A Close Encounter With... Jaleta Clegg

Continuing the Encounters With guest blogs, today we are joined by Jaleta Clegg!  Welcome Jaleta!

 I've asked my Encounters guests to tell me something they've learned during the process of working on their current work in progress.  This is Jaleta's take.

Lessons Learned from Writing Poisoned Pawn

1. Never edit when you're tired and frustrated. You'll cut so much out, the scene you just edited resembles the chopped liver monster from The Muppet Show.

I was dealing with a lot of Real Life while editing this book. I'm embarrassed that a couple of scenes got past me and the final editorial pass. I chopped them to pieces and tried to re-assemble them, and the poor things came out like Frankenstein's monster. But deadlines are harsh masters.

2. Don't be married to any scene or character. Do what's best for the story. Some scenes just have to go.

A couple of my favorites got chopped from this book. A good friend pointed out that the first half wandered around and wasn't that interesting. I cut many fun scenes in the interest of getting to the meat faster. (Hmm, another zombie reference? I must be craving steak again.)

3. Don't be afraid of emotion. Stark, raw emotion can be very frightening, especially when it's yours and you just put it on paper for the world to see.

I shy away from showing emotion. The main character, Dace, has a lot of horrible things happen to her. I'm writing the story in first person. I can't put distance between the reader and the raw emotion without losing the impact of the scene. But it's really hard. Walking-in-public-in-my-underwear hard.

4. Believe in yourself, above all. Everyone has a doubt monster living in their head that whispers, "You're no good." Learn to shove that doubt monster into a corner and throw a towel over its head.

POISONED PAWN

Dace and Jasyn have everything they ever wanted - their own trading ship and freedom.

Except regulations require a second pilot and the only one available on Viya Station is a little too perfect for Dace's comfort. But his credentials check out and everything seems fine. Until Dace disappears and Jasyn learns the truth.

Available Here: Journal-Store   

Author Bio:

Jaleta Clegg loves creating worlds and spinning stories about everything. Her stories range from science fiction adventure to silly horror to everything in between. She enjoys piecing quilts, crocheting weird things, and cooking. She'd enjoy gardening except she has a black thumb and can kill zucchini. Nothing more tender stands a chance. You can find more at www.jaletac.com

 Where to chat with Jaleta: 

Blog/website  Facebook  Twitter

Thanks for joining me, Jaleta!  We look forward to seeing your work soon!

Imogene