Heather Hobbs's Blog, page 7

I hope you all have a wonderful day, however you choose to spend it!

(Mine will be spent eating pizza and drinking wine. Just saying.)

I’m re-posting this from the Loomis Park Press blog! This is a great way to find a beta reader and/or critique partner.

Here is the link to sign up, for those interested! http://www.loomisparkpress.com/2016/02/11/critique-partners-beta-readers-and-pairme/

Original Post:

We’ve got big news! Loomis Park Press is hosting a Critique Partner matching event this month called Pair Me! More about that later, though. First, let’s talk about critique partners, beta readers, and why both are absolutely critical to the writing process.

No matter where you are in your writing project, you’re going to need some feedback. That’s where beta readers and critique partners come into play. There’s often a lot of confusion when it comes to CP’s and Betas. What’s the difference between the two? Which one do I need? What makes a good beta reader/critique partner? Where do I find one?

The difference between a critique partner and a beta reader is simple. Beta readers usually offer a final opinion on a well-polished finished draft. A critique partner, on the other hand, is with you from chapter one of your first draft, giving you feedback every step of the way. Since it’s a partnership, you are, in turn, reading their work-in-progress and offering you own feedback.

Every writer needs beta readers. If you intend to make your work available to the public in some form, you definitely need to get an array of opinions before you put it out there to help you understand who your work appeals to, which areas are working and which areas need more work. Most of the time, asking close friends and family members to read over your work will result in soft, unhelpful feedback because they’re afraid to be honest. Finding strangers to give your work a once over is usually much more helpful. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t let your friends and family read your work. Just know that their opinions may be a bit more reserved than someone who doesn’t know you.

The same way that everyone needs beta readers, everyone needs at least one solid critique partner that they can trust to be brutally honest and help shape the story from the get-go. Having a critique partner can save you hours of editing and proofreading time, as well as help you solve development/plot/pacing issues long before you even get to the second draft.

The truth is, in order to achieve your best work, you’ll need both; a few beta readers and at least one critique partner.

Good beta readers can be hard to come by. Many times someone will agree to read your work, only to never be heard from again. That’s why it’s good practice to offer a swap of services. You agree to read their work in exchange for them looking over yours. 90% of the time, you’ll get your feedback and in a more timely manner than if the reader doesn’t have anything to gain from beta reading for you. It can also be helpful to give your beta readers some guidelines as to what kind of feedback you’re looking for. Otherwise you may end up with broad, unhelpful comments like, “it was a little boring at times.” Sure, it’s helpful to know if you have a boring part in your story, but without knowing where that is, the comment is useless. Remember to take all opinions with a grain of salt UNLESS all your beta readers make the same comment/suggestion.

Good critique partners can be just as difficult to find, if not more elusive. CPing is a long term commitment and finding someone to match your particular needs and level of commitment isn’t easy. Plus there’s that whole “getting along” thing. With beta readers, you don’t have to get to know the person really. It’s a “one and done” thing most of the time. With CPing, if your personalities don’t mesh, the partnership is doomed. And finding someone who gives consistently helpful feedback can be a challenge. You don’t have to be on the same “writing level” to be partners. Many times someone who is a less experienced writer can pair with a veteran and really up their game and grow in their ability. At the same time, the veteran writer may find themselves getting a unique perspective from someone who critiques more from a reader’s point of view than a writer’s.

Finding a good critique partner means being a good critique partner. You have to keep each other motivated to stick with a story, build each other up on days that you or your partner thinks their writing is crap, and deliver thoughtful, honest critique and suggestions in a timely manner. You also have to be as excited about your partner’s story as they are. You have to be as into the characters and vested in the outcome. Understanding your partner’s vision for their characters will help you identify areas where things are out of character or deviate too far from the plot. In turn, your partner should love and understand your characters as well. You should work together as a sounding board for each other, bouncing ideas back and forth, figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Critique partnerships will end up as incredible friendships if done correctly. After all, writing is like baring your soul and sharing a part of yourself with the world. A critique partner sees that unpolished, messy, nightmare of a work-in-progress and helps you clean it up so when it comes time to share it with everyone, it’s not nearly as scary as it would be otherwise.

