I’ve been alpha and/or beta reading manuscripts for about four years. I read a mix of about fifty to sixty traditionally and indie published novels a year for pleasure. What do some indie novels have in common with not-yet-polished drafts I alpha and beta read? Bad beginnings. Info dumps. Lack of developmental editing. The way[…]
Author: tjdeschamps
Forward Planning: My Next Project
The idea for my next project came from this comic I saw on Facebook. It was simple as that. I didn’t want to do a Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland retelling. That’s overly done, and I’m not interested in writing children. I pitched the idea of Dorothy and Alice as private detectives and[…]
Another Draft Finished
I finished the rough draft of Tam Lin: A Modern, Queer Retelling last night and will think of a less on the nose title soon. In the meantime, I’ll send the draft off to alpha readers. They’ll look for things like pacing, tension, seek plot holes, and analyze the character arc. I ended the story[…]
Test, Allies, and Enemies–A Hero’s Journey Plot Point Featuring an Excerpt from Tam Lin: A Modern Queer Retelling
With a hero’s journey style plot, after your protagonist steps out of their ordinary world and into the new world, they’re going to meet some people along the way. These are little mini adventures that will give your character tools for the ultimate challenge. They’ll get pieces of advice too. This is an excerpt where[…]
The Hero’s Journey Plot Rundown
The most important thing you must remember about any plot is that a good plot is a series of events that teach a lesson. Without that lesson learned, the story will come off as hollow and formulaic. The Hero’s Journey Plot The Set Up/call to adventure Every story must start up in the character’s ordinary[…]
Hero’s Journey Plot Point The Threshold and How I Used It in Tam Lin: A Modern, Queer Retelling
In all myths, the hero goes to distant lands Sometimes to several while on their quest. It’s when they venture out from their everyday life and into fantastical settings or into any unknown. It doesn’t have to be filled with monsters, but it has to be a place that challenges what they believe in the[…]
The Hero’s Journey Plot Point The Mentor and How I Used It for: Tam Lin: A Modern, Queer Retelling–Excerpt from Chapter Two
Since I’m working on a modern retelling of a myth, I’m using a hero’s journey style plot. The very first plot point is called a call to action (or adventure). I posted Tom’s call to adventure here https://tammydeschamps.com/2020/08/24/excerpt-from-tam-lin-a-modern-queer-retelling-chapter-one/ . Usually the call to action/adventure for a myth is some sort of quest, but in Tom’s[…]
Excerpt from Tam Lin: A Modern, Queer Retelling–Chapter One
While I’m querying Eastside Hedge Witch, I thought I’d post excerpts from my current WIP. This one is based on the Ballad of Tam Lin. The original Beauty and the Beast is loosely based on Tam Lin, so is Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses. In the original ballad, a young woman[…]
What Writing a Short Story in a Day and Publishing it on Amazon Taught Me
My long term goal is to eventually own a small press that helps fledgling writers break into a very competitive industry. I realized while I’m writing and querying my work with publishing houses, that I might want to try my hand at self-publishing. What happens when you write a story, do your own editing, formatting,[…]
Four Things You Must Do If You Plan to Self-publish
Congrats! You’ve finished your novel! You’ve edited, revised, and polished that baby until it’s not only a well-crafted story, but flawless in execution. Here’s what you need to do next. Hire a professional editor. If this is your first novel ever, it’s likely you need a developmental or content edit before you even think about[…]
Traditional Publishing vs Self-publishing
In the movies, a writer types “The end” and then sends his or her manuscript off to their agent. The novel is instantly published and becomes a bestseller. We hear stories about authors living out of their car getting their book published and then become overnight successes, making millions if not billions. Let me break[…]
Writer Talk: Hooking a Reader from the Beginning
A while back, I wrote a blog post about opening lines and more recently I wrote an article about writing characters readers identify with. I’d like to revisit the subjects and delve a little deeper into exactly what how-to writing articles and books mean by “hooking a reader from the beginning.” Maybe you’re new to[…]