance, she suggests edit/find searches for words that slow down the story. Or, she advises, read the manuscript aloud to avoid awkward phrasing. She cites ways to comb through your work to pinpoint and highlight problems.In short, this is a vastly helpful guide for anyone who writes memoir or, frankly, those who write in any genre." - N. Dorman-Hickson
"Carolyn Hamilton's book was amazingly complete. I felt like I was getting infomercial add-ons with each additional chapter I read. It's easy to understand, nicely written, very complete, and oh-so-useful. Hopefully, this will save me some $$ when I submit to my editor. In my opinion, this book is great for writers in any genre." - Braveheart
Título : Power Editing For Memoir Writers, includes the #1 Secret to Power Up Your Writing Now!
EAN : 9780463280508
Editorial : Carolyn V. Hamilton
El libro electrónico Power Editing For Memoir Writers, includes the #1 Secret to Power Up Your Writing Now! está en formato ePub
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