Writing Fiction Right from novelist Gail Gaymer Martin

2012-01-26T12:04:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-18T12:04:00.000-05:00

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

2012-01-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-30T20:21:00.001-05:00

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

2011-12-22T14:58:00.000-05:00

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

2011-12-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-25T12:46:00.001-05:00

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.

REALITIES OF “MARKETING” Part II

2011-11-05T19:20:00.001-04:00

A Continuation of Self-Publishing and Piranhas

This follow-up article continues James Watkins newsletter article on Self-Publishing And Piranhas . He is graciously allowed me to share this information with you. Feel free to visit Jim’s web pages filled with wise thoughts about writing, publishing, and marketing at:
http://www.jameswatkins.com/marketing.htm.

Realities of “Marketing”
The first part of this discussion covered warnings for writers considering self-publishing on the many scams and poor choices that are beckoning to eager writers. Jim pointed out questions to ask the publisher and to consider using their own wisdom. Always check the excellent link:
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealp.htm which provides information about problems reported on publishers, agents and all kinds of issues dealing with the publishing world. The link is extremely helpful. Her are questions Jim poses in regards to “marketing.”

Does the Publisher Have a Minimum Number of Books That must Be Ordered?
When the average book in America sells only 500 copies, asking an author to pay for one thousand should be a red flag. With Print On Demand (POD) technology, which is basically a million-dollar photocopy machine, books can be printed in increments of one. (Lulu.com, for instance, can produce a book for as little as $5.) And POD books look virtually identical to traditionally printed books.

An author can expect to sell books to about 10 percent of his or her audience. So, if you're speaking to 10,000 people per year, it's likely you'll sell one thousand books in a year. Don't overestimate the number of books you can sell in one year.

There are professional and ethical self-publishers, butthere are also piranhas and pariahs preying on authors. Please check out the Better Business Bureau and a helpful site called Preditors [sic] and Editors. (P&E also is a good clearing house for royalty publishers and agents.

I would suggest self-publishing only if you can answer these three questions. (And yes, I know how eager you are to get your book published. The scam artists know that all too well!)

• Has a royalty publisher praise your book but said there isn’t a large enough market for them to publish it?
• Do you have a way to reach that niche market?
• Do you have the money to produce it professionally? Can you afford to go with a reputable self-publisher that will produce a professional-looking product or do you have access to design and typography expertise to do it yourself? (A poor cover and interior design will cripple your sales. It must be able to compete with mainstream publishers.)

Self-publishing is a wonderful way to reach a narrow market (and become a big fish in a small pond) or to prove to royalty publishers that there is indeed a market for your work in the larger pond (one of my self-published book was picked up by Tyndale House).
But do stay away from the piranhas!

Copyright © 2009 James N. Watkins from his WILL WRITE FOR FOOD resource site noted above.

SELF-PUBLISHERS AND PIRANHAS - Part 1 of 2

2011-10-26T15:28:00.000-04:00

An excellent article by James N. Watkins appeared a few days ago in his newsletter. I asked him if I could share it with you, and he had no problem with that. I’m glad because every writer who considers self-publishing needs to be aware of the scams and poor choices they can make. Since this is a long article I will beginning and continue with a link so you can read it all. The next article will continue with Jim’s thoughts on the Realities of “Marketing.” Feel free to visit Jim’s site at http://www.jameswatkins.com/ to gain more of his wisdom,, and I thank him again for allowing me to share this with you.

Self-publishers and Piranhas
by James N. Watkins

This month, I received this letter from one of our readers:

“I had two books published with [a well-known self-publisher] and was impressed by their quality look (I designed the covers) but disappointed in their zero lack of editing for one of the books--they actually introduced errors into the text which I had to catch and change. And I had to rewrite all the copy for both books. I found out one reason the summary of the plot of one book was poorly written and inaccurate--the editor writing it hadn't read the book! And talk about hidden charges--lots of them. They did arrange lots of phone interviews for me but overall, being self-published killed most of my chances with people who would normally push a book--bookstores, libraries, etc.”

With fewer and fewer publishers publishing fewer and fewer titles by fewer and fewer authors, more and more people are turning to self-publishing. And more and more self-publishers are making more and more promises to get more and more business.

Here are some important questions to ask to separate the publishers from the piranhas and pariahs:

Is the Price Unbelievably Low?
Some publishers, such as lulu.com offer free publishing of your book and you pay a low price per copy. It's a great deal if—and only if—you have a friend who is a professional graphic designer who can create the cover and typeset the interior. Otherwise, you're stuck with tacky templates and a book interior that SCREAMS "self-published."

Other publishers offer unbelievably low prices, then say, "Oh, you want editing? That will be another $1,000." "And you want a custom-cover design? That will be another $1,000." "Oh, you want an ISBN and barcode so you can sell to book stores? That will be another . . ." Well, you get the idea. That low price quickly escalates with all the additional charges.

Are There No Posted Prices on the Publisher’s Web Site?
Many self-publishers offer complicated discount programs or refuse to post their prices. Those are red flags!

Does the Publisher Own the Rights to *Your* Work?
That's fine if you're working with a royalty publisher who is taking all the risks and wants exclusive use of the material (and will have the rights revert back to you once it goes out of print). But some self-publishers want YOUR rights when you're taking all the risks. One company wants exclusive rights for seven years, which means you can't go with another publisher during that period of time. Piranha!

Is the Publisher Offering “Co-op” Publishing?
Some self-publishing piranhas will promise that they have a market for, say, 2,500 books, but need the author to pay the cost of the first one thousand copies. The one thousand copies are printed for the author—often at inflated prices—but it's unlikely the publisher will print the other 1,500.

Does the Publisher Offer the Authors “Royalties” on the Book the *Author* Paid For?
Why shouldn't the author keep all the profit for the book they have paid for? Potential piranha!

(And, you can’t be too careful with so called “royalty” publishers. One well-advertised “royalty” publishers requires a 2,500 copy “royalty holiday.” You don’t get paid until your book sells 2,500 copies. Piranha!)

Does the Publisher Offer Marketing? Worldwide Distribution?
Some self-publishers will make big promises of marketing and distribution, but let's be very clear. Marketing sells VERY FEW books. It's word of mouth. For instance, The Shack's publisher spent $300 on marketing, but word of mouth sold nearly 4 million copies!

"Marketing" is often an empty promise. The AUTHOR is the marketer! Do you have a speaking ministry? A TV or radio show? A blog with tons of visits? If you don't have some way for you to market the book, all the publishers' marketing won't move books.

"Distribution" is another empty promise. Yes, book stores obtain books through distributors such as Ingrams, but distributors only provide AVAILABILITY. The author must provide the DESIRABILITY. Distributors, as the name implies only "distribute" to the desire created by the author. One self-publisher charges its authors $4,000 to make the book available to "thousands" of online book stores. (And that price doesn't include one single book!). Finally, distributors are going to want a 65 percent discount on your book.

It's an illusion that authors sit in their home offices and simply write. The vast majority of self-published books are going to sell from the back of the room. So spend that 65 percent on arranging speaking engagements. And set up a free online "shopping cart" such as fastcommerce.com to become your own distributor.

Don’t forget, the next blog will continue with Jim’s thoughts on the Realities of “Marketing”

Copyright © 2009 James N. Watkins from his WILL WRITE FOR FOOD resource site noted above.

Prompts That Help Inspire Ideas

2011-10-18T15:21:00.001-04:00

I have sent out information that I hear about regarding various kinds of blogs or programs that provide stimulus for story ideas or creating characters. I have a few use on a regular basis, especially when I'm trying to find a better way to describe an emotion.

James Scott Bell, who writes excellent court suspense and other thrillers, often has great ideas on his Kill Zone Authors blog at http://www.killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/. A while ago he shared a site that I found interesting and wanted to share with you.

Jim saw this site as providing insight into backstory for developing characterization, but I also see it as simulating plot ideas. Add your own six words and see what comes up. You can revise or delete. Or just read other people's comments under the various categories from life to love to happiness and more. See what happens. http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/

I hope it spurs on your creativity.

Moral Premise:Harnessing Virtue and Vice - Dr. Stanley D. Williams

2011-10-06T14:51:00.000-04:00

I had the great pleasure of taking a course from Dr. Stanley D. Williams who is noted in the field of story and script consulting for film. His book The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue and Vice is a guide for writers of all fiction in any format. This book is a guide for every character arc and element of film craft, thus ensuing that the story is about one thing: pyschological vice leads to physical deteriment but psychological virtue leads to physical betterment. (Definiton is taken from his Moral Premise materials)

Stan provides a blog that is filled with material that will aid all writers in taking a fresh look at character development along with story structure.

I hope you will study the material found on these links and you will see how invaluable the information is. One thing he maintains is one that I've stressed numerous times: a book is first to entertain.
http://moralpremise.blogspot.com/2010/06/first-entertain.html

Next to better understand Basis story structure in the light of the Moral Premise, you will want to read this:

http://moralpremise.blogspot.com/2010/06/story-structure-basics.html#more

And finally, you might enjoy reading information that stemmed from the Q & A following the workshop that I attended on the Moral Premise. http://moralpremise.blogspot.com/2011/09/acfw-workshop-slides-and-q-9-22-11.html#more

I hope that you garner great material from an authory like Stan Williams. As I've said before, script writing techniques can provide amazing techniques for writing novels. Enjoy.

Dissecting Your Novel - Part 2

2011-10-01T12:57:00.000-04:00

Dissecting Your Novel - Part 1 covered three aspects of editing your own work with a fresh look to tighten and brighten your novels. The elements I covered were: Motivation-reaction unit, cause/effect arrangement of sentences, and the plight of using adverbs.

This post will continue with the last three elements:
• Placing the most important/emphatic in a sentence. Margie Lawson, Lawson Writer’s Academy http://www.margielawson.com/ and Strunk &White, The Elements of Style
• Use beats instead of tags. Browne and King, Self-editing For Fiction Writers
• Revise with scissors - Strunk & White, The Elements of Style

Ending With The Emphatic: Backloading
Margie Lawson presents workshops teaching a variety of courses to help author’s improve their writing. One of her presentations covers ending sentences with the most significant word called backloading. The most important or emphatic idea in each sentence should be given a place of prominence is also stressed in The Elements of Style, as noted above. As in any talk, speakers know that the last words they say are the ones remembered. Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death” is a prime example and J.F. Kennedy left us with his final remembered thought: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

In the same way, authors can read their narrative and dialogue with a discerning eye and structure sentences so that the prominent word ends the sentence. The important word receives the power.
Strunk and White’s example is:
Weak: This steel is principally used for making razors, because of its hardness.
Strong: Because of its hardness, this steel is principally used for making razors.

Weak: I get nauseous every time I look at him.
Strong: Every time I look at him I get nauseous.

Weak: With her spirit wavering, she shrugged off her attitude and enjoyed the scenery.
Strong: With her spirit wavering, she enjoyed the scenery and shrugged off her attitude.

Weak: Tears filled her eyes.
Strong: Her eyes filled with tears.

I hope these examples provide you with a better understanding of backloading sentences.

Beats Instead Of Tags
In Self-Editing For Fiction Writers, Shrunk and White present a chapter called “Easy Beats.” The chapter extols the use of beats (referring to character’s action or introspection) rather than using the typical dialogue attributes (tags), such as said and asked. The benefit of cutting the tags when you are able are many. Cutting tags allows tension to be more prominent.
For example: “Stop it,” she said, “you’re hurting me.”
Drop the she said. “Stop it. You’re hurting me.”
Notice the flow of the line helps to dramatize the tension. As long as the speaker is clear, you can present dialogue without any tags or beats. Yet a few beats add reality to the scene and illuminate a character. They also provide breathing space, giving the reader a break from the constant rifle shot of dialogue. Finally beats rather than dialogue tags create deeper POV when you remove the artificial words of said and asked. Please don’t use anything besides said and asked, except whispered if it’s needed. Anything else screams poor weak writing.

Revise With Scissors
In The Elements of Style, once again Strunk and White suggest an interesting way of revising your work. When you find serious flaws in the arrangement of your material, such as paragraphs that aren’t cohesive and information presented in an unlogical order, they recommend using scissors and cutting your dialogue or narrative into individual strips and then move them into a different arrangement patterns hoping to improve the paragraph(s). With computers, scissors are no longer needed, but they are still a possibility. Now you can copy and paste the problem paragraph or paragraphs to a new page and organize them into a list of sentences. This gives you the ability to reorganize your dialogue or narrative into a different arrangement with the hope of presenting the information in a more realistic and useful manner. Doing this you may find ways to combine sentences, cut phases or lines that are redundant, and place the information in a logical order. If after reorganizing you change your mind, you still have the original paragraphs in your original document.

These ideas will not save a bad novel, but they can improve a good one that just needs a little tuneup.

Dissecting Your Novel - Part 1

2011-09-22T21:15:00.001-04:00

Editing your own work is difficult, because in our minds, each sentence was a gem when we wrote them, but stepping back and looking at your work with new eyes, often means doing some dissecting Sometimes we need to tighten a novel for the publisher’s word count,and always, we know the process improves our writing and gives us a better story. If you study articles and books on craft, you’ll pick up some key editing ideas and have some new ways to tighten and brighten your novels. Think about some of these concepts, and see what they can do for you.

• Motivation-reaction unit provides logic. Sol Stein, Techniques of the Selling Writer• Sentences and paragraphs need cause/effect arrangement. Strunk & White, The Elements of Style• “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” Stephen King, On Writing• The most important/empathic word ends the sentence. Margie Lawson, Lawson Writer’s Academy http://www.margielawson.com/ and Strunk & White, The Elements opf Style
• Use beats instead of tags. Browne and King, Self-editing For Fiction Writers• Revise with a scissors - Strunk & White, The Elements of Style

Motivation-Reaction
Though I’ve mentioned this before, use it when dissecting your work in the final edits. MR unit refers to: Motivation (the stimulus that motivates action) and Reaction (how the person responds to the stimulus. Motivation always comes before reaction. That’s logical. You wouldn’t duck a bullet, if you didn’t see a gun or hear one. Stein indicates that reaction also has an order: an emotional response, followed by action, followed by speech. Example:
A spotlight ripped through the window. Russell’s panicked as he leaped back and closed his eyes to the glare. “Who’s there?” As you write, make sure that you place motivation/stimulus before the action and speech.

Cause/Effect Arrangement
In a similar vein, each sentence should follow the same motivation/stimulus idea. As you write a sentence makes sure that the cause comes before the effect. Example:

He noticed the cloud-filled sky when raindrops of rain struck his arm.
When raindrops struck his arm, he noticed the cloud-filled sky. Better.
As you edit your novel, look for proper cause/effect arrangement.

Her pulse skipped when she heard the telephone.
Which comes first? The call or the skipping pulse? That’s easy, but when you first look at that sentence, you may not have noticed that the cause and effect were out of order.
When she heard the phone, her pulse skipped. Now it makes sense.

What’s wrong with this sentence?
Hearing the phone, her pulse skipped.This is another common writing error. The verbal phrase has to match the subject it’s related to. In this sentence, ask yourself who is hearing the phone? Her pulse or the woman? Again, the answer is easy. Therefore the sentence structure is wrong. Phrases must match the subject.

The Plight Of Adverbs

Adverbs are defined as words that modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence. What is modify? You know the answer – to change or alter. Since this post is focused on verbs, the big question is why do you need to modify a verb when you have choices beyond imagination? Why not choose the verb that is perfect for your novel?

I’m sure most of you are doing just that. If you mean the person ambled, you won’t write walked slowly. Slowly doesn’t really give a vivid picture of walking with an ambling pace. You can use meander, tiptoe, creep, inch, moseyed or waddled. Each of these words present a distinct image of how the person is walking slowly.
He ambled into the room.
He meandered into the room.
He tiptoed into the room.
He crept into the room.
He inched into the room.
He moseyed into the room.
He waddled into the room.

In each case the person is walking slowly, but each of those words create a different image. Amble seems casual. Meandered gives a picture of wandering. Tiptoed is offers a more stealthy pace. Crept can be seen as sneaking for either good or bad purpose. Inched adds hesitation. Moseyed takes you out west and adds a bit of whimsey. Waddled either reflects a fat person or someone who is more elderly. The specific word creates a clear and vivid image. Don’t settle for spoke slowing, spoke loudly, looked deeply, walked slowly, walked fast, spoke fast, drove wildly, and on and on. Find the best word picture you can. You benefit in two ways. If you need to cut word count, this is a good way to do it, and next you give your readers a lively and accurate view of the character and how he is behaving.

Dissecting Your Novel will continue with part 2 when the last three elements will be covered.

Your Novel’s Going Nowhere

2011-09-14T16:59:00.001-04:00

Most authors at one time or another look back over the pages of their newly inspired novel and realize something happened to their inspiration. The book seems to be going nowhere. The idea has lost its punch, and your writing seems to be mundane. Maybe you have hope. Some of the book is great, brilliant even, but you’ve found portions that are unquestionably lackluster. Instead of passing the story off as lost, take some steps to re-rev the motor and add some zip to the stalled novel.

Take A Break
If you’ve been imbedded in the story for the past weeks, even months, your mind is saturated with the plot and the characters. Step back. Set the manuscript aside. Take a week’s vacation, even two weeks. Or perhaps work on a new project. The important action is to stop thinking about the story and characters. Allow your mind to move in other directions. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, we’ve all heard, and sometimes stepping away from a project and returning a week or so later will give you a fresh perspective. The time lapse will help you identify where the novel is weak. Do you need more action? More hooks? Deeper characterization? Is the dialogue dull? Use a highlighter of varying colors or symbols in the margin to indicate where and what you need to add, change, or cut. Once you’ve made your way through the manuscript, you will have a better idea what’s needed and how you can get the novel back in the race.

Try Fresh Eyes
Taking a break from the novel gives you a better perspective, but finding an avid reader who loves the genre you’re writing is another alternative. You don’t have to look for another writer for a critique. Instead ask your friend, acquaintance or family member to read the story and make notes in the margin where the story drags, when they don’t care about the characters, when they feel no concern or emotion, when they want to turn pages to get to the good part. These notes from fresh eyes—especially a reader’s eyes—can be invaluable to give you clues as to where the story is sagging and can offer you ideas on how to make it sparkle.

Scrutinize The Story
Authors are inspired by a story idea. The plot begins to form around the main purpose for writing the book—to show how trust is a must in any relationship, to show that happiness is internal and not external, to demonstrate the strength of a mother or father’s love, to illustrate how opposites can form a strong, committed relationship. Novels come with a purpose, a message, a lesson, a truth. Review your novel by scenes and ask yourself if this scene moves the story forward toward its purpose and the character’s goal. Perhaps you took detour and need to get back on the road. Perhaps the detour is good, but it needs to tie more closely to the purpose of your story.

Search for Weaknesses
Most authors know what techniques or elements of fiction are their weakest. If dialogue is a problem, dissect the conversations between characters and begin to cut the go-nowhere verbiage that’s not needed. When readers are weighed down by unimportant dialogue that’s not moving the plot and purpose forward, they skip over it and may miss the one important piece of dialogue you want them to hear. If you aren’t great at descriptions, as you read the scenes ask if these characters are talking heads—people who aren’t relating to their surroundings. If so, add pieces of meaningful description through character action or introspection. She set the teacup on the saucer, kicking herself for agreeing to meet Milly in a stupid teashop. Now we know where the scene is set and her attitude toward teashops. Do you love descriptions? Maybe you’ve given too many details and have saturated the reader who is looking for action.

Everything Is Sunshine
Readers want tension and conflict. When everything turns out right, a plot can sag and a story becomes boring. Without tension and conflict, you have no novel. Review your scenes and add tension. Do things to the characters that are unexpected—her best friend lets her down, her husband forgets her birthday or their anniversary, the promotion he wanted isn’t what he expected, only a few show up to the well-planned party, instead of a raise he learns his job will be outsourced. As you read your scenes, ask yourself what you can include or take away that will add tension or conflict to the scene.

These are only a few of the techniques you can use to improve your novel. Sometimes the solution must be more dramatic. Scuttle it and start again, but hopefully some of these methods will rekindle the excitement you felt when the story idea first struck you, and your story will be on the right road again.

The Chicken Or The Egg?

2011-08-31T16:45:00.001-04:00

The time-old question “which came first the chicken or the egg” is one of those moot questions we don’t waste our time on, but as authors, the “which comes first” is an important issue in developing sentence structure. I’m an author who loves the music of words and I listen to the cadence of a line and change the wording if it doesn’t provide the rhythm I want. This means I’m a person who needs to pay attention to the “cause and effect” element of my statement so I don’t change a sentence to meet one need while losing the impact of motivation and response.

Dwight Swain teaches the concept of MR unit, referring to the order in which words should fall. M stands for motivation and R for reaction. A person is always motivated by someone or something before he takes action. He’s hungry. He goes into the kitchen. He can’t see. He turns on the light. According to Swain’s teach once motivated the character’s follows the pattern of: feeling, action, speech. An excerpt from his book, Techniques of the Selling Novel provides this example. Look at these lines and place a 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the blanks to show the proper order of these sentences when considering the motivation and reaction.

______She Smiled.

______”How’s it going, Jill?” he asked.

______”Just fine, thanks.”

_____A glow of warmth crept through Jill.

According to Swain, here are th answers from top to bottom: 3, 1, 4, 2

“How’s it going Jill?” he asked. (Motivation)
A glow of warmth crept through Jill. (Feeling)
She smiled. (Action)
“Just fine, thanks.” (Speech)

This is the basic idea to consider when deciding which comes first as you structure your narration and dialogue. In all of your writing, consider cause and then effect.

Look at this sentence. She hurried to close the box when she heard Bill coming into the room.

In this case, I’ve give you effect first and cause second. A reader would face her closing the lock without understanding why she was in a hurry, so this sentence needs to he rewritten: She heard Bill coming into the room and hurried to close the box. In this order, we see the motivation and then the response or action following. This still leaves a hook because we don’t know why she fears Bill knowing she had unlocked the door or chest or whatever it was.

Though this may seem silly or unimportant, writing/storytelling can be improved by placing events in the cause and effect order. Her lungs failed her when she saw the glorious sunset. Turn it around, and it makes more sense. When she saw the glorious sunset, her lungs failed her. Now the sentence has more impact.

While cadence is important—the music of the words—don’t lose the cause and effect order in your novel. Readers want to know why something happened—so show them cause and then response.

Outlining a Novel - Step By Step

2011-08-22T18:50:00.000-04:00

Not every author outlines a novel. I use a brief synopsis to set up my storyline not broken into scenes and I build from there. I build my characterization, and I know the beginning and ending of my novel along with the black moment. Then as I begin to write in more detail, I outline the next scenes. But I’ve had to outline a whole novel for an occasional publisher, and so here is what I learned from that experience. But you might ask, if you don’t outline is in worthwhile? My answer is yes.

Value of Outlining
• It provides a roadmap that helps you envision where you will begin your journey and where you’re headed. When you take a trip, you have a beginning point and a destination, but the adventures that happen in the middle can prove to be anything—interesting detours, car repairs, getting lost. But knowing where you’re headed keeps you focused on the destination.
• It forces you to brainstorm. It causes you to develop characters, select a setting which includes era, location, time of year. It compels you to select a genre whether a thriller, suspense, romance, paranormal, women’s fiction or comedy.
• It gives you confidence because you’ve answered numerous questions, and once you have a direction, you will begin to expand the brainstorming to unique ideas you may not have contemplated for the journey if you had just “climbed in your car and turned on the key.”
• It allows you to use techniques like foreshadowing events, problems, or clues which provides a hook for the readers.
• It helps you remember all the threads that must be tied together by the end of the novel.

Problems With Outlining
• You could stifle your creativity if you let it. Don’t give so much detail that you stop thinking outside the box.
• You may fear taking detours that can expand the story and adding new complications and obstacles.
• You may become bored with the story because you’ve made all the discoveries you think you can make.
• You may provide too many details that can bog an outline. Think skeleton or bare bones leaving out all details and emotions

Pre-Development of An Outline
Before beginning the process, answer the following questions
• Who will be your main character with type person, etc.?
• What is this problem or goal? What is the most important possession or person or treasure to your character at this moment in time?
• What problems arise between the character and his/her goal or the solution to his/her problem?
• What is the setting? Historical/contemporary? Urban/rural? What is the genre? Romance? Women’s fiction? Suspense? Paranormal? Thriller? What are the key events that move the characters toward resolving the problem or reaching the goal?

Outlining
Break your novel into chapters first, writing the gist of what you want to accomplish in each chapter. Next break the chapters into scenes with only enough detail to provide you with “the next step on your journey.” As you write the chapter, you still have a multitude of opportunities for creativity in where and how this scene will take place, who will be in the scene, what will you foreshadow, what will be the mood.

If you have a story with two or three plots running at the same time, do a chapter by chapter for each of these plots. When you expand into scenes for the whole novel, use color to highlight to designate the various plots as you arrange them into chapters. Make sure you give a good balance between the major plots so that the reader doesn’t lose interest in the side plot or doesn’t become confused. Keep each plot line clear by opening with reference to the characters involved in that plot. Example: detective, criminal, kidnapped child’s family.

For an excellent detailed example of an outline, visit Paperback Writer blog at:
http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2007/09/novel-outlining-101.html

The Sagging Character

2011-08-15T11:33:00.000-04:00

I’ve written blogs and taught workshops on “the sagging middle” which refers to the loss of momentum in the middle of your novel. The long stretch between the beginning and ending can sometimes become lackluster and boring to a reader when it’s not providing enough to drive the story forward. But plots aren’t the only thing that can sag. Characters you thought were dynamic can become dull because their focus is on the same problem, or the personality and character remains unchanged and they seem to go nowhere. So what can you do when a character disappoints you?

1.) Does the character’s backstory include opportunities to grow?
As you create a character, dig deep into the character’s past. Find flaws that can undermine her, a secret that can destroy her or her goal, an experience she desires, a relationship that affects her life, or a need she cannot face. All of these elements provide means to expand the characterization, to help the character change and to grow as a person. Let’s say the relationship that affects a woman's life is a friend’s child who needs a home. Fear of failure is a flaw that can undermine success. Her desired experience is to learn to play football. The need she can’t face is her mother’s approval. Think about these additions to your backstory and imagine how adding one or two can ignite your novel and move it forward to an exciting or fulfilling ending.

2.) Is Your Character Too Sweet? Too Agreeable?
Without conflict the novel and the characters are bland. Create decisive characters who believe in or value things they are unwilling to change. They will fight to attain or hold fast to the belief or value. When a character is always agreeable, nothing happens to add tension to the novel. Allow things to go wrong. Your character plans the perfect picnic only to have it rain or to place ther event in an area with swarms of bees or ants. When she calls her friend for help, her friend doesn’t come to her aid. Give her a bad hair day or a bad attitude day. These are common for real people and you want your characters to be real.

3.) Does your character have a quirk or an obsession?
A quirk can add humor to your novel and liven your story. Let’s say the quirk is the character loves clothing from the seventies even when the style is inappropriate. An obsession can add tension when it affects the character’s ability to function in various situations. The need for neatness can be an obsession since it means everything must be lined up and in order. Everything put back where it belongs. Imagine this in a relationship with a laid back man and a neat-obsessive woman.

4) Is your character predictable?
Don’t dump all the backstory into the characterization immediately. Hold back a secret, a flaw, a need and bring it out when the story needs a “shot in the arm.” Most people are somewhat predictable. Our friends and family know what we like and what we value so when we make choices, they can predict how we will respond or know what we will chose. Readers do the same. Yet a character must change and grow in a novel to add depth and realism. We all change but it’s a slow process. In a novel, the change comes more quickly but with reasonable motivation for change that makes it acceptable. When you introduce a new problem to the novel, the character must now grapple and learn to handle the situation. This adds depth to the character and doesn’t allow them to sag.

I’m sure if you think about this you’ll come up with other ways to bolster the character and add dynamics to the story. These four ideas give you a start.

Ideas for Real Life Characters

2011-08-09T20:04:00.000-04:00

Writers Digest had an excellent article on characterization in January 2011 written by David Corbett. A small part of that article was subtitled Real-Life Characters, and it offered a list of possible characters you might find in your own life. The author suggested you create a list of interesting people and provide details, physical appearance, and the effect this person had on you. This activity triggered a double idea which I’d like to share with you.

First, where do you get your characterization ideas? Your imagination is one place that works. It’s where I get most of my ideas. Another is from people you know or have known in your past. You may not want to use the specifics about the person, but it may stimulate your creativity and you can grab a characteristic from one person, a flaw from another, or an attribute from another and build your own original character.

