Scribe Sisters

Chapter's End

2011-01-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of the Scribe Sisters' blog. As each of you writers out there know, it is a long road with many twists and turns. The Scribe Sisters have some to a crossroad where we're each taking a different direction. We're all excited about where are paths are leading and we need to focus on those paths. We hope each of you will join us on our different paths as you all mean a lot to us and we would miss you if you didn't.

You can find Linda on Scribblerati here, and on Twitter here.

You can find Heather on her personal blog here, on Scribblerati here, and on Twitter here.

You can find Karlene on her personal blog here, on Scribblerati here, and on Twitter here.

You can find Jule on Scribblerati here, and on Twitter here.

We've enjoyed walking the writer's road with all of you and we hope to continue to do so on our new paths. Best of luck to all of you!

Contest Winner

2011-01-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

It's that time people. Time for someone to be a winner. Though in our eyes you all are. Without further ado, the winner of Characters & Viewpoint is...

Jamie Gray!

Congratulations Jamie! I hope this book helps you on your journey. We'll be contacting you to get your shipping information.

Oh, That Process

2011-01-11T06:08:00.000-08:00

I'm putting one book to bed, closing its covers after final revisions and moving into a new round of pitching and querying it. At the same time, I'm starting another book—my third. And still learning from this process. Sheesh. Does it never end? Okay, I should be grateful instead of wondering why my brain is not now fully hardwired with the Novel Writing Process. Learning is good. Pretty much always. (And just so all of you know, especially those who are cringing that you, too, are working on a second or third manuscript without having sold the first yet, I was recently told by a wonderful woman who runs a national writers conference that it's usually around the second or third manuscript that a writer becomes publishable. It takes that long to develop the craft.)

As I set about the task of organizing and putting away the piles of notes and charts and research materials from my women's suspense novel, And When I Die, I realized I held in my hands all the pieces that represent the novel writing process, and that my process will now be different than before. It will reflect what I've learned in the last year and a half, frequently by trial and error and especially through writers retreats, conferences and workshops. It will look like this:

1. simple visual of the story arc based on the novel concept:   http://scribesisters.blogspot.com/2010/06/beginning-novelist-first-draft-is-your.html

2.  character arcs for the main characters. I love the outline my Sister, Heather, created for this purpose: http://heathermccorkle.blogspot.com/2010/04/working-on-outlining-and-character-arc.html

3. research, if needed. Become knowledgeable about the cultural, temporal and geographical context of the story at a detailed level. Use the details to create powerful authenticity.

4. the shi*** first draft. Write it all the way through, without trying to perfect chapters.

5. outline the novel and create a detailed story arc, based on the first draft, using one of the two methods below. Be willing to change the first draft's structure, add or subtract scenes and chapters, change character arcs etc. as a result of the outline if it's clear from the new story arc that there are important changes to make. (Many people prefer to outline before they write the first draft. It's a matter of personal proclivity.)

   --outline method one: get approximately 60 index cards and write a few words on each to describe each of the scenes in order (the first 15 are Act 1, the next 30 are Act 2, and the last 15 are Act 3.) Use these scenes to create a detailed story arc.

   --outline method two: use filmic structure for novels (my preference), which breaks Act 2 into two equal parts, and includes specific sequencing in each Act that propels sections into other key sections. The detailed story arc is built in visually if you put your structure on a storyboard. My preference: the very cool erasable whiteboard: http://scribesisters.blogspot.com/2010/11/meta-structure-for-your-novel.html  This approach is based on Alexandra Sokoloff's amazing work.

6. revise the structure of the first draft, eliminating and adding chapters and/or scenes as needed to fulfill the outline's mandate.

7. ask and answer these questions from editor Elizabeth Lyon, and make sure they are represented in the storyline:
   Is the story realistic enough to be believable?
   What in the story makes you angry? (what underlies your passion?)
   What is the story's most important question?
   What puzzle has no answer?
   What is dangerous?
   What causes pain?
   Where is there unexpected grace?
   What is beautiful?
   Who is an unrecognized hero?
   What needs to be saved?
   Who in the story can turn the main problem into a cause?
   How is the problem larger than it looks?
   Why does it matter to us all?

8. use a Scene Tracker (http://scribesisters.blogspot.com/2010/10/scenes-ultimate-in-show-dont-tell.html) to make sure the scenes (which are now all present and in the right places, thanks to the work of #6 above) are delivering the punch they should.

9. use microtension to further increase tension and stakes in key scenes. (See Karlene's post: http://scribesisters.blogspot.com/2010/06/tension-in-bedroom.html) and Jule's post: http://scribesisters.blogspot.com/2010/07/micro-tension-adding-depth-to-dialogue.html

10. workshop key chapters. These are the ones that include: the inciting incident (the thing that turns the protagonist's life upside down and sets the story in motion, which should be very near the beginning of the novel); plot point 1 (the first turning point after the protag gets pulled into or commits to the action required by the inciting incident, where something significant happens that moves the story forward); midpoint (major character change for protag); plot point 2, where the protag is pushed toward the River of No Return, and everything looks not only bleak but hopeless; and the climax, where it's do or die for the protag, and s/he Does, but s/he's changed for good, and the quest is resolved. (Guidelines from William Bernhardt's excellent novel writing workshop.)

11. polish the writing in the entire manuscript, using any good suggestions for style that came from workshopping, and make sure to read it out loud to hear needed changes that would be missed if only looking at the words on the page.

12. query

13. If the desired response doesn't come, keep querying, and if it still doesn't come, Revise and Repeat.

For those of us who feel strangled and stunted by too much organization of our creative writing, it's good to know that writing organically at first can be great. But if the novel doesn't come out as brilliantly as you thought it would, applying some structural concepts can make all the difference. This is one of the very most important things I've learned about The Process.

Linda

Contest! Comment for an Opportunity to Win!

2011-01-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

Hi, everyone! Time for our quarterly book giveaway. As you may remember, last fall Scribe Sisters decided to hold quarterly drawings for all who comment on a particular blog post. Heather led us off, then Linda did our fall giveaway, and now it’s winter and my turn.

Last week many of us made New Year’s resolutions to focus on improving our writing in 2011, so I’m going to offer some help. For our winter giveaway, I chose an excellent new writing book, Elements of Fiction Writing: Characters & Viewpoint, by the award-winning science fiction writer, Orson Scott Card (Writer’s Digest Books, 2010). All who provide a comment to this post during the next four weeks (end date, February 6, 2011) will have a chance to win.

Creating life-like, memorable characters is one of the delicious challenges of fiction writing. Atticus Finch and Scarlett O’Hara didn’t just happen. Their authors used exceptional skill in imagining them and giving them life on the page. That type of skill may come naturally to some the first time around, but the rest of us would do well to study and practice the kinds of techniques they used.

In this book, Mr. Card offers the tools we all need, such as how to draw characters from a variety of sources, develop a character’s individual style, and have characters reveal themselves by what they do and say. It also includes advice on how to choose the best viewpoint for your story and decide how deeply you should delve into your characters’ thoughts, emotions, and attitudes.

I believe that by developing character, you also develop that sometimes elusive quality, voice. When a character takes over the telling of his or her story, the voice comes through on the page.

There are no shortcuts to good writing, in my opinion. It takes time and effort to learn how to tell a story well and to develop writing style. This year I’ve been working extra hard on character and voice, and I’m seeing the payoff in my manuscript.

What are your big writing challenges? Share them in a comment to this blog post, and I’ll enter you in the contest to win Elements of Fiction Writing: Characters & Viewpoint. I’ll choose a winner by random drawing and announce it in my post on February 6. Good luck!

Happy writing!

Jule

The Voice

2011-01-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

What are agents and publishers looking for? "The Voice" A fresh, new, unique voice.

I found one! And she reminds me of a character in my current novel, and soon to be series. Wait... who's voice is it? The voice of Karla Antelli.

Karla Antelli

I had the great opportunity to meet a wonderful woman on Twitter. Karla invited me to meet her in Dallas to attend a Virgin Air party with Richard Branson. We met. We hit it off. I said, "You look like the character in my book!" But more than that, she has the voice, too. How could I meet a character in my book on twitter and have the opportunity to meet her in real life? Life is full of wonderful surprises.

What--- Karla wrote a book, too? YES!

Karla told me that she'd written a story, without intention of having it published. She'd met someone at the airport who read it. Loved it. Wanted to publish it. She said, "I didn't want to edit it. I had no intention of publishing it. But if they wanted to---do it as is." She'd warned me about the lack of editing. But you know what?

I loved this book! The thing I loved most was the voice. That incredible fresh voice. It was fun. I became friends with Gina and felt her pain, sorrow, joy and fears. Not only did Karla show me what a fresh voice sounds like, but she taught me how to write reality into fiction. I laughed. I cried. I smiled. A very fun book to read.

Not only was the voice great, but the first lines grabbed me. How could I not read more?

"The up-to-there slit in her skirt showed way more leg than should have been allowed. Her long red hair fell over her shoulders and her bright green eyes sparkled. It was Halloween night and Gina Sicana was Jessica Rabbit. She was dancing with Jesus when it all started...."

Karla currently writes a dating advice column: The Dating Diva. She's also written, directed and produced short plays. She's got a degree in Science and studies Aeronautics. She's also working on her Private Pilots license. And she has the voice. The first lines. And Gina Sicana learned something by the end of the book.

How wonderful to have had the opportunity to meet a great woman---an author, a mom, a pilot, and a woman who is just like so many of us--- reaching for the stars.

Enjoy the Journey!

~ Karlene

The Big, Beautiful Question Mark

2011-01-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

2011 is here. The whole new year stretches out in front of us, results uncharted for the most part. We can make of it what we will, or try our darndest. At the very least, we can hope and plan for a year where whatever regrets end up on our doorsteps, they are not the kind that come from not trying our best, and are the kind that give us a chance to learn (in which case, how can we really regret them??) We can also get very clear about our craft and our love for it, and about how to translate that into fulfilling our ambitions.

What will this year bring? It's one big, beautiful question mark right now.

What's happening in the publishing industry is an interesting case-in-point, although one we don't have much control over. This seems like the pivotal year when publishers, booksellers, e-book and e-reader sellers, and literary agents will start to lay down footprints that will become the paths of the future. As writers, we are the one immutable link in the chain, the only one that must exist for the others to also exist, and yet this is a deeply collaborative effort for almost all writers, as well. Our success depends to a large extent on the support and input of the other players.

How will it work out? What will the new pathways look like? Part of what makes this particular question big and beautiful is the very fact that we don't have a lot of control over it. It feels like an impending adventure, full of unknowns. Like any situation where that's the case, what we do have control over are our reactions and what we do with the facts on the ground. We can handle that.

If you haven't read Nathan Bransford's 2010 blog post on the topic of the publishing industry's potential future, it's well worth it (http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/12/holiday-repeat-choose-your-own-e-book.html). You get to play an interactive game to see what the results might be from different combinations leading to different scenarios in the industry. For most of us, baseline knowledge and understanding are key to responding well to changes. Nathan's article is a fun place to start.

Happy New Year, everyone. Let's make it a great one.

Linda

It's All about the Writing

2011-01-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

Here on the cusp of 2011, these words from a literary agent with whom I spoke several months ago come to mind: “The pitch sounds intriguing, but it’s all about the writing.”

There is no substitute for beautiful writing born of astute observations of the human condition and translated to the page with the deft stroke of an artist. You have to pay your dues, in any industry or creative pursuit, if you want lasting success. The axiom that you have to write 10,000 words in order to write well may be true.

Selling a manuscript has become much more competitive because of consolidation in the publishing industry and changes to the way readers buy books. People still can spend hours browsing in a bookstore if they wish, or they can browse and download to an e-reader in seconds. If the writing doesn’t intrigue and captivate, the reader may select something else or not buy at all.

For those who want to build a career in any economy, in any industry, including publishing, excellence has the best chance of success. Going forward into the New Year, I’ll be doing what I need to do to market myself, but my primary goal is to focus on Job One: the writing.

Happy New Year and Happy Writing,

Jule

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T08:16:00.000-08:00

Happy new year from the Scribe Sisters! We hope you have a safe and wonderful celebration and that the new year brings you many great things. This is an excellent time to reflect upon what we experienced and learned from 2010, or to just remember the good times we had. Some years are tough and those things can be hard to recall but if you look hard enough they are there.

This year was both hard and wonderful for me. I parted ways with my agent, wrote three new books, and am back on the agent hunt once again. It threw a wrench into my plans to be sure but in the end I think it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I learned a lot from him and our parting was amicable so I have no regrets. Now I'm a stronger writer with more books under my pencil and I'm ready for the right agent.

I also met many fantastic people that have enriched both my writing life on the life on the other side of the computer screen. Many thanks to each and every one of you for the joy, laughter, and celebration I've enjoyed alongside you. You the Scribe Sisters followers and readers are among them. And of course my priceless Scribe Sisters, you are as well. Here's to another even more fantastic year!

~Heather

The Resolution

2010-12-29T02:48:00.000-08:00

Closing the chapter of 2010 creates the opportunity to reflect on the past, and prepare for the future. We make resolutions. Set goals. Create dreams. Whatever you call it, it's a plan of attack for our future. Then we jump into the New Year with hope for success. But how many of us actually stick to our resolutions through the entire year?

How can you make your "writing" resolutions a success? Resolutions, like goal setting, need to be specific. I will finish my novel. Excellent. But not enough. How and when will you finish your novel?
I will write 1000 words a day. I will finish by May 1st. Specific. Attainable.

And yet the day gets away, you run out of time. You know that every time you've tried to do this in the past, you end up at bedtime and nothing is done. Work, kids, dinner, laundry... etc. You justify by saying, "I'll write 2000 words tomorrow to make up for it." Don't go down the tomorrow path.

Create a plan to go with your resolution. I will wake up an hour early, and write 1000 words a day. I will write before I email. I will write before the family gets up. I will write before work. Whatever it takes to fit with your life, make a plan to get it done--- and you will. Get committed.

Set yourself up for success. What will you do to make sure your resolutions become a reality this year?

Happy New Year!!!

May all your dreams come true.

~Karlene

That Time of Year

2010-12-28T07:02:00.000-08:00

2011 is just around the corner. It's mind boggling to think we've almost completed the first decade of the 21st century! Wow. Remember Y2K? Seems like that was just a year or two ago.

It's daunting to think how quickly time goes by and how much we want to achieve. But gather your energies, all you writers. It's the time of year we tie a bow on what has been and start unwrapping what will be.

What will it be? A new manuscript? Renewed devotion to the one you're working on now? Maybe a brand new interest in poetry or steam punk? For me, it's about putting the finishing touches on revisions to my women's suspense novel by January 1, and moving to a new novel I've been thinking about for years. An historical. Not that I plan to give up women's suspense, which I love and will continue to write. But this other novel is calling to me and I want to give it my heart in 2011.

So here's my New Year's Resolution: Beginning January 1, I will write at least 500 words per day to complete my first draft of my historical novel by June of 2011.

Will you join me in a Writer's Resolution? What are you working on and what can you commit to achieving as you begin 2011? When you pull the ribbon and paper and lid off the box, what gift is inside?

Happy last week of 2010 everyone, and may you have visions of beautiful manuscripts dance in your heads when you dream of 2011.

Linda

A Writer's Holiday

2010-12-26T15:53:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and that your New Years’ holiday will be happy and safe.

For me, the last few weeks have been filled with decorating, gifts, dinners, and holiday parties of every description. With so much going on, it was hard to find time to write. I really had to focus to make my writing time count, but even when I couldn’t be at the keyboard, I found many opportunities to observe the human condition and gather fuel.

During the holidays, emotions are heightened. The highs are higher, the lows lower. Many people want to create a picture-perfect set of memories to carry with them throughout the year. Some try too hard, and some not hard enough. Therein lies inherent conflict—the grist for great stories.

For example, did you see someone who had too much to drink at a holiday party? Was anyone inappropriately flirtatious? Or crude? Or outspoken? Did you overhear any sarcastic comments? Colorful comebacks? Nudges or digs? Was there a Scrooge in the crowd? Did someone hate a gift they received? Dysfunction—family or otherwise—is rich soil for a writer to plow.

On the other hand, did you observe any great acts of generosity? Was someone unusually kind? Witty? Was someone delighted with their gift? Was a meal exceptionally delicious? Did you have the opportunity to see Christmas through the eyes of a child? Do you have happy memories of your own Christmases past? One of these images may spark a story.

Did you have any holiday mishaps? Did the cat climb the Christmas tree? Did the tree fall over? I remember the time my mother accidently whipped egg nog instead of milk into the mashed potatoes (they tasted pretty good). This year I dropped one of my two freshly made-from-scratch pumpkin pies. It landed upside down in a flower bed. Tragic—but also funny (kind of). The stuff of stories.

A writing journal is a great way to keep track of these observations. This year among the wonderful gifts from my Scribe Sisters was a small notebook. I’ve already begun using it to record snippets of conversation; interesting phrases; descriptions of people, places, and things; story ideas; and so much more. Who knows where one of these delectable nuggets may lead?

Happy writing!

Jule

The Best Gift Of All

2010-12-23T19:33:00.000-08:00

There is no greater gift than the gift of friendship. I am truly blessed to be able to call my critique partners, the Scribe Sisters, my closest and dearest friends. They pick me up when I'm feeling down, they give me words of encouragement and praise. But they also know when to check me, bring me back down to Earth, and call me on something in my manuscript that just isn't right.

A year and four months ago I didn't have this precious gift and now I can't remember ever being without it. These ladies have made me feel like I've known them my whole life and we've been friends the entire time. That's right, we met at the Hawaii Writer's Retreat (formerly Maui Writer's Retreat, now defunct altogether) in just August of 2009. As a mystery writer, two thriller writers, and a young adult writer it was completely illogical that we'd hit it off, yet we did. We've been conferencing and critiquing together ever since and if a few months go by and we don't see each other we start feeling the itch.

If you don't have a group of friends or a fantastic critique group like this, don't despair. Keep looking. Go to conferences, retreats, and workshops. Seek people out and you will find them. Then you to can have the greatest gift of all, dear friends and critique partners all rolled up into one.

Happy holidays from the Scribe Sisters! We appreciate each and every one of you that takes time out of your life to follow us or just to stop by. May your holiday and all of next year be filled with blessings!

~Heather

Christmas Wherever you Are...

2010-12-22T08:37:00.000-08:00

Last week on Twitter I sent a "Happy Holidays" message to some online friends. A woman wrote back and said, "I don't celebrate Christmas because I don't have any family." I knew she'd lost her mother this year, but I didn't realize she didn't have any other family. Then two days ago I flew with a captain, in training, who'd lost his wife a couple years ago in a car accident. He chose to fly over Christmas because it was too hard to be home.

During this time of rushing, buying, wrapping, and eating-- It's important to remember the meaning of Christmas. Look beyond the gifts and the shopping chaos. Remember it's about the people you're with. If they're sitting across the table from you---your blessed.

In an hour I'll be heading to the airport on my way to Tokyo. I'll miss Christmas with my family, this year. The first time, ever. I've had a lucky career. Now, 250 candy canes fill by bag for the kids, young and old. My flight bag is packed with chocolate, and gifts for my entire crew. Champagne and prizes. I'm hosting a surprise holiday party in Honolulu. I'm making Christmas happen, regardless of where I am, or who I'm with.

There will be many people who won't be able to spend the holiday with those they love this year. But we can enjoy Christmas with whatever our circumstance may be. Christmas cheer can be spread to all. I'll be thinking of my family and friends wishing them a joyous holiday from afar. Because I'm flying, someone is home with their family. And I get to fly my passengers home to their loved ones.

Wherever you are. Enjoy the day. Find someone to reach out to and share the love of the season.

Happy Holidays to All!

XOX Karlene

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-21T15:55:00.000-08:00

When I was a child, the magic of the Christmas tree was probably my favorite thing of the season. The joy of lying on the floor next to the tree, squinting at its lights so they blurred and sent out shoots of color, was fabulous, and added to the fantastical tales I would tell myself in that magic place at that magic moment.

Now that I'm the one who decorates the tree and sees the excitement and joy in children's eyes when they get near it, I'm reminded of those daydreams and those magical moments. Far from thinking those feelings belong only to children, though, what a sense of joy it is to remember how powerful they are, and how deeply embedded imagination and magic are in the human psyche. Even the grown up kind!

Wishing you all wonderful holiday magic, whatever your source may be. May we all be available to and touched by the thrill of imagination that takes us to incredible places in our minds.

Linda

Living in the Moment

2010-12-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you do your holiday shopping in July, but somehow I always find myself shopping in the second or third week of December. I don’t know why I wait until then, since there are so many other holiday “musts,” like decorating, parties, baking, cards, and so on at the same time. How will everything get done? Holiday attractions and writing distractions abound!

Sometimes, no matter how focused you are on writing, other commitments need attention. And that’s okay. When writing is part of your life, it has to fit into your life. Yesterday, a family outing to the Houston Ballet to see the Nutcracker took me away from my usual Saturday writing time. The dazzling performance mesmerized the three children, and a big part of the fun for me was seeing the rapt wonder on their faces. I’ll remember this experience for the rest of my life.

Since we all have demands on our time, it’s important to make our writing time count. Now I have some catching up to do, but here I am with the laptop once again, focused and full of ideas for my story.

In my post last week I discussed how compartmentalization helps me focus during my precious writing time, but there’s a related principle that helps me in every aspect of my life: living in the moment.

Living in the moment, or mindful living, means experiencing each moment of our lives consciously and fully. Its roots are in Buddhism, Taoism, and some Native American traditions, according to "The Art of Now: Six Steps to Living in the Moment," by Jay Dixit in the November, 2008, issue of Psychology Today. This article does a great job of describing living in the moment and how to do it.

I first latched onto the idea of living in the moment about fifteen years ago, when I undertook a small study of Buddhist principles. In life, all we really have are moments; experiencing them fully and with presence of mind resonates with me.

Yesterday if I’d been worrying about my writing I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the Nutcracker performance with my family. Living in the moment gave me an unforgettable experience. Today, I’m living in the moment for writing, and during this special time, nothing will distract me.

Living in the moment does not prevent planning ahead. Maybe next year I’ll start that holiday shopping in July!

Happy writing and happy holidays!

Jule

The Power of Conferences

2010-12-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Johanna Harness!

This week on twitter I came across a very excited writer, Johanna Harness, who'd just signed with an agent. I was so happy for her, I visited her blog to tell her congratulations and realized where she'd met her agent--- in my backyard.

Reaching out to Johanna, I asked her to share her story. And an amazing story it is.

Johanna Harness

Holding two master's degrees, one in literature and the other in education, Johanna taught English for over ten years. But she didn't become involved in writing on a regular basis until a couple years ago. Every story has an inciting incident, and Johanna's was the death of her father.

"I realized very few of us have as much time as we think we do. If I wanted to fulfill this dream of being a writer, I had to put in the time. I started getting up in early mornings to write because that's when my house was quiet. People who've known me all my life are shocked when I started doing this because I've never been a morning person.

The first novel I wrote was all about getting words on the page. I didn't have a clue how to start, so I just sat and poured it all out. The book included some good scenes and dialog, but it was kind of a bring-your-own-plot kind of reading experience. Not good."

Johanna tells me that was the only book that she "deemed impossible to revise." What did she do? "I had no choice but to start over if I wanted to tell that story. So I applied lessons learned and read a lot about the craft, but I also knew I had to start reaching out to others. I didn't have to create the novel as if it were a brand new art form. I had the option of connecting with talented writers-- to learn from their experience as well as my own."

Where did she go? Twitter! She started with the #amwriting hashtag. Her teaching background, and years of lecturing college students, gave her the experience and comfort of knowing the "power of words and writing." But Johanna shares the wisdom when she says, "I know that writing can transform writers--- and very good writing can transform readers. The importance of individual voices and outlooks can't be overstated. As I was reaching out to learn from other writers, it only made sense to create a space where we could all learn from each other."

After meeting so many writers on Twitter, Johanna ventured out to the conference circuit. Her first: The local SCBWI conference--- close to home and reasonably priced. The next year (2010) she went to the PNWA, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, here in Seattle. My fellow Scribe sisters and I were at that conference as well. This is where she learned to pitch and met her agent--- Carolyn Swayze. A couple weeks later, she ventured to the Willamette Writers Conference in Portland Oregon.

"The more I connect to other writers and attend workshops, the more ideas I have for developing my skills. The more support I have, the more support I'm able to give to other. There a wonderful synergy at work."

Johanna's time now is devoted to homeschooling her kids, and writing. She writes young adult and middle grade novels. Short stories from the world of her YA character, Claire Morgane, can be found by clicking Here.

You can also find Johanna at her Author Blog and she's developed the #amwriting website She can also be found on twitter @johannaharness

Thank you Johanna for sharing your incredible story of what it takes to become a writer. Your commitment and dedication is evident, and your continued success is your reward. I am so glad I have the opportunity to know you.

Conferences bring success. Writing. Learning. Connecting. The scribe sisters will be attending the SDSU writers' conference at the end of January. We hope to see all our readers there too!

~Enjoy the Journey!

Karlene

Distractions—Help!

