I joined in its earliest days, but life took me away and around the world. Living in Berlin now the past several years and returned to fiction writing.

Otherwise, I'm a psychologist, documentary filmmaker and game dev, who has mainly been technical writing, researching and directing. Glad to actively be back doing one of the things I love the best.
www.redhaircrow.com

Hello!

It's December so it's time for another contest.

Post the first three sentences of a story showing some kind of "holiday cheer" for a chance to win a $20 coupon on an upcoming SavvyAuthors workshop.

Please note that this doesn't have to be an actual work-in-progress. This is just a fun contest featuring fun opening lines from some kind of holiday chaos. Feel free to get creative!

Contest will remain open until Sunday December 15th at 11:59 p.m. EST. Members will vote on their favorite entry.

Please email us if you have any questions. We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Thanks!

RJ

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your dialogue snippets and cast a vote. There was a great turnout for votes, and we keep getting new authors sharing their work and voting.

We've tallied the votes, and we have a tie! The winner of the $20 coupon for an upcoming SavvyAuthors workshop are @Jennifer Windrow and @NikkiWrites!

Here is Jennifer's dialogue snippet from WIP IN the Forest of Eternal Darkness:

I ignored his well-intended gesture. “We may not play for the same team, but I still don’t condone unsanctioned murder. No matter what you think of me and my kind.”

His lips lifted in a half-ass smirk which did naughty things to my nether regions. Naughty things I wanted to ignore. “I think you reside in one of the most feared courts in the faery realm and have become very comfortable with death.”

His words were like a dagger to my heart. Sharp, pointed, and meant to inflict pain.

I reached for my blade. “I might have to reconsider my unsanctioned murder rule.”

“No need to get angry, princess. I come in peace.” He raised his hands, palms out.

The twinkle in those sun-colored eyes melted a bit of the ice that encased my heart.

“And you might leave here in pieces.”

And here is Nikki's snippet of dialogue from WIP THRILL ME:

“Yes, I am now living in central California. No, Taylor Swift and I did not have a love child. Yes, I am starting a dude ranch in a couple of weeks.”

I leaned in, a visual caught on more than one phone. “Rigo, don’t do this. You don’t owe them anything.”

The assholes were sucking up our euphoria from the jump like the succubi they were.

Rigo kept going. “No, I did not accept a payoff to throw the bullfight. And no, I am not investing in a brand of cognac, or fronting a brand of boots, or running for United States Senate.” He cracked a smile so small that only I caught it.

The phones pointed at me. “¿Noah! "¿Eres homosexual? ¿Are you gay?”

As if I could be anything else. Still pissed as hell, I cocked a hip. “We’ve already established that.”

“Is that your natural hair color?”

I rolled my eyes. But in for a penny, in for a pound. If we to be all over the internet, might as well make it go viral. "I’ll never tell. And I did not have a love child with Tay Tay, either.”


Thanks for participating. Please stay tuned for more SavvyAuthors contests. If you have any ideas on topics or contest ideas, please reach out to [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

The SavvyCrew

We are planning a new event for Savvy, a writing craft book club. Personally, I have so many favorite craft books. There are books everyone knows like GMC, Save the Cat, and Story Genius. I would love to ask the community to tell us what you like to write and list some of your favorite craft books.

Thanks,

Dina Scott

Hello amazing authors!

We are always working hard to bring you the best online workshops and instructors. We had a survey that went out in September where we asked for your input, and we had some fantastic feedback that we are implementing.

We are still building our 2025 Workshop Schedule and are actively seeking proposals for our online asynchronous workshops, and also new pre-recorded webinars and on-demand classes. We are hoping to launch this new format in early 2025.

If you have a recommendation for a workshop topic or want to recommend an instructor and/or workshop, please reach out to me ([email protected]). I am always looking for new instructors and new workshop topics.

Also, if you are an instructor or would like to be an instructor, please also reach out me ([email protected]). I'd love to connect.

Many amazing instructors have come to SavvyAuthors through referrals.

Thanks for being a part of this community.

RJ

It's time to vote for your favourite snippet of snappy dialogue.

We had a fantastic turnout, so thank you to those who shared their dialogue. These are AMAZING. It's going to be SO hard to pick!

Please vote HERE.
** Please note that Google Forms wouldn't allow paragraph breaks so the dialogue is formatted together. There were extra spaces added to show the paragraph break. ***

The voting will close Sunday at 11:59 pm. EST, and winner will be contacted and announced on Monday November 4th.

