Shannon Roberts 🖊️

Developmental editor and writing consultant specializing in fantasy and sci-fi.

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

Maybe this is on my mind because I have jury duty looming, but I can absolutely see myself being the problem juror who ends up getting this turned into a mistrial.

"Well actually, when you consider the defendant's motives, here..."

https://t.co/agos6kNGoU

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

"Davis writes that a person’s ultimate aim should be to 'feel small and still feel strong, and good.'"

This hadn't been on my radar, but it's going right to the top of the TBR now.

https://t.co/N0RIQEjBq4

#books #amreading

[Writer Unboxed @WriterUnboxed]

"Tightening our Prose: Dialog Tags" via @storyempire https://t.co/SaZmvlZkaf #WUCraft

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

tl;dr -- set your scene. Where and when something takes place is just as important as what's actually occurring. #creativewriting #writing #RebeccaIsOneOfTheGreatestNovelsOfAllTime

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

I don't usually throw out too much writing advice on here, but I've seen this issue pop up a LOT in first draft manuscripts, so it's probably worth mentioning:

Set. Your. Scene. ALWAYS.

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

Scene setting is crucial. You really needn't look further than a Gothic Romance novel to understand the importance of it--we're talking an entire GENRE built on atmosphere, all of which is established as the author sets their scenes.

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

…this is a pretty tricky thing to get right, and it takes practice to strike the right balance between “feeling” and “action.”

[K.M. Weiland @KMWeiland]

Learning how to write better action scenes is all about giving readers a character to root for. Here's how to engage readers in the action. https://t.co/bTtYDqEZIM #amwriting #writetip

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

"Poetry Comics" ain't new. Rossetti (Dante Gabriel, not Christina) often included poetry with his paintings; Blake often blended image and written word. Art is so much more complex and blurry than we think it is, and I love it. #ArtHistory

https://t.co/ZCwtAF7sTB

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

I think we're all a bit tired of the expectation that creatives "shouldn't focus on the money," ie, shouldn't demand fair compensation for their work.

We have to eat, just like anybody. We have to pay rent, just like anybody. We should not be embarrassed by that.

#writerslife

[Devon Eriksen @Devon_Eriksen_]

What a terrible take.

Writers have no obligation to live in poverty in order to serve a "higher calling". We take great risks, both financial and psychological, to put a book in your hands at all.

And great risks must be motivated by great rewards.

Readers, also, have no obligation to read boring, intellectually arrogant sludge because you think they should.

Readers tell writers what they like by buying books. And readers deserve to be listened to, because they are paying the bills.

[The Bookseller @thebookseller]

ICYMI: Agents concerned about 'lack of detail' on Spotify streaming deals with several voicing concerns about how it may affect author income due to the lack of detail about the deals struck. https://t.co/fmiTpO9PpD

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

At 14, my mom handed me a copy of Rebecca by duMaurier. I read a chapter, thought it was boring.

When I was 37, I brought a copy to the beach and couldn't put it down.

People change. And first impressions are often poppycock.

#literaryfiction #amreading #LiteraturePosts

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

Evergreen advice, honestly. And why I don't write Christmas letters.

#amwriting #editing #writerslife

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

"...the big deal about having an agent is that an agent can open doors for you in the publishing world that you cannot open alone."

...pretty much this, honestly. 100%

[One Stop for Writers @onestop4writers]

4 Myths (and the Truth) About Getting a Literary Agent https://t.co/cNwXYN0xRQ #agents #publishing

[Meredith Mooring @meredithmwrites]

"Why are so many fantasy protagonists 20 years old? Where are the 30-40 year olds?"

There's a specific reason for this, and it's due to how publishing functions and not due to what authors or readers want. 🧵1/5

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

"Dialogue is the place that books are most alive and forge the most direct connection with readers."

...honestly, yes. This Laini Taylor has a way with words, huh?

#writingtips #writinglife

https://t.co/2z8dpQldZX

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

As a natural under-writer, I do struggle with descriptions. It helps to remember that writing is a thing to immerse yourself in: take real pleasure in each word, each line, and it becomes less of a struggle.

#writerslife #amwritingfiction

https://t.co/poREjTfgto

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

"Characters don’t exist in a bubble."

This might be the piece of writing advice I have to hand out most often: it's so easy to get lost in dialogue and action, we can completely forget: where is any of this taking place??

#writingtips #writing

https://t.co/6A2BxSYUXX

[Shannon Roberts 🖊️ @redpengal]

"Whether your characters have sex on the page or not, what they are doing as they fall in love is stripping."

#writingtips #writingadvice

https://t.co/lRkmDZkga1