Weekend Writing Warriors Excerpt #15

Weekend Writing Warriors is an awesome blog hop that allows writers to share their published or unpublished work with the blogosphere. On Sundays, courageous writers share an 8-sentence excerpt to get feedback or to gain new readers. If you’re interested in joining or want to read fun, action packed, and/or drama filled pieces of fiction, please visit WeWriWa’s website on Sunday, September 28th.

Sorry, last week, I forgot to add that the bodyguards followed Perry over to the bar to stand with Colin. I don’t know how I missed that! Here’s my snippet:

Cody put his hands in his pockets and looked at Perry. “Hey, A-list, am I that scary that you need an army?”

“There’s no need to start a scene; let’s go our separate ways.”

“Says the guy who approached me; damn, Sen was right, you are just a pansy-ass little bitch.”

With hands balled in a fist, Colin took a step closer, but Perry blocked his path with his outstretched arm. “Stop; he’s not worth it.”

“You’re right, D-list isn’t worth it; he’s pathetic, trying to stay relevant,” Colin agreed.

“How is it gonna feel when this D-lister steals your spotlight during your promotional tour?”

Keep smiling,

Yawatta Hosby

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What I Learned From the Author, Homer Hickam

Yesterday I attended the Shepherd University’s Writing Master Class, and it was awesome! I learned a lot from the three experts on panel. It was cool hearing insights from audience members. There’s nothing better than people having a passion for reading and discussing what works and doesn’t work in a story. Homer Hickam, the author of the book that inspired the movie October Sky, was the special guest. It was fun getting inside his head of what he believes makes good writing.

Here’s what I learned from Homer Hickam:

1.  To be a good writer, you must be a good reader. Determine what about your favorite books makes you want to turn the page. Study and analyze why…

2.  It’s not enough to just have an interesting idea for plot. The best hook is  always characters. Readers are interested in people, so make your characters interesting, real, someone you’d want them to follow.

3.  Make readers feel suspense about what will happen next for your characters. This is the only motivation for them to continue flipping pages.

4.  Modern readers won’t stand for too much description because they’re used to action from movies and TV shows. At the beginning of your stories, you must do more showing and less telling. Have action and dialogue early on, so questions and hooks arise. Don’t put too much information upfront (info dumps and back stories).

5.  All writers should be poets at heart.

6.  You must evoke emotion out of your readers. If they become bored, they’ll stop reading your book at that very moment.

7.  And last but not least, all stories have arcs. Writers can’t leave the story at the same level to the end. For example, a story can’t just be all dark and tragic. There must be some light moments to break up all that angst, so when the dark mood returns it’s better appreciated. Make it a emotional rollercoaster ride.

For all the writers/authors out there, is there any advice you’ve heard that has stuck with you throughout your writing career?

Keep smiling,

Yawatta Hosby

Being Productive During This Waiting Game

I’m not complaining, but…I wish editing was finished for my short story Plenty of Fish. It’s been 4 months, and all I can do is patiently wait. The experience is worth it; P.N. Elrod is a respected member of the publishing industry.  I just wish I had something to publish by now.

Even though my book release schedule is at a standstill, I haven’t been sitting and doing nothing. I think you guys would be proud of me–no procrastinating ways 🙂

1.  I’ve been submitting short stories to magazines/journals. One Missed Call was rejected by Flash Fiction Magazine, so that same day I submitted to Postcard Shorts.

2.  I’ve been attending writing events around the area. In fact, I’m going to the Shepherd University’s Writing Master Class to help give feedback to other writers. Plus to support Melissa!

3.  I signed up for Critique Circle  (my username is Yhosby) and I meet with two writing buddies once a month for feedback and motivation. The website Weekend Writing Warriors is also pretty cool. My main objective is meeting new people and having as many objective eyes on my projects as possible.

4. I’ve been a guest on other blogs and websites. This week my article “How To Effectively Interact on Goodreads and Find Readers” went live on Mash Stories. And, I signed up for a Halloween Blog bash for next month. I’ll be promoting 3 posts.

5.  I’m working on new novellas and novels; plus, Melissa and I are writing a screenplay. We meet once a week, creating 8 scenes each session. Woo hoo! I can see it now–me in Hollywood 🙂 –behind the scenes, just the way I like it.

Hopefully, my next news will be my short story is published soon!!!! For excerpts and news of my book releases, please sign up for my newsletter–The Creative Mind of Yawatta Hosby.

Keep smiling,

Yawatta Hosby

Weekend Writing Warriors Excerpt #14

Weekend Writing Warriors is an awesome blog hop that allows writers to share their published or unpublished work with the blogosphere. On Sundays, courageous writers share an 8-sentence excerpt to get feedback or to gain new readers. If you’re interested in joining or want to read fun, action-packed, charming, and/or drama filled pieces of fiction, please visit the WeWriWa’s website on Sunday, Sept. 21st.

Here’s the continuation of my chapter. Thanks everyone for your feedback and kind words of my story so far 🙂 Here goes:

“We should go,” Perry said.

Colin gave a devilish grin. “Or we can buy shots.” Before Perry could answer, Colin stood up and headed towards the side of the crowded room where Cody and his entourage were. He stood, scooting himself between Cody and a feisty redhead who was licking the salt off the rim of her  margarita glass.

Perry remained seated and scratched his head. He made eye contact with the bodyguards, shrugged, then went over to help his friend; Colin shouldn’t fight his battles.

