Links of Interest

THINGS TO CONSIDER ABOUT YOUR WORKS BEFORE YOU DIE:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2014/04/grave-matters.html

SCIENCE FICTION SUBGENRES:

http://marcykennedy.com/2014/04/crash-course-science-fiction-sub-genres/

THE CHARACTER/PLOT ARC:

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/everybody-arcs-how-to-use-emotional-growth-to-propel-the-story-and-capture-the-reader/

HOW TO USE CROSS-PROMOTION TO SELL YOUR BOOKS:

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/how-to-use-cross-promotion-to-sell-your-book_b85086

IS WRITING IN SEVERAL GENRES A GOOD THING?

http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/2014/04/is-writing-in-multiple-genres-for-you.html

FUN, WHICH CHARACTER FROM AN AMERICAN NOVEL ARE YOU?

http://www.playbuzz.com/makaylas10/what-character-from-american-literature-are-you

HANDY HYPHENATION RULES:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/04/25/more-handy-hyphenation-rules/

HOW TO DO LOCATION RESEARCH:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-to-do-location-research.html

WHAT IS YOUR STORY ABOUT?

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/04/28/its-complicated-wrong-answer

THE EVIL FLASHBACK:

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/the-hidden-evil-of-flashbacks/

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/04/29/pirate-codes-writing-rules-when-is-a-flashback-a-literary-device/

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/04/30/why-too-many-flashbacks-might-be-a-warning-of-deeper-story-problems/

TEN ONLINE WRITING CLASSES THAT ARE FREE:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2014/04/free-class-ten.html

WORLDBUILDING IS FOR CONTEMPORARY NOVELS, TOO:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/04/writing-contemporary-requires-just-as.html

THE PROS AND CONS OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING:

http://labelleseditorialservices.com/blog/traditional-publishing-indie-publishing-path-take-part-1/

SITE THAT LOOKS AT YOUR MANUSCRIPT AND FLAGS WORDS YOU USE TOO MUCH:

http://www.writewords.org.uk/word_count.asp

CONFLICT AMONG CHARACTERS, MAKING IT WORK:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/04/30/are-your-characters-fighting-obstacles-or-each-other/

THE THEME AT THE HEART OF YOUR STORY:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/04/30/theme-whats-at-the-heart-of-your-story

Using Texting in Fiction

QUESTION: I need to include multiple lines of text dialogue in my story. My question is about rendering the punctuation of it.

For example, in a rapid fire text exchange with short snappy one word answers, in real life, the writers would be unlikely to use much punctuation including periods. Can I eliminate them in my rendition of it to the page?

ANSWER: As long as what you write is clear to the reader, I see no problem with doing the punctuation or lack of it as you wish. Just be consistent.

One thing to consider is who your reader is. If your book is aimed at younger readers, they will be much more comfortable with nonstandard punctuation than the older reader.

To differentiate the text dialogue from the regular text, I suggest you narrow the margin on both sides of the page by another inch and use names in the same way as in movie and play scripts.

JANET: OMG OMG Dirk asked me to the prom.

MARY: WTF He asked me, too!

Links of Interest

FORENSICS, HOW SCIENTISTS IDENTIFY THE DEAD IN MASS DISASTERS:

http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/crime-and-science-radio-when-disaster-hits-naming-the-dead-an-interview-with-ntsbs-paul-sledzik/

TAKING YOUR NOVEL TO THE NEXT LEVEL:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/04/how-do-you-cross-line-and-take-your.html

FIVE WARNING SIGNS YOUR BOOK NEEDS REVISION:

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/five-warning-signs-your-story-needs-revision/

FINDING AND WORKING WITH A COVER DESIGNER:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/04/finding-and-working-with-cover-designer.html

DO  YOU KNOW YOUR NOVEL’S THEME?

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/do-you-know-your-novels-theme/

LINKS TO ARTICLES ON WRITING BY AUTHOR AND FORMER AGENT NATHAN BRANSFORD:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/06/writing-advice-database.html

CONTRACTS, A FAIRER NON-COMPETE CLAUSE:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/04/toward-fair-non-compete-clause.html

USING A FLOW CHART TO PLOT:

http://www.magicalwords.net/specialgueststars/gail-z-martin-plotting-out-the-plot/

BUILDING A BETTER ALIEN:

http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2014/04/women-in-sff-month-paula-s-jordan/

THE HEMINGWAY ONLINE APP HIGHLIGHTS SENTENCE THAT ARE TOO LONG, ADVERBS, PASSIVE VOICE: 

http://www.hemingwayapp.com/

IS FIRST OR THIRD PERSON BEST?

