Quick Link: Eleven Sneaky Ways To Rescue A Failed Story

September 29, 2016September 29, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

It happens, the story you were originally so excited about has turned into a quagmire. No matter how you struggle to make it work, you just make the mess worse. Should you quit? No, go to the Writer’s Villiage The Wicked Writer Blog, and find some quick fixes that can help get your story back on track!

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Eleven Sneaky Ways To Rescue A Failed Story

Hey I can see your plot line here. — Hey I can see your plot line from here.

by John Yeoman on Friday, June 24, 2016

So your story ‘doesn’t work’. You’ve worried it to death. You’ve cut stuff out. You’ve put it back in again. Now you’re wondering for the nth time if that comma in line three should really have been a semi-colon or a full stop.

Stop!

Isn’t it time to junk the whole wretched tale and start again?

No. Your story might still be rescued, faults and all. Here are eleven sneaky ways. (‘Sneaky’ because they’re quick fixes and don’t pretend to be complete writing strategies.)

I’ll start with a typical story ‘fault’, listed in no particular order, then suggest a remedy or two.

1. You have too many scene shifts or ‘jump cuts’.

A proven way to ramp up your story’s pace is to shift quickly between episodes. End one scene on a note of rising tension then cut to a different scene entirely. Close that scene on a question, mystery or hint of imminent conflict.

Then shift back to the previous scene.

It’s a great technique. Problem is, the story becomes a ping-pong match. And the reader drops the ball…

Read the full post on The Wicked Writer Blog

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If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

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Quick Links: Motifs and Symbols and Themes – Oh My!

September 28, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Literary devices are the spice of books. They add interest and depth to a story. Laura Drake explains the differences and gives some examples over at Writers In The Storm.

We just finished binge watching Penny Dreadful on TV and loved how the theme seemed to be that those who sought immortality didn’t find peace, but those who died did. What is your favorite literary device example?

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Motifs and Symbols and Themes – Oh My!

June 24th, 2016 By Laura Drake

I love almost all literary devices, but the three in this post’s title are my favorites. I’m sure you heard of them, and have probably used them in your writing, but you may not know the definitions, so here they are:

Motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative (or literary) aspects such as theme.

Theme is what the author is trying to tell the reader. For example, the belief in the ultimate good in people, or that things are not always what they seem. This is often referred to as the “moral of the story.”

Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.

Thematic Patterning means the insertion of a recurring motif in a narrative.

I’ve used all of them in my books: An ugly scar, to remind the readers of the protagonist’s guilt and shame (Nothing Sweeter). A cowgirl hat to signify the protagonist’s reluctance to change (Sweet on You). White roses, to remind a mother of her grief (The Sweet Spot). Even a motorcycle, to show a character’s running from her past (Her Road Home).

Read the full post on Writers In The Storm

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Author Tools – Adopting the Micromovements Strategy to Build Your Author Brand

September 28, 2016 by Publetariat

Author Tools – things to help you get your writing done

Today’s post from Live Write Thrive reminds me of the old question “How do you eat an elephant?” The is answer is, of course, one bite at a time. C. S. Lakin explains on how to use this strategy to move forward on your writing career one word at a time.

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Adopting the Micromovements Strategy to Build Your Author Brand

June 24, 2016

Today’s guest post is by Kait Fowlie:

Personal brand-building activities usually take the backseat for writers who work full-time jobs or want to spend as much time as possible actually writing. Many of the writers I know “should” themselves into being active on social media, writing blog posts, and the like, and this makes the job an energy sucker.

One solution I’ve found helpful here is the micromovements strategy, a tiny-step by tiny-step approach that’s helped me create momentum (and stave off overwhelm) in my own efforts, while also making sure I’m spending the majority of my time and focus on writing.

What Micromovements Are

The concept was introduced by SARK in her book Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper: Gifting the World with Your Words and Stories, and Creating the Time and Energy to Actually Do It. According to the author, micromovements are small actions that take as little as five seconds or up to five minutes that accomplish part of a big project.

