Adventures in Writing

I’ve talked a lot about various craft issues to make your book readable and approachable for readers, but there is one thing you must do when you write that will mean the difference between a reader rushing through your book or putting it down and not going back.

I call this idea Make It Matter.

What does “it” mean? Each scene you write, every important character, and the book itself.

How do you make each scene, character, and the book itself matter to the reader?

You have to make the reader care. I’m talking not just interest in what is happening but an emotional investment.

That murder being solved might be an interesting puzzle, but if it doesn’t have an emotional component for the reader and the main character, most readers won’t care.

I’ve put down three different mysteries in the last month because the victim was such a pile of scum that I wanted to give the murderer a medal, and the sleuth had no real emotional investment in solving the crime. I didn’t care about any of it so I put down the books.

That romance should be life changing for the two characters and emotionally fulfilling for the reader. Two people shacking up forever for great sex isn’t emotionally fulfilling. Two people having a true meeting of the minds and hearts is.

No quest in the world of fantasy will matter much if the reader doesn’t care about the characters, and the goal of the quest is selfish.

So, check every scene, the important characters, and finally, the book itself to make sure that you made it matter.

Articles on my blog on the subject:

MAKING A CHARACTER LIKABLE:

http://mbyerly.blogspot.com/2015/03/making-character-likable.html

MAKING A VICTIM MATTER:

http://mbyerly.blogspot.com/2015/03/making-victim-matter.html

THE EMOTIONAL CONTENT OF A STORY:

http://mbyerly.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-emotional-content-of-story.html

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Links of Interest

CREATING AN AUTHOR BRAND:

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2015/07/steps-to-creating-author-brand.html

KEEPING YOUR CAREER MOMENTUM GOING:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/07/the-maturing-of-indie-how-to-keep-your.html

USING YOUR LOGLINE, TAGLINE, AND PITCH TO CREATE A STRONGER STORY:

http://marcykennedy.com/2015/07/how-to-use-your-logline-tagline-and-pitch-to-create-a-stronger-story-2

THE CREATOR OF SMASHWORDS ON HOW TO PUBLISH AN EBOOK:

http://www.slideshare.net/Smashwords/how-to-publish-ebooks-an-ebook-publishing-intensive-by-mark-coker

TIPS ON ORGANIZING YOUR OFFICE:

http://bobbrooke.blogspot.com/2015/07/organizing-for-success.html

THEME AND CREATING A STRONG ONE FOR YOUR STORY:

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2015/07/three-lures-to-attract-stronger-theme.html

ON SELLING YOUR EBOOK PRICES INTERNATIONALLY:

http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/26/when-selling-virtual-products-abroad-dont-put-prices-on-autopilot

FORENSICS, YOUR DRUG HISTORY IN YOUR FINGERPRINTS:

https://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/fingerprint-toxicology-your-drug-history-in-your-prints

30 DAYS TO A BETTER AUTHOR WEBSITE (I WILL NOT LINK TO THIS SERIES AFTER THIS):

http://www.darcypattison.com/marketing/author-website-toc

WHAT TO DO WHEN AN AGENT OFFERS TO REPRESENT YOU:

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2015/07/handling-offer-of-representation.html

WHAT DO READERS REALLY WANT?

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2015/07/27/hacking-your-readers-brain

THE HARRY POTTER LAWSUITS, A COLLECTION OF THE POSSIBILIES OF LAWSUITS IN THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY:

http://www.trademarkandcopyrightlawblog.com/2015/07/harry-potter-lawsuits-and-where-to-find-them

HOW A BOOK BECOMES A MOVIE:

http://janefriedman.com/2015/07/27/how-a-book-becomes-a-movie/

GENRE DOES MATTER:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2015/07/does-genre-matter.html

A LIBRARIAN’S GUIDE TO DOING RESEARCH FOR YOUR BOOK:

http://www.thewritersalleyblog.com/2015/07/research-like-expert-librarians-guide.html

PLOTTING 101, PLANNING YOUR PLOT:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/07/planning-your-plotting.html

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR SALES:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2015/07/how-to-increase-your-book-sales-its-easy.html

USING SIMILIES AND METAPHORS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR WORK:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2015/07/spicing-up-story-with-similes-metaphors.html

THE AUTHORS GUILD ON LIMITING HOLDING YOUR BOOK “FOREVER” IN YOUR CONTRACT :

http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2015/07/authors-guild-publishing-contract.html

SELF-EDITING TIPS:

http://thewritelife.com/self-editing-tips

RAMPING UP TENSION AND FASTER PACING:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2015/07/29/4-key-ways-to-ramp-up-tension-and-pacing-in-your-fiction

I’M NOT A FAN OF FLASHBACKS, BUT IF YOU MUST USE THEM:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/07/the-art-of-the-flashback/

Monday, July 27, 2015

Writing a Memoir Blurb

QUESTION: Your article on writing blurbs was good, but it doesn’t really help me with my travel memoir. Any suggestions?