If you have any trouble, please email us HERE.

Thanks!

The SavvyCrew

As the holiday season approaches, SavvyAuthors is holding our first Secret Santa Book Swap.

Each registrant will select a book within their matches genre and send it by December 9th.

*** Please note that we will be closing registration for Secret Santa Book Swap on Wednesday November 20th. ***

Rules/Guidelines:

• The value of the book is under $25. The book CAN be gently used if it matches the genre.
• Please note all addresses will be kept private and not publicly posted anywhere. The address will be shared only with the person they are matched with.
• Please register by Wednesday November 20th.
• All books MUST be sent out by Monday December 9th.
• If you sign up, you're committing to send a book to the person you're matched with.
• If you sign up but don't send a book, you will not be eligible to win any future contests.

Please fill out the Google Form with your information to participate. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.

Thanks!

The SavvyCrew

Hello!

It's time for another contest.

Post a snippet showing some sassy dialogue banter. This can include up to 10 lines (not 10 sentences) from your current work-in-progress for a chance to win a $20 coupon on an upcoming SavvyAuthors workshop.

Contest will remain open until Sunday October 27 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Members will vote on their favorite entry.

Please email us if you have any questions.

Thanks!

RJ

My name is Robb Coutinho and I am an IT Professional by daylight and a Dark Fantasy/Horror writer by nightlight. I have published short stories on online “e-zines”, co-founded the Brian Lumley “Necroscope News” newsletter on www.brianlumley.com, and was a contributing author to The Brian Lumley Companion published in 2002 by Tor Books. I am wrapping up revisions and will be seeking a literary agent for my forthcoming first novel (firstcoming novel?), a supernatural thriller called, The Luminari.

Hi everyone, I've been off Savvy Authors for a while and I miss it so...I'm Back!

Hey amazing writing community!

I am looking to get my feet wet with social media, but what social media platform do authors prefer?

Why does that specific platform appeal to you specifically?

How do you use it? For example, for selling your books, to connect with the writing community, to find writing meet-ups, events, or workshops?

Also, feel free to drop your social media handles in your message. I'd love to connect and "follow" or do whatever you're supposed to do on that particular platform.

Thanks so much for your help!

RJ

Haven't posted in a while, so hello, fellow writers. Hope you are doing well as we move towards the holiday season.

I have been querying a fantasy trilogy since earlier this year. I've gone through the same depressing experiences all querying authors have, so I won't bore you with those details. Basically, I got a note from one publisher that third person omniscient narrators were out of style. I was honestly wowed by this note, because the vast majority of all the books I read or have read since I was a child are written in that perspective. There have been a few books over the years I've read that were done in a different POV, such as The Martian, which is written as a journal. But the vast majority of books I've read, enjoyed or otherwise, have been in third person and usually with an omniscient narrator.

While this note had no effect on my fantasy trilogy, it did inspire me, after looking at a large number of writers on social media debate this topic, to challenge myself to attempt to write a novel in first person. There was a story that I had been thinking about for more than a year, while working on the aforementioned fantasy trilogy, that I really wanted to write. After finally getting the trilogy ready for query, I decided to start that book. I had originally planned to write it in third person, but I decided to give it a go in first person, because of that note.

I'm now more than halfway done with the first draft, and I still don't think first person is a great POV for a book. I'm not sure if it's this story, which is an urban fantasy steeped in historical fiction and magic, or the medium in general, but I really just don't feel confident that people would prefer this book told in first person over a third person omniscient narrator. There is so much insight, about both the world and the characters, that is lost in first person. Because the character speaking only knows what they know. And since two of the three narrators are being introduced to magic throughout the story, they don't know much. Which means the audience can't be told much. Which is a real shame from a world building standpoint, which is, in my opinion, a major part of the appeal of the fantasy genre.

So my question is do you actually want to read a novel in first person? This publisher, and many other people I've seen online, have pushed this idea that first person novels are appealing today. I don't want to know your thoughts on the data. I want your personal thoughts as fellow writers and readers. Is the idea of reading a novel, assuming it's in a genre you enjoy, in first person something that sounds entertaining for you personally? Because honestly, I don't want to read a novel in first person. If I wasn't the one writing the project I'm currently working on, I wouldn't want to read it from this perspective. Which is annoying, because I actually do really love this story and would love to read this story in third person, even if I hadn't written it myself.

