writing

Writing Prompt Exercise: Flash Fiction

/ E.A. Hoffmann / Leave a comment

Since I haven’t started a new book this week, I do not have a post for Tuesday or Friday as I usually do. But, since I wanted to keep posting daily, I asked ChatGPT to create a writing prompt for me. It sounded really interesting, so I wanted to share it with you. I would love it if you would write something and post a comment with the link to your blog. Happy writing, everyone!

I will write something and post it on Friday.

“In a world where every person is born with a unique, sentient companion—a manifestation of their inner thoughts and emotions—you wake up one day to find your companion missing. As you search for them, you discover a secret society that collects and trades these companions for a mysterious purpose. Write about your journey to reclaim your companion and unveil the truth behind the clandestine society.”

Stream of Consciousness Saturday, December 2, 2023: “confidence.”

/ E.A. Hoffmann / Leave a comment

I am participating in SoCS hosted by Linda G. Hill (click on the link for the ping back to the original blog post and to see the rules).

I had no idea what to write for this prompt, so I asked ChatGPT what confidence was. What really stuck out to me from the explanation was “Confidence is rooted in a positive self-perception.” This means that confidence is self-made. No one can give you confidence. And conversely, no one can take it away. You are the master of your own confidence. There is something comforting in that.

BOOK REVIEW: Your First Novel by Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb

/ E.A. Hoffmann / 5 Comments

Title: Your First Novel

Authors: Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb

Book Length: 312 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Writing, Reference, Self-Help

Read Start Date: January 10, 2023

Read Finish Date: May 11, 2023

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads:  Your Expert Guide to Writing and Publishing a Novel.

In this revised and expanded edition of Your First Novel, novelist Laura Whitcomb, seasoned literary agent Ann Rittenberg, and her knowledgeable assistant, Camille Goldin, team up to provide you with the essential skills needed to craft the best novel you can–and the savvy business know-how to get it published. Complete with updated references, analysis of new best-selling novels, and the same detailed instruction, Whitcomb will show you how

   • Practice the craft of writing, using both your right- and left-brain
   • Develop a flexible card system for organizing and outlining plot
   • Create dynamic characters that readers love–and love to hate
   • Study classic novels and story structure to adapt with your ideas

Featuring two new chapters on choosing your path as an author and understanding the world of self-publishing, Rittenberg and Goldin dive into the business side of publishing,

   • What agents can–and should–do for your future
   • Who you should target as an agent for your burgeoning career
   • How the mysterious auction for novels actually goes down
   • Why you should learn to work with your agent through thick and thin
Guiding your first novel from early words to a spot on the bookshelf can be an exciting and terrifying journey, but you’re not alone. Alongside the advice of industry veterans, Your First Novel Revised and Expanded also includes plenty of firsthand accounts from published authors on their journeys, including Dennis Lehane, C.J. Box, Kathleen McCleary, David Kazzie, and more.

My Review: Your First Novel Revised and Expanded Edition: A Top Agent and a Published Author Show You How to Write Your Book and Get It Published is a comprehensive guidebook that offers valuable insights and expert advice on the process of writing and publishing your first novel. In this revised and expanded edition, a highly regarded literary agent and a successful published author join forces to provide aspiring writers with practical techniques, step-by-step instructions, and industry secrets to help bring their literary dreams to fruition.

This book covers a wide range of topics, including developing compelling characters, constructing engaging plots, crafting authentic dialogue, refining writing style, and polishing manuscript drafts. It also delves into the intricacies of the publishing industry, providing guidance on query letters, book proposals, finding the right literary agent, and navigating the submission and publication process.

I am only giving it three stars because I was disappointed in the publishing aspect (the reason why I bought the book). First, a lot of the advice was not useful to me. Of course, this is a subjective review, and therefore subjective reasoning. You might like the book more, or find it more useful if you had a degree in writing, had published somewhere, or live in America. For example, she advised that 1) you have to have writing credentials already (I am an unpublished lawyer, so nothing like that in my background) and 2) you need to go to conventions and meet agents, or you need to do readings in bookstores, etc. I live in Austria so none of these things are possible.

While the first portion of the book (how to write your first novel) was interesting to read, I feel like in order to fully make use of it, one would have to take notes. I was also not familiar with a lot of the novels referenced / used as examples in the book (or if I knew of the novel, I had not read it).

