SUNDAY SAMPLE
KEEP ‘EM FULL AND KEEP ‘EM ROLLIN’
With a blend of photography, ranching heritage, and real cowboy food, I pitched my brilliant idea for a book to an editor at the Western Writers of America Conference several years ago. She told me the book would never sell because bookstores could not determine where to shelve it. Coffeetable book? I’m not a professional photographer. Cookbook? It has nonfiction text about cowboy work and cattle ranching. The Texas special interest section? Except for the recipes and food pictures.
I thanked her for her time and as I stood to leave, she asked if I might be interested in writing a book about chuck wagons. It so happened that I had toured the ranch headquarters of the man who invented the chuck wagon, Charles Goodnight. It was only an hour from my home. So yes, I would be glad to do more research and send her a proposal.
Here’s the thing Wordsmith Six friends, sometimes NO isn’t exactly a NO. I could have rejected her twist on my idea and self-published my vision. But she was right, it would have never made it into bookstores. It had no specific theme. Sometimes you need to think outside of your vision and allow your ideas to morph into a thing that might be totally different. Be open to new ideas. Consider opportunities that might challenge your talents. Long story short, after a year of research, I give you the end results, which is up for pre-order now!
KEEP ‘EM FULL AND KEEP ‘EM ROLLIN’; The All-American Chuck Wagon Cookbook.
It has history, it has recipes and I got to use my ranch photographs. All the things I had envisioned except ten times better and guided by a savvy editor who wasn’t afraid to give me an honest opinion. Keep writing and keep believing in yourself. The opportunities are out there.
Writing Quotes
by Adam Huddleston
This month’s blog topic is “writing quotes”. While there are a multitude to choose from, here are some of my favorites:
“No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure.” – Ernest Hemingway
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
– Ernest Hemingway
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
-Douglas Adams
“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” – Robert Frost
“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” –Stephen King
“Happy writing!” – Adam Huddleston
CHAPTER HOOKS
Natalie Bright
Have you ever read a book with the intention of putting it down at the end of the chapter, only to realize you’re 5 chapters in? The chapter ending hook is where you end your scene and entice readers to turn the page as defined in Rory’s blog post here https://wordsmithsix.com/2020/02/05/narrative-fishing/
Here are a few chapter ending hook examples from the book I’m reading now, THE SEARCH by Nora Roberts. Genre: romance.
“I’m going to take that long bath, drink that stupid tea. And you know what? We’re going to book that damn villa. Life’s too damn short.”
“I’ve never understood people who aren’t.” She rose, held out a hand for his.
Then she went inside to get her gun.
“Good thinking.”
They heard the pop of a cork and Fiona’s shouted, “Woo-hoo.”
“Put it out of your mind,” Sylvia murmured. “So we can keep it out of hers.”
Homework
Your homework is to choose several books by your favorite authors, preferably in the same genre of your WIP, and with pen and paper, write every last sentence or two of every chapter ending. No typing or reading, only handwriting.
You will be amazed at how your brain will click on where to end chapters and how to leave an enticing hook for your readers.
Happy Writing!
Natalie Bright is the author of the upcoming KEEP ‘EM FULL AND KEEP ‘EM ROLLIN’: The All-American Chuck Wagon Cookbook, soon to be released September 1, 2020. She is also the author of the Trouble in Texas Series, adventure stories for middle grade.
Wordsmith Six 