We’ve reached a milestone of more than 100 followers on all platforms! We want to thank all of you for spending time with us each week. We have a copy of Donald Maas’ Writing The Breakout Novel Workbook to give away. Tell us what writing topic you’d like us to blog about next, and have your name entered for a chance to win. Contest closes Sept 1. Be sure to check out our Facebook page for platform building tips with Twitter Tuesday and Facebook Friday, and the inside scoop on giveaways.
Marcy and Lisa
Marcy Kennedy & Lisa Hall-Wilson 
Just looking again at what all you do – How about something on how you schedule all that Social Media into your schedule and have time to write?
Oh – that’s a good one. 🙂
talk about plotting and characters.
I love your blog and am very happy to hear of your success. Keep up the good work!
There are so many questions I have brewing that I would love to see you blog about. However they maybe
‘newbie’ giveaways. One question I have that I have never found an answer for online or in writing books yet is . . .
What is the unwritten rule about writing in past tense? I posted a section of a manuscript on a critique site written in present tense and everybody commented I shouldn’t do that. Why?
Thanks again girls! You do a fabulous job!
Hi Jodi – Writing in present tense isn’t wrong – I don’t think there’s any unwritten ‘rule’ about it. Writing in past tense is just easier. With present tense, there’s a great tendency to use a lot of linking verbs (was walking, am talking) which slows the pace of your writing. Passive voice is also a huge problem with present tense. I think there’s definitely a couple of blog posts in there for sure. Marcy may comment on this also, but those are the two thoughts that come immediately to mind.
Lisa
Ironically enough, Kathryn Stockett’s The Help is written in present tense so next time someone tells you it’s wrong and you shouldn’t do it, you can site a bestseller as an example of someone who did 🙂
The real problem with present tense is that it’s extremely difficult to do well. Even when you do it well, it has a slightly different feel to it that some readers (conditioned as they are to past tense) just don’t like. In a way, the debate is a more polarized version of the first person-third person argument. Some people just don’t like reading a book written in first person.
Make sure you know your reasons for wanting to write in present tense, and then if you still want to write present tense over past tense, study books who’ve done it well and ignore anyone who tells you it’s wrong.
Marcy 🙂
Hey ladies, love the blog. 🙂 It would be nice to have a post (or two) about the way to tackle editing of a large piece such as a novel. Thanks for all you do. You ladies are inspiring. 🙂
I’m with Stacy Jensen, above. My big question is, “How can we do it all???” I ask this especially as a full-time everything else and a part-time write-whenever-I-can writer.
— Laureen
I liked the project management suggestion…how about an outline of suggested steps during the editing process?
Tiffany stole my idea. (Ok, she didn’t steal it really. But that is totally what I would like to see).
Congratulations on reaching your milestones!
Hi ladies!!! Congratulations on reaching over 100 followers on all platforms!!! That is HUGE!
I’d like to read more on descriptions…this is something I struggle with a little. How much is *too* much and what is too little. It takes me a while to get *just right*, but I’d love to hear your awesome tips on this topic.
Thanks!
Congrats! What a mile-stone 🙂 I’ve done a bit of short story writing and want to participate in NaNoWriMo this year to help get me started on a novel. What I can see myself struggling with is fleshing the story out to 50,000 words when I’m used to pulling things in to 2,000-8,000. So, for me, anything on building characters, fleshing out plot, descriptions, creating a detailed setting, backstory, and more show don’t tell. Also anything on pitching, querying or marketing I’ve been eating up lately. I feel you just can’t know enough of that stuff!
Thanks to both of you for answering my question. I feel very special. I guess you don’t need to do a post on it now – tehehe!
Anyway I appreciate your knowledge and I will go look up that novel you suggested.
Oh yeah – btw I write in first person too! Maybe it will take me awhile to get the hang of things.
However I’ve been telling my husband this line since the day I started to write . . . There are few hard and fast rules. So you can basically do whatever you want as long as you do it well. So here’s to trying to do it well!!!!
Jodi