The Power of Writing Book Reviews

By Kathy Neely @NeelyKneely3628

There are two things I do when choosing a book to read—I read the book blurb and check the reviews. My preferred venues for reading and posting reviews are Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble. If a book has fewer than ten, the sampling is too small to be significant. Statisticians would consider that to be an inadequate sample size resulting in unreliable feedback. The larger the sample, the more dependable the feedback. Therefore, your review is crucial to providing readers with accurate information. 

Tips for Writing Time Slip Novels

by Kathy Neely @NeelyKneely3628

My newly completed manuscript is my first in a new genre—a time-slip novel shifting between two timelines. One is an emotional journey through Civil War reconstruction, racial tensions, and coming of age characters, and the other is my familiar contemporary setting. As a writer, it proved to be a great learning experience. Time-slip is a common term, but I prefer to reference it as a dual timeline novel. The term ‘time-slip’ conjures up thoughts of time travel. Those are great novels, but they aren’t me. 

The Missing Piece

by Kathy Neely @NeelyKneely3628

Shel Silverstein is an icon in the world of children’s poetry. Where the Sidewalk Ends. The Giving Tree. Falling Up. I could go on and on. His simplistic illustrations, often in black and white, have become synonymous with his name. 

He authored a book titled The Missing Piece. Here’s the quick premise. It looks like a cheese wheel with a wedge removed, or perhaps an open-mouthed Pac-man. It knows that something is missing, so proceeds to hunt for it.

Creating Life-like Characters

by Kathy Neely 

If you’re a writer, you are familiar with the story elements that keep readers turning the pages. 

Characters, plot, setting, conflict, resolution. You can simplify or expand the list, but the building blocks are basically the same. 

While none can survive exclusive of the others, there’s something crucial about creating life-like characters. Your readers need to love them, hate them, and think about them when they close the book. No matte` how gripping the plot, it’s nothing if readers don’t relate to your characters.