Seminar Notes: Part V

You want a writing breakthrough secret? Then follow these steps.......

1. Confront the writing rather than avoid it.

   Force yourself to sit at the computer or notebook even when nothing is happening.

       A. This is usually referred to as the "battle of the first 15 minutes".

           1. Don't sit with the idea of sitting down and writing a novel. Spend 10 to 15 minutes to let your mind wander. Guide your daydreaming to flip the switch to writing down your story.

           2. Do only one scene, one chapter, etc. Short sprints only.

       B. Rules are to be strictly enforced.

          Tune out distractions!

            1. No email.

            2. No internet.

            3. No phone.

            4. No getting up.

2. Let yourself play with the idea before you begin the writing.

      A. Write scenes in different ways

      B. Play around with the characters and their traits.

3. Start writing at the point of the story where you have the best idea and feel the most comfortable.

      A. Write that kernel of a thought and then add filling.

      B. It's okay to write the beginning, jump to the end, back to the middle, and then back to the beginning.

4. Set reasonable goals and stick to them.

      A. Determine the number of pages per day or hours per day that you will write.

      B. Make it a low number at first.

          1. One hour at the beginning of the day or one hour at night.

          2. Three to five pages per day

          3. One chapter a day

A quote that many authors love to share is this: "Some days, those hours leave me with 2.000 words, other days with 200." ~ Dean Koontz

5. Write to discover your ideas

      A. Don't wait until you already know what it is you want to say.

           1. Writing=discovery

           2. You write your way though difficulties, not thinking your way through.

6. Write yourself a note at the end of each day's writing.

      A. What would you have written if you continued?

      B. Tell what comes next.

         Ex: Snippets of dialogue, brief descriptions

7. Read as much as you can. It will improve your writing.

8. Write down ideas as soon as they come to you.

      A. Keep an "Idea Journal"

      B. Place ideas on post-it notes

      C. Keep a small notebook with you

9. Ignore the market

      A. Don't pay attention to the business side of writing. This will hamper your writing through distractions.

10. Pay attention to the market

      A. There's a time to write

      B. There's a time to take on the other role.

          1. Edit your story.

          2. Involve yourself into critique groups or have a writing partner.

      C. Know the realities, but don't dwell on them.

11. Cultivate an "obsession" with your novel.

       A. Don't see it as a chore, but as an escape, a love.

12. Let God do in you what each book is supposed to do

13. Don't follow false deadlines

       A. Meet your deadlines, but unrealistic deadlines will hamper your writing.

       B. The amount of writing differs from person to person, so BE TRUE to yourself.

14. Don't waste time on envy of other writers.

       A. This is destructive. Your journey is not the same as other people.

       B. Interact with other writers.

           1. Relationships/friendships with other writers offer encouragement.

           2. And these friendships also provide a market base.

           3. It's a dual blessing!

And that's it.

These last 5 blog posts will not guarantee a bestseller, a large audience, or even publication. But what it can guarantee is a great novel written by you.

Hard work and perseverance is great. But prayer for guidance and love for writing is what is needed.

Follow these tips and remember: Never Quit Learning the Trade!

Seminar Notes: Part IV

4 Trends in Today's Market: To really get into character

It's not easy to become noticed in a noisy world. to rise above the average an author must write an exceptional story. To do that here are four tips that will help an author (you) shine within the crowd.

I. Show versus Tell

   This incorporates a great number of things. When you "tell" a story, you place the reader into an omniscient role as he/she reads the narrative.

   When you "show" the story the reader experiences the story as the character does. The reader will feel, see, hear, and know only what the character knows. This type is a more intimate style of writing.

   Let's look at three ways to be able to show rather than tell.

       A. Deep POV

          1. When writing you literally don the mantel of your character.

             a. See through your character. Hear and feel only what your character hears and feels.

          2. Eliminate not all but most "was", "were", use sparingly the "ly" adverbs. These are "telling" signs. Use active verbs no passive verbs.

             a. Ex: He felt....she heard....he knew....she thought....he wondered....she remembered.

             b. If you tell it, then it is better to show it. You are in the character's head, so write from the character's head.

       B. STAY in one POV per scene

           1. Head hopping is when you jump from one character's viewpoint and into another's viewpoint

           2. We can't know what "Joe" is thinking if we are in "Susan's" or "Jon's" point of view.

           3. Head hopping CONFUSES the reader.

       C. Have a reason for switching your POV.

           1. New scene equals a separate scene, use a scene break.

           2. Place can be the same place, but there must be a reason for switching POV. Does it push the story forward?

II. G.W.S. (Goes Without Saying)

       A. Dialogue tags: she said...he asked...she quipped....

            1. These are unnecessary.

               "Did you get the items from town?" she asked.

               This creates a "ping-pong" effect to the reader. The mind's camera bounces from one character to another. Are they standing still?

                  a. Eliminate the tags and insert action instead.

                     "Did you get the items from town?" She closed the door and turned to him.

                  b. This strengthens not only the characters, but the plot.