2010-12-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

I woke up in the middle of the night in a panic about whether I'd sent the right Christmas packages to the right people. Sheesh. I had. Then I got up early and while I sipped my coffee and waited for the dawn to break, literally as well as figuratively, I heard an unwelcome sound, besides the steadily raging rainstorm that had started about fourteen hours earlier: a drip, drip, drip that seemed suspiciously interior. It was. Water dripping from a ceiling light fixture(!!), which I knew meant there was a leak coming from the deck above my ceiling. I live in a condo complex that is complex in many ways, including structurally, and my upstairs neighbors have a deck that tops part of my living room. I woke the building manager and got him over here, poor guy, to check it out and get hold of the roofers.

Rain stopped, and so did the dripping. Roofers in the offing. I thought, okay, now I can get some work done, which is, of course, when the phone started ringing and the cat decided to get sick and my neighbor needed some help with getting a chair moved from one room to another (which can be tricky with skinny condo-type doorways).

Well, I'm ashamed to say, I let the distractions do their worst, and no writing got done. What work energy I had remaining, I devoted to reading a fascinating book on character psychology in fiction (The Writer's Guide to Psychology by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD—the same Carolyn Kaufman who is a contributor over on QueryTracker.net: http://querytracker.blogspot.com/. Definitely a worthwhile read—both the book and the blog. So all was not lost. But I was thinking about Jule's post on focus, and how that had just not been in my grasp this day.

I know my patterns: when I get into something, my focus is almost unbreakable and can go on for a very long time—days and weeks. But getting myself in is a challenge, especially when so many pretty shiny things, like dripping ceiling light fixtures and ringing telephones, call to me. I can't always compartmentalize the way I need to. I don't move from one mindset and type of energy to another with nearly the level of ease I'd like.

The idea of using compartmentalization to focus is excellent, and I'm searching for new methods. Help! How do YOU do it?? My best methods so far are meditation and writers' yoga (a ten-minute series of moves from which you go directly to the page). They are great. But the meditation is more for creative ideation and the yoga is for that last push to the page. Repeating the yoga after a distraction can help, but doesn't always work to get refocused.

How do You overcome the distractions we all experience sometimes, and zero in on your writing? Do you set aside certain times for writing, and if you do, what is it that allows you to claim focus at those times? And if distractions come up, as they inevitably will sometimes, how do you deal with them and get right back to your writing? Would you be willing to share your methods?

Signed,

Desperate, Curious and Hopeful, All at the Same Time,
Linda

The Power of Focus

2010-12-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

In recent weeks here on Scribe Sisters we’ve discussed writing your passion and how it helps to have balance in your life. Today I want to throw another important ingredient into the mix: the power of focus.

There’s no doubt passion plays an important role in writing. When writing is your passion, and you feel passionate about your story, you have a strong motivation. At the same time, all work and no play can make anyone a bit dull. Family, friends, the day job, and other interests provide the necessary balance and ignite our creativity.

On the other hand, all too often I hear about passionate writers who lead well balanced lives, yet still cannot finish a story. Sad to say, I know of someone with five different writing projects going on all at once, who last I heard, hadn’t finished any of them.

Most creative people have lots of ideas and excel at starting new projects. Do you keep your story ideas in a notebook or computer file? I do, and there are so many, I hope I live long enough to write them all! Do you start projects around the house and not finish them? I have to admit, I have a few.

Passionate people can be scattered. There are so many things I want to do in this world—how about you? I know someone who is always busy, but how much does he really accomplish? Not as much as you might think. Does “busyness” really make a difference? I’d say no. Busyness needs a strong focus in order to be effective.

Some passionate people may talk a lot, but leave the doing to others. I know someone at my day job like that. She can wax eloquent with terrific ideas, but her follow-through is non-existent. How much does she accomplish? Very little.

Once I worked on a project that involved a prominent physician. In addition to treating patients, he was an executive of a major hospital, the national chairman of a well-known organization, a sought-after speaker, a brilliant researcher, and author of scientific articles. I asked him, how did he manage everything? He had some help, but much of his work he accomplished on his own. What made him so effective? He told me he compartmentalizes. What that means is, when he’s seeing a patient, he focuses only on that one person. He doesn’t think about anything else at that moment. When he’s in a meeting, he focuses only on the topic of discussion, and so on. I tried compartmentalizing the various aspects of my life, and it works! Compartmentalizing helps me focus on writing and nothing else during my precious writing time.

What it takes to finish a story is focus, and focus isn’t sexy. Focus means slogging through when the writing becomes tough, the time when too many potentially wonderful writers drop out. Finishing is doggone hard work. Some writers say they develop a love/hate relationship with their stories. Plugging away when the fires of passion have cooled, when other exciting projects sing their siren songs, can be difficult. When that happens, it helps to remember why you started the project in the first place. What was it about that idea that inspired you? Refocus on that emotion and use it to your advantage.

When passion ignites too many ideas, when life scatters our energies, when interest wanes in the project at hand, focus remains a powerful tool. Focus makes a huge difference in my life. When I come home tired from the day job, focus is what sits me down at my computer and keeps me going. Relatively few people in this world finish a manuscript, but I’ve finished one and am close to finishing another, thanks to the power of focus. Passion gets us started, but focus propels us to “The End.”

Happy writing!

Jule

Big Sur Childrens Writers' Workshop

2010-12-09T15:05:00.000-08:00

Big Sur is a workshop for children's writers like none other that I have ever been to. It is put on by the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and the Henry Miller Library. The focus of this conference isn't landing an agent or a publisher, though those opportunities do exist, it is about honing your craft and learning how to accept and give critiques. There is no official pitching but there were plenty of chances to unofficially pitch or talk to the agents about your work. All nine of the agents from the agency were there.

I had the pleasure of meeting up with my Twitter friend Karen Strong while I was there. We not only had a great time but we learned a lot and made a few great connections.

After a short introduction we set to work on the first day. We were assigned our groups and headed to our first session. Myself and four other writers~yep you read that right, only four~were with agent Jamie Weiss Chilton. Jamie had each of us read our first chapters and comment on each others work using constructive criticism. She then commented on each of our readings, giving advice and guidance.

After this session we went to dinner which was not what I expected, in a very good way. The agents mingled with us and each of them sat at a different table so we could sit with them. Agent Caryn Wiseman made the most fantastic impression upon me at that dinner. I know who I'll be querying with the agency! Every meal held the same opportunity for learning and networking.

The next day we were placed with a different agent and went through another chapter with a new group. After that we went back with our original group for a follow up on the work of the previous day. In between there were panels with both agents and editors where we not only had the chance to learn, but also to ask questions. I had no idea one could learn so much in only a weekend.

If you want to learn about and experience how a good critique group works then this workshop is for you. There is a good chance you might even form a critique group while you're there. If you're interested in submitting to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency then you need to go to this workshop.

~Heather

Everyone Has a Story

2010-12-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

Inciting incident...

A couple months ago I was introduced to Mireille Goyer, a woman who had been sponsoring a year long celebration in honor of the first woman who obtained her pilots license 100 years ago. Mireille was attempting to get 2010 new women and girls in the air this year. I decided to help. I began blogging on her behalf. Tweeting. Talked about doing "something" with a few people. But never really became fully committed to the event. The weather in Seattle is iffy. I was on reserve. But I was thinking, and talking about it.

Fully committed...

I returned home from Europe, and stuck to my door was a note with a phone number from an old pilot friend. It had been three years, I was busy, but he was a great guy. I called. I told him about the Centennial of Women Pilots event, and he said to call, Dick Smith. Another pilot we both had worked with who had a little plane. I called. Dick said, "I'd love to help." I had a plane. I had a pilot. Scheduling gave me a week of vacation, and I had a date.

Two weeks to go--- I became fully committed! Wow--- just like the protagonist in my novel.

Obstacles...

In the final hour, the last third of my novel, everything that could go against this event popped up. We were turning the bend in the river and heading for the waterfall without a paddle. Could we do it?

Two weeks before the event we had a snow storm! Three days before, fronts were moving in and the rain was pouring. The day before my printer stopped working, I got locked out of my email for being a potential spammer, and I lost my power chord to my camera. Kinkos solved my printing problem... but they printed the wrong blog address (This went unknown until after the event). And the manager of the flight center was contemplating canceling the event as it grew too fast. The day of our event--- one of our planes dropped out because the engine wouldn't start. One of our pilots needed to leave at noon. We had scheduled 180 people to show up, and had no idea when they'd be there.

CLIMAX....

But despite all odds, without that paddle, we not only survived but had an incredible event. Two fronts encased the airport and held the weather back. We had exactly the right number of planes for the number of women that arrived. The protagonist in this story learned the power of inspiration and empowerment for those who never believed their dreams could come true, and that anything is possible.

I also learned that when the darkest hours are occurring in your life, destroying everything you've worked for, preventing you from reaching your goals, and you think you can't make it--- If you don't give up, you will finish your story and become a success. Be it writing. Finishing your novel. Looking for an agent. Getting published. We are the protagonists in our own story. And in every great novel, the protagonist never loses--- she always wins. When things appear to be going the wrong direction, that just means you're getting close to the finish line. Stick to it. You'll win!

Everyone has a story. Tell yours. Then start the next book.

Happy Writing!

~ Karlene

Flight of the Mind

2010-12-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

My Scribe Sister, Karlene, organized a wonderful event this past weekend: free short, scenic flights for women and girls to show support for women in aviation and maybe inspire some of the participants to become pilots. Only 6% of commercial pilots are women, even in this day and age. Karlene has her own flight blog where she talks about her experiences as a commercial international airline pilot (http://karlenepetitt.blogspot.com/), and she's posting about the weekend's experience there. Check it out for the amazing details.

For me, the experience of going up in a small plane with a couple of my friends and a long-time pilot, turned out to be truly inspiring. At 2,000 feet in a small Sesna 176 (I think), we soared over beautiful lakes and forrested communities, with incredible views of the Cascade Mountain Range, Mount Ranier, and unending natural beauty. The Sesna we were in is over fifty years old and its owner/pilot, Mark, calls it his jalopy. He even sang us a song he wrote about flying his jalopy across the US. The plane sputtered and jiggled on the tarmac and started out wobbly in the air, but it felt just like going on a big adventure and I never for one moment felt anything but safe and elated.

I was delighted with the opportunity to support Karlene and this worthy cause, but really, she and the cause gave me such a gift. I got way more from it than I gave. It freed me up in a way I rarely experience. For fifteen minutes there were no cares in the world, only the incredible sense of soaring and participating in nature. My mind felt like the fresh air after a cleansing rain: wide open, fresh and clear. I even began to fantasize about learning to fly, because this feeling could be addictive. It could free up all sorts of creative ideas as the mind gets its own chance to take flight.

Thanks, Karlene. That was great!

Linda

Writers Write...and Give Books

2010-12-05T16:50:00.000-08:00

“Heh, heh, heh.” My son chuckled last year, as he hefted the package agleam with holiday wrapping. With a twinkle in his eye, he said, “Another book.”

He knows me all too well, and after a little good-natured teasing about how his stack of gifts always contains a book, he tore off the wrapping and broke into a genuine grin when he saw what it was.

For years I’ve given books to everyone on my list, and not only for the holidays. Birthdays, too! For an inspired gift, tailor your choice to the recipient’s interests. Mystery? Romance? Art? History? Thriller? Inspiration? Fantasy? There’s something on the bookshelves for everyone. If a person doesn’t read much, you still can find something to please. Do-It-Yourself books for the new home owner, puzzles for the crossword fanatic, a new cookbook for the foodie, a guidebook for the traveler, and so on.

If you’re looking for some ideas, here are a few of my personal faves this year—in no particular order—guaranteed to keep the pages turning late into the night. Many are thrillers, since that’s my genre, but I read widely, so this list includes other genres as well. Incidentally, all of these recommendations are my own; no one has paid me to make them.

Altar of Eden, by James Rollins (William Morrow). Amazing adventure involving genetically altered exotic animals—Rollins’ best yet in a long line of outstanding thrillers.

Moonlight Mile, by Dennis Lehane (William Morrow). Love the voice of the main character, Patrick Kenzie, who still struggles with an ethical choice he made twelve years ago.

Ice Cold, by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine Books). Maura Isles may not get out of this one!

Layover in Dubai, by Dan Fesperman (Alfred A. Knopf). A working stiff gets in waaaaaay over his head when his company sends him to Dubai to keep an eye on a co-worker…who turns up dead.

House Justice, by Mike Lawson (Atlantic Monthly Press). Joe DeMarco has to uncover the source of a leak that caused the death of a CIA agent in Iran. Tense and complex.

Capitol Offense, by William Bernhardt (Ballantine Books). Ben Kincaid represents an unlikable professor accused of the murder of a police detective and finds nothing is as it seems, until Ben’s investigator Loving steps in to help.

Live to Tell, by Lisa Gardner (Bantam). A psych ward, emotionally shattered children, desperate families, and murder. Terrific suspense.

American Assassin, by Vince Flynn (Atria Books). Eleventh in the Mitch Rapp series, showing how Mitch got his start and developed his ingenious style. Spine-tingling!

The Help, by Katherine Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books). An awesome debut. The gripping story of three extraordinary women: a young college grad and two African American housekeepers in 1960’s Mississippi.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski (P. S.). A stunning debut based on Hamlet and a fascinating portrayal of the lives of people and dogs.

Down River, by John Hart (Thomas Dunn Books). Beautifully written literary thriller about a young man with a chip on his shoulder who returns home and is promptly accused of murder.

Murder Past Due, by Miranda James (Berkeley Prime Crime). NY Times Best Selling cozy about Charlie and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel. Great for a cold winter day, an easy chair by the fireside, and a cup of hot chocolate.

Lone Star Noir, various authors (Akashic Press). An anthology of short stories from around my home state of Texas. Gripping tales from the dark side. You’ll never look at Texas the same way again!

Luka and the Fire of Life, by Salman Rushdie (Random House). I attended a reading by Mr. Rushdie recently, and this story wowed me. A children’s story for all ages.

Journals—always good for any budding writers on your list.

This holiday season, when you go shopping, remember to support your local indie bookstores. They’ll treat you like an honored guest and give you great recommendations, because they read everything they sell. No indie in your town? Many take orders online or by phone. In my area, a great indie bookstore is Murder by the Book: http://www.murderbooks.com/ or 888-4-AGATHA.

My Scribe Sisters may have more gift recommendations, and you may, also! I’d love to see them—feel free to drop in, comment on my recommendations and make some of your own!

Happy holidays, and happy writing!

Jule

Supporting The Book Industry

2010-12-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

Last week I read a post by Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest that really made me think about supporting the publishing industry. The holidays are approaching and like many other industries, the book industry is hoping for increased sales. Will they get them though? As a writer who is hoping to one day be published, I hope they do get their sales. It made me look at my own holiday shopping list.

Are you supporting the industry you want to work in? Are you buying books for the holidays this year, if so how many? I was horrified to realize that before I had read Chuck's post I wasn't buying very many books. It wasn't because I couldn't or that my gift recipients wouldn't want them, I just hadn't thought about it. That's kind of like working in the farming industry and buying only imported foods. I scrapped that list and made a new one.

Books aren't all I'm buying this year but now they make up the majority of the gifts I am buying. Even those of my loved one's who don't read much will appreciate a book on their favorite hobby or craft. It takes just as much thoughtfulness to come up with a book that suites the person as it would any other gift, which makes it special and personal. Want to know more about supporting the publishing industry? Check out Chuck's blog post at this link.

~Heather

Writing "With" Passion

2010-12-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

Two days ago my husband and I saw a great "feel good" movie-- Morning Glory. On the way home he told me that the protagonist, Becky Fuller, played by Rachel McAdams, reminded him of me.

Me? Wow. Becky was a television producer, but I'm a pilot, mother, grandmother, and author. Not only did I think about his comment, but also analyzed what I loved about this movie. The answer to both questions is --- Passion.

Becky was driven by passion. Late hours. Early hours. Sacrifice. Nothing stopped her. She had a dream and that dream carried her to her quest. She loved her job. Everything I've done in my life, has only been fueled by passion. Every job I've had, I've loved. Everything I've done has been full throttle. I've attacked writing with the same passion.

Passion--- a driving force--- is why mere mortals accomplish incredible feats. Passion is why authors become published. Passion is why you will continue to write until your book is complete, start the next, and never give up on finding an agent and publisher. It's about dreaming plot points while you sleep. Pulling off to the side of the road because you have an idea that must be written down before it's forgotten. It's about going to conference after conference, knowing that the next one you will become discovered.

But just like all good stories, protagonists must learn something in the end and have that ah ha moment. Becky's was about balance. I have a lot to learn from Becky Fuller.

How do you balance your passion with life--- without putting out the fire?

Yesterday, Linda wrote a great post Writing Your Passion. Today I say--- Do it with passion!

~Enjoy the Journey!

Karlene~

Writing Your Passion

2010-11-30T17:11:00.000-08:00

These days it can be difficult to stay true to why we write, given everything going on in the industry. Yesterday I read a thought-provoking article from Slate that was linked on Nathan Bransford's blog (http://blog.nathanbransford.com/). Nathan often offers up gems. This one is long, but as he points out, well worth reading all the way through. It focuses on the tremendous increase in MFA writing programs and the relationship between this rising power and New York publishing (http://www.slate.com/id/2275733/pagenum/all/). It seems that there's now a sort of contest between the MFA world and the NYC publishing world over who's more significant to writing, and who is in control. I'd never thought about this issue—but in my defense, I had no idea that since the mid-seventies the number of MFA writing programs has exploded from 79 to 854!

A couple of major points from the article: first, people are getting MFAs not only to be able to write (or write as a primary goal) these days, but to get jobs teaching writing, and speaking about writing. It's a whole industry of its own, although the putative purpose of a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing, as far as I know, is still to learn to write like an angel whom publishers will snap up. The second major point was a confirmation of what most of us have intuited lately: the NYC publishing industry is in transition, and it's tough to break in if you're a midlister. If you write like Jonathan Franzen in the literary bestseller category, or Lee Child in the blockbuster genre category, that's different. But there's not much room, currently, for Really Good but Not a Bestseller. Where do these points leave us? And for how long? (How the MFA situation affects writers trying to get published was not clarified. Nor was there discussion of exactly how this odd relationship between the MFA and NYC worlds is affecting new writers. Both questions seem pertinent, though.)

After I read the Slate article, I went away and sat in my chair and stared at the wall for a couple of hours. I love midlist authors. Love to read them and cheer them on to more books, and to becoming bestselling authors over time as they build audience. Some of the best, most creative stuff comes from midlisters. I'd love to be a published midlist author with the potential to grow with additional books.

There seems to be no end to the unsettling messages about what's happening in the writing/publishing world. Change is inevitable always, though, and those who find a way to work with that are those who get opportunities for engagement in the life they want. As I sat in my chair the thoughts and feelings swirled and settled. Bottom line: there's no question that whatever's going on out there, if you love writing you must write. It's interesting and important to keep up with developments in the writing and publishing establishments, and to take them into consideration as you go forward, but not to let those outside influences change what you write. By the time you get your book written, outside influences will have changed again. The key is still to write your passion.

Lee Child seems passionate about justice. Jonathan Franzen seems passionate about finding meaning in the angst of out-of-hand emotions brought on by everyday life. What you are passionate about can be something else altogether. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering, or noble in a grand sense, or written so cleverly that people will want to quote your bon mots for eternity (although those things can be great). It just has to be something you feel driven by, and know in your heart is important. If those things are true in your writing, then people will feel enriched when they read your work.

Great craft comes from study, trial and error, talent, and lots of work. We can learn craft and build ours over time. But the impetus and the sustenance and the success come from what's in your writer's heart.

I've written a manuscript that is tagged as women's suspense, and I know that it's certainly about the suspense of emotional survival that we all face, from a woman's point of view. This book has meant a lot to me. I think of it as a midlist novel, and I hope it finds a home with a publisher. Now I can't wait to get to my next novel, which I plan to start in January. I think its story is strong. Maybe strong enough to take me to a new level of writing. It's a totally different topic—actually an historical about Native Americans, but it turns out that it's also about not only physical, but emotional, survival. Hmmm. This subject matter resonates with me to the point of passion.

What are you writing? Whatever the outer form, or category, what is it that drives your passion? If you know the answer to that, I think maybe you've been given a gift from the gods that you should never, ever, let go. Whatever's going on "out there" in the world of publishing, for us as writers, it's still really all about what's inside.

Linda

Un-Style-ish Turkeys

2010-11-28T16:36:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a wonderful holiday, but before going back to the workaday world, I wanted to share some of my favorite Thanksgiving Turkeys. You might say these are the turkey leftovers. When they creep into a manuscript, they can turn a gourmet meal into last night’s hash. Do you recognize any of these deep fried darlings in your writing? If you do, wring their necks!

Adverbs

Adverbs are those pesky –ly words, as well as words like even, never, always, then, here, etc. These slugs suck the lifeblood from a sentence. Delete them, and you lose nothing. Your writing becomes tighter, more succinct. If you feel an adverb is necessary, the problem may be a weak verb. Juice up that verb, and you won’t need an adverb.

Example: She desperately wanted to win the pageant. vs. She yearned to win the pageant. In this example, “yearned” is a much stronger verb than “wanted.” No adverb necessary.

Exercise: Go through a paragraph you’ve written and highlight all the adverbs, then see if you can find another way to say the same thing.

Passive Voice

Passive voice turns around a sentence from subject/verb/object to object/verb/subject. To me, passive voice sounds mealy-mouthed, equivocal. Well-written stories in all genres, including literary, have strong characters who think, say, and do things. Passive voice turns these actions around backwards and weakens them.

Example: The pop-fly for the last out of the ninth was caught by Jeremy. vs. Jeremy caught the pop-fly for the last out of the ninth.

Exercise: A dead giveaway for passive voice is the word “by.” Highlight any sentences you’ve written that include this word and see if you’ve written that sentence in passive voice. If so, turn it around so that the subject is performing the action.

“Was” Verbs

Verbs are action words or being words (forms of the verb “to be”). We all know that acting is stronger than being, so why do we use verb constructions like “was going” or “was thinking” or “was having,” to name a few? Vivid verbs create the most memorable writing. Look at the passages you love from your favorite books, and I guarantee you’ll find vivid verbs.

Example: Susie and my brother were kissing under the mistletoe. vs. Susie and my brother kissed under the mistletoe.

Exercise: Highlight all forms of the verb “to be” in your writing, and replace as many as possible with vivid verbs.

Word Repetitions and Overuse

Word repetitions are one of my pet peeves because they slip into my writing unnoticed. For example, recently I wrote a page that used the word “clamped” twice (now corrected). Writers also overuse “he,” “she,” “his,” and “hers,” “that,” “only,” “just,” “then,” etc.

Example: He went where he thought he would find the present he most wanted to buy. vs. He went to buy the present.

Exercise: Read aloud to another person, and you’ll be surprised at how the word repetitions jump out at you. The other person will catch them also. Make the thesaurus your friend. A great thesaurus is available for free at Dictionary.com. Increase your vocabulary by choosing the exact word for the nuance you want to express.

Wrong Usage

The culprits in this category are homonyms, such as lose/loose, affect/effect, bear/bare, and sole/soul, or words that sound similar, such as clique/cliché. Spell check and grammar check may miss these errors. If you aren’t sure of the correct usage, buy a copy of Strunk and White, The Elements of Style, or another good usage manual. It will help cure you of these mistakes.

Example: His actions effected the outcome of the mission. Vs. His actions affected the outcome of the mission. General rule of thumb: Effect is a noun, affect is a verb.

Exercise: Read up on grammar and usage and sensitize yourself to your common mistakes.

Attribution Tags

Attribute dialogue as necessary to clarify which character spoke, but don’t overuse it. Use the word “said,” rather than “exclaimed,” “grinned,” “leered,” “menaced,” etc. (How does a grin sound, anyway?) Occasional use of words like “shouted” and “whispered” can convey the loudness of the character’s voice, but the key word is “occasional.” Don’t use adverbs to beef up the “said.” One way to fix attribution tags is to replace them with a beat, which is a separate sentence conveying the action.

Example: “Hi, Janet,” he grinned. or “Hi, Janet,” he said brightly. vs. “Hi, Janet.” He beamed a dazzling smile at his fiancée.

Exercise: Review your attribution tags and replace them with said or with a beat.

Telling Feelings

A story is much more compelling when the writer shows us, rather than tells us the character’s feelings. Showing is alive, visceral. Telling is flat, third party. Easy to say, harder to do. For a master class in how to show rather than tell, read anything by Ernest Hemingway.

Example: He felt happy. vs. His steps had a bounce to them, and the sidewalk seemed to sparkle in the sunshine. The air smelled fresh and clean.

Exercise: Do a word search on “feel” and “felt” and replace them with words that show what the character was feeling. Use plenty of sensory detail.

Hope these turkey tips are helpful for you as they have been for me.

Writing brings me tons of enjoyment and connection to so many wonderful people, for which I give heartfelt thanks every day.

Happy writing!

Jule

What This Writer Is Thankful For

2010-11-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

After I wrote a post on this subject over at Heather's Odyssey I realized I had left something very important out. As far as writerly things go, I am most thankful for the one thing that made me want to be a writer in the first place, books. When we get caught up in our own writing it's easy to overlook the one thing that drew us to it. We must never forget though. For some, myself included, it can be hard to find time to read. But if we aren't reading we aren't growing.

