Why your plot problems need to be life or death

(churchleaders.com)

I was reading a book recently and realized I was really bored with it.  This sparked me into trying to figure out why I get bored with particular books, and I came to the realization that it all comes down to the plot not having a big enough crisis.  The main plot problem in your writing needs to be a life or death situation, or it won't be compelling enough to keep reader's attention.  The crisis can't be that your aunt will lose all her inheritance if you don't find a certain locket.  It also can't be that your girlfriend kidnapped your dog and you have to get him back.  These things won't be compelling unless there is some worry that someone will die because of the problem.  I don't know why this is.  I just know that whenever I'm bored with a book, it's because the crisis isn't life or death.  So next time you're working on the plot of your next big novel....keep that in mind.  Give your characters some life or death problems to overcome.  Your readers will thank you!

Should you Write a Christmas Novel?

(amazon.com)

I've always wanted to write a Christmas novel.  I fantasize that my novel will become a Christmas classic like, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson.  Singers like Andy Williams have albums that are played over and over every year, why not a novel?  How to achieve it?  I think the hook has to be humor or something really touching.  But since there are already so many touching Christmas novels it has to be a really fresh idea.  How about a sci-fi take on Christmas?  Or a Steampunk twist on the Grinch story? You can search titles on Amazon to see what books on Christmas are out there, so you can determine what has been overused, and determine if your idea could be the next Christmas classic.

Using Body Language in Dialogue

(teenadvisors.org)

I loved this article on the difference in dialogue with and without body language.  It makes a big difference if you include body language and a sense of place when people are having conversations in your story.  It makes things sound less like cardboard and more like real life.  I hope your family has a happy and delicous Thanksgiving this week!

How to Write a Title that will Sell Books

(helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com)

I loved the above article.  Click here to read it.  But I'd also add some of my own advice.  A title is really an advertising decision.  And one thing I've learned from writing advertising for companies is that you need to think of your audience's "pain."  What "pain" does your book solve for them or speak to?  The only way they will buy something is if it will help them assuage some pain in their life.  

For instance my book is about motherhood, and it helps my audience laugh at the ups and downs that would otherwise make them cry.  So in the title I tried to reflect that.  They know that if they buy my book they will be able to laugh at things that give them grief.

If your book is a romance, you need think: why does my audience read romance?  Is it because they are lonely?  Do they like to escape into other people's lives?  Do they like to be entertained with an action-packed romance?  If so, you need to come up with a title that will help promise these things....and do it in a few words.  Not easy.  But you'll find it's really fun to brainstorm and ask everyone you know to give you suggestions.  Sometimes things other people say will trigger just the right idea.

Unreliable Narrators

(mandywallace.com)

This was an awesome article.  It will give you some fantastic ideas!  Click on the caption to read it.

Eliminate Grammar Mistakes!

(thewritewoman.com)

 "If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy." – Dorothy Parker

Ha!  True enough, although I can attest that one can be a happy writer. The book though!  I read The Elements of Style from cover to cover before I started writing seriously, and it saved my life.  It virtually eliminated my problem with commas and taught me many grammar rules in a way that was easy to understand.  I recommend it to anyone who wants to become a better writer and avoid the grammar mistakes that may cost them a book contract.   

Plotting with Index Cards

(mythcreants.com)

This idea sounds like something that would really work for me!  I love it!  I'm totally going to try it.  Have you ever tried it?  (Click on the caption to read the article)

Writing tips by Tolkien!

Loved this!!!  I couldn't get it quite clear enough, but you can click here for a copy that you can read better....

(essaymama.com)

20 Writing Tips from Published Authors

(businessinsider.com)

I loved these writing tips from iuniverse.com.   Here's the link.   My favorite?