       B. You write about your characters and he's angry.

           Sam slammed the door and kicked the ottoman out of his way. The cushions sank as he collapsed on the couch. The ingrate! Who did he think he was dealing with? Sam was incensed that Tim double-crossed him.

             1. Number one thing: the reader will go "Well, duh!"

               We don't need that last sentence. It goes without saying that Sam is angry.

             2. Most GWS statements are "telling" and not "showing" the story.

III. R.U.E. (Resist the Urge to Explain)

       A. You'll find this in some authors' works. He/she shows the action, you as the reader are immersed in this story, suddenly you are yanked away because the author felt the need to explain what he/she had just written.

           1. Not only does this insult the reader's intelligence, but it also jars the reader out of the story.

           2. Lord Ravenwood closed in on his assailant. Soon he would have the man dead-to-rights. The wind creaked the shingles overhead masking the sound of his revolver as he drew it from his leather holster. He knew the wind was loud enough so that the assailant would not hear him withdraw his gun.

              a. This last sentence is another author intrusion. The reader understands that the wind was loud enough. No explanation is needed.

              b. This is another form of "telling" the story instead of "showing".

IV. NO INFO DUMPING ALLOWED, VIOLATORS WILL BE EDITED

      A. Info dumps include paragraphs of giving character descriptions, background information, etc.

      B. These info dumps pull the reader away form the story and cheats the reader from experiencing the book. This is another form of "telling" instead of "showing".

      C. You work character descriptions and background into the story as you write: dialogue and deep POV.

Following these trends increases the strength and depth of your novel and fleshes out your characters.

In the next and last segment I will reveal a writing breakthrough secret. Until then, think about how you can incorporate these tips into your writing to make your book shine!

Seminar Notes: Part III

The last two posts (Part I & Part II) spoke about the Ten Plotting Problems. Today let us discuss ten ways to make your character multi-dimensional.

Imagine your character on paper. She's flat and two dimensional. With a little shading, a little color, and some background, she starts to leap off the paper becoming a three dimensional character.

So how do we "Get into Character"?

1. Likeability

     The reader must like your hero and heroine.

       A. What are his attributes and qualities?

       B. How is he perceived by other characters?

       C. Is the character sincere? Compassionate? Vulnerable? Etc.

     Your character needs certain qualities that affect how other characters interact with him/her.

2. Give the Character Faults

       A. Give the character something that sets him apart such as: OCD, ADHD, socially inept, stutter, clumsy, judgemental, easily angered, etc.

       B. It's usually good to have him struggle with something from the past. This struggle should be inwardly as well as outwardly.

    Struggles make the character more realistic.

3. Give Clear Goals

      A. Make sure the character grows, emotionally & spiritually.

         Character growth is what we call the character Arc.

      B. have achievable goals: reconciliation, redemption, salvation. Make them "worthy goals".

4. Descriptions

     These are to be worked into the story and through dialogue.

       A. Above all else avoid stereotypes, but stay true to the region and culture.

       B. What are the character's mannerisms? Health? Occupation (this affects who they are and what they do)? Martial status? Etc.

       C. Mannerisms can include: hand talk, stutter, chatty, shy, etc.

5. Speech in Dialogues

     Keep the speech used in dialogue distinctive, not cliched or flat/forced.

       A. Diction, accent, and colloquialisms (the sayings of a region).

          Unless he's a transplant a man wouldn't say "you guys" in the South, "y'all" in the North. I'll speak on colloquialisms at a later date.

       B. Is his/her voice deep, husky, melodic, squeaky?

       C. Use the same formula above to develop secondary characters. Secondary characters increase the depth of the main characters.

6. Special Skills or Knowledge

       A. What hobbies does she/he have? Usually this can be used to help them later in the story.

       B. Remember NO convenient happenings!!! you introduce this skill that will be beneficial to him and others well before the scene where it is needed.

7. Keep Your Character True

       A. Be true to the time period, culture, and character.

           1. If she is usually quiet-nature, it would be unnatural to have an angry outburst.

           2. If he does something out of character make sure the reader knows it was intended.

       B. Establish the character's behaviour early in the book.

8. Give a Past to the Character

       A. No INFO DUMP

           1. Gradually work this past into the story.

       B. There MUST be a conflict. Something that is threatening to the character.

       C. Details, Details, Details, people!

           1. Family, birthplace, occupation, faith, talents, intelligence, ethnicity, education, view of self, etc. You don't don't dump this info all at once. It is shown through action and dialogue.

           2. Is he is flawed, then why?

9. Gotta Have a Motive

       A. You have to let the character grow.

           1. how does her past effect her future?

           2. What major events impacted his life?

       B. How does his goal change? Is he the same as he was at the beginning?

       C. Are new goals discovered?

       D. Give the characters inner conflict to overcome as well. Let them inner journey parallel the physical plot.

10. Give the Character Obstacles

       A. This will incorporate not only the personality traits, but his/her goals, and conflicts.

       B. Obstacles strengthen the character's growth.

Now that your character is multi-dimensional then how do you really GET INTO CHARACTER? Next time, I'll speak on that. Until then, think on how you can apply these pointers to your characters. Which ones do you need to strengthen?