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/04/3rd-person-1st-person-which-way-is-best.html

ORGANIZING THE RESEARCH, NOTES, AND DRAFTS OF YOUR NOVEL:

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2014/04/organizing-your-book-great-tips-on-what.html

HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT GENRE OF YOUR NOVEL:

http://writetodone.com/pick-right-genre-novel/

PLANNING A SERIES:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/04/21/planning-a-series/

WHY WE NEED SETTING:

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2014/04/guest-post-author-editor-deborah.html

DISASTERS TO AVOID AS YOU BEGIN THAT FIRST NOVEL:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/04/21/5-tips-to-avoiding-total-disaster-as-a-novelist/

HOW TO AVOID PUTTING YOURSELF BETWEEN THE READER AND YOUR WORK:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/04/hey-butt-out-im-reading-here.html

TEN RULES TO REMEMBER IF YOU WANT TO BE A PUBLISHED AUTHOR:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2009/11/golden-oldies-ten-things-to-remember-if.html

KNOWING WHEN TO REVISE:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2014/04/how-do-you-know-when-you-need-to-revise.html

CREATING MEMORABLE SECONDARY CHARACTERS:

http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/2012/06/creating-memorable-secondary-characters.html

THE VALUE OF CONFLICT IN A STORY:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/04/23/the-valuable-lessons-conflict-teaches-us/

THE PROBLEMS WITH SEQUELS AND HOW TO SOLVE THEM:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/04/killed-7-issues-sequels/

The Reality Sniff Test

The comic urban fantasy started out fun.  The heroine had been a demon slayer in her teenage and early adult life, then she’d put aside her slaying tools and become a wife, then a mother of two small kids.  She’d never told her husband about her Buffy the Demon Slayer days.

Then a demon shows up at her home and tries to kill her.  She dispatches him.  Another, more powerful demon threatens her children’s lives, and he’s also in her home.  

At this point, she decides not to tell her husband about the demons after their kids or about her past because it would be awkward.

This is the moment when I stopped reading.  The author had failed my reality sniff test.  

Sure, this is a comic urban fantasy, and readers know that the kids will be okay, and the heroine will win against the demons, but the heroine has done something that, in the real world, most of us would find selfish, stupid, and unforgivable.  She is risking the lives of her young children.  

Books aren’t bubbles that have nothing to do with the real world.  Yes, we will accept wild premises like ghosts, vampires, and demons, but most of us enter a book’s world with our own beliefs and views of the world, and the author who errs in those common beliefs because she thinks that we will put them aside in her book is often wrong and loses a reader.  

When you are writing, consider the reality sniff test.  Do your characters act the way someone in the real world would?  Is that behavior acceptable in the real world?  Does your worldbuilding make sense in comparison to the way the real world is?  Does your world/society fit a society from our past, or can it be imagined as real?  If the answer is no to these questions or other reality sniff tests, then you need to do some rewriting.

Links of Interest

ARE YOUR CHARACTERS TOO STUPID TO LIVE?

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/04/are-your-characters-too-stupid-to-live.html

END OF CHAPTER HOOKS:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/04/end-of-chapter-hooks.html

HURTING ANIMALS IN FICTION:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/04/hurting-animals-fiction/

COPYRIGHT BASICS FOR AUTHORS, COPYRIGHTING BOOKS:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/04/copyright-demystified.html

BE CARFUL WHO YOU KILL IN A SERIES:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/04/kill-thoughtfully.html

OPENING HOOKS:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2014/04/opening-hooks.html

CREATING A SLEUTH READERS WILL LOVE:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/hunting-down-a-sleuth-creating-a-crime-solver-readers-will-love/

WORDS OF WISDOM FOR THE SOON-TO-BE PUBLISHED AUTHOR:

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/04/11/dear-soon-to-be-published-author/

WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS GOOD FOR SINCE IT DOESN’T REALLY SELL BOOKS:

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/social-media-book-signings-why-neither-directly-impact-overall-sales/

INTRODUCING CHARACTERS IN A SCENE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2012/01/have-you-met-ted-introducing-characters.html

