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Author Archives: Richard Mansel

About Richard Mansel

Richard is the Managing Editor for Forthright Magazine & helps people become better writers.

First Paragraphs as Storytellers

We are at the library roaming through the stacks or browsing the new releases in the local bookstore and we come across a book with an interesting title or cover and we pick it up. Opening the book to the first page, we read the opening paragraph and decide whether we want to read it or not.

As writers, we need to consider our books from a marketing standpoint. What are we selling? Why should the consumer care?

When someone reads our first paragraph, what are we telling them? What have we promised? What hints have we given them? Are we being honest with them? Is what we are promising going to continue throughout the book?

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Posted by on February 18, 2012 in Books, Editing

 

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Birthday Tribute to Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens is one of the greatest writers who ever lived and we are blessed to have his work with us today. Countless writers have been inspired by his work. We can be very thankful that he came along and today, we can pay tribute to his body of work.

“A boy’s story is the best that is ever told” (Charles Dickens).

Dickens 2012 – a tribute site

Biography and Book List of Dickens

Charles Dickens at 200

Charles Dickens at 200

Charles Dickens: An Overview

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Posted by on February 7, 2012 in Books

 

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Beautiful Bookstores

I wanted to share a link of beautiful and unique bookstores from around the world. Enjoy!

 
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Posted by on February 3, 2012 in Books, Reading

 

What Kind of Bookmarks Do You Use?

I am interested in what you use as a bookmark. I have a basic one from the library and I use it until it wears out. The bookmarks I use don’t have any special qualities or significance. They are simply functional.

I read one book at a time. Some of you read several books at once, so you will need a lot of markers. Do you use certain ones for specific purposes? Do you get them from the library or cheap ones from bookstores or do you actually go out and buy them?

Should be interesting to read your responses.

 
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Posted by on January 28, 2012 in Books, Reading

 

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The Informed Writer

The agony of the Male Novelist

Barbour sells Heartsong Inspirational Novels to Harlequin

How to use an outline while you write your first draft

Three Tips to Consistent Tone

The Geyser 5 Step Approach to Revision

How to Create a Plot Outline

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Posted by on January 28, 2012 in Informed Writer, Writing

 

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Write a Memory

Our minds are amazing machines. Thanks to our senses, a scene, photo, scent or texture can stir up snippets of memory invoking pain or joy. What about this photograph? Does it speak to you?

I grew up in the country, so many vivid scenes appear before my eyes. I will share some of them and I hope you will, as well.

 

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Finding The Right Word…

“The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter–it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning” [Mark Twain].

 
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Posted by on January 24, 2012 in Editing, Quotes, Writing

 

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Used Book Stores – Where Treasure Hunters Play

 
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Posted by on January 23, 2012 in Books, Reading

 

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Writing Fiction is Easy and Very Difficult

Putting pen to paper and describing the scene in our head is easy. Stringing dialogue based on the way we speak is not challenging. However, forming everything together into a cohesive, compelling novel that publishers will consider publishing is quite a different matter, indeed.

Countless people aspire to write fiction and dream of accolades and glory. Friends and family read their offerings and praise their efforts. They start building houses in their head and plan the outfits they will wear to book signings.

Confident in their mastery, they send their masterpiece to someone knowledgeable about writing and hear that their manuscript is filled with mistakes and inconsistencies. They either become angry, crushed or ambivalent about the advice.

Why does this happen? Because writing fiction is easy and very difficult at the same time and the sooner we realize this, the better. Anyone can tell a story but doing so at the highest level takes an incredible amount of work.

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Posted by on January 14, 2012 in Editing, Fiction, Writer, Writing

 

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There’s Nothing Like a Book

 
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Posted by on January 11, 2012 in Books, Reading, Video

 

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