Michael Hauge is known as one of the finest screenwriters in the country and he understands the concepts of good writing.  He is popular at writers' conferences and I've had the pleasure of being part of a full day workshop with him. Subscribing to his Story Mastery site is very worthwhile.  http://www.storymastery.com/  Although he writes about screenwriting, most of the principles apply to writing fiction, so you can gain much knowledge from his posts.

When I heard Michael Hauge's presentations, he taught one particular element that I found intriguing. I've always struggled with creating a short synopsis. I have a tendency to think every facet of the story is vital, and as I've learn, it is not. Michael has a technique called Story Concept Template which provides a way to summarize your story concept into a nutshell which covers the major points. 

It is this kind of summary that can catch a publisher or editor's eye, and one that provides a convenient novel pitch.  It is concise yet captures the major elements that makes your novel unique.

The template is set up as follows:

TITLE is a GENRE about HERO, a ROLE, who EMPATHY/SET UP. When HERO is OPPORTUNITY, s/he decides to NEW SITUATION/PRELIMINARY GOAL. But when CHANGE OF PLANS, s/he now must OUTER MOTIVATION/PRIMARY GOAL by HERO’s PLAN as well as SECOND GOAL in spite of the fact that OUTER CONFLICT

Now you fill in the CAPS area with the information from your novel. Notice that once it's complete, you will also be able to identify weak plot points that you may want to rethink. Hauge provides an excellent example on his website using the movie Shriek. You can view the full page at: http://www.screenplaymastery.com/MHStory%20ConceptTEMP.html

Try this process and see if it doesn't help you not only with summary and pitch but with capsulizing the major concepts of your novel to help you proceed to make your novel the best it can be.

Editors: What Not To Say and Do

Once again, agent Steve Laube shared a worthwhile article by editor, Cheryl Reif on Ways To Irritate An Editor. Obviously we want to please an editor, so take a look and remember these tips when approaching an editor or submitting to one. This article lists the Top Ten Things Not to SAY to an Editor/Agent and the Top Ten Things Not to DO to an Editor/Agent.

I’ve heard agents and editors talk about people who have done these things at conferences so read and take it to heart. http://www.cherylreif.com/2011/10/11/tuesday-ten-ways-to-irritate-an-editor/

Find Free Photos for Book Covers, Blogs and Newsletters

For those who self-publish, trying to find quality photos to use or to alter for your book cover is a task.  Many people paya designer to create new art or to alter photos that they purchase online. I have never self-publishing, but I often look for photos to use in my newsletter or on my blogs.

A post by guest blogger Mandy Barrington in Daily Blog Tips proved to be interesting for writers looking for free photo images. It defines terminology that will help you understand the visual material available, and it provides links of where you can find quality stock images online.


I took time one day looking at some of the stock photos available and thought that I should share them with you. I hope you find them helpful.

http://www.dailyblogtips.com/how-to-find-free-pictures-for-your-blog/

Tightening Your Prose

Often first drafts are written with abandon. Inspiration settles in your fingers, and words spill out like water over the Niagra. But what spills over may not be polished,and it likely is more than is needed to create a good story. Then you must work to shine, polish, and buff your story. Tightening is one way to do that.

Another concern is that publishers require different manuscript lengths for different genres, and when you write your novel, you may not know which publisher is likely to offer you a contract, so knowing how to tighten your story to cut from a hundred thousands words to eight thousand or from one hundred and forty thousands to one hundred and twenty is a good technique to know.

Novelist Tom Morrisey, a friend of mine, shared a blog on his Facebook page called The Prose Diet.  He covers multiple points on effective ways to shorten a novel, but in the same vein, he offers a number of ways for you to improve your prose by being more selective and going for quality.

Here is the link that will provide the details to make those changes. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Morrisey-Novels/109565322410015#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=304759739557238&id=109565322410015. Everyone can benefit by reviewing the major points, Tom, makes to writing the best novel you can.

Words that Confuse a Writer

Agent Steve Laube shares tips writers on his blog, Daily Writing Tips and I enjoy sharing some with you that ring a bell for me concerning my own weakness or ones I find while critiquing work for conferences. One of his recent articles provides good information for authors who sometimes get words confused. No matter how much writers work to spell words correctly and to use words appropriately errors happen. Once in a while words that sound alike or similar but have different meanings sneaks into manuscripts.

Although writers edit their work many times before submitting, at times words are left behind that shout “mistake” to an editor who is considering your manuscript. One mistake might slip by but more than one can trigger a rejection. Even good articles might be passed up, because the editor has a stack of hundreds on his/her desk. Why pick one with a glaring error when another as good is error free?

This article on 15 Frequently Confused Pairs of Verbs is one that can remind you of where to be extra cautious when writing an article or a novel. Hopefully you will find it helpful. Check out other articles on Steve’s blog. Blog on http://www.dailywritingtips.com/15-frequently-confused-pairs-of-verbs 

Creative Brainstorming Fiction

A writer friend brought my attention to a website that will give you some very creative ideas to help you with writing fiction. It's a brainstorming tool that I found extremely interesting.  The Periodic Table of Storytelling is the first page, and though I didn't spend much time there, I was very intrigued by the link that provide a plot generate.  You'll notice that everything list in the plot generator is a link that explains the term or gives you story, plot or character ideas. Try this link and then look down in the text for the next link.

http://computersherpa.deviantart.com/art/Periodic-Table-of-Storytelling-203548951
Then go to the home page:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage

Look at categories on the left which provide all kinds of ideas for ways to handle various situation in your fiction. Though you may not use the exact method, I'm sure it will trigger new ideas for you that are original and exciting. This is a unique form of brainstorming.

Topics are:
narrative - example: plots, settings, spectacle, characterization, motifs

genre - example: action, horror, love, speculative, drama, comedy

media - example: radio, television, theater, tabletop games

topical - example: betrayal, death, family, food, holiday, memory, religion, money

other categories - example: split personality, creators, true and lies, weirdness isolation

You can spend hours looking through everything that's available on these links, but I think you will enjoy the creativity that it provides to trigger your brain. Brainstorming is an excellent way to make your novel as unique as it can be and to create a page turner.

How To Attract A Publisher

A blog post written by senior vice president and Christian fiction publisher at Thomas Nelsen, Allen Arnold, shared his thoughts on attracting a publisher to your novel. His article, Catching the Publishers Eye, can be found at http://allenarnoldwrites.com/258. He does not describe how to create a proposal but explains what can catch a publishers or editors eye.

He begins with “How can an aspiring Christian Fiction author best catch the attention of a publisher? Yes, a well-written proposal is important. There are many sites that share how to create one. But there are even more essential traits that catch my eye.” Then he provides a list of twelve things an author should consider when submitted.

Whether Christian fiction or the general market, this article is well-worth you time.