Keep smiling,

Yawatta Hosby

 

 

Weekend Writing Warriors Excerpt #13

Weekend Writing Warriors is an awesome blog hop that has writers share 8-sentence excerpts with the blogosphere. It can be from published or unpublished work. The blog hop is a fun way to get feedback and constructive criticism on rough drafts, and it’s a creative way to showcase your books. If you’re interested in joining or reading the talent of participating writers, please visit the WeWriWa’s website on Sunday, Sept. 14th.

Here’s the excerpt from my women’s fiction novel:

Seconds later, Colin tapped Perry’s arm like a bored child trying to get his parent’s attention. Did he want to hear gossip that badly? Before Perry could voice his annoyance, Colin said, “Bro, we have company.”

Perry watched the door, and sure enough, Cody entered the bar with an entourage of three guys. They all had messy hair as though it was purposefully styled that way, matching salmon polo shirts, and khaki shorts. They resembled a corny boy band–the heart throb, the bad boy, the lead singer, and the no talented hack. The no talented hack being Cody, of course. Cody didn’t spot them as he made his way to the bar.

Keep smiling,

Yawatta Hosby

Disconnected By Lisa M. Cronkhite

***I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review***

Seventeen-year-old Milly has a huge problem on her hands. She is being bullied by Amelia Norris. Day in and day out, Amelia torments Milly and even threatens to hurt her, but she can’t tell anyone–not a soul. Milly’s reasoning–she does not want anyone to know where her tormentor lives. They only share one thing in common. Both co-exist as one in the same body. Milly is so disconnected from her past that she feels compelled to find out what truly happened to her when her parents were still alive. After a mysterious fire, she and Grandpa George move into Aunt Rachel’s Victorian home where Milly then begins to unravel puzzling clues to her family history. Through dreams and scattered memories, Milly journals her breaking story, trying to cope by putting the shattered pieces back together, all the while resisting with her inner demon. Amelia is determined to cut Milly out of the real world–literally. Milly starts to wonder who her real family is after stumbling across Aunt Rachel’s notebook–having the intuitive sense that something terribly awful is missing. All she had thought to be true now seems like one big lie.

I loved this book. It was told through Milly’s first person point-of-view. She was the sane one while Amelia was crazy. Amelia was ruthless in her torture, so it made me feel bad for Milly. She was going through so much at a young age, that the bullying broke my heart. Beth was Milly’s best friend. As a reader, I wished she would have realized something was really wrong with Milly. It would have been cool for the friend to save the day.

My favorite lines: 1) “No one sees me. I’m invisible to everyone. Everyone but her.” 2) “Start over?” I say, standing up. “Nothing ever began.”

I really enjoyed the mystery aspect involving the family drama. Milly’s aunt and grandfather were hiding a tragic secret; Milly had to go as far as stealing her aunt’s journal to try and find answers. Throughout the book, I wondered if Milly kept seeing a ghost (the girl with dark hair) or if the girl was a stalker. The twists and turns were intriguing, especially the ending! I would have never guessed! I thought Milly would end up with her new crush, Blake. Maybe she does and maybe she doesn’t. You’ll have to read the book to find out.

I RECOMMEND this book to read.

Keep smiling,

Yawatta Hosby

 

 

Weekend Writing Warriors Excerpt #12

Weekend Writing Warriors is an awesome blog hop that shares writers/authors work to the blogosphere. Every Sunday, they share an 8-sentence excerpt of a published or unpublished piece. If you’d like to join or have a fun read over the weekend, please visit WeWriWa’s website on Sunday, September, 7th.

I really appreciate all the feedback I’ve received on my rough draft. You guys are keeping me motivated to continue editing 🙂 . For a while there, I had given up on it, working on something else instead.  Thanks again for your help! Here’s a continuation from the previous weeks:

“Do you think so?”

“You never know, you just never know; maybe Melody or Sequoia would?”

“Sequoia?”

“She keeps in touch with Plaid, right?”

Perry ran his hands through his hair in a frustrated way. He didn’t know how to answer that question, and it ripped his heart out. Was Sequoia still screwing Plaid; had she communicated with him in Australia? Instead of answering, he remained quiet, looking back towards the TV to avoid the issue.

————

I’m starting to think I should have began this blog hop in earlier chapters. I chose this one because I was stuck on something and wanted to see if I was going in the right direction. Let me tell some backstory because these new characters may be confusing since you guys have gotten to understand Colin, Perry, and Cody.

Perry, Colin, and Sequoia star in a popular movie franchise. At the beginning, Sequoia was caught by paparazzi kissing a co-star on her sister’s top-rated TV show. The co-star is named Plaid, and in a magazine interview he had expressed his Hollywood crush was Sequoia (before they ever even met). That’s why paparazzi is really milking the drama for all its worth. The media and public believe Plaid and Sequoia only kissed, but Sequoia told Perry the truth (she hooked up with Plaid more than once). He decided to keep her secret (he likes dealing with things in private).

Anyway, the scandal happened right before the promotional tour of their movie, so they are forced to work together. Plaid wasn’t taking the bait of badmouthing Sequoia to the press, so the press took matters into their own hands and baited her ex from years ago to throw her name in the mud (Cody’s hidden agenda–his new TV show will be premiering soon. Any publicity is good publicity).

Hope this helps 🙂

Oh and Melody is a troublemaker who stars in the popular franchise with Colin, Perry, and Sequoia. She has a crush on Perry, so is very jealous of Sequoia (she loves that Sequoia messed up and hopes that she can take her spot in Perry’s heart).

Keep smiling,

Yawatta Hosby