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for welcoming me into your authors' community. I am delighted to be here.

My name is Elizabeth Woods. (Lizzy) and I have 6 books that I self-published through Amazon.com and worldwide. I have written two non-fiction books, one of which is a personal memoir and a follow up book. I am a guest writer for the Complex PTSD Foundation where I help people through day-to-day struggles with mental health. I have written a fiction series called the "Cedar's Port series" set in North Carolina in the US. There are four books in the series and the fifth book is coming soon.
I am a mom and working as a second grade teacher at the same time as completing a Master's degree in Creative writing.
I would love to get to know you all.
Lizzy

Hey everyone, we now have a SavvyAuthors Facebook group if you’re interested in joining! Hope to see you there and excited to get to know you all

Join the SavvyAuthors Facebook group

Hey everyone! We’re getting excited for NaNo and wanted to invite you to join us! I know it can sometimes be hard to find motivation or get past those blocks, but we’re here to help you keep focused and on track in your story!

Register below if you’d like to join - it’s entirely free!
NaNo with SavvyAuthors

And we’re also planning a get together on November 4th @ 1pm CT to get to know everyone! Please join if you can, I’d love to meet you all

Also know, it’s super casual you don’t have to have your camera on or speak if you don’t want to, but if you’d like to join, meet some of the other members from Savvy, get some ideas, or just chat about what’s going on in your life, we’d love to have you!

I'm a teacher living in Prague. Currently working on an urban fantasy/ portal series. Nice to be here!

Hey, I'm Grasshopper, and I'm happy to be back with all the Savvy Authors. There is lots to learn and folks to meet.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your sentences and cast a vote.

We've tallied the votes, and @Melyssah's first three sentence won as the favorite.

Here is Melyssah's entry:
"Cracks in the paint on the old walls, rows of scuffed and dented lockers, flags with the names of prestigious colleges hanging in the hallways packed with students, and panoramic views of the beach out of the windows give Salt Cliff High a personality all its own. It’s familiar since I’ve been here for two years, it’s cozy because we make it our own space and it’s ghetto because the kids here do what they want, last week a senior brought a mini grill and had a cookout on the side of the building. It’s a fun, beach school."

Thanks for participating. Please stay tuned for more SavvyAuthors contests. If you have any ideas on topics or contest ideas, please reach out to [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

The SavvyCrew

Thank you for the warm welcome from SavvyAuthors!

I am a published author of two non-fiction books. The titles are "The Dawn of a New Heart: A Guide to Self-Discovery and Cultivating Harmonious Relationships" and "The Ultimate Best Friend."

Looking forward to this group. I write children's books. Four have been published and three have been self published.

(1) I have yet to receive my refund for the Writers Conference I paid for, despite the promise.
(2) I have asked on numbers occasions to be removed from all emails from Savvy Authors - to no avail.

I hope your new site turns out better than the former, but I would respectfully ask that my wishes regarding the above, are respected and fulfilled.

Unhappy camper!

It's time to vote for your favourite first three lines. (A huge thank you to those who shared.)

Please vote HERE.

The voting will close Sunday at 11:59 pm. EST, and winner will be contacted and announced on Monday September 30th.

If you have any trouble, please email us HERE.

Thanks!

The SavvyCrew

Post your first three sentences of your current work-in-progress for a chance to win a $20 coupon on an upcoming SavvyAuthors workshop.

Contest will remain open until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. EST. Members will vote on their favorite entry.

Please email us if you have any questions.

Thanks!

RJ

Hello, amazing authors!

We are excited to announce that you can now register for the fall/winter 2024 workshops. You can find the workshops and events under the Classes & Events button on the top menu bar.

Please let us know if you have any issues with registration or need any assistance. You can email me or send me a direct message.

Thanks!

RJ

Hello!

Since it's almost the middle of September (where the heck did the summer go?), I'm already starting to plan my November bootcamp novel.

If you are planning to participate, are you a plotter (like to plot out your entire novel), pantser (write as the words come to me), or a plantser (the hybrid approach)?

I am a plotter at heart, but when I'm in the middle of bootcamp then often times I'll jump off my plotting path. I'm trying to get down a skeleton plot so that I can write without distraction.

What about you? I'd love to hear if you are participating and if you do any planning leading up to November 1st.


RJ