Links of Interest

STORY IDEA MATERIAL, SELLING A HAUNTED HOUSE:

http://www.vulture.com/2014/10/heres-how-you-sell-a-haunted-house.html

BUILDING A CRITIQUE GROUP:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2014/10/building-critique-group.html

GUNS 101:

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/nanowrimo-know-your-weapons/

REVISING YOUR OUTLINE TO IMPROVE YOUR STORY:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2010/01/re-write-wednesday-clarifying-thoughts.html

CREATING COMPELLING BACKSTORY:

http://elizabethspanncraig.com/2515/write-compelling-balanced-backstory/

CREATING AN UNFORGETTABLE VILLAIN: 

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/10/sympathy-for-devil-writing.html

PROMO USING PININTEREST:

http://www.thewritersalleyblog.com/2014/10/pinterest-tips-for-authors-part-1.html

CREATING DEEP POV:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/10/diving-deep-into-deep-point-of-view/

SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE:

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2014/10/24/a-social-media-etiquette-guide-you-might-find-useful/

CREATING CONFLICT IN ROMANCE:

http://www.thewritersalleyblog.com/2014/10/creating-conflict-in-romance.html 

WHY TWITTER ISN’T BUILDING YOUR AUDIENCE:

http://marcykennedy.com/2014/10/7-reasons-twitter-isnt-building-author-platform

FOUR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADULT AND YOUNG ADULT NOVELS:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/10/switching-from-adult-to-young-adult.html

LINKS USEFUL FOR NANOWRITE OR JUST WRITING THAT BOOK:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2014/10/everything-you-need-for-nanowrimo.html

CUTTING SCENES THAT NEED TO BE CUT AND HOW TO SPOT THEM:

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/10/29/kapow-cutting-scenes-like-a-superhero

HOW TO MAKE THAT SCENE WORK:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2014/10/methods-of-writing-plotter-panster-or.html

CREATING A KILLER PLOT TWIST:

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/4-ways-to-write-a-killer-plot-twist

CREATING A STRONG VOICE:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/10/29/creating-a-strong-voice-in-your-novel/

USING LAYERS TO PREWRITE YOUR SCENES:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/10/using-layers-to-pre-write-your-scenes.html

Paragraph Lengths

QUESTION: I have trouble trying to figure out when to begin and end paragraphs and when to have dialogue included in the paragraph and when to have it stand on its own as an independent paragraph. 

Unlike nonfiction, there are no hard and fast rules for paragraphing in fiction.  Much of this is the writer's choice which is informed by experience as well as their need to emphasize certain things or break between actions.

And, surprisingly, some choices are as much visual as mental.  Most readers, these days, don't like long paragraphs so many writers paragraph more frequently than did past writers.  

Here are some good rules of thumb, though.

When you start with narrative followed by dialogue, the narrative should be about the person who will speak.

Adam studied the book's page then glanced back up at his friend.  "Pete, we have a problem here."

If the narrative was about Pete, Adam's line would be in a new paragraph.

Pete watched his friend anxiously as he read the rule book.

"Pete, we have a problem here."

If you have a long bit of narrative, it's usually a good stylistic choice to paragraph before the character's lines.  This breaks up the lines visually, and it also emphasizes the dialogue.

When you are writing a long speech by a character, you paragraph to emphasize subject, changes in subject, and the rhythm of the scene.

If you aren't sure about any of the above, read the dialogue aloud as the character would speak it.  Notice when you have natural pauses.  That's a good place for a paragraph break.

Dialogue shouldn't be too long, though.  Break it up with a bit of narrative. 

Adam shook his head in disgust and continued,

Or have other characters react or comment.  

"I can't believe Pete said that.  It doesn't sound like him."

For straight narrative with no dialogue, you should paragraph when the action shifts to another character.

Pete tripped but caught himself before falling flat on his face.  

Behind him, the sound of Adam's running feet moved toward him, then his friend stopped at his side. 

On the whole issue of paragraphing, don't be too uptight about it. 

As long as the reader is clear about what is happening and the page isn't covered by long paragraphs, he won't even notice when you paragraph. 

