The Reality Sniff Test

The comic urban fantasy started out fun.  The heroine had been a demon slayer in her teenage and early adult life, then she’d put aside her slaying tools and become a wife, then a mother of two small kids.  She’d never told her husband about her Buffy the Demon Slayer days.

Then a demon shows up at her home and tries to kill her.  She dispatches him.  Another, more powerful demon threatens her children’s lives, and he’s also in her home.  

At this point, she decides not to tell her husband about the demons after their kids or about her past because it would be awkward.

This is the moment when I stopped reading.  The author had failed my reality sniff test.  

Sure, this is a comic urban fantasy, and readers know that the kids will be okay, and the heroine will win against the demons, but the heroine has done something that, in the real world, most of us would find selfish, stupid, and unforgivable.  She is risking the lives of her young children.  

Books aren’t bubbles that have nothing to do with the real world.  Yes, we will accept wild premises like ghosts, vampires, and demons, but most of us enter a book’s world with our own beliefs and views of the world, and the author who errs in those common beliefs because she thinks that we will put them aside in her book is often wrong and loses a reader.  

When you are writing, consider the reality sniff test.  Do your characters act the way someone in the real world would?  Is that behavior acceptable in the real world?  Does your worldbuilding make sense in comparison to the way the real world is?  Does your world/society fit a society from our past, or can it be imagined as real?  If the answer is no to these questions or other reality sniff tests, then you need to do some rewriting.

Links of Interest

REVISION, HOW TO ANALYZE THE CHARACTER ARCS:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/03/revision-workshop-day-two-analyze.html

REVISION, THE STORY’S STRUCTURE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/03/revision-workshop-day-three-analyze.html

REVISION, CLARIFY THE GOALS AND MOTIVATIONS:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/03/revision-workshop-day-four-clarify.html

REVISION, CLARIFY THE CONFLICT AND TENSION:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/03/revision-workshop-day-five-clarify.html

REVISION, CLARIFY THE STAKES AND CONSEQUENCES:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/03/revision-workshop-day-six-clarify.html

REVISION, FOCUS THE NARRATIVE DRIVE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/03/revision-workshop-day-seven-focus.html

REVISION, FLESH OUT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/03/revision-workshop-day-eight-flesh-out.html

GIVING ANTIHEROES DEPTH:

https://killzoneblog.com/2017/03/anti-heroes-why-we-love-them-keys-ways-to-give-them-depth.html

THE APP “BOOK REPORT” THAT ANALYZES AMAZON SALES DATA:

http://elizabethspanncraig.com/5522/data/

AUTHOR EARNINGS REPORT, ANALYZING INTERNATIONAL SALES:

http://authorearnings.com/report/february-2017/

BOOK PROMOTION, YES AND NO:

https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2017/03/book-promotion-do-this-not-that-march-2017/

The Cast of Thousands Syndrome

Have you ever been at a party or professional event where you have met a small group of the attendees some time back so you barely remember them, and there are dozens of other people attending as well?

You stood there with a glazed look in your eyes as you struggled to remember the names and relationships of the people you've already met while even more people are introduced to you, and you have to figure out how these people fit in with the first group.

A nightmare, wasn't it?

Yet many writers forget how hard it is to keep up with characters in a novel.  They insist on starting the novel with a group scene in which all the heroine's coworkers are introduced.  Each character enters the scene, does a little song and dance so you have some idea of who they are, then the next one enters and does the same thing.  By the fourth or fifth character, the reader is in shell shock if she's still reading.  

Then, the novel opens up, and even more characters are introduced.  

Other writers of series, particularly paranormal romance series, have an ongoing group of characters--usually the happily married heroes and heroines of past novels who have to have a cameo or minor role--as well as the new hero and heroine to include with their  short term bad guys and minor characters, but, wait, the author really wants you to meet the half a dozen new hunks waiting for their own novels, heroines, and happily-ever-after as well as the bad guys waiting in the wings for their comeuppance.   

Some readers can keep up with all these people, but most of us can't.  Many of us reach a point where there's so much character clutter we can't connect with the major characters and the main plot so we close the book and vow never to read another of them.  

How do you escape this cast of thousands syndrome?

First, you must realize that while you spend many months with these characters and know them very well, the reader won't.  

Keep the introductions to a very few at a time.  Secondary characters should only be introduced when they are needed in the plot.  Those officemates of the heroine may play big parts in later books, but only the wacky receptionist who will introduce the heroine to her new love interest and play clumsy matchmaker will be needed in this book so only she should be introduced.

As great as the other characters are and no matter how eager you are to introduce them, don't.  

If you have characters from other books, don't bring them back unless they serve a specific plot purpose.

If you have new characters for the next book in the series, don't put them in unless they serve a very specific plot purpose.

