As 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…
Last week I had to complete the back cover copy for my upcoming book, Carried by Grace. The very next day I had two friends ask me about back cover copy. So I thought I would address that topic today.
Should I write my novel in first person or third (or get totally wild and use second person)? Am I limited to a single character, or can I use multiple point of view (POV) characters? Who should my novel’s POV character be? You want to write a story readers can’t put down, but how do…
You have a great idea for an article, and now you need to find a magazine that will buy it. But how do you do that? You could visit your local grocery store and peruse the magazine rack. Or visit the library and see what magazines are available there. That’s how I did it when…
Is it possible to sell a story that is high on action and adventure, but has flat characters? Yes, though it isn’t easy. What about a story that is flat on plot, but rich with three-dimensional characters? If your plot is flat, your reader (and that agent or publisher) has no reason to turn the pages….
Punctuation is an aspect of English with which many writers struggle. But we must face the reality: incorrect punctuation raises a red flag for editors and makes them more inclined to toss your submission into the trash. I’m not talking about a missing comma here and there, but flagrant incorrect punctuation. As much as some might…
Have you ever been reading something and suddenly found yourself lost in pronouns, asking to which “he” is the writer referring? Pronouns used incorrectly become pesky pronouns to editors. (At least to this editor they do.) The editor is forced to read several more sentences (or paragraphs) to figure out the “he” or “she” to…
Do you cringe at the mention of marketing? Many writers do. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the verb market as “to expose for sale in a market.” As a beginning writer (to whom I chiefly speak), my question to you is “What have you got to sell?”