Nicole L Ochoa

Writer in hopes of one day becoming an author. Join me as I win some, lose some, and learn a little on the way. Writing New Adult Contemporary Sweet Romance.

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3-Month Supply of Food & Household Items

One of the best pieces of advice I received when putting together my 3-month supply was to only buy what you use.

For some reason, I thought I needed eight pounds of winter wheat, I was supposed to can my own tomatoes, and I had to have a box of Q-tips for every month of the year. Did you know, I don’t have a wheat grinder, you can buy tomatoes already in a can, and we don’t even go through 1…

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72-Hour Kit "All I Need"

72-Hour Kit “All I Need”

Have you ever seen the movie, The Jerk, staring Steve Martin? There’s this scene, “All I Need,” where Steve Martin is stumbling out of the house after breaking up with Bernadette Peters. As he’s leaving, he tells her, “I don’t need anything….except for this ashtray…this paddle game…this remote control…and that’s all I need.” All I Need.

Or maybe you’re a fan of Dumb & Dumber. Remember that scene…

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My Self-Pub Journey

Regardless if you self-pub or not, you will be responsible for the marketing of your book. That was one of the most depressing things I discovered as a new author. I naively believed that once I wrote an amazing story my publisher would take care of the rest. Unfortunately, unless you are an A-list client, the marketing of your story rests upon your shoulders. If I swore, I would probably drop a…

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Why a Blog?

Why should a writer have a blog?

We hear it all the time, set up a blog. And we think, that’s all nice and fun, but I’ve got nothing to say. That, I have learned, is a big fat lie. We are writers, we have a ton to say. But why is a blog so important to a writer? The answer is, platform. Platform is a word we hear thrown around all the time in the writing world. A platform is a basically how you let the world know about you. It’s…

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List of Common Writing Errors and How to Fix Them

Common Writing Error and How to Fix Them

I am studying, The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier: How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing, by Bonnie Trenga.  This are my notes from her “Top Ten Writing Misdemeanors.” it’s vs. its The only time it’s should be used is if you can substitute the words “it has” or “it is” in the sentence. who’s vs. whose who’s means “who is” or “who has” whose is possessive:  Whose book?  Whose car?…

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How to Tighten Up Wordy Writing I am studying The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier: How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing…

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Super Duper, Extremely Lengthy Sentences

Super Duper, Extremely Lengthy Sentences and How to Fix Them

I am studying the book, The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier: How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing, by Bonnie Trenga.  These are my notes on long sentences and how to correct them. Long Sentences and How to Correct Them Instead of using and or but, create a new sentence by substituting the following words: And: “in addition,” or “also,” (also should be added within the sentence)…

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Modifier Placement-Help Please!

Identifying Correct Modifier Placement

Did you know modifiers can be misplaced, dangle, and squint?  Writing is hard. In the book, The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier:How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing, Bonnie Trenga provides a lesson on how to make sure our modifiers are utilized correctly.  Here are my notes from that chapter. Modifier Placement Beginning of a Sentence:  Keep the noun next to the modifier. The noun…

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#Pitchmadness Picks

If you were picked for the 2017 #PitchMadness Draft, we would love to learn from what you’re doing right. If you are willing, please post the following in the comments: 1.  Title 2. Genre 3. Category 4. 35 Word Pitch 5. Twitter Handle so we can follow your progress and eventually buy your book.

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Responsibilities of a Beta Reader

Responsibilities of a Beta Reader

“You can never read your own book with the innocent anticipation that comes with that first delicious page of a new book.” -Margaret Atwood A “beta reader” is a person who will read your story to see if it is a fit for the market, and they will also provide valuable feedback to fix problem areas in your manuscript. How to choose a Beta Reader: Find a person who reads your genre…a lot.  It doesn’t…

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Getting Your Work Critiqued

Getting Your Work Critiqued

In order to create your best work possible, I strongly recommend finding a circle of people to help you critique your manuscript.  These people can point out things that we as writers become blind to in our own work.  Our story is in our head so we understand it, but a new set of eyes may have some questions.  A critique allows us to answer those questions and create a more concise story. There…

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Responsibility of a Critique Partner

Responsibility of a Critique Partner

This is by far the scariest critique.  We are in essence giving our work to people who can easily spot our errors, but this is by far one of the most effective reviews you can have done. Who is a Critique Partner? A person practicing the writing craft. Why use a Critique Partner:  They know the craft and can use the lingo. How many Critique Partners should I have:  2-3 per manuscript How long…

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Perfect Pitch: Chapter 7

Perfect Pitch: Chapter 7

Talent Always Jumps off the Page “I have found a strong consistency between the pitch letter and the completed manuscript.” -Ethan Ellenberg Fiction Pitches (make sure you have a synopsis completed before you begin pitching) single, attention-grabbing sentence second paragraph to develop the story single, short paragraph about why you are qualified to write this book (it’s OK if you don’t have…

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Perfect Pitch: Chapter

Setting, Protagonist, Problem I have to say, this chapter has been one of my favorites.  It is an interview between Katharine Sands and Donald Maass.  I have posted some excerpts. Address the Manuscript “The query letter really only needs to address the manuscript–not the author, not the author’s ambitions, not the author’s long-term plans, not how many years they’ve been writing, not how excited…

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Perfect Pitch: Chapter 5

Perfect Pitch: Chapter 5

Practicing Pitchcraft “You need to distill your brilliance, your wisdom, and your expertise into one potent page-long brew that will leave a reader reeling from its power.” -Sheree Bykofsky “The writing you do about writing is as important as the writing itself.” -Katharine Sands “For fiction I’m really just looking for good writing, I think the letter should really pique my interest in some…

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Perfect Pitch: Chapter 3

Perfect Pitch: Chapter 3

Notes to the New Writer Have Spirit “An effective query letter is a distillation of the work’s spirit or essence.  It is not the place to impress with the minutiae of your research or to encapsulate all the twists in your novel.” -Anna Ghosh “Find that magical phrase or two that expresses its core idea, the key element that sets it apart.” -Anna Ghosh “A query letter must inform, but it must also…

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Perfect Pitch: Chapter 3

Perfect Pitch: Chapter 3

I Am Willing to Be Seduced, Amazed, Charmed, or Moved Share your enthusiasm with beautiful writing. Write, don’t call. Do a little research first. No gimmicks. Be confident, not boastful.  Be Personable Seek the wonderful one-liner. Crafting Your Novel’s Pitch Line Pitch Please Be authentic. Be honest. “You can be as provocative, outrageous, sentimental, cynical, vulnerable, or humorous as you…

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