TIP 5:  "Always carry a notebook.  And I mean always.  The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes;  unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea forever." - Will Self

I have done this, and it is so effective.  Ideas and observations practically leak out of you when you have a notebook to catch them.  It's amazing how many more ideas you can capture this way.  Once I took my little notebook to the mall while I shopped with my teen. I watched people and scribbled away.  My daughter refused to admit that I was her mother, but I got so many interesting ideas for characters!  Caution:  Don't follow people around when you do this...that's just creepy.  Sit on a bench outside where your kids are shopping and write about the people who walk by.  It's a little more subtle and not as likely to get you arrested.  :-)

How much money does a writer Make?

(financesonline.com)

Well...not much.  Sorry to be a downer, but writers write because they love it, they don't do it for the money.  Basically you get like about a $1 a book, and sometimes less, so it's not a very lucrative career.  I know a writer who is pretty successful, and says she earns about $1 an hour for all of the effort she puts in, including promoting her book.

On the other hand, you could be the next Stephen King, or J.K. Rowling!  You never know.  But just expect that it's not going to make you rich.

That said, writing sure is rewarding and fun.  It's pretty addictive once you get started, so maybe that's why 80% of the people surveyed in America said they were working on writing a novel.  So go ahead, start on that novel you've always dreamed of...it may not pay off in terms of money, but you'll find a lot of personal satisfaction in the work.  I sure do!

Describe This!

Wouldn't this be a cool room to describe in a novel?  I wonder what kind of character would have a living room like this?  Here are more crazy rooms that can inspire new characters...

How about this house?  I wonder who lives there?

Loved this Writing Quote

(writingeekery)

It's so true.  You always have to listen to your writing as if you were the reader, yet keep your creativity as a writer, and also be inside the head of your character.  You can do this all at once, but you can also take it one thing at a time.  That's what drafts are for.  You'll need maybe 10 drafts to get it all down...maybe more, but you'll get there.  Never give up.

Gray Characters

(Link to Gray Characters Article)

I loved this article about "gray" characters.  I hate it when I read a book with a "flat" villain which is all too common these days.  Read this article to avoid that type of mistake.

The Seven Ancient Story Archetypes

(growthsci.com)

They say all stories can be divided into seven archetypes.  Have you analyzed which archetype your story is using?  It will help you to see if perhaps you are being too cliche in your writing.  It can also help you to decide if your characters are acting believably and in "character."  It can even help you create a new story.  Here are the seven archetypes.

1. Hero's Journey:  Example- Luke Skywalker.  A hero must save the world from certain disaster.

2. The Quest:  Similar to Hero's Journey.  A Protagonist travels and overcomes obstacles to obtain a desired object or treasure that will help mankind or his family.

3. Overcoming the Monster:  The hero must fight monsters to protect the innocent.  (David and Goliath)

4. Rags to Riches: Stories that tell of one character's struggle to overcome poverty or prejudice and achieve his dream.

5. Re-birth:  (Think Dr. Who)  1.. Hero threatened 2. Must fight 3. All is lost 4. Hero does an about face that saves the day.

6. Voyage and Return-  Going from innocence to wisdom. (Think Narnia)

7. Tragedy- A tragic flaw or moral flaw that causes disaster for the protagonist and his family.

8. Comedy- Characters thrown into bewilderment and having to resolve their issues in a comic way after it goes to the extreme.

How to Query a Magazine

In addition to my humor books, I've gained a lot of experience writing for magazines over the years.  I enjoy the short format, and the challenge of changing dry information into a story.  One of the challenges of writing for magazines is that each one has its own voice.  So you have to change your writing to match whatever the style of each magazine is.  Before submitting an article you must write a query letter to see if they would be interested in your story.  Here are some tips I've gleaned over the years.

1. Read about ten of the magazines you want to write for before even attempting to think of what to write for them.

2.  Then go online on their website and look to see if they've issued a "call" for a certain type of article.

3.  Start small.  Sometimes in order to "break in" to a magazine you have to write for their smaller regular columns at the back of the magazine.

4.  Carefully look over the magazine and decide who their audience is, what kind of articles they like, and then see if you have a story or helpful tips that fit their customers.

