Tuesday 16 April 2013

BLOG TOUR: The Game by Shane Collins

Welcome to my stop for The Game blog tour hosted by YA Bound. Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule!

The Game 
by Shane Scollins
Release Date: 03/13/13

No matter where you are, they’ll find you, and put you in “The GAME”. 
Candice Laguna’s life is being systematically dismantled, by an unknown force, for a reason she can’t imagine. But she is about to become the unwilling star of a reality gamecompetition the likes of which has never been broadcast to the world.  
Just when things get darkest, a mysterious man snatches her from the grips of doom. He is a man who is not what he appears, and not who he says. He has no name and his motivation to help Candice is not what it seems to be.  
THE GAME is a mystery/thriller with an unpredictable paranormal twist. It has action and adventure and plays up the everyday exploitation of reality television obsession gone wrong.
(goodreads) (amazon)

Practical Advice for Beginning Fiction Writers  

So you’ve always wanted to write a book. You’ve read a ton of books, you love stories, and you feel like there’s a great story inside you that needs to get out. 

It’s a common misconception that everyone can be a writer, I don’t believe that to be true. Not everyone can be a professional athlete or a brain surgeon. It takes a drive and desire. But believing you can, is more than half the battle. If you’re willing to put forth effort and you have the talent, you can be a writer.

The thing that makes published writers stand out from those who are unpublished, is that the published ones never quit. It’s that simple. I know a great writer who has been at this game for more than thirty years. She’s in her fifties now and she just sold her first book this year. She never quit, and now she’s sold three more books since. 

Persistence really is the key piece of advice that all beginning fiction writers need to hear and understand. You won’t get anywhere with all the talent in the world if you don’t work at it. And if you work at it, the fact you don’t have all the talent in the world won’t matter. Writing is a skill just like any other and with enough practice, you’ll get good at it.

The first thing you need to do before beginning your writing adventure, is read…a lot. Read for fun, of course, but also read with a critical eye. Read all you can, all different genres and learn to recognize what you like and dislike about a particular writer’s style and prose. Learn to recognize what kinds of genres you like the most and what you’d like to write. Picture what you’d like to do differently, or the same as the things you’re reading. 

Once you’ve read a lot, what you need to do is write, write, and write some more. I’d suggest writing at least two or three complete novels before you ever consider shopping a single one of them. Because the truth is, your first attempts are probably going to stink, or be mediocre at best. You can always go back to those early efforts and rewrite them after you learn who you are as a writer. It takes a while to find your voice, and you will hear a lot about the “voice” of your writing. It’s not really something that can easily be explained but you’ll know it after a while. It’s a process. 

Just like anything else you really want in life, writing has to be something you’re committed to. It is very tough to make anything work if the effort is only a half-hearted one. So if you truly want to be a writer, get started and have fun.


Shane Scollins is a freelance writer and author. Originally from New Jersey, he now resides in Upstate New York with his wife, Heather. He has worked as an automotive service manager, a website developer and a computer network engineer. Primarily a science fiction and paranormal novelist, Shane enjoys taking readers on surprising and unexpected journeys that twist reality. He is currently working on his next book. 

Follow Shane at: Website * Twitter * Goodreads * Facebook



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2 comments:

  1. That is really good advice for those who would like to start writing. Thanks for sharing this post.

    Jenea @ Books Live Forever

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  2. Thanks for hosting today and allowing me to grace your blog. I appreciate the support.

    ReplyDelete