Links of Interest

IMPORTANT NOTE:  My “Links” articles receive very little traffic, and they take many hours of work per week.  If you’d like me to continue them, please leave a note and let me know.  Plus, how about sharing my articles with writing friends, etc., so I have some reason to continue those as well.  As always, remember that I am more than happy to answer writing questions so please ask via this blog or through my email contact link.  

TEN WAYS TO SHOW YOUR CHARACTERS’ EMOTIONS:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2017/06/keep-it-fresh-10-ways-to-show-your-characters-emotion/

REASONS WHY BOOKBUB REJECTS BOOKS:

https://insights.bookbub.com/reasons-book-rejected-bookbub-featured-deal/

PROMO USING INSTAGRAM:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jopiazza/2017/05/25/instagram-bookstagrammers-selling-books/#164a202727b8

https://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2017/06/20/a-millennials-guide-to-killing-it-at-instagram/#.tnw_18MsWZsi

BALANCE YOUR NARRATIVE AND DIALOGUE:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2017/06/balance-your-narration-and-dialogue.html

HOW AUTHOR WEBSITES SHOULD CHANGE:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/is-it-time-to-evolve-your-author-website/

AUDIOBOOKS AS PART OF  YOUR PUBLISHING STRATEGY:

http://selfpublishingadvice.org/why-indie-authors-should-make-audiobooks-part-of-their-self-publishing-strategy/

DRAMATIC IRONY:

http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2017/06/dramatic-irony.html

CREATING EFFECTIVE SCENE TRANSITIONS:

http://blog.karenwoodward.org/2017/06/creating-effective-transitions.html

WRITING A SYNOPSIS BEFORE STARTING CAN BE A GOOD IDEA:

https://operationawesome6.blogspot.com/2017/06/why-you-should-write-synopsis-before.html

COPYRIGHT, IF YOU LIVE IN NYC, PRO BONO COPYRIGHT LAWYERS:

http://copyrightalliance.org/resources/creator-services/pro-bono-trial/

ACRONYMS FOR SPY AND POLICE AGENCIES:

http://thrillwriting.blogspot.com/2017/06/alphabet-soup-spy-acronyms-for-readers.html

APPS AND TOOLS FOR WRITING:

https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2017/06/top-7-tools-creativity/

COPYRIGHT TRUE AND FALSE INFO:

http://writerunboxed.com/2017/06/26/the-truth-behind-popular-copyright-myths

CALCULATING YOUR BOOK’S LENGTH BEFORE YOU WRITE:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/calculate-books-length-writing/

TIME LINE ORGANIZATION METHODS:

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2017/06/keeping-track-of-time-timeline.html

THE PROBLEM WITH CROSS-GENRE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/06/the-problem-with-cross-genre-fiction.html

CLARIFYING YOUR BOOK IDEA:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/06/birth-of-book-idea-stage-clarifying-idea.html

THE FINER POINT OF GREAT DIALOGUE:

http://www.thewritersalleyblog.com/2017/06/the-finer-points-of-great-dialogue.html

Rewrite and Critique Checklist

It’s always good to have a checklist at hand when you are ready to rewrite your story. Below are a number of questions you can ask yourself. 

As you learn your weaknesses as a writer, this list can be changed to include questions that focus on your problem areas.

This list is also a good start for critique partners.  Customize it as needed.

THE FIRST CHAPTER

Do I have a hook in the first few, or better yet, the first page?

Have I shown the main character’s goal, short-term, or better yet, for the whole novel?

EACH CHAPTER

Does this chapter advance the story?

Tell more about the characters?

Give plot information?

Does it work with the chapter before it?

Does  it make me want to read the next chapter?

PLOT 

Do the characters and plot work well together, or is the plot 

just pasted on?

Does it make sense?

Does one thing lead to another?

Has the story started at the right place?

Does the action escalate?

Are more plot questions asked before a plot question is resolved?

Does the plot fit genre boundaries?

CHARACTERS

Does each character sound different? Do they have a voice of their own?

Are the characters doing what they as characters and personalities should be doing, or are they being moved around for my convenience?  

Will the reader understand why they are doing certain things?

Does each major character have a strength and a weakness which will be affected by the plot?