The blurb article was aimed at genre fiction so I'm not surprised.

First, study the blurbs of books similar to yours. Those by the big publishers are your best source since the back cover copy is written by professional editors whose specialty is this skill. Amazon is a good place to find them.

What is it about each blurb that calls to you or makes you yawn?

Are there certain words they use that says travel memoir to you and other readers?

Do you see a formula like my character goal/personality formula that carries through many of these blurbs? If there is, that's what you should aim for.

Once you have an idea of what your blurb should say, write it in the voice you used in your book to give it intimacy and to tell readers what they'll find inside.

Find some beta readers who read this type of book and ask their opinion.

If you haven't already, find some online site or listserv or whatever where readers of this type of book hang out to find beta readers. This will also be your first go-to site to announce your book coming out.

Make absolutely sure that your blurb has been checked over for grammar and spelling because any errors will be an automatic no-sale for many readers.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

NOTE: For other types of nonfiction, particularly self-help books, the blurb should tell the reader what the book can do for him, not what the book is about.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Links of Interest

CREATING A PROMOTION PLAN:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/07/creating-author-business-plan-our.html

TURNING BLOG POSTS INTO A BOOK:

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2015/07/how-to-succeed-with-your-blogged-book-or-booked-blog-project/

QUICK WAYS TO FLESH OUT YOUR CHARACTERS:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/08/a-quick-tip-for-getting-to-know-your.html

COSTLY MISTAKES FOR SELF-PUBS TO MAKE:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/07/10-mistakes-authors-make-that-can-cost-them-a-fortune-and-how-to-avoid-them/

LOONEY TOONS GREAT CHUCK JONES ON CREATING CHARACTER AND STORY (VIDEO WITH SOUND):

https://youtu.be/kHpXle4NqWI

CREATING THE OPENING HOOK:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/07/fishing-out-your-manuscript-hook/

IMPROVING YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER:

http://janefriedman.com/2015/07/20/improve-your-email-newsletter/

A SITE THAT DISSECTS BESTSELLERS FOR WRITERS (MUST BE A MEMBER OF FACEBOOK TO GO TO SITE):

http://writerunboxed.com/2015/07/20/bring-out-your-story-scalpels/

THE PROBLEM WITH USING A FLASH FORWARD AT THE BEGINNING:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/07/the-problem-with-flash-forwards-as.html

AN APP THAT HELPS YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT IS SELLING AT THE KINDLE STORE:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2015/07/20/targeting-genre-using-the-kdspy-app

THE PROBLEM OF INTRODUCING AN IMPORTANT CHARACTER TOO LATE:

http://writerunboxed.com/2015/07/21/the-art-of-transparency

COMMON FIRST PAGES ISSUES:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/07/common-first-page-issues.html

Monday, July 20, 2015

How to Foreshadow

I'm sure you've watched a movie or TV show where a character is getting ready to open a door, and you just know that the killer is waiting for her. You scream, "No, no, don't open that door!"

How do you know something the character doesn't? Part of that is foreshadowing. The filmmaker has given you clues that the character doesn't have.

For a written story, an author doesn't have the luxury of using spooky music or atmospheric lighting, but she does have other tricks to give the reader the same sense of something lurking behind that closed door.

The simplest way to do this is to have more than one viewpoint in your story. For example, one character learns that the killer is going after your heroine, then when you switch to the heroine's viewpoint, the reader will be expecting something bad to happen.

You can also write from the bad guy’s viewpoint to warn the reader what he’s up to.

Another way is to embed a clue that the heroine sees but doesn't recognize as important because she's learning so much and being menaced at the same time. The reader will often pick up on the clue and recognize the danger.

A third way is to have your character more ignorant or innocent than the reader. A child may misunderstand a situation an adult would recognize as dangerous, and the person who refuses to believe a psychopath or monster is lurking will be easy prey in the reader's eyes.

A fourth way is a subtle use of language. Stephen King is a master of giving the reader the creeps when nothing appears to be happening but soon will. I recommend his ON WRITING which should be in your local library for more on the subject.

A fifth way is genre expectations. In a horror novel, the reader is expecting that scare so it takes almost nothing to make her tense as the character opens that door in the empty house that may be the killer's hiding place.

A common use of genre expectations is to set up a scary situation then let it fizzle, and the moment the character and the reader let their guard down, the killer makes his move.

Foreshadowing doesn't have to be about unhappy or dangerous things to come. You can as easily foreshadow happy events. The square shape in the hero's tuxedo jacket pocket may be a diamond engagement ring box, and he and the heroine are dining at a very nice restaurant, after all, so you and the heroine may be guessing which way the meal will end.

As an author, you must lay down the clues so the reader will think the worse or best of coming events.