5.27.2014

Reborn Blog Tour: Three Ways to Write Better

 

Three Ways to Write Better
  1. Read. Yes, it's that simple. Read and read a lot. Stephen King said the tools of a writer involve reading and writing.
  2. Write. Writing helps you grow as a writer. I suggest free writing and writing shorter works, such as flash fiction to help you practice writing. They're a great way to learn how to be concise in your words.
  3. Learn grammar. I'm not saying you have to know the obscure uses for a comma, but you should know what a subject and verb are. Pick up a simple book on grammar and read it. Knowing the basics will help you write better and spot issues with your writing. After all, editors and proofreaders miss things too, and in the end, the quality of the work you put out is all on you, the author.

To save a kingdom, a prophetess must challenge Fate.

On the day of Yssa’s death and rebirth, the god Apenth chose her as the Phoenix Prophetess.

Sea serpents and gods endanger the young prophetess’s journey and sour the omens. Yssa is cursed instead of blessed, and her duties at the Temple of Apenth prove it. She spends her days reading dusty scrolls, which does nothing to help her forget Tym, the boy back home. But the annoying yet gorgeous ferryman’s son Liam proves to be a distraction she can’t predict, even though he rarely leaves her alone for two sand grains.

Her boring temple life screeches to a halt when visions of her parents’ murders consume her. Yssa races across an ocean to stop the future. If she can’t change Fate, she’ll refuse to be the Phoenix Prophetess any longer. Fate, however, has other plans for her and the kingdom.

Yssa must either accept her destiny or fight to change Fate.

Available in Ebook and Print!

Click here to add on Goodreads.

The authors of Untethered Realms and I are giving away over $50 worth of books to one lucky winner. The giveaway is open internationally.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

A self-proclaimed bookworm, Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia. Her short stories have appeared in magazines and anthologies, and her books include the horror collection Nightmare, a space fantasy novella collection titled Gravity, and the fantasy series The Foxwick Chronicles and The Fate Challenges. Reborn is her debut novel. She is Vice President of Valley Writers and a member of the Virginia Writers Club and Untethered Realms. For more information, please visit her website.

27 comments:

  1. Have an awesome tour with Reborn!

    Commas drive me crazy. I went to school back when they were used more extensively than they are now.

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  2. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that the basics of writing better are really that basic: reading, writing and grammar.

    Wishing you all the success in the world as you publish this and all other publications.

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  3. Commas and I don't always get along. All misuses are entirely my fault as I rewrite after my editor goes at my MS. I've gotten better with some coaching.

    Writing short stories certainly helped me.

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  4. Great three tips! And yay again to Cherie. She's everywhere!

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  5. I hope your tour is successful - and FUN.
    Great tips too. One of my friends sees himself as a playwright, but doesn't read. At all. I think it shows. A lot.

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  6. Thank you, River! And commas have changed even from when I went to school. That's why it is good to brush up on some grammar here and there.

    Thank you, Angela! Those basics are easy to overlook.

    Commas are definitely not easy, Mary, but it does help if nothing else but to be consistent with them. I definitely agree about writing short stories to help people become better at writing.

    Thank you, T. Drecker! :)

    Thank you, Elephant's Child! It always amazes me when writers say they don't read. I just don't understand how they write then.

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  7. It seems like such a basic thing that people who love to write also love reading, too. I mean, how does a person fall in love with the written word without a passion for reading?

    Good luck with you new book!

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  8. I know exactly what you mean, Susan, although there are people out there who write but don't read. It boggles the mind. Thanks for the luck! :)

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  9. My grammar always sucked-lol OK there I said it. I still wonder what an adverb is and feel horrible to admit to it. I use commas all the time. You are right though-Grammar is important and so is reading, reading and more reading.

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  10. Birgit, grammar is not something that comes naturally, but it does help to know a little about it to write better. For me, the best way to learn English grammar was to learn a foreign language. Then you really find out what all those terms, like adverb, mean and what they are.

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  11. Very useful tips, Cherie. I wish you the best luck for your book. It's amazing. And so many great books there in the giveaway too!

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  12. Thank you, my dear dragon friend (aka Al)!

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  13. Yes, yes, and yes. I agree with all three pieces of advice! Reading, writing, and a little bit of grammar research repeated over and over again make for good writing.

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  14. Thank you, Tyrean! It's one of those simple things that we can sometimes forget when we're so busy in all the other "rules" of writing.

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  15. Such a fun tour, Cherie!
    Love that line about the sand grains :-)

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  16. Very nice. Looks like a pretty good book tour. Thank you for featuring it.

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  17. Thank you, Deniz! And figuring out how they would talk about seconds of time was fun. As soon as I had the image of an hourglass, I knew they'd use the term "sand grains."

    Thank you so much, Lady Lilith!

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  18. Yep, really, it is that simple. :-D

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  19. I've been seeing this all over the blogosphere this week. Congrats to Cherie!

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  20. Yeah! So happy to find Cherie and Reborn here. :) Her advice is excellent. I think many people forget how important reading is when it comes to improving one's writing craft.

    Wishing Cherie the best of luck!
    ~Jess

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  21. It definitely is, Misha! :)

    Thank you, Donna!

    I know exactly what you mean, Jess. I'm still amazed when I hear about writers who don't read at all.

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  22. The cover is beautiful.

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  23. I'm not a writer, but I've never struggled with grammar, spelling or writing at university. I know that it's due to my reading addiction, instilled at a young age by my mum! :)

    I'm logged into RC as Katherine Ryan

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  24. Three very good points, Cherie!
    The cover looks great, all the best with the release.

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  25. Whether someone shows an interest in writing or not, it still amazes me when they say they "don't read." A woman told us that at a book fair last month, in front of her young son. Of your three suggestions, I would choose reading as the most important (probably why you listed it first!)
    Best of Success with your new book.

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  26. Good Luck Cherie. Your book sounds amazing!

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  27. Thank you, Kerry!

    Reading definitely helps a person learn grammar, Jasmine1485.

    They're good ones to remember and come back to, Carolyn. Thank you!

    I do believe reading is the most important, Gail. :)

    Thank you, Cathrina! :)

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