INFOGRAPHIC ON THE STEPS YOU MUST GO THROUGH TO SELF-PUB YOUR BOOK:

http://www.bookwhirl.com/blog/ways-to-publish-and-sell-your-e-book-infographic/

SURPRISING YOUR READER:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-importance-of-throwing-our-readers.html

KEEPING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS FROM GIVING YOU WRITER’S BLOCK:

http://writetodone.com/toxic-thoughts-prevent-writing-5-antidotes/

VERY WISE WORDS ON YOUR CAREER, STAND UP FOR YOURSELF:

http://kriswrites.com/2014/04/09/the-business-rusch-stand-up-for-yourself/

A BASIC COMPARISON OF TRADITIONAL VERSUS SELF-PUB DIFFERENCES:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2014/04/self-publishing-vs-traditional-some.html

HOW A COPY EDIT WORKS:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/04/16/behind-the-scenes-how-copy-edits-work/

CREATING A MEMORABLE VILLAIN:

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/04/16/the-art-of-creating-memorable-villains-whatever-your-genre

INNER AND OUTER CONFLICT IN YOUR NOVEL:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/04/16/a-look-at-inner-and-outer-conflict-in-your-novel

Shifting Viewpoints

QUESTION: I want to use first person point of view for my hero, and third person for my other characters. What do you think?

As a rule in popular fiction, you don't switch from first to third POV or vice versa.

Some writers have done this, but many readers and reviewers don't like this because they find it so jarring it knocks them out of the story.

This would be a particularly dangerous for a newer writer who doesn't have the experience and control to handle these changes or the reader's trust that they know what they are doing.

I can't suggest which type of POV to use. Only you can decide on that. Consider your comfort level with the different viewpoints, and the ease of telling the story with that POV. 

With first person, you must also be certain you can hear the main character's voice well enough to stay in that voice for the whole novel. 

If you do decide to write both first and third POV, you should have a very particular reason for it.  

Links of Interest

FIVE WAYS TO GROW YOUR NOVEL:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/04/five-ways-to-grow-your-novel.html

HOW TO ELIMINATE CHARACTERS:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/12/re-write-wednesday-sorry-your-services.html

USING A CHARACTER’S MOVEMENT IN YOUR DESCRIPTIONS:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/04/04/character-movement-characterization/

FORENSICS, HOW CAT HAIR CAN HELP SOLVE A CRIME:

http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/cat-dna-solves-another-homicide

ISBNs, WHAT THEY ARE AND WHY YOU NEED ONE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/04/the-ins-and-outs-of-isbns.html

HUMOR, WHEN WORLD VIEWS COLLIDE:

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2014/04/guest-post-lisa-doan-on-when-worlds.html

GIVING PRESENTATIONS TO KIDS:

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/04/03/presenting-to-school-students-top-tips

WHAT THE MOVIE “FROZEN” CAN TEACH WRITERS:

http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/2014/04/let-it-go-frozen-writing-tips.html

HOW USING SETH GODIN’S ADVICE HELPED A NOVELIST PUBLICIZE HER BOOKS:

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/04/05/how-seth-godin-saved-my-career

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BROWSE CATEGORIES FOR YOUR BOOK ON AMAZON:

http://authoru.org/getting-inside-amazons-head-with-your-ebook-category.html

FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE A STORY:

http://writetodone.com/5-ways-improve-perfect-story/

MASTERY OF WEAPONS AND WHY YOUR HERO SHOULDN’T BE AN EXPERT IN A FEW CHAPTERS:

http://bstaveley.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/swordplay-and-beer-drinking-the-trouble-with-mastery/

WAYS TO AVOID PUBLISHING SCAMS:

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/general/avoid-rip-offs-and-publishing-sharks-for-writers-songwriters-poets-etc

FIGURING OUT HOW SUCCESSFUL YOUR PROMOTION CAMPAIGN IS:

http://kriswrites.com/2014/04/02/the-business-rusch-how-to-measure-success-discoverability-part-the-last/

COMMON SHORTCOMINGS IN NOVELS AND HOW TO FIX THEM:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/04/an-editors-list-of-novel-shortcomings.html

A SYNOPSIS CHECKLIST:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/a-synopsis-checklist/

WAYS TO SPOT A FRAUDULENT EDITOR:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/04/looking-for-editor-check-them-out-very.html

THE KEY TO CREATING SUSPENSE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/04/the-key-to-creating-suspense-is.html