A second idea came from the same part of the article and that is creating your own interesting characters or secondary characters by preparing a list of character types and then referring to them as you begin to build your plot and create your story ideas. Do you need conflict? Look at the list and decide if one of these characters might appear in your novel and add tension. Here’s a few ideas of my own and from the author’s list, but you can add many others from your own experience and then have a great character resource when you need it.

A neighborhood bully
A neighbor who causes you suspicion
A family member you are close to
A family member who brings out the best in you
A family member who brings out the worst in you
A friend who brings out the best in you
A friend who brings out the worst in you
A childhood friend you continue to see or hear from
Someone you had a secret crush on or felt an attraction
Your first love
Your favorite neighbor
Your least favorite neighbor
Your adult workplace nemesis
Your childhood nemesis
A person who believed in you
A favorite teacher
A person who annoys you
A person you consider needy
A love you lost
A stranger who touched your life
A person who impacted your life
Someone who constantly puts you down
A person you admire
A person you fear
Someone you would like to be
Any elderly neighbor you find intriguing
A person who taught you an important lesson

You can add many characters to this list and keep it for times when you desire to up your plot with something new or different. Keep notes on people you meet or who cross your path. You never know when someone might trigger a great character idea for you.

Cutting Dialogue Tags

2011-07-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

Dialogue tags— the said and asked we use to connect the speakers name to the dialogue—keeps our writing from using deep POV. Deep POV is the pure viewpoint of the character in a scene whether in first or third person. Authors know that first person is more personal and provides the deepest form of POV possible. But authors have also learned that they can add more depth to POV by avoiding phrases such as I believe and I think and even more by discontinuing to use dialogue tags.

In my last three novels, I have cut all dialogue tags. You will find no characters using said or asked (or any other tag — and those should be tossed into the trash anyway). By cutting dialogue tags, I was forced to use action beats, emotion, introspection, and description to help the reader identify the speaker.

When dialogue is between two people, lines can be spoken without any tags or action beats two or three times before something is needed to remind the reader who’s talking. The easiest way to explain it is to provide an example. This is from my March, 2011 release, A Dad Of His Own. Story background: Ethan represents Dreams Come True Foundation that provides dreams and wishes for sick children. Lexie is the POV character and is the mother of a young boy with leukemia. Here’s the dialogue sample:

Ethan rested his hand on the back of a chair. “No men in this group, I see. Why is that?”

“The M in MOSK stands for mothers. Mothers of Special Kids. ” Still, he’d made a point. She studied his face, wondering why support for men interested him. “A number of us are single mothers, and the married women haven’t asked about men in the group.” But the question did arouse her curiosity. “You’re a man. Do you think--”

“Glad you noticed.” A twinkle lit his eyes.

His look tripped her pulse, and she worked to regained her composure. “As I was saying, do men really want to talk about their feelings?” She eyed him. “I thought men preferred to take action. We have so little we can do to make things better. It’s the emotional ups and downs that cause us problems.”

His smile had faded. “True for many men, I suppose.” He motioned toward the front of the room. “So, what did you think?”

“About Dreams Come True?”

The corners of his mouth edged upward.

“The idea is wonderful, but. . .” Why had she added but? From his expression, she’d put a damper on his excitement about offering trips and fulfilling kids’ hopes. “My son isn’t well enough. He’s being home schooled right now. Clawson district has been great with his schoolwork, but it’s not the same. A child wants to attend school.”

Understanding filled his face. “They miss the friendships and being part of it all. It makes learning more fun.”

“I think it does, too.” His compassion touched her. “It’s not that your foundation isn’t a lovely idea. It is. Whoever started this certainly has a generous heart.”

His eyes searched hers.

Perspiration dampened her palms, and she ran her free hand down her pant leg while her other clung to her shoulder bag strap.

A faint frown darkened his face. “But it won’t work for some kids. That’s what you’re saying.”

She closed her eyes and opened them again releasing a ragged breath. “Yes. Some aren’t well enough to enjoy trips or days at an amusement park.”

“But one day maybe. Illnesses go into remission. Sometimes they nearly vanish. Isn’t that true?”

“True.” Curiosity spiked Lexie’s thoughts. “Have you had a child with--?”

“I don’t have any children.” His shoulders lifted. “I’m not married, and I’ve only read up on children’s illnesses and read about remissions that cause physicians to marvel. I realize that’s nothing like living it.”

Not married. Single as she was. She studied his face, wanting to know more about him. “It’s thoughtful that you’ve taken the time to understand what our kids go through.”

His expression softened. “But it’s not just the children. It’s families. So many without hope.”

He’d hit truth on the head. She’d tried to keep hope foremost in her mind.

As you read this scene, you can follow the dialogue without using tags, and instead, action, emotion and introspection is used to identify the speaker, to heighten the tension and to help readers draw closer to the POV character, Lexie. Try using this technique for some of the scenes in your novel. Cut tags as much as you can. And remember, do not use anything other than said or asked. Let your writing provide the power and dynamics of the words. Be a strong writer, not a weak one. Since I’ve stopped using tags, they jump out at me when I read other’s novels.

Growing Your Fiction Sales

2011-07-21T10:01:00.000-04:00

Through the years, I’ve watched my friends use different strategies to help their fiction sales grow. Some work and some don’t, but the ones who’ve found success, provides us with lessons so that we might learn from them and try some of their techniques. Obviously sales grow most when your work is in the bookstores and when it is promoted and distributed by your publisher. So this means, mainly working with traditional publishers. Mine put my novels in store—book stores, grocery stores, super marts, and any place books are sold. They also provide them as print books and downloads on sites like Amazon.

But you can also spread the word in a variety of ways.

• Networking in person and picking up fans through network sites is an important strategy. Make friends with your local bookstores and libraries. Network also in the locations where your novels are set. When I research a town with a personal visit, I make contact with book sellers, with shop owners and even the Chamber of Commerce, any place that might be interested in spreading the word about my novel. These contacts can provide opportunities to return to the location for booksignings or other events where your books can be sold. Everyone loves to read books set in their town and even their state.

• Connecting with large blog tours works. Make sure you’re connecting with those blogs that have a similar audience to your own genre and those that are active blog sites. Readers may not spend time reading a full interview, but they will see the cover, read your name, and probably read the back-cover blurb. This works so much better than paying for advertising which is usually a waste of your money. Having an enticing, well-done trailer, can also arouse interest with readers. I have purchased books by viewing a quality book trailer. But word of mouth is the best form of advertising you can have.

• Providing a blog that teaches writing techniques or editing skills, anything that captures the interest of writers who are usually avid readers. Reading others work in your genre is a learning tool, and why not read a book written by an author who is providing you with good writing tools.

• Give your books free to reviewers of quality review sites and those who are willing to be influencers. Ask them—but only if they enjoy your novel—to spread the word through social networking, their blogs as well as short reviews or comments at online bookstores. Check out my novel - A DAD OF HIS OWN - at Amazon.com. Notice the number of comments. These people read the novel and offered their opinions of the book. Reader’s snail and email also validated the same kind of comments so I knew those who took the time to spread the word meant what they said.

• Booksingings can be a waste of time, but use the opportunity for group booksignings which brings in a larger crowd and will usually provide better sales for your books. Besides bookstores, book festivals and book fairs also offer booksignings for authors. Use this time to network as well as meet readers and potential readers. Don’t sit. Stand and give them a welcoming smile along with a hello. They may walk past the first time through, but they sometimes come back to chat. That’s a good first step in introducing your work to a new reader.

• Present workshops at writing conferences and if you have expertise in a subject, seek speaking events where you can talk about your skill and then bring along your books for a book signing. From these events—if you are an excellent speaker—others often ask you to speak at their events. I write Christian fiction and have been a licensed counselor for years, so I have developed numerous faith-based topics and am now a popular speaker at women’s events in both churches, civic organizations and libraries. I don’t talk about my books, but my novels often deal with faith and human issues where I use my counseling expertise. Build a platform by speaking whether you write fiction or non-fiction.

Other strategies can be used, and one of the most important is writing a quality novel that grabs readers, but these are a few strategies you can do without a lot of expense. They have proven themselves as worthwhile methods of growing new readers and advancing your sales.

Dialogue and The Telephone

2011-07-12T09:22:00.001-04:00

Two questions came to the comments on my recent blog covering the topic of dialogue. I thought the questions were meaningful for other writers and will repeat them so others can benefit. The questions involved dialogue during telephone conversations.

A reader asked these questions:
I've been told when writing telephone conversations not to include the other end of the conversation since it looks awkward. Maybe you disagree. But that being so, how does one break up the main character's words to allow space for the other person's unheard reply? The author of web-site http://creative-writing-course.thecraftywriter.com suggests breaking up the conversation using ellipses, when the other person speaks. What do you think?

Another reader asked this question on the same topic:
I often wonder the same thing. I even wonder how to keep the conversation going sometimes.

My response to the last question first:
Since telephone conversations are basically passive scenes, they are used to impart new information that is needed for the story line or to create conflict. Chitchat is not part of the conversation. Begin the conversation at the meat of the discussion. For example, if the phone rings and the main character answers, use a transaction, such as: His mind wandered until she ask him the question. “Is our marriage over?” Once the information or conflict set-up ends, don't drag on the call just end it with a line such as: When the conversation ended, he caved into a chair trying to decide what to do.

Now to the two earlier questions:
If the conversation is with a main character who has a POV, I use both parts of the conversation. This example is from my suspense novel, Finding Christmas. Benjamin is a friend of Joanne and her deceased husband. Joanne’s child died in the same accident with her husband and the body was never found. At the third anniversary of their deaths, she has a premonition that her three-year old daughter is still alive. Example:

The telephone’s ring pierced the silence, and Joanne’s heart rose to her throat. She darted across the room and grasped the receiver, and when she said hello, her voice sounded breathless and strained to her.

“Joanne?”

Her pulse skipped, hearing her name. Like echoes across a canyon, the familiar voice reverberated through the line. “Benjamin?”

“It’s me. What in the world is wrong?”

She crumpled into a chair, clutched her chest to calm the thudding that felt as if it would break her ribs. “It’s a long story. I can’t talk about it now.” Tears filled her eyes-—tears of relief and anxiety.

“It’s okay,” he said, his voice as reassuring as a morning cup of coffee.

“Where are you?” She tried to get her thoughts together.

“Here in Detroit. I’m back.”

Gail says:
In this case the conversation works with both parties. It’s clear who is speaking since each new paragraph is the next speaker, and the POV character, Joanne shares her actions and introspection with the reader. The other voice—in this case Benejamin—would not.

If the call is incidental but important to the main character, I usually use a one-sided conversation, and let the reader in on what's being said through the main characters' thoughts and actions. In this example, Benjamin answer’s Joanne’s phone for her, and his dialogue helps explain who is on the phone. The importance of this scene is Joanne has been getting strange telephone calls.

“Want me to get it?” Benjamin asked, glancing at the phone but seeming to be more interested in her burn.

“Please.” She studied her throbbing red skin as the cool water washed over it and listened to Benjamin’s voice on the telephone.

“It’s a woman from your office,” he said, holding the receiver toward her. “Do you want to call her back?”

“No. I’ll take it.” She grasped the phone, guessing what the caller wanted. “I’ll remember, Nita. Thanks for calling.” As she listened to her coworker, Joanne glanced Benjamin’s way and felt an embarrassed grin grow on her face. “No, you didn’t interrupt anything. An old friend is visiting. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Gail says:
Though you don't hear Nita's words, you understand the purpose of her call and you catch the innuendo of the conversation by Joanne's embarrassment.

This example shows a one sided call:
Joanne pressed the telephone to her ear and listened through the background sound to silence on the other end of the wire.

“Hello,” she said again.

Nothing. She lowered her gaze to the caller ID. Blocked. She hated crank calls, especially now that she’d become so edgy.

“Can I help you?” Her irritation rasped in her voice. She listened a second more until a faint sound like a moan wavered across the wire, sending a chill prickling down her spine. She closed her eyes, then dropped the phone onto the cradle and sank into the kitchen chair.

Two-sided - one character identified
This telephone scene is two-sided although the person calling Joanne is unidentified, but how the person speaks is significant to the story so I used both sides of the conversation.

As she wielded the knife, making the final slice, the telephone rang, and when she jumped, the knife slipped against her index finger, slashing the skin. The sting startled her, and she jerked her hand away from the cutting board. Blood oozed from the wound, and she held her hand over the sink while she grabbed paper towel.

After wrapping her finger, she picked up the receiver and said hello. The familiar silence ran through the wire. Bitterness, yet victory filled her as she eyed the blood seeping through the toweling. She needed this third call for the police.

“Hello,” she said again. It was the same pattern. She talked. The caller didn’t.

“I-I shouldn’t have called,” a woman whispered.

Joanne’s legs jerked with tremors. “Who are you?” Her mind spun.

The woman didn’t answer, and Joanne waited for the hangup. She heard an intake of breath and then a whisper.

“Was your daughter’s body found after the accident?”

Her daughter’s body. Joanne heard a moan, but this time it came from her. She grasped the wall for support. “No,” she whispered. “Please leave me alone.” She slammed down the phone without waiting for a response, then gasped, realizing she’d made a profound mistake. She snatched the receiver from the cradle only to hear a dial tone.

This scene introduces an important character to Joanne’s search for her daughter and builds emotion for the readers.

I hope these examples gives you some ideas on handling telephone conversations in your fiction. I have never heard of using ellipses to depict the other person’s conversation, and I believe it would be distracting to the reader. It would be to me. It also shows weak writing since it takes more skill to bring the conversation to life without hearing the other voice. I would suggest you avoid such a technique. I assume the author of the website on creative writing is not a novelist.

Enhancing Dialogue

2011-07-07T18:56:00.000-04:00

Dialogue becomes real when the character’s speak as real people do. We don’t talk in full sentence, and we don’t stand like sticks as we have conversations. Real people emote. Their voice tone and volume change. Their body and facial expression show the emotion and internal reaction to what’s being said. So action and body language are significant when bringing dialogue to life.

Writing real dialogue for fiction means:
• Cutting the chitchat. Start the dialogue when the important information is in the forefront. Skip the hellos and how-are-yous during face to face and telephone dialogue in fiction. Do not repeat the same information to another character. Once the reader has heard that conversation, use lines such as: He told her what he’d heard. Then you have no need to be repetitive and boring.

• Talk in partial sentences. Sometimes one or two words is all the character needs to respond with realism. Questions can be answered with another question or with evasion by segueing to a new topic. Use contractions. Real people do. Avoid stilted language, and don’t forget that silence adds tension to a novel. Real conversation falls into lulls. Silence gives a character time to think. Use it effectively.

• Recall lines in other novels or movies that have grabbed you. Who doesn’t know the last line of Gone with the Wind? “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Don’t steal the line, but rework it with your own take and create something fresh and new, or dissect the reaction that a line makes, and find your own dramatic line that readers will remember.

• Speak lines aloud. Become an actor in the privacy of your writing space and deliver the lines between two people, feeling the emotion and allowing your words to fly from you without thought. Speak with abandon. Record it if you can. Then put it on paper and see how real it becomes. Use a text to voice program so you can listen to your dialogue as well as the narrative.

Blending dialogue with narration:
Narration comes in a variety of forms from introspection (a character’s thoughts) to descriptions of setting and of action.

• Show character’s emotions and/or attitude by showing facial expression and body language. The “show and tell” element of fiction enhances a scene and helps create deeper POV by not using tags to distance the reader.

• Saying he was angry is weak. Instead bring it to life. His expression darkened as his jaw tensed and his eyes narrowed. Now you see the anger.

• Use gestures, motions, action beats to enhance realism. We’re not sticks and our face and body respond when we talk. Have your characters shift their feet, pace the room, fold clothes, twirl their hair, swing their arms, weave their fingers together, rest their chin on their fist. This is what real people do.

• When characters walk, give them a more defined action and use it to reflect their attitude and personality. She strutted across the room. That’s so much more vivid than saying walked. He moseyed toward her. You can see the casual, laid-back attitude. The child skipped into the room. You pick up an emotion here. Happy or excited. Don’t forget frustration, anger, disappointment. Let the character stomp or trudge.

• Personalities allow characters to respond in different ways. Some slam a door when irked. Others turn their backs and walk away. Some throw their hands over their faces and weep. Allow your characters to come to life by the emotion and action beats you use in your novel.

By keeping these ideas in mind, you can enhance your dialogue and make it more real.

Difference Between Plot and Subplot

2011-06-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

On the Writing Fiction Right blog, I often receive questions within the comments from writers, and sometimes I receive emails from newer authors asking questions. This question—What is the difference between a plot and a subplot—came to me a short time ago, and though I responded to the questioner, I decided others might enjoy an explanation.

Plot is the full flow of your story---what happens from the beginning to the end. The plot provides the main characters, their goals and motivation and their conflicts—the obstacles that keep them from reaching their goal. The plot is where you’ll find the story’s theme or main idea.

Sub-plot is a secondary plot (or side story) that is unfolding in your story. The subplot adds complications and puts obstacles in the way of the main character and therefore becomes a story conflict. Sometimes a subplot will mirror the struggle of a main character, and though the character has wisdom for her friend's issue, she can’t relate it to her own until something happens to help her see that she has the same problem and now has the answer.

Below are some examples:
Family saga - Plot deals with a mother-daughter relationship and the struggles they have to resolve their problems. Sub-plot would be the daughter's husband's business is going under adding stress to her life and their relationship.

Romance - Plot deals with hero and heroine falling in love as they meet conflicts and issues that keep them from admitting the love they feel or that keep them from accepting the love that's within reach. The sub-plot might be the heroine's former fiancé shows up in her life again trying to rekindle their old relationship.

Suspense - Plot deal with a detective who is struggling to solve a crime that keeps alluding him. The bad guy is getting more dangerous and pressure is on the detective. Subplot - The detective's wife is tired of his long hours and dangerous job. She wants out of the marriage.

As you can see, a subplot is another significant situation in the story that causes conflict, creating deeper tension and thus emotion while the main character tries to resolve these personal issues while striving to reach the goal that’s important to them.

Subplots helps a book's pacing by adding deeper conflicts, but too many subplots can complicate a story unless the book is the length that can handle them. Shorter novels of from 50,000 to 65,000 word count can handle one subplot well. Stories of 80,000 word count is open to perhaps two subplots. So judge wisely. When a novel is too burdened with subplots, the reader can lose the original story. Use wisdom and select the most powerful subplots that will make a difference to the characters and that is affects the original goal of a main character.

Your Plot Drags? Fix It.

2011-06-22T22:33:00.001-04:00

Authors don’t always realize their plot drags until they step back and take a fresh look. It’s always good to give your story a rest for a week or two, if you have time to spare, and then read with new eyes. The brilliant words can dull with time and that means authors need to dissect the plot, the language and techniques to bring the story to life and make it shine again .

In December of 2007, I discussed four technique problems that affect the quality of a novel: POV, pacing, dialogue and passive writing (show don’t tell). Here are a few more elements that deal with faltering plots to add to that list:

• Descriptions: Bringing a scene to life takes balance. Too much description can bog a novel, but too little loses some of the ways in which your reader can envision your story. Describing each pebble on the path is a bit too much, but describing how a path meanders into the woods weighted with tree limbs, their fingers reaching for the sun can add to your novel. First the language is vivid. Next it can set the tone. Using the phrase “fingers reaching for the sun” can add a sense of foreboding to a suspense novel as can the word weighted. It can also reflect the characters personal burdens, his despair and heavy-heartedness. Use description effectively by making it do more work for you.

• Language and Grammar: Although grammar and punctuation are important elements, especially in narration, remember that even narration comes from a POV character. We are looking at the scene through a character’s eyes. Keep the vocabulary, sentence structure, and tone reflecting the POV character. Use the career lingo and regional vocabulary to make the language real for a specific character. Don’t forget we often speak in partial sentences. We don’t always respond to a question with an answer. Sometimes we restate part of the question: “Hit by a car?” or we respond to requests with: “You want me to what?” Listen to conversations and make your dialogue real. Short sentences add excitement or urgency. Longer ones are more thought-provoking or romantic. Plots bog when dialogue becomes chitchat or when the language is stilted.

• Slow Action Scenes: Though you are trying to make an action scene exciting, learn when to present move by move detail and when to tighten your descriptions. As I said that short sentences in dialogue add excitement, the same happens with description. Joe saw it coming. The chair hurled past. He ducked his head and hit the floor. These three sentences create an image of excitement and action. The same idea can lessen the excitement with too much description. Joe watched the man enter the room, his eyes nailing Joe to the spot. With a quick move, the stranger grasped the chair, raised it over his head and flung it toward him. As he watched it sweep past, Joe ducked and threw himself on the floor behind the sofa. See the difference? Sometimes the readers feels more emotion from fewer words that create more tension and excitement.

• Missing Information: Authors are required to do research for most every book, and often gather far more details and ideas than they can use. Sometimes in trying to be discriminating by choosing only what seems the most important details or facts, the author ends up with the feeling that something is missing. Before adding more information, have a second party read that scene or chapters where the problem seems to occur and decide what will fill in the blanks. If the missing pieces are historical, do more research or try for a reasonable guess, and you can always add a line in your letter to the reader—that you’ve taken an author’s prerogative to make historical changes or additions. If the knowledge on any other topic is not readily available,(for example whether or not a certain code can be deciphered by a computer program and how long it would take), you can use your imagination. If you watch TV, you’ll see many police shows use tests and equipment that stretch the truth. Again it’s screenwriter’s prerogative. If you acknowledge the deception, readers will be less likely to write long scathing letters to tell you how stupid you are.

• Giving Your Book A Classic Plot: When your plot seems to be unraveling, think of other novels you’ve read even childhood tales and fairy tales. Notice the classic story structure and review your novel to make sure you’ve provided good motivation, a strong personal goal that makes a difference in the life of the main character, and a series of growing conflicts with powerful opposition. Opposition can be a person, a group, a belief or a deep-seeded fear. Then make sure you provide a satisfying ending that gives a reader pleasure. If you do this, you can stop worrying. If you’ve missed one of these important story elements, revise your plot to make it more dynamic.

These additional solutions can help your novel to be saleable and a great read.

SEVEN QUESTIONS TO ASK A PROSPECTIVE AGENT

2011-06-07T13:57:00.000-04:00

When I have a friend who writes a good article, I ask permission to share it with you. Many of you are considering or seeking agents, and Jim Watson's article is excellent to help you make wise decisions. Jim comes from Christian publishing experience, but these tips are good for secular work as well. Each of the questions he proposes will safeguard you in making a wise decision about obtaining an agent.

SEVEN QUESTIONS TO ASK A PROSPECTIVE AGENT

James N. Watkins

Finding an agent is difficult. Finding a GOOD agent is even harder. In the general market, legitimate agents are members of the Association of Author’s Representatives. However, in the Christian market, there is no such accrediting agency. Unfortunately, this has led to several cases of unethical and incompetent behavior in Christian agenting.

So, it's important to get the answers to these questions—in writing—before signing with an agent:

1. DO YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE IN PUBLISHING AS A PUBLISHED AUTHOR, EDITOR, OR SOME OTHER PUBLISHING-RELATED RESPONSIBILITY? HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AN AGENT?
You want someone who knows the business. And equally important, someone who is KNOWN in the business. Their Web site should include those qualifications.

2. DO YOU CHARGE ANY FEES OTHER THAN A PERCENTAGE OF SALES?
Agents used to charge incidental fees for postage and overnight deliveries, but with virtually all transaction made online, these are obsolete charges. If the agent charges reading or editing fees of ANY kind, do NOT consider them. A legitimate agent receives compensation only from a percentage of their client's sales.

3. DO YOU SUBSCRIBE TO BEST FINANCIAL PRACTICES?
Do you maintain accurate financial accounts for clients so there is no commingling of clients' and agent's funds? Do you deposit funds received on behalf of clients promptly upon receipt and pay authors within ten days of receipt? Are books open for client's or his/her representative to examine at any time? If there is any hesitancy, do not consider them.

4. DO YOU RECOMMEND REJECTED CLIENTS TO SPECIFIC EDITING SERVICES OR SELF-PUBLISHING VENUES?
The correct answer is NO. Many agents are simply fronts for these kinds of services.

5. DO YOU HAVE ANY OUTSTANDING OR UNRESOLVED COMPLAINTS WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU OR OTHER CONSUMER RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS?

6. HAVE MANY BOOKS DID YOU CONTRACT WITH PUBLISHERS DURING THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS? WITH WHAT PUBLISHERS?
Their Web site should include this information.

7. WILL YOU PROVIDE A LIST OF CLIENTS? MAY I CONTACT THEM FOR A RECOMMENDATION?

Again, if there is any hesitancy, RUN!

Of course, a smooth scammer will tell you anything you want to hear. So, make sure you check them out thoroughly with:
The Better Business Bureau
Preditors & Editors (An online watchdog group)
Writer Beware (Another watchdog)
Anyone you know in the publishing world: editors, authors

Like schemes in so-called "Christian" self-publishing (see http://www.jameswatkins.com/selfpublishing.htm ), there are plenty of posers and piranhas in "Christian" agenting, so writer beware!

(c) James N. Watkins from from my writers' resource page at www.jameswatkins.com/writing

Conflict = Tension = Emotion - Part II

2011-05-31T20:02:00.000-04:00

In Part I, I defined conflicts and described the kinds. As I said, conflict is the backbone of fiction, and understanding this important element helps the author become a better writer. Hopefully I have added a few new thoughts to this blog.

Nature of Conflict
1. Complexity
Conflict, especially internal conflict, is complex because it tests the character’s problem solving abilities and wiles. It forces the character to devise a plan and to test his or her strength, and it results in change. The conflict inherently opens emotional doors that add to the tension.

2. Choices
Conflicts offer choices. The character must make decisions which path he will travel to resolve the conflict. These choices are important to the integrity and worth value of the character. If he fails, his self-esteem crumbles or his life could end, depending on the type of genre. Making choices is when backstory comes into play. What were the beliefs of the character’s family? What was right and wrong? What old saying did they believe as true? A stitch in time saves nine. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Do to others as you would have them do to you. These beliefs influence the way in which a character thinks and acts, so make sure to use these childhood/family’s beliefs to enhance poor decision-making or unexpected choices. Surprise the reader. With choices, you have tension, and whether the right or wrong choice, an emotion is a result for both the character and the reader.

3. Conflicting Choices
In real life, people are often faced with decisions in which they must choice the “lesser of two evils.” Decisions are rarely easy and sometimes they are not perfect. When a character must make a choice that creates a new problem or clashes with a deep-seeded belief or value, a new conflict is created. When clashing into a value or belief, emotion is expelled. Let’s say to save himself from being accused of a crime, he must incriminate his brother or a parent. Or Finding a lottery ticket, he wins a large payout, but he knows the person who lost the ticket. Does he keep the money? Split it? Or tell the person who lost it that he won the million dollar jackpot? Can you imagine the emotional reactions characters have dealing with this kind of conflict.

4. Conflict Grows and Deepens
When you peel back one layer of an onion, beneath you find another thicker layer. This is conflict. A novel depends upon layers of conflicts—the thin ones first and then they grow deeper and more dramatic. As a character believes he is resolving one issue, it is important to add another problem in his path that creates a new conflict. Always save the most dramatic and worst one for last. Don’t make your character’s life easy. Drama and emotion go hand in hand.

5. Immediate Conflicts
Every novel opens with a conflict. This is what hooks the reader and keeps her reading. Often the early conflicts come from a situation appearing on the first pages that causes the character to act or to make a decision. This can happen from a letter, a telephone call, a new character with a message, a strange situation, finding a clue to something important or a person needing to run away from a situation. Whatever it is don’t plop heavy backstory into the opening chapters. Hint at the past through introspection or dialogue. Cause the character to do something that leaves the reader with questions (he receives a letter and hides it). But don’t spew out information that pulls the reader from the action. Let the conflict tug the reader along.

6. Conflict Introduction
Introduce a new conflict building before ending the current one. Don’t give the character a moment without a conflict. Be real. Life is filled with small and large problems. Organize the difficulties in the character’s life and present them one at a time. This keeps the novel moving along, and allows emotion to build in a realistic way.

Conflict = Tension = Emotion - Part I

2011-05-24T09:45:00.000-04:00

So many articles offer tips on creating conflict and talk about the kinds of conflict and why they’re important. The reason is simple. A novel is not a story when it lacks conflict because conflict breeds tension and tension is offers emotion in your novel which is a vital ingredient to a story that grabs the reader and lingers in his mind.

