Monday, February 27, 2017

Killing Off Secondary Characters

QUESTION: Should I kill an important good-guy secondary character? 

It depends on what genre you are writing.

In romance a writer shouldn't kill off a favorite secondary character unless it's absolutely necessary. Romance is essentially the fantasy of happily ever after, and death of a beloved character jars the reader's expectations. 

If a nice character dies, it should be a noble death to save someone else's life, not a senseless death. The finest example of this is Sidney Carton in Dickens' TALE OF TWO CITIES. 

Science fiction, fantasy, and mystery have a harder edge, and readers are more willing to accept a character's death. In fact, if no one dies, many sf and fantasy readers consider that a flaw in believability.

I must admit to an intense dislike of having the major character's longtime love interest in a series killed, not only because I become attached to the character, but also because this is often writer laziness at its worst. 

Usually, the love interest softens the major character, and the writer doesn't want any softness or mushy stuff. (Oh dear, someone might think I write those stupid romances so I'd better kill the love interest!) To bring the main character back to the way he or she was at the beginning of the series, the writer kills the love interest. 

Of course, the most suicidal thing a writer can do in any genre novel is kill a beloved fictional pet or child. That will definitely drive readers away in droves.


As a good rule of thumb, I always try to remember an unspoken law in romance writing, “Never waste a perfectly good hunk.”  In whatever genre you write, readers love sequels or new adventures with the secondary character as the hero.  
Posted by Marilynn Byerly at 1:14 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Links of Interest

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IS OFFERING CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSES TO SOME ARTWORK:


MAKING THE RIGHT IMPRESSION OF THE FIRST PAGES:


GROWING A MAILING LIST:


HAND GUNS 101:


AUTHORS’ INCOME SURVEY:



WARNINGS ON SOME LITERARY AGENCIES:


USING THEATER TECHNIQUES TO WRITE BETTER EMOTIONS:


THE ADVERSARIAL ALLY:


THE TROUBLE WITH SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:


HORSES 101, WHAT HORSES ARE NOT:


8 TIPS TO PACING YOUR STORY:


CRIME, JURY NULLIFICATION:


TIPS FOR MAKING A LIVING AS A WRITER:


KEEPING YOURSELF AND YOUR DEVICES SAFE ONLINE:


PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BEING HACKED:


YOUR BLOG’S VISUAL APPEAL:


A COMPARISON OF AUDIOBOOK DISTRIBUTORS:


SCENE VERSUS SUMMARY:


THEME, ALLEGORY, AND SYMBOLS 101:


WHAT TO DO IF A WEBSITE STEALS  YOUR WORK:


DESCRIPTION:




Posted by Marilynn Byerly at 12:55 PM 0 comments
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Monday, February 20, 2017

Second Series Book Syndrome

Second book syndrome has several definitions.  One refers to the writing process of the second book after the successful publication of the first book.  The writer fears that they won’t be able to write as good a book as the first.  Or, they fear that the first book was a fluke, and they really don’t know what they are doing.  Some authors become so frozen with fear that they can’t move forward with their writing.  

The other definition refers to the time after the second book has been written and published.  The reading audience discovers the writer’s paranoia about his skills were right, and the second book fails to deliver what the first book did.

Margaret Mitchell was so terrified of failure after GONE WITH THE WIND she reportedly decided not to publish another novel.  Robert James Waller who wrote the phenomenally successful bestseller, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, proved to be a one-hint wonder.  All his other books have failed to even remotely achieve the success of this novel.  So, yes, second book syndrome does exist.

I’ve discovered a new kind of second book syndrome in series.  In the last month I’ve read two urban fantasies that were a second in the series, and both failed badly for the very same reason.  Up to sixty pages at the beginning of the book were nothing but clean up between the plot ending of the first book, and the plot beginning of the second book.  

Minor unresolved problems were answered, and characters discussed their relationships and careers that have been changed because of the first book's events.

I imagine all this was vastly important to the author and some readers, but it was a massive brick wall to a majority of readers.  

A second book should start like any book.  The reader should be immediately shoved directly into the book with an important plot goal and engaging characters and should be kept there for the remainder of the book.  

If you think some things should be clarified or expanded, wait until a bit later and have the character explain to a friend why she no longer works for the police, or why she fears her friends may be targeted by her enemy.  

Also, let the reader intuit some changes.  If they read the first book, they can usually guess why things have changed, and if they didn’t read the first book, they won’t care as long as you give enough information to cover the current situation.  

And, remember, this holds true for all the books in a series.  Successful series writers like JK Rowling or Charlaine Harris never maunder about at the beginning of each Harry Potter or Stookie Stackhouse novel, and neither should you.  



Posted by Marilynn Byerly at 12:59 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Links of Interest

WORDPRESS BLOGS ARE BEING HACKED.  UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE:


MORE ON HOW TO SECURE YOUR WORDPRESS BLOG FROM A HACK:


CLEANING UP CLUTTERED WRITING:


CREATING MULTI-AUTHOR BOX SETS:


WHAT A ROMANCE SHOULD HAVE TO SUCCEED:


LEARNING FROM OTHER AUTHORS’ WORKS:


HOW TO START YOUR OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY:


THE BEST LINK LIST SITES FOR SELF-PUBS:


TYPES OF BOOK PRINTING SERVICES AND THEIR DIFFERENCES:


WHAT BETA READERS HAVE TO OFFER:


LIST O’ LINKS:


IMAGES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA:


GRAMMAR, WHAT TO DO WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF TITLES:


STRENGTHENING YOUR THEME:


CAPITALIZING AND PUNCTUATING QUOTATIONS, A REFRESHER:


WRITING DRAMATIC DIALOGUE:


HOW TO SPOT TROUBLE IN A SCENE AND HOW TO FIX IT:


WILL 3-D FINGERPRINTS UNLOCK A PHONE?