For tracking movements, the author recommends creating a “micromovements wheel” that shows the ultimate goal in the middle, and surrounding it, the small, simple micromovements that (ideally) require daily action over time to “amount to” the goal.

Doing and tracking daily micromovements can help to gradually complete any creative project, but I’ve found this strategy especially ideal for the goal of growing an online presence, which requires a lot of time to be spent on social media and other writers’ blogs, and can be a slippery slope where productivity quickly becomes pure distraction and self-comparison.

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Quick Links: Time Markers: How to Keep a Reader on Track with Your Story

September 26, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Time markers are little hints that keep your readers oriented in your story. Often they are just little details but they help move the story along smoothly. I will admit that I never thought about it, but now that Mary Carroll Moore has brought it to my attention, I see the affect in my favorite stories. Head over to How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book to learn more.

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Time Markers: How to Keep a Reader on Track with Your Story

Business Background and symbol by Mary Carroll Moore Friday, June 24, 2016

A few months ago, I began exchanging chapters with a writer who has an incredible skill with something called “time markers.” I feel very lucky to have her reading my chapters with time in mind. She has caught my natural sloppiness the way a good editor might, saving me and my reader from going off track and losing the story thread.
Are you aware of time markers in your story? They’re vital in fiction and memoir, even in nonfiction. They’re the little mentions of where we are in place, time of day, day of the week, even season, so that readers slide effortlessly through the sequence of events.
Many professional writers use timeline charts as part of their storyboarding or outlining process. They take each person in the story, for instance, and write a timeline of their events in sequence. What time of year it happens (season), then what day, then what time of day. It seems nit-picky when you’re in early drafts, and I don’t usually pay much attention at that stage, but in later revision it’s essential.

Read the full post on How to Plan, Write, and Develop a Book

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Quick Links: 5 Sentences Demonstrating Whether to Capitalize and Punctuate Quotations

September 21, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Sometimes when you haven’t thought about something for a long time you don’t quite remember it the way you should. So today we bring you the Daily Writing Tips‘ article on capitalization within quotations.

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5 Sentences Demonstrating Whether to Capitalize and Punctuate Quotations

By Mark Nichol

When the syntax of a sentence containing a quotation is not straightforward, it can be difficult to determine whether the first word should be capitalized and which punctuation marks, if any, should attend the quotation. The following sentences illustrate some of the pitfalls, and discussions and revisions point to their solutions.

1. After years of finger-pointing, Smith says “enough is enough” and is filing suit against Jones.

The statement may seem insignificant, but it is a complete sentence and should be treated as one; it should also be preceded by a comma following the attribution (“Smith says”): “After years of finger-pointing, Smith says, “Enough is enough” and is filing suit against Jones. (Note, too, that no punctuation follows the quotation, because what follows is not an independent clause; it would be one if it included a noun or pronoun after and: “After years of finger-pointing, Smith says, “Enough is enough,” and he is filing suit against Jones.”)

Read the full post on Daily Writing Tips

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Quick Links: The 3 Golden Rules Of Writing A Western

September 19, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Well howdy partner, rustle on up a stool and sit a spell. The reason why I picked this article to share with you is that it is more about writing a story with western spirit than an actual western. There is really a lot of great information in this post, even if you never though of saddling up and heading out yonder to ride off into the sunset. Do yourself a favor and go read Robert Wood excellent post at Standoutbooks.

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The 3 Golden Rules Of Writing A Western

Adding a smart aleck horse always helps, Wilbur.

June 22, 2016 by Robert Wood

Westerns are a strange genre of fiction. They’re generally set in one place, deal with one kind of character and utilize a specific but limited aesthetic language. At first glance, it seems like such a specific setup that this fully fledged genre should actually be just a niche interest. Cowboys on their horses always seem to belong to the generation before, yet the Western never really leaves, with constant new films, novels and video games published in the genre year after year.