Reading is also a great way to keep up with the trends in the industry. You don't have to write them but it is important to know what they are. When it comes time to query and you need to give a few comparables they need to be current and you have to know what's hot.

I am thankful for books of all kinds. Though I write young adult and fantasy I try to branch out and read other genres any time I get the chance. Whether they are books on the craft of writing like The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman, Writing The Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, or books I'm reading for pleasure like Mistwood by Leah Cypess, Spells by Aprilynne Pike, The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan, or Grave Witch by Kalayna Price, I'm getting something wonderful and worthwhile out of them. I'm also a huge supporter of debut authors. To strengthen the industry we want to work in, we must support it by buying books. That's my excuse for a monthly book allowance. ;-) I highly recommend each of the books I mentioned and if you're interested in them you can click on the name.

Happy Thanksgiving every one! I'm thankful for each and every one of you. So writers, what are you thankful for this year?

~Heather

Giving Thanks to our Mentors

2010-11-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

Monday, on my personal blog Flight To Success, I wrote about a pilot who'd impacted my life. The comments on twitter, from pilots who'd also had their lives impacted by someone special, flowed. Then someone special popped up from the writing community.

The tweets that resonated with me, were from Elizabeth Marcellin. @EPMarcellin Elizabeth is a fantasy writer and mother of two. She recently published Element Keepers: Whispers of the Wind. Elizabeth wrote:

EPMarcellin Although she wrote it about #aviation, @KarlenePetitt blog article can easily apply to the tight and hard to crack world of writing too

EPMarcellin @KarlenePetitt We both have and had great mentors who helped us along in many different ways. I think much in life relates to who you know.

EPMarcellin @KarlenePetitt Glad to pass the word around! Your last blog article applies as much to my husband's pilot career path as to my writer path.

Elizabeth's words inspired my post today. I think we all have someone in our life who has inspired and impacted our writing, or whatever we're doing in life. My writing mentors are my fellow Scribe Sisters, Heather, Linda and Jule, and William Bernhardt. They are all helping me to become the author I dream of becoming. My husband is my greatest mentor of an incredible work ethic. There have been many pilots along my career path, including Bo, who've been there to open doors. I continually try to be that person for others, too.

Who impacted your career as a writer? Who inspired you? Who would you like to thank? The best form of thanks is to pay if forward. Reach out and touch a life today. We would love to hear your stories.

Thank you all for your comments and support. You are truly appreciated.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Karlene

Contest Winner: A Writer's Guide to Fiction

2010-11-23T19:52:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who entered our book giveaway contest for Elizabeth Lyon's wonderful book on writing, A Writer's Guide to Fiction. What a great feeling to share a quality resource with others on this journey to becoming the best writers we can be.

The winner, chosen through Random Lists, is Kristal Lee! Congratulations, Kristal. Check out Kristal's blog by clicking on her name.

Soup-to-Nuts: What's Your Process?

2010-11-23T16:06:00.000-08:00

When we first become writers, do we think "process?" Not likely. Most of us are so energized and in love with writing (please may that never, ever go away!), that what we imagine is that we'll write our book, it might get a few rejections, then it will be picked up by a great agent, taken to a great editor, sold to the publisher and the public and voila! Our writing career is launched.

But it doesn't usually work quite that smoothly (understatement of the day). It's when we realize that, that we begin to focus on our full writing process.

We all know about the importance of routine and discipline. Almost all of us know about the importance of workshopping and learning to use critique well so that we can face revision with confidence and excitement. Most of us are also familiar with the value of specific tools for revision that can make a difference to publishability: it's not just about good writing or a good story, it's about good structure and all that comes with that, like how to fold in plot complications and character depth strategically (these things don't always come instinctively, especially in the long form of the novel).

Retreats, workshops, books on writing, and my fabulous critique group have been my greatest resources for figuring out what works best for me. So far, it looks like this:

1. The most important thing a writer can do on his/her route to publication is to finish the first draft of the novel. Although that might sound like the result of the process, it's really just the beginning. No one publishes their first draft. It's what we must have to work with to create a publishable book.

There's no need for a detailed outline of your book before you write the first draft (unless you are a writer who knows that's how you work best). I like to know my main characters well, know the situation they're in that turns their lives upside down (the inciting incident), and what the climax is likely to be about. I also need to know how the novel is likely to end before I begin writing, but not everyone does.

A key reason to have your complete (or substantially complete) manuscript as you go forward in your process is that you will have it to look at and work with as you learn, and you can apply what you learn directly to it. Chances are high you will discover ways to improve it that never would have occurred to you in your first draft writing, no matter how much prep work you did. For example, if you are workshopping with other novelists (Step 4 below), almost every piece of information that you hear in the workshop is something you can relate to your manuscript, and may be able to apply directly to it. Not hypothetically, as in "when I write a chapter like that, I'll remember x, y and z," but in real time, as in making changes on the page at that moment. This is huge.

I can't tell you how often I've seen gifted writers in writing groups go nowhere because they don't come to the table with a completed work (or at least a substantial amount of work) that can be critiqued and revised at that time. So the gist of this step is: Write something! Trust yourself, go with the story you want to write, do a minimal outline, and get the story written. You'll be able to perfect it later.

I hear that the more books you write, the easier it gets to apply advanced writing techniques, to the point where you naturally incorporate them in early drafts. I'm looking forward to that for my next (3rd) manuscript!

2. After you've finished your first draft, find good writing technique books, and take the time to read them carefully. Some we like and have talked about a lot on this blog: Noah Lukeman's (literary agent) The First Five Pages; Donald Maass' (literary agent and novelist) Writing the Breakout Novel and Fire in Fiction; Elizabeth Lyon's (professional fiction editor) A Writer's Guide to Fiction and Manuscript Makeover and The Sell Your Novel Toolkit; and one that is new to this blog: Browne and King's Self-Editing for Fiction Writers.

If this is the first time you've attempted to edit/revise your manuscript, stick to the basics from this list: Lukeman, Lyon (Writer's Guide), and maybe Browne and King. The others are more advanced technique, equally important, but not as important at this point.

3. Edit for language, character arcs and story arc.

4. Go to workshops/seminars/conferences/retreats to test your work and, importantly, to learn and to figure out how to improve the book through revision.

5. Read the advanced technique books, and add that knowledge to what you learned at the workshops. You've done a ton of work already, and hopefully you are getting encouragement and still loving your book and the writing process. Now you are ready for that all-important step to publication: Revision with a capital R.

6. Develop a revision process that works for you. Mine is as follows:
   a) create a meta structure for your book (see last week's post on Meta Structure). This is an extensive and inclusive structural overview that allows you to see whether your story is not only getting the job done, but whether it's hitting the keynotes at the right times to have the greatest impact. (I can't imagine doing this without having a complete manuscript first, but I can imagine doing it before the workshopping stage.)
   b) apply a Scene Tracker type of technique (see Oct. 12 post for an example of one) to make sure your scenes are acting as the powerhouses they're supposed to be. To revise scenes, use techniques from the more advanced technique books, like micro-tension (Maass), subtext, detail for character dimension (Lyon), etc. (This could also be done before or after workshopping.)
   c) read the manuscript out loud to catch rhythm, language, or logic issues.
   d) give the manuscript to a trusted beta reader and listen carefully to their comments after they've read it.
   e) revise per the comments you agree with

At this stage I think it's time to let the baby bird fly from the nest (baby? how could something that took this long and this much effort still be a baby? Think about pregnancy....ahhh). Send it out to agents. And, here's part of the process that's difficult for me but oh, so important: don't just sit and wait to hear back. Start your next novel.

Linda

A Writer's Thanksgiving Holiday Feast

2010-11-21T16:44:00.000-08:00

Let’s talk TURKEY. The act of writing may be solitary, but it takes a village to write a book. Never one to MINCE words, I want to extend enormous gratitude to those generous SPIRITS who inspire writers everywhere and help us grow.

To my Scribe Sisters, for your amazing friendship, helpful critique, sympathy when needed, WINE, and CHOCOLATE, heartfelt appreciation. To all writers, agents, and editors who blog, thank you for your great tips and techniques and for telling it like it is.

To everyone who follows our blogs, we love you and live for your comments. Thanks for stopping by Scribe Sisters and contributing your thoughts and ideas. You help us remember we’re not alone. SALUD, and stay in touch!

To writers critique groups: thanks for offering your critique and for sharing your own stories. We learn from each other. To my Tuesday night group, tons of appreciation. You’ve all BEAN terrific, and your critique is spot-on.

To the fantastic agents, editors, and authors who teach the craft of writing and the business of publishing at writers’ conferences and retreats: You’re the CREAM of the crop! Oh, to be even half as good as you. I’m busting my butt to put it all into practice. No room for old CHESTNUTS or overSTUFFED writing.

To all the friendships forged in the intensity and fun of writing: You broaden our horizons, inspire us, and give of yourselves. Friendships like these are the ICING ON THE CAKE for this writer’s life, and I thank you all.

To the outstanding indie bookstores throughout the country, thanks for staying the course in a changing world. You offer your readers personal service and terrific opportunities for writers to publicize their books. I treasure and value Murder by the Book and Brazos Bookstore in my area.

Last, but never least, special thanks to the families who support writers everywhere. You put up with us even when our heads are in our stories. To my family, especially my littlest PUMPKINS, caboodles of love always. You are the APPLES of my eye.

Happy writing and happy Thanksgiving!

Jule

Be The Hero of Your Own Story

2010-11-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting on a plane wondering if blogging is a good idea fatigued. They say, "Don't email when you're tired," and I've already put in a twenty hour day--- Do I dare?

Milan. New York. Seattle. A full and exhausting day. Wheels down in another five hours. My mind is mush. My body aches. My bed is hours away. And yet I reflect upon the journey I'm on. Not necessarily today's journey, but the journey I call life. And then inspiration hit.

Inspiration comes in all forms, and today mine came from Jule's Sunday post. If you haven't already done so, please take the time to read:
Five Steps To A Strong Main Character

There is a direct correlation between the stories we write and our lives. What makes a woman succeed in becoming an airline pilot? What makes a person survive a divorce? What makes an individual survive an abusive relationship? What makes someone survive an life threatening accident? What makes an author survive and succeed in this industry? --- Being a strong character in the story of your life.

Been rejected? Take action and fix whatever needs fixing.
Why is it so important that you finish your novel and/or become published? What is at stake? Find the answer and you've found your motivation.
What struggles have you already overcome? Have the "courage to risk everything."
Don't you dare give up-- even if you want to. You are the hero of your own story.
Be willing to grow. There is so much to learn in this journey to becoming a published author.

Thank you for the inspiration Jule.

Be that strong character in your life--- live loud.

Enjoy the journey!

~ Karlene

Meta Structure for Your Novel

2010-11-16T16:18:00.000-08:00

I've been working on refining my novel's story structure, and have found what I believe is a fabulous method to share with you. It comes from a woman I met at Bouchercon in San Francisco a few weeks ago. After we exchanged a few quick words about story structure in the noisy Bouchercon bar, she offered me her card and told me what to look for on her blog. Her name is Alexandra Sokoloff. She's a published author of adult paranormal fiction and writes a blog on screenwriting tricks for authors(http://thedarksalon.blogspot.com/). She's also a contributor on a respected author blog/webpage called Murderati.com (http://www.murderati.com/), and teaches story structure online (see her October posts on her personal blog for discussion). She's adapted novels for Hollywood, and I think her detailed structural approach is based on that experience as much as anything. She gives great examples from films to support each of her major points.

The essence of Alexandra's approach is to take useful techniques from filmic structure and adapt them to novels. The key difference seems to be that there are eight identified Sequences in the Three Acts of a filmic structure, and the Second Act is broken into Part 1 and Part 2, so that there are four roughly equal segments: Act 1, Act 2 Part 1, Act 2 Part 2, and Act 3. Each Act/Part has Sequences in it, and although you might think the eight Sequences would be distributed equally in each of the four segments (two each), that is actually not a hard and fast rule, particularly when it comes to Act 2 Part 2 and Act 3. Act 2 Part 2 can have three or more Sequences (making the total number greater than eight), and Act 3 can be all one Sequence. It's flexible.

All of this fits within what we are familiar with as the Three Act Structure of roughly sixty scenes (15-30-15), but it breaks things down more and adds a critical structural flow to the second act. Within each Sequence specific categories of things happen. Each Sequence has its own climax, which leads directly into the action of the next Sequence.

If this sounds confusing, it's because I'm trying to explain something big in shorthand. The thing to do is go to Alexandra's personal blog and check out the entries along the right-hand column titled "Story Structure: Elements of (Act 1, Act 2, etc.). She lays out all the specifics, which are excellent. Here's how it looks (if you can make heads or tails from my scribbles) when you sketch out a meta-structure for your novel. I did mine on a large erasable whiteboard, which is fun to do. (Some of the detail is explained after the picture.)

I printed out Alexandra's posts on Elements and used them to make sure I didn't miss any important points while I used this format to create my meta-structure. I divided the whiteboard into four equal vertical columns for the Acts. Under Act 1, I wrote Sequence One, then left space to fill in elements;

then Sequence One Climax, then Sequence Two and space for its elements. Then Act 1 Climax. In the next column, Act 2 Part 1 includes Sequences Three (followed by its climax) and Four, followed by the Midpoint Climax at the bottom of that column. In the case of my story, Act 2 Part 2 (the third column) has Sequences Five, Six (both followed by their climaxes) and Seven, followed by the Act 2 Climax at the bottom of that column. Act 3 (the fourth column) is all Sequence Eight, and includes the Climactic Arc and ends with the Denouement.

Under each Sequence I filled in the meta elements Alexandra tells us about that need to happen within that sequence, such as Opening Image, Protagonist's Outer and Inner Desire, and Allies in Sequence One. I added a few words after each to name what those are in my novel. Same thing for the Central Question, and Plan/Reveal (aka foreshadowing, which can happen in any Sequence), and others in Sequence Two; or Crossing the Threshold Into the Special World, and the Protagonist's Plans and Antagonist's Plans in Act 2 Part 1, Sequence Three, etc. At the end of each Sequence space I drew in a couple-inch-wide rectangle in which to identify the Sequence Climax (in red). (I used black for Sequence numbers, red for climax notes. Also: blue for the Elements and their specifics from my novel; orange, brown and green for subplots and change of main character pov.)

After going from beginning to end, filling in specifics from my manuscript, it was wonderful to have a visual of the novel as a whole, and to be able to see on that one large whiteboard where changes are needed. For example, I could see that I needed a stronger action scene to carry the story from Sequence One to Sequence Two when I looked at the format on the whiteboard and remembered the guidelines Alexandra had given about how one Sequence moves into the next. I found some important gaps in my novel this way, and some places where it became clear that material I included (and knew wasn't really strong) really is extraneous and has to go. Looking at the meta structure of your novel on a big board in front of you adds a new level of understanding.

I'm hoping to finish revisions soon, and start a new book. Thinking about that, I realize I've developed a new approach to writing and revising a manuscript, and this filmic structure is only part of it. It doesn't happen at the very beginning of the process for me (at least not yet). It doesn't replace the initial story and character arcs, index cards with specific scenes, or revision checks like a scene tracker. It's an add-on to those, but seems like a very important one.

Next week I'll try to put it all together and talk about what's making sense to me now as the structural approach part of writing a novel, from conceptualization to final revision. I feel like I'm learning more all the time, and hope sharing this journey is useful to you in your own process of developing what works best for you.

Linda

Five Steps to a Strong Main Character

2010-11-14T16:33:00.000-08:00

Once, without much forethought or prudence, I traveled on a twisting, one-lane road with the rock face of a mountain on my left and a sheer, several-hundred-foot drop-off to the ocean on my right and no guardrail. Backing up or turning around was out of the question, so for eleven tortuous miles my heart rode in my mouth until at last the road widened.

That road reminds me of the character’s journey in a story. Generally, the character with the most to gain or lose should tell the story. He (or she) will run into a lot of problems along the way. Another car could hit him. A boulder could come crashing down the mountainside and squash him. There are no guardrails, so he could scrape the mountain wall or plummet over the edge. He can’t turn around or go back. If the story is a thriller, he must race to beat an impossible deadline, before something terrible happens. In the process, he changes and grows, as we all do when faced with the challenges of life.

Throughout the story, the character must make choices, and they won’t be easy ones. The mountain wall, or the plunge over the side? Generally he battles a villain much stronger than he is, and the choices he makes determine whether or not he’ll win in the end.

Here are some tips to give a character the moxie he needs.

Make him a go-getter.

This guy takes action. Even when he’s down, he’s not out. Actively engage him in the story. Whatever happens, happens because of his choices. He may not always make the right choices, but at least he acts.

Make him want to take on this worthy quest.

There’s a reason why he embarks on the story. Why is it important to him? Particularly in a story that deals with a larger theme, give him a personal stake, something he doesn’t want to lose. He may refuse the quest at first, so give him an inescapable reason to get involved.

Give him the courage to risk everything.

Don’t promise him an easy quest. As readers, we love stories of underdogs who take on impossible tasks and win. Throw boulders in his way, and let him struggle to climb over or around them. Put his life on the line.

Don’t let him give up, even when he wants to.

He’s going to have his low points. Don’t we all at times? That’s what makes us human. How many of us have ever thought of giving up on something we really wanted? Our character will feel that way too. Let him have those feelings, but not for long. After all, he’s the hero. Give him a renewed purpose, and let him realize he mustn’t give up.

Let him be willing to grow.

You know the joke about how the light bulb has to want to change? So it is with a character. As the story unfolds, give him an arc. He may resist, but let him learn tough lessons that show him how he must change. In the end, both he and the story will be stronger.

For advice on pitfalls that can crash your story, such as the victim protagonist, the passive protagonist, and the bumbling protagonist, check out this guest post by author Alicia Rasley on one of my favorite blogs, Jungle Red: Writing Well Is the Best Revenge, written by the terrific ensemble of Rosemary Harris, Hallie Ephron, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Rhys Bowen, Jan Brogan, and Roberta Isleib.

As always, happy writing!

Jule

Writers Overload

2010-11-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

"Stuck. Jammed. Frozen. Clogged. So many words in my head needing to be released that I now have a blockage. I can't clear the pipe. I think I need a plumber's snake. Could it possibly be the problem is I'm trying to write too many things at once?" Quoted from my friend: SUPOVADEA

The challenge among authors is no longer writer's block-- it's writers overload. Writers have a multitude of writing obligations. Twitter. Blogging. Writing. Editing. Synopsis. Queries. Starting a new book. Where do we start? Where do we end? How do we get it all done? Help! There's no time!

I was amazed that I could write my novel in four months. Granted, they were 12 hour days, but I know how that happened. I wasn't working, blogging or tweeting. Now my progress has slowed tremendously. Not because I can't find the words, but my life has merged from the back roads onto the freeway-- and I'm exceeding the speed limit.

I'm back to flying full time, writing two blogs, articles for an on-line magazine, tweeting, emailing, researching, studying, reading blogs, and podcasting. I have a full and demanding family, too.

Prioritizing is a great tool. But I still run out of hours at the end of the day. Supovadea, I'm feeling your pain. And thank you for being my Muse.

How do you manage to squeeze all your writing commitments into your busy day? Any tips would be helpful to those of us digging for that plumber's snake.

Happy Writing!

And remember to enjoy the journey!

~ Karlene

The Importance of the Uglies

2010-11-09T15:58:00.000-08:00

Everyday uglinesses, like meanspirited thoughts or careless inattention to a child's needs, or even poorly prepared meals, can be powerful revelations of what’s going on with a character or with plot development. For years I avoided them in my own writing for the most part, though, because I didn’t like many of the less impressive examples I saw in dark or attempting-to-be-dark moments in novels, and I put the whole concept in the same basket.

My pet peeve was the unpleasant bodily fluid moment. I react badly when writers use graphic descriptions of snot dripping from a character’s nose as he or she cries. The only time I ever saw this done effectively was on film, when Jane Fonda did it in Klute. Most of the time when this sort of thing is done, even if it’s a plausible reaction in the situation, it’s not enlightening with regard to character or plot. The effect, at least for me, is that it seems disgusting with no other purpose. But many writers resort to it when they want to show that no one is pretty all the time. Maybe it's just me who doesn't think it works.

However, as a serious writer, I'd be foolish not to recognize the critical importance of being able to write everyday ugliness, or darkness, and write it well. It provides not only complexity and realism, but allows the good things to shine by comparison. And it can play significantly into character and plot development.

I’ve just read Louise Penny’s remarkable murder mystery, Still Life. Some of her main characters are richly positive, almost to the point of naiveté, and many of the scenes involve delicious food and bonhomie, but she doesn't paint an unrealistic picture. She balances it out, not only with the murder (which happens off stage), and with a couple of reprehensible acts by n'er do wells, but with everyday ugliness. Here are a few examples:

1) “Yolande reached out a hand to take her husband’s, but both his hands were taken up clutching a huge sandwich, gushing mayo and meat. Her son Bernard yawned, revealing a mouth full of half-chewed sandwich and strings of mayo glopping down from the roof of his mouth.” (This scene (p. 105) is a dramatic public one in an unhappy situation, where there are lots of people observing Yolande and her family. Yolande is not a nice character in this novel, which is revealed in other paragraphs and other scenes. Neither is her husband. Among his ugly traits is greed, cleverly represented here. The son, Bernard (age 14) knows this moment is important to his mother, and is exactly the character you surmise from this passage.)

2) “...in the country, death comes, uninvited, during the day. It takes fishermen in their longboats. It grabs children by the ankles as they swim. In winter it calls them down a slope too steep for their budding skills, and crosses their skies at the tips. It waits along the shore where snow met ice not long ago, but now, unseen by sparkling eyes, a little water touches the shore, and the skater makes a circle slightly larger than intended. Death stands in in the woods with a bow and arrow at dawn and dusk. And it tugs cars off the road in broad daylight, the tires spinning furiously on ice or snow, or bright autumn leaves.” (This passage (p. 120) is in the thoughts of one of the characters who is a suspect, and shows not only his familiarity with death in his town, but the everyday aspect of it from his point of view. The passage also serves to ground the reader in the fact that this story revolves around a death.)

3) “Suzanne Croft looked down at her dinner plate. Congealing Chef Boyardee mini-ravioli formed pasty lumps in a puddle of thick, cold sauce. On the side of her plate a single piece of pre-sliced brown Wonder Bread balanced, put there more in hope than conviction. Hope that maybe this sickness in her stomach would lift long enough for her to take a bite.” (In this passage (p.171) the woman, who’s life is far from luxurious, is terrified that her son may have been the murderer. This meager unappealing dinner from a can says a lot about the family’s economic state and about her emotional state, since we know from a different paragraph that she normally cooks a small but healthy dinner from scratch.)

Full disclosure: Penny also has an early scene where one of the main characters is sobbing and, you guessed it—the mucous flows, in graphic detail. Much as I loved the book, and I truly did, I wasn't crazy about that moment. Maybe it really is just me.

Do you have favorite small, dark passages from novels that show how everyday uglinesses can illuminate character and plot development? I’d love to read them!

Linda

Writing: Pleasure or Pain?

2010-11-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

Some days, words cascade onto the page; at other times, every syllable seems labored. Writing isn’t easy, as most writers learn early. Franz Kafka called writing “the descent into the cold abyss of oneself.” George Orwell likened writing to “a long bout of some painful illness.” Maybe that’s why so many writing projects are never finished.

When the going is tough, temptations beckon. Going to the beach or out with friends or shopping might be more fun than struggling with that recalcitrant story.

Life happens, too. Family needs, illness, accidents, deadlines, day job responsibilities. The days pass, and the amount of time spent on the story diminishes.

Writing doesn’t mean talking about writing or thinking about writing or attending writers’ conferences (although conferences are great for learning craft, marketing, and networking) or waiting for inspiration. Writing means only one thing: writing. Butt in chair, as they say. Fingers on the keyboard or gripping the pen.

For me, writing is a true pleasure, a joy, something I look forward to, a calling, a life’s work. It’s not my day job, at least not right now, but I approach it like a job. I have other responsibilities to balance, but I always come back to writing. Even on days when I struggle with the words, I keep plugging away. If I encounter an obstacle, I look for a way around it. I show up for writing, just as I show up for the day job.

Every job has its hard days. The hard days are a motivation to dig deeper, do a better job of figuring out the story, and find the best words to communicate it. We may not know everything about the story from the get-go, but in the words of E. L. Doctorow, “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” One car length at a time, one word at a time, and soon The End is in sight.

How do you approach writing? What sustains you through the challenging times?

Happy writing!

Jule

Get The Story Moving

2010-11-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

I've often wondered why I can't put some books down, while others I'll set aside before I give them a chance. Patience-- a virtue for some, a luxury for me. If a book doesn't grab me by chapter three I won't give it a chance. But why?

Since I've been writing, I'm now analyzing the books I read-- questioning the mystery of why I like some, and not others.

Today, while sitting in the Las Vegas Hilton sports book waiting for the 3rd race at Churchill Downs to run, the mystery was solved. Post time had passed and the horses were still in the paddock. We knew who was in the race. Who the jockeys were. Who the owners were. The current odds. The length of the race. Everyone was losing patience-- we needed to get the horses on the track and the race started. But they continued to circle the walking ring. Around and around they went.

