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Articles about craft.

How to Write a Flashback

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If I am honest I like flashbacks in a story if they are done well. As long as it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the story and is absolutely necessary to explain the current predicament of the protagonist. What are your thoughts on flashbacks? Are you for or against?

How to Write a Flashback

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How do you write a flashback without confusing your reader? Aren’t flashbacks bad? Don’t they screw up your story? Or can they make your story better?

Alexa posted this question on my “Ask A Question For My Blog” page:

How can I write a flashback scene of my protagonist without the reader getting lost?Thanks in advance

Randy sez: Knowing how to write a flashback is crucial for every novelist. But knowing why to write a flashback may be even more important.

Aren’t Flashbacks Bad?

Some people say that flashbacks are bad and you shouldn’t write them. It’s worth asking why anyone would say that.

A flashback is a scene that you show in your story in real-time, but which happened in the past. The fact that it’s shown in real-time is good. You’re not showing it in narrative summary or exposition. You’re playing it out like a movie in your reader’s head.

So where’s the harm? Why would anyone complain about that?

Read the full post on Advanced Fiction Writing!

 

 

Four Dangerous Pieces of Advice for Writers (And What to Do Instead)

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We often hear the same advice over and over again and some of it is a bit of really good wisdom like “show don’t tell”. Then there is the rest of the stuff.

Four Dangerous Pieces of Advice for Writers (And What to Do Instead)

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Any writing-related advice that says you should always or never do something can generally be taken with a very large pinch of salt!

I’m sure you’ve heard lots of poor writing advice over the months, years or even decades that you’ve been writing. Here are some that I come across quite frequently – from often well-intentioned people.

Several of these might work for some people in some circumstances. Some are best ignored altogether!

Today, I want to look at some advice that almost all writers will hear at some point, whether it’s from an interested friend, a fellow writing group member, or a self-styled guru…

Bad Advice #1: “Write, Write, Write! It’s All That Matters”

Read the full post on Aliventures!

Getting to Know Your Protagonist

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How much time do you spend getting to know your protagonist? While reading this post, I was inspired to go back to a character I had written quite a few words about but never really felt I got her motivations and perceptions quite right. I am inspired to go back now and take the time to fill out the character a little more and then rework my story.

Getting to Know Your Protagonist

Today’s guest post is by Steven-John Tait.

If you’ve ever struggled to get under the skin of your protagonist, don’t lose hope. This post tells how mine went from a protagonist I couldn’t relate to to someone so real to me that I felt guilty about finishing the novel and therefore his existence.

Here’s my experience from initial inspiration to the creative processes I used, and my eventual breakthrough and tips you can apply to your own work.

On vacation in a town in North Brazil, I was drinking a beer at one of many beachside bars, when I noticed a haggard man walking between the tables and chairs trying to catch anyone’s eye. It was obvious he was looking for someone to take advantage of. Nobody returned his gaze except me.

He sat down across from me and asked the waiter for a beer and a cachaça. The waiter looked to me for approval because we both knew that I’d be the one paying. I couldn’t understand much of what my guest said because my Portuguese hardly gets me from A to B, but he interested me, as did the faded tattoos over his arms and the white lines he’d drawn on himself using acid from cashew nut shells.

Here I was on the other side of the world, drinking beer with someone I’d never otherwise have met. I’d been looking for this since I set the goal of writing a novel. Here was my protagonist, and this town would be the setting. From then on I couldn’t think of one without the other.

I returned home, and having found the initial spark sat down to write the novel, but I had a problem: my protagonist.

Read the full story on Live Write Thrive!

10 Tips for Finding Memorable Character Names for your Fiction

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This is such a great post – I have had to bookmark it for future reference. If you struggle to find great names for your characters than this post is just for you!

10 Tips for Finding Memorable Character Names for your Fiction

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“Agnes Gooch,” “Mr. McCawber,” “Albus Dumbledore”: memorable names of memorable characters.

How can writers come up with character names that readers will never forget?

In his painfully funny 2006 book, Famous Writing School, a Novel, Stephen Carter’s writing teacher-protagonist advises his students to seek character names in the obituaries. But although Carter’s bumbling protagonist offers mostly dubious advice, that tip is a keeper.

Obits are full of great names. I keep a list of odd names in a little notebook. I haven’t yet written about Normal Peasley or Lamia Trowbridge, but they’re ready when I need them.

