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Articles about craft.

Top 10 Words That Will Kill Your Writing DEAD

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Oh-oh I am guilty of a few of these. However, In my defense I only use “however” in business writing. Now I am going to be extra careful none of these are used in my literary writing. It is a great post because by getting rid of these words you actually make your writing more active.

Top 10 Words That Will Kill Your Writing DEAD

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So I read screenplays for a living, plus I spend a huuuuuuge part of my life reading FOR FUN (wtaf!), so I’ve discovered there are certain words that crop up again and again and again which threaten to TORPEDO writers’ narrative efforts.

I call these ‘crutch words’ (quiet at the back). Crutch words are those we may rely on in EARLY DRAFTS, which we need to seek out with a torpedo of our own and DESTROY in the edit process. Whether you’re a screenwriter or novelist (trad or self published), look out for these suckers …

1) ‘Suddenly’

The actual word ‘sudden’ means ‘quick and without warning’, so it’s especially ironic that including the word LITERALLY SLOWS THE ACTION DOWN. WTAF is the point?? Compare:

Read the full post on Bang 2 Write!

How To Write Diverse Characters With Alex Anders

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This is the year for diversity, of which I am so glad. I have always been cautious in my writing about cultural appropriation and wanting to have my characters be, well real. We have all read a story where someone tries to write an accent and have it just be horrible. Not just in the writing world either. As someone from the great state of Massachusetts, I can’t tell you how many times I wince when watching tv an people try to do a Boston accent. And yes, my Patriots just lost but it was a good game. ; )

How To Write Diverse Characters With Alex Anders

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The Guardian UK recently reported that diversity is a trend in publishing for 2018, so today, I have an interview with Alex Anders on how to write diverse characters without cultural appropriation or stereotyping, as well as boundaries around language and an interesting discussion on gender fluidity.

In the introduction, I mention the launch of Publica, which uses the blockchain for publishing – definitely an early entry into what may eventually be a bigger part of the industry. But I’ll be waiting for the Alliance of Independent Authors Blockchain for Books white paper, launching at London Book Fair, before giving my take on it.

I also give a personal update around my screenplay adaptation, the audiobook for The Healthy Writer, and note two new podcasts: Mark Lefebvre’s Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing, plus Ingram Spark’s Go Publish Yourself.

Read the full post on The Creative Penn!

3 Ways to Change Your Thinking Today

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Writing can totally mess with your mind. If you don’t show anyone what you write, are you really a writer? And who doesn’t want people to appreciate our prose? But then that means putting yourself out there, which is quite unnerving for some people. Raising my hand on that one!  Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner wrote a great post on how to deal with your psyche.

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3 Ways to Change Your Thinking Today

Rachelle Gardner

The writing and publishing life can be hard on the equilibrium. It’s full of ups and downs, hopes deferred, dreams dashed, dreams realized, ego strokes and debilitating criticism.

We wonder if we’ll ever reach our goals. We swing between high-on-life optimism and crushing pessimism. We decry that this path shouldn’t be so difficult. We rail against systems. We wonder how to write a good book. We despair of ever reaching our readers.

But there is another way to think about it. Many of you have probably read Good to Great by Jim Collins, a classic book for business and leadership. In it, he explains what he calls the Stockdale Paradox, a way of thinking that can get anyone through the most harrowing of circumstances.

You can click here for a short audio clip of Jim Collins discussing the Stockdale Paradox, or Google the phrase to learn more about Admiral Jim Stockdale, a United States military officer held captive and tortured for eight years during the Vietnam War, for whom Collins named this Paradox. Admiral Stockdale had a unique way of looking at his brutal situation that allowed him to survive, and go on to thrive later in life.

As a writer, here’s how you can apply the Stockdale Paradox to immediately change your thinking:

Read the full post at Rachelle Gardner!

Need to find the write word for an emotion? Pun intended.

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Often used as a tool for therapists, emotion wheels can help find just the right word to describe a feeling. You start in the middle and work your way outward. Originally introduced by Robert Plutchik, emotion wheels have evolved depending on need. Great tool for writers! Below is one example but you can google “emotion wheel” to find other examples.