Now that you know what they are and how they work, where in the world do you find such people?

Here! We are pleased to announce our very first Pair Me event! Pair Me will appeal to anyone who has ever participated in #CPMatch or any other matching event hosted on other popular writing blogs. It should help you find a much needed critique partner. Between now and February 29th you can sign up below to offer your services as a critique partner. On April 1st, Loomis Park Press will send out an email with your perfect matches! Okay, no guarantees they’ll be a perfect match, but you’ll have the option to review entry forms and choose to contact them to partner up or swap works as beta readers if a long-term partnership just isn’t working out.

Sign up today using the form below and then spread the word using #PairMe! The more entries received, the better the odds of finding your perfect match!

 

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the Oscars. They are kind of my Super Bowl (unless the Broncos are playing, then the actual Super Bowl is my Super Bowl.)

 

I print out nomination sheets and make my friends and family fill them out – winner gets bragging rights for a year. I text my out-of-state friends all night long, commenting on the crazy dresses, the best (and awful) performances, the people that should have won, etc.

 

But this year? This year, I’m just not feeling it.

 

I’ve watched two of the best picture nominees – The Martian and Mad Max, which I both highly recommend. I’d love to watch some of the other nominated films like The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, and The Revenant. I’ve never even heard of Spotlight and I had no clue they turned Room into a movie (but I can recommend the book!) I’m sure I’ll watch them eventually. Maybe.

 

At the very least I plan on watching the animated and live shorts, which usually pop up On Demand a few weeks before the ceremony.

 

I hope my love of all things Oscars isn’t fading and it’s just an off year. I guess time will tell. Are you planning on watching? Who are you rooting for?

I’m super excited to share my interview on Ama et Bemma’s blog as part of the New Year New Books 2016 Tour! If you have time, please check it out!

Link: http://amabemma.blogspot.com/2016/01/interview-with-heather-hobbs-author-of.html

As I previously posted, I am participating in a Goodreads Reading Challenge. It involves reading 30 books throughout the year. I thought it would be fun to post my results at the end of each month; it might just keep me on track, too!

For January, I had to read (1) A book I really liked when I was little, (2) A book I couldn’t fit into a previous challenge, and (3) A book that’s becoming – or is – a movie.

The results? Success! I managed to read a book for each category so I’m off to a good start (phew!) Instead of a full review, I think I’ll talk about why I picked each book and offer a few of my favorite quotes from each.

A book I really liked when I was little. I read the BFG by Roald Dahl. I chose this because I remember my mom reading it to me before bed when I was little. We both laughed so hard at the funny words the BFG used (it stands for Big Friendly Giant, if you haven’t read it.) It’s a super fun book for kids, if you are looking for something sweet but also funny. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

  ‘You is trying to change the subject,’ the Giant said sternly. ‘We is having an interesting babblement about the taste of human bean. The human bean is not a vegetable.’

‘Of course not,” Sophie said. ‘I just love the way you talk.’ ‘How wondercrump!’ cried the BFG, still beaming. ‘How whoopsey-splunkers! How absolutely squiffling! I is all of a stutter.’

A book I couldn’t fit into a previous challenge. I haven’t actually done a previous challenge before so I just read whatever I wanted. I chose Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane. (This also could have fit into category 3 and if you haven’t seen the film, I highly recommend it.) This is book 4 in the Kenzie and Gennaro series, which is a series I”m really enjoying. Hopefully I can fit a few more of his books into the challenge this year. Honestly, this was a tough read about a child abduction. After I finished the last line, my thought was people are the worst. But I’ll give you a few quotes anyway:

Each day in this country, twenty-three hundred children are reported missing.

But amid all that noise, nothing is louder than the silence of a missing child.

A book that’s becoming – or is – a movie. For this I picked Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. This book was actually pretty hilarious, which is hard to pull off when one of the main characters is dying of cancer. The way it’s written is really different style-wise. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie! A few quotes:

One thing I’ve learned about people is that the easiest way to get them to like you is to shut up and let them do the talking. (Note: I find this so very true.)

Maybe ‘awesome’ is too strong a word. The sentence should be: ‘I was pleasantly surprised when the first day of senior year did not make me want to freak out and hide in my own locker pretending to be dead.