Links of Interest

PLANNING YOUR NOVEL’S ENDING:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/10/nano-prep-planning-your-novels-ending.html

PICKING THE RIGHT SOCIAL MEDIA FOR YOU AND YOUR READERS:

http://marcykennedy.com/2014/10/choosing-right-social-media-site-readers/

OTHER INCOME OUTLETS FOR YOUR BOOKS:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/10/make-your-content-work-harder-for-you/

ADDING FACTUAL RESEARCH TO STORYTELLING:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/10/20/fact-or-fiction-how-novelists-can-blend-research-with-storytelling/

FIVE QUESTIONS THAT WILL HELP YOU CREATE YOUR CHARACTER’S PERSONALITY:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/10/five-traits-to-help-you-create-your.html

NEW FORENSICS TECHNIQUE FOR IDENTIFYING BULLETS:

http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/fingerprinting-bullets-a-new-forensic-science-technique/

MARKETS, MAINLY SHORT STORY:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2014/10/sub-op-ten.html

CREATING MINOR CHARACTERS WITH PURPOSE:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2014/10/planting-minor-characters-with-purpose.html

GROUPS OF IMAGES THAT CAN STRENGTHEN YOUR NOVEL:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/10/image-systems-can-supercharge-novel/

MAKING YOUR PROSE SING:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/10/finding-rhythm-and-voice-for-beginning.html

SWORDS, DUMB  THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T DO WHEN WRITING A FIGHT SCENE:

http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2014/10/guest-post-maria-alexander-on-4-of-the-dumbest-things-done-with-swords-in-film-and-fiction/

KNOWING YOUR CHARACTER’S BACKSTORY EARLY ON:

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/backstory-the-more-you-know-the-less-i-have-to/

SUBTEXT IN DIALOG:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/10/22/creating-engaging-dialog-by-using-subtext

The Final Confrontation

The final meeting between the hero and his opponent must be more intense than any other battle before, and to be the winner, the hero must risk everything and lose something of inestimable value in order to win. It is not only a physical battle, but an emotional one.

In this confrontation, the hero's special skill, be it magical, a talent for fighting, or personality, should make the story stronger, not make the hero invincible. Think of Superman, Kryptonite, and the danger of invincibility to a story. Here's two story final confrontations --

STORY A: Several world leaders are held hostage by Lex Luthor who has tied them to Kryptonite poles. Though weak, Superman manages to rescue them and gets far enough away from the Kryptonite to regain his strength to defeat Luthor.

OR

STORY B: Several world leaders are held hostage by Lex Luthor who has tied them to Kryptonite poles. They are surrounded by cameras so the whole world watches.

Luthor wants Clark Kent to act as hostage negotiator, and if anyone else, including Superman, comes near them, an explosion will kill both leaders. Clark approaches but sees the Kryptonite in the poles. If he goes forward and becomes weak, Luthor and the world will know he's Superman. If he backs away, Luthor will kill them immediately.

Superman/Clark’s dilemma -- save two important leaders or lose his identity as Clark Kent.

But Clark Kent is more than a role, it's his humanity. Clark belongs to Earth and fellow humans, and he has a relationship with them. They see him as an equal.

Superman, however, is a superior alien who can never have an equal relationship with humans who see his powers and are afraid or uncomfortable. If he is no longer Clark, he will be totally alone.

Losing his identity as Clark Kent is his greatest emotional fear. What should he do?

Which story is stronger and more interesting? I'm sure you'll say the second one because more than physical danger is involved. Clark/Superman must risk something of great emotional importance to win, and by winning, he will ultimately lose.

To make your story and its ending stronger, find the main character's greatest emotional weakness and hit him there with your plot in the same way as you hit him with his physical weakness.

Links of Interest

PLANNING YOUR NOVEL:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/10/nano-prep-planning-your-novel.html

PROMO VIA RADIO, TV AND PODCASTS:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2014/10/radio-tv-and-podcasts.html

TRAPS, REAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL THAT SHOULD CATCH YOUR CHARACTER:

http://marcykennedy.com/2014/10/use-traps-create-suspense-fiction/

HOW TO PREP FOR AUTHOR EVENTS:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/10/how-to-prep-for-author-events.html

CONTRACTS, THE DANGER OF GRANT OF RIGHT CLAUSES:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/10/grant-of-rights-or-wrongs-2/

DISCOVERING YOUR CHARACTERS’ SECRETS:

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/10/10/pre-writing-discovering-your-characters-secrets