What is conflict?
Too often writers present disagreements and arguments as conflict. Although in a broad sense, disagreements and arguments are a form of struggle, they do not arouse a reader enough to glue her to the book. You and I have conflicts daily. They’re commonplace and boring. Obviously then those two types of conflict are not what a plot needs. I’ve talked about this before, but I hope this new article will provide some different takes on the issue.

Conflict is when a need or goal are opposed by another character, a serious situation or an internal struggle that holds the character back from reaching a goal.

Two people who want land to use for their important purpose creates an opposition. Two people vying for one job that will make all hte difference in each one's life is conflict. A family illness that ties a character to the same town or the same job when an offer draws him away, yet he cannot fail his dying mother or his love interest. Those scenarios are conflict. A woman, needing money to resolve a serious problem that endangers her well-being, is tempted to steal money from her employer, and though she has a plan and the capability, something in her values or experience, causes her to struggle with the means to resolve her need. These are all examples of the external, internal and even inherent conflict that can result in strong tension and create grabbing emotion.

Kinds of conflict
I’ve just named the basic kinds of conflict: inherent, external, and internal.

1. Inherent Conflicts in Plot
Setting is something in the novel from the beginning that causes problems: such as, the setting, distance in relationships, bad memories, or a dangerous environment.

2. External Conflict
This is the outside world pressing in, two or more whose needs or goals are in competition, or a person with two goals that oppose each other.

3. Internal Conflict
These are conflicts rising from a character’s fears, weaknesses, doubts, or failures. These conflicts also some from spiritual struggles or a character wanting to protect him or herself from another bad experience.

4. Extra Personal
Robert McKee identifies a fourth conflict as extra personal. These are often visual conflicts that are delivered in the form of action or farce. If you recall, the old I Love Lucy show with her classic chocolate factory plot, you will see how this create tension and emotion for the character as well as the viewer. The young camper lost in the woods finds an abandoned cabin—she thinks. Fear and foreshadowing danger arouses tension and thus emotion.

Part II will cover the Nature of Conflict

Submitting Christian Fiction For Publication

2011-05-14T11:12:00.000-04:00

A question appeared on my guestbook comments and I answered the reader, but I wanted to share this with you, especially if you write Christian fiction. As you know, this is my genre although I did write secular fiction early in my career. Though the whole idea of writing a good book is exactly the same, guidelines vary, but I thought this response to the reader/writer's question might answer some of your questions.

The reader said: I have written three historical romances and would like your suggestsion on how to submit.

Gail's response:
That's a big question and it's covered in detail in my book Writing the Christian Romance. Check your library or it is available on Amazon.com. You can also click the link on this page and it will take you to view the book.

Basically, if you want publishers who will get your books into stores and distribute them around the country and even to foreign countries, you need an agent. This means you need to find Christian agents and submit to them. You can find a good list of them on the ACFW site: http://www.acfw.com/ Look under conference information and then agents. All of the agents listed are approved as legitimate Christian fiction agents. There are many scammers out there. Don't pay a penny to anyone who claims to be an agent. A true agent earns money by selling your novel. The others earns money by telling you that they will try to sell your novel -- but they don't bother.

Very few houses accept without an agent. Love Inspired Historicals do, but that is category romance so the stories are shorter than the long romances and have very specific guidelines to follow.

Knowing publishers guidelines is important. The length of a novel and knowing what makes a great novel is something you need to study if you haven't already. Attending quality Christian conferences where you have access to workshops, agents and editors is helpful. Working with critique groups is great because you get feedback from people who are also writing and hopefully know the difficult rules of writing fiction. Most people don't sell their first novels because they haven't learned the techniques and skill of writing quality books. The competition is high.

Many people give up and self-publish, but that is often a losing game, because no one sells , markets or distributes your books. They will list them online but that doesn't sell books. There are millions of books listed online. You have to hand sell self-published books which is time-consuming and difficult. Digital is another road -- but that takes a miracle to make any money. I have over 3 million books in print and my royalties from a digital novel is negligable. I'm sure that will grow in time as Kindles and other readers become more popular.

To summarize, you need an agent and it's important to understand what Christian publishers will accept and what they won't. You can find that in my book that I mentioned also -- or you might find it in any newer published books on writing Christian fiction. I may have a little of that on my website www.gailmartin.com under For Readers. Check the articles and FAQs.

For Christian Fiction Writers:
If you write Christian fiction, take a look at our upcoming conference and our organization. I've known so many unpublished authors who joined us are now selling to the big Christian publishers and historicals are in demand. Both the organization and the conference has so much to offer. The organization has free classes, critique groups, marketing info and topics of the week, networking and access to archives on a multitude of research and writing topics. The conference opens the door for you to meet with agents and editors who are often be willing to look at your novel, and some of us serve as mentors where you can have a 15 minute appointment with published authors and have them look at your work or offer advice. All of this is covered under the cost of the conference. Our cconference is ususally the third weekend in September and the location varies around the country.

WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING STYLE

2011-05-06T11:20:00.000-04:00

Newer authors struggle with writing technique, and long time writers still find elements in writing that are their nemesis. Being aware of problem areas in your writing can help you move ahead as a writer when you focus on them and find ways to improve those techniques. Here are a few tips on become a better writer.

• Write active. Passive voice has a place in writing, but passive writing is a negative element. The most telltale clue to passive writing is the “to be” verbs: was, were, is, are, be, been, and being. One of the main problems with these verbs are they tell rather than show. She was beautiful. Can you picture this? Not really. But can you picture this? Her long raven-colored hair hung down her back in thick waves, brushing against her slender arms and contrasting with her eyes, the color of a Caribbean sea. Now you can get a picture of this woman.

• Avoid phrases that tell rather than show, such as felt and seem. I felt sick. Why not show the feeling through more vivid language. Nausea roiled in my stomach, burning its way to my throat with the stench of the decaying body. This sentence is far more dramatic and makes an impact on the reader. Avoid those words, such as: I felt, He believe, She seemed and In my opinion. You want your narration to come to life more fully with description and emotion.

• Redundancy of phrases and description slows down a novel and makes readers wonder if the author thinks they’re stupid, otherwise why would they keep telling them the same thing over and over? If a character has an experience or if a telephone call is heard by the reader, don’t retell what happened to another character. Use transitions, such as: After telling Joe what she’d seen, Allie pulled up her shoulders and waited for his response. Or forming the awful words in her mind, she related the horrible situation to Joe. Now the author can move along with new information—a discussion on what happened, possible solutions to the problem or if in the other character’s POV, you can show that character’s emotion over the situation.

• Don’t overuse words. Authors tend to have favorite words. Run a “find and replace” check on those words that you seem to overuse and find a synonym that means the same or similar. Not only words but phrases can cause a problem. Romance writers tend to use phrases, such as: her heart fluttered or her pulse hammered. Find new and more interesting ways to express those feelings. This happens in all genre so all authors need to keep an eye on repeated phrases. Even something as simple as repetitive nouns: John invited her in and motioned toward a chair. She crossed the room and sank into the chair. Instead, use cushion or seat. This can also happen with verbs. He looked at her. He gazed at her. He eyed her. He studied her. He searched her face. Make sure you use a variety of verbs. In a long novel, you will find some of these words will be used over and over.

• Avoid adverbs. Adverbs trigger weak writing to an editor and many readers. Instead of using adverbs, select the most dynamic verb possible. For example: He said loudly . . How do you say something loudly? He bellowed. He yelled. He screamed. He roared. He hollered. You have many choices so don’t show weak writing by adding adverbs to said and asked. And don’t use tag words other than said and asked. “How have you been?” she queried. That’s almost laughable. Obviously she’s asking or querying by the nature of the sentence. Words like: replied, noted, responded, queried, questioned, and all those other tags jump out at the reader. Said and asked are words readers gloss over.

• Look for compound and complex sentences. Sentence that are two long and too complex can lose a reader. If he has to stop and reread a sentence, you have pulled the reader from your novel and broken the spell of your story. Keep sentence length fluid but be careful of making them too long. Longer sentences work best with quiet moments in a novel during introspection or sometimes romantic descriptions. Short sentences work well for drama, suspense, thrillers and adventure.

• Avoid $$$ words. If readers don’t know a word, they stop and look it up or ponder what it means. Although you might like using a “million dollar” word, you put the reader at a disadvantage. Keep the vocabulary in the POV character’s tone and verbal style. Vocabulary ties to your character’s education, experience and career. Make sure your vocabulary fits your character. Use language that most people can pronounce and understand.

• Avoid predict nominatives and predict adjectives. It’s the same as she was beautiful (a predicate adjective). The word “was” or any other form of the “to be” verb tells rather than shows. She was a ballerina (predicate nominative). Instead, describe her entrance into the room. She glided across the floor, her slender arms as fluid as music, as if she worn her tutu for the evening. Another example: He was a cowboy. Instead use description that shows he’s a cowboy. His Stetson sat cocked on his head like a rooster’s comb, reminding everyone he not only managed the ranch, he owned it. Much more vivid and showing.

Although this list could go on and on, tackle one these problem areas that affects your writing, and once you’ve strengthened that element, move on to a new one. Trying to change too many weak areas causes frustration. Improving one element at a time works best6, and you’ll make good progress polishing your writing and developing a quality style.

CREATING A SERIES FOR NOVELISTS

2011-04-27T15:17:00.000-04:00

Novels in a series are popular. Readers enjoy following the lives of characters they know and so they are eager to read the next novel. A series is usually based on a family or a town, and each novel introduces characters who will appear in the next novel and each novel also includes characters from the past novels in that series. So writing a series makes novel writing more complex.

The author must keep excellent records of the basic details and descriptions of the characters, homes, town buildings, and events in each novel, because readers will find discrepancies of the author veers away from the original story. Birth dates and dates when things happened need to be calculated carefully. Accuracy is the key.

A series is successful when the author follows a few basic steps to insure readers will enjoy each story as much as they did the first one. Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating a series.

• A series can be contemporary or historical or a combination. To add interest to a series, try a series that deals with a contemporary plot, and then step back in time and do the next one exploring the families past. This technique can help to explain issues that occurred in the contemporary novel and can set up new problems that will arise in the next book.

• Search some past novels that had a secondary character that intrigued you and has stayed in your mind. Begin with that character from the past and create a new series connected to that character, his or her family or friends.

• For a quality series that will hook readers, allow the characters in your first novel to grow and change in a realistic way that will intrigue readers so they want to know what will happen after the first book is finished.

• Set up a new series by creating an intriguing secondary character that arouses the readers interest and proposes possible issues that will arise in that character’s life for the next book. This is one of the most popular ways to create a series. You can use sisters, brothers, neighbors, friends, or members of an organization that you introduce casually to the readers in the first book and then allow them to have their own stories later.

• Expand your setting by opening the first book in the series in a specific town and then provide a reason for the secondary character of the next book to move or travel to another location for their own story. You can keep the characters is the first novel connected to the new story through phone, letters or emails.

• Be faithful to your own writing style and preferences. Your readers are drawn to your novels by certain qualities that you offer in your stories. Don’t lose sight of those elements when creating a series. Be true to you and your talent.

• Continue to write about things that interest you. When you’re enthusiastic about your writing project, the excitement will reach your readers. Let your research lead you into new ideas to broaden your concerns and involvements.

• Each novel must stand alone to make it a satisfying read for your fans. Don’t leave them hanging with big issues. You can set up an element that’s almost a throw-away thought or foreshadowing. Example: He realizes his job might be transferred to another state, but don’t let it happen. That can occur in the next book and will then affect the next story characters. Tie up the loss ends and give the readers a satisfying ending.

• Use critique partners or faithful readers to do a test run of each of the novel series to make sure that the facts are accurate and then new story is believable. Make sure your characters stay the same from book one to book two except for growth elements which are natural, but those should have happened in the previous book in most cases. Ask these readers for honest feedback.

If you follow these ideas, you can create a series that keeps readers happy and stimulates new ideas for your next book proposal.

Creative Prompt For Writers

2011-04-21T15:09:00.000-04:00

I attended a writer’s mini-conference last week and Andy Meisenheimer, freelance editor talked about his blog, called Story Praxis, that encouraged creative thinking and writing for authors to get them using a two-word prompt to start a story.

Praxis is an ancient Greek word that today means: process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted or practiced, embodied and/or realized. This two word prompt stimulate the imagination, allowing the author to go somewhere new and different, to try new techniques such as first person or present tense and to try a new genre. The prompt asks the author to write for ten minutes without stopping, without analyzing or plotting. Just let the words flow.

I found this stimulating since it took me away from my genre and delving into a story line that would not be one I’d normally select. That day the prompt words were: Two children. This is what I wrote, and remember I had no time to edit, no time to think, and no plot in mind. I just grabbed a pen and legal pad.

Story Praxis
Aimee rose from the park bench and sauntered toward the playground. Two children had captured her attention, and why? The answer caught in her throat. One child appeared blind, and the other—younger, she guessed—had become a caregiver.

Nearing the swings, Aimee faltered, then stopped and listened to the older child ask about the color blue.

The seeing child looked heavenward. “Blue is the color of the sky.

“But what’s the sky look like?”

Gazing above their heads, Aimee pondered the question. Air. The sky was air and puffs of clouds. Curious, she stepped closer and slide onto a swing—too low for her—but she didn’t care. The children’s voices rang clearer.

“Do you feel the wind?” The sighted child held up her hand. “That’s the sky.”

The older girl reached out holding her hand palm up as if she’d found a treasure. “And this is blue?”

The sighted child nodded. “And water, too. It’s blue.”

So What Does This Mean?
That’s as far as I wrote in the five minute prompt time, but I found the exercise intriguing. The writing isn't great, but it's an unexpected approach for me. Why did I choose a blind child? Why was she the older? Who is Aimee? I don't have the answer, but that's where the prompt took me. I'm curious where the rest of the novel would go. As a seasoned novelist, if found value in this exercise. I realize many untapped stories could be hidden in my creative mind. I only need to dig them out.

If you’d like to experiment with the Story Praxis, visit Andy’s blog at: http://www.storypraxis.com/tag/prompt and rRead the word he provides and follow his guidelines. I think you’ll see the value of the task and surprised at how it stimulates creativity. It also offers you the opportunity to publish your prompt online and a possibility to be published in the Story Praxis Magazine.

Andy freelances and also edits for The Editorial Department, founded by Renni Browne, coauthor of Self-Editing for the Fiction Writer, http://www.editorialdepartment.com/ that offers full service consultations, critiques and edits to writers.

Grabbing Readers And Hanging On

2011-04-15T16:50:00.001-04:00

Authors use all kinds of phrase that means the same thing. Grab the reader, hook the reader, create a page-turner, or write a keeper. Obviously all of these phrase mean an author wants to engage readers to the point that they can’t put down the book and once it’s finished, they can’t let it go. They put in on their bookshelves, often not loaning them to anyone, in case the borrower doesn’t return them. Writing a Keeper is what each author wants to do.

So then, the question is how do you write a book that grabs the reader and hangs on? A book is a keeper, first, when the story relates to the reader’s experiences. When they can say, I’ve been there, I’ve done that, I’ve felt that. Next, the book is a Keeper when the reader relates so well to the characters he wants to continue reading their story. I’ve received many letters from readers, and hopefully you have to, when they ask if I’m going to continue the story in another book. I’ve even had a reader write and ask me if Annie and Ken ever had a baby and how was Grandma Ellie’s health now. These were all story characters. I laugh but then I am flattered that the reader loves and remembers these characters as real.

Writing a Keeper means you will need to analyze your novel by story elements and ask yourself questions. The story premise or theme is the first, followed by characters, plot, and setting. Here are some thing to ask yourself.

Premise, Theme, or Message
• Is your premise realistic and yet special? Have you added a twist or a surprise?
• Does the theme or message tug at the readers emotions? If a reader laughs or cries you’re on the right track to a keeper novel.
• Is the message or theme strong and meaningful? Does your novel tackle realistic problems and issues that people face in their own lives? Does the resolution make a significant difference in the lives of the main characters?
• Does the theme or message cause readers to relive times of their own lives or offer them experiences they’ve always wanted but have never experienced.
Identify the main theme or message in your novel and review it against these questions. If you find a weak area, ask yourself what you can do to make it more meaningful and realistic

Characters
• Do your main character reflect real life people not stereotypes? Do they have admirable qualities as well as flaws?
• Are they vulnerable—showing weaknesses common to others? Are they strong despite their vulnerability?
• Do they have goals that are significant and important to others as well as themselves.
• Are their motivations realistic? Did you create a past with their strength and weaknesses documented by life experiences and their upbringing? Family, friends, talents?
• Are the character’s realistic and consistent in their emotional and psychological attributes?
• Do the characters have realistic fears and phobias that are their nemesis?
• Are these qualities your reader can relate to?

Plot
• Are the character’s goals and motivation clear and meaningful to readers? Is this something to which readers can relate?
• Are the character’s behaviors and attitudes psychological realistic and are the story problems real?
• Does the story open in a dynamic way that grips the reader from page one?
• Is backstory used to build characterization but not plopped in the first pages of the story?
• Does the plot allow the reader to participate—to speculate, to cheer, to warn?
• Does the story keep moving with good pacing—a few slower moments for readers to digest what’s happening and then moves ahead with dynamic action?
• Does the plot reinforce the theme or message of the story?

Story Setting
• Why did you chose this setting? How can it be used to add deeper meaning to your story?
• Does the setting enhance the plot?
• Does the setting create nuances in the characterization—added stress, feelings of home or loss?
• Does the description bring the setting to life?
• Do the setting aspects relate to the story’s mood, heighten emotion, and serve a purpose beyond offering a sense of place?

If you can answer these questions with positive answers, wonderful. If you find that you need to make changes, then do so. The more realistic and compelling these four elements of your story, you will create a page-turner, a book that grips the reader and one they want to keep.

Building a 3-Dimensional Hero Using Core Personalities - Part II

2011-04-07T17:16:00.001-04:00

After digesting the personalities of the four core types from Terrance Real’s book How Can I Get Through To You, you can see the opportunities to build some interesting characters and create dynamic conflicts. Consider plotting a thriller where two elitists are on opposing forces or plotting a romance with the one character being a feeler and the other an analyzer. Put two drivers together in a story built around a family dynasty. Conflict is brewing in any of those scenarios.

To add to the total character, you will take the basic core personality and add a past that will help the reader understand why one person is driven, why another lives with self-importance, and another can only find a positive in the most negative situation. You are a mix of genetics and experience, and to help readers believe in your characters and find them compelling, you must develop them just as you have become who you are. Again remember that your past (backstory) is made up of a multitude of elements: upbringing, family discipline, education, religious attitudes, health issues, birth order, family dysfunctions, successes and failures, location (south/west/north/east or rural/urban) and income.

As you build these core personalities, begin thinking how these characters will dress, their language and diction, their manner of responding and reacting to situations. You can see that each will be different.

The feeler will speak in a more flowing language using animation. The language could be more poetic, using alliteration and similes. He will emphases the good and avoid talking about the bad. A woman might dress more colorfully, more gussy jewelry, more ruffles. A man might take more chances in trying something new, fads or something outside the box.

The driver will speak in shorter, emphatic sentences. He doesn’t waste time. He wants to get to the nitty gritty of the topic. No flowery language for him. He is organized in both his speaking and in his apparel. He dresses for the situation, but clothes aren’t his concern. Getting things done and accomplishing his goal is.

The analyzer will be thoughtful in his speech and will not waste words. He will ponder the words and won’t speak until he’s thought the situation through to come up with the best response. He will ask question, dig deeper, and not be afraid to pry. He expects answers. He will dress conservatively. He wears basic appropriate clothing for the occasion and doesn’t take chances in style. He prefers tradition.

The elitist will use a large vocabulary and good grammar. He’ll speak clearly and decisive as if what he says is truth whether it is or not. He will stand back and observe rather than jump into a mundane conversation. He could be a name dropper both in style of clothing but also in who he knows. His apparel will be influenced by the situation. At a black tie dinner he will wear a designer tuxedo, but he’s not afraid to be his own person and make others think it is appropriate. They will sometimes follow his lead, thinking if he can do it maybe it’s the best way to dress. No matter what he wears, he will stand out in the crowd.

As you way these characters and their interaction, notice how conflicts can easily arise depending on their roles in your novel. Don’t always make the boss the elitist. An employee could outshine the owner and bully him, if he’s not confident in his role. You set the scenario. Although we often think of women as the feeler, try this attribute on a man. Don’t make him effeminate, but make him care and show he does. By working with core personalities, you can create some unexpected characters with compelling conflicts.

And finally remember that your characters will change from the beginning of the novel to the end. Even two elitists who battle face to face will cause one to change. Perhaps he realizes that his elitism is only a cover for what he thought he lacked in his past, and he walks away from the battle feeling he is a winner. The driver who falls in love with a feeler can learn that he’s destroying his changes for happiness by thinking success in his business is the most important thing in his life. He learns that loving and being loved is the ultimate happiness.

With these techniques, you will create dynamic believable characters.

A Take on Cliches

2011-04-01T11:33:00.001-04:00

My attention was drawn to a blog from author and speaker, Leslie Wilson, who cautions writers about using cliches. These are overworked phrases that are trite andscream "weak writing" to editors. While the message is important, her article is funny since she's written the entire thing in cliches. It will give you a taste of why cliches detract from a fresh writing style. If you'd like to read No Really: Kill Your Cliches, hit the link below and get a chuckle as well as a great understanding of why not to use cliches.

http://www.marydemuth.com/2011/04/no-really-kill-your-cliches/

Part I - Building a 3-Dimensional Hero Using Core Personalities

2011-03-24T11:19:00.002-04:00

Whether you write suspense, romance, or adventure, any genre needs 3-D characters. Author Mark Mynheir presented a workshop many months ago on characterization and suggested the use of the Myers Briggs personality test to help create dynamic characters by using the basic core personalities and then wrapping a backstory history around him. Here is a site where you can check out the basic eight personality types used in the Myers Briggs test. http://www.personalitypage.com/html/info.html

But let’s begin by looking a four core personalities from Terrance Real’s book How Can I Get Through To You. In his book, he suggests people have four personalities: feeler, driver, analyzer, and elitist. Now we can take the eight personalities of Myer Briggs and find these personalities there as well, but for writing, these four will provide a good basis.

Feeler:
The feller is a person who reacts and interacts through emotion and comes across as warm and friend. He avoids confrontation and always tries to put the most positive twist on every situation. He prefers intimate groups rather than a crowd and rarely initiates conversation, especially with strangers. When in a larger group, he becomes more reticent and only expresses opinions that are non-aggressive. His emotions are often on his sleeve. His body language can be emotive. Think Oprah.

Driver:
The driver tends to be a Type A personality who is perceptive and therefore likes to control the situation. He is curious and enthusiastic while tending to pick up on the mood and style of the group he is in. He is verbal and quick-minded. His body action is animated. Some people might considered him overly-friendly, but he is naturally gregarious. He would be considered a nonconformist, willing to take changes if he sees the possibility of positive results. Think Bill O’Reilly

Analyzer:
The analyzer is organized, logical, and stoic. He is careful in what he says, controlling himself mentally, physically and verbally. Though he is pleasant, he keeps his distance and appears to need no one besides himself. Emotions are not for the analyzer, but intellect is. He is very self-confident and is not at ease in lighthearted or frivolous situations. Think Barbara Walters and Martha Stewart.

Elitist:
The elitist is aloof and feels superior. Although he appears friendly, he has a strong sense of his own importance. He observes his surroundings yet is detached from the situation. He can be charismatic and easily stands out in a crowd by his bearing and manner. Think Simon Cowell and Hannibal Lector.

Digest these core personalities and think how they might be used in your novel. Part II will add some layers to the core and pose some thoughts on how to use the core personalities to create great conflict.

Can a One-Day Plot Be Effective?

2011-03-12T12:07:00.001-05:00

A while ago Jesse Young who follows this blog sent me a link to an interesting article from ODP.com, and I thought it might be of interest to you. When we plot, most of our novels cover a span of time. Family sagas cover decades while suspense spans only in a few days. Romance usually last a few months to a year. But have you ever thought of plotting a book that lasts only one day?

What must be considered when planning a one-day plot? Obviously excitement must happen immediately, an event so significant that makes a huge difference to the character. The plot could hinge on a catastrophic event or often a timebomb-type plot, something that drives the plot forward. If the hero doesn't locate the heroine, she will be gone from his life. If the terrorist isn't stop, the bomb could end the world. Think of novels like the TV show 24.

This article titled, 11 Excellent Novels that Take Place All in One Day, suggests that authors can learn a great deal from dissecting one or more of these classics to understand the elements that make these novels grab the reader and be remembered. The titles range from a classic Ulysses by James Joyce to the novel, A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood, recently made into a movie. Read the synopses of the plots to understand the elements that made these books stand out among the multitude of published books.

http://www.onlinedegreeprograms.com/blog/2011/11-excellent-novels-that-take-place-all-in-one-day/

What To Avoid To Be A Better Writer.

2011-03-05T11:39:00.000-05:00

A while ago I read an article on my favorite topic---avoiding adverbs. Stephen King once said, "The road to hell is paved with adverbs," and I believe him. Adverbs as with adjectives, can weaken good writing for numerous reasons.

I found the blog on The Screenwrightist: Writing Tips on fictional storytelling for screenwriter, playwright, and novelist. The article titled, Why Good Writers Avoid Adverbs and Adjectives, covers the following topics: Lean, Powerful Prose, Specific Images, Actions, Being True to Character, Too Much Unnecessary Text, and Using Only Necessary Words.

This article is worth reading. Visit the website at: Click here: http://www.screenwrightist.com/avoid-writing-adverbs-adjectives

Conflicts, hooks, characterization in a novel?

2011-02-20T20:37:00.001-05:00

Another new author asked a very complex question about conflicts and hooks when the novel isn't a suspense.. Most of you know the importance of conflicts and hooks in any kind of novel, but here was my response to her question---both an explanation and advice.

Gail said:
Your questions are so complex I'd have to write workshops for each of them. Let me say a few things - and then I would recommend you purchase a couple of good books on plotting. You can read them slowly and refer back to them when you get confused.

You also would benefit by finding a critique group so you have people who can look at your work and make comments specifically about some of the things are you doing well and the things that need work.

Conflicts
Every story needs conflict. Without them you don't have a story -so you need to give serious thought to this. Conflicts (which creates tension) are the things that get in the way of the person reaching their goal or his need in the story. The goal usually is motivated by something that happened or is happening in the character's life. For example - A man grew up very poor with no father in the home. He had to eat in soup kitchens with his mother. As he grows up, he is determined to get an education and have a good life -- but this goal might have different purposes. He might want to be rich and successful because he no longer wants to be poor. Or he might want to be rich and successful because he wants enough money to help others who are poor so they don't have to live as he did. The purpose would be based on the man's character and personality
Now conflict is what gets in the way of his success. Perhaps he has a job and is working his way up in the business but the owner dies and his son takes over. He doesn't like the hero who now starts having career problems. Or let's say his job is going well but a new man joins the business, and the new man starts taking over and the hero begins to lose control of his success in the business. These are just a couple examples, but I hope you understand why conflict is necessary. Without conflict, you have a story of a guy who had a difficult life and now is doing well. That's boring. . .even if it has humor in it.

Though I write romantic suspense, most of my novels are straight romance so they're not scary at all, but the characters have problems that add tension to the story and make them more dramatic. Problems need to grow worse with each problem.

Suspense is a genre but tension, conflict and emotion are vital to any story whether it be family relationships, romance, coming of age, searching for purpose, or any other type of fiction.

Conflicts are not arguments. In fact that's the weakest kind of conflict. Conflicts are those internal struggles we have in making decisions. Let's say your character realizes that her brother has gotten involved in something illegal. She has the moral struggle to close her eyes and say nothing or confront her brother and hope he steps away from what he's doing, or contact authorities and turn him in. This is internal conflict which is the strongest kind of conflict because it affects values, morals and beliefs which are important to each of us.

In romance, a conflict might be a woman who has lived a shady life---let's say she was involved in prostitution or perhaps some kind of illegal business --- and now she's moved away and is living a stellar life, one she's proud of. She meets a man and she's falling in love. He's falling in love with her -- but she fears he will learn about her past and hate her for it. . .or walk away and not forgive her. She must decide to tell him and hope he forgives her, take the chance he'll never learn about it, or walk away from the chance to love. This is real conflict with tension and emotion.

Now complicate that story. She decides not to tell him, but someone comes to town who knows her past. Now what does she do? You've heightened the stakes. You've added to the tension. Though this story is romance---not a suspense---it creates suspense.

Tension creates emotion and emotion is what makes your story interesting for readers. Without tension and emotion, you don't have a plot which means you don't have a story.