In the romantic relationship, is their emotional conflict strong enough for the length of the work? Will it take more than one long talk to resolve their conflict? Does their romantic relationship work with the action plot?

In the action plot, is the conflict between the hero and his opponent strong enough? Is the opponent strong enough to really push the hero to his limits? 

POINT OF VIEW

Is the proper point of view maintained in each scene?

Would a scene work better from another character's viewpoint?

Is there only one viewpoint character in each scene?

INTERIOR MONOLOGUES

Does this interior monologue slow the scene too much?

Could this information or emotion be expressed in dialogue or action?

Am I telling too much? 

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Do the sentences vary in length?

Does the language fit the actions?

Long sentences for leisurely, more introspective moments?

Short, terse sentences and words for action scenes?

LANGUAGE

Am I intruding, or am I invisible so the story can tell itself?

Does cause and effect happen correctly?

Am I showing rather than telling? 

WORLDBUILDING

Is the worldbuilding well thought out?

Is it logical?

Did I break my own rules.

If a myth or fantasy element is changed from common knowledge, is it a logical or understandable change? Is it explained? (A vampire who can survive daylight, for example.)

Links of Interest

48 SELF-PUBLISHING RESOURCES, LINKS:

https://insights.bookbub.com/publishing-resources/

WORLDBUILDING, WHERE TO BEGIN:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2017/06/worldbuilding-demystified/

AUDIOBOOKS 101:

http://romanceuniversity.org/2017/06/16/audiobooks-what-you-should-know-by-veronica-scott/

RAISING TENSION:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/05/whoa-thats-tense-raising-tension-in.html

USING THE MYERS-BRIGGS TO CREATE CHARACTERS:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/myers-briggs-for-characters/

HOW TO FIND YOUR FIRST 10,000 READERS:

https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2017/06/find-first-10000-readers/

WORLDBUILDING, AN INDEX TO ALL TYPES OF FOLKLORE AND FAIRY TALES:

http://www.mftd.org/index

CHOOSING AND SETTING UP A PEN NAME:

https://janefriedman.com/choose-set-pen-name/

EROTICA PUBLISHER STEALS FROM AUTHORS:

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2017/06/erotica-publisher-author-charged-for-manipulating-book-sales

TIPS ON WRITING THAT SECOND NOVEL:

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/5-things-writers-know-writing-second-novel

BRAINSTORMING A BOOK IDEA:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/06/birth-of-book-idea-stage-brainstorming.html

HISTORICAL RESEARCH, US HOLOCAUST MUSEUM:

https://www.ushmm.org

HISTORICAL RESEARCH, ARIZONA JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMPS:

https://repository.asu.edu/collections/286

GOOGLE ARCHIVE OF HISTORICAL WORLD FASHION:

http://www.openculture.com/2017/06/google-creates-a-digital-archive-of-world-fashion.html

MEDICAL HISTORY ARCHIVE:

http://digitalcollections.nyam.org

IMPROVING YOUR EDITING SKILLS:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2017/06/how-to-boost-your-self-editing-superpowers-the-four-perspectives/

HOW TO ESCAPE BEING BURIED ALIVE:

http://thrillwriting.blogspot.com/2017/06/its-of-grave-concern-helping-your.html

THE HERO’S ARC:

http://jamigold.com/2017/06/the-heros-arc-whats-your-journey/

DEALING WITH CONFLICTING CRITIQUES:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/07/feedback-frenzy.html

CREATING A GREAT VILLAIN:

http://www.stevenpressfield.com/2017/06/elements-of-a-great-villain/

Rereading While Writing

QUESTION: How many times do you reread your book while writing it? I find I am constantly rereading my work over and over. I've probably reread it over a hundred times, I hope I'm on the right track.

Some writers don't reread what they've written until they finish. The advantage is they allow the story to remain organic and grow naturally.  The disadvantage is they can't correct elements of the story that no longer fit, and they many find it hard to delete those moments when they begin their first rewrites. (Sometimes, the longer a scene, etc., remains in the text, the harder it is to remove or change it.  Shrug.  Human nature strikes again.) 