Emotion Wheel by Onesimusix https://imgur.com/a/CkxQC

 

Self-Publishing Success Story: Roz Morris, British Indie Author

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It is always nice to hear from people who have made it and maybe find out how they managed to become successful. With that in mind, here is today’s offering from the Alliance of Independent Authors.

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Self-Publishing Success Story: Roz Morris, British Indie Author

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In this post we turn our Success Story spotlight on British phenomenon Roz Morris, who has come out of the shadows as a ghostwriter to emerge as an acclaimed self-published novelist in her own right, as well as diversifying into other genres. She’s also an authoritative writing coach via her series of how-to books about novel-writing. Here she shares her top tips drawing on her own multi-faceted experiences, including:

  • drawing inspiration from other art forms
  • having the courage to diversify will draw readers to your work in other genres
  • following the processes practiced by traditional publishing houses to make your self-published books the best they can be

 

View the full post at Alliance of Independent Authors!

 

Quick Link: Blogging as a Writer

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Taking a quick trip to Elizabeth Spann Craig land where you can learn why it is good for writers to blog and she even has some helpful hints included!

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Blogging as a Writer

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

My first blog post was in August of 2008.  Along the way, I’ve tweaked the content and changed from Blogger to WordPress.  I’ve also played with the number of posts I run a week.  Aside from that, the blog is pretty much the same as it was nine years ago.

But along the way, I’ve seen lots of changes: some writers who used to blog no longer do.  Some folks never started. Some rarely post at all.  Which leads me to this post.  🙂   Should writers blog?  If you decide to blog, how do you keep it up?  And how do you get a blog started?

Why should you consider blogging?

Read the full post at Elizabeth Spann Craig!

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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.

Quick Link: 3 Secrets For Writing Like A Pro

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

Wanna know the secret to taking your writing to the next level? It’s all about the tweaking between telling and showing. But those changes make a huge difference in the quality of your story. Award-winning author Stacey Keith, guest posting at Writers And Authors, has some great examples to show you how!

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3 Secrets For Writing Like A Pro

by Stacy Keith

Writing an email is easy. Writing a novel is the kind of hard that requires years of apprenticeship. “Apprenticeship” in this case means getting it way wrong before you get it even a little bit right. Hey, I should know.

You’ve got to commit to a lot of bad writing in order to reach a level of basic competence. Most people don’t go the distance. Most people don’t realize their beginning writing sucks. Most people, even ones who have talent, lack that most essential ingredient to success as a writer: STAMINA.

Stamina (or persistence, if you prefer) determines whether you’re going to be a hack or a writer. Not only must you suffer the slings and arrows of writing bad prose (if you stay at it, you do get better—sometimes a lot better), but if you want to level up, get an agent, get a publishing contract, trust me, you’re going to need stamina for that, too. It can take years.

Now might be a good time to ask: How badly do I want it?

Read the full post on Writers And Authors!

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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.

Quick Link: What Is a Prologue — and How to Write One Readers Won’t Skip

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

Do you prologue? I absolutely love a well-written prologue, to me, it is almost like getting bonus information and sets the tone for the rest of the story. Reedsy has a great post on if you should prologue and how to write a great one. Check it out!

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What Is a Prologue — and How to Write One Readers Won’t Skip

A prologue comes before Chapter One and acts an introduction to a story, or a first of “two beginnings.” While there is back and forth on the necessity of prologues as a literary device (more on that later), it is agreed upon that a good prologue contains information that is vital to the rest of the story — though often not in a way that’s immediately apparent. A prologue should only be relied upon when it contains information that would hinder the narrative if present in the body of the novel. Think of a prologue a bit like an appetizer: if done right, it can perfectly prepare you for the main course. If done carelessly, it can ruin your appetite for the novel.

Before we talk about the best way to write a prologue, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about what a prologue is — and isn’t.

Read the full post on Reedsy!

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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.

Quick Link: Plotting With Layers: 4 Steps to a Stronger Plot

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

You know every once in a while you come across something that lets you see issues in a new light? This post by the wonderful and talented Janice Hardy at Fiction University is one of those things. I personally love the idea of using layers to add depth to my stories and her tips really resonated with me. Let us know if they help you too.