Characterization:
Conflicts and tension helps characters change and grow. a must in good fiction. If you're succeeding with that, you are doing a good job because you're creating "real" people. Think of your own life. Everyday you are a different person because of something that has happened in your life. You learned a new lesson, you focused on something that you've never noticed before. You learned something new about yourself or about someone else. You found something you can't handle. You make a choice or a decision. These are all changes that characters experience in novels. As you read a novel, you should dissect it so that you can see how these characters are changing.

Hooks
Hooks are very important to keep your reader turning pages and finding out what's going to happen next. Without hooks, they have no reason to keep reading so keep that in mind. A hook can be an open ended question at the end of a chapter. It leaves the reader trying to decide what he will do. At the end of a chapter, a hook can be a phone ringing and the chapter ends. This would work if the character is waiting for an important call that will answer a vital question or offer a needed job or help. Put a scene involving someone else between the character answering the phone. Don't do that too often or it will lose it's hook value.
Final comments:
As a new writer, you can't learn everything in a day or a week or a year. It often takes many years to write a novel that is saleable, but you shouldn't give up. Put aside the old novels if they don't have enough story to create drama, and start a new one, using the new techniques that you are learning. Most people don't sell their first novels. I have numerous novels I wrote early in my career that are not published. Let this information soak in slowly and don't get discouraged. Copy this info and learn it in small pieces.

Question: How Do You Create A Rough Plot Outine?

2011-02-13T15:28:00.000-05:00

Numerous questions were asked by writers in my online course in January. I wanted to share this one with you.
My question is this: Do I start with a rough outline of scenes, using the checklist to insure the scene is driving the story, then go onto adding in sequels and plotting hooks?

My response:

I plot a little differently than many, but that's natural. We each find a way that works with us. I plot with things that should happen without knowing at the time whose POV it will be in or where it will happen. I just know these are the details I want to include, so building in the sequels comes from instinct. I ask myself does the other POV character need a chance to share his/her emotional and mental responses to what happened in the previous scene or situation. If so then I add those elements to his or here next scene.

Hooks are techniques we use within scenes and always at the end of a scene to keep the readers turning pages - so those are also instinctive to some degree but can be set up as you approach the end of your chapter or scene.

Here's what I do when plot overwhelms me. (You can do this on a brainstorming computer program if you have one.) I actually do it on sticky notes or index cards. I jot down ideas of things that need to happen-- information I need to share with the reader, incidents that move the story forward, conflicts that occur, new characters or subplots that enter the story---all kinds of things like this. Then I begin to organize them. Which is the least dramatic element? That goes first. I set up conflicts in order of the dramatic and emotional effect on one or both characters. I sometimes use a subplot to create a hook, but a great way to hook is ending a scene with a troubling question, the telephone ringing when the character is waiting for information, an unexplained noise, a question that needs an answer (which ever works in the story) and then move the scene to the other POVcharacter and sometimes another subplot. This keeps readers griping the pages until the find out what happened in the earlier scene . As I work through these cards or sticky notes, I make decisions about what information needs to be foreshadowed earlier or where the information needs to happen to keep the story moving forward. This works very well for me to present all the action, introspection and dialogue at the most effective place it can be in the story -- everything leading to that dire, dark moment when all seems lost -- and then the exciting road to a solution and resolve.

Grammar Errors All Writers Should Know

2011-02-02T22:58:00.003-05:00

ArcaMax Publishing provided this humorous take on grammar errors. A reader of this blog sent me a note to tell me that the origin of this list is from William Safire's Rules for Writers. The site said to "Share this Story" so I'm sharing it, hoping the humor will help you remember the right way to write. Many of these are common writing problems are negative things that catches an editors eye. I hope you get a chuckle but also hang on to the advice.

Tips with English Grammar
1. Don't abbrev.

2. Check to see if you any words out.

3. Be carefully to use adjectives and adverbs correct.

4. About sentence fragments.

5. When dangling, don't use participles.

6. Don't use no double negatives.

7. Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.

8. Just between You and i, case is important.

9. Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.

10. Don't use commas, that aren't necessary.

11. Its important to use apostrophe's right.

12. It's better not to unnecessarily split an infinitive.

13. Never leave a transitive verb just lay there without an object.

14. Only Proper Nouns should be capitalized. also a sentence should.

15. begin with a capital and end with a period

16. Use hyphens in compound-words, not just in any two-word phrase.

17. In letters compositions reports and things like that we use commas

18. to keep a string of items apart.

19. Watch out for irregular verbs which have creeped into our language.

20. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

21. Avoid unnecessary redundancy.

22. A writer mustn't shift your point of view.

23. Don't write a run-on sentence you've got to punctuate it.

24. A preposition isn't a good thing to end a sentence with.

25. Avoid cliches like the plague.

Intimate Storytelling - Part IV Sentence and Thought Tags

2011-01-25T23:03:00.002-05:00

A simple method of improving your writing is learning how to use dialogue tags and presenting character’s thoughts. Though this may seem trivial, these techniques are important in helping you become an author who knows how to write. One way to approach this is to ask yourself how would a real person say this or do this.

The first example can be found in presenting introspection. To create the most intimate form of storytelling, pay attention to your own thoughts and see how they fall. When thinking, do you say “What is that child going to do now, I wonder?” or “He’s going to hurt himself, I thought.” Obviously the I wonder and I thought are for the reader information. The phrases have nothing to do with the character’s thoughts. When you add these phrases, it removes the intimate relationship between the reader and character. It’s as if the character is saying, “Okay dummy, I’m thinking this or I’m wondering this.” Readers are not dumb so we don’t need to tell them it’s a thought. Everything that comes from that character that’s not dialogue is really the character’s thought or viewpoint.

Why did I say that to her? She already knows how I feel yet I brought up the topic again. I’m digging a hole for myself. I’m putting up a barricade, and that’s not what I want to do.

As you read those lines, it’s obvious that the character is thinking. Authors have no need to tell the reader that’s what the character is thinking or that’s what he’s wondering. So begin today removing italics from the character’s thoughts and removing phrases like he wondered and he thought.

Next, dialogue tags also remove intimacy from the story, because, once again, their purpose is so the reader knows who’s speaking. The only two words that readers will skim over and not be jerked from the story are said and asked. When authors use queried, replied, questioned, screamed, remarked, yelled, teased, they are showing an editor they are not an experienced author. For one, the language that is used in the sentence needs to stand on it’s own. If the character is yelling, the words should let the reader know they are yelling or screaming. If the character is toying with another character, the words should let us know that they are teasing. This is weak writing when an author says: okay, this is funny or this is angry. Let the words speak for themselves. The other words I listed—replied, remarked, insisted—all jump out at an editor and readers, pulling them away from the story. No one wants to do that.

Even worse is using an adverb along with the said or asked. This is a sure sign of a new writer who doesn’t know how to create dialogue that speaks for itself. “Stop,” he said angrily. “You look as sweet as a kitten,” he said tenderly. “Look at me. I’m successful,” he said boisterously. The reader would be stupid not so know that “Look at me. I’m successful” is not boisterous. Let the words show the reader the emotion involved and don’t tell them. Remember “show and not tell” is a key message for all writers.

Finally if you are an experienced novelist with numerous books under your belt, try writing a novel without using dialogue tags or at least try cutting as many as you can. The tag distances the character from the reader so anything you can do to avoid them creates a more intimate novel. How can you do that? By including an action, description or emotion. Here’s an example:

Jane slipped off her sweater and tossed it on the chair. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“So am I.” John’s skin prickled as he monitored his frustration. She knew how import this evening was to him.

“What did I miss?”

Perspiration beaded on his palms. What did I miss? Nothing but the best speech he’d ever given. “Do you have to ask?”

“John, I know you wanted me there, but--”

“But you couldn’t drag yourself away from cocktails with your coworkers.”

She shook her head, evading his eyes. “That’s not it at all.”
Then what was it? That’s what he wanted to know. His eyes shifted from her face to her dark red dress that clung to her curves. The deep V-neck revealed her creamy skin beneath. Ice dripped through his veins. The dress seemed inappropriate for work.

A chill rolled down his back as his mind slipped into a place he didn’t want to go. He studied her face. Guilt? Remorse? Fear? His stomach churned as reality struck him. Jane was having an affair.

Notice that I’ve avoided dialogue tags and the use of wondered or thought yet it’s clear who’s speaking. This is closer to real life conversation, and the more real you write the more real your characters are to your readers.

Give some of these techniques a try, and hopefully you will deepen characterization while making your storytelling more intimate and by doing that, you’ve captured another reader who’ll want to read every one of your novels.

Intimate Storytelling - Part III Revealing Character

2011-01-17T12:58:00.001-05:00

How a character moves, sits, responds, and thinks helps the readers know who he is. His actions as well as his introspection and emotions bring him to life and keep him from being a two-dimensional character. The whole idea of intimacy in storytelling has to do with bringing the reader into the story through the character—allowing the character to reveal all aspects of his nature. Skimping on introspection can result in a lack of both emotion and character depth. When readers hear the character’s thoughts, they more fully understand what he is going through. Readers can sense his emotional struggle, relate to the way he plops into a chair or paces the floor or smashes his fist against the wall or a couch pillow. It’s not a wasted action but one that defines the mental state of the character.

In Part II, I mentioned allowing elements of your story to deepen your characterization. I’ve written articles on using the weather or the landscape as a means to do this. Rocky cliffs can reflect the rocky life of the character. A sunny day or a garden of blossoming flowers can reflect the character’s happy or positive mood. Rain on a window or ruts in the road can symbolize a character’s sadness or struggle. A room filled with bric-a-brac and dollies reveals an old fashioned character or someone who is sentimental. A sleek modern setting might reveal someone who is business first, a person in control and unwilling to show his emotions, or afraid someone will get to know the real him. Use it as you will, but allow it to assist the reader in knowing the inner workings of your character more fully.

Use a person’s attire to reflect character. A tomboy girl might wear jeans, a man’s flannel shirt and a baseball cap backward. A woman flaunting her sexuality might wear a low cut neckline and fabric that clings to her curves. A man trying to fit into the business world but not quite making it might wear a suit, white shirt, tie and white socks. A sure giveaway. A woman who wants to avoid being found attractive could wear loose fitting clothing with high necklines. Hair styles, grooming and attire are all means to allow the reader to know the real characteristics of the main characters in your novel.

Avoid using your voice as the characters’ voices. Character should be distinctive so that the reader can tell them apart. One person speaks with a more flowery vocabulary, another talks in short, blunt sentences, and another might use bad grammar and a lot of slang. When using slang or favorite phrases, make sure you’re not using your own favorite words. Create new ones for your characters. Find new ways to describe what they see through their experiences, occupation and lifestyle.

Still no matter how a character dresses, moves, or talks, readers will learn most through their emotional reactions and thoughts.

Part IV will cover sentence and thoughts tags--an important part of keeping your writing intimate with the character.

Intimate Storytelling - Part II Character’s Feelings

2011-01-11T00:04:00.001-05:00

Part I on Intimate Storytelling covered some of the elements of staying in a POV character’s viewpoint, but intimate storytelling needs more than a character’s viewpoint. The reader needs to feel the story through the character’s impressions and experience. This is done by bringing the senses to life.

The familiar “showing not telling” comes into play here. Let’s say a scene opens on a hot day. The POV character could say or think he was hot, or he could compare it mentally to the blast of the smelting ovens in the factory where he works. That ties the character to his employment which helps the reader know a little more about him.

But better yet, help the reader feel the heat through his perspective and experience. His palms slipped against his leather car seat leaving a moist imprint. He touched the steering wheel and drew back his hand. “?**#&8!” (You include the expletives that fit his personality.) In these two sentences readers don’t have to be told about the heat, they can experience it through the character’s senses—sight, sound and touch—because they have experienced the same thing in their lives.

Use on the impressions and senses that impact your story. You might show the heat of a day for the reader’s sense of place, but don’t over do it. You could use the first sentence in the example above alone and you would make your point. Keep descriptions concise when you are using them only to help the reader envision where they are. If you are going to use the setting to enhance the mood or define the character, then the description can be expanded. More about that later.

Too many senses used in one spot can also kill their effect. Chose which sense element is most dramatic or dynamic to your purpose. The overuse of senses can bring the story to a halt rather than add to its quality. If you read your work aloud, or use a text to voice program, many of these problems will jump out at you, and you can correct them. It’s always wise to hear as well as read your drafts. This is using your senses.

Intimate Storytelling - Part I Character Viewpoint

2011-01-04T10:22:00.001-05:00

One thing that first person offers that third doesn’t is an intimacy between the POV character and the reader. In first person, reader can get inside the skin of the main character who is the narrator and and storyteller, but third person can provide a close familiarity between the POV character and the reader by writing in deep POV which also means avoiding author intrusion.

When writers think of author intrusion, most notice it when it is blatant.

The fog lowered over the bay and people in their houses looked out with a sense of loneliness. Some felt fear.

Though the writing is fine, ask yourself who is saying this? How could I look out a window and know that other people were looking at the fog on the bay? How would I know they felt loneliness? Fear? This is author intrusion. It is the old style of writing that we still see in literary fiction, but if you want to sell your novels that reach a wide audience, intimate storytelling is the best way to go.

The first step to create the intimacy is to stay in the POV character throughout the scene. This means that the story is told totally through that character’s eyes and senses. He cannot see what is going on in the next room or behind the door. Comments or information that jerk the reader from the story can happen when the author describes what’s happening in the next room or makes a statement such as: If Brad knew what was behind the closed door, he would run. Or Brad thought he was safe, but later in the day, he would learn the truth. Notice how both of these comments are not coming from Brad but from a God-like narrator who knows all and sees all. This type of writing does not work in popular fiction.

Storytelling intimacy comes by making the POV character real. His reactions fit him so his emotions will follow his personality and character. He may not respond as you would to a situation so make his emotional response true to his nature. Is he a quiet man. He will probably keep his emotions in check. If you’re in his head, he still won’t allow himself to react strongly and what he experiences maybe more a struggle to keep his emotions in check.

Author instruction is also seen when the author allows the character to know something that he couldn’t know yet or never will know. For example, what do you know that’s happening in your home right now? All you know for sure is what your senses tell you. You can only see within the room you are seated. You can’t see behind you unless you guess that no one is there or you might hear no sound which is another of your senses. You might assume your spouse or roommate is preparing a meal if the scent of food drifts into the room. Assumption or a guess is all you can share with the reader unless you can see, feel, taste, touch or smell–and even then what food is being prepared and who is preparing it is only a speculation.

Staying inside the character also requires the author to see the world through that character’s perspective. People perceive using past experience and knowledge. When you create your POV character, you will be wise to know everything about that character’s past—their family, siblings, beliefs, values, discipline style, religious upbringing—anything that will cause the character to look at the world differently than another character. What experiences has this character had? How might that impact his reaction? Would the person’s employment affect his word choice? All of these things must be considered to stay within the character and not slip into your own language style, word choice or values. Each character must stem from his root—his background.

How the character describes the setting, how he views the room, how he views others, all reflects his past. Keep this in mind as you create characters for intimate storytelling.

Forcing story dialogue so you can present backstory or historical information is another way to jerk the reader from the story. If this information needs to be shared with the reader, do it in a natural way. Find a reason that this information might wend its way into the dialogue. Often dialogue sounds silted when the author forces two people to discuss a topic that doesn’t seem to be needed other than provide background information. If two people know each other well, why would the POV character retell the person things the other character would already know. . .unless it is to reveal a secret? These things slip easily into fiction when the author isn’t careful. Even using introspection to provide information about the history of a location can come across as convoluted unless a legitimate reason for the character’s thoughts can be devised.

Fiction And It's Purposes

2010-12-28T16:20:00.001-05:00

Amid the busy Christmas holiday season, I began to think about purposes and the evolution of story. In the beginning stories were word of mouth, told by a person and carried along through the years. Families' histories were told that way--grandparents telling their grandchildren--and thus the stories traveled through time and lived. From the time of the printing press, history left the pens of the scribes and were put into the press to make even a large impact on more people.

For years we've taken books for granted, and now they are moving from paper to cyberspace in digital format. Exciting and scary too. Yet no matter how the story is delivered, fiction brings with it a number of purposes that, as writers, we should remember and use them to serve the telling of our story as well as the receiving by our readers.

First fiction is to entertain. Fiction takes us away from our everyday lives, lifts us from the mundane and allows us to walk paths we might never have experienced. It captures us and lightens the burdens of our individual struggles. It becomes a playground for our mind and refreshes us.

Next fiction helps us connect with others. Through stories, we experience emotions and face new adventures. We realize that we are not alone in our trials or in our joys. Many others have the same feelings, the same issues, the same problems. The novel strips apart our troubles, and we can sit back and watch others resolve issues we've dealt with for years. In reader mail, I've heard from many who have indicated that one of my novels provided the reader with a road map to begin their own resolves. That message makes all the work worthwhile for a novelist.

Third fiction helps us understand our world. Whether historical or contemporary fiction, patterns emerge: the seasons, life to death, sorrow to joy, hopeless to hope. We can look at history and realize how it affects us today. We can look at issues today and see how it was also part of our history. Our past makes us who we are today. We can look at prejudice and bias, economic turmoil and financial security, the impossible to the possible, and we grow in seeing our world and our history for what it is.

Finally fiction offers us a new look at life. We can learn how to face differences and change. One time years ago, Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984 were novels that were considered science fiction. Today we face many truths that those stories offered. Big brother is watching you. Today we know that our government and individuals have their fingers on our pulse through data gathered in cyberspace. What we thought was impossible is not only possible but now passe.

Fiction serves a purpose for all readers to broaden our scope to the world, to others, to our emotions and trials, and to our abilities to deal with change and differences, but first of all, fiction is to entertain. We can never forget that.

Plotting Online Course beginning in January

2010-12-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

Since you are all writers, I wanted to tell you about an inexpensive online course I will be teaching for three weeks in January sponsored by Outreach International Romance Writers, a chapter of RWA. Even if you are not a romance writer, this course is focused on plotting. Plotting and pacing work hand in hand, and when pacing is bad plotting begins to plod.

The course beginning on January 4 and will cover these topics:

Part I will define story and explore how story connects with the reader. Styles of plotting will be explained, then Plotting and Pacing will be defined with explanation on layering the plot and showing growth and change of the characters. Looking at plotting as a Three-Act Play, the Act I will be as to the purpose it serves, proper use of backstory and hooking the reader and ending Act .

Part II will explore what the author must accomplish in Act II. It will cover reader expectation, purpose, conflicts, deepening the stakes, and emphasis on pacing by using scene and sequel and positioning plot points. Plot hooks will also be covered.

Part III will cover techniques to avoid the sagging middle in Act II and the major setback. Act III will cover the purpose this act and resolving all major issues with tips on ways to leave the reader with a memorable story.

For more information, go to: http://www.oirw.net/campus/currentcourselist.htm

I hope to see some of you there.

Looking Again At Setting And Its Many Uses

2010-12-01T16:50:00.000-05:00

I was asked to do an article for the ACFW Newsletter. The article is concise and covers things I've talked about before. Setting is sometimes the neglected element that's used for sense of place alone and not always used in a creative way that will add so much more to your novel. Check out this article provdes much information consolidated in one place.

It will be the third article on the newsletter - http://www.acfw.com/ezine

ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS

2010-11-27T17:37:00.002-05:00

How characters respond to each other goes far beyond what’s said. Words are easily spoken, but the truth is not necessarily there. People often say what they think others want to hear. This happens in real life and works well in fiction. People observe what’s being said by watching the person’s facial expression and body language.

Obviously, authors need to be aware of these important means of non-verbal communication when creating characters and stories. Five well-known non-verbal behaviors are important to consider: silence, posture and gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and space, meaning closeness or distance from the other character. Each one speaks as loudly as your character’s words. This is important when creating a romance, because during that sensitive time, the hero and heroine will study each other, fearing making a mistake in the relationship.

Silence
It’s strange that silence can cause a problem, but it does. If a hero asks the heroine a question, he is looking for an answer. If he receives a blank stare, the non-verbal message has said something, such as: I don’t know, I don’t want to talk about it, or it’s none of your business. It could be those responses or many others. This leaves the hero hanging as he wonders what she could mean. It causes tension. This works well if you’re trying to create tension between the two people. If the hero says I love you to the heroine and her response is silence, I don’t have to tell you how that would come across. Again it creates tension. Should he probe for an answer or back away? If a character’s boss asks him why he did or didn’t do something and his response is silence, the boss could easily become perturb. He expects an answer. Silence can mean the character doesn’t know, or it could mean he is guilty, angry, belligerent, or uncooperative. When writing, if you’re not trying to create tension, give an answer. If you’re using the technique for tension, good for you.

Gestures and posture
Anger is often shown by quickness and abruptness body responses. If your heroine slams a door or drawer or if the hero pounds his fist against a table, readers learn as much as they might from hearing words, and the action is far more dramatic. The heroine flailing her hands in the air or making a fist gives a negative response. A gentle pat or brush of a the hero’s hand against the heroine’s arm gives the opposite response. It’s one of understanding and concern. Give careful thought when you create your characters’ gestures to make sure they are conveying the right message to the reader, and that they fit the character’s personality. Try to be original, show the heroine tossing the hero’s note into the wastebasket. Without saying any words, the reader knows what she’s thinking and that she’s angry. It fits into the storyline and doesn’t distract yet adds a deeper emotion even without words.

Along with gestures, your characters posture shows her attitude and mood. The heroine walking with her chin touching her chest will cause other characters and readers to think she is uneasy, upset, depressed, or perhaps lacking self-esteem. The heroine who walks tall with her back straight and head held high shows confidence. Yet too high and too straight can appear forceful or even confrontational. Allow your characters’ posture to illustrate his or her mood or attitude with a visual description.

Facial Expressions
The most obvious method to convey meaning to words is through facial expressions, but remember that sometimes people make faces without realizing it. These expressions tell the truth to those viewing another persons’s face even though they can’t see the expression themselves. An eye-blink or a tightened jaw can send a message of surprise or upset. Winces, narrowed eyes and tightened lips are less common than a furrowed brow or a smile. Use the broad spectrum of your characters’ faces to add deeper meaning to the emotional palette of your story.

Characters sometimes try to hide their true feelings. and they force a superficial expression. Yet beneath that expression, the truth can often be seen. The heroine for examples says one thing but means something else. The words and expressions don’t match—she says yes with her words, but her face and body say no. This sends a mixed message to other characters thereby adding a new element to the story and creating tension. Use this technique to create unanswered questions for the reader—What is bothering her?— or to deepen conflict.

Eye Contact
A character’s eyes show emotion just as they do in real life. For example, when the hero looks in the eyes of the heroine, he can see the emotion of love. Eyes reflect what the person is like on the inside. A person’s eyes can become bloodshot in anger. Blood vessel break and pupils dilate. Even the blink, mentioned earlier, is telling. Eyes are indicators of self-confidence. If the heroine looks at the hero with direct eye contact, she appear confident and assured; if she avoids looking into his eyes, she will seem unsure or disinterested, and even worse, she might appear guilty. Use reference of eye contact in key scenes where the truth must be learned by a character. In a police procedural, the accused might deny the crime, but his eyes give clues that somehow he is involved. In romance, a young woman may say no to a marriage proposal, but her eyes say yes, leaving the hero wanting to know the reason for her refusal. This adds interest and foreshadowing of what’s to come.

Space
The closeness or distance of one character from another makes an impact in fiction. Notice the trait in yourself. When you are interested in a conversation or when you agree with what someone says, you lean forward. You show your approval of what they say by your physical nearness. If someone is having a problem, you communicate sympathy by putting your arm around the person or placing your hand on your friend’s shoulder. You do not need to say words; your meaning is clear. Use space in your fiction to show the ease or tension in the relationship. If the heroine is eager for a romantic relationship, she will move toward the hero. If she doesn’t want to encourage him, she will pull back or move away. This forms a type of barricade between her and the hero. She is sending a message that she doesn’t care about him, she doesn’t agree, or perhaps she’s afraid of the relationship. Arms crossed in front of the hero’s chest, for example, is similar barricade that sends a negative message.

On the other hand, fear of being rejected in a romance or of being involved in a suspense can cause a character to step back or avoid another character in order not to be hurt or to be notice. This is done out of fear of being hurt or suspected. When using this technique, write the action so it is clear to the reader but not necessarily to the character. You can do this by using introspection of the character who is using the body action either in the scene or later in the sequel.

By being aware of non-verbal communication as you write your novels, you can use it to add interest to your work and to alert your reader and/or other characters in the book of the unspoken message. Remember that more than half of what you say is seen — not heard. So give the same percentage to your characters and let them do a lot of talking without words.

Writing Tool for Descriptions

2010-11-15T12:00:00.020-05:00

Someone from a writer's loop that I'm on mentioned an interesting writing tool they located online that helped authors with description. Sometimes I find that I describe things the same, even using the same kinds of words and senses to describe action as well as emotions and setting.

When I checked out this Writing Tool, I love it. It offers some excellent ideas for descriptions, but here's a caution. I try not to take someone else's words verbatum. Instead I use their words to kick off a new and more creative idea for me to describe something I've described often in a novel. We want to make our writing fresh and intersting, and I think you'll find this tool excellent.

Thanks to Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi who created The Book Shelf Muse on blogspot and giving authors a new Thesaurus for both Emotions and Setting. For Emotions, the thesaurus offers physical reactions, and for settings, the thesaurus uses the senses and breaks the setting down into how it simulates: sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.

http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/2008/01/introducing-thesaurus-thursdays.html

I hope you find this helpful. I know I did.

Description III: Presenting Action

2010-11-08T16:01:00.001-05:00

Describing action brings a story to life, but the amount of description is regulated by the kind of action. Ask yourself these kinds of questions: How significant the action is to the plot? Does the action move the story forward and make a difference? Does the action create tension and deepen conflict? These are some of the questions an author must ask before detailing action in a scene. If the answer is yes to the above, describing the action works. If the activity is mundane , the often less is best. With those thoughts in mind, take a look at these scenarios.

Even though action adds reality to a novel, be careful when describing action used to offer a sense of place to the reader. This can be from cooking dinner to a fist fight in a bar or a sniper on a rooftop. Whether the reader needs to see each detail is something you must decide. The sense of place and reality scenes are where writers sometimes go overboard with description that becomes boringand often slow the pacing. Megan pulled her car keys from her pocket, slipped a key into the ignition, turned it, and listened to the motor purr. Do you need this detail? The line could be a simple as Megan turned the key in the ignition and heard the car purr. Even shorter. Megan started her car. If starting her car isn’t significant, then Megan drove off works. Sometimes too much information adds nothing and slows the story.

On the other hand, readers can be picky. When my proofreader read my upcoming novel, he questioned a line in the scene where the hero was giving the heroine a cooking lesson: He dipped the rolled chicken into the egg mixture, then the crumbs and placed them in the oven as the scent of chicken broth rose from the pot. The question was did I need to say he placed the chicken rolls into a pan and then placed them in the oven. I let it go assuming readers would understand the chicken had been first placed in a baking dish. But it demonstrates that making those judgement calls can be the difference between saying too much or too little. I took a chance that readers would get it.

Looking at a more complex scene, such as the underbrush in the woods I mentioned in the first two parts of Description, authors can add detail for effect. Detail can accomplish tension, foreshadow event to come, or create emotion. What if a young woman found a body in the woods? To set up the event, the author can use more detail to heighten the drama of the scene.

Scene in Detail:
A young woman walks through a meadow and looks ahead at the distance woods. She feels the summer heat, hears the buzz of insects on the wildflowers, and gets tangled in the long grass. Something catches her eye—a piece of colorful silk. She bends to retrieve it as her mind speculates what it is and why it’s there. She moves closer to the woods and contrasts the summer brightness to the shadows beyond the trees. The author then is heightening the tension as he foreshadows what’s to come. Closer to the woods the scents of moldering leaves wafts on the breeze. She notices a dead tree among the living, its twisted branches reaching upward as if wishing the sun would help it blossom to life. More foreshadowing. She steps within the shade of the woods, moving between clumps of underbrush that catch on her skin and one branch leaves a bleeding scratch. Another piece of colorful silk lays tangled in the brush. Notice the growing sense of foreboding -- the blood and tangled underbrush. She approaches the thick cluster of brush. She sees a hand sticking from below the twigs. Within the brush, she spots a woman’s body. She screams.

In this case, the details are purposeful. The move the reader along from a summery day to the dark foreboding of finding a dead body.

To heighten conflict, think of the old western where the two men stand face to face ready for a shot out. In a movie, the camera goes from the distant shot to a face close up of the bad guy, his jaw muscle ticking with tension, then to the good guy his eyes narrowed. The camera catches the twitch of the bad guy’s finger, then moves to steady hand of the good guy. Camera pulls back as each man face each other and then moves in for a closeup. You get the picture.