The reason why they were delayed remained a mystery, but the reason why I love some books was answered. It's all about getting the story moving. Get the horses out of the gate. The hooves pounding. Hook the reader. Pull them into the story. Get into the story quickly.

When an agent reads your first three chapters will they be hooked? Beautiful characters, and interesting locations are important. But story is essential. How long does it take to get into your story?

~Karlene

VOICE: Authenticity and Heart

2010-11-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

Voice. There's nothing like it for selling your novel.

Voice is the most important, most frequently requested element that agents seek. "I just want a terrific story, beautifully written," they'll say, "but more than anything, a unique and compelling voice."

Are you rolling your eyes? Of course that's what they want. We know that. Do we have to be reminded over and over?

Apparently, we do. I recently realized, yet again, how this is something we cannot take for granted in our own writing. Even if we think we've got an interesting voice in our novel, even if voice is one of those things that happens organically, we need to look at it and ask ourselves if it can be improved.

At the Bouchercon Conference a couple of weeks ago, I had an interesting experience that made this clear to me. I was listening to a panel of crime noir authors (a sub-genre I respect but don't necessarily love). One of the panelists was Daniel Woodrell, who's best known for Winter's Bone, which was recently made into a movie. Woodrell's work is considered so distinctive that a new moniker has been created to describe it: Ozark Noir. Even this would not normally be enough to shake me out of my usual reading preferences, but listening to him speak did. A humble, intelligent, straightforward man who still lives in the Ozarks' dark side, Woodrell spoke with an authenticity and beauty of word choice that sent me straight to the Book Room to buy something he'd written.

I got one of his earlier books, Tomato Red. Stunning. I hadn't read more than a few pages when I thought, "Dang! This is what those agents are talking about! This voice is amazing, and totally believable."

This recognition could have led me into the depths of despair. Woodrell's voice comes straight from the heart and from influences he knows inside out, and can be legitimately seen as an argument for writing what you know. I'm not from the Ozarks, or anyplace as unusual and potentially compelling as that, so, like most of us, I don't have that kind of background to draw from. I have been working at this craft long enough, however, to recognize a Big Fat Excuse when I hear myself making it.

The key to having a unique and compelling voice is to fully inhabit the interesting character you're writing. Simple as that. And complicated as that. It helps to have direct experience of the character's demographics. But it's not necessary. With good research and attention to the details of environmental, familial and cultural influences, you can find his or her authentic voice without actually having lived the character's life or seen it up close and personal. IF, that is, you have the other key ingredient: heart.

Circumstances shape character, but heart is what drives it. Heart is the part that comes from deep inside you, the writer. You can't really fake it. To translate this into compelling character voice and behavior, it must take the form of full-on empathy for (inhabitation of) your character. (Which is not to say that the character's behavior and thoughts can't be judged, either by himself or by other characters.) The miracle is, once you achieve this, you have also, more broadly, achieved the unique voice of your novel.

Another way to think of this is to make your writing leave no choice for readers but to be inside your character(s). That's what I realized when I was trying to figure out why I fully accepted Woodrell's characterizations of people who were doing foolish, violent and dangerous things. They were making bad choices that anyone, including them, would know were not justified or reasonable, even in the circumstances, and would lead to unwanted consequences. But I not only accepted and believed the characterizations, I wanted to turn the pages.

Given the likelihood that I would stop reading most writers in this category at this point, I had to ask myself, what was so compelling about these characters and their story? It was, simply, that they were so real that I was inside them, like it or not. They definitely had flaws. They each had their own way of dealing with life, and had made life choices that reflected that. Both the circumstances and their choices landed them in the novel's critical situation, with the potential for a whole lot of hurt. Most compellingly, they each had heart (or, in one case, hurt that blocked heart). Their actions were all true to that. That is powerfully effective voice.

Maybe, a great exercise would be to identify ten books with unique, compelling voices, no matter the genre. Maybe even read or reread them to determine what makes the voice so compelling, and apply that to our own writing. I'll offer Woodrell's Tomato Red as my selection. It's short (169 pages) and a quick read. Do you have one you could share?

Linda

Halloween Scenes No More

2010-10-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

Once you’ve finished that crappy first draft, do you ever go back over it later and wonder what you were thinking? Oh, the horror! Lately I’ve been burning up the keys with my rewrite, which has me thinking a lot about how to write better scenes. Here are some tips we all can use to create well-written, focused scenes.

Create a Compelling Hook

Pull the reader into the scene with a strong hook that sets up the action to come and gives the reader something to sink his teeth into. Here’s an example of one I like: “Sam Keller, still jet-lagged and still keeping a hand on his wallet, wondered how anyone could actually think of sex in a dump like this.” (Layover in Dubai, by Dan Fesperman, Alfred A. Knopf, 2010). Already Sam sounds like he’s in over his head. Definitely, I want to know more. By the way, Layover in Dubai is one of my favorites this year.

Give Each Major Character a Scene Goal

What does the point-of-view character need or want to accomplish in this scene? What do the other main characters in the scene want or need to accomplish? Recently I needed to rewrite a scene that meandered. The main character’s thoughts and actions were contradictory. The problem was, the character had no goal. This goal doesn’t have to be explicitly stated, but it should be apparent. If you aren’t sure what the scene goal should be, let your character tell you. If you can’t put your character’s goal into words, you may want to spend some time thinking through the scene a bit further. Here’s an example from my current project in which the main character expresses his goal in a thought: “On this sweltering June Saturday Jason resigned himself to doing what his father wanted.”

Identify Each Major Character’s Motivation in the Scene

Why does your character want to accomplish his scene goal? Motivation may or may not be explicitly stated. However, it should be made clear. In Layover in Dubai, Sam wants to carry out his company’s assignment to keep an eye on his associate Charlie. In the scene from my project, Jason wants his father’s approval. For more on motivation, see my last post.

Create a Complication/Obstacle

As you craft your story, make sure your antagonist tosses bowling balls into the path of your main character. Make them huge bowling balls. Nothing worth doing is ever easy, not in life or in stories. In the rough draft of the scene I rewrote there were obstacles, but none caused by the antagonist. In fact, it was hard to figure out who the antagonist was. I’ve fixed the problem by clarifying who the antagonist is and having him create the complications, and now the scene is stronger.

Toss in a Twist

The story that flows smoothly from beginning to end is boring. We all love believable, but unexpected twists. Twists add suspense, surprise us, and make us want to keep reading. Spy thrillers are particularly twisty. Read anything by John Ludlum or Gayle Lynds for great examples. Layover in Dubai has loads of twists. Nothing is as it seems.

What Is the Effect on Your Character?

What effect do the complications/obstacles and the twists have the on the character’s achievement of his goal? In my scene, Jason resigns himself to carrying out his father’s wishes, but things get in his way, so he ends up winning not approval, but reprobation.

What Is the Emotion?

How does your character feel at the beginning of the scene, during the scene, and at the end? This is the character arc. Does he blame himself or someone else for his failure to achieve his goal? Is he beaten, or does he become all the more determined? Does he fear for his own survival? Touch the emotion, and you can create a great cliffhanger to end the scene.

Lead into the Next Cause

In genre fiction one scene should progress logically to the next in the story line. The sequel is the aftermath, a reaction to what happened. In fast-paced stories, the sequel may be very short. If you end with a cliffhanger, you may want to show the sequel at the opening of the next scene. For example, in Layover in Dubai, Sam gets arrested by the Dubai police on page 75 at the end of a scene. Uh oh, now he’s really in trouble. The aftermath begins on page 76 at the beginning of the next scene at police headquarters, when a detective hears Sam shouting in the next room.

Do you find these techniques helpful? Do you have other ways of focusing your scenes? Writers learn from each other. Please feel free to share!

Happy writing!

Jule

A Blog-- More than Marketing

2010-10-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

This year I attended the PNWA writers conference. During this outstanding experience, an agent shared a story of two women who wrote "the most incredible book" but the publishers wouldn't touch it because they didn't have a platform.

Platform-- What's that? And how do we get one? Blogging, of course.

Blogging fulfills a marketing requirement, enables agents to see our writing skills, and opens the door for the all mighty followers -- potential customers for our novels. But Blogging has turned into more than a marketing tool for me.

My personal blog Flight To Success has evolved into a training, safety, and support blog for pilots, and aviation enthusiasts. My blog has come alive with stories of real people doing phenomenal things. Heather's Odyssey started as her journey to publication, but has evolved into an incredible educational tool for those who want to become published. Portia Sisco shares writer's wisdom and personal experiences. The list goes on. There are so many blogs and I don't have enough time to read them all. But I try.

Today I came across a woman, Brenda Drake, who is also supporting writers and their craft through her blog: Brenda Drake Writes

Brenda is asking for your help in voting for the semi-finalist for her cliffhanger blogfest. She's had an outstanding turnout of entries with incredibly talented writers, and the entries are phenomenal. Please click Here to Vote for your semi-finalist.

I thought the best thing about writing, was writing. But I think the best thing about writing might just be the people behind the pen. You are an incredible group and I'm so grateful to be called one of you-- a writer.

What do you look for in a blog? And what is your favorite? You can name your own. Today is a day to celebrate your success.

Enjoy the Journey~

~ Karlene

Book Giveaway: A Writer's Guide to Fiction, by Elizabeth Lyon

2010-10-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been focused on craft issues, mostly with regard to revision to get my manuscript polished to the level of publication. Great resource books on writing can help a lot, and one of the best is Elizabeth Lyon's A Writer's Guide to Fiction.

When I decided to do a book giveaway on the blog, it was difficult for me to choose between this one and another of hers: Manuscript Makeover. Lyon is a longstanding, highly respected professional fiction editor, and these two books seem like excellent companion volumes. Both offer valuable insights into how to develop and polish your manuscript, using detailed explanation and examples that you can apply directly to your own work.

I decided to go with Writer's Guide because I found specific how-to's in it that I used to develop an essential tool of my own for polishing my revision—my Scene Tracker (see here).

Writer's Guide is about creating a story that is professional and has the key ingredients that keep readers eagerly turning pages: depth of characterization, tension and conflict, plot development, use of imagery, rhythm, etc. Lyon gets right inside the process and parses it for you, based on her many years of working with manuscripts. She has seen what new writers often fail to do fully enough to make their manuscripts publishable, and she focuses on what works and how to incorporate that into our own work.

This is a great resource book for anyone who wants to be a published author, whether you're just starting your book, or are in the serious revision stage to make it a knockout novel.

If you would like to enter the giveaway for a copy of A Writer's Guide to Fiction, you need only be a follower of the Scribe Sisters blog and leave a comment on this post. The drawing will be held four weeks from now, on November 23.

Linda

Motivation: Don't Leave A Character without It

2010-10-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Portia on winning our contest!

Outlining is a matter of personal preference, but whether you outline or not, it’s hard to write a successful scene without an understanding of the characters’ motivations. Having an idea of what happens during the scene is important, but knowing why it happens is essential.

I’m expressing this opinion with the fervor of a convert. My early drafts used to be all about the action, and motivation seemed to be organic, an unconscious outgrowth. As I grew as a writer, I realized I could save myself a lot of time and create a more successful scene by identifying and consciously understanding in advance why my characters do the things they do. The motivation creates the action, instead of the other way around.

Understanding motivation and showing it in the scene is like pouring the foundation before you build the rest of the house. The action grows out of the motivation. Here’s how it works.

Suppose you have a character who commits a horrible crime. Perhaps he committed the crime to cover up a shameful secret. That’s his motivation, and while we don’t excuse what he’s done, we now understand why he did it. The motivation—the shameful secret—actually drove the action—the commission of the crime.

Without an understanding of motivation, the scene meanders. The character may have contradictory thoughts or do things that don’t make sense. Trying to understand, the reader gets lost.

Showing motivation can be as simple as having your character state her goal, as in Scarlett O’Hara saying, “As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.” When we read Margaret Mitchell’s immortal words, we understand completely why Scarlett did the things she did. This forthright statement laid the foundation for everything that followed in Gone with the Wind.

When I outline, I always include a brief description of the characters’ motivations. Nothing is cast in stone, but at least I have an idea of where I’m going. What does the main character want to achieve in this scene? What is his goal? Who is opposing him, and what is that character’s goal? Ideally the two characters’ goals should be in opposition. The main character wants something, and the opposing character tries to stop him. Sometimes the characters state their goals, but sometimes they hide them from the other characters. When the motivations are clear to the writer, however, the scene comes to life.

Identifying character motivation didn’t come easily for me. Please feel free to share your experiences and the techniques you use to help with this important aspect of characterization.

Happy writing!

Jule

Speak Contest Winner

2010-10-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated in banned books week and speak loudly. Your voices were heard and attention was brought to many wonderful banned books. The deadline for the giveaway of SPEAK by Laurie Halsey Anderson has come to an end and Random Lists has picked a winner! Thank you to everyone who entered and to our fabulous followers, we love and appreciate each and every one of you. Without further ado, the winner of Speak is…

Portia! Congratulations Portia!

Don't worry if you didn't win, this was so much fun that I think we'll have to do another giveaway soon!

Do You Write an Outline?

2010-10-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

In preparation for my next novel I thought about the need to outline. I've heard a few authors at conferences state, "I never outline." Author Andre Debus was one such person. He said that he jumps in and writes. Allows the story to flow. He never knows where it will end up, but allows it to take a life of its own. Not only is Andre an outstanding author, but he is funny too. And I must say-- gorgeous. I digress.

For me, I must outline. It's like creating a flight plan. It provides direction. Gives guidance. Enables me to stay on track. The funny thing about my first outline-- my current story has changed courses many times. And that's a good thing.

Three beliefs for success in anything:

Set goals and know exactly where you're going and what you're doing.
Be flexible to change directions when the wind shifts.
Don't be afraid of change.

My first outline was a list of what happens in each chapter. This enabled me to clearly see that the chapters were following the structure I learned must be part of every novel, that I had path to follow, and there was a point.

One thing I didn't learn at my conferences was "how to" write an outline. I'm thinking if we can master the outline, our number of edits will be greatly reduced.

Do you outline? If so, what is your technique? We would all love to know.

Remember ... enjoy the journey!

~ Karlene

Bouchercon

2010-10-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

This year's Bouchercon, the big, annual conference in the mystery/suspense/thriller/noir categories, was in San Francisco last week, October 14-17. It was fantastic, a word that's difficult to avoid when you combine how excellent the program and networking opportunities were with the fact that it's a fan conference, as well. There were 1,400 people there, including over 350 published authors; a large number of apprentice writers; quite a few agents; some editors representing the big publishers; a handful of wonderful small presses; and, of course, readers.

It's such an interesting event, planned to please the readers who happily plunk down their dollars for the chance to attend presentations and interact with their favorite authors. It's also planned to provide excellent, informative, and numerous panels on subjects ranging from developing tough and engaging female protagonists, to many aspects of the business of books.

Laurie R. King was the US Guest of Honor, and was interviewed by Dana Stabenow. Denise Mina was the International Guest of Honor, interviewed by Val McDermid (the Scottish accents, alone, were worth the conference fee). This year's Toastmaster was Eddie Muller, and other luminaries who played big roles were Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Jacqueline Winspear, and David Baldacci. Robert Crais was on that list, too, but unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency.

Some of my favorite authors on panels were Deborah Crombie, Louise Penny, Heather Graham, Meg Gardiner, Gar Anthony Haywood, Mark Billingham, Cara Black and Daniel Woodrell. And there were so many other great ones, too.

I sneaked out the second day for a two-hour walking tour of key San Francisco locations in Daschiell Hammet's The Maltese Falcon, put on by Don Herron, who is a complete officionado on the subject and gives these tours a lot (when he's not penning reviews or doing other writerly things). It was wonderful, and I loved getting to wander the streets of some of San Francisco's neighborhoods that wouldn't normally be on my list.

Bouchercon is also a writing awards conference. The Barry and Macavity awards are announced the first day. The Anthony awards are saved for the final day's brunch. There, the published nominees find out who among them has been selected by peers, apprentice writers, other book-business people, and fans who participate in Bouchercon, to win these coveted awards. There's a variety of categories, from short story to graphic novel to best first novel and others. (Just click on the name of the awards for lists of winners and descriptions of the awards.) There is also a fan award, for a fan who has done a great deal to promote the genre among readers. And this year, another award has been added. David Thompson, bookseller/small press owner/book and writer supporter extraordinaire (Murder by the Book bookstore, Houston), recently died unexpectedly at the age of 38. He was much loved by the Bouchercon tribe, and the conference organizers announced that an annual award will be given in his name from now on.

I came home exhausted from the learning and networking, but satisfied. The pleasure of participating in the uproarious laughter of some of the panels and presentations, the intensity of other more hands-on craft and business-of-writing panels, and the contacts I made with published and as-yet-to-be published writers who suggested we keep in touch to maintain a network, has me thinking Bouchercon will be an annual fixture in my future. Next year it's in St. Louis. If you are a writer in, or serious fan of, any of the Bouchercon categories, and can go, it's a great choice.

~Linda

Paying It Forward

2010-10-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, I attended a local chapter meeting of Mystery Writers of America. MWA is a great organization for anyone writing in the mystery/suspense/thriller genre, and I always find the meetings helpful, not only for the valuable programs, but also for the networking and fellowship with other writers.

At this particular meeting a Houston police officer discussed the work of his unit and the types of crimes it handles. He shared a lot of great technical information about big-city crime fighting, but what really captured my attention was his engaging style. The man is a natural-born storyteller.

Afterward, I asked him if he’d ever tried writing. Some time ago he had, about five chapters, but never finished. He put them aside, didn’t think he had a book, or even a short story in him.

How sorry I was to hear he gave up. He missed the opportunity to experience the great satisfaction that writing brings. He missed the opportunity to share his tales with the world.

I urged him to try writing again and stay with it. He has a unique voice, stories to tell, and a talent for telling them. Working full time in a demanding job and writing is hard, but as we all know, persistence pays off.

I’ve rewritten the book I’m working on now more times than I can count, and I’m still working on it. I’ve thought of giving up a time or two, but whenever that happened, I dug deep and figured out a way around whatever was stopping me. Usually the issue was some problem with the plot or the characters. Problems I worked out by increasing my knowledge of the craft of writing and applying it to my story.

Now at last I’m on the homestretch--at least, my story seems to be coming together. I think. I’m plowing ahead and will have this rewrite finished by the end of this year. My plan is to begin submitting it then.

All along this journey, the support and encouragement of other writers has buoyed me up and carried me through. Attending conferences, meeting and learning from other writers, and participating in terrific critique groups and Scribe Sisters all have kept me going when the going was tough. I deeply appreciate everything other writers have done to help me grow as a writer.

Whenever you have an opportunity, do support and encourage other would-be writers. You never know how much your efforts may mean to someone. Your words might make a difference. Paying forward the help I’ve received, I encouraged this police officer to write his stories. I hope he will.

Happy writing!

Jule

Character Development

2010-10-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

As the newest author on the Scribe Sister team, this past year has been a continual educational process. One of the most important things I've learned is the need to make my protagonist not only accomplish her external goals, but achieve her internal quest as well. Yes.... we all have internal needs. And the protagonist must discover and achieve hers.

The best authors and agents have said, "Make sure our protagonist grows in the process."

With this said, I thought to make my protagonist grow, and come out at the end of the novel stronger and conquering her demons, that I had to start with the weak version in the beginning. Big Mistake. Huge mistake. Nobody falls in love with a whiner.

The challenge is... how do we make our protagonist someone we want to fight for and see succeed, enabling her room to grow and come into herself, without starting her out as somewhat of failure that nobody likes?

In my first novel, I created a woman who had "lots" of room to grow. She ended up coming across the page as whiny. Now I'm going back to the drawing table. I think I know how to fix this, but would love your advice. What are your techniques for writing a character that we love, that still has room to grow?

Thank you!

~ Karlene

Scenes: the Ultimate in Show Don't Tell

2010-10-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had someone in your critique group suggest you put something "in scene" to make it come alive? If so, they're probably reacting to the fact that this is something that you've told, rather than shown, and it's something that has enough significance that readers would enjoy seeing it actually happen on the page, rather than being told it has happened.

Scenes are the powerhouses of the novel. They reveal character like nothing else can because they show the character(s) reacting to situations and to other characters, and they are fantastic for increasing tension and stakes through complications and conflict. They can be short or go on for pages and pages.

According to Elizabeth Lyon, professional fiction editor and author of numerous books on writing, a fully realized scene includes: setting details, physical sensations of pov character, immediate emotional reactions by the character to the unfolding events, show of "turns" when emotions shift and reverse, and clarity of shifting emotional truths and needs of the protagonist and main characters.

How do you make sure you're getting the most out of your scenes?

The method I use, which I call my Scene Tracker, is to make a chart listing the following elements* across the top, and then fill in the details from my manuscript in the columns under them.

Elements:

Chapter #:

Scene: Name it. Use what the pov character would call it, if you like

Plot Points: These are what you're trying to accomplish in the scene from a plotting perspective. For example, inclusion of the inciting incident, introduction of character x, major character turning point, reach crisis, etc.

Plot Goal for the Scene: Things like increasing the internal and/or external stakes, increasing complexity, pulling readers back to or away from the external plotline, deepening character development.

Character Goal for the Scene: What the pov character wants in the scene, and possibly what other characters in the scene want. (Whether they get it or not defines how the scene ends.)

Inner Scene Subtext: The questions or awarenesses that might arise in readers' minds from reading the scene that are not explicitly addressed in the scene. A classic example would be when lovers talk about totally unsexy things but their tone of voice and the looks they give each other tell a different story. You might also create subtext through symbolism, like a mirror or lake suggesting reflection, or a cherished gift (object) a character always keeps with her, and holds in difficult moments, for example.

Sequel(s) : Defined by Elizabeth Lyon as character's reaction to a scene: a) emotion, b) a quandary over what to do, c) a decision, and d) action based on the decision. She says to use the quandary to deepen characterization through thoughts or flashback (can be a scene within a scene). Sequels can also come in a subsequent section or even chapter, as long as they're clearly related to the previous scene.

*See Lyon's A Writer's Guide to Fiction for more in-depth discussion of key elements

If you use a chart like this to go through your scenes, and list specifics from your manuscript under each element, you will be surprised with some of what you come up with. Not only will you track your characterizations and your plot development and get a clear picture of how they're working, but if you're like me, you'll also find areas you could have developed to make the story stronger, and you'll have the insight and tools to do it by seeing which category they fall into.

You'll see places, for example, where you can really ramp up the impact of your scene by adding meaningful detail that comes from the character's emotion to deepen characterization and make the stakes higher for that character's scene goal; or spots that you overlooked that are perfect for adding internal or external conflict to better achieve a plot goal like increasing tension. Or even: oops! forgot to put in all the plot goals that need to be in that scene, I was so busy with characterization, or vice versa.

I created a chart on paper, but there are word processing programs for writers that can probably be used to streamline this process and make it flexible. Scrivener for Mac and yWriter for PC are two I've heard of that sound worth investigating.

Do you have your own method? I'd love to learn about it!

Linda

Five Ways to Add Suspense

2010-10-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

Halloween’s almost here, and I’m thinking about suspense. Every genre, from thriller to literary, benefits from the element of suspense. A suspenseful story draws us in and doesn’t let go. We stay up reading until three a.m., because we can’t wait to find out what happens next. There are lots of ways to add suspense to a story. Here are five I like.

Add Risk

What’s at stake in your story? If your character doesn’t succeed in his quest, what will he lose? What’s at risk? Freedom? A life? An important relationship? Whatever it is, make it big, important, and personal. Make us care. In my favorite thrillers, the stakes are huge—life as we know it. In a mystery, the stakes may be stopping a murderer before he kills again. In a fantasy, the characters may be threatened with extinction. In literary novels, important relationships may be on the line.

Plant a Seemingly Innocuous Clue Early

I recently read a Robert B. Parker mystery, in which a clue to the murder was planted on page 64 as an offhand remark. You don’t find out until the end how important that clue was. In the words of Agatha Christie, “You don’t recognize the really important moments in life until it’s too late.” On the other hand, in a mystery by a less experienced writer, I figured out whodunit on page 52 from a poorly planted clue. Plant your clues carefully and disguise them well.

Make the Reader Worry

Suspense is the uncertainty or anxiety about what might happen. Give us a hero to care about, and make us worry about what might happen if she fails. If she needs a job, make her late for the interview. If he scales a wall, make us worry he’ll slip and fall. Make us afraid the bad guys will get him. Make us fearful he’ll be thwarted in his quest, whatever it is.

Add a Ticking Clock…or a Time Bomb

Give your protagonist a deadline, but partway into the story, shorten it. Then shorten it some more. Make it impossibly short. Now the odds against him are enormous. How will he ever succeed? Make us feel his dread. One of my favorite authors, James Rollins, is a master of the shortened deadline. Read any of his thrillers to see how this technique adds tension.

Keep Secrets

Let your readers in on a secret that your hero doesn’t know. The classic example is a bomb planted under a table where a happy couple is having dinner. The reader knows it’s there, but the man and woman are oblivious. Uh oh. Will they escape alive? A second type of secret is one that the villain keeps from the reader and from the hero. You have to be careful with this kind of secret. Don’t make the hero so clueless that he goes down the basement stairs of the haunted house in the dark. Readers are smarter than that, so create a secret that’s not so obvious.

