SCHEDULE NOTE

Due to a major family emergency, I'm going on hiatus with this blog.  


If you haven't already, please join one of the various blog feeds this blog offers, or join my Yahoogroups.  All are available on the right side of this blog.  That way, you'll know when I return.  


Marilynn

Links of Interest

Note:  I'm dealing with a family medical emergency so the list is short this week.  The final link, however, is a goldmine of great articles.

Marilynn

RHYTHM IN WRITING:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/02/feel-rhythm-of-words.html

THE FOUR MOST COMMON MISTAKES EDITORS SEE:

http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com/2011/02/4-most-common-mistakes-fiction-editors.html

PROMOTION: PODCASTING 101

http://www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/02/05/podcasting-101-part-1/

PUBLISHING TERMS: SELL IN, SELL THROUGH, AND EARN OUT

http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2011/02/sell-in-sell-through-earn-out.html

CAUSE AND EFFECT IN WRITING:

http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com/2011/02/most-common-mistakes-series-are-you.html

GREAT LIST 'O LINKS:

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2011/02/twitterific.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 like 

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

POLISHING THAT PROSE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/01/re-write-wednesday-shine-on-taking-time.html

THIRTEEN WAYS TO BEGIN A NOVEL:

http://beyondthemargins.com/2011/01/thirteen-ways-of-beginning-a-novel/#more-8862

PUBLISHING TERMS:  RETURNS

http://pimpmynovel.blogspot.com/2011/01/terms-to-know-returns-rerun.html

SAVING ON WRITER EXPENSES:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2011/01/ways-to-save-ten.html

ARE BLOG TOURS WORTH THE TROUBLE?

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/01/is-doing-blog-tour-really-worth-it.html

FOLLOWING UP ON THAT SUBMISSION:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2011/01/protocol-for-following-up.html

WRITING A GOOD TRANSITION:

http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-work-with-four-levels-of.html

LAYERING FICTION:

http://writerunboxed.com/2011/01/30/3-layers-of-layering-in-fiction/

THE SUBJECT OF A SENTENCE CAN BE MORE COMPLICATED AND TALENTED THAN YOU THINK:

http://talktoyouniverse.blogspot.com/2011/01/superpowers-of-grammatical-subject.html

HOW NOT TO WRITE THE FIRST SCENE:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2011/01/opening-no-nos.html

STARTING A BOOK BLOG:

http://booklineandsinker.com/2011/01/20/so-you-want-to-start-a-book-blog-pre-blogging-advice/

EBOOK FORMAT AND READER PRIMER:

http://www.passwordincorrect.com/2011/01/23/a-handy-beginners-guide-to-e-book-formats-apps-and-devices-flowchart/

KNOW WHEN YOUR CRITIQUE GROUP DOESN'T FIT:

http://hopeclark.blogspot.com/2011/01/know-when-your-critique-group-doesnt.html

HORROR MARKET RESOURCE:

http://horrortree.com/

CLUES YOU WANT YOUR DETECTIVE TO MISS:

http://margotkinberg.blogspot.com/2011/01/dont-pass-me-by.html

DEALING WITH REJECTION AND THE BAD CRITIQUE:

http://www.andrewjackwriting.com/2011/01/five-strategies-for-writers-to-deal-with-rejection-and-critique/

WEBSITE STATS, HOW TO GET THEM AND WHAT THEY MEAN:

http://www.sellingbooks.com/website-stats-101-for-authors

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR ONLINE SITES WHEN YOU DIE:

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-blogcodicil-what-happens-to-your.html

STAYING SAFE ONLINE AND PROTECTING YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK SITES:

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/218243/seven_hints_to_stay_safe_online.html?tk=nl_dnx_h_crawl

STEAMPUNK ANTHO:

http://oldcharliebrown.livejournal.com/347800.html

IS WRITING ANY EASIER AFTER THAT FIRST OR SECOND NOVEL?

http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com/2011/01/good-news-writing-never-gets-any-easier.html

