Tag Archives: Natalie Bright

Keep on keeping on. That’s the true secret.

Posted on by
Reply

Keep on keeping on. That’s the true secret.

DeWanna Pace

 

These are inspirational words that I have tacked to my office bulletin board from a local author and creative writing instructor. One of DeWanna’s dreams was to be a published romance author for Harlequin, and that dream was finally realized. Right after she sold to Harlequin, she was taken suddenly last year and sadly did not live to see publication of those stories.

We’re celebrating the release of her last book with Harlequin, THE TEXAS RANGER’S SECRET, which will be released in January 2016. The exciting news is that this book has received a Top Pick starred review. Please watch for more information right here at WordsmihSix Sunday Writer’s news.

Thanks to DeWanna Pace for her ever present encouragement and unfailing support of writers. She is greatly missed.

THE TEXAS RANGER’s SECRET by Dewanna Pace

Willow McMurty has just arrived in Texas for her sister’s wedding. As a fiction writer, she hopes to learn a thing or two about Texas Rangers. When she meets handsome Gage Newcomb, she believes that she’s found the perfect man to teach her about Ranger life. Now all she has to do is get him to agree to help her. With a cunning outlaw on the loose whom Gage has been tracking for years, he finds it hard to trust anyone, including Willow.

 

What is the RIGHT Genre?

Posted on by
Reply

What is the RIGHT Genre?

By Natalie Bright

The discussion at a writer’s workshop in Wichita Falls led by Jane Graves, an award winning author of contemporary romance, changed the way I think about writing.

Her advice was to, “hone in on the one thing that speaks to you. Freshness and originality comes from what you can imagine.”

Even though the words in my head are mostly children’s literature, I attended a romance writer’s workshop because that’s what I thought I’d be writing. In the beginning of my writing journey, the whole creative process was a chore; I hated my characters, the dreary plot line, and the editing process seemed like torture. What made me think that I’d ever be able to write a novel?

Janes’ words got me to thinking. What I’ve been obsessed with since a very early age, besided writing a book, is history, stories set in the Old West, and the great tribes of the Plains most especially Comanche.

Believe me I’ve tried to change the ages of my characters so they’d fit a publisher’s specs, follow the advice of my husband who said if I’d write a marketable romance it would surely sell, and consider the ideas of well-meaning colleagues who suggested I needed to add a vampire or alien to revive that western tale.

The RIGHT genre is the character that wakes you up in the middle of the night, the endless, daunting edits that lights a fire in your gutt, and the finished piece that feeds your soul.

The ROCKY Path to Publication

Posted on by
Reply

The ROCKY Path to Publication

By Natalie Bright

If there’s one thing about the writing industry I’ve learned as being true, is how consistently inconsistent it is.

An author of 35 plus novels told me that not one of her books ever did like she’d planned. Some won major awards taking her totally by surprise, some got picked up in foreign countries while others didn’t, and some of her all-time favorite stories to write didn’t resonate with her fans like she’d hoped.

I visited with a newbie writer in Dallas whose Aunt had paid her conference fee because her Aunt believed she had potential as an author. We visited over the weekend, and her story ideas were very unique. At her first conference she learned, pitched, and submitted. That “newbie” took the fast track to success and never looked back. She has since established a solid career which began with a romance eBook novella.

The manuscripts by a former critique partner and talented writer still haunt me. She finally submitted a mystery; it was one of the first and only things she ever submitted. An editor expressed great interest, but this friend would not even consider making any of the edits. She gave up writing soon after.

The point is that the path to publication is very different for each one of us. I think the key is to be willing to bend around any plan you might have and walk through the doors, or very small windows, or opportunity.

Today’s authors are faced with a myriad of options. Some days it’s overwhelming. Should we wait on someone else to decide or should we take matters into our own hands? Authors have the power to give their projects wings, but is it the right thing to do for that particular project?

One thing for sure, the path is consistently rocky and trying, but ultimately very rewarding.

Thanks for following WordsmithSix!

TAGS:

BEST of WWA CONFERENCE

Posted on by
1

BEST of WWA CONFERENCE

By Natalie Bright

Western Writers of America held their annual convention in Lubbock. As a first-time attendee and new member, I was surprised to meet such a diverse group. Songwriters, poets, historians, museum archivists, writers of nonfiction and fiction, editors, agents, musicians, and newbies and veteran authors, all sharing a love for the people, history, and wide open spaces of the West.