5.  Write a short letter to ask if they are interested.  Find a "need" of their audience, and explain how your article will help solve their audience's "need."

6.  Look up statistics.  For some reason my queries always get accepted when I include statistics.


That's it!  Hope it helps.  Magazines are really marketing tools that are preaching to a certain audience, so if you keep their audience's needs in mind, and you write in their 'style', you'll probably have success.

Writing Descriptively

Here is a picture taken by my daughter of the wheat fields by where I live.  When fall comes, many places have glorious autumn colors, but another one of my favorite scenes is the wheat ready to harvest.  How aptly these fields are described as "amber waves of grain."  Which brings me to my point of the day...comparing my clumsy description, "wheat ready to harvest," which sounds so blah, compared to "amber waves of grain," which is a gorgeous poetic vision.  How do you get from blah to beautiful in your descriptions?  Study and practice poetry.  Read a book about it and practice writing it.  It will really help!  It doesn't matter if you're not good at it yet.  Any amount of study and practice will make you better.  And you will begin thinking in terms of poetry when you describe things in your stories.

Being able to describe things poetically makes your book so much more satisfying to read and so beautiful.  It is part of the "art" of writing.  The craft of writing is definitely a "craft," which can be learned.  But there is art and finesse involved too, that you can only learn through practice and study of masters of the art.

One of my favorite writers recently has been Shannon Hale.  Her story "The Goose Girl," has descriptions that I can only describe as "delicious."  I often read parts of her book when I want to get in a poetic mood.  I'm sure you have your favorites as well.  Who are they?

Goose Girl

Writing Articles

(binarynote.com)

I'm on vacation until next week, but in the meantime, I thought I'd entertain you with all the writing articles from the web I've been madly pinning HERE.  There are some amazing articles to peruse and learn from, so have fun until next week!

How to write Faster and Better

(drumbeatmarketing.net)

I've got one rule for you!  And that is:  Don't edit your rough draft until it's done!  This really works to help you write faster and better.  Just get it all out.  Editing can be done later.  Many people get stuck writing the same paragraph over and over and over, fiddling with words and sentences.  This will stall your creativity.  It's really important for you to get it all out before your analytical brain takes over.  Your analytical side will stifle your creative side, so you really need to write and write and write while creativity is flowing.  Afterward, go back and edit.  And then edit some more.  First fix the plot.  Then add sensory details, then character.  You can play with it all you want.  You should spend 30% of your time writing the piece, and then afterwards, about 70% of your time editing.  I promise you will write faster and better if you follow this rule!  Good luck!

How to Start your Novel

(source: thewritepractice.com)

I just read this great article  on this awesome website and thought I'd share it!  It's great advice about conflict versus world building!  Read other posts too on this website.  They're really good!  This website also will send you daily writing prompts to practice.  It's a great tool for getting better at writing!

Self Editing Tips

(source: theatlantic.com)

I finally have some time in between vacations this summer to post!!  I wanted to talk a little bit about self editing tips I have learned over the years.  Self editing can be problematic because once you've stared at your work over and over for weeks and months, you tend to lose objectivity.  I've learned some methods, however, that help you read with objectivity, even if it is your tenth time editing!

1. Read out loud.  This is the best tip I use.  I always find things I've missed, even if I'm reading out loud for the second or third time.  Grammatical errors, pacing, awkward sentences, character and plot inconsistancies are all easier to catch this way.

2. Read the manuscript backwards chapter by chapter.  This is especially helpful for catching grammatical stuff and awkward writing.

3. Put your scenes and sequences on sticky notes and stick them up on the wall in order to check your structure and pacing.  

4. Wait a week or two before picking it up to edit.  This also is the best advice ever.  Once you've had some distance from the manuscript you'll be surprised what pops out at you.

These are the self-editing tips I use all the time.  But after you do all these, it's STILL very important to let other people read your work.  There are things that they will notice that will be very valuable to you as you craft your story.  You need the opinions of others to produce the highest quality product.

Hope you all are having a great summer!