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Plotting With Layers: 4 Steps to a Stronger Plot

By Janice Hardy

This week’s Refresher Friday takes a heavily updated look at why plots are like houses, and how “building” with layers will help you create stronger plots. Enjoy!

Plots are like houses. When built on a strong foundation, with good flow and an well-thought out floor plan, readers want to move in and stay awhile. Just as we build in layers, we can also plot in layers. This helps us make sure all the right pieces are in place to hold up our story and allow our characters to live within them.

Layering your plot can create more interesting stories, but it’s easy to go overboard and end up with a convoluted mess. How many layers are good? How many are too many? And mostly, how do you craft a well-constructed story that builds on itself and keeps readers interested?

I’ve talked about writing in layers before, and plotting in layers is similar. It helps to look at each layer individually and try not to build the whole thing at once.

Lay the Foundation for Your Plot

Read the full post on Fiction University!

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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.

Quick Link: A Look at Masterful Character Description Part 2

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

I am sick and I am trying really hard to find the right way to tell you that at Live Write Thrive, C.S. Latkin has written a really good post on dealing with character description. It is more of the show don’t tell, but the way Latkin puts it is quite powerful. Worth your time.

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A Look at Masterful Character Description Part 2

by C.S. Latkin

Let me begin this week’s post, a continuation of looking at masterful character description, by lifting this paragraph from last week’s post:

Description is more than what the eye sees. It involves making judgments, coming to conclusions, forming impressions. Since our descriptions must be filtered through our POV character’s mind and heart, instead of thinking of description as a laundry list of items (hair color, eye color, shoe brand), they should reveal just as much, if not more, about our POV character as the person (or place or animal or food—anything) being described.

I repeat this to be emphatic about the importance of taking the time to both know your characters thoroughly as well utilizing description powerfully and deliberately.

In other words, don’t waste space or your reader’s precious time by writing ineffective description. Make it count. Make it evocative. Make it fresh and revealing.

I’ve been pulling description from James Lee Burke’s novels, for he is a masterful wordsmith. I am continually awed by his descriptions and the way he always seems to sprinkle in these bits at the right times, creating an air of reflection and pausing at appropriate moments.

Read the full post on Live Write Thrive!

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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.

Quick Link: Get Some Rejection

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

Time for some tough love from James Scott Bell at the Kill Zone. He explains why getting some rejection is a good thing for authors to experience.

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Get Some Rejection

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The other day I watched an old MGM movie, The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954). It stars Elizabeth Taylor at her most gorgeous and Van Johnson at his most likable. Van plays a GI in Paris on VE Day. He gets kissed in the crowd by Liz, which is not something a GI would ever forget. When he sees her later at a party, he makes a beeline for her. Soon they are in love. Then married.

Van had been a wartime correspondent for Stars and Stripes, and lands a job in the Paris office of a wire service. But what he really wants to be is a novelist. He works diligently on his first novel, and finally sends it out.

It’s rejected at several houses. Van is naturally disappointed, but Liz talks him up, tells him to keep trying.

So Van spends the next couple of years writing his heart out. When he finishes the new manuscript he has Liz read it. As he looks on anxiously, Liz puts down the final page and gazes into Van’s eyes. “It’s even more beautiful than the last one,” she says.

Huzzah! He sends it out.

Rejected and rejected and rejected!

Read the full post on Kill Zone!

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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.

Quick Link: Write What You Know? Well, Not Quite

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

If you are writing non-fiction, write what you know is great. But even then you will get assignments that you will have to research.  Write what you know is great for new writers, to get them started but after that I have always questioned this particular idiom.  Writers and Authors poster, Jo Linsdell has some great thoughts on the subject for you to check out.

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Write What You Know? Well, Not Quite

by Jo Linsdell

Ever been to jail? Rome? A remote island off the coast of Argentina? Driven a tank? How are you going to take that experience and transform it into material for your novel?

One of the first things I had to learn as a writer is that simply retelling something as it “happened in real life” doesn’t cut it in fiction. I put that in quotes because I can recall writers in workshops responding to critiques by saying, “but that’s how it happened.” The trouble is, that’s great for journalism, or writing a memoir, but fiction has a larger requirement for voice, and voice has to be established from the start—long before the “true story” makes its entrance. And that voice is going to determine how that true story is told, and the events have to be true to the character that’s already been established. Why? Because in good fiction, character drives action, and the character I create may not have the same thoughts or react in the same way as the character in the event as it actually happened.

