A Winner and a (Dust It Off) Lesson

Good Monday morning! Ohhh, that is too much of an oxymoron. Kids are off to school, but I still don't feel awake. Maybe in another hour. Maybe not :)


Today is day 3 of the Dust It Off bloghop. First let us give thanks to Theresa and Courtney. This has been a wonderful experience and lots of fun. Thanks, ladies!


Quick recap - 
Day 1: Our Pitch (1-2 sentences)
Day 2: Our Excerpt (300 words) 


So today we post what we learned my our shelved MS. I've learned so much from writing HOW SNOW CAME TO THE DESERT, most of it what NOT to do. 


Do NOT query a 167,000 word manuscript.
Do NOT try to write a perfect first draft. Does NOT happen.
Do NOT fill the first 50 pages with back info. 
Do NOT over use any words ending in -ly.
Do NOT think modifiers help explain a scene or a sentence.
Do NOT tell your readers what is happening - show it.
Do NOT make your antagonist evil just for the sake of evil. He/she needs an agenda like everyone else.
Do NOT think your best friends or family members make good critique partners.
Do NOT let your MC be swept away by the story. Give them the broom and let them do the sweeping. Otherwise, you end up with MaryJane - the perfect person who never does anything wrong but must overcome  putting your readers to sleep.
Finally, The End is NOT the end. It's only the beginning.


And now... drum roll please... the winner of my first blog birthday giveaway... the number drawn by my 12-year-old... Commenter #7 on my day one blog birthday post... 

 COURTNEY PEARSON!!! 

Congrats, Courtney! The blogshpere must be thanking you for a job well done on Dust If Off :) I will contact you about the details.


Thank you, dear bloggers, for all your support and kind words during this blog hop. Love was spread far and wide. Writers are the best at supporting each other, aren't we?


Keep spreading the love and ¡Buen Provecho!