Below is a list of quotes that resonated with me and will definitely have an impact on my writing:

  1. Don’t judge the 18th century people by 21st century standards. You’ll go crazy. Think about them as they were in their time period. ROD TIMANUS, author of numerous books about the Alamo.
  2. Deadlines are important. It’s not a figment of an editor’s imagination. JOHNNY D. BOGGS, author and editor, WWA’s RoundUp Magazine.
  3. The search within yourself is very important in your writing process. Search within your own soul. WIN BLEVINS, Owen Wister Award Winner.
  4. For years, these women assembled on this panel, have bounced around in a pickup in pockets of the country where at one time nothing seemed to grow but clouds.  They possess a special understanding of the important contributions women have made to ranching in the West. The notion that ranches were settled only by men is just not true. CHRIS ENSS, New York Time Bestselling Author, and moderator, Frontier Ranch Women panel.
  5. If you know enough to write an outline, you can write the story. Just write the story. KIRK ELLIS, Emmy and Spur award winning screenwriter.
  6. A set schedule works best for my writer’s brain. Same thing day-after-day-after day. ANNE HILLERMAN, winner of the Spur and Arizona Book Awards.
  7. Find the motivation of your character. Put yourself in your characters head. Their motivation may change from scene to scene. JOHNNY D. BOGGS
  8. When you collect local stories, care should be taken in what you can use and publish. Everyone has their version. GAIL JENNER, award winning author and cattle rancher.
  9. You’ve got the rest of your life to make the pages you wrote yesterday better. Stay on task and get the damn story done. WIN BLEVINS
  10. People are photogenic and “see” your characters. Don’t waste words on a lot of description. Leave it to the readers. DUSTY RICHARDS, Spur award winning author.

I am truly inspired and remain in awe of this gathering of so many truly gifted people. Next year’s meeting will be in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I can hardly wait!

Website www.westernwrigers.org

Follow them on twitter @Western_Writers

Happy writing and thanks for following WordsmithSix!

Nataliebright.com

 

Story in a Blog

Posted on by
Reply

Story in a Blog

by Natalie Bright

Emotion…

…is an important component of any great novel. Laughter, sadness, or horror—experiencing a wide range of feelings is perhaps the main reason readers read. Inciting emotion should be the goal of writers when they write.

An exceptional writer can take their readers on a roller-coaster ride of sensation. Can you remember the story that made you laugh out loud? How about an ending that left you crumpled in tears? And horror—thank you King and Koontz. Heavy sighs, heart pounding love; innocent and sweet, or in graphic detail if you so choose. Which brings me to topic of this post.

Last week, I read a blog post that contains all of the components of a great novel, an example that writing good blogs is just as important as writing good stories. Follow the link, read, and let’s discuss: click here.

Story in a Blog.

  • Writing from the heart makes for intense reactions. Dig deep. You might have to revisit those painful and embarrassing times in your life. Go there and be fearless. Your writing will be all the richer.
  • Empathy with the author. The reality of the situation brings to mind a myriad of sentiments for most of us. Panic, sheer terror, frustration, and tremendous joy at the thought of being a parent, plus I laughed out loud.
  • This blog post has the necessary components of a novel. A great beginning that drags the reader in, solid middle, and an ending that ties up the tale in a nice little package. It leaves the reader satisfied.

Side note: The author of THE BIG OOPS is our niece, Lindsay Bright, and I’m so very proud to announce that she’s recently been selected as a new contributor to the hugely popular CityMomsBlog. She’ll be blogging from the diverse city of Austin, so please watch for her posts there.

Thanks for following WordsmithSix!

 Nataliebright.com

Wedge of Writing

Posted on by
Reply

After all, the world is not a stage—not to me: nor a theatre: nor a show-house of any sort. And art, especially novels, are not little theatres where the reader sits aloft and watches… and sighs, commiserates, condones, and smiles. That’s what you want a book to be: because it leaves you so safe and superior, with your two-dollar ticket to the show. And that’s what my books are NOT and never will be. Whoever reads me will be in the thick of the scrimmage, and if he doesn’t like it—if he wants a safe seat in the audience—let him read someone else.

–D. H. Lawrence

Wedge of Writing

Posted on by
Reply

We love books!

The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man, nothing else that he builds ever lasts, monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out; new races build others. But in the world of books are volumes that have seen this happen again and again and yet live on. Still young, still as fresh as the day they were written, still telling men’s hearts, of the hearts of men centuries dead.

–Clarence Day

Write on, WordsmithSix friends, write on!

 

The People Surrounding You

Posted on by
Reply

The People Surrounding You

Rory C. Keel

For a writing exercise, take a few moments and make a list of your closest friends, relatives, your boss and co-workers.

Choose the person you like the most and the least; the person who has had the most positive and most negative influence on you; the person who has changed the most and the least since you’ve known them; and then write a write a brief paragraph on each of them explaining why you feel this way.

Notice any quirks they may exhibit such as, do they constantly jerk their head back to flip their the hair out of their eyes, or do they run their hand throughout their hair?

Do they chew their food quietly, or smack their lips loudly?

These are the kind of details that add life to your story characters.

roryckeel.com

Wedge of Writing

Posted on by
Reply

Today’s Ponder:

 

what writers can accomplish is pretty amazing!

But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like dew, upon a thought produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions think.

–Lord Byron


Happy writing and thanks for following WordsmithSix!

Plotting a Story

Posted on by
2

 

Plotting a Story

 

Once upon a time there was: _____________________________________.

Every day, _________________________. (regular world)

One day, ___________________________. (normal world changes)

Because of that, ______________________. (conflict)

Hero/heroine reacts how, ________________________.

Because of that, ______________________. (conflict)

Finally, he/she ___________________________. (resolution)

What does your character want more than anything in the world?

You, as the writer, must do everything you can to prevent them from getting it.

Happy ending or not? You decide.

Happy writing in 2015!

Natalie Bright