Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Wendy Roberts on August 12, 2011 at 8:51am

Hi Scott!  I figured I'd go ahead and introduce myself here too.  I'm fascinated by historical war stories (Napoleon!!), and am writing one myself--mine is set in WWII and told through the alternating points of view of two German soldiers (why?  it's a very long story).  Despite my own military experience, I find that it's very difficult as a woman to be taken "seriously" when writing about war, especially when one is writing through the point of view of the (male) soldier.  I'm not sure why I gravitate to the male voice, but I suspect it's from being the "fly on the wall" in a male-dominated career field for so long.  I feel guilty about this--why am I not writing the woman's experience? Maybe in my next book...

Coincidentally, my entry Bratsche originally came into being back in the 2008 NaNoWriMo, although it's barely recognizable at this point.

Permalink Reply by Scott Armstrong on August 12, 2011 at 9:20am

Does your story happen to take place during the German invasion of Russia?

I plan to write a sequel to Russian Snows told from the perspective of a French teenage girl.  I have a teenage daughter so I think that will help in the writing.

Do you have plans to publish Bratsche? 

Permalink Reply by Wendy Roberts on August 12, 2011 at 9:45am

Actually, it's set during the Battle of the Bulge.  I originally tried to write it from the perspective of a Belgian woman, but the soldiers' POVs took over (wow--no pun intended here!) and, strangely, made it more...err...cynical and "literary" if that's possible.  I'm about 2/3 finished with this draft--but I'd love to publish eventually, and hopefully I'll be ready to start that process next year.  This contest seems like a relatively low-key means to get my feet wet in the  publishing world.

I do have a teenage girl in my novel (I was one, after all), but she's nothing like me...I hope.  I'm sure having a daughter that age would help!  Wow, already thinking about the sequel.  I AM a slow writer! :)

Permalink Reply by Scott Armstrong on October 4, 2011 at 10:07am

Russian Snows: Coming of Age in Napoleon's Army is now available for sale as a paperback and ebook.  Take a look at www.RussianSnows.com and pass the link along to anyone you think might be interested.  Thank you!

Permalink Reply by Cynthia Hartwig on August 13, 2011 at 4:59pm

Well, welcome Scott. We're not sexist. (Just clueless you are here.) Ha. Honetly, Napoleon's Coming of Age story sounds like a great preise

 

Permalink Reply by Karen Sosnoski on August 12, 2011 at 8:36am

Hi Kamy and other participants,
I'm excited about this contest, and felt a strong sense of satisfaction once I realized I had 2,ooo words of my novel in progress, Rosemary's Models, that worked. Just visited the Mark Twain house and saw his quote, "the difference between an acceptable word and the perfect word is the difference between a lightening bug and lightening." This inspired me while editing for this contest. Anyway, thank you to all involved for offering this opportunity; it seems to be motivating many of us! Karen Sosnoski

Permalink Reply by Kierie on August 12, 2011 at 9:40am

Hi I'm Kierie:

This contest was the exact Kick in the behind I needed to start making my thousands of words come together and have order.

So while I may have lost my fingerprints from excessive continuous typing; I feel great about it! I've been working on my piece in its various incarnations since last fall and I love where it's going!

Thanks,

Kierie

Permalink Reply by Renée Schuls-Jacobson on August 13, 2011 at 5:13am

I am Renée Schuls-Jacobson, and I have been working on my manuscript "Manny" for a ridiculously long time. You know you've been working on your WIP too long when he has a name and a gender. I have been writing since I was 4 years old. My first piece was "published" in 2nd grade when my teacher, Mrs. Church, read my short story, squealed and then dragged me around the entire school, making me read my work "The Girl Who Hiccupped Under Water" aloud -- even to the 5th graders: an attention whore was born. I have a blog called "Lessons From Teachers and Twits" (http://rasjacobson.com) and, until I am a real published author, that is where I get my jollies.

Permalink Reply by Gale Martin on August 13, 2011 at 5:06pm

I became a member of She Writes earlier this year and am grateful for the newsletters/e-updates. Otherwise, I might not have known about this contest.

 

I'm so excited about the number of pages we're able to submit for this competition. That is fantastic. Often, it's limited to 300 or 500 words. Being able to submit 2,000 words makes this a really extraordinary opportunity, IMHO.

 

Best of luck, everyone. And no matter how we do (yes, this is self-talk here) it's the journey that makes writing a valuable pursuit. Whatever happens, keep savoring the journey--that's my plan anyway.

Permalink Reply by Cynthia Hartwig on August 13, 2011 at 5:36pm

Hi there. I'm Cynthia Hartwig and I live in Seattle.

 

My novel, Garden of Loss, is set in the Garden of Eden, a ramshackle roadside serpentarium located about 40 miles from Charleston in geography and a million miles in spirit. When a coral snake that's mistaken for a tri-colored kingsnake gets loose in Senior Biology, Walter Ennis, my motherless 15-year-old hero, captures it by putting it in his tube sock.  The owner of the Garden of Eden recognizes a snake-obsessed wworker when he sees one and hires Walter on the spot for what Walter assumes will be his dream job until he’s put to work as Junior Mouse Killer and introduced to the nightmare of offing thouands of mice needed to feed a collection of 666 venomous snakes. On this wild journey through both kingdoms of rodentia and serpentia, Walter helps glue together a failing business where cash flow is down to a trickle, and gets entangled daily with an outsized American entrepreneur named Eddie Adams who is trying to save the business by breeding Moby Retic, the largest white reticulated python in the world. Part love story, part adventure story, newfangled fable and old-fashioned coming-of-age story, nobody makes it out of the Garden of Eden unscathed.  Oh, did I mention 666 venomous snakes?

 

Permalink Reply by Muriel Jacques on August 14, 2011 at 7:00am

Hi everyone! I am a French Mum living in London. I became a member of She Writes earlier this year and this contest is exactly what I needed to make my fist chapter come together. Thanks for organising it. Now I suppose we only have to wait and see.

Good luck everyone!

Permalink Reply by Jodi O'Donnell-Ames on August 14, 2011 at 10:47am

Hi Kamy and fellow Shewriters!

 

I am a grateful writer who is submitting (tonight!) my first 2,000 words of a WIP, Raising Mom.  This opportunity is the catalyst that I needed and I'm excited to watch it unfold.  I wish everyone the best of luck and the courage to KEEP ON WRITING!

 

 

 

 

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• …
• 14
• Next ›
• Page