WHAT IS FORENSIC LINGUISTICS?

http://clarissadraper.blogspot.com/2011/02/mystery-writers-guide-to-forensic.html

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROMOTION:

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2011/02/thoughts-on-different-types-of-promo.html

GIVING  YOUR CHARACTER MORE THAN ONE IMPORTANT CHOICE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/02/decisions-decisions-character-choices.html

THE DREADED SYNOPSIS:

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2011/02/synopsis.html

THE AUTHOR AND AGENCY AGREEMENT:

http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2011/02/agency-agreements.html

ADJECTIVES, TOO MANY OR TOO LITTLE ARE BOTH BAD:

http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/2011/02/agency-agreements.html

FIVE WRITING RULES YOU SHOULD BREAK:

http://victoriamixon.com/2011/02/02/5-writing-rules-you-should-break/

~*~

Marilynn's Workshop Schedule

Writing in the Moment, Cancelled

How to get your voice, viewpoint, and craft so perfect that you disappear and your story comes alive.  Lots of worksheets. 

~*~

The Blurb: Mother of All Promotions Cancelled

A blurb is the pithy description of your novel in a query letter, the short "elevator pitch" used at a writer's conference, the log line for online promotion, and the all important back cover copy for a published novel.  Without a great blurb, a novel won't be noticed by agents and editors.  

 Marilynn Byerly--creator of a blurb system used by university publishing courses, publishers, and many authors-- will show you how to create that perfect blurb for your novel.  The course will include a number of worksheets and in-class blurb analysis.

Criticism and the Writer

In the early days of writers' lives, our works are our babies, and no one wants to be told that the baby is ugly, or has bad manners, or isn't the brightest tot on the block.  It's hard sometimes even for a pro writer to remember that the work isn't really our baby, and we must learn to separate ourselves from our work.

The trick with writing and publishing is to remember that criticism is about the work, NOT ABOUT THE WRITER.  Criticism, constructive or otherwise, also isn't about the dream of being a writer, it's just another part of the work of being a writer.

Learning writing craft is similar to what an athlete does to become good at his game.  We start out with no skills but work until each necessary skill reaches a certain level of competence. 

It requires practice, even more practice, sweat, pain, criticism, the pained self-knowledge that we are not perfect, and a realization that the dream of being published or being on the team doesn't magically happen.   Then the cycle begins all over again as we grow as athletes  or writers. 

As a writer, you have a choice of whether you want to dream the dream or you want to buckle down to the hard work, the criticism, and the incredible learning curve of creating publishable craft.  

The criticism, both positive and negative, will never go away if you choose to be a writer.  You need only read the cruel Amazon reviews of some of the best writers to see that even fame, fortune, and success have an ugly side.  Or listen to the stories from pro writers who have to deal with incompetent or control freaks editors and publishers.

The work of improving craft never goes away. It is the same whether you are a newbie without a clue or an established writer.  Nora Roberts and Stephen King have said so, and I imagine any other writer you respect has said the same thing at one time or the other.

Dreaming the dream with no work or emotional toughness may be fine in the short term,  but in the long term that dream attracts the predators-- the scam agents, fake contests, and vanity publishers-- who convince you that you are perfect then suck money and dreams right out of you until even the writing is no longer enough, and the dream becomes a nightmare.  

If you love the writing and want to be published, you need to decide if it's a goal worth fighting for as well as a goal worth the time and distress of learning the craft and putting up with the shit.  If it isn't,  you need to find another goal worth the effort.  

Links of Interest

INTERVIEW WITH EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF CARINA PRESS:

http://www.ninc.com/blog/index.php/archives/editor-angela-james

NARRATIVE DISTANCE:

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2011/01/re-write-wednesday-keeping-your.html

HOW CAN  YOU TELL IF  YOUR WRITING IS IMPROVING?