Another great name source is spam. If I happen to catch a good name before I hit “empty spam,” I write it in the notebook.  I  can always perk up a story by subjecting my heroine to a blind date with Zoticus Weatherwax or Hassan Snively.

Read the full post at Anne R. Allen’s Blog.. with Ruth Harris!

 

John Grisham’s 8 Do’s And Don’ts For Popular Fiction

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Apparently, there is a whole series of these, you can find them at the bottom of the article but this is my favorite. Especially number 8. I hate it when authors do number 8 and you have to draw a chart to figure out relationships.

John Grisham’s 8 Do’s And Don’ts For Popular Fiction

John Grisham is an American author who is best known for his legal thrillers. Before writing full time, John Grisham practised criminal law and served in the House of Representatives in Mississippi.

He has sold more than 250 million books, which have been translated into 29 languages. Many of his novels have been filmed including: The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Runaway Jury, and A Time to Kill.

Here is his advice for authors of popular fiction:

1.   Do — Write A Page Every Day

That’s about 200 words, or 1,000 words a week. Do that for two years and you’ll have a novel that’s long enough. Nothing will happen until you are producing at least one page per day.

Read the full post at Writer’s Write.

The Single Biggest Secret to Pantsing: Trusting Your Own Writing Process

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So as a self-proclaimed pantser I have been trying to become more organized in my writing and my life. Maybe I should just be comfortable and embrace my personal chaos.

The Single Biggest Secret to Pantsing: Trusting Your Own Writing Process

by Lauren Sapala

I just started writing a new novel a few weeks ago and I feel like a teenager again.

Yes, there is the euphoria and the excitement of magical new lands to discover, and the thrill of new horizons coming into view.

But when I say I feel like a teenager again, that’s not what I mean. Because, in addition to the euphoria, excitement, and thrill, I am also being clobbered by tidal waves of confusion, self-doubt, intense emotion, and fear, fear, fear.

I’ve been thinking about writing this novel for almost three years. Way back in 2015 was when this character first showed up in my head. I started seeing an image of a man in handcuffs and that image wouldn’t go away. At this point in my life I am now well aware that the images that fall into the “won’t-go-away” category always signal the beginning of a new story for me.

I couldn’t wait to begin…but I also put it off. Then I started the story and was ecstatic…but I also felt weird and scared about pursuing the ideas that were showing up in my mind. I had no idea where they would lead me, and I still don’t. So, for now, I’m just taking it day by day.

This is how I write all my novels, and the process hasn’t ever gotten any easier for me.

Read the full post on Lauren Sapala

How To Write A Character Who Can Carry A Series

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I really believe that the best way to get noticed as an author is to have a series. But not all characters or stories are up to being series worthy. Here is a post to help you come up with a series worthy character.

How To Write A Character Who Can Carry A Series

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Construction working triplets by day, ballet dancing crime solvers at night!

Launching a series is golden. It’s that moment in Minesweeper when you hit the right square and a safety zone unfurls. You have eager readers for your next book. You have an agent waiting to read your manuscript. You have characters and backdrops for a long, long time. Or… do you?

It’s not easy to create a protagonist – or even a small cluster of central characters – who can keep readers’ interest and flex and grow through all the plot variations your series will take.

Characterization is already tough. We write characters and wonder if anyone will like them/care about them/appropriately loathe them/accept them as realistic. Creating a compelling series character is all of this and more. It requires a lot of foresight and (ugh) record-keeping. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to it.

Read the full post on Stand Out Books!

How to Discover Your Unique Writing Voice

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Another great article on how to strengthen your writing style by finding your unique voice. I will be on the couch eating my cupcake and recovering from the activity.

How to Discover Your Unique Writing Voice

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But what do you do if you find out your voice is really weird?

About four years ago, I discovered a powerful tool that helped me unearth my unique voice and hone my honest perspective. I’ll share with you what that powerful tool is, but for now I want to talk about your voice.

Notice that the title of this post isn’t How to Write/Sound Like the Masters. No, it’s how to discover YOUR unique writing voice.

As writers we fall victim to comparing our works of fiction to those of the masters:

If only my writing echoed the simple eloquence of Jane Austen!

If only I had the cornucopia of geek knowledge like Ernest Cline!

