Tag: books
Want a Great Book?
[found on helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com; by K.M. Weiland]
“Twenty-five ways to write an awesome book:
1. Hook readers with a strong first chapter that doesn’t waste time.
2. Create a sympathetic and/or entertaining character.
3. Give the character a strong goal.
4. Obstruct the character’s goal with equally strong opposition.
5. Create a theme that arises from the character’s inner conflict.
6. Craft a strong plot with proper structure.
7. Do your research and get your facts straight.
8. Expunge unnecessary scenes, settings, and characters.
9. Balance action and character with properly structured scene/sequel pairings.
10. Write realistic, entertaining dialogue.
11. Maintain a consistent POV.
12. Create original and entertaining voices for narrating characters.
13. Tighten descriptions with more strong verbs and nouns and fewer modifiers.
14. Show more than you tell.
15. Dig deep for original ideas and turns of phrase.
16. Properly foreshadow your climax—without giving away any big reveals.
17. Build realistic and engaging settings.
18. Add only meaningful subplots.
19. When you build tension—always fulfill it.
20. Create a dynamic arc of growth for your character.
21. Add interesting minor characters who can power the plot forward.
22. Choose the right tone to enhance your plot and theme.
23. Rock readers with a climax that fulfills all their desires for the story.
24. Don’t tie off all the loose ends in your story’s ending.
25. Proofread, proofread, proofread.”
For more excellent tips from K.M. Weiland, click here.
[found on http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2013/11/top-25-ways-write-awesome-book.html]
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Killing Your Characters
[found on writersrelief.com; by Writers Relief Staff]
“If you’re considering killing off your main character, keep the following tips in mind:
- Be somewhat realistic. It may be hard to swallow if your main character survives what no one should be able to. When a jumbo jet crashes in the desert but your hero, Jack, walks away unscathed thanks to his skill with a nail file and a soda can, you can practically hear your readers groan.
- Plot problems. Don’t kill the protagonist if you are having problems with the storyline and simply don’t know what to do next: The heroine finds herself between an enraged grizzly and a cliff—if you can’t figure out a plausible way to extricate her, this shouldn’t be the only reason to kill her off.
- Beware morality statements. Perhaps your main character’s death is a natural consequence of his fatal flaw. He is a functioning alcoholic and sometimes drinks and drives. Be very careful not to make this into a morality statement by waving it over your readers’ heads: This is what happens to drunk drivers! You want the story to be powerful, not your personal statement on drunk driving.
- Don’t kill the MC off in a trivial or anticlimactic way. In other words, unless it’s tied to the theme or plot in some significant way, Hattie Heroine should not die from an infected paper cut. If we’ve invested in her character, we need some tension building up to her death.
- Avoid resurrections. Please don’t be tempted to miraculously bring a main character back to life unless it’s an integral part of your plot or theme (like a medical thriller centered around a miraculous new drug that reverses death). What? It was actually Hattie Heroine’s twin sister who died of infection? Like an ending where the MC wakes up and realizes everything was just a dream, a miraculous resurrection can be a little cheesy—or an easy out.”
[found on http://writersrelief.com/blog/2013/11/main-characters-how-to-kill-your-protagonist-without-killing-your-fanbase]
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A Good Editor
“A good editor will not just point out errors; she explains them, providing you with an education to enable you to perform a stronger rewrite. For instance, if your manuscript includes point-of-view violations—a major reason for fiction rejection—she will offer a thorough explanation of the concept and provide easy-to-understand examples. A good editor will encourage you and compliment you on your strengths, but she will not hold back in showing you where you need improvement or are making repeated mistakes. She does not expect you to know all the book publishing rules for copyediting—that’s her job. But she does try to help you understand some basic underlying principles that you might need to learn in order to be a better writer. A good editor knows your book is your “baby” and that you have poured many hours into writing it, but her goal is to help you make that book the best it can be, and sometimes that requires you, the author, to make drastic changes. In other words, a good editor is “on your side” and wants to help, but she is mostly concerned with getting your book in the best shape possible.”
— C. S. Lakin / critiquemymanuscript.com
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Writer’s Block Begone
Here are some ideas to fight writer’s block. Tell us if you have any to add!
David Alm on writer’s block:
“Writer’s block is as much a part of being a writer as banging your head against the wall in frustration when publisher’s don’t return your calls. I jest, but seriously — it doesn’t matter how successful you are or what kind of writing you do; if you’re a writer, you’ve been stuck.
Not anymore, if the makers of Write or Die have anything to say about it. The app, now available for $9.99, aims to keep you on task by threatening you with some pretty dire consequences if you stop churning out copy. Set it to “kamikaze” mode, and it will begin deleting words you’ve already written after 45 seconds of no activity.”
—David Alm / Contrary Blog
13 authors views on Writer’s Block from FlavorWire:
- “Suggestions? Put it aside for a few days, or longer, do other things, try not to think about it. Then sit down and read it (printouts are best I find, but that’s just me) as if you’ve never seen it before. Start at the beginning. Scribble on the manuscript as you go if you see anything you want to change. And often, when you get to the end you’ll be both enthusiastic about it and know what the next few words are. And you do it all one word at a time.” – Neil Gaiman
Click to view the other 12.
Strategies for overcoming writer’s block:
“Taking notes
Jot down ideas and phrases as they occur to you. Free yourself from paragraphs and sentences for the moment–use flow charts, arrows, boxes, outlines, even pictures. Right now, you are worried about getting things down before you forget them.