PLANNING YOUR NOVEL’S BEGINNING:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/10/nano-prep-planning-your-novels.html

COPYRIGHT SPAM, DON’T REGISTER YOUR COPYRIGHT LIKE THIS:

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2014/10/how-not-to-register-copyright.html

FIGURING OUT THE WHY AND WHO BEFORE YOU START WRITING:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/10/nanowrimo-prep-get-the-set-pieces-down/

USING CINEMATIC TECHNIQUE  IN YOUR WRITING:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/10/13/why-cinematic-technique-is-essential-for-novelists/

RESOURCES FOR REBRANDING OR REDESIGNING THE LOOK OF YOUR BLOG:

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2014/10/13/rebranding-your-blog-the-resources/

CYBERSECURITY FOR YOU AND YOUR KIDS IF YOU HAVE THEM:

http://vickihinze.com/my-kitchen-table/cyber-security-awareness-are-you-protected

PLANNING YOUR NOVEL’S MIDDLE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/10/nano-prep-planning-your-novels-middle.html

ADVERTISING YOUR BOOKS:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2014/10/using-pr-and-advertising-to-grow-your_14.html

RETURNING TO OLD MANUSCRIPTS:

http://www.thewritersalleyblog.com/2014/10/tips-for-revisiting-shelved-manuscript.html

AN AGENT AND AN EDITOR DISCUSS CONTRACT NEGOTIATION:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2014/10/14/the-great-debate-an-agent-and-editor-discuss-the-latest-in-contract-negotiation/

PLOT 101, ROMANCES:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/10/romance-writing-still-needs-plot.html

DEVELOPING PLOT AND CHARACTER:

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/8-elements-to-nailing-your-plot-owning-nano/

DIALOGUE:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/10/15/dialog-compressed-and-essential

Prologues

Do you need a prologue?

Used correctly, a prologue can add to a novel. The problem is that most prologues are nothing but back story or an info dump which adds nothing but a boring beginning.

Most inexperienced writers believe that the reader has to be told everything up front, or she won't understand.

Readers understand, though, and they are often bored to death, as well, by an unnecessary prologue.

You have just a few pages to grab the reader or that editor so you have to get their attention immediately and hold them through the whole novel.

If the prologue does that and the first chapter can't, then the prologue works. If it doesn't, cut it out and sprinkle the information as needed.

Links of Interest

HOW TO RAMP UP TENSION IN YOUR NOVEL:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/10/01/ramping-tension-to-the-max-in-your-novel

HOW TO REQUEST REVERSIONS OF RIGHTS FROM YOUR PUBLISHER, AKA HOW TO GET YOUR BOOK BACK WHEN YOUR PUBLISHER FAILS YOU:

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2014/10/how-to-request-rights-reversion-from.html

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN GALLEYPROOF WITH WORD:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/10/how-to-create-your-own-galley-proof.html

BOOKS ON MEDIEVAL  FIGHTING:

http://www.blackgate.com/2014/10/02/four-books-on-historical-european-martial-arts-hema/

HOSTING AN ONLINE BOOK EVENT:

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2014/10/03/10-tips-to-organizing-a-kick-ass-online-book-event/

MAKING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/10/social-media-make-the-most-of-your-six-seconds/

GOING UNDERCOVER, LINKS:

http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/crime-and-science-radio-going-undercover-with-nypd-detective-and-fiction-writer-marco-conelli

NINE WAYS TO PROMOTE YOUR AUDIOBOOK:

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/10/04/9-easy-inexpensive-ways-to-promote-your-audiobook/

THE RIGHT VERSUS THE WRONG AMOUNT OF DETAIL IN YOUR WRITING:

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2014/10/detail-that-matters-and-detail-that.html

TURNING YOUR WRITING CAREER INTO A BUSINESS:

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/10/05/take-charge-of-your-author-business-5-aspects-to-consider

CREATING GREAT ENDINGS:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/10/beginnings-to-endings/

WHEN TO REVISE WHAT IN YOUR MANUSCRIPT:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/10/when-to-revise-what-in-your-novel.html

BUILDING YOUR CHARACTERS ONE INTERVIEW AT A TIME:

http://www.thewritersalleyblog.com/2014/10/building-your-characters-one-interview.html

PROMOTION, BUILDING YOUR AUDIENCE WITH NOVELLAS:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-growing-popularity-of-novellas.html