EIGHT WAYS TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE A GOOD AGENT:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2014/04/8-ways-to-know-if-you-have-good-agent.html

WEAK WRITING:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/04/killed-5-weak-writing/

TRAINING YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS NOT TO WRITE STINKY BOOKS:

http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2014/04/when-should-you-give-up-on-manuscript_8.html

WRITING WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS OKAY:

http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2014/04/07/ask-the-editor-breaking-the-“write-what-you-know”-rule/

A SENSE OF PLACE IN YOUR WRITING:

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/04/09/where-am-i-and-why-does-it-matter-part-i

PROMOTION, WHAT MAKES A MEDIA RELEASE EFFECTIVE:

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/what-makes-a-media-release-effective/

INTRODUCING CONFLICT IN YOUR STORY:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/04/09/introducing-conflict-into-your-story

USING GETTY IMAGES OR CREATIVE COMMONS GRAPHICS ON YOUR BLOG, LEGAL ISSUES:

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2014/04/09/getty-images-vs-creative-commons-and-privacy-what-bloggers-need-to-know/

Bad Things and Good Characters

Writers are told to make things hard for their characters.  They must heap on the problems so that moving forward toward a goal becomes increasingly difficult for the characters.  That’s good advice, but there are problems, then there are problems.

The problems presented should be logical within the plot, as well as reasonable.  If a character is on the way to rescue his girlfriend from a bad guy and his car won’t start, you should have shown that his car was prone to starting problems or he’d been in a car chase being shot at earlier, and, unknown to him, his gas tank had been slightly nicked, and now a puddle of gas is on the ground.  

An occasional problem may come out of nowhere, life is like that, but try to keep these down to a minimal. 

Bad things out of nowhere as plot stalling tactics simply don’t work.  Let your hero face obstacles that mean something, that stand legitimately in the way of his goal.  Your character defeating a true obstacle means something to the reader.  A false obstacle means nothing.  

Links of Interest

SOWING SEEDS FOR A SEQUEL:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/03/sowing-seeds-for-sequel.html

HOW TO CREATE AN AUDIO BOOK:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/03/how-to-create-audio-book.html

TOO MUCH GOING ON IS A READER KILLER:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/03/killed-3-much-going/

DEVELOPING NEW IDEAS:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/03/26/how-to-turn-that-shiny-new-idea-into-a-novel/

WHAT CHANGES AND WHAT SHOULD CHANGE IN EVERY SCENE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/03/what-changes-in-your-scenes.html

FIGURING OUT YOUR CHARACTERS MOTIVES:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/03/28/motives/

AVOIDING DIALOGUE TAGS:

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2014/03/28/how-to-avoid-the-dreaded-dialog-tag/

WHY A NEW SMALL PRESS CAN BE A DANGEROUS CHOICE:

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-short-life-and-strange-death-of.html

WRITING A GOOD QUERY LETTER:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/03/query-letters-101.html

CUTTING “COULD” FROM YOUR WRITING:

http://awritersgallery.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/writing-craft-could-you-do-without-could-by-rayne-hall/

TAILORING A PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN TO YOUR BOOK:

http://kriswrites.com/2014/03/26/the-business-rusch-publicity-campaigns-discoverability-part-14/

CREATING THE ANTAGONISTS, AND THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES IN THE SAME NOVEL/SERIES:

http://ttinkin.com/2014/03/24/antagonists/

CREATING NAMES FOR FANTASY CHARACTERS:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2014/03/naming-fantastic-characters.html

HOW DISNEY MOVIE SONGS RELATE TO YOUR NOVEL, YES REALLY:

http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com/2014/03/plotting-with-disney-song-of-longing.html

RECONNECTING WITH CHARACTERS WHEN YOU’VE BEEN AWAY FROM YOUR WORK:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/03/31/reconnecting-with-characters/

WHEN YOU SHOULD GIVE UP ON A MANUSCRIPT:

http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2014/04/when-should-you-give-up-on-manuscript.html

FIGURING OUT WHAT TO CUT FROM A MANUSCRIPT:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/04/knowing-what-to-cut-in-your-manuscript.html

HOW TO AVOID CLICHED CHARACTERS:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/04/killed-4-cliched-characters/

CREATING BELIEVABLE HIGH STAKES FOR YOUR CHARACTERS:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/04/02/creating-believable-high-stakes-for-your-characters