HOW TO SPLIT YOUR STORY INTO A SERIES:


LIST O’ LINKS ON WRITING ROMANTIC SCENES:


THE TRIANGLE OF ROMANTIC SUSPENSE:



Posted by Marilynn Byerly at 11:57 AM 0 comments
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Monday, February 13, 2017

Starting the First Novel

QUESTION:  I have an idea for my story, the characters, and most of the plot, but I’m afraid to start, and I really want to.  What’s my problem?

Thirty-five odd years ago, I finally decided it was time to begin writing that novel I'd always wanted to write.  I started out with more advantages than the average writer.  I'd taken writing courses in college, I'd written poetry and short stories for years, and I'd been an English major.

Those first hundred pages were nearly impossible for me. I felt like I was writing it in my own blood.  Everything I'd ever learned about writing seemed to have vanished from my brain, and I struggled just to get words down on the page to tell the story I wanted to tell. I had absolutely no confidence in myself as a writer.  

Then about six months into writing and a fourth of a way through the novel, something clicked inside me, and I realized I could do  this.  My confidence came back, and the story began to pour out of me onto the page.  I finished the novel in under six weeks.  

Yes, the novel had major problems, my craft stunk, and the novel wasn't remotely publishable, but I'd finished it. I began to rewrite it using what I'd learned as I wrote. The novel has never been published, but few first novels are or should be published.  They are practice rounds.  

Without the Internet and all those online classes and experts as well as critique partners that we have now, I had to struggle to figure out my craft on my own, and my first sold book was my seventh.  

The point is that most writers struggle with the writing. It takes work and courage to put words on the page.  It takes even more work to make your craft competent. But you have to start somewhere.  

Write the story and don't worry if it's not good enough. Rewriting can take care of the flaws.  Teaching courses and good critique partners can hone your craft.

If you have to write and have to tell the characters' stories, then the work is more than worth it.

Here's a favorite quote from Nora Roberts who has written a zillion books, all of whom hit the bestseller lists.

"I'm just starting [a new book] and the battle has already begun.  I don't think they ever go smoothly. It's work. It should be work.  It should be hard work. I think if you sort of sit around and wait to be inspired, you're probably going to be sitting there a long time. My process is more about crafting, working an idea through my head to see if it's a good concept." Nora Roberts in an interview with the "Hagerstown Herald-Mail."



Posted by Marilynn Byerly at 1:11 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Links of Interest

FILLING PLOT HOLES:


YOUR CAREER MASTER PLAN, PART 2:


FIVE THINGS I LEARNED WHEN I SWITCHED GENRES:


TOOLS & RESOURCES FOR YOUR BLOG AND AUTHOR WEBSITE:


CREATING REALISTIC FIGHT SCENES, PART 3:


TAILORING YOUR DISTINCTIVE VOICE:


USING MULTIPLE ANTAGONISTS:


SIX WAYS TO CLEAN UP YOUR MANUSCRIPT:


USING TRADEMARKED NAMES IN YOUR WRITING:


PROMO, THE PERFECT AUTHOR PHOTO:


WRITING STREET FIGHTING:


SOCIAL MEDIA AND BLOG TIME SAVERS:


A TRICK TO CREATE A STRONGER FIRST PERSON:


KNOWING YOUR CHARACTERS BETTER:


WHEN YOUR CHARACTER WORKS DISASTER RELIEF OR IS IN A DISASTER:


A NEW COLUMN FOR WRITERS ABOUT HORSES:


FORESHADOWING THAT LEADS NOWHERE:


WRITING REALISTIC SETTINGS:


USING FUN FACTS TO DRESS UP YOUR AUTHOR MEDIA KIT:


RUNNING YOUR WRITING AS A PROFESSION:


WRITING A NON-LINEAR NARRATIVE:



Posted by Marilynn Byerly at 1:15 PM 0 comments
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Monday, February 6, 2017

The Big Picture

QUESTION:  What’s a good way to describe events going on that no one is aware of? Do I do a prologue explaining it? It is important the reader understands the context of the story I'm telling.

One narrative choice is to have a prologue that's strictly overview, kind of like the scrolling words in the first STAR WARS movie. This may work in a sprawling epic fantasy or an historical novel, but it's so old-fashioned that most modern readers won't get past it to get to the real story. For any story that isn't an epic, it absolutely won't work.

You also have the talking heads method where characters who know the overview have a chat about the subject.  Again, this is old-fashioned and boring to the modern reader.

The real question is whether the reader needs this "big picture" information, or do you need it to get the big picture straight in your head?  Most often, in the case of an inexperienced writer, it’s for you, not the reader.

Readers are smart, and they are interested in what is happening with the viewpoint character--what is his goal, who is thwarting that goal, what are his emotional reasons for doing what he is doing, etc.  The big picture isn't so important at the beginning.

Instead, you broaden the knowledge of the main character as he goes along so that he knows why doing what he needs to do is as important to the bigger picture as it is for his own personal story.  Or, even better, have him discover that what he wants works against the big picture so he must choose to do the right thing or the selfish thing.  


Posted by Marilynn Byerly at 12:15 PM 0 comments
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