Category: Critiquing

Ringing in the New Year (Probably Illegally) and a #Giveaway For #Authors!

by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Contests, Critique, Critiquing, First 500 Words, The Grave Winner, The Trinity Bleeds, What Gifts She Carried

Hello there, 2016! Aren’t you looking all sexy and new! I have to say 2015 was kind of a blah year for me. Other than a few high points, it was pretty sleep-inducing. Sleep is a super special thing, but all year? Come on!

I rang in the new year with book research. I won’t tell you what I was researching because I’ll probably get arrested.

So! New year’s resolutions… the only one I have is to blog more, which is why I’m here today with two pieces of newses, one for each hand!

Number one newses is that the last book of The Grave Winner trilogy releases in seven days!!!

The Trinity Bleeds - ebook

Preorder Here!

Book 1 Is Here!

Book 2 Is Here!

Heidi from Momma Says Read called The Trinity Bleeds, “quite possibly the best YA horror book I’ve read.” – Goodreads.

Wow! Thank you, Heidi!

Number two newses is that I would like to start paying it forward to all you authors out there. The writing community has always been so supportive to me and tons of other authors.

So, every month, I would like to give away a free critique of an author’s first 500 words here on the old blog. The first 500 words can be anything from your Nano project to a research paper to a cereal box that you created for whatever reason…anything! Seriously, folks. I. Read. Everything.

I just have three rules (yeah, yeah, I know):

  1. Your first 500 words have to be PG-13. The rest can be robot dinosaur smut.
  2. If you win, you only have 48 hours to email me your first 500 words. Or else I’ll choose a new winner!
  3. You should be comfortable with receiving a critique. Because we’re writers, peeps!

Why should you want to win this critique from yours truly? Well, I hate to brag, but…

  • I’m super close to finishing my sixth novel.
  • I’ve been critiquing other authors’ works for eight years, some of whom are now New York Times bestselling authors.
  • I worked as an intern for a well-respected publishing company for one year.
  • I’m represented by the uber-amazing Rossano Trentin of TZLA Literary and Film Agency.

So, yeah. That’s me.

My critiquing style looks like a hamburger: the top and bottom is filled with the good, and in the middle is the juicy part where I offer constructive criticism. And now I want a hamburger.

Interested? Hit the Rafflecopter below (but don’t actually hit it)! Also, happy new year!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

An Ode to Critters

by Lindsey Loucks, posted in Critiquing, Writing

No, not the movies (see funny photo above). I mean the super-intelligent, highly dedicated group of other writers I’ve been fortunate enough to find who critique my story(ies). Yesterday (at least I think it was yesterday; the weekend went by in a blur), a critter pointed out yet another plot hole. Yay Joe! I grabbed my shovel to fill in the hole, and something wacky happened. My MC came up with a great come-back line to some kids on the bus who noticed her yard was… different. That line did two things – 1. it provided a moment of comic relief (which is good, because things get seriously unfunny in the second half) and 2. it was major foreshadowing. I held my shovel like an idiot, blinking at the computer screen, trying to understand the awesomeness that had just happened.

Now I know why Novel Number One wasn’t published – becuase I didn’t put it through the ringer at Critique Circle.

So to all my critters, everyone who has ever given me a critique, thank you. You’ve all provided different perspectives and made me truly think about how the story needed to be told. And a giant thank you to Mysti who’s read and critiqued the whole story almost twice and Joe who keeps throwing me that shovel. Like I told Mysti – the leprechaun told me there are Godiva chocolates in the magic pot for all of you at the end of the story. : )