Some keep rereading and rewriting what they've written.  The advantage is very clean text and no loose ends.  The disadvantage is they can rewrite to the point that they’ve sucked all the life and style out of their story.  Plus, they are taking away valuable writing time to do this and may lose the desire to finish the story.  

I do a mixture of both.  I start my day's writing by rereading what I wrote the day before to get myself back into the groove of the story.  I only reread from the beginning if I've lost focus for the story.  The advantage is cleaner text and I'm less likely to lose the main character's voice.  The disadvantage is some of my writing time is spent editing.

Every writer must choose what works best for herself.  

Links of Interest

SOCIAL RULES YOU MUST THINK ABOUT WHEN WRITING:

http://writerunboxed.com/2017/06/07/what-are-the-rules

HOW MANY SETTINGS SHOULD A NOVEL HAVE?

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/06/how-many-settings-should-novel-have.html

FIGHTING, USING A KNIFE (WEAK STOMACH ALERT):

https://killzoneblog.com/2017/06/bringing-a-gun-to-a-knife-fight.html

HOW TO SEND YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO YOUR PHONE:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2017/06/proofreading-part-2-of-2.html

EARLY HINTS OF BACKSTORY:

http://writerunboxed.com/2017/06/08/early-hints-of-backstory

BUILDING A MAILING LIST:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/06/building-mailing-list-through-reader.html

WRITING DIVERSE URBAN FANTASY:

http://briannadasilva.com/2017/06/writing-diverse-urban-fantasy/

WONDER WOMAN, PRESENTING A STRONG FEMALE:

http://jamigold.com/2017/06/wonder-woman-the-essence-of-a-strong-female-character/

PASSIVE VOICE 101:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2009/05/passive-aggression.html

WRITING A MENTALLY ILL PERSON:

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/treat-mentally-ill-characters-writing-novel

FILTER WORDS THAT WEAKEN WRITING:

http://annerallen.com/2017/06/filter-words-and-phrases-to-avoid-in-writing/

TURNING INSPIRATION INTO STORY:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/06/birth-of-book-idea-stage-turning.html

WRITING ABOUT PLACE:

http://tonyriches.blogspot.com/2017/06/book-launch-guest-post-3-tips-for.html

BODY LANGUAGE AND CHARACTERIZATION:

http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2017/06/how-to-use-kinesics-body-language-to.html

INDICATING TIME PASSAGE:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2017/06/a-question-of-when-indicating-time-passage-in-our-stories/

Sometimes, You Just Have to Dump

If you absolutely must info dump, here are a few suggestions to make it more palatable for the reader.

Have a character who must learn the information so someone explains it to him.

In Jasper Fforde’s ONE OF OUR THURSDAYS IS MISSING, Thursday Next is in charge of an apprentice who follows her around at her job.  She explains a lot of the technical elements important to the story to this apprentice.  The info dumping isn’t subtle, but it is at least integrated into the scenes, and the give and take between the characters makes the info more digestible.  

A another saving grace is that the apprentice and her knowledge of these technical elements become an important part of the final part of the book.

Never begin info dump dialogue with “As you know.”

Many years ago, this was a prime way to info dump in hard science fiction stories. These days, if someone knows something, they don’t need it explained to them in detail.

If both characters know the information, they can still discuss it.  Here’s how I did it in the opening scene of TIME AFTER TIME, a romance about reincarnation.  The hero and heroine’s guardian spirits are talking.

Celeste's expression softened as if she were trying to reason through a solution to their problem.  "Thinking of all their lives....  It's strange how some of the same patterns and events occur in each one."

Although she knew the answer already, Walter prompted, "They're the same people whatever life they're living.  They need reminders and lessons to reaffirm their strengths and fight their weaknesses."  

Celeste grabbed his wrist.  "That's it, Walter.  A way to give him a will to live.  Remember Gerard?"

In both cases, however, the info dump isn’t massive, just a few paragraphs or pages of explanation.  

I have also seen bits of factual info like diary entries and quotes from other books used, most often at the beginning of each chapter.  Some work, others do not, depending on the reader and the cleverness of the entry.  The biggest disadvantage to this type of info dump is that the reader must pull himself out of the story each time, and that can mean the loss or disinterest of the reader.  

However you info dump be very sure that this is the only way for the story to work, or you risk boring your reader.