Great News!

My second mystery/suspense novel was just accepted for publication by Walnut Springs Press! It's the book I've tentatively titled TRAPPED--the one that won first place in the League of Utah Writer's 2009 Full Length novel contest. Wahoo! I'll keep you up to date as I learn more!

Also, registration is now open for THE Teen Writers Conference 2010. Here are the details:

Place:
Weber State University
Ballrooms A & B
Saturday June 5, 2010
9:00 a.m. -5:30 p.m.

*Attendance is $43.00 with lunch, or $35.00 if you bring your own lunch. Lunch will be the same as last year. Please bring your own snacks or money for the vending machines.

*Keynote speakers will be YA Novelist Janette Rallison (http://www.janetterallison.com/ ) and Horror Novelist Dan Wells (http://www.fearfulsymmetry.net/). Lisa Mangum will be part of the author panel(http://www.lisamangum.com/).

*Parents are invited to attend the Author Panel and Writing Contest Awards (see schedule on website for exact times)

*Registration information available at www.teenwritersconference.com

*Registration deadline May 25, 2010.

I hope to see you there!

And the Winner Is . . .

Elizabeth Morgan! She won BOTH MORMON MISHAPS AND MISCHIEF and my mishapped copy of MISSING during my 3-fer contest.  The moral of the story? It pays to enter more than once. :) Congratulations, Elizabeth.

Check here to learn the winner of the Barnes & Noble gift certificate.

Aspiring Author Contest

I've just come across a site that's offering an aspiring (i.e., non-published), "classic" romance, writing contest I thought some of you might be interested in.  It's an opportunity to showcase your work, possibly get published in the group's "First Flight" anthology, and be in line to win a creative edit of your WIP (work in progress).  You can find all details of the contest here:
http://www.classicromancerevival.com/fir...

Good luck!

Must Have #2--Clarity

A couple of weeks ago, I began a series of posts that defines my "Must Haves" in writing. Most of them come from Gary Provost's 1984 article, "The Seven Beacons of Excellent Writing," and the first was Brevity. Today, it's Clarity.

At this point in my career, clarity is the Must Have I'm most conscious of. Far too often, I find myself plugging away at my writing, knowing exactly what is going on with my characters and plot, and yet when I receive feedback on it from other authors, I get this question: "Huh?" That response tells me I haven't said exactly what I mean, and I must now go back through the section and rewrite it until it is clear.

To quote Provost: "the good writer makes his meaning as clear as possible. He leaves no room for doubt about what is being read and he is not vague except when he has a good reason (bold & italics added)."

Here are a few clarifying tips:

1. Replace pronouns with exact nouns if appropriate. Instead of writing "He put it over there," write "Tom put the garden hose under the oak tree."

2. Tell the reader right up front who is doing what and when. For instance, don't write a sentence like this as your opening line or throughout your opening paragraphs:

He opened the package, and when he saw what was inside, he collapsed.

Sometimes new writers believe vagueness creates suspense, but the truth is, it may irritate and will probably confuse the reader.

3. While it's important to avoid repetition whenever possible, don't be afraid to repeat for clarification. For instance, if you write "Mom and Susan went to Broulims. She bought some furniture polish," your reader might not know who "She" is. Instead, write your second sentence as "Susan bought some furniture polish." This is also important in dialogue. If you're not sure your reader will know who's talking, repeat the speaker's name as much as necessary.

4. Finally, being direct is okay. Good, even. I don't know why, perhaps it's due to my poetry training or my school, literary, reading studies, but whatever the reason, I sometimes find myself alluding to my meaning, rather than saying straight out what I mean. When I do this, my readers's responses always contain, "Huh?"

Like I said before, that response is not a good thing, and I then know it's time to rewrite. To clarify.

MORMON MISHAPS AND A 3-FER CONTEST

In previous posts, I've mentioned the release of MORMON MISHAPS AND MISCHIEF by authors D.N. Giles and C.L. Beck because Giles and Beck are my friends, because MISHAPS is such a unique book, and because one of my own, true stories, "No More Baby Steps," is included inside. However, this time I am taking part in their blog tour and now have the privilege of telling you just how GREAT MISHAPS really is.

First, the cover is perfect. Each, laughing, smiling face is so contagious I can't help but giggle whenever I see it. I don't think I've ever had a book's cover affect me that way.

Second, while the stories range from sweetly humorous to down right hilarious, all are unforgettable. Some stories were so funny I laughed out loud when I read them, and I still can't help but chuckle when I think about them--or share them with someone else.

Finally, MORMON MISHAPS AND MISCHIEF is proof positive that we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--the human race even--shouldn't take ourselves too seriously. Mishaps and mischief are everywhere, and Giles and Beck have captured them. Why not get a copy to share with those you love this year? One of the stories just might be the perfect attention getter for your next speaking assignment.

THE 3-FER MISHAPS CONTEST!
Continue reading to learn how to win one of three prizes.

The Prizes:
1. A $20 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, hosted by D.N. Giles and C.L. Beck --valid for the entire blog tour (see below).

2. An autographed copy of Mormon Mishaps and Mischief, hosted by myself--valid for my blog only.

3. My own, "Mishapped" copy of my novel, MISSING. After attending an author signing event a few months ago, I discovered the cover of one of my brand new books had shifted wrong in the box and bent in half. So, my loss is your gain!--valid for my blog only.

The Dates:
This contest runs from now until Friday, February 19th, 2010. The winners will be announced on Monday, February 22, 2010.

The rules:
1. You must be a follower of my blog to win. If for some reason you are unable to become a follower, please leave a comment and tell me so. I will enter you anyway. :)

2. You may enter the prize drawing as many times as you'd like on any of the blogs involved in this tour. Those blogs are listed at the end of this post.

3. You will receive one entry for each of the following actions. You must, however, leave me a separate comment for each entry at the end of this post.

A. If you are already a follower or if you just joined let me know--there's an entry!

B. Post a positive review of Mormon Mishaps & Mischief on Amazon, Deseret Book, Goodreads, Shelfari, or other review sites. Then leave a separate comment for each and a link to your review so I can check.

C. Blog about this contest and Mormon Mishaps and link back to the LDS Humor Blog and the Mishaps Website

D. Tweet or FB this review and contest

E. Subscribe to my newsletter: email rondagibbhinrichsen@gmail.com with "Sign me up for your newsletter" in the subject line (if you're already subscribed, mention it).

Lots of ways to enter, so have fun and remember to pick up a copy of Mormon Mishaps & Mischief, and stop at the other blogs on this tour:

Feb 5th Rachelle J. Christensen
Feb 6th Ronda Hinrichsen
Feb 9th Connie Hall: C.LaRene Hall
Feb 10th Cathy Witbeck
Feb 11th Dan Olsen
Feb 12th Danyelle Fergusen

BOOK SIGNING AND A "3-FER" CONTEST COMING!

Tomorrow, February 6th, will be a GREAT day. From 1-4 p.m., I'll be at the Sandy, UT Barnes & Noble "Authorpalooza" event, signing copies of MISSING. I hope you'll stop on by. I'd love to see ya. And if you're wanting to buy your own copy or even a second or third or . . . Even Better! :)

Also, tomorrow, check out my blog. I'll be reviewing MORMON MISHAPS AND MAYHEM and offering chances to win one of three prizes. One of them is a $20 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble!

See ya, tomorrow!