Seminar Notes: Part II

Picking up from last time, I will finish the 10 plotting problems that many authors face eventually in their writing career.

Yes, think of writing as a career not as a hobby. By thinking of it as a career you are more apt to treat the process with diligence and structure.

To start today's blog let us look at the next plotting problems.

6. Pace the plot

     Constructing the plot of a book is like a dance. You never rush the story, as I spoke about in the last blog. You never let it lag either (which is where the sagging middle comes into play).

     Romance the storyline as if in a courtship. Point A, the beginning, must lead to Point B, the middle, which leads to Point C, the end.

7. What a coincidence

     Many authors refer to this as a "co-winky dink" for fun. But it can be a serious problem for new and established authors.

     Ever read a book and ask: that was convenient.

     You have a character in a quandary, and suddenly it's all fixed. Another character drops in or he/she suddenly finds the answer or have a resolution. Or maybe the solution to the problem impossibly appears out of no where in particular.

     There's no character growth, and it cheats the reader out of a story.

8. Conflicts and more conflicts

    

     There are 3 major conflicts: man vs man, man vs himself, and man vs nature.

     These create an umbrella where other conflicts fall under.

     When a writer throws multiple instances of each conflict the story bogs down, and the reader is left adrift in a flotsam of writing.

     Too many conflicts make reading the story too hard. Too few conflicts makes it boring.

9. Structural Weakness

     Structure are the bones.

     Does the story have a setting?

     Does the story have a mood and tone?

     Each story needs a foundation. Lay the groundwork of the story, the beginning, and build up around it.

     Example: where is the setting of the story? Big city? Small town? Northern region? Deep South?

     Setting affects dialogue and actions. Who are the characters? Their jobs? Their families? No families? Etc.

     You have to have a reason to write a story.

10. Whose story is this?

   

     You have to give your protagonist issues!! Face it; we all have issues and so do your characters.

     He has to overcome something, defeat something. Like the structure of the book your character has a story that needs to be told.

     To tell her story, you must become the character.

And this leads up to Part III.

How to Get into Character

Next time I'll give 10 pointers/advice on ways to make your character multi-dimensional.

Until next time, let us think about what we would like to see improvement in when it come to our writing.

Seminar Notes: Part I

It can be a long road or a short road to publication. Either way unless you take your story from OK to great, publication will be an extremely difficult road to travel.

The trends in writing are ever changing and to be successful in the publication game you have to continually learn the market. Writing isn't just a hobby or a gift, it's a job.

In this 5 part series, I will share things I've learned through seminars and experience.

     The following are some of the things that authors will encounter:

          ~plotting problems

          ~how to get into character

          ~trends in writing

          ~how to be productive

 For Part I, I will concentrate on 5 of 10 plotting problems.

1. Backstory Mistakes

     At the beginning of the story you give the history of the character or the setting. We call this an info dump. This is too much information too soon. And it jars the reader out of the story's cadence.

     How do you overcome this?

     Through dialogue. Through action. Through thoughts and memories.

     CAUTION: using backstory through thoughts and memories is tricky. This dips into a point of view issue which will be discussed later in Part IV.

2. Boring or Not-so-Interesting Starts

     You have to hook the reader. If not the first sentence, then at most the first paragraph, should capture the reader's attention.

     Even in a nonfiction book, it has to have something that will compel the reader to turn the page, and the next, and the next.

      Usually in novels the author should use action or suspense (either a romantic or thrill style suspense). Cliffhangers are good examples. Not all cliffhangers have to be at the end of the book.

3. Too Fast, Too Soon, Too Furious

     What?

     Did the story end already?

     Did the author run out of paper?

     Where's the rest of the story?

     Far too often a story will suddenly end and loose ends are left dangling.

     When writing a story do not rush to tell the story. Bring about a logical conclusion to the plots and conflicts. Your readers will thank you.

4. "Sagging Middle"

     When writing the beginnings and endings are easier than the middle. You can't insert stuff into the middle. The nougat of the story is the reason the reader picked up your book. Supply logical steps and scenes that connect each scene. Is there a reason for this scene? Each part of the book has to push along the story.

5. Cast of Thousands

     Do you have a "cast of thousands"? Do you have a "cast of hundreds"? Even a cast of a few dozen can be impossible to keep straight.

     Ask yourself: are all the characters important?

     Each character should have a reason for popping up. Your secondary characters should never be introduced up front too soon, but neither should they be introduced too late. And never introduce them as a point of view character in the middle of the book and only have a scene or two devoted to them. These scenes belong on the cutting room floor.

     Secondary characters are your supporting cast. The story isn't mainly about him or her, but it would collapse without them.

     Next time I'll write about the next 5 plotting problems.

     Until then think about where you could improve your writing.