Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
Procrastination.
We all do it at some point in our lives for one reason or another. For me, it’s usually because I’m faced with doing something I don’t like. I think that’s the reason for many people.
When I stop to think about why I don’t like doing something, there’s often an underlying fear of making a mistake that will impact others.
[Read more…] about Why are you procrastinating?
Originally published Aug. 11, 2015 as “Can you recognize your character’s voice?” UPDATED June 3, 2024.
My last blog talked about point of view (POV), so it seems appropriate today to discuss creating a unique character voice for each of your book’s main characters.
Our voice is as much a part of who we are as is the shape of our face. It’s an aspect of our physical being that people come to recognize about us as they get to know us.
Just as we—as writers and as individuals—have a recognizable voice, the characters in our novels have voices, too. And they shouldn’t sound like you or like every other character in your novel.
Though the reader doesn’t hear voice in the usual sense, the reader can recognize it through the character’s personality, how he or she speaks, and the words that character uses. This is character voice and is as apparent in the narrative of your POV character as it is in the dialog of your characters.
[Read more…] about A Guide to Creating a Unique Character VoiceOmniscient point of view, the god-like view where the narrator knows all/sees all, has plagued me for a long time. I just couldn’t quite grasp how to write it.
Omniscient was the POV of nineteenth-century books. Later, as third-person limited came on the scene, omni-POV fell out of favor with publishers. I hear that it is recently making a comeback.
But there is an element of omni-POV that is essential and that many beginning writers often miss. So, let’s dive in and take a look at what omniscient point of view truly is.
[Read more…] about Understanding Omniscient Point of ViewThe Bible says in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” The words we speak have power to create life or death in our lives or the lives of others. If you doubt that, remember how God created all that He created: He spoke it.
Now combine that with “faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17), and you gain a better understanding of how affirmations work and why what we say to ourselves is so important.
[Read more…] about What Are You Telling Yourself About Yourself?
Outlining a novel is quite different from nonfiction. And maybe you’ve heard the terms plotter and pantser. A plotter is one who outlines. A pantser is someone who writes by the seat of their pants—without an outline. I think most writers (fiction and nonfiction) tend to do a bit of both. I fall into that category.
Like most things, there’s more than one way to outline your book. It’s all about personal choice and writing style. Some writers, after outlining their novel, have the book nearly written. I can assure you, I’m not one of those people!
[Read more…] about How to Outline a Novel
When I hear the word outline, I’m back in grade school laboring through
I.
A.
B.
II.
III.
Is that what comes to mind for you when someone starts talking outlines.
But that’s not what you need to do!
Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Online Dictionary gives these definitions of outline: “the principal features or general principles of a subject of discussion; a summary giving the essential content of a written work.”
So when I say, outline your book, I simply mean jot down the main content you plan to cover. Bullet points will do.
The concept behind outlining is to help you take command of your topic and organize the information in a manner suited to your audience. Otherwise you might end up with a book that includes everything but the Mad Hatter’s top hat.
Let’s take a closer look.
[Read more…] about How to Outline a Nonfiction Book
Overwhelm can be paralyzing. And as I mentioned in my post “Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes,” fear can be an underlying factor to that overwhelm.
Today I’d like to talk about a method that has helped me move through my fear and get things done. It’s called the Next Tiny Step (NTS) and was developed by New Zealander Richard Ralston.
Here’s how Richard describes it:
[Read more…] about Dealing with Overwhelm: Start with the Next Tiny StepOverwhelm is a frequent topic of discussion among writers, as evidenced by last month’s blog post, “Are you feeling overwhelmed with publishing your book?”
Family and job responsibilities can contribute to it. A lot of things have to be done, and we look at it and think, “This is impossible.”
But that simply forces us to look at the problem rather than empowering us to open ourselves to the solution.