Read the full post on Writers and Authors!

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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.

Quick Link: Supplying Breadcrumbs: How to Hint at a Character’s Emotional Wound – Angela Ackerman

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

This is another great post from Romance University, that applies to all genres. Having a character showing flaws makes them human and more relatable. Thank you, Angela Ackerman!

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Supplying Breadcrumbs: How to Hint at a Character’s Emotional Wound – Angela Ackerman

by Angela Ackerman

Emotional wounds are transformative and have the power to re-shape a character in many negative ways, impacting their happiness, their self-worth, and causing mistrust and disillusionment to skew their worldview. This critical piece of backstory is key to understanding their motivations, and will impact their individual character’s arc, so knowing what it is, and how to show the fallout it generates is vitally important.

Regardless of whether you choose to show the emotional wound overtly during the story or merely hint at it, it will always be necessary to reference the event in smaller ways throughout. It’s a piece of the character’s past that holds vital significance; someone who’s endured the loss of a loved one, physical torture, or a messy divorce can’t simply forget it—especially if it hasn’t been dealt with. It will haunt her, and continue to hold her back in the story until it is dealt with.

Mastering the art of obliquely referencing what has happened in a way that reads naturally is an important skill to master as it pulls the reader deeper into the story through the art of subtext. There are many ways to seed ideas in the reader’s mind about the type of emotional trauma a character has suffered, including showing it through defense mechanisms. Here are three additional ways you can feed information about the event to readers without using info dumps or giving the whole thing away.

Read the full post on Romance University!

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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.

Quick Link: The Five Most Common Issues Writers Have with Their Stories

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I recognized at least a couple of these issues as ones I struggle with, so I am bookmarking this article from Jennifer Blanchard‘s blog to make sure I can go back and re-read it!

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The Five Most Common Issues Writers Have with Their Stories

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I spend about a hundred hours a year reading writers’ manuscripts and doing content edits on their stories. I’ve seen it all–stories that ramble on for 400+ pages, never really getting to the point; stories that start off pretty good and then about a quarter of the way in change into a totally different story; stories where the voice changes so many times you couldn’t keep up if you wanted to… I could go on.

And this is true for every editor on the planet.

We’ve all seen a wide array of stories from “decent start but still needs work” to “total diaster” to “what the fuck were you thinking?” You name it, it’s out there.

But there are also many stories that have a pretty good start and just need tweaking and revising and editing to mold and shape it into the story it’s really meant to be.

My author and editor friend, Sarah Fox, and I got together the other day to talk about what the most common problems are that we see in writers’ drafts (we’re doing a revision workshop together–see the bottom of this message for more). And we came up with five things that are the most common manuscript problems:

Read the full post on  Jennifer Blanchard!

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Quick Link: How to use Authentic Historical Detail to Trigger Emotions and Memories in Your Reader

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

Checking in with Anne R Allen’s Blog and a great post on how to connect with your reader and pull them into your story by evoking memories. A great read!

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How to use Authentic Historical Detail to Trigger Emotions and Memories in Your Reader

by Ruth Harris

Beyond Nostalgia: authentic historical detail from fads, trends, and headlines can help you write books readers will relate to.

Writers of historical fiction, whether Regency, Middle Ages, Victorian use the markers of the era—clothes, furniture, manners, leaders, resisters, war, peace, prosperity, recession—to create character, conflict, and plot.

Writers of fiction set in more contemporary times can use these powerful assets to add depth and texture as well. Adding authentic historical detail to novels will trigger a rich web of personal memories and associations. Those will engage readers in an emotionally profound way.

From the dot-com bubble of 2000 to the housing crisis of 2007, from passing fads to mega trends, the social and cultural settings of a story give us ways to draw readers into our stories. From fidget spinners, Beanie Babies and hula hoops to Madonna, Madoff and Zuckerberg, each specific detail evokes personal memories.

Read the full post on Anne R Allen’s 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.