Use details like these to heighten tension, bring conflict to life, and to add drama to your scene, but avoid dragging details when the scene only needs a sense of place. Details work to broaden characterization, but don’t allow it to slow the pace. Make details work for you.

Description II: Purposeful Details

2010-10-27T14:30:00.000-04:00

Part I of this description section talked about putting life into your novel. Part II delves more into emotion and characterization. Description can connect with readers when it evokes emotion, and it can also deepen characterization by helping expose characters’ attitudes. When you use detailed descriptions in your novels, think about the affect the details have on readers. Develop them to get the most emotional impact you can. And how do you do that?

You create an emotional impact with the reader, by being selective with which details you chose and the emphasis you place on them. Remember that description and details are not only presented with the eyes. What we see is only one of the methods you use to bring the scene to life. Include the senses in description. In Description I, I used an example of a woods. Take that woods and add other senses besides sight. The scent of the woods lingers in your memory whether in the heat of summer, the moldering odor of autumn decay or the damp, mildew aroma of spring.

The woods are filled with colors from the white mushroom almost hidden in the grass to the umber hue of a tree trunk, the shades of spring green leaves to forest green. Then consider textures. Scrap you hand against the rough bark, run your finger along a maple’s smooth leaves as you feel the ridge of veins. Pick a peach from the fruit tree and stroke the fuzz, feel the tickle on your fingers and your mouth as your teeth snap into the sugary juice, and you smell the sweetness.

Where does this take you in your recollections? Does the description take you back to past experiences? Can you recall how you felt. Where you with someone else? Draw in the emotion it triggers in your mind.

Along with pulling emotions from senses, description creates word pictures that heighten a reader’s pleasure in your novel. Instead of seeing the woods tree by tree notice the clusters of trees, picture the open spaces in the landscape. Is this a meadow or a place filled with underbrush? The meadow is a setting for lovers to have a picnic while underbrush is a place to find a dead body. Leaving the woods, look at a bookshelf. Besides book what is there that helps to define the character—photographs of family, trophies from sports successes, knickknacks that hold memories for the owner, a pair of small scissors tarnished with age, a wooden box filled with pebbles? What do you learn about the character? How does this affect the character’s relationship with the owner of the items on the shelves? Will readers be aroused by the description you paint?

Description without purpose should create a sense of place only. He followed the path through the woods of maples and birches and heard in the background the skitter of animals as he trudged along in his thoughts. This is enough to let the reader picture his walk.

But description can be used to heighten characterization and emotion. When used well it can foreshadow danger—think of the underbrush in the woods—or set the mood for a romantic scene. When description, no matter how you use it, provide the reader with word pictures that trigger their own memories or experiences, you’ve done your job. Use description wisely.Description II: Purposeful Details

Description can connect with readers when it evokes emotion, and it can also deepen characterization by helping expose characters’ attitudes. When you use detailed descriptions in your novels, think about the affect the details have on readers. Develop them to get the most emotional impact you can. And how do you do that?

You create an emotional impact with the reader, by being selective with which details you chose and the emphasis you place on them. Remember that description and details are not only presented with the eyes. What we see is only one of the methods you use to bring the scene to life. Include the senses in description. In Description I, I used an example of a woods. Take that woods and add other senses besides sight. The scent of the woods lingers in your memory whether in the heat of summer, the moldering odor of autumn decay or the damp, mildew aroma of spring.

The woods are filled with colors from the white mushroom almost hidden in the grass to the umber hue of a tree trunk, the shades of spring green leaves to forest green. Then consider textures. Scrap you hand against the rough bark, run your finger along a maple’s smooth leaves as you feel the ridge of veins. Pick a peach from the fruit tree and stroke the fuzz, feel the tickle on your fingers and your mouth as your teeth snap into the sugary juice, and you smell the sweetness.

Where does this take you in your recollections? Does the description take you back to past experiences? Can you recall how you felt. Where you with someone else? Draw in the emotion it triggers in your mind.

Along with pulling emotions from senses, description creates word pictures that heighten a reader’s pleasure in your novel. Instead of seeing the woods tree by tree notice the clusters of trees, picture the open spaces in the landscape. Is this a meadow or a place filled with underbrush? The meadow is a setting for lovers to have a picnic while underbrush is a place to find a dead body. Leaving the woods, look at a bookshelf. Besides book what is there that helps to define the character—photographs of family, trophies from sports successes, knickknacks that hold memories for the owner, a pair of small scissors tarnished with age, a wooden box filled with pebbles? What do you learn about the character? How does this affect the character’s relationship with the owner of the items on the shelves? Will readers be aroused by the description you paint?

Description without purpose should create a sense of place only. He followed the path through the woods of maples and birches and heard in the background the skitter of animals as he trudged along in his thoughts. This is enough to let the reader picture his walk.

But description can be used to heighten characterization and emotion. When used well it can foreshadow danger—think of the underbrush in the woods—or set the mood for a romantic scene. When description, no matter how you use it, provide the reader with word pictures that trigger their own memories or experiences, you’ve done your job. Use description wisely.

Descriptions I: Bringing Experience To Life

2010-10-17T15:33:00.000-04:00

We'll take a break from Suspense for a while and take a look at description. While description is important to give the reader a picture of where the character is rather than having "floating heads" as they are sometimes called when the location of a scene isn't provided, description can do so much more. By using various techniques when using description, you can bring it to life and provide the reader with important information that they can use to understand the character.

Description as a sense of place allows the reader to delve into the experience with their imagination coupled with their experience. But description also helps to visualize characters and feel the emotion of a situation.

When you observe life and bring it into your story, you witness it in variety of way. You see it in it’s details—a forest made up of a variety of trees, leaves different shapes and different shades or green or in autumn shades of burnished hues. Within the trees, you spot wildlife. Squirrels and chipmunks skitter through the branches. Birds chirp from the end of a limb. Rabbits, possum and skunks hover beneath them. You spot bird’s nest. You see the fragments of a fallen kite. You view a soft drink can between the roots.

As you view this, you also bring to this scene your own recollections from the past. Experiences you’ve had hunting in a woods, walking through them, running scared in the dead of night as limbs grope your body, all of these experiences mean something to you—they impact you—as they linger in your memory.

This sight coupled with memory then pulls at your emotion. These experience have meaning. You might recall the person you were with on the walk or while hunting. One person may have become a lost love or a lost friend. Another may have died. Another, an unknown shadow as you bolted in the darkness.

The setting then plus the experience memory adds to the person’s emotions. It opens the door of something you remember with pleasure or the opposite, something that triggers negative feelings.

With this in mind, look at the descriptions in your fiction. Are you applying these elements to your story? When your characters experience what they see and their senses come into play, the scene should arouse their emotions and affect their attitudes. A simple walk in the rain can trigger a happier time when they were young jumping in puddles and laughing with friends. Sitting on a porch swing could take the character back to the day his life was vibrant and healthy not this day as he lay dying in a hospital. The pleasure reverts to pain. Use your descriptions to evoke emotion and to deepen characterization.

As you create these experiences, you also tangle the readers’ emotions and attitudes to your story. They relate. They experience along with the characters and create the emotional outlet that keep them turning pages.

Brainstorm - A Writer's Tool

2010-10-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

Most author's heads are filled with story ideas. The problem is finding time to write, but on occasion, the mind goes blank, and writers need a little kick, something that will trigger new ideas. This brainstorming program called The Brainstormer is a tool that can trigger ideas. The wheels can be spun at random or if you like two of the three combinations but prefer the third option to be more useful, then spin each line independently. Theme, location or situation, and character or story are the three options and together can stimulate a plot idea..

Here's a few samples that I found in the spin:
Theme: Flight      Location or Situation: rusty      Character or Story Element: cubicle
Theme:  Fedility    Location or Situation  Americana    Character or Story Element: harbor
Theme:   Vengence    Location or Situation: dying      Character or Story Element: fishing boat
Theme:   Abduction     Location or Situation: hippy      Character or Story Element: kitchen

http://andrewbosley.com/the-brainstormer.html

Give it a try, and if you like it, add it to your writer tool resources.

Part XI Suspense - Creating A Villain

2010-10-06T11:03:00.000-04:00

A “bad guy” appears in all suspense, mystery and thriller novels. He can be focused on one individual, a series of individuals, the country or the world. The villain, as you know, must have redeeming qualities as well as evil attributes, and often he can hid beneath another persona and is not suspected. If the story introduces a character who seems evil, sinister or suspicious, you can almost bet he’s not the villain.

To create an edge-of-the-seat suspense, the author spends much time crafting the villain. A villain must be a worthy opponent. This has been covered in other articles on this blog, but it is worth reminding. The villain needs to be cunning, amoral or believes he has the right, and dangerous.

He must have valid motivation for his desired crime or continuing crime, such as: revenge, righting a wrong, protecting his possessions or loved ones, vindicating an action he believes went unpunished. He must have the opportunity to have committed the crime, and the appearance of innocence. This is why sometimes the protagonist becomes a suspect. He can be the charming insurance man or the kindly crossing guard. He can hid beneath his role in the story while the author provides only hints of information that can be put together like a puzzle to help tilt the protagonist in the right direction. The villain can be involved in the characters lives and appears innocent, but in some types of suspense, the villain can be known to the reader and unknown to the protagonist. Yet creating the villain follows the same procedure.

Killers can use many methods of committing murder. Select an appropriate method of perpetrating the crime (the modus operandi) that fits your character. Provide the villain with the kind of knowledge, know-how, strength and ability to be successful. Make his choice plausible. If he poisons someone, how would he know the poison will work? What career or opportunity would he have to steal or purchase what he needed? The old movie and play Arsenic and Old Lace is the story of two elderly women who poison lonely men with elderberry wine and bury them in the basement with their mentally-handicapped brother’s help.

Villains can be diabolical or as sweet as the two sisters in Arsenic and Old Lace, but make them real by providing them with realistic motivation, ability equal or greater than the protagonist, and a credible modus operandi to fit their physical and mental ability.

Part X Suspense - Goals and Motivation

2010-09-28T12:53:00.001-04:00

For believable characters, all readers need to understand the character’s motivation for committing or solving a crime. Suspense tends to be fast paced and depends on action and psychological tension so a clear motivation provides reality for the reader.

A novel offers two significant ways to provide information different from a movie or TV.
• Time - The character has the advantage of multiple scenes to show motivation.
• Introspection - The character can reveal motivation, goal and attitudes in his thoughts.

Goals are best understood when the reader understands the motivation. Why does he kill children? Why is he stalking the woman? Why does she marry and then kill her spouse? Why does he steal?

Goals and motivation are important for all main characters in the novel, especially the antagonist and protagonist. The victim may also have significant backstory to help explain the crime.

Protagonist
While the protagonist’s goal in suspense is usually to punish the criminal, stop the villain from following through on dire threats, or squelch a dangerous situation. His backstory will reveal if he is only doing his job or if he has a greater motivation that causes him to strive for success. Has the incident affect his life or a loved ones? Does he feel threatened? Is it a moral or spiritual issue? Does the crime go against a deep value? The motivation of the goal can be a complex blend of reasons.

Antagonist
A villain needs to be believable, and the author does that by providing him with at least one redeeming quality and reasonable motivation, even if it is skewed or wrong. The most despicable person may love his dog or is kind to his parents, but he will strive to harm someone who has disgraced his family’s name.

Suspense has many sub-genres that affects the types of goals and motivations of he characters. Use a search engine to review the specifics for each genre. As an example of differences, I will review psychological suspense and romantic suspense.

Psychological Suspense
Psychological suspense involves moral danger, and usually two plots run through the story for the protagonist. The first plot is stopping the crime or catching the criminal. The second plot line is a personal weakness, dilemma or conflict in the life of the protagonist—sick child, failing marriage, money problems, or an variety of issues.

The villain also needs motivation that makes sense. Often it is revenge or power, and usually a goal or motivation warped by a twisted worldview.

Romantic Suspense
A popular form of suspense involves romance. The focus is on both the hero and heroine, usually one is in trouble and the other is trying to solve the problem. The story often leads to suspicion placed on one or the other and the character begins to view the person as a threat.

In romantic suspense, the antagonist can be a sexual predator, a character with an obsession or a person out for revenge against the individual or her family.

When dealing with goals and motivation, remember:
• Goals are unique for each character.
• Motivation comes from backstory and/or the result of a recent action.
• Both protagonist and antagonist have strengths and weaknesses that affect goals & motivation.
• Ask yourself I the action is realistic. Would you react this way under the same circumstances?
• Readers want excitement and reality.

Part IX Suspense - Backstory

2010-09-13T11:27:00.000-04:00

Backstory is the part of a character’s life that has passed before the story begins. As in all fiction, backstory motivates action, emotion, and attitudes of the character based on past experiences. In suspense, the character’s past sets up ways he thinks and responds whether he is the protagonist, victim or antagonist in the story.

When creating backstory, create a life for your major characters back to their childhood--family discipline, birth order, family dysfunction, family social status, education and experiences, successes, failtures, romantic experience, family health, personal health, career choice, regional influences, religion, hobbies, traits, and everything else that might be important. Then use this information to build who your character is today and how it affects him in the suspense situation.

In suspense, do not neglect the antagonist. What happened in the life of the villain to make him who he is today and why he functions as he does. Follow the same procedures for developing his characterization. The villain will be covered more fully in an upcoming blog.

In suspense, backstory can provide details that explain specific character elements needed in the novel .
• ability in solving puzzles
• determination to succeed or win
• ability to manipulate or camouflage
• reasons for revenge
• unique talents or traits vital to the plot
• emphasis phobias or fears
• reveal reaction patterns
• can foreshadow experiences that parallel future or present event

Besides dialogue, suspense often provides backstory elements in flashbacks or detailed memories to set up past experiences in vivid detail so the reader can understand the motivation for the crime and the character’s motivation and goals to commit or resolve the crime.

Some basic rules to keep in mind is use backstory:
• On a need to know basis to reveal characterization or provide tension.
• To arouse a readers curiosity
• In small portions through introspection
• For the most part, in active delivery through dialogue or action.

The next blog will cover goals and motivation as related to suspense.

Part VIII - Suspense and Point of View

2010-09-03T10:23:00.001-04:00

The rules for point of view follows the same criteria as it does for most fiction. Point of view is the character through which the scene is viewed. The scene can only offer the sights, sounds, tastes, touches and smells that can be provided by the POV character. It is that character’s perceptions and attitudes that are reflected throughout that scene. The POV character can only assume what another character is feeling or thinking.

The POV character’s thoughts, the introspection, can provide a depth into the POV character’s struggles, goals, and motivation, but as in real life, the POV characters’ can skew their thinking at times. They think it’s real but it’s a deep cover for the true emotion they’re dealing with. Perhaps they know the truth, but they won’t admit it to themselves.

The most common POV for suspense in popular fiction is third person, past tense. He ducked into the dark room. And most often this POV includes multiple third person. This allows a voice for the criminal or antagonist as well as the protagonist. If the story has romance, it also opens the door for the opposite sex main character.

First person narrows the scope and adds intimacy to the story line since the reader focuses on one person. For detective stories, first person POV is a common choice. I ducked into the dark room, my hand on my pistol. This means that the story is told totally through the eyes of the detective. We see his personal life as well as his life solving crimes. This allows us to focus on his flaws and weaknesses which adds tension to the novel when we realize that he could fail in his attempts to catch the perpetrator as well as to resolve home issues because he cannot control his flaws or rise above his weakness. This adds a distinctiveness to the story because we cannot guess what others are thinking. We only see them through the detective’s eyes.

The novel Wait Until Dark by Karen Robards, also a movie and stage play, is a suspense written in first person POV. The story involves a blind woman and takes place solely in her apartment where she is terrorized by a group of criminals who believe she has hidden a doll used by them to smuggle heroin into the country. Unbeknownst to her, the doll is in her apartment brought in as a favor to a woman her husband met in the airport. This amazing story is totally through Suzie’s blind eyes.

To decide which POV is best for your novel, ask yourself who needs to relate the story for the greatest suspense impact. Does the story need multiple POV to show the total scheme of drama to the reader? Does more than one have the most at stake in various scenes? Will your antagonist have a POV? Is he or she known to the reader or do you prefer to have an unknown force behind the suspense issues? Your decision will come after much thought and weighing what is best for your novel. Remember first person is most intimate and only that character’s eyes will share the entire story. Third person limited can provide an intimate feeling, a story using he or she but again focusing on one character only. Or in third person multiple, a variety of characters can own their individual scenes as the plot line focuses on their concerns and issues in which they have the most at stake. This allows the antagonist to have his voice in the story.

Part VII Suspense - Setting and Atmosphere

2010-08-24T11:38:00.002-04:00

Besides a sense of place, the right kind of setting offers the reader an atmosphere conducive to creating tension. Certain settings bring established mental images of frightening settings or ones open to danger. Think of a rundown farmhouse, a lonely cabin in the woods, a Gothic mansion, a hospital ship, an abandoned building, a park at night, a cemetery, or a gloomy parking garage. You have seen movies and read books with settings like this that set you up immediately for bad news.

Even a familiar setting can create fear. A night shift stock boy working when the store lights go out. Visiting your place of employment at night. Entering an empty church at night. Losing power in your own home during a storm. All of these locations, normally familiar, add an unknown element of darkness, gloom, or loneliness.

Each of the sense images you create for your setting came be affected by the time of day, weather conditions, and mood of the character. In this case, setting can become a character in itself or can reflect information about the character you place in the setting. Think of the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks. Characterization comes alive when we see the person in a setting of its making. Picture a woman sitting in her parlor filled with bric-a-brac and doilies. Imagine a different women in a modern apartment with limited decorations and everything in place. Imagine a man in his organized, pristine garage, and then picture another man with greasy tools and dirt under his fingernails.

The settings help describe the characters. In the parlor we have a woman who treasures her belongings. To her, they are cozy and comfortable. In the modern apartment, we have a no fuss business women or socialite living in a world that’s restricted by the her narrowness and control. The pristine garage owner prides himself in being organized, while the other man prides himself on repairing cars.

Now return to the parlor and have the modern business women studying the setting. She selects one of the many adornments, eyes it with a look of disdain and replaces it on the table before wiping her fingers on a pure white handkerchief. Same setting but different characterization. Use settings in this way to bring out the strengths, weaknesses, values and attitudes of your characters.

Details in your setting can foreshadow future events. A man’s den shows a display of antique rifles and revolvers covering one wall. Allowing your readers to see this display will alert them—even casually—that these weapons will reappear later in the novel. They will expect the weapons to play an important part of the novel. So be careful with what you describe or you will disappoint readers if the item is significant to your plot.

Use setting details to around reader’s curiosity and to draw them into the stories tension. My novel, A Love for Safekeeping, (which I preferred to be titled See Jane Run) is a good example of a novel with multiple red herrings and many of the techniques mentioned. Jane, an elementary school teacher, is being stalked. On a school field trip one of her students is missing, and she receives a message that he is in the barn and she leaves the lodge to find the child.

Jane raced from the lodge, praying nothing was seriously wrong. Her heart pounded as she rushed toward the barn, fearing the worst.
The door stood ajar.
Adrenaline fired her action. She took a deep breath, tugged back the door, and stepped into the dim interior. When her feet hit the straw-covered floor, terror charged through her. She faltered, peering into the shadows. No one was there. Nothing.

Yet from inside, she heard a childlike whimper. “Danny? Danny, are you in here?”

Her voice faded into the dark corners.

Overhead, she heard another sound.

She peered upward toward the dark loft. “Danny?” Jane held her breath. Fear prickled up her quaking limbs.

From above, another muffled moan reached her ears. Her chest tightened against her thundering heart.

“Danny!”

Terror tore through her as icy tendrils slithered through her veins. She stumbled backward.

No. Not here.

Engulfed by panic, she tried to run from the gloom, but her legs, as if nailed to the floor, held her immobile. Her throat constricted, paralyzing her scream.

Out of the blackness, a body hurled through the air and swung from the rafters.

Her legs buckled, and Jane faded into the darkness.

This is a good example of ending a scene with a hook.

Give serious thought to your settings in all fiction, but particularly in suspense novels, and use the setting to bring characters to life, arouse readers curiosity and create tension that grabs the reader and doesn’t let go.

Part VI Suspense - Plotting a Suspense Novel

2010-08-12T17:46:00.000-04:00

Plotting is plotting. All the techniques you’ve used in good plotting work for all types of suspense novels, but suspense adds some elements that are not always found in other genres. A suspense falls into a similar pattern of the three act play that I discussed under plotting.

Beginning (Act I)
The beginning of a suspense must be dynamic and hook the reader within the first few seconds. Part V of this Suspense series talks about the opening paragraphs and you can review this information there.

Act I also includes the same information any novel provides—establish main characters, setting, and the opening conflict. In suspense, this conflict is the beginning of the suspense element—something traumatic happens: kidnaping, stalking, murder, robbery, threatening letter or phone call, break-in, or any strange phenomenon that will cause major problem to the main character or the person he or she is protecting. This immediately evokes the dangerous or sinister tone of the novel which all readers expect.

The initial introduction of the crime can be done in a variety of ways:
• finding a body
• someone is missing
• threats of danger
• a cryptic note
• an old map or letter
• a telephone call or email
• focus on a playground with a child’s bike parked near the jungle gym bars but no child

Any of these elements set the reader on edge as well as the main character and the race begins.

Middle (Act II)
The middle act of a suspense novel is the building of conflicts—tension and emotion—as the hero or heroine tries to solve the major issue in the story. This is where red herrings are found, meeting the villain or contact with the villain, and watching the hero or heroine dig deep into their abilities to find resources they didn’t know they had. Here is where you see cunning and growth. The middle of a novel covers about 50% of the plot.

As I said earlier, the middle is made up of conflicts and tension which results in emotion. Emotion makes the readers care about your characters and what happens. Therefore it’s important to make sure that the middle is action and emotionally paced in a suspense. Conflict is the action that happens as the main characters follows the leads to the villain.

Ways to reveal conflict and tension are:
• Through dynamic dialogue
• Plot twists—faces roadblocks, resolve on issue to face another, things aren’t as they seem.
• Ticking Clock—setting a timeline with horrific results if not resolved, bomb under the table and the reader knows but the characters don’t
• Cliffhangers—stopping a scene in the middle of action and changing the scene to a different POV character usually in a different location.
• Jack In The Box—letting the reader know through hints or clues that something is about to happen, but they don’t know when.
• Foreshadowing—tossing out a comment or showing a piece of business that has greater meaning than it appears. Readers often realize, and it makes them work at putting the pieces together and solving the crime. It also promises that something will be fulfilled.

Pacing
Plotting is the journey from one place to another and pacing is the speed at which the character travels. I have used white water rafting as an example. The rafter begins the journey and knows where he’s headed, but the river has shallows, rocks, large boulders that pull at the raft, eddies, dangerous white water experiences that can overturn a raft, and even a waterfall. The journey is filled with moments of danger followed by moments of calm. As you plot your novel, use pacing to plan how your story will flow. Make each problem more and more serious as they approach their destination. Use the calm moments to review the clues, think through the crime solving process, recount suspicious activities, introduce new characters, discuss possibilities, reveal information, romance the heroine, rejuvenate and grow as a character.

The Ending (Act III)
The final act is the last quarter of the book when the most desperate situation must be faced. This is where time is running out, where the villain has become even more devious and all seems lost. The hero will then find a way to overcome the villain and where final threads are quickly resolved and the story ends in a way to please the reader. In most cases, this would be the punishment or capture of the villain and the victory of the hero.

Plotting is complex because it is also affected by the number of POV characters you will use in your novel and it includes many other elements such as conflict, tension and emotion as well as other suspense techniques such as foreshadowing and red herrings. So it is important to keep track of each of the these facets of fiction writing so that the story isn’t confusing to the reader and you cover all of the elements you set up in the novel.

Keeping Track
For each chapter, you must keep track of what’s happened in terms of foreshadowing, conflicts, red herrings, characters’ POV and plot lines. You can use any of the following techniques. Make notes for each chapter, chart the plot showing what special elements were used, keep a running synopsis, and one final method is using index cards to keep track. I have found jotting ideas and info on index cards allows me to shuffle them and see where they best fit into the plot to keep the tension and conflicts growing.

Part V Suspense - The Opening Sentences

2010-08-03T15:14:00.000-04:00

The very first concern in beginning the novel is the opening sentences. An author’s goal is to hook the reader from page one. Create curiosity or intrigue, make readers ask questions, and this creates a page-turner.

Understood elements: To write an effective opening, you must have three things resolved.
• Compelling, believable characters with real emotions.
• A sense of place—town, building, year, time of day, atmosphere and mood.
• Plot with driving internal and external conflicts built on realistic motivation and goals.

Next your opening begins with the purpose to Hook the Reader. As in fishing, hooks come in different types with bait or lures depending on the fish. Different novels require different hooks, but the hook must catch the fish. In this case, the reader.

Read these opening lines:
He couldn’t sleep that night.
From the moment she stepped off the bus, Jane knew what she had to do.
By the time Ralph telephoned, Rose knew it was too late.
Keryn Wills was in the shower when she figured out how to kill Josh Trenton. (from Randy Ingermanson’s Double Vision)
Yank Lucas fell asleep late one night and left the gas burning on the kitchen range. (from John O’Hara’s The Informant)

After reading these opening lines, ask yourself what they have in common.
The answer is fairly obvious. They leave the reader with questions. They arouse the reader’s curiosity. The pull the reader into the story.

Opening Hooks should puzzles the mind, arouses curiosity, asks questions.
Reader wants - action, characters in conflict, something unique or unexpected

Every novel should open with:
• With action in the form of dialogue, conflict, and the unique or unexpected.
• Close to the point of change - a day that’s different, a character’s arrival, a problem.
• A sense of urgency with captivating character or an intriguing situation.

Here’s the opening of my suspense: A Love for Safekeeping
“Why?”
Jane Conroy asked herself the same question a hundred times as she peered at her vandalized classroom and cringed at the crunch of glass beneath her feet. Two wide windows stood with shattered panes, their glass slivered on the wide marble sill and scattered across the floor. Textbooks lay in jumbled heaps around the room, and student desks had been strewn topsy-turvy.

This opening leaves readers asking question, and it presents an omen of things to come.

Keep these ideas in mind when you write the opening lines of your suspense novel.

The next blog will cover Plotting a Suspense Novel

Part IV Suspense - Red Herrings

2010-07-23T16:13:00.000-04:00

Red herring is a literary term to describe an author’s method of diverting the reader from the truth or a meaningful item. In suspense or mystery fiction, this is done by making an innocent character seem suspicious and thus drawing away attention from the true guilty party. This technique introduces one or more suspects or sets up false possibilities to add more tension and conflict in the novel and, in the process, prolongs the suspense and confuses the reader. These suspects will have motive and opportunity to have committed the crime.

The pattern with red herrings begin with a first distraction or character looking suspicious. Then additional red herrings can be added as one is resolved or found to be a dead end. Just as with conflicts, once a conflict is resolved a new conflict worse than the last shows up on the character’s doorstep. In the same way, a red herring (a suspect or a false clue) is introduced and once cleared or pronounced innocent or meaningless, another red herring can appear, and this one should seem even more likely to be the villain.

Secondary characters are often used as red herrings. Though they might have a legitimate goal in the plot, they can also be set up ti mislead the reader to think they have a part in the criminal action. Secondary characters can be red herrings by:

• Distracting the main character

• Appearing to lend support but things go awry

• Getting in the way

• Causing things to happen that are not always helpful

• and remember, they should have a motive of some kind and opportunity.

Secondary characters serving as red herrings are usually introduced early in the story, often by chapter 3. They may not appear immediately, but they are talked about which provides a foreshadowing that they have a purpose in the novel. It alerts the reader to look for the character, and while they wait, they anticipate how this character might be part of the crime or solving the crime. Suspense has to do with anticipation and expectation which helps create anxiety and tension.

When the pacing slows and a lull occurs in the action, the main character: in this case, Kyle, a police officer and the stories hero reviews the suspects. From A Love for Safekeeping

Then he pried names from his mind. Celia, Len, Malik, Keys. Anyone else? The principal came to mind. Skylar? He seemed far-fetched, but Kyle shrugged and added the name to his list. Somewhere in his mind other phantom characters jogged through his memory, but he couldn’t put a name to the faceless people. He’d have to ask Jane.

As you plot your suspense novel, don’t forget to include red herrings as a plotting technique to keep the story interesting with tension and to give the readers things to worry about.

