Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
Formatting your submissions according to a publication’s writer’s guidelines is essential. Finding those guidelines isn’t always easy, and even in this day of digital everything you often have to request guidelines via email.
For easy reference, FreelanceWriting.com provides a database of 836 writer’s guidelines, by category. http://www.freelancewriting.com/guidelines/pages/
Point of view. Think about those words and it will help you.
From whose perspective are you viewing your scene? Whose feelings and thoughts are being expressed in the scene?
Example from my present WIP:
Chase stared at Karl with what he hoped was a questioning, please-continue look in his blue eyes, but Karl just sat there like a dog refusing to fetch. He took a deep breath, clearly concerned and struggling for words.
Explanation:
We are in Chase’s POV. He is describing what he does (stared at Karl), and because he can’t see his own face describes what he hopes he’s trying to convey (a questioning, please-continue look). Chase goes on to describe Karl’s behavior (doesn’t respond, takes a deep breath, Chase sees concern on Karl’s face and discerns that Karl is struggling to find his words).
Practice: Whose POV is this in?
The breath Chase had been holding escaped violently, involuntarily. Abby’s mouthful of coffee came sputtering out all over her lap and across the corner of Karl’s desk. Karl pulled a handkerchief from his suit coat breast pocket and handed it to Abby. She wiped her mouth and then swiped away the coffee from Karl’s desk. (Leave your answer in the comments section.)
Review several pages of your work in progress. Are you showing the observations and feelings of more than one character in one paragraph, one page, one scene? Rework accordingly.
Would you like some feedback or help? Copy a paragraph from your WIP into the comments section and we’ll discuss.
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Point of View Defined
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013
I regularly notice that writers incorrectly shift from one character’s point of view (POV) to another. That is, they give us more than one POV in the same paragraph. I know I did when I first began writing fiction, and I continued to struggle until I got my brain wrapped around what POV is.
Nancy Kress in her book Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint defines it thus: “whose eyes we view the action through, whose head we’re inside of, whose feelings we experience as that character feels them.”
Let me show you how it works with something from my book Claiming Her Inheritance.
POV done incorrectly:
Leslie sat directly across from Chase, her head down, elbows on the table, face in her hands. Her silky brunette locks fell forward, brushing the table. Chase could see the slow rise and fall of her shoulders and hear the deep breaths she took in, held, and then released.
Explanation:
Because Leslie’s name comes first the reader falls into Leslie’s point of view without even thinking about it and sees Chase sitting across from her. The reader may even imagine herself in Leslie’s face-in-her-hands position, her silky hair softly brushing against her face, and feel Leslie’s emotional discomfort. But in the third sentence the POV shifts to Chase because now we are seeing what he is seeing, hearing what he is hearing.
POV done correctly:
Chase watched Leslie directly across from him, her head down, elbows on the table, face in her hands. Her silky brunette locks fell forward, brushing the table. He could see the slow rise and fall of her shoulders and hear the deep breaths she took in, held, and then released.
Explanation:
The difference is minor in actual words, but where point of view is concerned it now all comes from Chase’s POV. We are seeing and hearing what he does.
It’s best to keep each scene in one character’s POV. When shifting it is best to do it at the beginning of a chapter. If you shift within the chapter, you’ll want to add a line space with a few asterisks centered on the line to help the reader know there is a shift coming.
Do you have a question about POV? Leave your questions and comments below.
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Debra L. Butterfield © 2013
Readers want to see character growth and change through the course of the story. This is the character arc of your story. Character growth can be as simple as having your heroine realize she doesn’t need a man in her life to be happy, or as complex as overcoming the childhood trauma of abuse.
Here are 5 questions to ask yourself either before you begin to write or during.
As in life, it usually isn’t any one thing, but a combination of happenings that bring about change/growth in our lives. So it is with your story characters. These five questions will get you on your way to creating characters readers can connect with.
I highly recommend Nancy Kress’s book Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint. Check the link to the right for more information (affiliate link).
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013
The adjective that exists solely as decoration is a self-indulgence for the writer and a burden for the reader. … make your adjectives do work that needs to be done. —William Zinsser, On Writing Well
“Bloated, chunky, dull dialogue is a five-alarm warning to the reviewer that you can’t write salable fiction,” says James Scott Bell in his book The Art of War for Writers.
Dialogue, like any other part of your novel, must move your story forward.
An important part of good dialogue is the distinctive voice of each character. Even if your characters grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools, they have different parents, siblings, and perspectives on life. Those things will affect the way they speak.
Discover your character’s voice by creating a voice journal, a stream of conscious writing you write from a character’s POV. Start your character’s journal by having her or him respond to the questions “Who am I and what do I want?” Then write for about 10 or 15 minutes.
I recommend creating a journal for each main character of your story. Utilize these journals throughout the process of writing your novel, especially when you feel stuck.
What tools do you use to create compelling dialogue?
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013
Take a look at the picture above. What’s the first thing that comes into your mind? Danger? A bygone era? What ever your thought was, the fact is the picture triggered that thought. That is the creativity of your mind in action.
Now think about how you can use what’s in this photo in your work in progress.
When you’re stuck on a plot point or feel your story is dragging, step away from your writing and visit a local art gallery or do some web surfing to galleries. Use the pictures to inspire you and spur your creativity.
As you meander through the exhibits, ask yourself the questions above and anything else that comes to mind. What is the potential conflict this setting can bring to my story? Even what appears to you as the most tranquil scene can spark conflict in your character if he/she associates that scene with bad experiences.
Be sure to take along a notebook or digital recorder so you can record your thoughts. Who knows, you might even find the gallery you visit to be a perfect scene location.
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013
So you’ve started a blog and are wondering if you should trademark your blog’s title.
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), a trademark is a brand name and includes any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination thereof that is intended to identify the goods or services of a seller. Like the © symbol, the registered trademark symbol ® is familiar to us all, as is the TM. But that’s where the similarities end.
Applying for trademark registration is more far more costly (approximately 10X more) and complex than registering your copyright. In addition, certain criteria must be met.
Attorney Tonya Marie Evans says “Anyone who claims rights in a mark may use the superscript TM or SM (service mark) designation with the mark to alert the public to the claim.” It isn’t necessary to register or have a pending application to use the TM or SM. So while there is nothing stopping you from using the marks, “your claim may or may not be valid.”
Use of the ® is illegal until registration has been granted by the USPTO. Before you apply, you’ll want to complete a search (for a fee) to determine whether or not your brand is already trademarked. (I told you it was complex and costly.)
For a brief foray into the complexity of trademarks, see the USPTO guidelines page: http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/index.jsp
For the fees involved, visit here: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/qs/ope/fee031913.htm#tm Paper filing $375, electronic $325. The USPTO encourages electronic filing.
Recommended reading: Literary Law Guide for Authors: Copyright, Trademark, and Contracts in Plain Language by Tonya Marie Evans.
Now is not the time to apply, but now is the time to think about your brand. Next week’s Tuesday Tip will take a look at developing brand strategy.
Debra L. Butterfield © 2013