Clearly Western fiction has something special to offer. By understanding what that is, authors can prepare themselves to write great Western stories. To that end, this article will cover the three golden rules of the Western, along with some advice on how to apply them to your own writing.

Rule #1 – It’s not about the cowboy hat

As I mentioned above, Westerns have an easily identifiable aesthetic (or ‘look’). The cowboy hat, horse, revolver and spurs are shorthand for a familiar, trustworthy character. In the Pixar children’s movie Toy Story, the writers use Woody the cowboy doll to support and introduce an outlandish world in which toys come to life. Dropped into this strange setting, children are greeted by the familiar and orientating presence of the dependable, recognizable cowboy.

Read the full post on Standoutbooks

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Quick Link: Character Group Dynamics

September 18, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

A story is usually made up of more characters than just a hero and a foe. There needs to be a supporting casts, with different amounts of value to the story. How they all interact with each other is what gives the story depth and helps you to build up your character in your reader’s mind. Aaron Miles at Fantasy Faction discusses the importance of group dynamics.

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Character Group Dynamics

Group dynamics are very important. When in trouble, add bubbles!

by Aaron Miles
June 18, 2016

One of the most important tasks of a writer is to get the reader to engage with their characters, but almost as important is how your characters engage with each other. Their interactions are what make up the narrative and drama of the book, bringing the story to life. How can your hero show off his quick wit if there’s no one around to impress, how can your villain be cruel if there’s nobody to terrorise? It’s only in concert with each other that the characters really start to shine.

There are a number of memorable partnerships and groupings throughout fiction, think of Sherlock and Watson, Han and Chewie, or the entire Fellowship of the ring. The success of these characters isn’t just down to the individual protagonists, but also to how well they work together, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. They play off each other in ways that allow the characters to shine, following classic writing patterns in order to get the maximum entertainment value. The nature of these groupings isn’t random, the author will choose the best mix that makes use of each character’s strengths and engineer matchups that will lead to great action.

If you think back to some of your favourite books it’s relatively easy to spot the formulas which lead to success. Whether in a partnership or group there are specific archetypes and forms that just fit better. Looking at partnerships first, there are a number of traditional groupings commonly used in fiction, for instance the pairing of a protagonist with a foil. The foil is a supporting character that will usually serve as a counter to the protagonist, someone to banter with and who will often have a wildly different personality type.

Read the full post on Fantasy Faction

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Quick Link: How to Plot a Book: Start With the Antagonist

September 15, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

At Helping Writers Become Authors, K.M. Weiland shares her tips on how to avoid making one of the biggest mistakes on plotting a story. Spoiler alert, you need to start with the antagonist, not the protagonist, because the whole story revolves around them. Sure the hero is important, but without a worthy foe how can the hero shine and be the best things since sliced bread?

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How to Plot a Book: Start With the Antagonist

by K.M. Weiland

"And then instead of moving the assets to the positive side of the accounting sheet, the evil bean counter divided the dividend...." — “And then instead of moving the assets to the positive side of the accounting sheet, the evil bean counter divided the dividend….” Bad protagonists aren’t bad enough.

I hate antagonists. Not so much because they’re, you know, the bad guys. No, I hate them because 90% of the time, they bore me into catatonia. Evil plan to take over the world? Yawn. Just please do whatever you gotta do to make the hero look good.

That’s how many authors approach their antagonists–as an external force who is present in the book solely for the purpose of giving the hero a reason to do all his cool hero-y stuff.

You may have planned almost all of your story–in your head, in an outline, or in a first draft–before giving even an afterthought to the antagonistic force. This is a mistake. Why? Because the antagonist is the catalyst for everything your hero does in his story.

TL;DR: Your antagonist is the catalyst for the entire plot.

In short, if you’re struggling with how to plot a book, the answer is easy: start with your antagonist.