If you are lucky enough to have readers wanting to know how Lance and Patty from your first book are doing and whether their baby has been born, you can write a short story or novella about them as a freebie on your website.  Fans love that.  

Many of us don't love the author tossing these former characters into the current novel with no other reason than to please a few fans.

Links of Interest

REVISION, CREATING AN EDITORIAL MAP:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/02/revison-prep-create-editorial-map.html

SIMPLIFYING SOCIAL MEDIA:

http://romanceuniversity.org/2017/02/22/busy-authors-should-simplify-social-media-efforts-by-cecelia-mecca/

APPS, TOOLS, AND PLUG INS FOR AUTHORS:

https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2017/02/apps-tools-plugins-for-indie-authors-in-2017-part-2/

GROWING YOUR AUDIENCE:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2017/02/23/growing-your-audience-one-fan-at-a-time

THE BASICS OF A CHARACTER ARC:

http://www.thewritersalleyblog.com/2017/02/character-arc-part-1-basics.html

CREATING A REVISION PLAN:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/02/revision-prep-create-revision-plan.html

TRICKS TO CREATING CLEVER PLOT TWISTS:

https://writersedit.com/10-simple-tips-writing-clever-plot-twists/

PROMO, EVERYDAY MARKETING TIPS:

https://writersedit.com/5-everyday-book-marketing-tips-authors/

LIST O’ LINKS, MANY MOTIVATIONAL:

http://elizabethspanncraig.com/5516/twitterific-writing-links-151/

PROLOGUES, THE GOOD AND THE BAD:

http://authorkristenlamb.com/2017/02/the-seven-deadly-sins-of-prologues-what-doesnt-work-and-what-does/

HOW TO SPOT A PUBLISHING PREDATOR:

https://www.thebookdesigner.com/2017/03/beware-of-sharks-in-publishers-clothing/

REVISION, HOW TO ANALYZE YOUR STORY’S STRUCTURE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2017/03/revision-workshop-day-one-analyze-story.html

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.  

Links of Interest

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

http://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/digital-underground/2017/open-access-at-the-met

MAKING THE RIGHT IMPRESSION OF THE FIRST PAGES:

http://jamigold.com/2017/02/story-beginnings-creating-the-right-first-impression/

GROWING A MAILING LIST:

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2017/02/16/growing-your-audience-by-growing-a-mailing-list

HAND GUNS 101:

https://killzoneblog.com/2017/02/which-handgun-should-your-character-carry.html

AUTHORS’ INCOME SURVEY:

http://www.jimchines.com/2017/02/2016-novelist-income-results-1/

http://www.jimchines.com/2017/02/2016-novelist-income-results-2/

WARNINGS ON SOME LITERARY AGENCIES:

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2017/02/red-flag-alert-loiacono-literary-agency.html

USING THEATER TECHNIQUES TO WRITE BETTER EMOTIONS:

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2017/02/using-theater-techniques-to-write.html

THE ADVERSARIAL ALLY:

http://writerunboxed.com/2017/02/19/the-importance-of-the-adversarial-ally

THE TROUBLE WITH SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

http://allwritefictionadvice.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-trouble-with-supporting-characters.html

HORSES 101, WHAT HORSES ARE NOT:

http://www.tor.com/2017/02/20/the-sff-equine-troublesome-tropes-about-horses/

8 TIPS TO PACING YOUR STORY:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/8-ways-master-storys-pacing/

CRIME, JURY NULLIFICATION:

http://thrillwriting.blogspot.com/2017/02/talk-about-plot-twist-jury-information.html

TIPS FOR MAKING A LIVING AS A WRITER:

http://elizabethspanncraig.com/5501/making-living-writing-ten-tips/

KEEPING YOURSELF AND YOUR DEVICES SAFE ONLINE:

https://writerswin.com/best-ways-stay-protected-online-self-employed-author/

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BEING HACKED:

http://www.novelrocket.com/2017/01/protect-yourself-from-being-hacked8.html

YOUR BLOG’S VISUAL APPEAL:

https://dgkayewriter.com/are-you-maximizing-your-blogs-visual-appeal-using-widgets/

A COMPARISON OF AUDIOBOOK DISTRIBUTORS:

https://dgkayewriter.com/are-you-maximizing-your-blogs-visual-appeal-using-widgets/

SCENE VERSUS SUMMARY:

https://dgkayewriter.com/are-you-maximizing-your-blogs-visual-appeal-using-widgets/

THEME, ALLEGORY, AND SYMBOLS 101:

https://www.standoutbooks.com/theme-allegory-symbolism-guide/

WHAT TO DO IF A WEBSITE STEALS  YOUR WORK:

https://www.standoutbooks.com/website-stolen-work-solution/

DESCRIPTION:

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/description-writer-crack-finding-the-write-balance/

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.