For a gripping story, give these techniques a try. If you've used them, how have they worked for you? What other techniques do you use to make your story suspenseful?

Happy writing!

Jule

Character Development Questions

2010-10-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

As I started research for my next novel, a young adult historical fantasy, I realized I needed to get to know my new main character. One of my favorite ways to do this is to fill out one of those personal questionnaires about them. This is the one I've compiled:

1) What is your full name? What name do you go by and why?
2) What do you look like? What are your best and worst features?
3) What is your birth date? Do you celebrate or avoid it and why?
4) How do you prefer to dress? Do you wear any jewelry?
5) What are your parents and siblings names? How old are your siblings? Do you get along?
6) What type of people do you fit in best with?
7) Who are your friends? Enemies?
8) Who is your role model or idol?
9) Do you have any hobbies? Sports? Interests? Talents?
10) What do/did you want to be when you grow up?
11) What kind of music do you like? Movies? Books?
12) Do you have any bad habits? What habits in others can't you stand?
13) What do you do to relax? What do you do to have fun?
14) What is your favorite food? Drink?
15) Does anything in particular embarrass you?
16) Are you agreeable or do you argue your point?
17) Do you have a temper?
18) Who is the most important person in the world to you?
19) Is there anything you're afraid of?
20) Do you have any secrets?
21) What is your most prized possession?
22) Which of the five senses is strongest~or do you notice most? Sight, taste, touch, smell, or hearing?
23) What is your most powerful memory? Or do you not have one?
24) What quality do you most respect in others?
25) What is your best quality? Honesty, integrity, loyalty, honor?

Just add lines to write your answers on and you've got a great way to get to know your character. Feel free to copy and past it. What are some of the tricks you use to develop your characters?

~Heather

Professional Editing

2010-10-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Last summer I attended my first writing retreat with William Bernhardt as my instructor. The first thing I learned was, despite my technical writing experience, I had no clue how to write fiction.

Bill gave me the foundation to start my first novel, and the three women I met at the Hawaii Writer’s retreat, my fellow Scribe Sisters, have given me the support and encouragement my first year of writing. I've also read numerous books on how to write, attended two more conferences, and fast tracked my novel to completion. I wrote it, had readers and friends edit it, and I was so proud of my work of art. Then I asked Bill if he would read it too.

He did, and was amply impressed by my improvement. He said I improved a "trillion times." Now that's improvement. But from where I started, I had lots of room, and there was only one place to go. He also suggested I have a professional line edit.

Now comes the dilemma. Should I spend the money to have someone edit my novel?

I had a pilot friend, who’s also a writer, tell me that he believed paying money for someone to read our books was like those spoiled rich kids whose mom and dad paid for their flight training and they got C's, and ended up with nice jobs anyway. The question is, can we teach ourselves how to write fiction by practicing, just as we did building flight hours? Do we have the skill set needed to write a novel because we can put words on a page, and create meaning?

Weighing the pros and cons of paying someone to edit my book was short lived. Bill offered to edit it for me. I thought about how much money I’ve spent for both my masters, and for all my flight training. I spent that money because I needed the foundation and building blocks to perform my job, and obtain my degrees. I needed to learn. My ego is not so large that I’m blind to the fact I still have a great deal to learn. What a better way than having someone like Bill to continue my education?

Bill and I had a great conversation on what he liked, and disliked about the novel. He gave ideas on how to fix some of it, but said, "You'll figure it out." And I did. What Bill gave me was an awareness of what didn't work, and why it didn’t work. He also did a very detailed line edit. This document will be read with great care so I can learn from my mistakes by the guiding hand of a gifted teacher. I can’t attach a dollar amount to the value I received from this process.

Why the hesitation of hiring a professional editor?

Perhaps there's a fear that when we allow someone to edit our book, it's no longer our work. Not a chance. There are things that Bill suggested, while great ideas, won't work for me. That doesn't matter. What matters is that he flagged the snags, and now I get to weed them out. Everything he said about what was wrong, he was right. Only I didn't see it until I had an honest, critical voice that could identify the problems.

Perhaps the restraint lies in the expense, but any technical job worth doing right takes training.

For all of you who attend workshops, seminars, and conferences, add up the price of transportation, the hotel, and the event itself, and put that on the ledger beside your editor’s price. A quality editor is worth their weight in gold. I received a private tutor for my PhD in writing with this process.

For me, this decision was really all about my willingness to learn. I love to learn. I needed to put my ego on the shelf, and listen to the criticism with an open mind. I needed to hear what was being said, and understand why, so I could fix it. Being teachable has taken me very far in life. I suspect it will carry me far in writing too.

Thank you Bill. Your work is truly appreciated. And for all our readers, if you too are torn with the same choice, to edit or not, I say go for it. I am so thankful I did.

Please share your thoughts and editing experiences, we all would love to hear.

~ Happy Editing~

Karlene

Anxiety and Writer's Block: Break the Vicious Circle

2010-10-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

Have you ever experienced any of the following?

- staring at the blank page without a clue as to where or how to begin writing
- a rejection from an agent or editor/publisher, which made you feel depressed
- a critique that rang loud inside your head with the message, not good enough!, even though it actually included much praise and excellent suggestions
- an overwhelming sense that the deck is stacked against you, given the odds of getting published
- a compulsive need to go back and revise again and again each time you learn something new or realize there are imperfections in your manuscript (we do constantly hear the message that our ms. needs to be as perfect as possible before we even begin to think about querying)
- dread of the pages full of words that need to be revised
- heart-pounding cold sweats at the thought of pitching your story idea to an agent or editor, or of going on a book tour
- nightmares where you are on a book tour and your underwear is showing
- dread of being published and getting one bad review after another, or of having nothing left to say

The list can go on. Chances are you could add a few items of your own, or you recognized yourself in there somewhere. If you did, you also know that these things can lead to writer's block. Knowing that, however, is not enough to get you through your writer's block.

Any way you look at it, anxiety and writer's block can be a vicious circle, with depression occasionally thrown in for extra fun. And that thing swirling around in the middle of the circle like a marble on a roulette wheel looking for a number to land on? That's your self confidence.

But now, Ta DA!!, here are some cognitive tools to help you identify what feelings are blocking you, and walk right into and through them to that better place you want to be:

Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD and author, has great blog posts on QueryTracker.net.Blog that show how writers can defeat their inner critic to overcome these issues of self confidence. It's a two part how-to series. The first part was posted yesterday, Monday, October 4, and the second is there today. My personal feeling is it's worthwhile to read yesterday's post first, do the exercise, and let the experience settle within you for a day before going to today's post, which shows you how to address what you came up with from the first part. Check it out here. If you are skeptical of cognitive therapy's rational, pragmatic approach, consider the scientific evidence Kaufman notes, that "When you think something over and over, your brain actually aligns molecules in such a way that it's easier for that thought to occur." Makes sense, right? And it applies to the positive as well as the negative.

If you love writing, put these powerful positive tools in your pocket so you can pull them out when you need them. Writer's block may be strong, but you're stronger.

Linda

Censorship and the Internet

2010-10-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

Banned Books Week drew attention to the reprehensible practice of banning or attempting to ban books from libraries, schools, and bookstores; however, let’s keep in mind that banned books are only part of a larger problem . . . censorship. Censorship can mean anything from manipulation to outright control of news, information, and points of view. When we think of censorship, most often we think of governments owning or controlling the news media, but censorship also may be practiced by private groups or organizations. The end goal is thought control through suppression. Unfortunately, censorship is alive and well in the world today.

Freedom of speech is one of our most important rights in the U. S. If you don’t agree, try visiting a country that doesn’t have it. In nations without this freedom, the internet, television and radio, newspapers and magazines, and the distribution of books all are controlled. You can’t visit a certain website, write or buy a certain book, or if you’re a journalist, write the news story you want to write, at least not without jeopardizing your personal freedom or maybe your life.

Freedom of speech often finds itself under attack in other ways around the world. Whenever a group wants to intimidate or suppress opposition, writers, reporters, and editors are the first to be targeted. The pen is a mighty tool, much feared.

Here in the United States, censorship may not always be overt, but it still occurs. Reporters without Borders rates the U. S. as having “some censorship.” Depending on the source, you may or may not receive fair and impartial information. Facts may be slanted according to political, religious, racial, or economic views. You need a scorecard to keep track of the biases a source brings to the table.

A free internet offers hope in combating censorship. Yes, the internet’s big and messy. Yes, it has its excesses, its inaccuracies, its dangers. The beauty of the internet, however, is that no one nation, no one corporation, no one political group controls it all. Even those living under censorship find ways to learn the truth from the outside world.

Before we close the discussion of banned books, let’s take a moment to reflect on and cherish our precious freedom of speech and deplore censorship in all its ugly forms.

Happy writing!

Jule

PS—Congratulations to Laurie Halse Anderson, whose book Speak, has created an internet sensation. Sometimes banning a book has the opposite effect! Best wishes, Laurie!

Banned Books Week~13 To Life

2010-09-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

It is banned books week, a time when writers and readers honor and support those books that have been banned by schools, libraries, and stores. You might be surprised (appalled) at how little it takes to get a book banned. If a school, library, community, or organization takes offense to something in a novel, no matter how small, it can end up getting banned. Here is a list of the ten most challenged novels of 2009. Here is the American Library Association's statement on Banned Books Week. The good news is, many libraries, stores, and people fight to keep books from getting banned.

This week I'm choosing to honor a book that was newly banned just this year. It was an excellent young adult book that was very tastefully written with the young adult audience in mind. Why was it banned then, you might ask? Because it dealt with paranormal elements. It is 13 To Life by Shannon Delany. It is one of the best young adult books I've read so far this year.

Check out all these other fabulous people who are supporting banned books week:
Author Ellen Hopkins, Editor Martha Mihalick, Writer VR Barkowski, Writer Kari, Writer Stephanie Pellegrin, Writer & fabulous blogger Lisa Gail Green, Writer Myra McEntire, Book bloggers Mundie Moms (be sure to check through their posts. They featured many great authors), Book blogger Mindful Musings, Author Krissi Dallas, Writer Frankie Mallis, Writers Erica & Christy, Agents Suzie Townsend, Joanna, & their assistant Meredith Barnes, Writer Melissa, Writer Roni Lauren. I know that is a lot of links but I highly recommend clicking on each of them and checking them out. They're fabulous people who are standing up for books! If I missed anyone please leave me a comment with a link.

Have you bought a banned book yet this week, or this year? Do you have a favorite? Maybe To Kill A Mockingbird, Twilight, Harry Potter, My Sister's Keeper, or Speak (yep, really, they're all banned)? I'm heading to the bookstore and I'll be picking up a few. Be sure to click on my giveaway of Speak (to the right) if you haven't read it yet!

~Heather

Banned Books Week

2010-09-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

When fellow Scribe Sister Heather suggested we blog about our favorite banned book this week, I said, “I haven’t read a banned book, and not sure I’ll have time in the next few days.” Heather then sent me a link to such books. To say I was shocked, would be an understatement. Thank you for opening my eyes Heather.

Catcher in the Rye, Go Ask Alice, Family Values: Two Moms and Their Son, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, and My Sister’s Keeper were all on that list, and many more. How many books have you read on this list? Banned Books

If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to read Linda’s blog, Writers Rights Linda asks, “Can fiction writers go too far?” Adding make-believe to the real world or denying the real world exists. Do we have the right to alter reality in the name of fiction?

“Who are we to be the judge?” I’ve been taught over the year to find my voice, speak with passion, inform, and create awareness to critical life issues. The books on the list fulfilled those expectations. Were they wrong to write about difficult subjects? Should we write with the intent to conform our writing to other's standards? And whose standards do we conform to? Can we please everyone, and should you try?

I thought a great deal about the comment Linda made regarding the Holocaust and authors who’ve written it never happened. Do we have the right to condemn their writing? Personally, I say yes… we can’t hide history! But then I fall into that category of judging others too. Who am I to be the judge?

Do we have the right to judge what should be published? Perhaps gaining the “banned” status is more than a scarlet letter, but badge of courage. Obviously these books found their way to the readers. I’m wondering how I get my book on that list. Honestly, I hope that I can write as well as the authors who have been banned. Their writing is strong. Their messages clear. Their books should be read.

All I hope is that we have learned from history and never again burn another book.

Please visit Heather’s blog Speaking Up For Books & Victims. Heather has an incredible message to share on this subject. She also will tell you how you can win a copy of Speak.

Enjoy your reading! Keep writing! Share your thoughts!

~Karlene

Writers' Rights

2010-09-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

Can fiction writers' rights go too far? That is an essential question that gets raised when you think about the life-crushing, soul-killing concept of banned books. This week is Banned Books Week, and bloggers everywhere are weighing in. My immediate reaction, as you may have guessed, is books should not be banned!

But I'd like to use this space to go a slightly different direction in the discussion, because the question also made me think about extremes and their power to corrupt truth.

Thinking about writers' rights took me back to a heated discussion I had with a fiction purist a few years ago about whether fiction writers should be restricted in what they write in any way. Her answer was no (aside from established libel issues), and she also pointed out that there is no such thing as Truth with a capital T, there is only personal truth. I agree on that point. But, I thought, what about facts? There are facts.

I had just read a novel by a famous, award-winning literary author, in which a real person was depicted (with glee and a subtle viciousness) as a fictional character who did things the real person never did -- at least not in the way the author drew the picture. It made a good story. Libel, you think. But not this time. The man on whom the character is based is long-dead, and although his name is well known (because he named his company after himself), perhaps he was not famous enough as an individual, by legal standards, for the inaccurate depiction of him to result in a lawsuit. Or maybe he has no heirs who would sue. I didn't like that he was misrepresented by the author, even though I really had no personal interest in the man's life or history.

Where do we draw the line? Or do we not draw a line at all? As my purist friend pointed out, we're talking about FICTION. It says so right on the cover and/or the inside front pages of the book. The reader has a responsibility here, too, to recognize that this is fiction.

I want to agree with the idea of no restrictions, but what about clearly inaccurate revisionist history novels? What about the novels that famously came out several years ago, for example, that claimed the Holocaust never happened? Not as in "what if" the Holocaust never happened, but part of their premise was "it never happened." Is the "what if" implied because it's a novel?

Whatever readers' responsibilities are, I'm pretty sure most people tend to think the written word has a certain authority. Can we rely on common sense and accurate common knowledge to let the marketplace take care of these misrepresentations by simply rejecting them? Maybe we can, with something as egregious as the Holocaust denial, although it's not clear that the marketplace did that there. The marketplace most definitely didn't reject my first example -- that novel did extremely well. Do fiction writers have a responsibility to not misrepresent facts?

My heart is saying let writers write without restriction, my mind is aware of how the issue can become muddied when facts are willfully misrepresented. Should a line be drawn somewhere? Should fiction writers have restrictions? What is your opinion?

Linda

Toward Better Blogging

2010-09-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

In my quest to become a better writer, one of my goals is to improve as a blogger. I thought it might be helpful to study the art of the personal essay. It seems to me that a blog has much in common with a personal essay, a writer’s experience in and insight to a specific topic and how it relates to the world in general. By relating the personal to the universal, a blogger may share an interesting perspective or a tiny bit of enlightenment and connect with readers.

Like my fellow Scribe Sisters, I believe in studying, as well as practicing the craft of writing. I discovered Crafting the Personal Essay: A Guide for Writing and Publishing Creative Nonfiction, by Dinty W. Moore (Writers Digest Books, 2010). I really like this book. Moore offers advice, but allows plenty of room for creativity. He calls the personal essay a “gentle art” of discovery in which the writer pursues “rabbit trails” to see where they will lead. Sometimes, he says the end result is a surprise for the writer and by extension, the reader.

Moore goes into a lot more detail about how to write a fine essay. If you’d like to know more, I highly recommend this book.

For bloggers, Moore offers the following tips:

1. Use a free online platform for your blog. There are several, of which the Scribe Sisters site, Blogger, is one.

2. Focus on good writing. The bells and whistles are nice, but readers care most about the writing. Amen, Mr. Moore!

3. A blog should provide “some focused information on the world, not just self-indulgent consideration of someone’s daily minutiae.” I find this to be true, as well. When I read other blogs I want to learn something.

4. A blog is about sharing information. Put your URL on your business cards and e-mails. Share space with other writers, he suggests, and see if they will share space with you. I hope we can do this from time to time in this space.

5. To attract many readers, “choose a narrow subject area.” Define a niche, he advises, and give readers information they need. Definitely one of our goals for Scribe Sisters.

As a writer of fiction, I’ve always considered the writing conversation with others to be of prime importance. Establishing a connection through this blog is one way to continue that conversation. By sharing, we all can grow.

Happy writing!

Jule

Speaking Up For Books & Victims

2010-09-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Something terrible involving a novel that covered a tough subject happened this week. Someone spoke out against a novel they found offensive. They want to ban it. They called it soft pornography. Everyone is entitled to their opinion so why should such a thing bother you? The novel is about a girl who is raped and who speaks out against it. I've read it and it is a very tastefully written novel that shows the depth of the girl's devastation. It does not glorify sex in any way and it certainly is not pornography. To suggest such a thing is disturbing and says something frightening about the person who said it.

Such a book and subject should never be silenced. People need to know they can and should speak up about such things. Girls and boys need to know these things happen. By banning a novel that promotes speaking out we send a terrible message to our children. I do not intend to send that message. I say speak out. The writers' community is coming together to support this novel and it's amazing author and that makes me proud to be a part of this community.

You can read an excerpt of the book here and decide for yourself: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I plan to buy a copy of this novel for the people in my life that I care about. I plan to discuss it with my little sister. Because I want people everywhere, of all ages to know that they can and should speak out and that someone will be here to listen I'm giving away a copy of this important book. If you would like to enter the giveaway you just have to be a follower of the Scribe Sisters' blog and leave a comment on this post. The drawing will take place October 23rd.

~Heather

A Tribute to Mother's who Write

2010-09-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

I recently hung my pilots hat on the wall, and for the next month I'm babysitting my grandson. Week one is almost complete, and I've decided that we need to take our hats off to all you stay at home mom's who write.

Miles age 8 months

While I have three daughters, and attended college when they were quite young, ages 1, 2 and 3, for some reason I'd forgotten how challenging it is to get anything done with a baby around.

This week I've been consumed with walks, diaper changes, playtime, snacks, not enough napping, and lots of teething. I did get a few things accomplished. I taught him how to use a bottle... he is definitely a mommy's boy... and how to jump on the bed. My spare moments have been cleaning up my email...and blogging, and that's about it. Thank goodness my MS is in good hands for the week.

For all you writing mom's, my hat goes off to you. Your schedule depends on the kids...and I know when you write. Here it is approaching midnight, and the only time I've found to write this post. Give yourself a huge pat on the back for all that you do, and the dedication it takes to do more. That's what success is made of.

Now that I've shifted into Grandma mode, I would really love to know your balancing technique with a little guy under foot. Any advice for granny?

Happy Writing... If you can!

~ Karlene

Protagonist's Goals, Needs, Stakes

2010-09-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was zipping through Act 1 of my book, making final revisions. (Act 1, according to authorities, is generally the first 60-75 pages of a novel, which takes us up to the point where the protagonist changes direction in pursuit of the story goal.) I was paying close attention to descriptive details and complications, making sure lots of both are present and also that they are not superfluous -- they must tie in with characterization and story goals. As I added and changed and wordsmithed my way along, I hit a point of deep dissatisfaction around page 40. Something didn't feel right, although I couldn't pinpoint exactly what. Something was off. I wasn't feeling pulled forward with the level of anticipation I'd like, even though I'd double-checked my story and protagonist arcs (I thought).

So I went back to the drawing board. My drawing board for this was the notes I'd taken on Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon. I searched out the section on the complexity of Act 1 and what the many jobs are that must be accomplished in it. I made myself write out specific answers from my manuscript to the questions Lyon poses, and, there it was. I had not followed up on my protagonist's progress or lack thereof toward her deepest yearning, her internal need (which is a universal need).

Lyon says to make sure the following things are described in concrete terms, with specifics, by the end of the first couple of chapters if possible, so that readers can take frequent soundings on how well the protagonist is doing as they read through the novel:
1. the protagonist's plot goal/external stakes
2. the protagonist's (universal) internal need/internal stakes

These were all identified in my first chapters, so, essentially, I had done what Lyon suggests. But when I looked for places readers would take soundings as they read along, I realized I had only achieved success with the plot goal. The protag's plot goal (reclaiming the life she and her husband want by getting them out of a dangerous path of action before it's too late) was well-supported in the opening chapters -- there are moments in two different scenes after the goal was identified where my protagonist confronts the issue -- one in internal monologue and one in dialogue conflict with her husband. It seems that kind of directly stated confrontation works well with plot goals.

Internal needs and stakes, on the other hand, are 'internal' -- largely subconscious. Their natural expression is in subtext. My protag's internal universal need is for love she can trust (which comes from a fear of abandonment that resulted from a childhood trauma -- all brought out early in the book). What's at stake: self-worth. Although I'd included a moment when she expresses the need in her dialogue with her husband, I hadn't really included any related moments in subtext. Harder to do, but vital. Internal needs and stakes underlie almost everything.

I had not layered in the internal turmoil or complications resulting from this fear as the story went forward in Act 1. The protag probably wouldn't realize where the turmoil was coming from --she'd displace it onto something easier to face -- but the reader would pick up on its true source if it's handled well.

By not including that kind of detail, I think I actually derailed my storyline for a while. My protag was way too successful at displacing her feelings. While most of us spend vast amounts of energy on successfully hiding our deep fears in real life, the protagonist in a novel isn't allowed to get away with that -- she has to be revealed so she can come to grips with her fear. After all, that's what the internal stakes are all about. So, how exactly do I do that?

Go back to Karlene's blog post from last Wednesday on Character Strengths and Weaknesses, and there's the answer. It's in the protagonist's weakness.

My protagonist is a dynamic, successful woman. Her strength is that she's intrepid. She's not afraid of taking risks to get what she wants or to do what her instincts tell her is right. Her weakness (blind spot) is that she sees things in black and white. (That's the price she paid for being able to take risks to succeed in life after her childhood trauma.) This weakness actually works really well to help her get ahead in the more superficial aspects of life, but can backfire in deep relationships.... ahhhhh. The weakness is what needs to be woven into Act 1, in the form of her actions or maybe subtle, indirect reactions, or overreactions that cause setbacks. A look, an assumption between the lines. Readers are smart. They'll get it.

Linda

A Tribute to David

2010-09-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

This week, I’d like to share some memories of one of the World’s Nicest Guys: David Thompson, Assistant Manager of Houston’s Murder by the Book and owner of Busted Flush Press. David passed away suddenly on Monday, September 13, at the age of 38. My heartfelt condolences to McKenna Jordan, David’s wife and owner of Murder by the Book, and their whole team.

Murder by the Book is a valiant survivor of the challenging seas of independent book-selling. The store won the 2004 Raven Award and the 2007 James Patterson Page Turner Award, and has been nominated as the Publishers’ Weekly Bookseller of the Year in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. It is internationally known for its inventory of new, used, and rare books in the mystery, thriller, and suspense genres. David was a major reason for its success.

David worked at the store for 21 years. He started there at the age of 17 as a stock-boy. He learned the business and the genre, and over time became a life force for the store. He met his wife McKenna there. A few years ago, when the store’s founder, Martha Farish, decided to sell, McKenna bought the store, and David continued to do what he loved. Recently, he was in the process of selling Busted Flush Press, which he started.

David did so much more than promote and sell books. He knew most of the customers by name, along with their reading preferences. He could respond the most arcane requests. He wrote a weekly e-mail newsletter, a blog for the Houston Chronicle entitled Murder by the Blog, and tirelessly arranged readings and book signings. Murder by the Book has signings almost every night of the week and multiple signings every weekend. All the best-selling authors in the field come there: Lee Child, James Rollins, Mary Higgins Clark, Lisa Scottoline, Tess Gerritsen, Daniel Silva…many more than I can name here.

Though David rubbed shoulders with all the heavy hitters, he encouraged debut authors, authors from the Houston area, and aspiring authors. The four published authors in my Tuesday night critique group had their debuts at Murder by the Book. David also supported Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, both the national and the Houston chapters. He and McKenna traveled to readers/writers’ conferences and are listed as sponsors of Bouchercon 2011.

David was always busy, but never too busy to chat with me whenever I stopped by. He always had time to offer words of encouragement and support. One of my goals, when the time comes (fingers crossed), is to have my launch party at Murder by the Book.

So thanks, David, for being such a great supporter of writers and readers, for all your hard work in a changing and challenging world, and for being a caring and thoughtful friend to so many. We’ll all miss you.

