Dawn Colclasure Allows Me to Give Away My Pick for Best Free Download of the Year

I am so excited to offer subscribers and visitors to this blog Dawn Colclasure's new FREE book as a Christmas thank you as well as just an #AuthorsHelpingAuthors gesture for #writersblock or just maybe #craftdisplasia--if there is such a thing. Ahem.  I want to help authors avoid one of my biggest booboo--that is I didn't find the "perfect first line" for my novel until it was out of print!

 Here is is more about her freebie. I vote it the season's best free download. But don't forget Dawn's
great newsletter, now more than a year old.  Information on subscribing to it below. Just keep scrolling!

Do Not Fear the Blank Page! Let a First Line for a Story Get You Writing

By Dawn Colclasure

One way in which writers can find time to write is if they get up early in the morning to have some uninterrupted time. But what happens if everybody else in the house gets up early, too? Things get busy, there’s the rush for people to get out the door, and kids need to be transported to school. The writer hoping to grab some time to write just so they can get the words in their head onto paper may have trouble finding that time.

This is where writing down that first line comes into play. By writing down that first line I plan to use for what I want to write, I can come back to it later, when I have more time, to pick up where I left off. 

But having that first line to get started with serves another purpose as well: It eliminates the dread of facing a blank page. 

The most seasoned writers can sometimes have a hard time putting all of those thoughts in their heads into words. They know what they want to write and do have the time to write it, but facing that blank page with all of that space to fill up with words can be off-putting. It can incite a sense of dread that the words you choose to fill that blank space with must be perfect. There is the expectation that everything written on that blank page will be the final draft which everyone will read.

Even as we know this is not true, these implied feelings can keep the writer from even putting that first line onto the blank page.

But if you already have a first line written, there’s nothing to fear. The writing has begun, and it’s up to you to finish it.

That’s where my new ebook, 30 First Lines for Fiction Writers, comes in. 

By having a first line of a story or a chapter for a novel written, the writer can approach the task of writing feeling better prepared to write a story. There is no blank page they must deal with and no sense of dread on how to start their story. That first line is already written. All the writer has to do is use their imagination to write the rest.

Of course, no first lines are written in stone. The writer has the freedom to take that first line and revise it according to their own ideas, style and needs. A first line is only a suggestion or an idea. The writer can take that first line and change the point-of-view, change the dialogue, add greater detail or rewrite it according to their trope of choice.

Whatever the writer chooses to do with that first line is up to them. The point of this ebook is to provide a first line to get the writer’s creativity going and spark some ideas. The first line of a story is written; now the writer can take it from there to create the story they want to write.


Here is the blurb:

Writers of fiction often struggle with how or where to start their stories. The idea for a story isn't enough to start writing a story; a lot of times, the writer needs to figure out that first line. Just as a first line of a story can pull a reader in, it can also spark a writer’s creativity to help them get started on writing a story.

This book contains 30 first lines which can be used to help you start writing a story. It may not be the same first line used in the final draft, but a writer hoping to get that first draft written can start with any first line they so choose. 

Select a first line from any of these options and get busy writing your story! Get your free copy of this ebook here:
https://dl.bookfunnel.com/r5om5ilasi 

More About the Author

 Dawn Colclasure is a writer living in Oregon. She is a freelance writer, book reviewer, and columnist. She is the author and co-author of over four dozen books, among them her horror novel, Shadow of Samhain. Her forthcoming titles from PsychoToxin Press include the YA horror story collection, The Worst Thing You Ever Did, and the psychological horror novella, All the Beautiful Things. She also has a magical realism novel, I’ll Be Ghosting You, scheduled for a November 2023 release by Gypsy Shadow Publishing. Her work has appeared in magazines, websites and anthologies. She writes a regular column for ReaderViews.com's "First Chapter Plus", also a downloadable freebie.  Her websites are https://dawnsbooks.com/ and https://www.dmcwriter.com/. She’s on Twitter @dawnwilson325 and @dawncolclasure.

Some of Dawn's books for writers include: 

BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL: How We Survive as Writing Parents 

https://booklocker.com/books/1743.html 
The Big Book of Writing Challenges

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2MC4CFP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1XBV6LO8EIDOK&keywords=Writing+Challenges&qid=1653786330&s=digital-text&sprefix=writing+challenges%2Cdigital-text%2C125&sr=1-3 
Free Stuff For Writers 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BC6H8PDQ 
Write for Your Life!: The Health Benefits of Writing 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZLVZ4G9 
The Newbie Author's Guide to Getting Your Book Published 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9R8H3C7 

Dawn is also a book reviewer. She reviews books for her blog, Dawn Reviews Books, https://dawnreviewsbooks.blogspot.com/, as well as for Reader Views. 

As a freelance writer, her work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, websites and anthologies. She is also a self-publisher. 

She publishes the free newsletter for writers, the SPARREW Newsletter, each month. The SPARREW Newsletter is a free monthly newsletter for self-publishers, authors, readers, reviewers, editors and writers! Stay updated with the latest industry news, read interviews with some of today's most prolific industry leaders, and receive a free ebook with every issue. Subscribe here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/oQMfjTl/spring 
Her author site is at: https://dawnsbooks.com/ 
Check out the site for her latest release and to download free ebooks! 
You can check out Dawn's work as a freelance writer and read the latest issue of the SPARREW Newsletter at this link: https://www.dmcwriter.com/  
Dawn tweets as @dawncolclasure and @dawnwilson325. She is also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dawn10325/

The SPARREW Newsletter is a free monthly newsletter for self-publishers, authors, readers, reviewers, editors and writers! Subscribe here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/oQMfjTl/spring

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/1615996001  offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" (https://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews), and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. 

 Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). 

In addition to this blog,Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.