Freewriting/Brainstorming
When you’re not just blocked, when you’re stonewalled, try freewriting. Sit down for ten minutes and write down everything you can think of about your topic. The object is to write without stopping for the whole ten minutes. If you can’t think of anything to say, write “blah, blah, blah” over and over. If other things occur to you as you write, go ahead and record them, even if they are not directly related to your topic. These distractions may be part of what is keeping you blocked.
Freewriting is good for uncovering ideas–it’s a good way to nudge “inspiration.” But the main purpose of freewriting is to get you moving! Most of what you write in those ten minutes will go in the recycling bin, but you’ll be warmed up and your serious writing should go more smoothly.
Brainstorming resembles freewriting but is more goal-directed. You start not only with a topic, say PROFS, but also with a goal: What do new users need to know about this system? Then allow yourself to jot down ideas for a set amount of time without censoring any possibilities and without striving for perfect prose. When the “storm” has passed, you can rearrange ideas, put thoughts into complete sentences, edit, and polish.
Piecework
Sometimes, starting at the beginning induces Perfect Draft Syndrome. It may be easier to get started if you approach the task sideways. If you’ve got a plan for the article or manual, choose a section from the middle or a point you know well and start there. Then do another section. After you’ve gained some confidence, you can work on the opening and smooth out the transitions.
What I Really Mean Is (WIRMI)
When you’re stuck in a quagmire trying to find the perfect phrase, switch to What I Really Mean Is and just say it the way you think it. Once you know what you mean, it is easier to refine the phrasing.
Satisficing (satisfy + suffice)
You “satisfice” when you take the first reasonable solution instead of searching endlessly for just the right word or sentence. If you’re unhappy with the choice, you can bracket it and promise yourself you’ll fix it later.”
—Writer’s Tips from css.illinois.edu
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A Book Begins…
Query Letter Help
[found on maxbarry.com; by Max Barry]
“The Query Letter
The idea of a query letter is to take this book you’ve written, this incomparable masterpiece that took five years and destroyed your marriage, and summarize it on a single piece of paper while still leaving enough room in the margins for a publisher or agent to scribble, “Sorry, not for us.” You have to try to pitch your book in such an intriguing way that the publisher immediately writes back to you, demanding to see sample chapters (or the entire manuscript). This may sound tough to do, but in truth it’s even harder. Your query needs to stand out from the other 80 the editor is going to read that day, but avoid amateurish gimmicks, like $50 bills.
There are plenty of good web sites on how to write a query letter and approach agents/editors. Some of them are:
- Jane Dystel’s Author Resources (a collection of links)
- NovelAdvice (good general writing tips and links)
- The SFWA FAQ (dozens of articles and links on just about everything)
- Amy Sterling’s Writer’s Guidelines (manuscript format)
- BookTalk: Getting an Agent
- Hunting for a Literary Agent
One thing you must do is say what sort of book you’ve written. This is what agents/editors will be scanning for when they read your letter: is it a thriller, a comedy, a rural human drama? Most writers, including me, find this very difficult to do, and tend to produce descriptions like, “It’s kind of a futuristic science-fiction comedy-come-romance set in Medieval France with a strong anti-war message.” This is why authors should be banned from describing their own novels.
So I suggest enlisting help: have your friends read your book and ask them what novels they think it’s similar to. Then at least you’ll have a rough genre to start from. Also, for practice, try to describe your book in a single, short sentence. Ask people if it sounds interesting, and rework it until it does.
This is very much personal opinion, but I think a good description often combines something common (“It’s a detective story”) with something original (“where the PI has a terminal illness”). The common part grounds the story, letting us know what ballpark it’s in. The original part shows it’s something special.
Update (May-07): If you’re interested, I’ve posted my old query letter, which I sent out while agent-hunting in 1998. It’s kinda cringe-worthy reading it now, definitely over the top, but since it worked…”
For more great info from MaxBarry, click here.
[found on http://maxbarry.com/writing/help.html]
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Writers United
Need writer communities where you can talk and ask for help?
Here are a few. Share the ones you know about!
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Write With Passion
[found on fuelyourwriting.com; by Kim Phillips]
“Passion in writing becomes even more important in print or online, where the reader can’t be influenced by your tone, eye contact, or body language.
Michael Stelzner, who writes for the online magazine Social Media Examiner, is flat-out crazy about social media. It’s not just his business; he’s in love with it, and it shows. Contrast the corporate blog of Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, with that of Bill Marriott of the eponymous hotel chain and decide who loves his job more.
Some tips for writing with passion…
Write about something you understand. It’s not likely you’re going to have strong feelings about something you’re not familiar with.
Know who you’re writing for. This should always be the case, but it will be helpful if you know what you have in common with the reader. If you’re a 55-year-old man writing for mommies about toys, you’re going to have to think about what experiences you share.
Don’t load up your writing with facts and stats. Unless you’re writing a blog for engineers, most people would rather know the meaning of the data and how it can help them. If you’re writing about homelessness, describe one homeless family’s experience and leave out the chart.
Find your indignation. There’s nothing like a little righteous anger to get the juices flowing.
Tell a story. Relate not only what happened, but how you felt about it. Be vulnerable: people will consider it brave, and they will come with you.
Admit that you don’t have a clue. That happens so rarely that the reader will be intrigued.
Be yourself. You have a unique point of view and a voice that is not exactly like anyone else; that’s interesting. Are you edgy? Self-deprecating? Thoughtful? Irreverently funny? The local curmudgeon? Then be that.
If you want to engage people, get them on your side. If you don’t care, why should they?”
For more tips on writing from FuelYourWriting, click here.
Editing Addict, LLC 