The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

6 Steps to Story Development

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spinning platesWhen you get right down to it the major goal of the fiction writer is to keep the reader reading.

And like the performer who spins plates at the top of a stick, writers must spin several plates too—characters and character arc, plot and plot development, conflict, dialog, show vs. tell, and pacing. If we focus on only one aspect of story development and neglect the others, the story falls flat.

But that’s a lot to deal with. I certainly can’t get my brain wrapped around all those things at the same time as I write.

So what’s the answer?

Focus on one at a time, using these 6 steps. [Read more…] about 6 Steps to Story Development

Imperfect Wings and Elizabeth Noyes

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I have a delightful interview in store for you today with author Elizabeth Noyes. Bookmark this page because you’re going to want to come back to her advice at all stages of your writing journey.

Author Elizabeth Noyes
Author Elizabeth Noyes

Imperfect Wings, published by Write Integrity Press and released August 1, 2014, is Elizabeth’s first full novel. She is a contributing writer to the book A Dozen Apologies, a collaborative novel with 11 other writers.

At what point in writing your book did you begin to look for publishers? [Read more…] about Imperfect Wings and Elizabeth Noyes

5 Steps to Capture and Keep the Editor’s Interest

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I’m blogging over at the Palmetto Christian Writers Network today. Come join me for 5 Steps to Capture and Keep the Editor’s Interest.

What do football and fiction have in common?

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football field
What do football and fiction have in common?

The first thing we as writers must accomplish with our story is to hook our reader. But if we merely hook them, the reader can get away. So we must also then compel them to read on to the middle and then right through to the end of our story.

We spur our reader to the middle of our story by creating a compelling lead character with whom our readers bond. Next, [Read more…] about What do football and fiction have in common?

Writer’s Guidelines for 5 Christian Publications

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Here are today’s markets. Read the writer’s guidelines thoroughly and study at least one sample issue before submitting.

Prism Magazine, a publication of Evangelicals for Social Action, http://prismmagazine.org/writers-guidelines/

The Lookout is designed to provide Christian adults with true-to-the-Bible teaching about current topics to help them mature as believers and live in the world as faithful witnesses of Christ. http://www.lookoutmag.com/about-us/write-for-us/

RELEVANT covers faith, culture and intentional living. Their readership is culturally savvy, mainly Christian twenty- and thirtysomethings who are looking for purpose, depth and spiritual truth. https://relevantmagazine.com/write

Light & Life Magazine, http://fmcusa.org/lightandlifemag/writers/

Faith Today, a Canadian publication, http://www.faithtoday.ca/writers

Listing here does not constitute endorsement of magazine.

 

Who’s the big bad wolf in your story?

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Big bad wolf chasing 3 little pigsWhat was the big bad wolf’s goal in the story of the 3 little pigs?

To have dinner. He needed to eat and the 3 pigs met the bill. The wolf was doing what came naturally to him.

There was nothing evil about eating the pigs, but of course to the pigs, who stood to lose their lives, the wolf was evil.

At the heart of every story is a protagonist with a goal. It doesn’t matter what the goal is, just that it is essential to the character and without reaching it he/she suffers great loss—physical death being the ultimate loss.

In the case of the wolf and the three pigs, each faced the same loss if they didn’t meet their goal—death.

What would the story have been like if the wolf told it? [Read more…] about Who’s the big bad wolf in your story?

Seeking Sophie. Has anyone looked in the lighthouse?

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Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

The historical romance Seeking Sophie takes place on Eagle Head Island, Maine, with Sophie Stalz and her new husband, lighthouse keeper Jackson Scott. So what better place for a booksigning than at a lighthouse. And that’s exactly where author Melody Balthaser launched her debut novel Seeking Sophie.

Launched in September, the book has received nothing but 5-star reviews so far. As the editor of Seeking Sophie, I’m as excited to see those 5-star reviews as Melody is (well, almost). Let’s hope they continue.

In a review on Amazon, reader Cynthia E. Dutton says, [Read more…] about Seeking Sophie. Has anyone looked in the lighthouse?

6 Tasks to Accomplish with Act 1 of Your Novel – Part 4

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You want to write a best seller. What writer doesn’t?

First you’ve got to come up with a good story idea. Then you’ve got to get that idea from Point A to Point Z and figure out everything in between. (That’s my hardest struggle — plotting.)

You’ve got to hook your reader —  and keep them reading.

Or your chance at that best seller list gets fried like a fly on bug zapper.

The truth is debut novels usually don’t make the best seller lists, but that’s no reason not to put your best effort into every book you write.

If you’ve been following this series, you’ve learned ways to write a stronger story and thus increase your chances at getting published and selling lots of books.

Here’s what I’ve discussed so far in 6 tasks to accomplish in Act 1: [Read more…] about 6 Tasks to Accomplish with Act 1 of Your Novel – Part 4