Next: Suspense: The First Sentences

Part III Suspense - Characterization

2010-07-14T13:12:00.002-04:00

Suspense depends upon interesting characters who are outside the box. They must come alive with amazing mental abilities to undo puzzles, with courage and strength that are resources they might not know until they need them. In other words, the main hero of the story – the detective, the body guard, the police officer, the friend of a women in jeopardy—must use both brain and brawn to reach his goal usually to solve or stop a crime. The crime might be against him, someone he loves, someone who is paid to protect, or for the safety of the country or world.

The hero needs to be three-dimensional, have believable traits and abilities and a flaw or two that can cause him trouble. Readers want to relate to him and they want to see him grow as a person and reach deep inside to bring out strengths he didn’t even know he had.

The villain, according to Nancy Kress from Writers Digest, is a character who is motivated for selfish gain to knowingly seek to injure, kill or loot another person or group. Just as the hero must also have flaws, the villain must also have a redeeming quality or two to make him real. Even the worst villain loves his dog or is good to his mother. Make the villain one with skill and cunning. Don’t make the suspense easy to resolve.

The villain may be known to the reader or may be an unknown nemesis who is only known through the crime. The villain may have a name or only be a distorted voice on the telephone delivering threats. Either works depending on the story line.

When creating your cast of characters—the major characters who will have a point of view (POV) in the novel—need to be vivid, well-developed individuals who have realistic motivation for their goals. The male hero wants to protect his wife or a woman in jeopardy because he believes she is innocent. The female hero will give her life to protect her child. She will begin the lioness who will initiate battle against a being twice her size to save her young.

As you create these character, create a backstory for each of them. Know their successes and failures, their fears and hopes, their likes and dislikes. Know what is important to them and what they can overlook. Create people with phobias or fears that will initially affect them as they solve the crime or as they try to murder someone. Knowing who these characters are will help you create realistic tension and thus true emotion that will grab the readers.

When creating the true villain, the author will also create other suspects, known as red herrings which will be discussed in Part IV. These are people who have motive and opportunity to commit the crime, but who in time will be found to be innocent. This gives the hero many opportunities for tension and conflict when he spends time on a suspect only to learn that he was wrong.

The character’s description—his physical appearance—height, weight, build, as well as skin, hair and eye coloring—can add to the characterization. Don’t forget to use description from another character’s POV to allow the readers to visualize your POV characters.

Dialogue is more than words spoken. The author can use vocal style, tone, slang, speech patterns, and word selection or vocabulary to create a distinctive image of the characters. One character’s language might be slow and mumbled with pauses or hesitation. Another might be loquacious, higher pitched, fast paced. Another might speak with a deep tone, purposeful punch to emphasize meaning. And finally another may speak in a clipped tone, resonant voice, as a person who wants to get down to business.

Use variety in appearance, vocal style, word choice, with a backstory that provides strong motivation for this goals and flaws to enhance his conflicts. You will create memorable characters.

The next blog will deal with Red Herrings --- those detours that can confuse the readers and the characters.

Part II Suspense - What is the Structure of a Suspense Novel?

2010-06-28T17:31:00.001-04:00

Part I asked the question, what is suspense, and my definition included: A suspense is a novel that increases intensity as the main character faces deception and danger while he devises a means to overcome the threat from the villain as the characters make choices that leads to plot twists, forshadowing and clues. Once defined, the next step is to identify degree of suspense and how the plot is structured.

Three common types of suspense are in degrees of the disaster:

• Smaller - Searching or protecting someone or something - Silence of Lamb

• Medium - Personal risk factors, life or property - The Firm

• Large - Sinister characters/twists and turns, mortal danger TV’s 24 or Lost

The nature of suspense is like the action of waves in a stormy sea or a roller coaster ride. Each scene flows between calm to excitement, seeing the wave or the hill coming and then facing it. Yet even the calm moments hint at the excitement to come. The pattern goes from suspense to resolve to calm Each step pushes the story forward.

The Structure of Suspense:

Suspense is built on components that leave the situation hanging as the characters and readers worry about what will happen next. These components are important to creating a suspense that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

• Open with novel with a dynamic situation that nails them to their chair immediately.

• Create likeable yet flawed main characters that readers will care about. The character’s flaws will help create conflicts in the story.

• Provide strong motivation for the story hero to resolve the problem. The more personal the problem is, the greater the stakes and the greater the stakes, the more the reader will relate.

• Create a worthy opponent or villain. Give villain meaningful motivation and the strength to destroy the hero. For realism, provide him with a redeemable quality.

• Devise the conflicts and situations to grow from the least to the worse. Keep the stakes high and don’t make things easy for the hero. Make him use his brain and brawn.

• Select an effective point of view. Most suspense will have multiple POVs which means various characters will have their time to shine in a scene. This allows various takes on the issues being faced and can also provide the reader with information that other characters don’t know. Often the villain will have a POV whether the reader knows how the person is or not.

• The “ticking clock” is a dynamic technique to keep the story moving forward and adding to the apprehension and fear of the characters and the reader. Think of the TV show 24. A terrorist has hidden a bomb that will destroy Manhattan. A kidnaped child must have his medication within 10 hours or he will die. The woman will be murdered by her stalker if not located and saved. These situation accelerates the pressure to solve the situation and brings about an exciting ending.

Part III Suspense - will cover suspense characterization and how to enhance it.

Part I What is a suspense novel?

2010-06-14T11:39:00.002-04:00

Since suspense is a popular genre, often coupled with romance, I have created a seven part blog to share some of the important things to know about suspense. Wanting the perfect explanation, I searched online for a definition of a suspense novel and have found none that works for me. I’ve written a few romantic suspense novels that follows the suspense genre with romance added so here’s how I define a suspense novel.

A suspense is a novel that increases intensity as the main character faces deception and danger as he devises a means to overcome the threat from the villain. Suspense is made up of choices, twists, and clues. Readers experience of apprehension, anxiety and fear as they follow the main character. Suspense connects with readers when they identify with the plight of the main characters, and the suspense grows the more the are engaged by the choices of the main characters, the degree of good vs. bad, and an outcome that allows the villain receives his punishment.

Reading a suspense has common elements of a TV commercial breaks and chapter endings in fiction. Expectation. “What’s going to happen next?”

Suspense is edge of the seat questions: Who did it? Why? Is this a clue? How will the culprit be stopped? They are what readers call page-turners. Readers have a difficult time putting the novel down to go to bed, prepare dinner or leave for an appointment. And why? Because the story is a threat. . . to a person, a group or the world.

How do you create page-turner?
Through conflict with a prolonged solution creating tension and crisis. The longer it takes to resolution the situation, the greater the tension and suspense. Think: conflict, suspense, drama, surprise, resolution.

People often ask the difference between a mystery and a suspense, and writers will provide varying answers. This comparison of mystery and suspense offers information that helps define them both very well. Although some of the elements found in mystery can also be part of a suspense, this does provide good information. Follow these points to best understand writing suspense

Sixteen Differences between Mystery and Suspense

by Carolyn Wheat

A mystery concerns itself with a puzzle. Suspense presents the reader with a nightmare.

A mystery is a power fantasy; we identify with the detective. Suspense is a victim fantasy; we identify with someone at the mercy of others.

A mystery can be likened to a myth. Suspense is more like a fairy tale.

In a mystery the hero or heroine already has the skills he or she needs to solve the puzzle. In suspense, he or she must learn new skills to survive.

In a mystery, thinking is paramount. In suspense, feeling is paramount.

The most important action in a mystery takes place offstage. In suspense, the important action happens onstage.

A mystery usually takes place within a small circle of friends. The hero or heroine of a suspense novel often finds him or herself thrust into a larger world.

Readers of mysteries are looking for clues. Readers of suspense are expecting surprises.

In a mystery, information is withheld. In suspense novels, information is provided.

The ideal reader of mysteries remains one step behind the hero or heroine. Those who read suspense should be one step ahead of the hero or heroine.

Mystery readers expect a series. Those who read suspense know a book can be a one shot.

The hero or heroine in a mystery is looking for suspects. The hero or heroine in suspense looks for betrayers.

A mystery hero or heroine must confront a series of red herrings. The suspense novel hero or heroine faces a cycle of distrust.

Mystery endings must be intellectually satisfying. Suspense endings must provide emotional satisfaction.

Mysteries are usually three hundred manuscript pages. Suspense novels can be longer.

Taken from: Skillman, Trish MacDonald. Writing the Thriller. Writers Digest Books. 2000.

Next week: Part II: What is the structure of suspense.

Introspection - Inner Truth Of A Character

2010-06-07T16:34:00.000-04:00

Introspection (also called internal dialogue, interior monologue, or self-talk) provides important information in a novel, but it’s a technique that often causes writers trouble. Too much can be boring since introspection is passive, and too little deprives the reader of getting to know the depth of a character’s needs, longings, and struggles. Introspection provides the truth as the character knows it. It reveals their true attitude toward situations and offers a look at their personality that they don’t always reveal in new relationships or relationships with superiors.

Picture yourself in a work setting. When talking to your boss, you will monitor what you say and how you say while your mind is sending out barbed comments or personal attitudes you cannot speak without offending the person who pays your salary. When trying to impress a member of the opposite sex, people have a tendency to “put their best foot forward.” It’s not until later that the true personality slips from beneath the exterior of the person he thinks he should be.

Another significant aspect of introspection in novels with a romantic story thread is that it provides intimacy between the character and the reader. This is something romance readers look for. These character come to life and the reader takes on the emotion and struggles of the characters by getting to know them more deeply through their thoughts and the emotion that results from their thoughts.

Introspection provides a variety of significant purposes in fiction:
• Reveals true personality, attitudes, secrets and struggles.
• Deepens characterization
• Reveals information and the status of relationships
• Reveals changes and growth in the character as they story progresses
• Increase tension and identifies conflicts
• Provides a broader scope of a story
• Adds realism to scene and sequel
• Can reveal the purpose or motivation behind an action

Since introspection is passive, find ways to bring it to life. Have the character do something while thinking, such as: folding laundry, cooking, working in the lawn, planting flowers, grocery shopping, dressing a child or changing a diaper, doing maintenance or washing a car, blowing snow, loading or unloading a dishwasher, vacuuming a rug or cleaning house. Any mundane activity can come to life while providing introspection, and the author can use the action as a metaphor for his thoughts.

Example:
She wished she could dust away her problems as easily as she lemon-polished the table.

Or The citrus scent of the polish smelled clean compare to the decayed odor of her actions.

Use introspection with action to provide deeper details of the activity.
Example:
Anne tore through the mail searching for the letter.

This shows Anne’s activity, but gives no explanation to why she’s hurrying, what the letter is about and her attitude or feelings toward the letter. Readers understand through Anne’s thoughts.

Anne tore through the mail searching for the letter. Her hand shook as she slipped one envelope beneath another, her mind racing. When Rob left on his trip, she’d had a bad feeling. Things had changed between them since Angie started working at his office. He’d mentioned her numerous times as if talking about her stayed him until they were together again. All her years with Rob could end on one sheet of paper.

Now you have a better understanding of the letter and what Anne expects and why.

Five Steps to Write Forward-Moving Scenes

2010-05-31T12:45:00.000-04:00

One of the basic errors of authors, especially ones who are learning to write fiction, is creating scenes that go nowhere. Yes, I know, in the eyes of the writer, the scene does important things. I thought the same thing when I started writing. In romance, I thought a scene where the hero and heroine shared information about themselves moved the story forward. I realized that scene had no tension, no conflict, no forward motion. That's what authors need. If the scene only introduces characters, brings the setting to life, provides backstory information, or provides characters with time to get to know each other, these purposes don't always move the story forward. Where's the tension? The conflict?

While introducting characters and setting, you can enhance the forward motion of your novel by using some interesting techniques such as the five steps below.

1. Before writing a scene decide what will happen in this scene to move the story forward. What is going to happen of significance or what new information will be shown in this scene. Will a major decision be made or will new conflict begin or a continuing conflict end? Will the scene foreshadow an upcoming situation or event? If the scene will only allow the characters to get to know each other better or to introduce backstory, eliminate it. Characters can get to know each other better while something significant is happening and backstory can be included in small pieces throughout the novel on a need to know basis only.

2. The next step is to ask what the characters need to be in this scene and what will each accomplish during the scene. In what way will the character’s needs or desires create conflict or add tension? Conflict does not have to be blatant, but can be reflected in the POV character’s introspection or shown through the response or action of a POV or non-POV character.

3. Select the best setting for this scene, the location and time of day or season of the year. The setting can add or detract from a scene, so chose one that will enhance the purpose of the scene and the needs of the characters. Too many scenes are set in a car while the characters are driving or at a table in a restaurant or kitchen as they talk about situations. Be creative and use locations, time of day, weather, and seasons to enhance the scene and its purpose.

4. Each scene will provide pertinent information, action and conflict to move the story forward, and it will be either be a scene or sequel. Dwight Swain’s definition of a scene is to provide interest and move the story forward with its structure being: Goal — conflict — disaster. A sequel is defined as a transition unit that links two scenes and focuses on the main character’s reaction to the previous scene and provides him motivation for the scene to come. The function is: To translate disaster into a goal, To telescope reality, and To control tempo. Therefore ask yourself “what must happen in this scene,” and then decide what is the strongest way to start the scene and then, what is the most effective way to end it. A scene ending with a hook keeps the reader reading. Writing the scene’s opening sentence can trigger your creativity and help you devise interest immediately.

5. Some authors begin their scenes by writing the dialogue first. This keeps the scene on track moving the story forward. Then the author returns to the opening and adds the action, description and introspection. Writing a scene this way can help you to understand how a story is layered and it gives you time to put yourself into the characters so that their actions and thoughts can show their emotion and their growth.

These five steps can help you write scenes that are strong in purpose, deepen characterization, show change and growth, reveal emotion, and hook readers.

The basic idea for this blog came from professional counselor and freelance writer Rocky Cole is at http://www.colewriting.com/ .

Fiction - A First Meeting

2010-05-23T19:35:00.000-04:00

While reading a speech on Diversity In Action delivered by Heather Burns on October 2, 2007, I realized that what she talked about summarized three distinct ways characters respond to one another on first meeting. This works well for any novel, when two important characters first meet and especially in romance, the most widely read genre in popular fiction, or any novel with a romantic thread. Three distinct elements in first meeting is: curiosity, introspection, and openness.

Two people meet, and the first reaction is curiosity. Each studies the other—their dress, their voice, their vocabulary, accent or not, their actions, and appearance in general. Questions and attitudes being to form. Who is this person? What is his purpose being here? I like his smile. His clothing looks good. He needs a haircut. He avoids direct eye contact. Is he genuine? Curiosity rouses an emotional feeling of like or dislike or offers reservations.

Conversation is initiated as the character weighs the pros and cons of this person. Dialogue is scrutinized for meaning and innuendo. The characters stretch themselves to understand this person and how he may affect their life or their purpose.

Introspection begins when one character tries to understand his reaction to meeting this new character. He wants to know if he’s reading the new character right. Why is he reacting as he is? Is he uncomfortable, nervous, awed, or making unwarranted judgments. These questions help the character to delve more deeply into conversation so that he may gain better understanding of the character and his own feelings. It is now he realizes they are different or similar but that’s not necessarily bad or good. They are different and that could prove interesting.

When this new awareness comes—different but interesting, the third element appears. Openness. The willingness not let the other person into your life and to set aside doubt. Our as Burns said, to take a leap of faith.

New relationships can mean taking risks. Allowing a character to accept a new person into their circle of acquaintances or friendships. In romance, it’s the movement from awareness to interest. In mainstream relationships, it’s the awareness that this person can add something new to the character’s perspective. He can help the character move forward in pursuing a goal or in opening a new door for change or growth, and help the character to be comfortable in the decision.

When you introduce one character to another in your novel be it romance, suspense, or mainstream fiction, use these three elements—curiosity, introspection, and openness to provide a deeper look into characterization as well as set up opportunities for character growth and an more dynamic way to move the story forward.

SCOOP IT UP

2010-05-16T15:04:00.000-04:00

At a writers’ conference in Texas where I was on staff, I met Frank Ball, the director of numerous Christian writers conferences in the northwest area of Dallas/Fort Worth. He shared one of his teaching tools with me which is an excellent way to remember the essential elements of fiction writing that will help your reader becoming emotionally involved in your novel. Although Scoop It Up is an acronym for techniques to be used in the first chapter of your novel, you will see that it can work for future chapters and scenes as well

The same SCOOP elements can also help you prepare a back cover blurb of your complete novel.

Situation: The environment or condition in which the story takes place
Character: A name of title of the person whose desire matters most.
Objective: The deep desire that the character is desperate to satisfy.
Obstacle: The condition that put the goal’s fulfillment in doubt.
Plight: What the character risks in the pursuit of what he or she wants.

By the end of the story, the IT comes into play.

Insight: What the character learns, which he didn’t know in the beginning.
Transformation: How the character changes, either positively or negatively.

To carry readers’ interest into the next chapter or continuation of the story, you can also use UP

Unresolved: The unanswered question raised by the current insight and transformation.
Problem: The character’s concern about what will happen next.

Here’s a sample from my imagination:
Returning to the small town in which she lived her teen years (Situation), Emily Dorset, (Character), homeless and in trouble wants to find the father of her four year old Cody (Objective) although Race Bradley doesn’t know he has a son (Obstacle). Will Race welcome them into his home and heart or turn his back? (Plight)

Asking questions in town (Situation), Emily (Character) learns Race is still single and now the owner of his parent’s lovely home (Objective), but he is mayor of the city winning over a man of questionable morals.(Obstacle). Will admitting Cody is his son ruin his reputation in a town that values his moral standards (Plight)

Hopefully this gives you the idea of how to use SCOOP to summarize your novel and build a story that offers readers conflicts in every scene.

Frank Ball is the director of the Northwest Texas Christian Writers http://www.ntchristianwriters.com/ and author of the book, Eye Witness, http://www.eyewitnesstools.com/the-author

© Frank Ball 2010 Used with permission.

Two New Creative Prompts

2010-05-08T09:16:00.003-04:00

Occasionally writers sit in front of the computer with no idea where there story is headed, even if they have a basic outline or synopsis. It's natural to hit a brick wall. It's not always the plot but ideas for varying the setting or thoughts on how to deepen emotion. Sometimes this happens while developing a new proposal for a novel. Authors no their editors and the lines they right for, and they are faced with pleasing themselves and pleasing the people who will pay them to contract their book.

So what do you do?

Exercise works for me. Going for a walk outside or on a treadmill, pedalling my recumbent bike or doing knee bends can sometimes get the blood flowing and ideas come. I've resolved many writing issues while exercising.

But another way sometimes works for writers and I've found two that I want to share with you.
The first is simple, called EyeWire Cards, a small set of flash cards that you can use to stimulate new thoughts. I printed them on matte photo paper so I can cut them into smaller cards to use when I'm at one of those "duh" points. These are not all for writers but even the ones that aren't might stimulate you. http://www.innovationtools.com/pdf/eyewire_cards.pdf

The next Creative Writing Prompts is my favorite. http://creativewritingprompts.com/ The page is a list of numbers into the hundreds and when you place the cursor over a number you will get a prompt. Here are three random samples:

1. You come home and check your phone messages. You get your third message and freeze. Begin your story there.

2. Kristine Pederson and Russell Ebert meet before he inherits money. One of them is killed.

3. Create a story based on the metaphor - "A minute of failure."

These all intrigued me and sent my mind on a journey. I hope you find this prompt helpful, too.

Novel Openings And What Not To Do

2010-04-15T12:50:00.007-04:00

My friend James Scott Bell is part of a blog group called Kill Zone made up of top-selling suspense authors and the blog deals with some important issues on writing fiction. In an email, he talked about the problems of novel openings, and I thought the information is so worthwhile with great examples and explanations that I want to share it with you. Take time to look at this article called, Garlic Breathe Or What Not To Do.

The blog opens with a quote from an agent speaking at a writers conference:

"If you cannot write a compelling opening scene, from the opening sentence, I'm not going to finish your proposal."

Make sure this doesn't happen to you.

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2010/03/garlic-breath-or-what-not-to-do-on-your.html

A Free Fiction Writing Software Tool.

2010-04-13T15:19:00.005-04:00

I heard about some new tools and so I recently had time to check it out. This is called yWriter5 and it is a free download. It is user friendly and is an excellent tool for outlining your novel and keeping track of details. It will work to help you with a synopsis and also to keep track of character descriptions, locations, POV, and so much more.

Automatic chapter Features:
Organise your novel using a 'project'.
Add chapters to the project.
Add scenes, characters, items and locations.
Display the word count for every file in the project, along with a total.Saves a log file every day, showing words per file and the total. (Tracks your progress)
Saves automatic backups at user-specified intervals.
Allows multiple scenes within chapters
Viewpoint character, goal, conflict and outcome fields for each scene.
Multiple characters per scene.
Storyboard view, a visual layout of your work.
Re-order scenes within chapters.
Drag and drop of chapters, scenes, characters, items and locations.
Automatic chapter renumbering.

When you visit the website, you can see a demonstration that makes it very clean what this tool can do for you. Check it out.

http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter5.html

Story Part IV - Following the Rules

2010-04-03T15:04:00.003-04:00

When creating story, the author should remember that each genre has its own set of patterns or “rules.” By rules, I mean reader expectations and qualities editors look for in your manuscript.

These patterns or rules do not exclude creativity. If that were so, authors would lose their spirit. Within the expected genre patterns, authors have great leeway to create unique stories.

Let me start with the simplest pattern—romance.
• Boy meets girl
• Relationship moves from awareness to interest to attraction, and finally falling in love.
• Something gets in the way of the romance—conflicts both internal and external
• Boy loses girl (or girl loses boy)
• Ultimate dark moment when all seems lost
• Problems resolve and boy gets girl.
Obviously the story line is more complex than this, but looking at a skeletal outline, this is it. The hero and heroine usually meet early in the first chapter as close to page 1 as possible. The three stages leading to falling in love occur in the order above, but the duration of each stage varies depending on the plot. Conflicts grow and deepen until the worst conflict occurs and seems impossible to resolve. But it is resolved and love conquers all.

Mystery, suspense and thrills have their own similar pattern.
• Crime happens—killing, body, kidnaping, threat, bombing
• Good guy(s) move in to find the suspect(s) and stop further crimes
• Good guys gather clues and follow the trail
• Bad guys evade and set traps
• Red herrings occur —things that mislead the detectives and the readers
• Good guys close in/miss target
• Desperation—the ticking bomb ins about to explode
• Last effort/bad guy is cornered.
• They save the day.
While each of these genres are similar, there are differences. Thriller are more global usually and faster paced than mystery or suspense. Mystery is defined as a puzzle. A crime has occurred and the good guy must find the truth and bring order back to the community. Mysteries are often called “whodunit”s because the culprit is unknown. Suspense differs because it often works with a threat or danger on someone’s doorstep. It is an emotional roller coaster, waiting to find who’s hiding the basement or if the person’s best friend is the crazed killer. Suspense tends to have more intensity with more at stake for the main characters who are often in mortal peril.

Fantasy, adventure, and speculative fiction have their own sets of expectations.
• Good vs. evil
• Something happens to introduce a challenge
• Hero is called to follow the challenge
• Journey begins
• The evil powers pit against the good powers
• Hero faces the demon
• Good wins over evil.
Most all speculative fiction falls under this pattern as well as adventure.

Again, authors have a million options on how to weave the journey following these patterns, but if they leave one element out or veer too far from what is expected, the reader will be disappointed, and the editor may pass on the book. Keep these elements in mind as you develop your stories in these genres.

Story Part III: The Premise

2010-03-22T15:50:00.003-04:00

Premise is another factor that happens early in the planning as you build your story. Premise is hypothesis of your novel, the assumptions that come from the basic idea. From the way you build your story, readers presume the story will follow a logical pattern, so authors can be assured that readers have expectations.

The expectations are based on their past experiences. Let’s say, a man and woman decide to marry on an exotic island. They assume the novel will contain a wedding and a trip to an island that will probably lead to humorous events. If a book opens with a man lifting the lid of his trunk and finding a dead body, the reader assumes he will contact the police and the story will be the pursuit of the killer and perhaps why the body was in this man’s car. Consider your personal assumptions when you hear the premise of a novel or movie.

A premise begins with that first nugget of an idea. What happens if someone left a baby on your doorstep? What would happen if you received a letter telling you a great uncle left you a fortune in his will? What would happen if you won the lottery? What would happen if the woman you loved asked you to marry her only for convenience? You could come up with a hundred “if”s.
• . . .if your dog dug up a human arm in your back woods?
• . . .if you found an old map in your attic?
• . . .if you learned you had a biological mother who gave you away?
• . . .if you were accused of murder without an alibi?
• . . .if your husband vanished coming home from work?
• . . .if you fell in love with a prisoner?
• . . .if you were asked to work undercover?

Here are some movies you may have seen.
• . . .if people were unable to lie. Invention of Lying
• . . .if four men on an overnight stag party forget what happened. Hangover
• . . .if an abused pregnant teen decides her life must change Precious

This list could go on eternally, but this premise list is a sample of many creative “what ifs”. The premise is the idea that you will use to build your story.

To be effective, Donald Maass, agent and novelist, author of Writing the Breakout Novel, lists four elements that must be present for a great novel, one that will break away from the pack. But whether writing a breakout novel or a novel you can be proud of, study the following list and build these elements into your story premise.

• Plausible - Each of the “what ifs” listed above are things that could happen in real life to someone. Women have fallen love with prisoners, people have learned they were adopted later in life, and teens do decide they will no longer be abused and seek help. Yes, the movie Invention of Lying is not reality but the concept is still plausible in a remote setting where the rest of the world had made no impact on their lives.

• Inherent Conflicts - Built into the “what if” must be problems that are natural to the situation. A person learning he was adopted faces life changes. He wants to know who his real parents are and why his adopted parents never told him. This can result in a difficult search not guaranteed to bring about welcome results, and it could cause hurt or estrangement from the adoptive parents. Someone finding a dead body leads to internal conflict and tension in the form of personal fear and perhaps struggle with police. You can think of many other conflicts that might result.

• Deep Emotion - Emotion is what connects your characters and story to the reader, so the deeper the angst and conflicts the more the story will appeal to most readers. People want to see the underdog win, and a story of struggle to survive or to overcome or to reach an important goal is what makes the story stand out.

• Original - The more unusual your premise the more chance you have to write a story that captures readers’ interest. Seeking a premise that hasn’t been used before or rarely used is not easy but it is possible. The Invention of Lying is one of those movies that is different. Another way to make your story original is to take your premise and give it a twist.

Twisting the premise is a way to give your story a boost. It takes the readers’ expectations and kicks them up a notch. Take a look at some ideas that worked:

Sixth Sense - This movie leads the viewer through the struggles of a social worker who was shot by his patient, survives and tries understand why it happened as it affects his relationship with other patients. The premise is that we expect him to learn to deal with the trauma and then help others even more. If you were on your toes, you might have caught the twist. I didn’t in this movie. The social worker is murdered. He did not survive the attack, yet his spirit continues to try to live the life he lived before while strange things happen.

Rosemary’s Baby - A story of a man and woman anxious to have their first child who meet an odd couple living in their apartment. The premise is based on the normal expectation. The man and woman will have a normal, human child. I’m sure you know this movie so no more explanation is needed.

As you can see by taking a premise with traditional expectations and twisting it, you come up with a more original story.
• what if the person who falls in love with the prisoner is a man and not a woman.
• what if the body in the trunk looks identical to the man who found it.
• what if the map in the attic leads to a place vaguely recalled from childhood where something had happened the person blocked from memory
• what if body found in the woods is the person’s former spouse

Along with building a plot, creating characters and developing a theme, take time to consider the basic premise of your story. How can you give it an unexpected twist? How can you make it more original? How can you add something that will surprise your readers? A good premise is one way you can add a spark to your story that will linger with readers long after they’ve read your novel.

Story Part II: Where To Begin

2010-03-10T12:39:00.003-05:00

The first step is finding stor(y)ies come from everywhere. Pieces of story elements pop into my mind in a variety of ways—song lyrics, magazine articles, newspaper or TV reports and features, movies or novels that trigger new ideas, interviews, friends and family’s experiences, observing others, and from my own experiences. And since I write Christian fiction, Bible verses often lead me to a theme that incites a story. You gather ideas from the same types of places.

Ideas usually strike my mind in pieces, and I tuck them in the niches in my head. Like magnets, pieces connect with pieces that fit that story like a jigsaw puzzle and finally I see the picture. I would think most people jot ideas on paper or type them into your computer. My ideas, for the most part, are lodged in my head.