The Plotting Mistake Almost All Authors Make

I’ll admit it if you will: my creative inspiration for my stories is always the protagonist. I can see him so clearly in my mind. There he is: going all Jason Bourne on some faceless thug, maybe weeping touchingly over a fallen comrade, then striking a melancholy heroic pose against the sunset. Let’s start writing!

But the plot? Hrm. You mean the reason why nameless thugs are coming after him, felling his comrades, and leaving him in such a melancholic mood? You mean the antagonistic force that’s opposing him for presumably watertight reasons?

Um, yeah, that’s a little blurry.

Read the full post on Helping Writers Become Authors

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Quick Links: When to Do That Stringing-Words-Together Thing with Hyphens

September 12, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Did you ever wonder when you should hyphenate words? Mark Nichol at Daily Writing Tips has the answers.

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When to Do That Stringing-Words-Together Thing with Hyphens

If only they had a hyphen... — If only they had a hyphen…

By Mark Nichol

When are hyphens required to string together a sequence of words, and when are the hyphens extraneous? The following sentences, each with a discussion and a revision, illustrate the syntactical situations in which they are necessary and when they are superfluous.

1. Who was the behind the scenes negotiator who facilitated the deal?

The negotiator is described as working behind the scenes. When that phrase appears in isolation, as an adverbial phrase rather than as a phrasal adjective modifying a noun that follows, no hyphenation is needed, but here, it serves the latter function: “Who was the behind-the-scenes negotiator who facilitated the deal?”

Read the full post on Daily Writing Tips

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Quick Link: The Secret to Bringing Your Characters to Life

September 11, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Readers want to fall in love with your characters, so your characters need depth and personality. At The Write Practice, Jeff Elkins shares with us his secret to bringing characters to life.

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The Secret to Bringing Your Characters to Life

While quite cute, these are not something I would want to read a full length novel about.

by Jeff Elkins

It’s Atticus Finch giving advice to Scout that shows us he is a man of empathy and compassion. It’s Frank Underwood banging his class ring on the table that reminds us he is in command. It’s Holden Caulfield using phrases like “vomity” and “grow up” that helps us remember that he is an adolescent.

Using indirect characterization can make our heroes and villains leap from the page and come to life in our readers’ minds.

What Is Indirect Characterization?
Direct characterization is when the author tells the reader about a character.

Jack was a rambunctious boy.

Jill was a clumsy girl.

While it is something we have to do on occasion, when done too often, it can make a story flat and dull.

Indirect characterization is far more fun. This is when the author tells a reader about a character through the character’s repeated words, reoccurring actions, or physical descriptions.

As he did every day, Jack ran wildly down the hill with reckless abandon.

Jill stumbled on her untied shoelaces for the fourth time that day.

Showing our readers who our characters are through indirect characterization allows our readers to draw their own conclusions about our characters, intensifying our readers’ engagement with our stories.

Read the full post on The Write Practice

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Quick Links: 5 Tips for Empowering Description with Contrast

August 31, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

They say that descriptions are boring, and I will admit there have been times I have skimmed over a few paragraphs by some very good writers, just to get to the good bits. But only if I feel that the extra text really isn’t necessary for the story. Marcy Kennedy gets it. In her post on Jami Gold‘s site, Mary gives some really great tips on how to make descriptions more entertaining and part of the story.

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5 Tips for Empowering Description with Contrast — Guest: Marcy Kennedy

by Jami Gold

When contrast is done well, it can be very interstesting — When contrast is done well, it can be very interesting.

June 16, 2016

We’ve probably all heard (or thought!) that description is boring. The part readers skip.

There’s no question that description has a bad reputation. Yet if we’ve ever read a story without enough description and been lost at what was happening or who was doing what, we know that description is essential to clearly showing events in our story to readers.

When I first started writing, I struggled with description, mostly by including way too much of it. Pages and pages. *smile*

I eventually learned how to balance description and use it to anchor readers in a character’s point of view. However, there’s another way to make description work harder for our story, and that’s by using contrast to create more powerful and interesting descriptions.

