Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

Writing is no orderly process

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  My novel doesn't start at the beginning. Is this an inside writing joke? What I mean is the narrative in my story isn't ordered chronologically. It wasn't always that way, but when it was in chronological order, the opening chapters of In the Context of Love read like a YA novel. It is definitely not YA. Something had to change. Shuffling the Narrative I needed to start the novel … [Read more...]

I Love “Context of Love” Readers

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Send me your Selfies! If you're reading In the Context of Love, send me your selfie and I'll add it to the gallery! I love my readers and the pictures they send. You guys rock. Big thanks to all of you! Linda K. Sienkiewicz is the author of the award-winning novel In the Context of Love, a story about one woman’s need to tell the truth without shame. 2016 Sarton Women’s Fiction … [Read more...]

Take 30 Minutes to Fix Your Novel

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After reading “Outline your Novel in Thirty Minutes” by Alicia Rasley in the Article of the Month blog, I realized my current outline was basically useless. No wonder my writing had been stalled! Applying this exercise to my work-in-progress created a new outline that is basic, but also concrete,  coherent, specific, and ten times better. Nine important questions cover key points that most … [Read more...]

Where to Start Your Novel

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The beginning as a place mark: We sit in front of the keyboard, poised, with an idea for a book spinning in our head, and find ourselves afraid to start. After all, we are aware we have one paragraph, or three at best, to capture the attention of the reader. My friend and mentor, Elizabeth Searle, gave me a great tip to get past this initial fear: Think of your current opening as nothing more than … [Read more...]

Is it awe or aw?

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The world needs an illustrated grammar lesson concerning aw and awe.  Aw is a noise Aw is the word for a noise you make when you see something that's freaking adorable, like a baby hedgehog or Betty White. Some people write "aww." Because it's a sound, if the photo is especially freaking adorable, you can get away with writing "awwwwwww," although doing so is comparable to using an excessive … [Read more...]