IWSG- Confession is Good for the Soul - and a Laugh

March 2, 2016

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com

This month I thought I’d lighten up. The days are getting warmer. The daffs are breaking ground along with crocus and tulips. Spring is going to be here soon. So let’s shove aside our insecurities for a day.

I have a confession to make.

Once upon a time I had an editor who highlighted every occurrence of the word “that” in every manuscript I contracted with that publisher. I’m sure she had editing software do this because…well, I won’t be bitchy. Let’s just say she had a few quirks.

I know all about the word “that.” I agree it gets overused. What I do not agree with is any editor insisting it come out of character dialogue. I don’t agree with an editor changing character dialogue as a general rule, period. My rule is “my characters talk my way.”

Anyway, after about twenty-five manuscripts, I got well and truly fucking tired of her software doing the editing for her. I was looking for a name for a character and that’s when I found it. THATCHER. Oh, my God. T-h-a-t-cher. Thatcher. Naturally, his love interest continually called him by his last name. Thatcher.

When the edit came to me, not one instance of the word “that” was flagged with a yellow highlight.

And THAT, boys and girls, is how to break your editor of a bad habit.

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com

http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks

Roll With It (writing, that is)

August 12, 2009


This has been a wonderfully productive year for me. So productive, it's scary. I wonder if I can keep up the pace, or if I even want to keep the pace. Heck, yeah, I do! I'm having fun!

The first edit of Netting Neptune came back this week. I cringed over some of the typos. Proofreading my own work is not one of my strong points. My brain knows the story and simply fills in those missing words: the, and, to, and the pesky 's' on the end of some words. And with my usual proofreader vacationing in France, well, my apologies to my editor.

Aside from that, I'm excited about Netting Neptune. I originally had the title slated for a different story, but I had this idea and decided to run with it. That idea became Netting Neptune, Taming Triton, and Poseidon's Pleasure. I'm sure you see the sea theme working there. I'm nearing the end of Poseidon's Pleasure, and I confess experiencing a bit of sadness that I'll be leaving my island world for other settings.

But new settings bring a certain level of excitement to my writing process. With the Internet, the world is at my fingertips, and I get to go exploring. Pretty cool. I learned a few things in my seaside realm, and building on that new knowledge is exciting, too.

Now I must get back to the edit, but I invite you to visit my website and check out the Netting Neptune page. And while you're there, why not take part in the Two Lips Third Anniversary contest? Find the banner on my site, click on it, and get the details. Lots of stuff up for grabs, and this is the one and only contest I'm involved in this year. Good luck!

KC Kendricks
website

Rare Moments

October 26, 2008

**updated 4/10/21**

I've been a bit remiss in my blogging this month. The only excuse I have is I've been writing and enjoying the autumn weather. I also have a new wall unit in the living room. It's amazing how one new piece of furniture can inspire domicile-wide changes to accent pieces, valances, scatter rugs. Yes, amazing and expensive, and totally worth the boost in the home's energy.

All the energy spills over into the writing. The 'new story' is well underway as Shining Victory is in the editing process. My editor was easier on me this time, but that's because I've learned a lot about what she flags. Every editor is different so it takes a few books to write to their 'style' as well as your own. And you thought we just typed what we wanted. I wish.

The new story has, I hope, a different flow. Whereas 'romance' has a basic formula (she wants, but can't have, because, until), this story is more along the lines of he wants, he gets, he loses, then he regains. Okay, so maybe that's not so different, after all.

It's all about the basic struggle to find that special person, fall in love, and make it work.

It's all about those rare moments when two people can walk into a furniture store and totally agree about spending eleven hundred bucks just to have something to sit a television on.


** Update - Shining Victory is now available. More info can be found at https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/shining-victory-by-kc-kendricks.html

THE PROMO STUFF

If you're a writer, check out the opportunity to post excerpts at my open promo blog, Saturday Evening Romance. Guidelines are at the blogsite. If you're a reader, check out the excerpts from a wide variety of writers.

SHINING VICTORY

Available at:

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Shining-Victory-Levi-Stacy-1-ebook/dp/B073Q8GBXD 

iTunes/Apple - itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1254933511

Barnes and Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shining-victory-kc-kendricks/1017484514?ean=2940154758304

KOBO: www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/shining-victory-1

Universal link to other booksellers: https://books2read.com/u/49xz1M

Shining Victory webpage: https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/shining-victory-by-kc-kendricks.html

 _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks

My home on the web- Between the Keys: 

http://kckendricks.blogspot.com

Visit my bookshelf at: 

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/the-bookshelf-of-kc-kendricks-and-rayne.html

Social media links:

twitter.com/kckendricks

pinterest.com/kckendricks/boards

instagram.com/kc_kendricks

facebook.com/kckendricks

Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com

My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com

The touch of a hand

May 28, 2008

I should be past this stage. You know, the stage where the butterflies hit the stomach and have a little party. The tentative release date for Surrendered Victory is June 8, 2008. Do you believe in signs? Sometimes, I do. June 8th would have been my parent's wedding anniversary. My mother and I still always mention it. It's hard to believe my father has been gone for twenty-five years.

Maybe having a tentative date of June 8th is a good thing, then. I'm going to say that it is.

This past weekend I got the galley for Surrendered Victory. The galley is the last chance a writer has to go over the story before its final format. I'm pleased to say I only saw four or five things, and they were small. Like changing the word 'bar' to 'pub.' That sort of thing. The changes make no difference to the story, just improves visualization for the reader.

Working with Amber Allure has been a breeze. Their process is seamless and painless. The accolades they get from their authors are well-deserved. I sincerely hope I have a home there for the majority of my m/m stories. It's too bad they can't bottle their process or sprinkle it around like fairy dust to benefit all.

With the release of Surrendered Victory coming up so soon, here's a little teaser. This is what appears inside the front cover.

Enjoy!

…His hand rested on the table, palm down, relaxed. The pale band around his wrist where he normally wore a watch showed off his suntan. Slowly, he rolled his hand over. Anyone watching wouldn’t think a thing about the small gesture, so easy and natural as he did it. But I knew it for what it really was.

Invitation. Promise. Please.

My own personal Rubicon lay before me. The line that once crossed changed worlds. What was would cease and what was to be would come to life with the touch of that hand, and I trembled in the face of it.

Always before I’d shied away from this moment, running from the commitment the acceptance of truth would bring to my door. There would be no more denials, no more flight. If I crossed my Rubicon, I would be forever changed.The freedom that beckoned took my breath away in much the same orgasmic way Dalton did…

Surrendered Victory by KC Kendricks

more info at www.kckendricks.com/SurrenderedVictory.html

KC Kendricks

http://www.kckendricks.com/