The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

fiction

Removing the Cliché from Your Characters

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Guest Posting today is Jennifer Slattery

Author Jennifer SlatteryEvery first draft I write seems to be crammed with cliché characters. The Sunday school teacher with silver hair pulled back in a bun. The buff and burly loan shark. The alcoholic husband who burps and slurps and does all sorts of other crude things unfit to share in a blog post.

With four novels in print and two manuscripts in waiting, I’ve learned how to create strong yet unique characters—in drafts two through eight. This includes allowing ugly into the first draft, swapping the expected for the unexpected, and delving deeper into the human psyche. [Read more…] about Removing the Cliché from Your Characters

What Inspires Your Writing?

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As writers we all have a purpose for writing. We want to entertain, inform, persuade, or inspire. The passions in our own lives drive what we write.

You care about the environment so you may include a character in your book that feels the same.

You are politically minded so perhaps you write political thrillers.

As a Christian, my own beliefs and desire to tell people about God compel me to write Christian-based nonfiction and fiction.

Today’s interview is with a like-minded woman. Catherine Ulrich Brakefield’s newest book, Wilted Catherine Ulrich BrakefieldDandelions released today. Though fictional, Catherine has set her story in the midst of the Second Great Awakening, a time in our history when godly revival gripped the nation.

Let’s dive in and learn more about what inspired Catherine to write this book and her experiences with the story. [Read more…] about What Inspires Your Writing?

Discover How Point of View Impacts Your Story

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little girl looking through paper towel roll
Encourage your children’s creativity.

How much thought do you give to point of view (POV) as you begin a new story?

The best POV for your story is not always the protagonist or even the antagonist. Consider how different the book To Kill a Mockingbird would have been if told from Atticus’ POV. Or Gone with the Wind from Ashley’s POV.

To help you experiment, here’s a writing exercise.

[Read more…] about Discover How Point of View Impacts Your Story

How to Review Your Story Scenes for Conflict

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horses jumping hurdles
Are the hurdles in your story growing harder?

As discussed in “6 Steps to Story Development,” a story needs conflict. In fact, without it you have no story. So let’s take a closer look and see how you can make sure you’re developing the conflict in your story.

James Scott Bell, in his book Conflict & Suspense, defines conflict this way: “a clash between at least two incompatible sides. One of those sides must be personal, that is, having the ability to exercise conscious will.”

At the heart of conflict are your character’s passion and goals. In review, here are 3 questions I posited in “Story Development”: [Read more…] about How to Review Your Story Scenes for Conflict

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

Where in the world is your story?

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Garden of the Gods, ColoradoHave you ever started reading a book thinking it was contemporary fiction and then 2 … or 3 … or 4 chapters later realized it was historical?

Or maybe you’ve spent the first several pages trying to figure out where the story takes place — big or small city, where you live or in a foreign country?

What do issues like this do to your reading experience?

Does it jar you out of the story when what you thought was really isn’t?

Do you have to step back and reassess before you can dive into the next paragraph?

How do you keep from jerking the reader out of your story? How, instead, with every word you write, do you submerge the reader in your story — seeing, tasting, touching, and experiencing the world you’ve created for them?

Parts 1 and 2 of this series discussed how to hook your reader and create a leading character your reader can bond with. Part 3 of this series will add one more piece to writing a story that will keep your reader reading. [Read more…] about Where in the world is your story?

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

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bend in the roadAs writers we know we have to hook our reader at the onset — no matter what it is we’re writing.

But as novelists, the opening act of our story needs to accomplish six tasks to keep our readers interested and wanting to know what’s just around the bend. For the next several Tuesday Writing Tip posts, that’s what I’ll be discussing. Included with this series is the opportunity to win James Scott Bell’s book Plot & Structure. You’ll find the giveaway details at the end of this post.

You may know what those 6 things are already without even realizing it. You’ve gleaned them from your own reading most likely, but, like me, may not be consciously aware of them. What’s #1? [Read more…] about 6 Tasks to Accomplish with Act 1 of Your Novel – Part 1

Friday Feature: A Dozen Apologies

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A Dozen Apologies book coverToday’s interview involves a variety of writers, each involved in creating one book, A Dozen Apologies, the creative work of Write Integrity Press.

Write Integrity has published several novella collaborations. I read my first of these novellas, A Ruby Christmas, late last year.  Like many readers, I skipped the table of contents and went straight to chapter 1. Later I discovered the book was the collaborative work of 9 writers.

The voice carried through very well and editor extraordinaire Tracy Ruckman of Write Integrity Press accomplished that. A Ruby Christmas was author J.A. Marx’ project. She understood her character very well, and got that across to each of the project authors.

Fay Lamb birthed the idea that became A Dozen Apologies with 12 authors writing one chapter each. Fay, how did you progress from idea to finished manuscript? [Read more…] about Friday Feature: A Dozen Apologies