If only I could write geeky teen romance like John Green!

If only I had the wit of Oscar Wilde!

Whether we are aware of it or not, we often compare our works to someone who is a history-making, best-selling author.

We forget the fact that Wilde, Green, Austen, Cline- they all have been exactly where you are. They weren’t born best-selling authors. They weren’t even best-selling authors before their mid-twenties! So how is it fair to compare your works of fiction to theirs?

It isn’t, cupcake.

Read the full post at Barely Hare Books

A Simple Tip to Help Get Rid of Saggy Middles

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Sorry, it’s not what you think. This post is to help with your writing! If you are like me you can come up with a great opening and a great ending but get bogged down in the middle.

A Simple Tip to Help Get Rid of Saggy Middles

By Fae Rowen
Sagging chins you are on your own…

Need to tone and tighten the middle of your WIP?

Have a saggy, lackluster character that needs work?

Feel like junking your half-finished, used-to-sparkle story?

Don’t.

Today I have a simple tip for you to brighten your character and/or your plot.

Go another way.

I first heard these words in reference to life’s struggles. You know, the ones that hammer you, and you just try to keep your head above water? Instead of encountering each challenge with my lance and sword, I was encouraged to try a different response.

You’ve heard the definition of insanity: You keep doing the same thing, but expect a different outcome.

Well, if you keep fiddling with a character or a plot over and over, approaching it from the same perspective, you’re going to get the same probably-not-acceptable fix.

Go another way.

Read the full post at Writers In The Storm.

When Worlds Collide

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When worlds collide you get great stories as explained in this beautifully written post by .

When Worlds Collide

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Have you ever felt out of place? I’m sure. We all have. Meeting the new in-laws. An interfaith church service. Asking the price of a necklace at Tiffany’s. The ER. CIA headquarters in Langley. Strange environments where people are different.

One summer day commuting to work on my bike, I stopped at Sander’s Bakery on Lee Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of South Williamsburg. A bakery is a bakery, right? Well, no. Sander’s is in the heart of Brooklyn’s vast Chasidishe, ultra-orthodox Jewish community. The shop was filled with men in long sideburns wearing black coats, Tzizit vests and beaver hats. Women wore wigs, calf length skirts and sturdy shoes. All spoke Yiddish. The shelves were brimming with challah, strudel, rugelach, kippelech, sufganiyot, Napoleon cake and cookies.

In my jeans, black tee and bike helmet, I stood out. Customers avoided my eyes. I am goyim. A non-Jew. An outsider, suspicious, not unwelcome but not welcome either. Cyclists have been attacked in South Williamsburg. To some, I would be less than human. Some, I knew, might believe that I literally lack a soul.

Read the full post on Writer UnBoxed.

How Steven Spielberg Handles his Villains

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It is all about restraint, whether you are a writing a scary villain or sexy scene. Some things are better left to the imagination or hinted at – after all our minds are great at creating and filling in the details.

How Steven Spielberg Handles his Villains

By Steven Pressfield

Steven Spielberg loves to tease us with his villains.

He shows them only indirectly.

In the audience we see the effects of the Bad Guys’ actions, but we rarely see the malefactors themselves.

This is tremendously powerful because it makes us imagine what the forces of evil look like, and that’s always scarier than actually seeing them in blinding daylight.

Remember the scene in Jaws with the three yellow barrels? Our heroes in their boat (Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, and Robert Shaw) harpoon the shark with cables linked to three huge yellow air-tank-like barrels. The barrels float on the ocean surface, enabling our hunters (and us) to see the shark’s movements from the boat even when the finned menace is submerged.

The great cinematic moment is when the three barrels go churning across the surface at high speed toward the boat, then dive under and come up on the other side.

We never see the shark.

But wow, how we imagine him.

Read the full post on Steven Pressfield!

Scheduling and Time Management by Alyson McLayne

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Who doesn’t need help managing their time. Anyone who can live and thrive while wrangling five year-old twin boys deserves a medal, never mind a listen too. So with that I invite you to read this time management post by Alyson McLayne.

Scheduling and Time Management by Alyson McLayne

Ever wonder how you’re going to get everything done? Let Alyson McLayne show you how she seizes the day!

My secret? Coffee!