Jule

Character’s Strengths and Weakness…

2010-09-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

During my journey, in pursuit of becoming published with a breakout novel, I continue to read and learn more crafty ideas on how to carve my novel into the master piece I dream it can be.
I just finished Elizabeth Lyon's Manuscript Makeover. Another outstanding book on the list of ‘must read.’
All POV characters must have a primary strength, and a weakness, to make the reader believe their true motivation and character, and to understand why they unintentionally sabotage their momentum forward. Why they do, what they do.
Your protagonist, and the supportive characters, are all driven by their strengths… their positive characteristics. But those dang weaknesses keep getting in their way--- road blocks to their success. (Elizabeth gives some great ideas on types of characteristics in her book.)
Remember, while your protagonist does have flaws, Elizabeth reminds us to not overemphasize them. We want your reader to identify with the protagonist to pull them into the story. Too weak, they won’t love her.
Your antagonist should also have a strength and weakness, but his weakness is the more prominent and driving characteristic than his strength.
With all this said, I created a chart to track my characters. I have five POVs in my novel, so I wanted to make sure that their motivation holds true and the reader can identify with them, and understand their motivation. On this chart, each POV character is listed on the left column. They all have a primary strength and weakness in the next two columns. As I return to edit each chapter, I am making sure that the strengths and weaknesses I’ve listed are woven through their actions and motivation, and sneak in when they hit their road blocks of life.
This is working great for me. It’s helping to pull the entire novel together.

What are your tips for tracking your characters motivation?

Enjoy the process and happy writing!!! And best of luck in your writing success!

~ Karlene

To Handle Rejection: Build Your Writer's Muscle

2010-09-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

Rejection is a fact of life for writers. If you've received one, or fifty, welcome to Normal. You've probably done what we all tend to do: put on a brave face during the day and then, in the dark of night, pulled the missives out of your heart (because that's where they go -- straight into our hearts like jagged arrows), and stomped the heck out of them to make yourself feel better; and then looked at them in a more positive light. There. Now you can get on with things.

We go through stages with this stuff, from disbelief, to thinking they must have misread our query, to anger, to believing it's obviously "their" problem, to feeling we've been touched by the Finger of Mediocrity and will never be any good, to banging our head against the wall, to "okay, what do I have to do to get better?"

To get better, you do not need to build a thicker skin (you need that to survive). You need to build your writer's muscle.

It's like in my Tai Chi class. There's no way for me, as a beginner, to be able to stand on one leg holding the other knee tight up against my chest and then extend the off-the-floor-leg straight out and up at a forty-five degree angle, holding my ankle with one hand while the other arm stretches out sideways for balance, and hold that position for four minutes while the sensei comes around to straighten our posture and limbs. When he puts his gnarly finger on my crooked, overstressed back, I'm going to topple. (Personally, I think the sensei was showing off to knock any arrogance out of us in case we thought his form of Tai Chi would be easy -- it worked.) "If you learn to do this, and do it every day," he told us, "you will never have to have hip surgery!" I believe him.

With Tai Chi I can just keep going to class and work hard to build my strength and balance. With writing, we have to do the same kind of thing. That's why workshops and conferences and critique groups are so valuable. If you've done a lot of those and still haven't landed a publisher or an agent, don't give up -- keep doing them, and add some intensive homework, as well.

To get past the banging-the-head-against-the-wall stage, we need tools. Some of the best tools are books on writing, and I've been deeply impressed with the quality of some lately, and relieved that they exist.

My Scribe Sisters have blogged about several of these books: The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman; Donald Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel and The Fire in Fiction; a variety of Writer's Digest articles; The Hero of a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell; and more recently Elizabeth Lyon's books: A Writer's Guide to Fiction; The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit; and Manuscript Makeover.

Lyon is a professional editor with an impressive breadth and depth of knowledge and experience. I was able to use the first two of her books mentioned above to write strong queries and synopses, and to develop confidence about my approach to constructing my novel. I've just finished Manuscript Makeover and have my work cut out for me, in a good way.

No question this is hard work. But oh, so satisfying. Lyon gives plenty of down-to-earth advice about how to recognize and create dimensional characterization, identify theme and make it present throughout, increase plot stakes, build character-driven scenes and suspense, avoid confusing or ho-hum style, and much more (including a dandy section on copy editing with all the major grammar and punctuation issues usually seen). These are serious tools for advanced writing. Applying them takes time and effort, and that's exactly what we need to do to build our writer's muscle.

Of course, there is that bugaboo of needing have the luck to submit to the right person at the right time etc. But if you're getting a clear pattern of rejection, there's probably something you need to improve in your writing -- whether it's at the query letter stage or throughout. Check out this blog post I picked up from my Scribe Sister Heather's other blog, Heather's Odyssey (good find, Heather!): http://bit.ly/9s9YYN <-- a dose of reality.

Having said all that, of course there's a chance the problem is not your writing, in which case you will eventually get that agent and publisher if you just make sure you're targeting the right agents for you and keep querying. These are uncertain times in the industry, and it can take longer, I think, to get the attention you deserve, but get it you will. If you have reason to believe you could still do some heavy lifting to build your writer's muscle, though, try practicing the exercises in one or several of the above books. Practice them directly on your query, synopsis, and manuscript. Your writing, and you, can only grow stronger.

Linda

Opportunities for Writers

2010-09-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

Got chicken soup? C'mon over. The spirit to blog is eager, but a virus has laid me low. Instead of my regular weekly entry on Scribe Sisters, I’d like to direct you to The David Morrell Network.

http://www.davidmorrell.net/

If you haven’t checked out this fascinating website, please do. New York Times best-selling author David Morrell is the creator of the modern action novel and Thrillermaster, but his writing advice extends to all genres. In addition to being the author of close to 40 books, he holds a Ph.D. in American Literature and taught for 16 years. This man knows writing.

Of particular interest is this insightful analysis of the current state of the publishing industry and opportunities for writers. With his writing, movie, and TV background, David Morrell speaks from experience. Enjoy!

www.davidmorrell.net/whatsnew/dsp.whatsnew.cfm

Happy writing!

Jule

Antagonist Question….

2010-09-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

Does every story need an antagonist, or can the antagonist be the inner demon of the protagonist herself?

During my writing journey I’ve learned the importance in writing fiction with a strong plot, inciting incident, character development, character arcs, internal and external quests, POV, tension, conflict, first line/last line…etc., and the 'all important' protagonist and antagonist. But is it necessary to have an antagonist?

Was there an antagonist in A Christmas Carol? What about Love Actually? National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Did these holiday classics have antagonists, or were the protagonist’s ensuing life conflicts the real protagonist?

I am in the process of rewriting a story, A Twist of Faith, and turning it into a YA novel. This novel is in present time, with a family faced with cancer. During a night of crisis a teenager finds herself in an accident and is taken by the hand of an angel. She is guided through her parent's past, her present, and the future of what life could be. Is the daunting life she lives the antagonist... or her brother's cancer...or are her parents the antagonists? (ask any teenager, I’m sure they will agree with the parent theory.)

What are your thoughts? Does every good novel need an antagonist?

Thank you!

~ Karlene

Openings

2010-09-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

Last week I talked about first sentences in this space. This week I'd like to expand on that a bit by extending the idea to the first few paragraphs. If the job of the first sentence is to tweak interest and draw a reader in, the job of the opening paragraphs is to convince him or her that this book is worth reading all the way through.

Whether you're writing genre or literary, and whether your book starts with a prologue or in-the-moment-action or internal monologue, the opening paragraphs need to create suspense and make the reader want to know what's going to happen to the characters who will be affected by whatever the situation is.

My own manuscript's opening focuses on the protagonist and another main character having an unavoidable discussion about an unwelcome (to the protagonist) subject, so I'm particularly interested in making the characters draw readers in. After much fiddling to adjust pace, dialogue, and internal monologue, and to expand details to get more specific about who these characters are, I've developed an even greater appreciation than I already had of writers who pull off this complex feat and make it look like they've just tossed the words onto the page.

I looked at books by some of my favorite authors to find openings that do all this: describe characters, set expectations, identify setting and suggest the nature of relationship between characters. One that I found was from Laurie R. King's mystery, A Letter of Mary. I think it demonstrates the eloquence of a light and deft touch combined with a talent for language. Here are the first two paragraphs of the first chapter:

"The envelope slapped down onto the desk ten inches from my much-abused eyes, instantly obscuring the black lines of Hebrew letters that had begun to quiver an hour before. With the shock of the sudden change, my vision stuttered, attempted a valiant rally, then slid into complete rebellion and would not focus at all.

I leant back in my chair with an ill-stifled groan, peeled my wire-rimmed spectacles from my ears and dropped them onto the stack of notes, and sat for a long minute with the heels of both hands pressed into my eye sockets. The person who had so unceremoniously delivered this grubby interruption moved off across the room, where I heard him sort a series of envelopes chuk-chuk-chuk into the wastepaper basket, then stepped into the front hallway to drop a heavy envelope onto the table there (Mrs. Hudson's monthly letter from her son in Australia, I noted, two days early) before coming back to take up a position beside my desk, one shoulder dug into the bookshelf, eyes gazing, no doubt, out the window at the Downs rolling down to the Channel. I replaced the heels of my hands with the backs of my fingers, cool against the hectic flesh, and addressed my husband."

From this we know that the protagonist is working away at her desk, is smart, maybe a scholar, since she's reading Hebrew and making notes, is far- or nearsighted or both and probably overdoes the reading regularly, is in her house (very familiar with the routines and knows when Mrs. Hudson's son's letter usually arrives), is married to the apparently bored and/or restless man who tossed the envelope on the desk, and lives in the countryside of England near the English Channel. We also know she feels no threat at the moment, there is nothing menacing about her husband and there's a solid, comfortable relationship between them, and he's interrupted her work.

We know that life will not stay calm since this book is a mystery, and we sense that whatever's in that envelope is important. Therein lies the opening suspense. In fact the envelope's contents are important, as suspected -- in the next paragraphs the letter inside it introduces what becomes the inciting incident that turns this tranquil domestic scene on its head and sets the story off on its path. Without any physical description of the characters' appearance, except for the spectacles, we have an idea of them that creates interest and makes us wonder about them -- what will happen in their lives when the letter changes things? How will these characters meet the challenges to come?

I am a lover of mysteries, and love good quiet openings that lead to not-good things. I know the characters are going to have to be extraordinary to get through whatever comes up so they can reclaim the respite of their ordinary lives. No question I'd read on. How about you? What kind of openings are you drawn to?

Linda

Daydreams--Bountiful Ideas for Your Writing

2010-09-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

My Scribe Sisters have asked me to share a writing technique that works for me—maybe it will work for you, too.

I daydream a lot. Daydreaming can be problematic—don’t do it in heavy traffic, a class, or a meeting with your boss—but there are other times that daydreams provide a bounty of writing inspiration. I call them inspiration flashes, because usually they come to me in a "flash." Since we use only a fraction of our brainpower at any given time, we all have enormous capacity for daydreams.

Inspiration flashes result from my daydreams usually after—not during—a writing session. They can take place during the day or night, but not while asleep.

During the day, I daydream a lot about my story while I go about the mundane chores of life. The shower is great for inspiration flashes. So is the grocery store, the dry cleaners, the treadmill—any place or activity that is requires little conscious thought. Right after yoga class is good, too, because yoga de-clutters your brain and lets inspiration flashes come through. Set your brain on autopilot and daydream away! You’ll be amazed at the results. For me they may be about any aspect of the story—character, setting, plot, dialogue, etc. Especially dialogue. My characters have huge conversations in my head while my hands load the dishwasher, do the laundry, or water the plants. They also leap tall buildings, battle evil, and save the world.

Another type of daydream occurs during the night, but not while asleep. Frequently, I’ll awaken with an inspiration flash about a scene I was working on the evening before. It’s sort of like a daydream during the night. Most of the time, it’s some insight into the character and what he/she would think/do in the scene. It may be an idea for what needs to happen next in the story. My subconscious works on the scene long after the computer shuts down every evening. These ideas may be fleeting. If they come your way, my advice is, write them down immediately! If you don’t, they may vanish in the morning mist.

Since inspiration flashes bubble up from the subconscious, how can you tap into it? First, train your brain by thinking of your story constantly. Out of sight, out of mind isn’t just a cliché. If your story is a high priority in your life, your brain will work on it, consciously or subconsciously, just as it works on what color to paint the dining room.

Second, set your brain free to daydream. Don’t try to control it. Let go of preconceived notions about how the story “has” to be. Don’t tie yourself to an outcome. Invite surprise!

Third, talk to yourself aloud about your story (while you’re alone, obviously). If you verbalize your plot dilemmas, your left brain logic will iron out the issues and send you the answer. Since your brain works on its own schedule, the inspiration flash may not come immediately, but it will come.

If you try these techniques, please share your experience. May the bounty of your brainpower bring you awesome daydreams, bountiful inspiration flashes, and amazing writing!

Happy writing!

Jule

The Deadline!

2010-09-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

I had the great honor of being asked to submit my entire novel to an agent I’d met at the PNWA conference. My excitement was hard to contain. But first, I wanted to do one more read through to make sure that everything I’ve learned in my studies… how to be a writer… was implemented. I asked this agent if she minded if I submitted on September 1st. She said, “Perfect! I am taking a flight and will read it on the plane.” We had a date.

When I began reading my novel, I realized a complete revision was necessary. This was good news—all the reading I’d done paid off. I learned! August was a crazy month. The first week was spent putting on a wedding for my youngest daughter. Then I worked the next three weeks…4 days off total, and 94 hours of flight time. Not to mention family stuff, blogging, tweeting and such. Last night: 17 hours at the computer and my novel is complete!

I wrote a nice email, attached my novel, and sent it on the way at 1:00 a.m. This morning, I had an email thanking me. Then this agent told me that she was getting on an airplane and had a busy 2 months, but would get to it as soon as she could.

Was I deflated? No. Actually, it made me realize the power of the deadline. Had I not had that deadline, I would not be done with my novel. My life is so busy, I would be months away. My goal was to have this project done in one year. I met that goal thanks to this deadline. Thanks to this agent. Now I can start on the next project.

Make a deadline for yourself… it might do wonders. What could you do if you knew an agent wanted your book in a month?

Remember ... Enjoy the journey!
~Karlene

First Sentence

2010-08-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

We've heard a lot about the critical importance of a novel's first sentence. Today I thought I'd do a little Tuesday experiment and pull three books off my library shelf and test the theory that the first sentence makes or breaks a reader's interest in a book. Here are their first sentences:

"What David King-Ryder felt inside was a kind of grief and a secondary dying."
   In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner by Elizabeth George
   A Bantam Book, 1999

"In the ancient forest of the Right Bank of Paris lies a jewel-like island where Napoleon, just back from the Alps, built a Swiss chalet."
   The Center of the Universe by Nancy Bachrach
   Alfred A. Knopf, 2009

" "The Bottoms" succeeded to "Hell Row." "
   Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence
   Bantam Classic Edition, 1985

Three very different books. The first one is a mystery, the second a memoir, the third is classic literary.

Elizabeth George is one of my favorite authors, so I'd read her previous books and bought In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner based on that experience. The first sentence is really good, and if I hadn't read her before it would have helped me decide to read this book, along with her being a New York Times bestseller.

The Center of the Universe was on display at Barnes & Noble, and I was drawn to its cover featuring a woman in a pink sundress holding sunglasses -- the kicker being that the photo is from her neck down only. I'd never heard of Nancy Bachrach before, but once I picked it up I checked out the quotes on the cover from other writers extolling Bachrach as "witty and charming," then read the first few lines. The combination was strong enough that I wanted to read the book.

Sons and Lovers I read a long time ago when I felt a need to expand my experience of literature. The fact of it being classic and considered an autobiographical novel was the key combination to get me to want to read it. I might have purchased it without even reading the first sentence, but the first sentence did not disappoint.

Each of the first sentences is strong. At least strong enough to make me want to read the next few sentences. From these examples, I think it's clear that a first sentence doesn't have to be mind-bogglingly brilliant or so lyrical it brings a tear to the eye. What it needs to do is create a feeling of curiosity and interest strong enough to draw the reader in and make her/him check that cover blurb if they haven't already.

As writers hoping to be published for the first time, we can't rely on that powerful source of readership -- readers returning to authors they've already read and loved. Or readers wanting to read classics. First sentences are important for us. If our book's category, cover, and title get a potential reader to pick it up and turn to the first page, that first sentence can make the difference in their decision whether or not to buy. What first sentences do you know of that made the cut and got you to read a book by someone you hadn't read before? Please share! Then we can all take this little experiment to the page -- our own first page.

Linda

Why Some Stories Resonate—A Scribe Sisters Book Review

2010-08-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

We love to tell stories, but did you know through the ages and across cultures, many stories are timeless? Perhaps it all started when the earliest humans searched for order in their world just as we do in ours. Maybe they tried to explain day and night, the movement of the sun, moon, and stars, storms and earthquakes, forest fires. Maybe they grunted out their hunting adventures as they sat around the campfire. Regardless, certain themes and story structures persist. Maybe they live in our DNA.

Without resorting to the formulaic, we can touch our readers today with the power of ageless storytelling. Several writing resources offer how-to advice. The two most famous are The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Third Edition, by Joseph Campbell (The Joseph Campbell Foundation, New World Library 2008) and The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Third Edition, by Christopher Vogler, (Michael Wiese Productions, 2007).

Another book, The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth, by James N. Frey (St. Martin’s Press, 2000), distills much of this advice into a simple and easy-to-use format. Frey “describes and explains the mythic qualities” and shows “how they can be woven into the fabric of your story.”

Character Development

I’ve found this book to be helpful in creating characters. Frey advises that a hero must be clever and resourceful, courageous (or find courage during the story), a bit of a maverick, good at what he or she does for a living, blessed with a special talent that endears him/her to us, the leader of the story, wounded or flawed, idealistic, and sexually potent. Heroes also must also be well-rounded, with physiology, sociology (family history), and psychology. Examples include Atticus Finch and Scarlett O’Hara.

The antagonist, whom he calls the “Evil One,” must be even more clever and resourceful than the hero. He/she may share other qualities with the hero, but he is self-serving and motivated by “greed, avarice, lust, lust for power, vanity, narcissism,” etc. Frey says the Evil One may be cruel and unforgiving, disloyal, and a whiner. To make the Evil One well-rounded, Frey advises creating a physiology, sociology, and psychology for him/her as well. Examples include Iago, Goldfinger, and Scrooge’s father.

He also describes other characters, such as sidekicks, the rival, the trickster, the crone, the fool, and more. You can have fun weaving them into your story.

Story Structure

Like Campbell and Vogler, Frey describes the hero’s journey as a departure from the ordinary world. The hero may at first refuse the call to adventure. If so, he will “disintegrate” to some degree before accepting the call. He may receive advice, magic for the journey, a warning not to go, and have a tearful parting with a loved one. On the journey, he will have to learn new rules, overcome limitations, be willing to die for a cause, be blocked by the Evil One, be forced to face his fears, experience at least a symbolic death/rebirth, and have to confront the Evil One. He will return to the community having changed and grown. Frey provides a helpful checklist and illustrates these principles with a story of his own.

For anyone who wants to tap into the power of myth, The Key will help you do it.

Happy writing!

Jule

The Secret to Becoming Published...

2010-08-26T02:38:00.000-07:00

Perseverance!

Monday morning I landed in Rome, and the options to life were endless... Vatican City, The Colosseum, a glass of wine on the Spanish Steps ... I chose to stay in, and work on my novel. I was on the tail end of a very long day, that was quickly merging into two, and exhaustion and perseverance battled. My bed called to me by name. Perseverance won the war and I continued to work for eight hours.

Day two, Rome to Atlanta. A two hour delay out of Rome, a nine and a half hour flight, and a forty-five minute sit on the taxiway. By the time I found my hotel room it was late in the evening. Exhaustion won. A quick shower, and I fell into bed, too tired to even dry my hair. And I slept... for exactly one hour. A door slammed, laughter erupted in the hall, and my eyes opened at 9 p.m. I dried my hair, and began to work on my novel. Before I knew it, it was 6 a.m.! 2 points for perseverance. I slept 11 hours and another wake up call. Off to Ghana!

Two hours late, followed by an eleven hour flight I arrived for my fifty-six hour layover. During my break on the flight, instead of sleeping, I worked on my novel. Cocktails, snacks and pizza by the pool, and everyone discussed plans for their layover... shopping, a tour through the slave castle, and a hike under a canopy in the rain forest. And me... I'm staying behind to work on my novel.

I'd love to have taken a stroll through the streets of Rome, slept through the night in Atlanta, and explored the jungles in Ghana. But as much as I love to play, I made the choice to finish the final revision of my novel by the end of this month. The only way this will happen is through perseverance.

Life is about choice. If you choose to become an author, the only way to capture that dream is to hold hands with perseverance. Work now, play later, and make all your dreams come true.

Dream, and anything is possible. Persevere, and it's inevitable.
What did you give up today to make your dreams come true?

~Karlene

Details

2010-08-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

You know that famous phrase, 'the devil is in the details?' Or it's corollary (which I think actually came first), 'god is in the details?' We all know the wisdom of these phrases when it comes to things like contracts -- whether for health insurance or a car loan or pest control or a movie deal for our manuscript (well, we only HOPE to know it about the movie deal, but we can imagine). Buyer beware! Check those details with a magnifying glass before you sign on the dotted line.

But it's not only in areas where we need to be wary that details are important. It's also in areas that we want to be great, beautiful, and fulfilling in our personal lives, like love, food, travel and reading -- and writing. Just as the real worth of a contract is shaped, and possibly hidden, in its details, the real worth of our writing shines through the details we include. When you think of the books that have meant the most to you, I'm willing to bet the ones that come to mind are the ones that evoke the clearest, most visceral impressions of characters, feelings, action and settings. How do those authors do that? Through well-rendered details.

Compare these two sentences:

1. 'Tiny beads of moisture slicked Julia's skin, and larger drops fell intermittently from the trees to the sodden carpet of leaves beneath her feet.'

2. 'Julia stood under the still-dripping trees after the rain, getting wet.'

Number one is taken from the prologue of Leave the Grave Green by Deborah Crombie. Number two makes the same factual statement, without the embellishment. In Crombie's rendering of this sentence -- tiny beads of moisture slicking Julia's skin, the falling drops being larger and intermittent, the sodden carpet of leaves -- what a difference these details make in painting the picture and making it visceral. I especially like the work the active verb, 'slicked' does in combination with those 'tiny beads of moisture.' I have an impression of how Julia probably feels standing there, because I'm there with her.

When I look at the use of details in this context, I begin to appreciate anew the rewriting my old professor in a novel-writing group required of us. "Take that sentence and re-render it, using detail that comes from the character's emotion," he would exhort us, and we would sigh in frustration because we thought the sentence was doing it's job of getting the reader from point A to point B just fine. But then we would do it and get excited because he was right. Just looking at the difference between the examples above makes that clear to me. (And that part about making the detail relate to the character is essential,whether it's coming from her emotions or is external but clearly affects her in that moment.)

If this kind of attention to detail didn't come naturally to you as you wrote your first draft, it represents an important level of revision. I'm about to plunge into that level with my manuscript, and only hope I have the insight and patience needed to do it well. By that I mean an awareness of where sentences can be made richer through more detail without slowing the pace inappropriately, and a willingness to apply myself in all those spots. Pace is an important consideration with this topic -- we need to be aware of that, too. I would say, though, that even in the fastest-paced genre novels, deftly-used, telling details are what make the difference between a good story and a great one. Wish me luck!

Linda

A Different Perspective

2010-08-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

Today’s post is inspired by my fellow Scribe Sisters. Karlene recently posted a photo of an island from the air on her personal blog. Heather has posted that she is looking for a new agent after her previous agent changed the direction of his business. She is re-envisioning her novel as a result.

When life changes, we have the opportunity to gain a new perspective. Just as an island looks different from the air, a writing project may look different when our perspective changes. What causes this change?

Life’s catastrophes certainly change perspective. In the news recently was a story about three disabled veterans who scaled Mount Kilimanjaro. As these courageous men climbed the mountain, they encountered many obstacles. Did they let their injuries stop them? No! They persevered and reached the summit. As writers, we face new challenges caused by the changes in the publishing industry. Should we let that stop us? No! We need to find our path to success. If not one way, then another.

Learning more about the craft of writing changes our perspective. We read writing books and attend conferences and retreats. Then we notice what we could have done better in our last manuscript. Sometimes the way forward involves going back and applying what we’ve learned.

Engaging in the practice of writing every day also changes our perspective. Each new day that we write, we become better writers than we were the day before. If you don’t think so, read something you wrote six months ago and see if you don’t spot ways to improve it.

Seeing your work through someone else’s eyes can change your perspective, too. Someone once told me that a key plot point was implausible. “Give it up,” he said. Those words were like the proverbial red cape waving in front of the bull. Instead of giving up, I envisioned a scenario that would make this particular scene possible. I built the case for it throughout the story so that when it occurs, it has grown organically from all that’s come before. If others can write stories about ghosts and vampires and assassins and terrorists that seem completely believable, so can I.

Bottom line: a change in perspective is an opportunity for your growth as a writer. Don’t let it stop you. Instead, think positive and ask yourself, “How can I learn from this?” Then apply it to your writing.

How has a change in perspective changed your writing?

Happy writing!

Jule

Revision... Lessons Learned

2010-08-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

It's approaching a year since I visited the Hawaii Writers Retreat with William Bernhardt, and met my sisters Jule, Linda and Heather. Since then I've written a novel, edited it multiple times, and am now in a major revision process. Lessons Learned have come from my fellow scribes.