Luckily for us, editor-author Marcy Kennedy is here with us today to give us the scoop and share five methods to empower our description with contrast. Please welcome Marcy Kennedy! *smile*

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The Power of Contrast in Description

Readers need description to help them imagine the story world and to keep them grounded in the story, but often it’s considered the slow, boring part.

It doesn’t have to be.

Done right, description keeps the pace moving and brings out our point-of-view character’s emotions, backstory, and conflicts. It can also add subtext, foreshadow, and build on the theme.

One of my favorite ways to bring description to life and make sure it serves a bigger purpose in the story is to use contrast. I’m excited Jami welcomed me back to share with all of you how to make this work.

All of these tips work best—in my opinion—when we write in a limited point of view because it’s our point-of-view character who’s making the comparison. The description filters through them and is colored by who they are. (Though I’m sure you omniscient writers could adapt many of these techniques as well.)

Tip #1: Contrast What the POV Character Expected with What They Experience

Read the full post on Jami Gold

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Quick Links: 6 Characters Your Protagonist Needs to Have Around

August 30, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Every star needs a supporting cast! The Magic Violinist has a list of extra characters you might need to support your hero. Find it all at The Write Practice.

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6 Characters Your Protagonist Needs to Have Around

Grammar Girl, who is supported by Spellcheck Boy and their trusty companion white-out dog.

by The Magic Violinist

Your protagonist may be the star of the show, but they can’t do everything alone. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an entire cast of characters to help your hero along on their journey.

Do you think Harry Potter could’ve accomplished all that he did if it were just him on his own out there against Voldemort? Of course not. He had friends who stuck by him, teachers who came and went, and a whole assortment of villains that drove the plot forward. Your main character needs those people, too.

6 Types of Supporting Characters

Let’s take a look at the people who surrounded Harry and the roles they played in his life. Which of these character types appear in your story?

1. Mentor

This would be the Dumbledore of the story. Usually an elder, but not necessarily, they’re the one who always has some sort of nugget of wisdom right when the protagonist needs it. They teach and steer the main character away from stupid decisions (though they may not always succeed at that).

If your hero ran off without anyone to guide them, they’d probably end up in heaps of trouble.

Read the full post on The Write Practice

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Quick Link: 8 Tips for Editing Other Writers’ Work (While Remaining Friends)

August 29, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

We have a tendency to surround ourselves with people who are like us, that have the same interests and hobbies. But when you are a writer and your friends are writer, it can get tricky. How can you tell someone you cherish in your life that perhaps their writing can use a little sprucing up. Ali Luke posting on Helping Writers Become Authors has some great tips on how to be a good writer friend.

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8 Tips for Editing Other Writers’ Work (While Remaining Friends)

June 15, 2016

Real friends love you no matter what your color, species, or position on the Harvard Comma

by Ali Luke

Have you ever been asked to edit someone else’s work? Do you need tips for editing without ruining friendships? You’re not alone!

If you’re part of a workshop group, or if you have a bunch of writer friends, then you’ll probably find yourself acting as an editor at some point. Perhaps:

In a group workshop setting, giving feedback on a draft-in-progress.
As a beta reader, taking on a whole completed manuscript.
As a paid editor, carefully reviewing a client’s work.
Your role is a significant one: as the editor, you could well make the difference between a so-so novel and one that really lives up to its full potential.

A bit daunting?

Probably. After all, you not only want to do a good job… you also want the author to still be on speaking terms with you afterwards. You also don’t want to end up spending countless hours perfecting someone else’s prose, at the expense of your own writing.

Top 8 Tips for Editing Someone Else’s Book

Here are eight key tips to have in mind when you’re editing (or thinking about editing) someone else’s work.

#1: Be Careful How Much You Take On

Do you struggle to say “no”? Me too (though I have two small children now, so I’m getting plenty of practice!)