With January just ended, I realize I haven’t set any goals for the year. And truthfully, as busy as I am, I can’t help but wonder What’s the point? I already have goals for this year in the form of deadlines: 3 books to complete, 12 newsletters to craft, 25+ blogs to write, and the world to wow on social media—not to mention conferences to attend and edits coming out of my ears.

Maybe, like me, you’ve reached the point where you no longer sit down and write a list of New Year’s Resolutions—only to fail come December 31st. Instead, perhaps you choose an inspiring word that becomes your mantra, or theme, for the year. One year I chose the word “success”, and last year a friend of mine chose the word “courage”. This year she has a catchphrase: “Seize the moment”.

These are all good ideas. I can only imagine that if we courageously seized the moment whenever we could during 2018 it would lead to great success!

But I feel like those kinds of words and the sentiment behind them are too ephemeral for me this year. I need something with more grit, more heft, to get me through the challenges I face. Like many of you, in addition to writing, I’m also busy on the home front—I have twin five-year-olds, a puppy, aging and sick parents, and a husband who works long hours.

Read the full post at Romance University!

How to Write a Synopsis—Without Turning Homicidal

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Having a great synopsis is so important because that is usually what will turn a prospective reader into a purchaser.  And I beg you please, have a one or two sentence summary that can be used to effectively advertise your book!

How to Write a Synopsis—Without Turning Homicidal

by Sarah (Sally) Hamer @SarahSallyHamer

Part One

One of the big questions I hear in my classes is, “How do I write a synopsis?”

Good question. Here’s the best answer I can give you:

Buy Gracie O’Neil’s book, How to Write a Synopsis—WithoutTurning Homicidal.

Gracie is one of our ‘down under’ folks, living in New Zealand down the road from the Hobbits. She’s funny, gracious, and brilliant, all at the same time. And, her book on synopses not only helps my students, it helps me to explain how story structure works.

She says “The first key to a killer synopsis is to find your story’s centre. Its soul. Its beating heart.”

How?

Tell your story in 50 words or less.

I can hear the groans from here!

It’s really not that hard. Really.

Read the full post at The Write Conversation!

Becoming a “Real” Writer

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This isn’t about getting a contract or a million Amazon followers, but how to express your “real” self through your writing. Finding your unique voice and staying true to it. I really enjoyed reading it and I hope you do too.

Becoming a “Real” Writer

By Kathryn Craft

I love to go hear other authors speak. What a kick that Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout sounds like my favorite quirky aunt, or that bestselling author Margot Livesey’s lush prose begins with characters who, like mine, nod and shrug their way through her first drafts.

I’ve walked away from dozens of such interactions thinking, “She was just so real.”

Now, isn’t that a funny thing to say about someone who makes things up for a living?

Or perhaps writing engaging fiction is one of the most emotionally truthful pursuits in which we will ever engage. A novelist can spend years crafting a story that will illustrate an emotional truth. Why? Because the point she is making is vital to her worldview. That’s pretty darned personal—it’s laid bare.

Fear of such exposure is why reaching for emotional honesty can be a significant source of writer’s block. Accomplished writers grow in authenticity the same way we all must: one step at a time.

Read the full post at Writers In The Storm!

A Look at Masterful Voice

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It is human nature to compare ourselves to others, especially those we deem successful in their field. But what do you do when there is no one who writes like you do? Sometimes being the only person like you can be lonely, just ask Kermit. But it can also mean that you are unique in ways that are great, like Tigger or Aretha Franklin.  I friggin love C.S. Lakin in general, but this post is really good, about not losing what makes your writing yours. Don’t lose your voice.

A Look at Masterful Voice

by C.S. Lakin

I love talking about voice in fiction. I veer off from other “experts” in definition about voice. I believe that some people are referring to the writer’s style when they talk about voice.

Take a listen to what literary Donald Maass says about voice in Writing the Breakout Novel:

“I am looking for authors with a distinctive voice.” I hear that from editors over lunch almost as often as I hear, “I am looking for big, well-written thrillers.”

What the heck is “voice”? By this, do editors mean “style”? I do not think so. By voice, I think they mean not only a unique way of putting words together, but a unique sensibility, a distinctive way of looking at the world, an outlook that enriches an author’s oeuvre. They want to read an author who is like no other. An original. A standout. A voice.

Read the full post on Live Write Thrive!