Once you have the nugget of your story, then the work begins making decisions about plot, characters, setting, tone and theme. Story relationships form setting up possible conflict, setting stimulates ways to define character and create tension, and opposition and problems arouse emotion. The plot takes seed and tone come into play—serious, comedic, dramatic, suspenseful, or nostalgic. How will this story best reach the reader?

Once these ideas come together, the author focuses on purpose. Yes, a novel is to entertain, but a novel that lingers in the minds of readers also provides a message or a lesson, a theme that weaves through the story and leaves the reader with something to hang onto once the cover of the book is closed.

Themes are often the classics, such as: good vs. evil, positive vs. negative, love vs. hate, hope vs. despair, peace vs. chaos, life vs. death. Some themes are based on human values: gossip breeds contempt, the rich help the poor, love conquers all, kindness is a virtue, and you add a thousand more. Then we have the opposite human viewpoints: the rich devour the poor, love hurts, compassion redirects purpose, and many other alternate values of some people

A theme works when it is something that is part of human nature and understood by the reader, something that causes the reader to cheer on the character toward his goal. This happens when the goal:
• Can be reached
• Makes sense to the reader
• Relates to the reader's experience or desired experience
• Motivated by something reasonable and understood
• Is important
• Not guaranteed, the character has a possibility of failure

The theme must be woven through the plot like a fine thread. It is not the story, but the story is a vehicle to give the theme or message momentum.

Understanding what story is and taking the first step in developing ideas that will create a story that will linger in the reader’s memory means the author is on the way to a successful novel.

Story Part I: What Is It?

2010-02-23T17:23:00.002-05:00

Story is what sells the book and attracts readers, Donald Maass, a top agent and novelist, says in Writing the Breakout Novel. An author can have exciting characters, unique setting, tremendous dialogue, but if he doesn’t have a good story, he has nothing.

Story is taking an idea and bringing it to life by transporting the reader from one world to another through the experiences of a character on a mission—striving to reach a goal with a purpose. A story has the power to capture readers and allow them to experience the journey.

What makes story are the elements of characters, plot, setting, tone, and theme—also called purpose or message. But what brings the story to life is the journey toward the goal wrought with conflict. Without conflict, the story fails. In the story world, conflicts are those things that get in the way of the main characters reaching their goal(s). This means the character works, struggles, overcomes, fails, recovers, strives, and finally conquers. . .or fails to reach the goal, depending on the story’s genre.

While these elements make up a story, the authors uses a variety of techniques to deliver the story to the reader, including action, dialogue, introspection, narration, conflict and emotion. These techniques weave through the story while balancing the pacing of the plot. Using these techniques allows the reader to learn about the characters in a variety of ways.

The story will also be delivered to the reader in different ways:
• POV (point of view) refers to through which character’s eyes the reader is experiencing the story. First person is most intimate while third person is most common in popular fiction, and easiest to write. POV is therefore the focus person in the scene, and the character reveals himself to the reader through the elements above. Introspection only comes from a POV character because it is his thoughts and emotional reactions that can only be reveal by that kind of intimacy.

• Tense is another factor where an author has choices. The most popular is past tense. Bill walked outside or I walked outside. It is almost as if the story is being relayed to the reader by the character who experienced it, yet it gives the feeling of happening in the moment. Present tense is another option— Bill walks outside—but not as popular and is often less effective in certain genres such as romance where it is important for the reader to know both the hero and heroine intimately. Present tense is as if the story is happening now. Women’s fiction and some detective stories often use present tense.

• Approach refers to the way in which the author connects with the reader by
1. using a narrator who fills in the blanks because he knows everything (omniscient),
2. following the story in chronological order as things happen or moving back and forth in time sequence (flashbacks, time travel, two era saga),
3.literal, meaning what is happening is what’s important to the story or allegory which means what is important is a symbol to something greater such as a moral or lesson.
Each of these methods of presentation give the story a different feel and readers react to the approach either with a positive or negative feeling. The most popular method is chronological.

• Duration refers to the amount of time this story lasts. The TV show 24 covers one day with details of each underlying subplot spreading the story over months of time. Some novels last a week in the characters’ lives, others are a few months or a year, and family sagas will often cover generations. Some stories are more effective over a short period of time while some need the years to develop the story.

• Character’s Story World refers to the stage on which you place the story—era, country, planet, small town, rural countryside, urban city, fantasy kingdom, or in the future. The story world affects the character’s way of life, the social and political climate, morals and values, and accepted behaviors.

As you plan your novel and develop your story, realize that these techniques and elements offer you choices to create the best story you can and also offers challenges. You can give your good story a twist by trying a different duration, story world, POV or tense to make your story unique. Give careful thought to what you will use to deliver your story to the reader. You have choices.

What Is Theme?

2010-02-04T12:40:00.003-05:00

A question appeared in the comments of this blog asking for more information about theme. I'd covered the topic in previous blogs, but the questioner asked me, "What is theme?" This is my attempt to respond. If you'd like to share other thoughts, please include them in the comments.

One of the most difficult terms to define is theme? While sometimes called, the lesson, moral or main idea behind the story, theme is really more than that. A parable has a lesson and a fable has a moral which is obvious to the listener or reader, but theme serves more as a profound portrayal of the human condition.

Theme weaves through the plot, setting, and characters in a translucent thread that the reader extracts from his own experience or values. It communicates something deeper to readers than plot or story. Theme triggers an emotional response from readers, and without an emotion reaction, the story’s theme is usually weak or non-existent, or too vague to be comprehended.

Theme presents an infinite truth that makes a powerful impact on readers. It is often tangled in the goal of a the protagonist. It triggers emotion which is what clings to readers once the pages on the book have been closed and makes the story worth reading. Emotion has power to transport your story beyond entertainment as the them provides the impact of a universal meaning to your story.

This may sound vague, but theme is abstract, providing the heartbeat of your story. It cannot be forced. Author’s bring it to life by allowing the story’s truths to slip into the action, dialogue, introspection, and soul of the characters.

Some try to summarize this process by explaining it this way. Ask yourself, what did you learn from this novel? How did it touch you? Joy Cagil author of a blog on fiction writing suggests you ask this. What is the protagonist’s biggest decision to resolve the story’s conflict? These questions are about as close as you can get to defining theme. It is the underlying principle that motivates the protagonist to reach his goal, and it is a truth—belief or perspective—which most people hold in common.

Common themes might be that good defeats evil, money causes corruption, love makes the world go round, lies begat lies, gossip destroys, success is not measured by a bank account, jokes can backfire, friends stand by your side, people were not meant to be alone, freedom is better than servitude, love conquers all. I’m sure you can think of many, many others.

Think of novels you’ve read that have stuck with you and ask yourself why do you still remember this story? Besides plot, what message or value or truth did it leave you with? How did it impact your emotions? What did you take away with you when the book was finished? When you find the answer, you’ve most likely identified the theme of the novel.

Using Creative Colors in Fiction

2010-01-29T17:02:00.003-05:00

Fiction means bringing characters to life with action, dialogue and also with description. Readers want to envision them physically, and so authors try to paint a picture of the main characters or of the setting with words.

One issue I’ve struggled with is finding ways to describe color. Dark brown eyes doesn’t capture the reader’s imagination as well as dark chocolate eyes or Cordovan eyes, which is one I recently used for a character. We describe skin tones, hair, eyes, and the look and hues of clothing. Settings can be enhanced with color descriptors as well.

Primary colors work for fine for the male POV. Unless a man is an artist or designer, blue is blue and occasionally a male character might relate the color to something familiar, such as: The same color as the lilac tree blossoms in the back yard. But women like to know which shade of blue. I recently went on-line to search for color charts that would provide me with the names of color. I found 24 shades of blue from light cyan to indigo. Now I can describe her eyes as cornflower blue or deep sky blue without struggling to find the color I want.

I was able to copy the chart to paper, so I have it near my desk. Visit this link and see the huge area of colors to use for description in your fiction
http://www.mywebsite.force9.co.uk/web-colors/color-guide.htm

While this color chart is limited on shades of brown. I found this chart very helpful. It’s where I found the color Cordovan
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g279/BestLeatherKits/1BestColorChart.jpg

These two color charts will become larger with one click of the cursor and color names are easy to read.
http://www.quiknumber.com/images/3M_color_chart.jpg

Bring your descriptions to life with hues that connect with readers’ imaginations.

Transitions in Fiction: From Place to Place

2010-01-18T17:19:00.004-05:00

My last blog covered transitions within a single action—crying while time passes and then crying stops. I shared ways to use the transition to broaden characterization and generate emotion. Other types of transitions from one place to another can also provide new information and be a useful tool to add excitement to the setting.

Transitions from one location to another often happens during a new scene or new chapter. These transitions are usually understood by the reader. The key is to use the POV character’s name immediately so that the reader understands who has the POV.
Example: John stared out the window of his condo.

Two problems are solved. The reader knows the POV character and where he is. This is a simple transition when opening a new scene or chapter. Transitions within a scene is when it becomes more complicated.

First if the change of location is known by the reader—they’ve just discussed going to lunch at a small café nearby—then the transition can be as simple as: Once in the car, they pulled into the café parking lot in two minutes. This allows the reader to recognize the new location but what happens in that transition was insignificant. They may have discussed the weather or remained silent in their thoughts or even sang to the music on the radio. Nothing more needs to be done.

But sometimes these transitions can provide needed information. Let’s say the trip to the café goes through a bad part of town, and perhaps this part of town will be significant later in the novel. In this case, the author can broaden the scope of the trip by providing details that will have greater meaning later. For example: John grimaced as he crossed the railroad tracks. High rise buildings gave way to the stench of the ghetto. Men sat on apartment stoops, cigarettes hanging from their lips and giving the passing cars a scathing look. Boarded up buildings, some burned out from vandals, said all John needed to know about the area. A shiver rolled up his back, and he wished he’d chosen another street to travel.

Here you can see that the transition offers a dramatic look at the city and John’s emotional reaction. This could set the scene for something that will happen later to involve him in this part of the city. If the author only wants to create an image of the city without foreshadowing an event, the narrative could read something like this.
Example: Heat rose from the pavement as residence crowded on the stoop gasping for air from their stifling apartments. John kept his gaze forward, thankful for his air-conditioned condo.

In this case, foreshadowing is not evident in the passage, but readers receive a glimpse of John’s values and a sense of place as he travels through the urban area.

Use transitions also to introduce a new conflict. Example: John edged through the traffic, his eye drifting to the dashboard clock. The minutes flew faster than the inching car in front of him. He slapped his hand against the steering wheel. If there was one thing Jake hated was his being late for their meeting. He drew in a breath and released it in one blast. He was late already.

Obviously, the reader feels the inching traffic, John's tension building, and the ultimate conflict awaiting him.

While transitions are to get the characters from one place to another, they can be used to heighten information, create conflict, foreshadow events to come, and to expose emotions. Use them so they work for you in your novel.

Transitions and Pacing

2010-01-07T14:57:00.003-05:00

Sometimes readers of this blog ask questions that are good ones to share with everyone. This blog reader ask a question related to pacing, which was how to create effective transitions. Transitions are connected with pacing because they are used to move the character from one situation to another, and when the change doesn't move the story forward or make an impact on the character's goal, then it can be short, providing the reader a sense of place or a new situation.
Here’s his comment:
Hi Gail, Thanks for your blog. What a blessing it is. On the subject of pacing, I'm questioning how you show the passage of time, fast or slow, without being boring. For example, I get tired using phrases like "after a while" or "in a few moments." Do you have any answers to these particular cliches. I've just written: "He rolled over, cradled his head in his arms, and sobbed, allowing the tears to flow. After a while, he raised his head and wiped his dirty face on his sleeve." but it doesn't feel right.

Mike’s concern regards the bolded phrase. The phrase drops into the paragraph to show time passing without capturing the flow of the writing. In this case, the transition can come in a variety of ways, but it is best when the author can retain the emotion that the character is feeling.

My response included these possibilities for the phrase: After a while.

After his tears subsided, he. . . This shows passing of time but with more detail of what is happening.

Drained dry, he. . . (Same as above.)
Wiping the last tears from his eyes, he . .. This includes time passage while offering character action.

Frustrated with his own weakness, he... This shows character emotion and broadens characterization.

Slamming his fist into the pillow, he wiped his dirty face on his sleeve, tired of his struggle. Action and emotion.

Struck by an idea, he. . . This reflects hope, brightening the emotion and broadens characterization. It also moves the story forward with the possibility of resolving a conflict or at least changing it. This transition also adds the possibility of conflict

When showing the passing of time from one action to another, use phrases the leads the reader to the next emotion and tells us something about the character. Is the character relieved he'd cried and rid himself of the emotional weight? Is he frustrated with himself, angry, thoughtful? Has he made a decision about what to do? This provides his crying with a double purpose -- to express his emotion and to lead the character forward with his purpose?

This is only one kind of transition, showing the passing of time during a single action. Next blog, I’ll talk about other kinds of transitions that helps move the story along, especially in moving characters from one place to another.

Theme and Why It's Important

2009-12-29T16:33:00.004-05:00

Readers remember some novels long after they read them, and one of reasons is the theme or, in Christian fiction, the message that the story leaves with the reader. When working on your novel, ask yourself these questions: What will happen, and why does it matter? What will the characters learn and how will they grow? How will this novel make a difference in a reader’s life? If your story does not make a difference in your character's life, if it doesn't matter, then why write it? How can it serve the reader?

Consider first non-fiction. Can you imagine reading a book that didn’t have a point. Non-fiction focuses on a topic or theme. It has a purpose. Fiction is no different. Your purpose could be to point out the foibles of the human condition. It could be to dramatize how love can cause a mother to give her life for their child. A novel can be a story that focuses on good verses evil and dramatize the power of good. A novel can show the power of love. It can illustrate how we are not alone, that others share our fears, worries, or sinfulness. It can emphasize the damage gossip can cause, or how telling a line is like a spider's web that keeps growing and becomes more entangled.

When a novelist begins to write a book, he has an idea. It may begin with a plot or characterization, then action and maybe settting, but if it doesn’t have direction or purpose, it falls flat. Think of Gone With The Wind without the backdrop of the Civil War. How long would the novel be remembered?

As an author of Christian fiction, my purpose is focused on a Bible verse that sums up a major idea in the book. Proverbs 16: 9 reads: In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. A book with this focus might be about someone who has made a life plan---a career, a goal, success, fame, an accomplishment--—but things happen, and the character realizes to reach the goal, he may have to give up something equally important. He must make choices and weigh decisions. As he mulls over this problem, he might realize that the Lord has plans for him far beyond his understanding. And the God’s plans meet his need and not his want. The struggle between needs and wants is a lesson we all must learn.

Developing the theme can be done in many ways. Give characters the situation that bring the struggle to life. Create a subplot that also demonstrates the battle of making wise choices and the influence of the Lord or the lack of influence and what that means to the characters involved. Create backstory that brings this theme to life and show how it affects the present in a positive or negative way. Devise a setting that pulls at the issue, the guides the character into making bad choices so that he suffers the repercussion of taking the wrong path. Create a tempting choice at one end of the road and a less attractive option in the other and follow the struggle of a character to make the right decision.

Theme cannot be blatant. It must weave through your novel like a fine golden thread woven in a tapestry. It adds beauty and meaning but doesn’t jar or destroy the total design. Theme will be seen as the character journeys from the beginning to the end and will impact the depth and quality of the novel.

I know this works because of reader mail. Letter after letter reveals how my novels have made a difference in someone’s life. The readers tell me what they learned about themselves or about someone else. They tell me how they found an answer to a question or how they realize they need to ask questions about their life. They walk away with something that has made a difference.

Though you might not write Christian fiction, you can, writing any genre, sum up in a sentence what the major theme or purpose of your novel seems to be---good wins over evil, love is worth fighting for, lies tangle lives, gossip begets gossip, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and laughter can heal. You can think of many more. These themes work for romance, thriller, women’s fiction, western, or any genre.

When you begin your novel, ask what you want the reader to take away when she finishes. If you can’t answer the question, this could be the reason your story hasn’t made an impact on an agent or editor. It may be why a reader enjoys it for the moment and can’t remember the title or what it was about a week later. Write so that you make an impact on your readers, and you will have written a memorable story that makes a difference in their lives.

BRAINSTORMING CONFLICTS

2009-12-16T14:19:00.000-05:00

Brainstorming ideas can work wonders for plots and scenes. When tossing ideas into the “hat” nothing is too silly, because even the goofy idea can trigger another great possibility. One method of brainstorming that digs more deeply into a situation is using questions to provoke new possibilities for story conflict.

Once you have a basic plot idea, then questions can provide what you need. First take your basic story problem: Jim is offered a new job in a new city.

Your first question is should he accept this offer, and if he does, how will it affect the plot? Once you have the basic problem, then you can expand on other conflicts that can result from his decision.

Just as you would in real life, questions arise. In this case, one of the first questions is the location of the new job.
• Does he want to move?
• Does the new location appeal to him?
• If so, what are the pros and cons of this new city?
• Will the benefit of the newposition be worth the stress of the move?

Another question might have to do with the job requirements and how will they affect his life.
• What are the job requirements?
• Does he have these requirement to be excellent in his work?
• Will the job bring more money or prestige?
• Is the responsibility greater in this job than his present position?
• Can he handle the added responsibility and stress?
• Does this job require more travel?

The next realistic concern is regarding his home life.
• How will this move and new position affect his family?
• What is his wife’s attitude about the move?
• Will his wife have to give up a career or give up her job?
• Can she handle the stress of this life change?

Other questions that might come up regarding the new job position might be:
• Will his wife’s wages be lost and will his raise recuperate her wage loss?
• Will she be expected to become a hostess for events involving his new position?
• Does she have this skill and is she willing?
• Will she lose time with husband with his new position?
Next you can add the children’s issues, such as: changing schools, making new friends, finding new places to take their music lessons. Does the educational system compare in good favor to the character’s present home environment?

Obviously, each scenario for your plot will result in different questions, but before you brainstorm look at things like location, stress factors, requirements, home life, friendships, and a variety of other topics that you can pursue as you ask questions.

The trick is to take the basic conflict and then break it into smaller parts, asking yourself what other conflicts can result. Once you have numerous conflicts, decide which is the easiest to resolve and let that be your first plot conflict. Put them in order from lesser to the most dramatic, and build your plot line from there.

2009-12-08T14:15:00.001-05:00

New release from the Dummies books - Writing Fiction for Dummies This book was written by Randy Ingermanson and is now in stores. During the book's launch from Dec 7 - 9, Randy is providing many free downloads to help you with your writing, including a 55 minute live presentation of one of my workshops teaching emtoions, senses and a little on point of view (POV).

Message from Randy:
My new book Writing Fiction For Dummies is now available just about everywhere. I began talking to my publisher months ago about doing a “book rush” for the book. A “book rush” is a selected period of time when we offer some special goodies to buyers.
My publisher chose December 7 to 9, 2009 for our “book rush.”

If you buy Writing Fiction For Dummies by Wednesday night, Dec. 9, at midnight PST, we’ve got a great selection of goodies for you. (Even if you already bought the book, you can still get in on this special deal.)

Here are some of the things you get during the “book rush”:

A 50% discount on all electronic downloadable products in my online store. (Including my new Snowflake Pro software and my popular lecture series Fiction 101 and Fiction 201.

A brand-new lecture on Strategic Self-Editing that I’ve just created. It’s an 80-minute talk designed to teach you strategic principles of editing your novel, so that you can edit your work better and faster. Lots of books and teachers will give you the principles of TACTICAL editing. Tactical editing is great, but I wanted to try teaching something that I hadn’t seen taught before, so I chose STRATEGIC editing.

A 20-minute audio talk on Time Management for Writers by my coauthor, Peter Economy, a best-selling author and publishing consultant who’s written about a dozen “Dummies” books.

A 25-page excerpt from James Scott Bell’s new book, The Art of War for Writers.

A 16-page excerpt from Brandilyn Collins’ excellent book, Getting Into Character.

A 55-minute audio talk on Characters, Emotions, and the Senses, by award-winning novelist Gail Gaymer Martin, whose books have sold over 3 million copies.

A tip sheet for romance writers by Leslie Wainger, author of Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies.

A tip sheet and 20-minute audio talk on selling eBooks by Paul and Sarah Edwards, authors of Marketing for Introverts.

A 7-minute introductory video on proofreading techniques and a pack of sample proofreading files by Sue Gilad, author of Copyediting and Proofreading for Dummies.

If you'd like to check out the book and the free gifts, visit his site at http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/

Tension and Conflict Part 7 - Stretching Tension

2009-12-01T21:01:00.003-05:00

You know how a rubber band works. You can pull it very taut so it will snap across a room if you let it go, or you can pull it only to stretch around an item. Tension in fiction is similar. It can be so taut the reader can’t stop reading, or it can be only tight enough to hold the plot together so it doesn’t fall apart. All types of tension are needed. Not every scene should be edge of the seat tension. Some scenes can only leave the reader asking questions or the character struggling with a dilemma.

Learning techniques that add various kinds of tension to your novel will help you keep the stress level high. Here are a few that you can use, and I’m sure you will think of more. If so, please add them to the comments for others to read as well.

Accelerate and Decelerate Details
Think about an old John Wayne Western. The bad guy faces John Wayne. Each stands waiting for the first one to draw his weapon. The camera pans in on John Wayne’s hand posed close to his holster. The camera swings to the bad guy with a closeup of his evil eyes. The camera moves to John Wayne’s boot as it shifts a half inch, then to the muscle in his jaw that is jerking with tension. Back to the bad guy, his fingers twitching.

You get the point. To create tension provide second by second details showing the growing danger or growing action. Two guns snatched from the holster followed by gun shots shows conflict but lacks the power of the tension as the viewer watches the danger build.
This same technique can be used in a family saga as we watch the mourning widow touch her dead husband’s pipe, lift his sweater and buries her nose in it. We feel the emotion. It happens in a romance as we watch the camera move to the hero’s eyes, his fingers twitching to run his hand through the hero’s hair. Though it is more difficult to capture some of the emotion through writing rather than seeing it on the screen, you can bring these emotions to life by delving in the sight images as well as the introspection of the POV character.

Interrupted Action
Use various disruptions to stop a conversation or action. The serial killer hiding behind the drape is drawn back to hide when the light turns on and a group of people enter the room. The hero leans forward planning to kiss the heroine when the telephone or doorbell rings. Two people sharing confidential information halt when a third party enters a room. This kind of interruption can also delay the action totally. The killer slips back out the window, realizing this isn’t the right time to strangle the woman. The hero has lost the moment to kiss the heroine, and the conversation may have to wait for a more opportune time. These delays add to the tension of the reader and the characters.

Distraction
In the same way interrupted action causes stress, a lesser technique can be used to give the characters time to pause and to even rethink what they are about to do or say. Use car headlights flashing on the wall. Someone might be passing or even pulling into the driveway. A barking dog can be a good distraction. It fuzzes the mind of the person talking or it makes them wonder what’s going on outside. Again could someone be coming. No matter why the dog is barking, it stops the action for a moment and in the process adds a small slice of tension.

Cliffhangers
When writing novels with multiple POVs, a great tension creating technique is to stop the scene at a place that leaves the reader hanging. The heroine hears the doorbell and opens the door. She grabs her heart and screams. Scene ends. The hero is driving along the highway, a truck swings into his lane, brakes squeal. The hero yells and veers his car to the left. Scene ends.
When you read thrillers and suspense novels, notice how chapters tend to end in this fashion. This is why it’s a thriller. But you can use this in other genres also, by cutting the scene following one character asking another a very pointed question that will make a plot difference. When she asks, have his jaw clamp and blood drain from his face. Scene ends.

Short Scenes or Chapters
In the same way as a cliffhanger, use shorter scenes that leave questions unanswered and then move on to a new scene with another POV character. This pulls the reader along anxious to find out what is happening in the previous scene.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
To add tension to your stories, allow your characters to make mistakes and misjudge situations. A husband sees his wife at lunch with a strange man. He draws the wrong conclusion. In suspense provide clues that lead to dead ends. When a criminal is about to be apprehended, turn the action around. Allow him to get away or to be proven innocent. This kind of tension is excellent in thrillers, mysteries or suspense novels. In all genre, try to develop plot situations that aren’t always perfect. Say no instead of yes. Bring on rain rather than sunshine. Miss the ride to an important appointment. Lose a phone number that is vital to the story’s plot. These conflicts add excitement and tension.

Word Choice and Sentence Structure
Words and sentence length contribute to the overall feel of a novel. Shorter sentences help create tension and thus provides a feel of action to the story’s pace. Longer sentences work in romance, some women’s fiction and literary novels because it provides a more lilting rhythm to the sentences. Keep this in mind when developing more tense scenes.

Word choice is affected by the sounds a word makes. In the English language we have alphabet sounds that are hard and some are softer. The hard sounds are p, t, b, g, k, c, d, q, and s while the softer sounds are found in m, n, l, w, f, h & in vowels. To create tension, use the hard sounds. "Shut up, and keep quiet." He toppled the table to the floor as he trapped the woman in a death grip. In a romance, use the softer sounds. He wrapped his arm around her and eased her to him, mesmerized by her luscious lips longing to be kissed. Notice the use of softer sounds, the m, l and vowels. Keep this technique in mind when creating tension in your novels. It’s one more way to create emotion.

Tension can be stretched in a multitude of ways, and these are only some of the methods. If you have other ideas share them in the comments. I might pull them together and add some of yours to the blog.

Tension and Conflict Part 6 - Scene and Sequel Structure

2009-11-23T16:54:00.002-05:00

Creating strong emotional tension is needed for conflict to be as effective as it can. As mentioned in a previous blog article on Tension and Conflict, conflict is the action and tension is the emotional response to that action.

An author can enhance tension by creating effective pacing techniques. This has to do with a balance of fast moving scenes to ones that are more contemplative. Each type of scene has a purpose, but along with purpose, the technique enhances tension.

As you know, a novel is a series of chapters often divided into scenes. But scenes also can be thought of in two ways—scenes and sequels. Dwight Swain covers this technique in his book Techniques of the Selling Writer.

SCENE:
Scenes are a moment in time that can last a few minutes to a few hours. The scene is more active than sequel and therefore it means getting into the “meat” of the action as soon as possible. Swain says that each action scene is made up of a goal, a conflict and disaster. Logically each scene will not have the black moment kind of disaster, but a scene should end with something going wrong or a situation that leaves the reader and often the character with questions.

As you approach writing a scene, ask yourself these questions.
• What is the purpose of this scene.
• What is important that the character and/or readers should learn?
• What should this scene accomplish?
This means that a scene is more than getting to know each other or rehashing events of the past. Something new and important must happen in each scene. Use these questions to help write quality scenes.

Scenes provide action, insight, unanswered questions, and foreshadowing of coming events or situations. Each scene is pointed toward achieving a goal through the eyes and emotions of one character. This means one point of view (POV).

A scene provides conflict. Again, this is not an argument but opposing ideas or beliefs, or conflicting goals. The conflict should move the story forward in someway. Think of a staircase with the prize at the top. Each step upward draws the character closer to the prize, in this case his or her goal. Each step then has a purpose. And remember that sometimes the opposition comes from within one character. Moving in one direction opposes another need or goal that the character finds important. Falling in love means opening up about past problems. Resolving an issue with a sibling means another sibling will be angry. These are situations that happen in real life.

Swain also adds a disaster element to each scene. In my opinion, the author can use ether a disaster or a dilemma. The character is in a quandary when he faces two choices and must decide which way to go or which one to act upon. If he makes the wrong choice, he might face a disaster.

SEQUEL:
A sequel is another moment in time. It is often shorter than an action scene and usually will be shown from the POV of a different character. More than action, this scene focuses on reaction. It is more introspective, a time of reflection and contemplation. The character will weigh what has happened in a previous scene and relay his feelings about the decisions made or the problems encountered. Yes, other characters may be part of this scene and some of the reflection delivered as dialogue, but the dialogue tends to be more problem-solving than active.

Sequels do not always follow the an action scene. Your story may need actions scenes back to back, but times will come when the reader needs to look into the heart and mind of another character or you may realize the pacing is being rushed and you want to slow down the action. This is when a sequel scene serves a double purpose.

In a suspense, the sequel can be a time to review clues or develop a new plan. In a romance, it is a time to make decisions about how to approach the romance or it can be a quieter time to heighten the romance. In any genre, the sequel can be a time to weigh choices and to propose a plan or a new direction. In Christian fiction, it can be a time to work on a spiritual issue.

While the structure of a scene, according to Swain is goal, conflict and disaster, the structure for a sequel is: reaction, dilemma, and decision.