Lastly, I was a little annoyed before I even read the book because I came across the book on the website of Ann Rittenberg’s literary agency when I was researching agents to query. The link on her webpage brought me to the old edition of the book being sold on Amazon. It wasn’t until I went to start reading it and entered it into Goodreads, that I discovered that there had been a newer version of the book published years later. Obviously a book published in 2018 is going to have more timely and up to date information on the industry than a book written in 2006. So I ended up having to buy the book….again. Why would you not update your webpage? Or at least make sure the link was correct?

So in conclusion, am I saying this book isn’t a good resource? No, it could definitely be. It just wasn’t for me.

Sunday Stills March 24, 2019: Spring has Sprung

/ E.A. Hoffmann / Leave a comment

The theme of this week’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge, is called “Spring has Sprung”. Spring is a time for renewal and starting over, the time when the winter chill is left behind and the warm summer months are just over the horizon, and the time when life awakens.

When I think of spring, I always think of flowers. The only recent photos of flowers that I have are from my trip to Japan.

Wordpress2 A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to travel to Japan on a business trip (it was my first time being there). My company has offices in Hiroshima, and we were there for one week giving a training on legal issues. We spent the weekend in Kyoto, since we were giving the same training at our office in China the following week, and we didn’t want to fly all the way back to Austria on Friday, only to have to return to Asia two days later again on Monday.

On that Saturday morning, I woke up earlier than my colleagues (I had skipped the bar the night before), and decided to take a run / walk to see what I would find. Kyoto has many shrines throughout the city, and I just happened to stumble upon this beautiful shrine called the Shimogamo Shrine, one of the oldest in Japan.

Even though the trees were just starting to bloom, we were unfortunately, a few weeks too early for cherry blossom season. To be honest, I am not sure whether the photos are of cherry blossoms or plum trees (or something else). All I know is that I was captivated by the beauty and vividness of the colors, especially against the white and brown backdrop in the photo above, and the orange bridge in the photo below.

Wordpress1

Japan is such a cool and spiritual place. I really enjoyed my time there, and would love to travel there on vacation sometime in the near future. I do not know how to describe being there. I somehow felt at home / at ease, even though I had never been there before. If given the chance, I would definitely live in Japan, at least for a few months. It was just truly magical.

I was really surprised by some aspects of Japan, however.

For example, we tried to get into several bars and were told at the door that it was “Japanese only”. I don’t know whether this meant that they only spoke Japanese (and so only people who spoke Japanese were allowed inside) or whether they meant that only Japanese people were allowed inside. I don’t want to think that it was the latter (because discrimination is uncool however you look at it), but on the other hand, I can’t imagine it was due to any language barrier (because sometimes the menu at these places had the word “beer” in it — and so it would have been easy to order). I wonder what they would do if a non-Japanese person who spoke fluent Japanese tried to get it.

While the rebirth of the flowers in Kyoto was beautiful, the renewal process of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was heartbreaking. I teared up several times while looking at the Atomic Bomb Dome (see photo below). This building is still standing after the 1945 a-bomb and is now a World Heritage Site. It was a little bit embarassing, since my colleagues were with me, and I had to walk away several times with the excuse that I was taking photos.

wordpress 3

Even though I wasn’t alive in 1945, I felt such shame to see this building, because I knew that it was my country that had blown it up, and killed more than 140,000 people, about 40% of the Hiroshima population at the time. On the other hand, it was amazing to see the regrowth of the city in the last 74 years. The city now boasts more than 1 million people, and if it wasn’t for the Dome building, no one ever would be able to guess that the city had once been decimated.

The Japanese crane, a symbol of hope and healing, also reminds me of Spring.

wordpress 4

Traditionally, it is believed that if you have 1,000 origami cranes, then your wish would come true. At a newly built tower (the brown building behind the Atomic Bomb Dome in the above picture), visitors can make origami cranes. There are videos which give you the instruction to make them. Even with the tutorial videos, it is not easy at all!

Once you are finished with the crane, you drop it down the side of the building. I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t allowed to keep the crane, but once it was explained to us why, I felt a little better. The purpose of making the cranes was to fill up the side of the building with origami cranes. It was actually pretty neat. My crane is currently sitting with hundreds of other cranes in Hiroshima. I hope to go back one day to see how far it is filled up (it wasn’t so full when we were there).

What does spring mean to you?