Mark Jefferson

Absence makes the heart grow fonder! Sorry I’ve been away for so long, but converting books to audiobooks is a loooong process. Hopefully I’ll have my first two books on Audible soon. Stay posted!

Searching for audiobook testers! I’ve been busy converting A Giant Problem into an audiobook, and I need feedback. The audiobook is is 65 minutes long, and 94MB. If anyone is interested, please message me your e-mail address and I’ll send you a link.

A Giant Problem finale complete! John, Gifruf, and Helen must face the greatest foe yet, and keep the giants from destroying Haertly Stronghold.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/1109601683?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create_on_publish&wp_uname=slakrboy&wp_originator=wi%2FygLUetngs37VZTHvpL0bZA%2F98XTyeqNNN%2F9%2BOKjEe0b3kYujw37wxDayLzc%2BHkCntznkrgl1oj%2FVlAFyqkxCJbGDBB7HKzhtmuyY6nzn%2FejcQ1cJQWlhXZbrJbYng

A Giant Problem - Chapter 6 is ready! Gifruf and John, both seriously wounded, have made it to Haertly Stronghold. Now they must face the real danger that hreatens the world!
          
           https://www.wattpad.com/1109452048?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create_on_publish&wp_uname=slakrboy&wp_originator=6M51Pjqp4Y3Z6hO2URIcqIM540Py8IccuC7KXENPhvSoCD7OWi9Ho%2BROjVNV9dXr%2B3Vbjg9fBB2CQQwLFIwb%2FwprlqGwAyZLE5ThfCNvNdcDDIJaqWfZKe0WTFpGwizw

A Giant Problem CHapter 5 just posted! John and Gifruf are up to their neck in giants, and must battle through the entire Giant Hoard to reach Haertly Stronghold!
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/1107983889?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create_on_publish&wp_uname=slakrboy&wp_originator=dAi1cBpFMMPnhTt6i1djKWrIwyCBGUzk6abdm%2BnlM52kd%2Fmc4dMFJAVWoJJRzgM55S4zVSAlpiAmDbfyDIDb1QEU9cG4cGTmC1iGnawzvYcQu4S0WzWIyAWkgbFMPUtV

A Giant Problem - Chapter 4 is published! Its the calm before the storm. John and Gifruf learn more about each other, and save each others life yet again!
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/275728606?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create_story_details&wp_uname=slakrboy&wp_originator=cfaXkDNZkCICTniiJW0OTaa0bXqTHeRgK2Wiv92xioXMyot7RQYP%2B0t4MlJPqmLm7%2ByfqVJuNtNMvp2k5g9ikkYmeq6Bfq7Ocrci8yFlWJaMrvxTsoHx00CocWoJqton

A Giant Problem - Chapter Three just published!

SLAKRBOY’s Writing Tips #6 - Repeated Sentence Starts
          
          I have a nasty habit of starting sentences with the same word. I try not to do it, but it happens every time I write. I don’t understand why, it just does.
          
          I wrote the sentence above as I thought of it. The problem is the last four sentences start with the word ‘I’. Many writers begin their sentences with I, he/she, they, you, it, or character names. That’s fine until you realize every sentence starts with the same word!
          
          Never start three or more contiguous sentences with the same word! It’s boring. It’s a mistake authors make often. That includes me.
          
          During your editing process, study each paragraph. Only look at sentence starts; don’t read the paragraph or you’ll get sucked in and skip these errors.
          
          Fixing the opening paragraph is easy: change one sentence. ‘I don’t understand why, it just does’  becomes ‘It just happens. I don’t understand why.’  Problem solved.
          
          Readers need variety. I only break this rule in dialogue. Sometimes a character explains something about themselves, and they use multiple ‘I’ or ‘you’ statements. With that exception, if you ever see repeated sentence starts in my writing, it’s a mistake!
          
          Until next time, Happy writing!
          
          Cheers,
          Mark
          
          P.S.: Do you find these articles helpful? If so, send me a message. If you think they are spam, also let me know. I’m trying to decide if I should keep sending these out.
          
          If I come up with enough articles, I may bundle them into a book. However, I haven’t decided if enough people find these articles helpful.
          
          

After several years and dozens of requests, I have published A Giant Problem, Chapter Two
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/275728606?utm_source=ios&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_writing&wp_page=create_story_details&wp_uname=slakrboy&wp_originator=%2B2H4j7E1tQvBtVDO224zHxCZI1wf38zVducuxD2ANienb2IlQygIjSGCdUY1el%2BdFE8uHRTqAdGU%2BlmBmeENt1Pmc583%2FzYW7wGRJVOAtCAeTL2eaOSFYAxrq3w%2BCD6T

SLAKRBOY’s Writing Tip #5 - Adverbs
          
          Adverbs are one of my greatest weakness as a writer. I can’t control them—they just sneak in when I’m not watching!
          
          An adverb modifies other words. They change nouns, adjectives, or even other adverbs, and they end in “ly.” Words like brightly, sadly, angrily, etc are adverbs.
          
          In the past, I have used lots of adverbs to describe my scenes, but I couldn’t understand why my writing seemed amateurish. Try as I might, I couldn’t bring my writing to the next level.
          
          After I wrote my first book, OVERSEER: Servants, I hired an editor to help bring the book to its full potential. I paid a lot of money for his help—and help he did. In the process I developed many scars. He treated me with brutal honesty. He pointed out my many short-comings as an author and helped me become a better writer. I endured hurt feelings, but I developed into a mature writer. He told me that using adverbs makes me a lazy writer. You know what? He was right! I still use the lessons I learned to this day.
          
          That’s one reason I publish these articles. I want to help others become better writers. I want to pay it forward.
          
          Adverbs are not all bad. Sometimes, they give your prose that extra something that gets your meaning across. That said, use them sparingly (see what I did?) I may use one adverb in a chapter. In most cases, I use adverbs in dialog; that is how we speak.
          
          I use the Find function on my word processor to find them. Search for ‘ly’ and you’ll see how often you use adverbs. It’s better to write another sentence than to use several adverbs. Try it—it’s amazing how mature your writing becomes!
          
          Until next time, happy writing!
          
          Cheers,
          Mark