As you work with pacing, decide which type of scene—action scene or sequel will work best for your plot. All good writers know that solid action is over-kill, so use sequels as a time to pull back and breathe, then charge forward. As yourself, what will keep the readers wanting more? What will keep them on the edge of their seats wondering what will happen next? This creates tension, and that’s exactly what you want in fiction. Without tension, your story lacks emotion. So both conflict and tension are important.

Tension and Conflict Part 5 - Methods to Create Tension

2009-11-14T11:53:00.003-05:00

Earlier I described the difference between conflict and tension. Conflict is the action of two opposing forces. It is the butting of heads between ideas, needs, desires and wants, or it can be a single individual wanting two opposing things. What makes conflict important is the tension it creates. Tension is the emotional response to the conflict. Without it, the conflict would not have much impact on the reader.

Many methods can be used to create tension, and I will cover some of them here, but I’m sure you can add others to your list.

1. Introspection:
Introspection is the head and heart of the character, a combination of their thoughts along with the emotional encroachment on the person’s sense of security or confidence. When a character delves internally into a conflict, he reveals something unknown to the reader or even a new awareness for him. He is encouraged to dig deeper into the problem, and it leave readers with questions about how this situation can be resolved.

Introspection dramatizes the conflicting feelings and clashing ideas within the character or between two characters and it creates dilemmas for both parties. Often backstory is used here to introduce past problems and bring them to the present. When incidents or beliefs from a person’s past affects how he or she responds to life today, it creates this kind of internal tension. These are often secrets that the character doesn’t want others to know, but fighting for their idea or goal can result in revealing this secret. Think of people running for political office. They knew their past follies will be displayed to the world.

Sometimes through introspection, the characters face competing desires. They want two opposing things: success but they want privacy. A common conflict that creates great tension is when a character’s wants actually is opposed to what he needs. He wants success but what he really wants is happiness, and the success will not provide it.

Introspection can also reveal how a character’s perspective is not necessarily the truth, as illustrated in this dialogue from one of my unpublished novels.

Heroine: “I keep reminding myself it’s not the same, is it? Things change. We’re different now.”
Hero: “Are we?” He studied her face, hoping she’d back down on her comment. He’d stayed pretty much the same, always wishing he’d find another girl like her. Someone he could talk with and be open with. Be himself. With others, he felt as if he should try to impress them.

2. Ticking clock:
Tension is always created by adding a ticking clock to the plot line, such as a time restraint or deadline. The problem must be resolved in a certain amount of time. Stories that deal with marriages of conveniences are usually based on this premise. The hero or heroine must marry within a certain time period before they can inherit the family wealth. This works well in a suspense. The bomb will detonate at midnight. It must be found. The kidnaped child will die without it’s medication. The good guys must find the treasure before the bad guys. This technique creates exciting tension.

3. Dialogue:
Novels are dependent on dialogue, but dialogue can be used in a variety of ways to create tension other than arguments. What creates tension for the reader is to hold back information by leaving things unanswered or interrupted or by creating doubt when the character says something that doesn’t quite fit or adds an issue that hasn’t been initiated. Other elements of dialogue that creates tension are silence, subtext, and avoidance.

• Silence - Silence is when the character doesn’t respond or when a conversation falters and no one speaks. The reader knows that the characters are dealing with what’s been said, and it helps create tension. Here’s an example from my novel And Baby Makes Five.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Chad making gentle circles on Nate’s back, the child’s contented look evident.
"I fed him a short time ago so he shouldn’t be hungry,” she said.
“He wants attention. We all need that some times.”
His words sounded melancholy as her pulse tripped. Everyone needed to be loved and caressed. She’d been without that kind of relationship since she’d married Miguel. His love had become rough and his drunken words, vile.
Silence settled over them until Chad turned toward her. “Do you understand what I’m saying?"

In this lack of response, the reader is drawn to their own questions. They last two pieces of dialogue spoken by Chad demonstrates his personal need for attention and his need to hear her response.

• Subtext - Subtext is difficult to create but it’s an excellent form of subtle tension. Subtext is the implicit or underlying meaning behind the words.
Women 1: Do you like my dress?
Women 2: The color’s great.
Obviously reference to the color doesn’t answer the question, but it says a lot. A man flirts with a woman as they look at a lovely handcrafted table and chairs
She: Gorgeous. Those legs Look at the lines.
He: I have been.

• Avoidance – Avoidance can is witnessed when a conversation seems to go in two different direction as one character is evasive or non-committal, or when one character answers a question with question. This is an excellent example from: Lisa Samson’s Tiger Lillie in a conversation the home owned by the first speaker’s mother. You can feel the tension as you read it.

“I asked Rawlins if I could work for the ad agency, Mom.”
“I already know his answer. Do you think you could paint some murals here for us? It will be a while before we move in—until your father retires, which might be years from now.”
"Rawlins said the ad world is too competitive. He doesn’t want me to become jaded.”
“I was thinking maybe a garden scene in the kitchen.”
“Maybe I could sell my paintings.”
“Or do trompe l’oeil. Here would be a good place to start.”
“I really want to go to college.”
Mom looked around. “Of course, the master bath has lots of potential, too.”

4. Character’s Perception:
In real life, we each see things differently. Our perception brings with it memories from our past and undertones from our experiences and beliefs. Tension is created not by what’s been said but what the words mean to the character. For example, if we’ve had a happy childhood and a good life, the word “home” brings a warm and happy feeling. If home was a horror for us, then that word will trigger other ideas. Give the character some perception challenges and use this technique to create an intriguing kind of tension.

5. Pacing:
Pacing has been covered in other articles, but it is a great tension technique. Remember while the plot is the journey of the characters in your novel, pacing is the speed at which you deliver the action. It’s like a roller coaster ride with moments of calm but always with the anticipation that the next challenging hill is coming until the roller coaster pulls back into the station and you climb out. Journey’s end. By moving a scene to another character or situation while you leave another scene hanging works very well to create tension. You can read other articles on pacing to learn how to create the fast and calm scenes. One style is using scene and sequel which I’ll cover in my next blog.

Tension and Conflict Part 4 - Mirco Tension

2009-10-29T17:00:00.003-04:00

While conflict is action between people, ideas, or needs, tension is the response to that action. It is the emotion that drives the story. Tension shows urgency, requires choices, and leaves the reader with questions. Donald Maass in Fire In Fiction refers to Micro-Tension which is an inherent sense of tension built into the novel with the use of your writing style.

• Moment By Moment
Provide a step by step view of the scene, especially in suspense, that keeps readers in a state of tension as to what will happen. Think of an old John Wayne movie: two gunman facing each other. Focus on eyes of the good guy/eyes of the bad guy, focus on pistol in holster of both, shifting of their stance, fidgeting fingers, long distance view of the gunman facing each other, close up of a tick in the cheek of one, muscle jerk of another, motion, gun from holster, shot.

With each movement you will enhance the tension. This can be done in any novel in a
dramatic scene by detailing the scrap of a chair on the floor, table tips as he rises, women steps back and hand reaching for a kitchen drawer, man’s feet moving toward her, drawer opens, man reaches for her, her hand plunges into the drawer, man attacks, knife flashes, bloody shirt, man falls, woman screams.

You get the idea. Focus on each step, but only use this for scenes of drama that make a dynamic move forward in the plot.

• More Than Details Along with the moment by moment action, provide moment by moment details of emotion. Show how the main character responds to the action as it unfolds, and notice I said show and not tell. Use the body’s response such as: intake of breath, trembling, wrenching heart, galloping pulse. Use small pieces of introspection but give them a first person feeling. He can’t do this to me. I will not let him win. She won’t treat me like this again. Use introspection sparingly.

• Sense Of Foreboding
Leave readers with the feeling that more is there than they can see. Use subtle foreshadowing, leave sentences unended or questions unanswered, struggles unspoken but the reader feels them. Use situation that involves the senses—gooseflesh, pricking sensation up the spine, head spinning. Creating the feeling of ESP for the character or the reader who anticipates something is going to happen.

• Anxiety And Twists
Create anxiety and twists to the “normal.” Man walks into his office and the room is empty. Rattled by problems, woman drives to pick up her child at school, but he’s not there. Person plans a party and no one shows up. Fourth of July celebration and it rains.

It can be small to knee-jerking twists, but put them in your novels to create tension.

• Conflicting Emotions
Life produces conflicting emotions. A man wants a promotion but realizes it will take away time from his family life. Woman wants to have a child but realizes it will affect her career. Man wants to prove he’s innocent of a crime but must put the blame on a friend. Dieter faces her favorite dessert and struggles. Emotions in real life are often conflicting. Look in your own life and take note of what you struggle with. If you struggle, then so do many others. Work these kinds of conflicting tensions into your novels.

Emotions are often conflicting when someone is reluctant to accept or believe what they see, hear or feel. If you see a friend’s husband in a restaurant with another woman, you have conflicting emotions. Is this a romantic dinner? Is it really him or a look alike? Do you tell your friend or do you pretend that you didn’t see it? Each decision has with it inherent problems.

Another reluctance to accept or believe something comes with the character’s flaws. He is impatient, but does not accept that he is. She is fifty-nine but behaves as she did when she was twenty-one. He steals from his company but thinks he deserves the “bonus.”

Whether it’s facing our own conflicting emotions or dealing with someone else’s issues, tension is created for the character and the reader. Build these techniques into your basic story structure.

Tension and Conflict Part 3 - Kinds of Conflict

2009-10-19T12:27:00.003-04:00

Most authors can name the two kinds of conflict talked about most in fiction, internal and external. Both of these are important to any novel, but don’t lose sight of two more that you may not have considered—inherent and extra-external conflict. These additional kinds of built-in conflict can add extra excitement to your fiction.

External Conflict
External conflict are those things outside the character. It includes two or more people whose needs or wants are in competition. It is the outside world pressing in on the character’s life and well-being.
Example:
John wants to purchase a bigger house to go with his new position.
John’s wife wants to save the money for emergency needs.

External conflict can also be one person with two opposing desires. What he or she wants means losing something else.
For example: John wants freedom, but he wants to marry.
Susan wants to be treated like a woman but wants equality in her career.

Often these external conflicts cause the character to look deeper inside their desires and to question themselves. Is this really what the character wants? Will it provide happiness?
The conflict then causes the character to weigh what is important in his life and make a choice. Conflicts often include choices.

No matter which kind of conflict—between two people or one person and himself—the elements of conflict mentioned in the last post are important to both.

Internal Conflict
Internal conflicts are those struggles inside a character. They fall into various categories, but they all have things in common. A character must make choices. He will either hang on to the status quo or let it go and take a chance so that his life can be fully actualized.

• Personal issues are common forms of internal conflict. A person brings from his past doubts, fears, disgrace, or internal turmoil that he can’t get beyond. It affects his behavior, personality, and choices. He’s held back from being a whole person because he drags this baggage along with him. He sticks with what he wants to be rather than what he could be.

One of these conflicts similar to the one above is a character with two opposing desires, but the desires affect his moral conduct. He wants to steal the money, but he knows it’s wrong. He wants his freedom, but he has vowed to be faithful to his wife and family.

• Form of protection is another type of internal conflict. A character holds on to a flaw or personal issue to protect himself against harm, losing his reputation, exposing the truth about himself or someone he loves. It is the struggle between doing the right thing or clinging to the problem to cover the truth. Jeff Gerke in his download titled How To Find Your Story on Marcher Lord Press describes this problem as a character’s tumor or knot. Either term refers to a character’s major flaw. If the character can have the tumor removed, he will be healthy again, but if he allows it to stay inside him, he will be “sick.” Gerke lists many examples of tumors that the character can cling to: guilt, anger over loss, self-centeredness, fear of cowardice or weakness, temper, addiction (sex, drugs, alcohol), greed, doubt or disbelief, phobias, lack of faith, fear of commitment (to anything). A final way to look at conflict as a form of protection is: want vs need, self-loathing vs coverup, weakness vs desire for strength, or secret vs the truth.

• Delusion is another element that works in internal conflict. Sometimes a character doesn’t recognize his flaw. Since he can’t see it, he denies it, creating a multitude of conflict for himself or with others. Another kind of delusion involves the character who knows what he wants or who he wants to be, but the reader can see what is best for him and knows what he should do or be. This creates genuine conflict for the reader as well as for the character.

• Spiritual struggle relates to a person of faith whose behavior goes against her beliefs. The behavior can be from the past, leaving her frozen with fear of being unforgiven or unable to forgiven herself. It has to do with making choices with the question being what do I want to do and what does God want me to do. These struggles are common among people of faith, and it creates havoc, because faith is an important aspect of their lives. It is the road map and north star, in a sense, which guides them, and when they step off the path, they can become lost. Think of playing a sport without rules but with a life and death outcome.

Inherent Conflicts
Inerenet conflicts refer to elements such as setting and story setup built into the plot.
• Setting usually to the location of the novel and the scenes (as well as the time of year, day, etc), but setting is also influenced by the characters’s distance in a relationships, bad memories brought to the setting, and dangerous environments. The setting can arouse emotion as the character struggles with what the setting brings to them and it can arouse questions for the reader.

Example from my novel Upon A Midnight Clear:
Callie regarded her surroundings as she slid the coat from her shoulders. She stood in a wide hallway graced by a broad, curved staircase and a sparkling crystal chandelier. An oriental carpet covered the floor, stretching the length of the entry.

Two sets of double doors stood closed on the right, and on the left, three more French doors hid the rooms’ interiors, leaving Callie with a sense of foreboding. Were the doors holding something in? Or keeping something out?

In this example, you can see the conflict that’s created for the character as well as the reader. How will this setting affect this character’s life as she makes a decision to work in this home? What is going on in the lives of these characters that has create a sense of foreboding?

• Opponents were mentioned earlier, but when the story opens with characters who are connected in some way—siblings, spouses, employer/employee— and reflect different viewpoints on life or accepted behavior, or characters are introduced with opposing desires and wants, these conflicts become inherent to the plot.

Extra External Conflict is an element brought to light by Robert McKee, author of Story. This conflict tends to be visual—action, adventure, humor, or farce and in itself displays conflict in manner that can be seen. Think of Lucille Ball’s grape crushing scene or the candy packing scene.
• Action creating emotion. This can include prat fall, practical jokes, and other humorous elements as well as suspense scenes with a storm brewing outside and someone hiding in a room. It’s those tense moments when the audience screams in a movie. These are more difficult to create when it is in a novel, but it is possible.

• Action stressing conflict in form of an analogy This happens when the action of the scene becomes an analogy of what’s going on inside the character. McKee uses an example from the movie Kramer Vs. Kramer and the French toast scene. The husband has found a note from his wife that she is leaving him. His young son is crying over the situation. This is the external conflict. The man is trying to make French toast for the boy and hoping to waylay his fears that Dad can’t do the job, but he is failing. He has egg shells in the egg mixture, he’s spilling things and burning the food. This internal struggle is the man’s confident failing The visual picture of the mess that he has made is an analogy for the mess the man has made of his life. It is the extra external conflict of the story.

Using these forms of conflict in your novels by adding character flaws and forcing characters to make choices create pressure. Pressure results in tension, and the more the pressure builds, the more tension it creates. By adding more pressure and providing resistence, you will create greater tension and thus greater emotion.

Tension and Conflict Part 2 - The Nature of Conflict

2009-10-10T12:33:00.001-04:00

While tension is the emotion of a novel, conflict is the power. It drives the story forward and causes the reader to hang on and go with the ride. Without conflict the scenes would be a slow walk through a park. Who cares?

Yet conflict has some “need to” factors. An argument over what color to paint a wall or whether the evening will be spent watching a good movie or a sports event is a common event in many households, but it doesn’t fit the definition of conflict in fiction. Many new writers think an argument between two people is what it takes, and though an argument that severs their relationship or causes one character to do something drastic is a form of conflict, arguments are not the ultimate.

So what is the nature of conflict? What is it that conflict needs to be in fiction?

• Make a difference to the plot. The conflict must matter to the character so that the final solution will make a difference in the character’s life. The conflict must be worth the prize, meaning the solution to the conflict must be important to the character. Thinking of the movie or sport night, you can see in the long run that doesn’t make one bit of difference to a character reaching a goal.

• Must have a worthy opponent. If the conflict is involves another person, the person must be strong and clever. A dumb criminal is easily caught, but a smart one creates a dynamic story. As the main character expands his paths to undo the opponent, the opponent needs to also change and grow with the main character to make the fight worthwhile.

• Must connect with the reader. The conflict needs to be something in which a reader can relate. They can see the danger of the situation to the characters and to the even the world in a thriller. They must understand, and better yet the conflict makes even more impact if it’s something that has happened to them. This includes things like betrayal, fear, abuse, doubts, and internal struggles that many people experience.

• Must produce emotion. Emotion is the reaction to conflict and it is what creates tension. Conflict without tension is flat. This is the argument over a white or chocolate cake. A reader doesn’t care. They aren’t affected if a married woman comments on an attractive man, but if the woman finds herself dreaming of the man and looking forward to seeing him again, emotion is involved and thus tension since it signals a deeper conflict.

• Tests the character. Conflict that is powerful pushes a character to his limits. It forces him to demonstrate strengths & abilities he never realized he had, and it signals growth which is a must in good fiction. Readers want to see the character’s change and make progress in their lives.

• Gain causes loss. When the conflict is between people, someone wins and someone loses. Sometimes this could be an equally important character in the novel, and this creates another conflict. But conflict can happen inside one person. If the character wants to be successful and famous, he will lose privacy and freedom. It goes with the gain. Along the same idea, sometimes to reach one goal, a character must lose another. To obtain the job promotion to better himself, he must move and lose connection with his family who needs him.

If you can include these qualities in your conflict, they will be powerful and suited to a strong fiction novel that relates to the reader, provides them with excitement and draws on their emotions.

Tension And Conflict - Part I

2009-10-01T14:07:00.003-04:00

The Set Up to Tension and Conflict
I recently presented a workshop on tension and conflict. The topic offers many steps to writing a good novel. I began this workshop with the basic elements needed to begin a novel because it sets up how conflict begins. Conflict is a concept you know is vital to any story. It is what drives your story and is an event that causes action between the opposition and the main character. Tension, on the other hand, is the character’s reaction to the event. This reaction arouses emotion of the character and the reader. Emotion is a must in any novel.

Vulnerable Characters
Major characters must be vulnerable. They have flaws, weaknesses, fears, and sinful behaviors which they often are trying to hide. Immediately you find tension inherent in this situation. Whenever a character wants to avoid facing a truth, tension creating emotion happens. Another side of these flaws and weaknesses might be the character’s inability or avoidance to face them. It is denial. I am not impatient. I do not look at everything in a negative way. I don’t feel sorry for myself. When you look at your own flaws, you can relate to this problem. No one wants to admit what makes them less than perfect.

Characters’ Goals
Every major character needs a goal. It is something they want to gain or something they want to avoid. They want to gain a good reputation. They want to avoid gossip. They want to find the treasure. They want to avoid being found. They want to find the killer. They want to avoid being killed. They want to find love. They don’t want to give up their freedom.

Goals fall into three other categories: possession, relief, or revenge. The character wants to possess wealth, charm, good looks, success, love. The character wants relief from fear, loneliness, hatred, domination, pain, sorrow. The character wants revenge for a loss, betrayal, lie, robbery, prejudice. You can add to the list with your own ideas that fit under possession, relief or revenge. Keep these ideas in mind as you create goals for your characters. Make sure the goal has issues that will create conflict.

The Hook
Every novel needs a hook, a premise that draws the readers in and an event that makes them curious or ask questions. A hook is introduced when something happens. It can be the result of a new character entering the scene, receiving a letter or phone call, being offered a proposition, reading something in a newspaper, or a character’s startling statement. Whatever it is, the thing that happens is best when it adds surprise, makes the readers ask questions, or creates an emotion that pulls the reader along.

Next, the “happening” creates opposition to the character’s goal. Opposition is conflict. Well-known writer, Dwight Swain, in his book, Techniques of the Selling Writer, says that conflict can:
• Hinders
• Complicates
• Blocks
A goal is hindered when another conflict or another goal gets in the way, especially a goal that must be reached before the larger goal is accessible. Complications can involve an accident, another person demanding time or energy, a new piece of information that changes the direction of the goal. Finally goals can be blocked when someone gets there first or when someone removes options. I’m sure you can think of many other things to add to this list.

The next article will cover the Nature of Conflicts.

2nd Annual Rochester Writers' Conference - Michigan

2009-09-24T12:38:00.003-04:00

Make More Money with your Writing!

The 2nd Annual Rochester Writers' Conference
Saturday October 3, 2009
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sessions in Fiction & Non-Fiction
Open to New and Published Writers
Early Bird Registration in $99.00

www.RochesterWriters.com

Local writers, authors, and educators will be presenting a variety of workshops, lectures, and panel discussions at the Second Annual Rochester Writers' Conference on the beautiful grounds of Rochester College. Refreshments and Lunch included with Registration.

Presentations by…

Gail Gaymer Martin
Cindy LaFerle
Sandra Agazzi Chimenti
Margo LaGattuta
Theresa Falzone
Rebecca Stevens
Michael Dwyer
Annick Hivert-Carthew
Chloe' Yelena Miller

Sessions Include

Re-work, Re-sell, and Re-print
Creating Success as a Writer
Fine-tune and Market your Poetry
Creating a Winning Pitch
Building an online Presence
Magazine Editors’ Panel
Writing For the Christian Market
Traditional Publishing Panel
Contracts & Copyrights
Brainstorming, Work & Creativity

Using A Visual Thesaurus

2009-09-07T19:15:00.004-04:00

A while ago, I told you about The Synonym Finder but J. I. Rodale. It’s a huge, thick book with tremendous information on synonyms which I am always searching for. I use it daily to find a better word than the one I'm using or to find a different word so I don't have to repeat the same word over and over.

But I stumbled upon a unique thesaurus that is available on the Internet. It provides a multitude of information as well as creates a colorful image as you study the words. It's easy to use. Type the word you you want to explore in the blank and then hit When you need a synonym or antonym or sometimes a different take on a word, searching for exactly what you want can be difficult. One of the best books I’ve found to find this information is called The Synonym Finder by J. I. Rodale. but if you’re on the Internet and want to try a visual thesaurus, try Visuwords at http://www.visuwords.com/

This site color codes the words to indicate categories: noun, verb, adjective or adverb. It also provides such information about the word as: a derivation, an attribute, a kind of or part of, entails or causes and so many other pieces of information. You can narrow down your search with the list on the left side of the screen. When you place your curser over each of the circles, it will provide a box for more explanation. Give it a try. I used the word "substance" and was surprised at the information the thesaurus provided.

You’ll get more synonyms from the book by Rodale, but you can receive a quick answer with a broader scope of information from Visuwords and an amazing display as well.

New Views on Characterization

2009-08-26T12:12:00.003-04:00

I'm always on the lookout for interesting blogs or articles on characterization. We know that one of the main components for fiction is believable and interesting characters that grab us by the hand and pull us into the story.

Alton Gansky, suspense novelist, blogged on characterization and then talked about another blogger who'd written the same. Jack Cavanaugh, well-known writer, has just begun to blog. His site is Word Forge: A Working Writer's Studio. Today's blog, August 26, 2009, is on four points of what makes a character memoriable. http://www.jcwordforge.com/

Notice also on his blog that he has a number of links to other interesting blogs on writing, especially on characterization.

Symbolism: Does it work in fiction?

2009-08-17T14:09:00.002-04:00

Symbolism is a scary word for many readers but they would be surprised that they enjoy it all the time in fiction and naturally in poetry. Symbolism is a wonderful technique to say things without using words, but by creating images and examples using another form of communication.

In the American Christian Ficton Writers's (ACFW)latest newsletter,Afictionado, you can read an article from published novelists on the topic of symbolism.

This month’s question is:
“We all know that symbolism can deepen our stories and give them that something ‘more.’ But, how do you incorporate it into your story?”

Multi-published authors express their views on the subject and provide examples. You might enjoy hearing what they have to say.

http://www.acfw.com/ezine/cgi-bin/aug09.pl?record=4

Creativity: Reader's Comment Question

2009-08-07T17:43:00.002-04:00

In the "comments" section of this blog, people sometimes ask questions. If the question seems it might interest more of you, I will often respond here.

Here's the comment from Terri B:
You mention books on creativity for writers. Could you give the titles? I have a lot of books on the craft of writing, but I can't think of one that specifically deals with creativity. It's a subject I love though. Since we're made in the image of our Creator, part of what that means is a slice of creativity.

I don't recall mentioning any specific books, but I have found many articles on creativity in magazines on writing and websites that offer exercises and information on creativity.

Writers Digest has an Internet link that provides 101 websites for writers dealing with creativity. They are reliable in providing excellent writer's information:

Click here: Writer’s Digest - 101 Best Websites for Writers: Creativity/Challenges

They I have never read any of these books, they are ones that caught my interest. This one is from the author who wrote The Artist's Way

Click here: Creativity On Tap: Writers

These also looked worthwhile. If you own one or purchase any of these or any others, please let me know what you found helpful. I'd love to have you send me a review on the book for others who might benefit. I'll post it here. authorgailmartin@aol.com

Click here: Freeing Your Creativity: A Writer's Guide: Creativity Exercises: Marshall Cook's Out-of-Print Classic Suite101.c

Click here: Creativity Rules!: A Writer's Workbook - John Vorhaus, Jeff Arch, Paperback - Books Buy Creativity Rules!: A Write

Click here: Be a Creative Writer - Tish Farrell, Paperback - Books Buy Be a Creative Writer India - Infibeam.com

Creativity can come from our own delving into those questions such as:

What if. . .

What's the worst thing that could happen?

What does my character want verses what does my character need?

What would my character never do? Then make him/her do it.

These work if you spend time brainstorming.

Creativity for Writers

2009-07-30T11:51:00.003-04:00

When I notice fellow authors winning prestigious writing awards and getting great reviews in Publishers Weekly and other influencing book review magazines, I realize what makes their work noticed. They think outside the box and take a chance on writing an unusual and meaningful novel. I then ask myself what can I do—what can you do—to bring you work to the light and set your book title on the Best Seller list.

I believe a major factor is creativity. Recently I read an article on the Internet called 10 Tips for Creativity, I reviewed it and asked myself how this could apply to writers. So many of us face deadlines that drive us forward and doesn’t leave us time to be unique. We think inside the box because it’s easier. Getting our books into the bookstores is prime. Though we certainly use original ideas to create our story, we excuse ourselves by saying there are only so many ideas in the world, and we accept that statement rather than challenge ourselves to delve into our deep creativity.

Below is a list of 10 things to remember about creativity:

1. No one is exempt - research shows that anyone with normal intelligence is capable of doing some degree of creative work.

2. No guilt and give yourself permission to think - Don’t feel guilty about using your time to sit, to think, and to surf. This is part of writing and research. Read books on creativity for writers and experiment. Don’t assume someone is not working if they are sitting idle.

3. Make time for creative thought - Find places that are relaxing and comfortable for you to take time for uninterrupted and focused creative thought. People produce creative work when they are focused, not when they are scattered and interrupted. While time pressure can stifle creativity, research supports that it is not the deadline that stifles; it’s the distractions.

4. Capture ideas - Good ones often come before or after work—in the shower, in your car, before you go to bed, etc. Find ways to remember them without logging on or extending your work day. I keep paper and a pen with a lighted tip on my bed table. Many times I awaken to jot down an idea that came to me before falling asleep. Walking and exercising is another place that stimulates ideas for me.

5. Collaborate - The most creative teams are those that have the confidence to share and debate ideas. If you don’t want to write as a team, use each other to brainstorm, and don’t toss out ridiculous ideas. Sometimes these ideas can stimulate others or can be toned down to become useable.

6. Be patient - The first draft of a novel is not saleable. Allow time for several ideas, iterations, and drafts before picking one. Then use that idea and expand it. Challenge it.

7. Be tenacious — Creativity depends on the capacity to push through uncreative dry spells. Manage your energy and find ways to renew.

8. Be curious - Explore, experiment, and find different ways to approach the novel. If you usually write in third person, experiment and give first person a try. It’s more difficult, but it might be the best way to approach your novel. Ask others how they do it.

9. Get out of your comfort zone - Try something you’ve never tried. From third person to first person is one POV, but you can find others. Perhaps you write in longer chapters. Try shortening them which means having a hook at the end of each will challenge you to write more creatively.

10. Be happy - Creativity is should give you a sense of joy. If you’re struggling with it, then you will lose the freshness of your story. You’ll put yourself back in the old box. Approach creativity like vacationing in a place you’ve always wanted to go. When you get off the plane or ship, everything is new and exciting. Writing should arouse the same feeling kinds of feeling in you. Smile and get creative.