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2011/01/talking-about-evolution-how-do-you-know.html

WRITING TO A MARKET:

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-original-how-edgy-writing-for.html

CHARACTER GROWTH AND PLOT ARCS:

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2011/01/find-your-plot-friday-grow-up-already.html

THE NOVEL TWIST:

http://talktoyouniverse.blogspot.com/2011/01/seeking-uniqueness-make-twist.html

USING PRESENT TENSE:

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/2011/01/20/present-tense-and-missing-titles/

WHY SELF-PUBLISHING BOOKS CAN BE A BAD THING FOR YOUR CAREER:

http://heydeadguy.typepad.com/heydeadguy/2011/01/girls-got-a-reputation.html

THE MIDLIST WRITER AND CHANGING TIMES:

http://kriswrites.com/2011/01/19/the-business-rusch-midlist-writers-big-publishing-changing-times-part-14/

WAYS TO SPOT A BAD OR CROOKED LITERARY AGENCY:

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2011/01/best-solution-author-agency-or-beware.html

HERE'S ONE EVIL BOOK CONTEST:  Not only do you have to pay a large fee to enter, they get ownership of all books entered forever.  That means you are paying to have someone rob you of your book.  (Read the small print in all contests and contracts!)

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2011/01/contest-alert-first-one-publishings.html

PLACING CLUES FOR THE READER:

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2011/01/trail-blazing-planting-clues-and-hints.html

WRITING HISTORICAL FANTASY:

http://writerunboxed.com/2011/01/22/writing-historical-fantasy-a-conversation-with-jules-watson/

OUTLINES:  What you or may not want to include.

http://storyflip.blogspot.com/2011/01/drawing-out-line-crafting-outlines-that.html

LIST 'O LINKS:  Great list of writing links.

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/2011/01/twitterific_23.html

LEGITIMATE WRITING CONTEST:  Del Rey, the sf publisher, is holding a contest for the best sf, fantasy, horror, or paranormal romance novel.  The winner will receive a complete edit from a Del Rey editor and may be published.  

http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/01/the-suvudu-writing-contest-win-an-editorial-review-and-possible-publication-by-del-reyspectra.html

THE SYNOPSIS WITH LOTS OF CHARACTERS:

http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/How+To+Write+A+Synopsis+When+You+Have+Lots+Of+Characters+In+Your+Story.aspx

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TENSION AND AN ANNOYING LACK OF INFORMATION:

http://www.magicalwords.net/edmund-r.-schubert/tension-vs.-just-plain-old-annoying/

ESTABLISHING YOUR CHARACTER AT THE BEGINNING:

http://www.plottopunctuation.com/blog/show/how-to-establish-your-characters-openings

ONLINE PROMOTION TOOLS:

http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/40587.aspx

TOO MUCH PLOT?  Very good ideas here.

http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2011/01/24/ask-the-editor-how-to-untangle-a-plot/

THE WRITER'S KNOWLEDGE BASE:  A search engine for those seeking writing advice.

http://hiveword.com/wkb/search

FORENSICS:  About false confessions from a forensics psychologist.

http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/false-confessions-dr-michael-welner/

MARKET NEWS:  Samhain, one of the more successful epublishers/POD publishers, is starting a horror line edited by a former Dorchester editor.  

http://www.samhainpublishing.com/general-information/#horror

~*~

Marilynn's Workshop Schedule and Information Links

http://marilynnbyerly.com/workshopschedule.html

Writing in the Moment, April 11-May 8, 2011 

How to get your voice, viewpoint, and craft so perfect that you disappear and your story comes alive.  Lots of worksheets. 

~*~

The Blurb: Mother of All Promotions July 25-August 7, 2011 

A blurb is the pithy description of your novel in a query letter, the short "elevator pitch" used at a writer's conference, the log line for online promotion, and the all important back cover copy for a published novel.  Without a great blurb, a novel won't be noticed by agents and editors.  

 Marilynn Byerly--creator of a blurb system used by university publishing courses, publishers, and many authors-- will show you how to create that perfect blurb for your novel.  The course will include a number of worksheets and in-class blurb analysis.