Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
What are anachronisms? Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online Dictionary defines anachronism as: “a person or a thing that is chronologically out of place especially : one from a former age that is incongruous in the present.”
Anachronisms tend to occur primarily in historical fiction. It happens for various reasons, one of which is the writer failed to do the proper research needed.
[Read more…] about Watch Out for AnachronismsIn writing book 3 of my Her Inheritance trilogy, I learned how NOT to write a book…at least for me. Hat’s off to pantsers because I think my recent experience comes pretty close to writing by the seat of my pants.
Omniscient 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 View
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
While worded in various ways, many of my readers stated they struggle with structuring their book, aka developing a plot. So, let’s take a look. (I’ll cover structuring nonfiction next month.)
I’ve written various posts on this topic throughout the years, and you’ll find links to several of those posts listed at the end. Why say it all again?
To start, every novel must have these items…
[Read more…] about Structuring Your Book
Updated October 12, 2020
Last time we looked at scenes and how to build them.
Most writers don’t have trouble writing scenes, and moving from scene to scene can be accomplished with as simple a statement as “Later that day…” However, there are times when you want to provide your reader with more. The sequel is your answer.
Moving from scene to sequel is much easier than jumping that ditch above. But first let’s define what a sequel is because I’m not talking about book 2 of a series.
[Read more…] about How Do Plot and Scene Work Together, Part 3: Moving from Scene to SequelUpdated September 14, 2020.
In my last post we looked at plot. Today we’ll look at working with scenes.
What goes into a scene? All the same things that go into plot.
Think of a scene like a mini plot. The character(s) has a goal, which represents a small step in achieving the story goal. In each scene the character meets with conflict and setbacks.
The key to remember about scenes is that they occur now. It’s moment-by-moment action playing out on the page.
“Here’s today’s mail, Miss Clark.”
Startled by the voice, I jerked in my chair. “Joey, one of these days I’m going to end up with coffee in my lap.” I turned from the computer and reached for the letters. “Do you sneak in here on purpose?”
“No, ma’am, I’d never intentionally try to scare you.”
This example shows the action playing out moment by moment.
[Read more…] about How Do Plot and Scene Work Together, Part 2
Without unforgettable characters in a story, do you lose interest? I do. But how do you create these characters?
Today begins a series on that topic.
Let’s get real, whether we do it consciously or unconsciously, we want to connect with story characters. We want to discover something about them that we share–their life goals, ethnicity, age, life experience, etc.
This shared connection draws us into the story and helps us care about what happens to the characters.
Humans are three dimensional beings—spirit, soul, and body. But we often fail to show all three dimensions in our story.
So, let’s start by analyzing your fiction work in progress (WIP). [Read more…] about Creating Unforgettable Characters, Part 1