Jennie Bennett, Romance Author

... and no one should tell you different. It's true that anyone can blog, and yes blogging isn't really considered published. But it is still an art. I know many of you (myself included) spend a good amount of time making sure you have good content, good appearance and are constantly growing and expanding your readership. Don't tell me that blogging isn't work -- I know, I'm preaching to the choir. The only reason I say this is becasue I think we sometimes discount ourselves. We think it a small thing that the most we have done in our writing careers in run a successful blog. Sure, agents and editors may not see that as the golden ticket to getting published, but it shouldn't count for nothing either. I have known so many bloggers that given up blogging (*cough cough* including me *cough cough*) becasue it's time consuming. source This isn't something we should just roll over an accept that every other writer is doing becasue that isn't the...

The subject of Critique Partners seems to be overflowing the blogosphere lately, and I have to say that it's been on my mind as well. What really makes a good critique partner? Is it someone who will rip you to shreds? Is it someone who is an expert in the compliment sandwich (compliment, critique, compliment)? Or is it something more? This answer probably differs from person to person, but here is what qualifies as a good critique partner in my mind -- Someone Who Will Help You I know, simple, right? But really, I think this needs an explanation becasue I don't think it's clear to everyone. A critique partner who does nothing but rip on your work is not helpful, nor is someone who does nothing but tell you how much they like something. To be a truly helpful critique partner in my mind, there needs to be a balance of both. source Let's start with an example -- CP1: This sentence is really weak, and I hate everything else about this chapter. CP2: There...

I found out about a fun little hop is being put together by some of my favorite people -- Lillie McFerrin, Angela Goff , Angie Richmond , and Daniel Swensen . I like these guys and their prompt enough that I probably would have entered anyway. But when I found out the grand prize was a 50 page critique from Lillie, I had to enter. Lillie has helped me before and she is wonderful person to have critiquing your work. Now what would a hop be without rules? They are as follows: Write a piece of flash fiction, poem, or song (300 words or less) using the photo as your inspiration. Post it on your blog any time between now and when the linky closes. Every eligible entry will qualify for a chance to win one of the prizes listed below. The linky will be open from January 23 through January 30. Angie, Angela, Daniel and I will read, debate, and decide on five winners for the following: 1st: Fifty page critique by Lillie McFerrin 2nd: Twenty-Five page critique by Angie Richmond 3rd: F...

Many of you know that last week I gave my first ever pitch. I've been working hard on becoming a better writer, and reading up on what I can about the publishing industry. But I've never taken that leap -- the one where I actually get my name out there and try my hand at a query. Before I go any further, let me just say that I don't find it prudent to put up details of my pitching/querying experiences up until something is definite, but I do want to share one thing I learned from this pitch -- Never Stop Believing in Yourself . source It is so easy to think about how many other books are out there, how many talented authors there are and get overwhelmed. To think you're not good enough is the easy path, the hard path is working through your short comings. Here's the truth, if you don't ever give yourself a chance you'll never reach your goals. Even in rejection, even when we dig harder to improve we can find something about ourselves that we still ...

A couple days ago the lovely Sara Bulla gave me the Versatile Blogger award. On top of that, a couple people gave me the Great Comments award. (thank you Golden Eagle and Leigh Covington !) So I'm going to combine the two by telling you five random facts about me, then passing the award on to awesome comment people. Sound good? 1. I can't ski. My dad was ski instructor and even ski patrol at one point in time, but I cannot ski. I end up on my butt all day long. 2. I grew up eating Kim-chi on a regular basis. (Thanks to a dad who lived in Korea for two years!) And yes, I can rock it with a pair of chopsticks.  3. Sometimes I watch trashy reality T.V. (who else hates Courtney on The Bachelor? Oh, and was I the only one disappointed when Allison didn't win ANTM all stars?) 4. I totally played t-ball when I was eight. It was awesome. 5. I really want to learn how to make awesome homemade doughnuts, anyone have a recipe? Alright, on to the comment awesomenes...

source   Tomorrow night a publishing company is coming to visit my writing group and they have given a very generous offer -- a free pitch session, with feedback. (!!!!) Okay, so now I'm freaking out a little because I have never given a pitch before, let alone written a query letter. Right now my approach is to think of it like an audition (thank you high school drama classes!) But I really don't know anything beyond that. So I'm asking for your advice -- have you ever given a pitch? What did you learn and what would you have changed?

Tis the season for writers conferences and I'm planning on attending a few. Here are some for my to-do list. NiNoCon Everyone can attend this one as it takes place online. What does NiNoCon stand for? Ninja Novel Conference, of course.  It's the lovely brain child of Ali Cross. Go check it out here for more information. LTUE Life The Universe and Everything is Feb 9th-11th in Provo, UT. I'm only going on Saturday, but there will still be big names like James Dashner, Dan Wells, Richard Paul Evens, and Brandon Mull to name a few. It's only $30 for all three days and $20 for just one day. So, if you live close by you won't want to miss this one! LDS Storymakers This one isn't until May, but it's best to sign up now as there are only 450 seats. I'm going to both days of this one and I am seriously excited. There will be some great speakers and I've submitted my 1st chapter to their contest. Super fun! What conferences are you a...

The oh-so-awesome Tara Tyler at Tara Tyler Talks is holding a little short story fun over at her blog and I decided to participate. Here are the rules: put a link to your story in Tara's comments link back to Tara's blog to let others know about the challenge. keep it clean =) January's prompt - This month, the challenge before you is to write a short story of 750 words or less including these four words: EVIL, CROWD, HARP, WATERFALL Challenge ends January 31. And here is my entry - It would have felt like a scene straight out of Merlin , had Jasmine not been fighting for her life. She had always wanted to visit England. Jane Austen, Beatrice Potter, and Dr. Who where only part of reasons she had always wanted to come here. Lush landscapes and a few waterfalls hadn't been a drawback either. It was Jasmine's idea of a personal fairytale, if only it hadn't been for an evil witch. "Please move," Jasmine yelled over the crowd...

One of the primary rules of being a writer is the show vs. tell aspect. It's much better to see a conversation between two people who are flirting than to to tell the reader that the two are flirting. The fist way builds the chemistry, where the second way leaves something to be desired. But showing isn't perfect 100% of the time. Yup, I said it. Sometimes it's okay to tell. Now before you start booing and throwing tomatoes at me, let me give you a few examples. source 1. Flash-Backs Every once in a while you need a hint into a characters past that will foreshadow upcoming events, but lots of flash backs are a no-no. If you can sum it up in a simple sentence or a line of dialogue, do it! Unless it's for comedic value such as this little gem. (sorry, it wouldn't let me embed it) 2. Re-telling's Sometimes something important happens and one character needs to tell another character. Please, please, please, don't go and show the story again. A su...

In April of 2011 I started a blog. I had no idea what I was doing or what was going to come of it. I had a few notions in my head about what it would be like, but I never expected it to be so amazing. There are people out there whom I have never met that I consider great friends, and a few of them I met after I started blogging I hit off without reservation. source But I took a break. I love blogging, you could even say I'm a bit addicted to it. I had to delete my blog, step back and take a look at my life. Was I really being a good mother, or a good wife? How much was my family suffering for my blogging? The break was good. I took a nice long look at everything and decided it would be best for me to start fresh. The great thing about starting new, especially after having some amazing past experiences, is that now I can carve my own path. This time around my goal is not to feel overwhelmed or stressed out about blogging. It's going to be more about making lasting f...