Why do we revise? I'm revising Flight For Control because, while it sat on the shelf waiting for me to date it, I visited conferences, read many books, and listened to my fellow scribe sisters. I've learned more about the craft of writing and I'm implementing those lessons before I send my novel out. Heather is also in the process of revising her novel, Blood Moon due to the response of the theme, and a shift of agents. However, as she says...a complete revision doesn't mean losing your story. If you're thinking about revising, I would read what Heather has to say. Getting to Heart Through Revision

How do we make the characters come alive? During this revision process, I'm personally looking for ways to make my characters memorable. Jule wrote an excellent post on how to do this. We all learned a great deal at the PNWA conference, and the techniques she writes about in Art Of Characterization is well worth the read. I'm using these ideas throughout my novel.

Tell me what 's wrong with this partial statement: "He felt.... "
Men don't feel, men think. Women feel. As a woman, I would have the tendency to express my feelings. But my male characters better not. They'll just tell you what they think. A little thing, but when something doesn't feel right about a character's voice... it's probably something little.

Is the pacing correct? A great challenge for many is the pacing. Tone, characters, tension... many things go into the pacing of a novel. Can you identify yours, and is the pacing accomplishing what you want it to? Linda wrote an excellent article on What's involved in pacing I learned a great deal from this read, and you will too. She's helped me a great deal on finding the pacing to represent what I want the reader to feel....Or think :)

I also had the great opportunity to meet and listen to Elizabeth Lyon speak at the PNWA conference. She is outstanding to say the least, and her book: Manuscript Makeover, Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore is essential. Place it in your tool kit if you too are ready to revise.

Next Wednesday I will share with you what I've been discovered throughout my novel.
Are you thinking about revising? It's not as daunting as you might think. What's holding you back?

Enjoy the Journey!

~ Karlene

Today's Tweak: Show Don't Tell

2010-08-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

I'm trying another technique tweak this week -- yikes, the rhyming! Anyway, last week's was a fairly tough example and there was little participation, to put it mildly. So this week let's talk about a classic: show, don't tell. The opposite of last week's in a way, but not necessarily easy.

Telling is distancing. Sometimes it's necessary to tell, especially with setting, but the way to avoid too much distance is to be sure the telling doesn't sound like it's in the author's voice -- it needs to come from the characters' voices and express a legitimate character need, not the author's need to tell. But that was last week's topic.

Showing, on the other hand, is intimate and immediate -- it puts the reader right in there with the characters and lets him vicariously experience what's going on. This is certainly a desirable place to be for a reader, and as writers we want to get our readers there as much as possible. The key to show, don't tell, is to dramatize the narrative, or 'put it in scene.'

How many times have you read a summary description of an important telephone conversation in a manuscript and wondered why the writer didn't let us see and hear the actual conversation instead? We'd get to know the characters a lot better if we could see them talking on the phone, maybe fiddling with ruffles on a blouse, or doodling, or squeezing their eyes shut to control their temper. Showing how they react to each other and to the situation through what they do and say, including their word choices and the tenor of their voices, would add a lot to characterization.

Or how many times have you seen a paragraph in a dramatic manuscript that lists what happened:

'John arrived home late that night after his business dinner. Helen was sitting at her writing desk, waiting for him. She heard him open the door and walk into the room behind her. She swiveled her chair around toward him and looked up at him and then she smiled. She made sure she smiled big, with her lips apart, so he would know she was really happy to see him.'

Yeah, I know. That's really really bad, and kind of creepy. But I'll bet you've seen plenty of examples that weren't much better. I'll take a shot here at making this one better by dramatizing it:

'Helen ran her fingers idly over the smooth walnut music box on her desk while she waited for John to get home. Eyes closed, she luxuriated in the late-evening silence of the room, listening for the turn of his key in the door. When it came she sat straighter and smoothed her blouse to her waist, savoring the feel of the silk. She slowly swiveled her chair to face him. His eyes came alive as he took in her smile, and he moved quickly to her, placing work-toughened hands that told his life's story on either side of her chair as he leaned in to kiss her. The smoky scent of John's after-dinner whisky mingled with the taste of his lips on hers.'

Here's another example, this one from published crime fiction, where a blind man is retrieving an envelope from a post office box. The contents of the envelope are mysterious and significant, but that's only vaguely hinted at in the paragraph. I've changed it here to make it more telling than showing:

'Dr. Buagaew was blind, but he managed to get around fine. At the post office he walked directly to the post office box section and reached out to touch the metal. His box was eighteen by twelve inches and had a loop of wool wound around the door to make it easy for him to find it. He felt along the boxes until he came to his, then fingered the key into place in the keyhole and opened the box. He reached in to find the thin envelope he was expecting.'

How would you rewrite this paragraph to show more and tell less? Share with us in the comments section! Remember to use sensory detail -- especially handy when there's only one person in the scene. If you'd rather rewrite the first example: 'John arrived home late......' that's fine, too.

On Friday afternoon I'll reproduce the actual paragraph about the blind man at the post office from the book, along with the book's title and author. It will be in the comments section of this post. See you there.

Linda

The Writer Olympics

2010-08-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

Our industry is undergoing so much change—what’s a writer to do? The decrease in book purchasing by the general public, coupled with the growth of the internet has altered traditional publishing. Recent headlines include a deal between a literary agency and an online bookseller and a bookstore chain up for sale. Closings and reorganizations also have made the news. On the other hand, opportunity awaits. E-publishing, micro and small presses, print on demand, and self-publishing (with certain pitfalls, as well as advantages) all are on the increase.

We all want our work to find a home and an audience, preferably one that will reward us for our efforts. Now, the home, the audience, and the reward may be different from what we envisioned.

Change can be fearsome, especially if it threatens to prevent us from achieving our goals. However, just as our stories are about change, life is about change. Here are a few things to remember.

Embrace Change

Easy to say, difficult to do. Like our heroes and heroines, we must find a way to succeed in a changing environment, because nothing stays the same for long. Brainstorm. Look beyond the obvious for opportunities that may not have occurred to you. When evaluating a change, assess the pros and cons. Sometimes it helps to make a list and assign a value to each, then choose the one with the most advantages in this admittedly imperfect world. And remember, even in a down stock market, some people make money. Look for a way to profit even when things don’t seem to be going your way.

You Can Change Yourself, But Not Anyone Else

This one’s a biggie. On the micro level, don’t we all want to fix everyone else? Looking at our own imperfections is hard, which is why a good critique group can be so helpful. We can spot the flaws in someone else’s writing immediately. Spotting our own is more difficult. Accept feedback with an open mind. Remember, you are the quality control expert for your own work.

On the macro level, we can’t change what’s happening in the world of publishing, so we each need to change ourselves accordingly to find our niche in this brave new world. Be open to new possibilities. If you don’t succeed in one direction, try another.

Keep Trying

If an obstacle presents itself, you can do one of two things: give up or go over/under/around/through that roadblock. Don’t give up. No one who gave up ever won an Olympic Gold Medal. No one ever was published by not finishing the manuscript or not sending it out. Dig deep and dredge up the persistence and creativity it takes to surpass that obstacle.

Write the Best Book You Can

This is the bottom line. If the story is great and the planets line up, you may be published, but probably not if the story isn’t told well. By told well, I mean more original (you’ve heard the phrase, "the same, yet different," right?) and better crafted. Study craft carefully and apply it in your work.

Last, but not least, tell the truth of your story. What are you trying to say? Then say it, and say it from the heart. Pour all of your passion and idealism into it. Let it sing.

At the end of the day, if you write the best book you can, you will have achieved more than most people. The rest will be what it will be.

Happy writing!

Jule

What Fiction Writers Blog About

2010-08-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

A few friends of mine are considering taking the blogging plunge and as fiction writers they just aren't sure what to focus on. It’s an issue that many aspiring authors wonder about. For me blogging is all about connecting with people because that's what I love to do. But as a fiction writer, it's more than that. Bloggers must have something to offer their readers, something that makes them want to leave a comment and keeps them coming back.

Here on the Scribe Sisters we blog about the craft of writing with a special focus on critique groups since that's what we are. On my personal blog, Heather's Odyssey, I blog about the craft of writing with a special focus on supporting debut authors because that's what I'm passionate about.

So what should you blog about? That depends on you. There is probably something related to the literary world that you are passionate about. Use that as an underlying or reoccurring theme in your blog. Such as, on Heather's Odyssey I feature a debut author every month. Here on the Scribe Sisters we talk about our critiquing methods. When in doubt take a good hard look at why you write. What are the deep underlying themes of your novels? Therein lies something you can use.

Your blog should have the flavor of your writing. By that I mean it should reflect your personality and the special voice that is your writing style. Don't worry, that part will come naturally if you let it. Some people are humorous writers, some are serious, others quirky, you get the idea. Have fun with it!

For more ideas on blogging check out Jane Friedman's post on it.

Finding Your Voice

2010-08-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Multiple agents and editors at the PNWA conference had the same message: If you have a 'fresh/new' voice, they will work with you. It's just that easy. So how do we find that new voice? How do we know if it's fresh?

I was recently speaking with a new author who is working towards getting her novel published. She told me that she'd gone to school, studied, and taken many courses to help her find her voice. That worked for her. But I still wondered.

And then, while all this voice talk has bounced around in my mind for days, I thought of something else I'd heard at the conference concerning what we read. Some believe we must only read our genre in which we write. And I wondered, does what we read form or impact our voice?

I surmise that we pick up the voice of those around us. We also pick up the voice of the authors that we read. If we only read one author, I would think we may pick up their voice. If we only read thrillers, we may pick up the voice of the thriller. That cannot be fresh.

My question is this... what if we read a variety of genres? Could that possibly help keep our voice fresh? I might think a thriller agent who receives a thriller from an author who reads mysteries and YA may be hearing different 'fresh/new' voice to what they normally read.

What do you read? Could it be impacting your writing?

Have a wonderful night!
~ Karlene

Technique Tweaks -- Your Input Is Respectfully Requested

2010-08-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

Today I'm inviting you, our readers, to try your hand and show your stuff re: writing techniques. This is meant to be fun and good practice for all of us who are striving to continually improve the quality of our writing. Elizabeth Lyon, in A Writer's Guide to Fiction, provided a writing technique example (duplicated below), which gave me the idea for a regular blog post on the topic.

What we care about is using what the author did, as well as our own take on what to do, to learn some sophisticated writing techniques. If you're like me, you'll be surprised by how even a relatively bad paragraph can do a reasonable job of getting the point across, and also by how much better it can be made with the application of specific writing techniques. Are you game? I hope so. This could be fun.

Today's topic: effective narrative description. Professional editor, Elizabeth Lyon, says that while 'show don't tell' is a worthwhile axiom for fiction writing, it's only partially true, because all writers need to be able to tell well (p. 163, A Writer's Guide to Fiction). She points out that writers need to recognize that it's important to craft descriptions based on the goals and needs of the characters, not on the writer's intentions. So it's best to make description "spring from a character's point of view." In this way, all narration can become characterization. (ibid., pp. 163-4)

Here's Lyon's 'bad' example, based on a passage from All Together in One Place by Jane Kirkpatrick. (Lyon selected a p.o.v. character describing herself, because that is one of the most difficult descriptions):

   'Mazy stood five-foot-nine inches and, since twelve years old, might best be described as ample. By the time she reached seventeen years old, ample had been replaced by "large." That's how she saw herself.'

Here's how Jane Kirkpatrick actually wrote this passage:

   'Finished, Mazy stood, brushed dirt from her ample knees. Ample. Ever since she was twelve years old and stood head to head with her father's five-foot-nine-inch frame, she'd thought of herself as ample. By the time she turned seventeen and married Jeremy Bacon, a man twice her age and exactly her height, the image of herself as large was as set as a wagon wheel in Wisconsin's spring mud.'
(ibid., p. 164)

You can see how Kirkpatrick makes the description organic by putting it clearly in the character's voice.

Okay, here's my bad example of character self-description for you to improve:

   'The door of the manor house was opened to us by a tall, crippled, bespectacled old man. He couldn't have had a good impression of me at first sight. I'd been caught in the pouring rain and was a mess from head to toe. I'd slipped and fallen on the sodden river bank on the long walk here and was drenched and covered with mud. I stood next to my relatively unsullied husband on the covered porch now, fuming. My sock squelched loudly against the paving stone underfoot as I held one of my muddy boots in my muddy hand.'

You can't know the full context of the scene, of course, so just imagine a character in this situation and show how you would avoid the writing mistakes that make it sound like the character is stepping outside the scene to tell us about her state of being. It's fine to add imagined details not already in the passage that you feel will provide a better character description.

Tip: the author cleverly placed three characters in this scene, each of whom is capable of observing and being observed. (The unitalicized first line is in the above example to identify the third character.) But remember, write the scene from the self-described character's p.o.v.

Enjoy!

Linda

The Art of Characterization

2010-08-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

What makes a reader remember a story? The plot may be gripping, the setting exotic, the writing lyrical, but nothing stays with us like unforgettable characters. Hamlet, Atticus Finch, Scarlett O’Hara, Hannibal Lecter, James Bond. All of them, strong, flawed, complicated, larger than life. We have an emotional tie to them, yes, even to the fiendish Hannibal Lecter.

Any writer has the potential to create such memorable characters, but most don’t dig deep enough. Why not take the extra time to add depth and believability?

At recent writers’ conferences, I absorbed some practical techniques for characterization. Here is some of what I learned.

At the recent Pacific Northwest Writers Association conference, Bob Mayer, a former Green Beret and author of 40 books, suggested using the traits described in the Myers-Briggs assessment as a platform upon which to build characters. Myers-Briggs is a test that measures four aspects of personality: 1) introvert or extrovert, 2) intuitive or sensory, 3) feeling or thinking, and 4) judging or perceiving. Though there’s much more to it than I have room to describe, here is a brief rundown.

People—and characters—with various combinations of the Myers-Briggs personality traits will react in different ways to the world around them. What’s more, certain traits tend to gravitate toward certain professions. For example, according to this theory, an artist may be an introvert, use common sense, make decisions in an emotional manner (feeling), and create without a plan (perceiving). However, a military leader may be an extrovert, intuitive, make decisions in a detached manner (thinking), and create detailed plans (judging). Once you know who your character is, you can use Myers-Briggs to give him the traits that will serve him best in his role and make him more interesting and believable.

Another important kernel of wisdom came from William Bernhardt’s Annual Workshop, in which Donald Maass and Lisa Rector presented techniques for character development. They suggest creating inner conflict in all your major characters to add depth and substance. No hero is all good, and no villain is all evil. A hero may know what he must do, but have strong doubts about whether he should do it. If your hero is generous, make him stingy about one thing. If he’s generally calm, make him nervous, etc. Even your villain may have doubts. If your villain is arrogant, let him privately question his own abilities. By showing the opposing sides of a character, he becomes more multidimensional, more lifelike, maybe even larger than life.

As I continue my writing/editing process, these techniques are helping me dig deeper, to discover more about my characters so that they will become more believable and ultimately, more human.

Happy writing!

Jule

Book Review~Mistwood by Leah Cypess

2010-08-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I read a book for sheer pleasure, one that isn't a book on the craft of writing. This was one of those special books. It has been a long time since I read a book that captivated me like this one has. Mistwood is Leah Cypess's debut novel but you certainly wouldn't know that by reading it. There is an almost poetic rythm to the prose that pulls you along and won't let you put the book down.

Here is the synopsis from Barnes and Noble:

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

Want more of a taste? Check out the book trailer on Leah's website. Mistwood was a well paced read that gripped me from the very first sentence and never let go. You'll be pulled in by Isabel's plight as well as the prince's. I liked it so much I'm going to be buying it for some of my friends and family this holiday season!

~Heather

Respecting Your Readers

2010-08-05T00:49:00.000-07:00

Inspiration comes from many places, and tonight it came from a fabulous woman... Kirsty Ferguson, an interview coach from Australia. Kirsty assists pilots, flight attendants, airline executives, and many others world wide, who are looking to dazzle the interview process and achieve their dreams.

Of the many things Kirsty said, one rang equally true to the art of writing. She said, "Don't sell yourself. Be yourself. And be prepared." She explained that in the interview process if we attempt to 'sell ourselves' we are trying to change the attitude of the interviewer, and in the process attempting to take their control. She explained that by being yourself, and telling them the story based on facts... whatever story you choose to share... they retain the power to make up their mind, based on your action, how you dealt with a situation, etc.

Wouldn't this hold true when writing a story? If we attempt to 'sell' the story, force what we want the reader to believe, we've taken their power. Readers are smart. Iinterviewers are smart. Present the facts. Present the story. Do your research. Be prepared. Let your audience enjoy the ride, without it being forced down their throats. Allow them to fill in the holes, and create their own impressions from your written word. They retain the power of the story. They retain the feeling and emotions that are 'their' impressions, not what you told them to feel and think.

I am currently reading Robert Dugoni's Damage Control. An excellent book...a thriller, but not your everyday blood and guts thriller. This is a novel with story, feelings, humanness, and so much more. I cannot help but to analyze the books I read these days, and I'm wondering why I am liking this particular novel so much. I do believe it's because it's not forced, it flows. The feelings and impressions are not being forced upon me, but the story and the facts are being presented, and I am being allowed to create my own impressions and feelings within the story. It works.

My vow: I will not force anything, but instead I will enable my story to take a life of its own and allow the reader to follow the journey of their choice.

Have a wonderful day!
~Karlene

The Short Synopsis

2010-08-03T21:24:00.000-07:00

Back in April I posted about the long synopsis, which some agents like to see before deciding whether to read a full manuscript. More often, though, agents request a short synopsis with a query letter and partial manuscript. Difficult as it is to write a clear, concise, complete and compelling synopsis in a page or two, we all have to do our best to accomplish exactly that.

Best-selling novelist Bob Mayer shared some synopsis guidelines at the PNWA conference week before last. So did best-selling novelist Bob Dugoni, who pointed out, in his seminar on query letters and synopses, that writing a synopsis is so much harder than writing a novel that we'd rather do almost anything else. He might have suggested a root canal as a desirable alternative. It was something like that. He also said it's extremely difficult for a writer to get enough distance from their story to do what's needed in a synopsis, and if you have a friend who's read your manuscript, ask them to write the synopsis -- they'll do a better job.

Given that challenge, how do we do it? Here are Mayer's, Dugoni's and Elizabeth Lyon's suggestions on writing a short synopsis (Lyon is an independent editor who presented at the conference; suggestions are from her book, A Writer's Guide to Fiction):

Mayer:
1. Main story arc from beginning to end.
2. Only three names on the page: protagonist, antagonist and one major supporting character.
3. Give the ending.
4. Goal: get the reader to know it's a good story so they want to turn the page to the rest of the submission. If they don't, your novel will never get seen by them.

Dugoni: Broad Strokes:
1. Don't overpopulate it -- take the main plot and main character and run with that.
2. Almost everything relates to the physical journey of the protagonist, but keep in mind the emotional journey and the through-line, as well.
3. Best way to write it is to use story structure -- beginning, middle, end (but use this as a guide, not a rule). Use five main questions (also addressed in query letter) to fill in the story structure: a) who is the protagonist? b) what is the protagonist? c) where is the protagonist? d) what is the protagonist's goal? e) What is the protagonist's obstacle?
Application:
4. Beginning: open with the call to adventure/refusal of the call. What happened? Why does the protagonist resist, but have to do whatever has to be done herself or himself?
5. Middle: identify the tests/obstacles that show up -- 1, 2, 3, 4 or more. These are the sequences of events. They should never be the same or show the same strengths of the protagonist.
6. End: the result of it all: the quest will go beyond whatever the external goal was, and the protagonist may find previously unrealized inner strength as his/her own truths are revealed.

Lyon: Broad Strokes:
1. Synopsis describes how a plot carries out the story promise (fulfillment of unmet issue of human need) by the protagonist, who is driven by the core issue or need.
2. One-page, single-spaced when sent with a first query letter.
3. Use active, strong, evocative verbs and concrete, specific nouns.
4. Contains the entire story: beginning, middle, end. Include plot points and emotional turning points. Leave out subplots unless understanding the main plot depends on them, then sketch only.
Application:
5. Open with a statement of the story yearning, such as a narrative hook, or by showing it embedded in action. Include the novel's setting, time period, background and situation. Make this dramatic, colorful and brief.
6. Introduce main characters with a short sketch, beginning with the protagonist and including his/her goal and what's at stake. Indicate the protagonist's fatal flaws (weaknesses stemming from past trauma) and state the character strength that defines his/her heroism. Show how the protagonist is the driving force of the story. Sketch the antagonist and other main characters or integrate them into a plot summary.
7. End by showing what the protagonist learns or realizes that supports fulfillment of the story yearning or theme. (Implied here is that the protagonist has overcome her/his weakness.)

Lyon provides additional information in the book cited above, and also has another book that covers all marketing materials in detail, with examples, called The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit.

Good luck to us all with this important work of writing a viable, compelling short synopsis. May it be less arduous than a root canal!

Linda

Chase Those Summer Doldrums

2010-08-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

August 1, and the livin’ is hot, hot, hot, no matter where you call home. Here in southeast Texas it’s 95 degrees tonight at 8 p.m., but the midsummer doldrums can strike anywhere, anytime. The temptation is to put off everything until manãna.

Now’s the time to pour on the writing energy. Remember, everything you put off until tomorrow is merely put off. No manuscript ever finished itself. It takes bum glue, dedication, perseverance, whatever you want to call it, to make it to that final page.

Many ingredients contribute to writing a novel—creativity, talent, knowledge for sure—but none of those factors mean a thing if a writer doesn’t finish. No unfinished manuscript is ever published. This I keep telling myself on those days when the locusts buzz and the thermometer scales new heights.

The best antidote I know of is to have a deadline and a plan.

Some of us work well with self-imposed deadlines. You lucky people can pick a date and stick to it. Others need an externally imposed deadline. Back in my days as a reporter, I did whatever it took to finish my story by the deadline my editor imposed, and that’s how I’m used to working. Whichever method works for you, circle that deadline date in red on your calendar, and look at it every day.

Next, you have to come up with a plan for meeting that deadline. A big caveat here—too many of us procrastinate. We let the work go until the last minute. Remember those an all-nighters whenever a term paper was due? Manãna fever again. If you let your manuscript go until the last minute, how do you expect to end up with your best work?

The best way to meet a deadline is to figure out how much time you have between now and then and divide your work accordingly, so that you do a certain amount each day. Factor in time for unexpected emergencies—a new car battery, house repairs, that unexpected work assignment that cuts into your writing time. If none of those things happen, so much the better. You’ll finish that much sooner. Then do whatever it takes to write what you need to write each day until those golden words, The End, flow from your fingertips.

Now, if you’ll please excuse me, I have a deadline to meet.

Happy writing!

Jule

Scribechat~A Book On Writing

2010-07-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

On Twitter there is a fabulous chat every week called Scribechat and this week they were discussing The Forest For The Trees by Betsey Lerner, a book on writing. Though I hadn't read the book I was immediately drawn into the chat and was inrigued by what I heard people saying. It isn't a new book by any means but it sounds like a must read for any aspiring author. Here's a quote about the book from the publisher's synopsis:

Lerner is a knowing and sympathetic coach who helps writers discover how they can be more productive in the creative process and how they can better their odds of not only getting published, but getting published well.

Better yet, here's what people on Scribechat were saying about it (the @ symbol before the name is an indication of their Twitter name. The tweets in quotes are straight from the book):

@editorialdept "the reader doesn't care what you went through to produce your work"
@LiaKeyes For me, the first chapter, on ambivalent writers, struck a lot of chords.
@editorialdept The most important take-away, for me, was advice to keep working on your next book before/during debut novel's release. So impt!
@LiaKeyes The most important take away for me was to make peace with one's neuroses and let them fuel the writing!
@editorialdept Also important - "Never do anything just because an editor tells you to"
@nathanhenrion you need that second or third book in the works, midlist pubs may even ask for a partial second work if considering a debut.
@teetate Best and simplest advice in the book: patience, patience, patience.
@editorialdept Another good takeaway - write your proposal in voice/style in which you have written or plan to write.
@paulgreci "Writing is nothing if not a long distance race." Forest for the trees.
@editorialdept "The best editors call attention to those parts of the book that have been bothering the writer, if only on an unconscious lvl"

You can read the Scribechat review of the book by Lia Keyes, Scribechat creator here. Normally I don't recommend a book before I read it but that's how much I trust my Scribechat buddies. If they recommend it this highly then I know I have to get it. So grab a copy and read it with me, then we can discuss it!

~Heather

Writing Lesson 101: Fate Vs Coincidence

2010-07-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

This is an exciting week of writing for all of us, following the PNWA conference; which was the best conference I have been to yet. Not only was everyone incredibly nice, supportive, and professional, but there was a whole lot of learning going on. Every seminar I learned something new, or a light bulb illuminated because something I had heard before, was spoken a new way. One such lesson was the difference between fate and coincidence.

Have you ever written an exceptional passage and then wondered…is this too coincidental? But what is the difference between fate and coincidence, and is there room for either in your novel?