Are you doing a reading challenge? What did you read in January?

Below is a post from my friend and fellow Loomis Park Press author Nicole Sewell! Her book releases this Thursday (!!!) Check out her post and read her excerpt below!

Nicole’s post:

Okay here’s the deal. My book comes out in five days. Right now it’s available for pre-order at a special price ($.99). Once the book is released, the price will go up. So, in the interest of boosting pre-sales and saving everyone some money (I’m so nice!), I’m posting an excerpt. Check it out below […]

https://nicolesewell.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/exclusive-excerpt-from-outside/

As the release of my book, The Trouble with Family, approaches, I am starting to think about promotional tools. Actually, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. But now I’m finally ready to start actively trying to schedule things!

The problem? There are so.many.options. And such a wide variety of prices! I’ll cover the various promotional sites I end up using in a later post, but for now I want to talk about book blog tours.

If you don’t know, a book blog tour is a virtual way for authors to promote their books. There is usually some type of giveaway involved and the various promotional blog posts can include interviews, excerpts, reviews, guest posts, etc.

I’ve been reading a lot about these tours and feelings seems to be mixed. Some writers consider a tour an essential part of promoting a book while others consider it a waste of money.

Instead of a full-out book blog tour, I’ve decided to do a book blitz with YA Bound Book Tours.  The blogger’s posts will include my book cover, summary, buy links, and an excerpt. The cost is $30 (compared to the $100+ a tour can cost.)

The blitz will start on my release date and run for a week. I will come back and post the results of the blitz, for those that are curious!

So, my question to you…If you’ve participated in a book blitz or tour, what was your experience? Would you do it again?

I don’t need a book to fuel my love of travel – it’s one of my favorite things to do. But, there are books that certainly make me want to travel to a particular place. Here are my top five (at the moment; it’s ever-changing!)

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. One ticket to Hogwarts, please! Okay, I can’t actually go there (sad) but I can visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. I can’t wait to go there one day and drink butter beer while holding a wand from Ollivanders.


Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. This book made me want to go to Savannah, Georgia, so much! I think it’s a mixture of the way Berendt describes the city as well as the odd characters. I have a cousin that lives in Atlanta so I may have to plan a trip soon. 


A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Okay, so I am not ‘outdoorsy.’ At all. But this book is hilarious, and I could really picture the Appalachian Trail in my mind throughout this story. This book made me want to go on an adventure.


Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares. This book made me want to go to Greece! At the time it was mainly because I wanted to meet someone like Kostos and have an epic summer romance. But now that I’m married, I would still love to go for the amazing culture!


Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Before you think I’m crazy, let me explain! This book made me wish I could have experienced the Chicago World’s Fair. It sounds amazing. It does not make we wish I could meet a serial killer. Also, if you haven’t read this, you should!

Are there any books that make you want to travel?

If any of you are LibraryThing members, my book is available for an Early Reviewers Giveaway! I have 30 eBook copies to give away (Mobi, PDF, and ePub are all available).

If you are unfamiliar, LibraryThing Early Reviewers provides free advance copies of books in exchange for honest reviews. You can request The Trouble with Family throughout January and copies will be sent in early February.

Here is the link! https://www.librarything.com/er/list

I’ve been on Goodreads for a while now but I haven’t necessarily been an active member. In the past, I’ve mainly used it to track the books I’ve read and the books I’d like to read (wow, that list just keeps getting longer!) Over the past few months, I’ve decided to actually attempt to be more active on Goodreads so I’ve added friends, joined groups, etc.

This year I’m participating in a Reading Challenge, which isn’t something I’ve done before. The specific group is called “2016 30 Books Reading Challenge.” The 2015 version is posted above but the 2016 edition is pretty similar. Over the course of the year, I need to read books that fall into the 30 listed categories.

The challenges I’m most looking forward to: (a) a book you own but have never read (oh, so many), (b) a genre you don’t usually read, and (c) a book set in another continent.

I think this will be a fun way for me to expand my reading horizons while also reading a good number of books. I do see a lot of people on Goodreads with challenges of 100+ books but I think I’ll start with 30 and see how I do!

Now I just have to decide what to read!

Do you participate in reading challenges?