Read the full post on Helping Writers Become Authors

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Quick Links: 5 Types of Parallel-Structure Problems

August 28, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

I didn’t realize how complicated parallel sentences were until I read the excellent post by Mark Nichol over at Daily Writing Tips.

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5 Types of Parallel-Structure Problems

It is all about having the sentence balance. To bad they don't have one of these for writing. — It is all about having the sentence balance. To bad they don’t have one of these for writing.

By Mark Nichol

There are many ways to botch the logical organization of a sentence. Here are examples of five variations, along with discussion and revision of each.

1. You can help not only position your organization for success when audited, but you can focus on protecting the sensitive information of your patients.

Probably the the most common of problems with parallel structure is the mangling of “not only . . . but also” comparisons. When a verb sets up both the “not only” point and the “but also” counterpoint, it must precede “not only” so that it is not bound up with the first point and the “but also” phrase can therefore share it. Conversely, when each phrase contains its own verb, as here, one verb must follow “not only” and the other verb must follow “but also”: “You can not only help position your organization for success when audited, but you can also focus on protecting the sensitive information of your patients.”

Read the full post on Daily Writing Tips

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Quick Link: All About Commas

August 25, 2016August 25, 2016 by Publetariat

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

Today we head over to The Write Practice for a refresher course on commas by Ruthanne Reid. Comma placement is very important and can change the meaning of a sentence is read. The most famous example:

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons.

“Why?” asks the confused, surviving waiter amidst the carnage, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

“Well, I’m a panda,” he says. “Look it up.”

The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. “Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

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All About Commas

by Ruthanne Reid

I would totally see a movie about a gun toting bad mouth snarky panda. Quentin Tarantino should direct. — I would totally see a movie about a gun toting foul mouth snarky panda. Quentin Tarantino should direct.

Today, I have just a few comma tips for you. This is nowhere near an exhaustive guide, but if you learn these rules, you’ll give a better impression with your written word everywhere you go.

The Purpose of Commas
The biggest confusion regarding commas stems from a terrible urban legend. That urban legend is this: “If you want to know where a comma goes, just put it wherever you want a pause in your writing.” (And then say “comma” three times in front of a mirror, etc.)

This is not true.

Commas serve a specific purpose; they exist to divide content by clause, to delineate list items from one another, and to indicate sentence continuation before and after quotation marks.

Generally speaking, commas only show up for clarity’s sake—and I’ll be explaining how they clarify in each of the following examples.

When to Use Commas

Use Commas Between More Than Two Items

In a list, two items never require a comma. Three or more, however, do. For example:

I can go to the store for milk and eggs. (No comma required.)
I can go to the store for milk, eggs, and bread. (Comma required.)

This applies to subjects, too. Two subjects do not require a comma; three or more do.

Read the full post on The Write Practice

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Eleven Sneaky Ways To Rescue A Failed Story

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Motifs and Symbols and Themes – Oh My!

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Adopting the Micromovements Strategy to Build Your Author Brand

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Time Markers: How to Keep a Reader on Track with Your Story

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5 Sentences Demonstrating Whether to Capitalize and Punctuate Quotations

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The 3 Golden Rules Of Writing A Western

Rule #1 – It’s not about the cowboy hat

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Character Group Dynamics

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How to Plot a Book: Start With the Antagonist

The Plotting Mistake Almost All Authors Make

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When to Do That Stringing-Words-Together Thing with Hyphens

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The Secret to Bringing Your Characters to Life

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5 Tips for Empowering Description with Contrast — Guest: Marcy Kennedy

The Power of Contrast in Description

Tip #1: Contrast What the POV Character Expected with What They Experience

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6 Characters Your Protagonist Needs to Have Around

6 Types of Supporting Characters

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8 Tips for Editing Other Writers’ Work (While Remaining Friends)

Top 8 Tips for Editing Someone Else’s Book

#1: Be Careful How Much You Take On

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5 Types of Parallel-Structure Problems

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All About Commas

When to Use Commas

Use Commas Between More Than Two Items

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