Author and instructor Bob Mayer believes, “fate works, but coincidence doesn’t.” Bob’s example was, does your character have to show up to make the scene, or is the scene there anyway? If both people have to be at the same place anyway, the scene has to be there, then you can make them meet... and that would be fate. But if one arrives for no reason, and the purpose of the scene is strictly because they need to be there for a meeting, that is a coincidence and doesn't work.

In Flight For Control, if Kathryn were to show up outside the hospital and run into Jackie because I needed them to meet… I forced the issue and that would be a coincidence. Kathryn didn’t really have a purpose other than to conveniently be in place for a meeting with Jackie, and the purpose of the scene was forced for them to meet.

However, if Kathryn arrived at the hospital because her husband had been in a car accident…and Jackie was there because her husband had just been in a plane crash, and they met at that moment, that would be fate. It works because both women had a purpose to be in that scene, and the scene had purpose. Yes... every scene must have a purpose, and conflict.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not intentionally killing the husbands in my book. It’s done from a purely subconscious level.

Do you have any areas that you forced a scene with coincidence, but could change it to fate to make it work?

~ Karlene

Riff Writing

2010-07-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

Each time I go to a good writers conference or retreat I grow as a writer. The Pacific Northwest Writers Association annual conference that ended Sunday was a great one. The professionalism and depth and breadth of what was offered were impressive, and as my fellow Sisters have pointed out, the attitude was positive and supportive every step of the way. Today I'm going to focus on one tiny part of what we experienced at PNWA's conference.

Elizabeth Lyon is a professional editor who shared some revision techniques that get a manuscript closer to that level of richness that makes it irresistible, and had us workshop them. One of many things she identified was how to get beyond the inner censor we all have that develops early in life when we learn how to be appropriate. Being appropriate is important, but also robs us of portions of our deep personal expression, our original voice. This self-censorship is completely unconscious. To break through it and get close to that original voice, Elizabeth suggests a technique called Riff Writing. As you might guess, this is letting loose like musicians do sometimes to expand and extend a musical phrase.

Here's what Elizabeth says to do: select a particular focus in your writing -- the narrower the better. Limit it to setting, for example. The reader wants to be there through the point-of-view character's experience -- the smells, sights, temperature, etc. Riff on it. Take one sentence or one paragraph that you wrote and use it as a beginning. Write and write and write and jump over barriers and don't stop when a little voice says something like, 'hey, that's enough!' Keep going until you've really expressed your visceral, deep awareness of what's happening in that scene through its setting.

We wrote for five minutes on this exercise and could have gone a lot longer. It was amazing. I started seeing (and writing): the expression on a background character's face -- his sharp-edged smile in an otherwise friendly facade; the droop of potted plant leaves in damp heat; a jagged crack in the paving stone just outside the doorway; etc. Elizabeth's point was that you're going to get great visceral writing out of this, and it's so much better to have too much written and have to cut away what isn't needed than to have not enough and the possibility of it being flat. My scene went from getting from point A to point B fairly directly, to doing that with a slightly menacing subtext in the setting that foreshadows what is to come.

I picked up a copy of Elizabeth's book, Manuscript Makeover, A Writer's Guide to Fiction, which includes Riff Writing. (She's written six writing books.) I'm working through it now, because the conference also provided some excellent agent and editor one-on-ones, and it's time to get my submissions polished to respond to requests for partials. After this past week, I can't imagine sending off sample chapters without revising them with some of Elizabeth's techniques.

The conference offered a motherlode of information, and as I mentioned earlier, this was only one tiny aspect of that. I hope to cover other specifics from it in the future.

Linda

PNWA--Awesome!

2010-07-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

     For the past four days, Linda, Karlene, and I have been attending the Pacific Northwest Writers Association annual conference in Seattle. Heather was here for a short time, but had to return home. We all wish her schedule had permitted her to stay.

     This trip was my first to PNWA, and I have to say, the energy at this conference is amazing. Not only were the sessions helpful, interesting, and informative, the camaderie among the attendees encouraged me and spurred me onward. I’d recommend this conference to any writer who wants to take his or her work to the next level.

     For example, Bob Mayer’s workshop on Thursday made me think about my characters and their motivations in a new way. Among other suggestions, he advises using the Meyers-Briggs personality test to assess and deepen character.

     The breakout sessions on Friday and Saturday also were informative, as were the agent and editor introductions for those planning to pitch their projects during the conference. Several of the agents and editors also gave presentations on the business of publishing—something we all need to know. Even if you’re not prepared to submit your work immediately, you need to be aware of the changes in the publishing industry: e-publishing, print on demand (POD), the growth of small publishers, and other trends.

     I learned so much from this conference that I'm coming away energized and excited about my project. I can’t wait to get back to work on it.

     Thank you, PNWA, for a terrific experience.

     And heartfelt thanks to my Scribe Sisters for your hospitality and friendship. You made my first trip to Seattle truly exceptional, and I value you and appreciate you every day.

Happy writing!

Jule

PNWA Conference

2010-07-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of the PNWA conference and all the Scribe Sisters are in town. Linda, Heather, and I spent the afternoon downtown Seattle today. We walked, dined, discussed plot twists of life, read chapters and crafted pitches. Jule just landed, and tomorrow morning we'll all be together... breakfast starts at 730... conference at 9. And the work begins.

This afternoon reminded me of the importance of connecting with other writers. We found each other at the Hawaii Writers retreat 11 months ago, and I am so thankful to have these women in my life. Our time together is not only professionally rewarding, but personally rewarding as well.

Today's advice is to find people that you will connect with, and create the time to get away and workshop your novel with them. We're planning a getaway... an ocean front workshop event is coming soon. I know that when I am published there will be many people to thank, but my fellow Scribe Sisters will be at the top of that list.

Who is at the top of your list? Who critiques your work? Do you have a sounding board for your ideas? Honest feedback is essential... find people who will tell you how it is. Find writers who will brainstorm ideas with you... and go on a long date.

Next week.. exciting news from the conference events!

Happy writing!
~ Karlene

The Pitch

2010-07-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

This week, Thursday through Sunday, is the Pacific Northwest Writers Association conference. Looking at the program, I'm finally realizing how excited I am about the sessions being offered -- everything from a day-long intensive workshop on novel writing to discussions of agent/writer relationships, what agents and editors are looking for these days, and revision requirements and techniques. It's going to be great.

But why, when the program has been out for weeks, am I just now getting to the point of paying attention to it? Because, like most people attending, I'm going to be pitching to agents and editors, and that sort of wipes any other priority out of mind. Whether you thrill to the idea of pitching or dread it, the effect is similar -- you get obsessed by it.

The conference guidelines say the pitch should be short -- three-to-five sentences that provide a good overview of your book. That's not many words, so each one has to count. My typical grumbling at these times goes along the lines of: 'if they want a three-to-five sentence complete pitch they should be talking to poets or short-story writers, not to someone who's written an entire book.' Grumble grumble, hmmm, aha! If I use Heather's NYC Pitch conference experience as a guideline, I know I have to present the heart of my novel in the pitch. That takes me away from too many plot elements and too many sentences.

So here's what I think of as the basic short pitch format:

1. First Sentence: the heart of your story. What is it that truly drives this story? What are your characters compelled to do and why? If this doesn't come to you succinctly, it might help to think in terms of what the private stakes are for the character(s): choice, liberty, life, e.g., and what the public stakes are -- what thing bigger than the character(s) created the possibility of this situation? For example, my characters get sucked into an international criminal investigation and have to fight with everything they've got to survive and reclaim their lives. They've been pulled into something bigger than themselves, and it's the fighting and need to reclaim that provide the heart.

2. Second Sentence (and possibly third): What's the main obstacle the protagonist faces in order to defend/support/challenge what's happening overall?

3. Third Sentence (or fourth and possibly fifth): What definitive action takes place that allows a resolution and a major revelation?

Each of these sentences must include specifics (what kind of international criminal investigation, e.g.).

I hope I'm on the right track here, because this is how I formulated my pitch for the week's conference. After I pitch, I hope I get a chance to hear specifics from these agents and editors about what works for them and what doesn't, and why, so that I can evaluate the response and get as much as possible out of the meetings.

Now, to enjoy and absorb the other goodies the conference has to offer!

A Writer's Journey

2010-07-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

A writer’s journey is a trip to a strange and surprising new land. To write, we draw on our own impressions and experiences. When our own experiences don’t take us far enough, we have to research the things we don’t know, the arcane and the exotic. We have to dig deeper.

A lot of people have asked me why I visited Dubai a few months ago. I’m not especially well-traveled. Why didn’t I visit Paris or Rome? While I’d love to visit Paris and Rome someday, my friends, American expatriates, live in Dubai and invited me to visit them.

As a writer, I had another excellent reason for making the trip: to leap out of my comfort zone into a different world. A world where the desert meets the sea, where ancient dhows sit in the shadow of the world’s tallest building, where the tectonic plates of Western, Middle Eastern, and South Asian cultures come together. An exhilarating and enlightening experience that will inform my writing for a long time to come.

The good news is, you don’t have to go halfway around the world to reach beyond your comfort zone. Under the skin, people everywhere are motivated by the same yearnings, hurts, joys, and passions. As writers, our challenge is to dig deeper, go beneath the surface, to find the truth of that inner voice.

I’ve been brainstorming some story points recently, and came to realize my comfort zone sat firmly on top of the place I’m searching for. The place that’s deeper, more original, more exciting, and yes, more exotic. I’ve jettisoned boatloads of surface ideas to access this deeper place. The way is poorly lit, the path twists and dips and sometimes doubles back, but it’s like traveling to Dubai. I have to see where it leads.

None of us want a story that’s like all the others. We each want to bring our own stories to life. The unexpected, the revealing, the redeeming, the gratifying. The writer’s journey isn’t easy, but it takes us to the truths that only we can tell.

Happy writing!

Jule

Thought For Thursday

2010-07-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

I don't have a nice, long post for you this week because today I'm out celebrating my anniversary with my wonderful other half. Sometimes we must experience life to write about it! However, I have a helpful quote from one of my favorite books on the craft of writing to leave you with.

After its presentation, the quickest and easiest way to reject a manuscript is to look for the overuse, or misuse, of adjectives and adverbs. ~Noah Lukeman, The First Five Pages.

Noah shares many more jewels of information on how to get your manuscript out of the slush pile and past the intern. If you haven't read his book, The First Five Pages yet, you must. It helped me land my agent! And it's no surprise that Karlene and I are both mentioning it this week. It's that good! Click on the link (title) to find it at my favorite bookseller.

~Heather

Education is the Key to Success

2010-07-15T07:52:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting poolside in Accra, Ghana reading Noha Lukeman’s The First Five Pages when another pilot asked me what I was reading. He then proceeded to tell me that his wife, a former attorney and mother of five, had written a novel, but has yet to do anything with it. She’d finished writing it a year ago and set it aside due to life getting in the way. Now, a year later, she is in the process of creating a query letter, a website, and is ready to present her novel to the world, in great anticipation of becoming published. Her husband’s anticipation is that of her becoming a millionaire so he can retire.

While I am sure her novel is fantastic, I am equally certain that not many authors break out of the starting gate without training, and actually become contenders in the race. They may flail forward at full speed, but the only action they’ll get is a pile of rejections and wounded ego.

Today my novel is waiting patiently for me to attack it with my ‘final’ edit before the PNWA writer’s conference. The mistake I made was opening The First Five Pages… the best mistake I made all week! I realized that before I can do my final edit, I needed to finish this book. I want to know what the agents want and why they might toss it, and be absolutely certain that I’ve created the magic that will encourage them to devour it.

Education is the key to success. My recommendation for any novelist is keep learning. And for those who have written a book, before you send it out the world to be rejected, educate yourself as to what the industry wants. The information I have gleaned from Noah has been nothing short of phenomenal, and I am taking this bag full of knowledge to my editing table.

While there are thousands of books on writing, the two that I highly recommend are Donald Maass’ The Fire in Fiction, and Noah Lukeman’s The First Five Pages. For those who have yet to start a novel, I also recommend Donald Maass’ Writing the Breakout Novel. Okay… so while we’re at it, I’ve just started A Dash of Style, also by Lukeman. I do believe this is another 'pull off your shelf and read' resource.

With thousands of books crying for an agent, editor, and publisher, why would we send our baby out with anything less than the best she could be? I know we can all get published, but all we need are the tools. And they’re available.

What's Involved in Pacing?

2010-07-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

How fast or slow a manuscript reads, how it flows, that's pacing. But what goes into pacing? How do we control it? Or.... do we just let it happen? No question a lot of instinct is involved. When you're writing, you are telling a story and the telling has its own rhythm.

But as experts regularly point out, when the form you're writing is the novel, hundreds of pages long, pacing can be tricky. It can trip you up by its very nature of being embedded in every phrase and word of your manuscript. You're so involved in your story that you don't notice that the wonderful flourishes you're adding to character development, e.g., are messing up the pace of the storytelling. When you do that you lose some of your readers' interest. Unless you get your pacing back on track quickly, you'll lose them altogether. Or the opposite can happen -- you're so oriented to tripping along at a steady, powerful pace that you leave out significant, valuable details, like those embellishments, and the story loses emotionality, depth and meaning.

I was struck by literary agent Noah Lukeman's assertion (Ch. 19, The First Five Pages) that "Few writers comprehend the power of pacing and progression. Unlike other elements -- such as hooks, characterization, setting, which can be dealt with in isolation -- pacing and progression inevitably run throughout the course of the entire piece and are affected by every single last word."

So what goes into pacing? Well, it's slippery, and kind of amorphous, but some of the basics are:

- instinct

- early markers in the opening pages that identify what type of story this is: murder mystery, thriller, romance, literary, etc. Each has its own pace, and readers instinctively read for that as well as content. Markers are things like the dead body blocking the path (murder mystery), the airplane being blown up (thriller), the lover cheating on the protagonist (romance) etc. You have to do this even if you're sure the blurb on the inside cover will make it clear what the genre is. No playing coy. No cheating!

- voice -- it's not just the tone of the novel and characters, but the vehicle for pacing. How your characters talk and behave has everything to do with pacing.

-high points and low points: where you place them, how you get to them, and whether you keep the pacing flowing at the appropriate rate in between

-buildup of tension: what is withheld, and more importantly, how long it's withheld. You're dropping hints along the way, right? You're building in conflicts and tension that are pointing either to or away from this thing that's being withheld. These speed up or slow down the pacing -- a powerful tool.

- revelation of what's been withheld: you want your readers to feel so satisfied at this point. That happens when you've successfully paced the story so they're primed and really wanting to know (and when the revelation is funny, tragic, aha! or something else powerfully related to the plot and characters).

It's definitely worth reading articles and books that deal with pacing in writing. Two books that include terrific discussions are the Lukeman book mentioned above and Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel. Lukeman, in the same chapter referred to earlier, points out that it is difficult for a writer to self-edit for pacing, because we are so close to our stories and have to keep hundreds of pages in mind at the same time to know whether the pacing is smooth and effective. He says we should try, though, but also find good outside readers who come to the manuscript fresh, and ask them specifically to read for pacing issues. Sounds like good advice to me.

Linda

To Prologue or Not to Prologue?

2010-07-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

The editor provided this advice: It’s risky to write a prologue that features a secondary character or a character who doesn’t reappear later in the story. If you’re going to write a prologue, feature the protagonist or antagonist as the POV character. The prologue builds sympathy, so if you feature anyone other than the protag or antag, you’ll lose the reader at Chapter 1.

At this news, the air whooshed from my lungs, since my current project has a prologue in a secondary character’s point of view. The event dramatized in my prologue changes the world. Since the protagonist is eight years old at that time and not in the scene, I can’t show it from his point of view, but it colors his story twenty years later.

Many New York Times best-sellers have prologues that don’t feature the protagonist or antagonist. Some examples among my favorite hard-action thrillers: The Altar of Eden, The Judas Strain, The Last Oracle, and others by James Rollins; The Charlemagne Pursuit, The Venetian Betrayal, and others by Steve Berry. Their prologues dramatize events from the past that bear on the main story. It’s hard to argue with their success.

Whether to include a prologue or not is risky for a writer who hopes to be published. If you don’t write a prologue, then back-story can be a problem. Too many authors dump a long flashback or huge chunks of back-story into Chapter 1, something I’ve resolved not to do. I think most readers tend to skip those parts. In the absence of a prologue, back-story is handled more effectively when it is dropped in small bits, just before it’s needed to show an important plot point. Top authors who don't write prologues withhold back-story until it’s needed to advance the plot.

If an event must be dramatized in order to understand the main plot, then a prologue may work better. If you can feature your protagonist or antagonist in the prologue, great. If you can’t—and this is my current dilemma—then the prologue may be problematic.

For right now, I’m taking the risk of leaving it in. The secondary character who experiences the event in the prologue enters the main story in Act I and becomes an ally of the main character, who is introduced in Chapter 1. The secondary character’s a colorful guy, his voice is unique, and the only scene in his POV is the prologue. If he didn’t experience the event in the prologue, he wouldn’t be able to support my protag in quite the same way later in the book. Right through to the climax, he participates in the main story. I think it works.

How are you handling this issue in your current writing project? Comments and feedback are welcome!

Happy writing,

Jule

Getting The Reader On The Edge Of Their Seat

2010-07-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

No matter what genre you write it is always good to get the reader on the edge of their seat, flipping pages late into the night. But how do we do this? Is there a touch of magic to it, a secret coveted by the bestsellers, perhaps a little. When you really get down to it though it's really pretty simple. Writing a page turner is all about infusing it with tension. Easier said than done, I know, hence the magic part. Allow me to demystify it for you a bit though.

The world does not have to be in peril for there to be tension in your novel, nor does anyone's life have to be at stake. Though if that's in there too, that's all well and good. The kind of tension I'm talking about is simpler than that. For young adult writers it can be the girl who is sweating as the boy she's crushing on sits down next to her on the bus. She may start biting her nails, fidgeting with her hair. Her heart will be racing faster, she'll be worried about how she looks, smells, what she wore. The tension could be as simple as will he talk to her before the bus comes to her stop.

To put it another way, a woman is sitting waiting for her husband to come home. When he does she hears the car door slam, followed by the front door, his lunchbox clatters to the counter making a terrible ruckus. He curses as he removes his shoes and throws his keys on the table. Immediately we know something is up and we're wondering what is going to happen.

The big tension in the book is what makes people pick it up and take it home. But it's the micro-tension on every page that keeps them reading and will make them buy the next book. Tell me, how do you add tension, conflict, or interest to your writing?

~Heather

A Dollar’s Worth

2010-07-07T21:57:00.001-07:00

The strangest thing happened on my flight home...

It had been the end of a long and exhausting week, and Southwest Airlines offered me a ride from Chicago to Seattle. Passing through 10,000 feet I fired up my computer to work on my novel. I also smiled as I listened to the laughter and jokes that flowed from the rows behind me.

The antics were coming from 29 WWII Veterans, who were accompanied by 20 guardians, on their way home from the “Honor Flight,” a program where WWII Veterans were invited to Washington DC to view the memorials from WWI through Viet Nam.

Someone directly behind me asked, “Are you writing a novel?” I told him I was, and in the process of editing. And then this wonderful man said, “I wrote a novel!”

Joey Chisesi

Joey Chisesi, a WWII Veteran who proudly served in the Navy, wrote his first novel, “A Dollar’s Worth,” and gave me a copy! And then I had the great honor of Joey, and all the veterans on this flight to autograph it. Thank you everyone.

A Dollar’s Worth is a wonderful story of loss, love, hitting the bottom, and finding the strength and faith in others and God, to turn your life around, and can be found in Christian book stores August 17^th.

This is Joey’s first novel, yet he's been writing since high school, and had stories printed in the De Paulia at De Paul University, Chicago. He named, wrote, and edited his Veterans’ Post monthly newsletter, Smoke Signals.

Joey is also a professional entertainer. He plays the piano, keyboard, organ and he sings. He also tells dumb jokes while on stage, and I think we heard some on our flight home.

In 1974 he hit the road promoting travel to the Pikes Peak Area, Colorado Springs. As he toured many cities and states he had been asked by local newspapers to write his own story promoting Pikes Peak. Returning to Colorado, the Colorado Springs Sun also asked him to write a story about his travels, and to be a special feature writer, at which time he also wrote for their two magazines, Sun Country and the Weekend Magazine.

He’s also written for four newspapers: Sun, Cheyenne Edition, Paradise Post, and Lincoln News Messenger… the latter for nine years.

Inspiration for Joey’s novel, A Dollar’s Worth, came to him aboard a bus on the way to a cruise ship. He said, “I wrote copious notes as fast as the ideas came into my whacky brain and when I returned home, I left the newspaper and focused on my novel.”

When asked what advice he had for new writers he said:

“Get an idea. Elaborate on the concept. Research, research, and research some more. Keep writing. Don’t stop. Find a local editor who will openly criticize your work. Listen carefully to that person. Edit your book and rewrite it four times. Let friends read your work. Listen to their comments.” And then… “Search for Publishers.”

On a special note of thanks and gratitude, the 20 guardians on this flight paid for the trip themselves, at the cost of $2000 each. Among these guardians was a Marine who was on leave and gave up three days to escort the Veterans, and will be returning to Afghanistan. As Joey say’s, “A real American hero.”

Yes… Joey is retired, but still performing twice a week, and I believe he has a few more novels in him. I am sure everyone will wish this first time novelist the greatest success with his book, A Dollar’s Worth!

Revising Tensely

2010-07-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Scribesisters are all over micro-tension this week. It's what Donald Maass, NY literary agent, describes in his book, The Fire In Fiction, as small but telling moments within a scene that show a character's inner conflicting emotions. It ramps up the tension in the story and keeps the reader turning pages to find out how the conflicting emotions will resolve, tapping into our natural human desire to understand and resolve conflict. This is a tool we can all use to our advantage, whether we're writing thrillers or literary fiction. In my opinion, the deft kind of writing Maass is talking about can also create believability and empathy for the characters through letting readers into the turmoil of characters' inner lives.

I'm on the bandwagon, finding places in my manuscript that are a little flat or saggy, and working to become good at using this powerful tool to make them better.

However, as I avidly read the chapter on micro-tension, I felt the distinct tinge of my own conflicting emotions: this makes sense and I need to do a lot more of it, I thought; but what about the fun parts of books? What about the enjoyment of wallowing in characters' personalities and behaviors? (my own leanings.) Has writing changed so much in the last decade that it has become a sound-bite medium? Am I out of touch? (getting defensive here!)

When I got to one particular paragraph I sighed with relief, because Maass said something I disagree with pretty strongly, and I knew where I stood. He is stating this as his belief, not as The Truth. He says: "I do not believe in aftermath. The human brain moves faster than any author's fingers can type. The importance of any plot turn is, for most readers, immediately apparent. Mulling it over on the page doesn't add anything fresh. Readers minds are already racing ahead..." (p. 210, The Fire In Fiction)

That crystallized it for me. I want to experience reading on a contemplative level, not just a page-turning one. If my mind is racing ahead, I'm missing out on some of the best pleasure reading has to offer. Since I have faith that there are other readers like me, this led me to conclude that perhaps the amount of tension (including micro-tension) that best serves novels is, in fact, significantly various and partially dependent on genre.

If you're writing a hard-driving thriller, it makes sense that not only every page, but most paragraphs benefit from tension. If you're writing a mystery, maybe not quite so much. Especially if, say, it's a series mystery and readers are coming back not only for the storytelling but because they enjoy the relationship between the protagonist and another main character. This is not to say these books don't all need tension and conflict -- of course they do. But let's not lose our favorite relationship narratives to the need for constant page-turning tension.

This issue of how much tension is needed is an important topic. As stated, I'm a believer in the powerful tool of micro-tension, (and its big brother, macro-tension), but I believe tension can be overdone and take away the pleasure of contemplative reading. I'd love to know how others feel (because I'm still wondering if I'm defensively out of touch!). How do you feel?

Micro-tension: Adding Depth to Dialogue, Action, and Exposition

2010-07-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

Every novel has scenes when not much happens. Two characters may sip iced tea and speculate on who the bad guy is. Maybe they drive somewhere in a car. Or maybe a big action scene has taken place, and the characters take a breather. Those scenes can be bo-r-r-r-ring.

Maybe you should cut the scene. Remember what Elmore Leonard said? “Try to leave everything out that readers tend to skip.”

But what if the scene has value? An important clue needs to be conveyed. Or the characters need to communicate something important. Or they need a tiny break before the next big action.

According to agent Donald Maass, writers can make a scene relevant and useful by adding micro-tension, “the moment-by-moment tension that keeps the reader in a constant state of suspense over what will happen, not in the story, but in the next few seconds.” (Fire in Fiction, Writers’ Digest Books, 2009, p. 189). A writer can add micro-tension to dialogue, action, and exposition.

I’m working on adding micro-tension by touching my characters’ conflicting emotions, as Maass advises. Here’s an example from my current project:

Jason shook his head no, but Calvin’s pale eyes pleaded. “Stop back here for me. I’ll be dressed and waiting."

A sidekick. Jason’s forehead tightened. The last thing he needed. But he liked the old guy and truth be told, didn’t want to say goodbye. Maybe he could help him get on his feet. He sighed. “All right. Be sure you’re ready.”

So, how about it readers? I'd welcome any comments you may have. Now the challenge is to add micro-tension to every scene.

Happy writing!

Jule