Writing Advice From Janet Evanovich

Writers should continue to study their craft. You can join writing organizations and listen to speeches, or you can simply pick up a book and read the advice given by experts. I enjoy reading novels by Janet Evanovich (pictured above) so I picked up a copy of How I Write - Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich with Ina Yalof.

In the section on characterization, Janet gives three tips.

1. The main character must want something.

2. Someone or something (nature, money, distance) must stand in the way of his getting what he wants.

3. The choices that a character makes in his efforts to overcome obstacles and ultimately get what he wants define the character.

For more advice, you can pick up this title in ebook, paperback, or audiobook.

Until next week,

happy reading and writing.

Tina Swayzee McCright

Character Struggles

I enjoy a good story whether it is in the form of a movie or a book. My husband and I usually attend a movie twice a month and I always discover a lesson about writing a story. Last night was no different. We watched Home Run. It is a Christian-based movie about a baseball player's struggle with alcoholism.

This movie was a good example of how a writer drags the hero through hell. You first learn about the abuse he received as a child due to his own father's struggle with alcoholism. Next, the writer shows how the hero's addiction with alcohol is slowly ruining his life, but he can't see it, even when he almost kills his own brother.
The temptation at this point would be to force the hero to realize he almost killed his brother and attend the treatment program willingly. Not this writer. Immediately after causing the accident which landed his brother in the hospital, our hero pays a motel employee to keep his refrigerator stocked with adult beverages.

The main character is forced to attend a treatment center and throughout most of the story he takes one step forward and one step back. Just when you think he might overcome his addiction, life hits him in the gut and he is thrown back into the bottle. By the time our hero is ready to truly face his problems, you feel his agony and sense of hopelessness. There is no doubt he has hit rock bottom. This is the difference between a good book and a great one.

Until next week,
happy reading, watching, and writing.
Tina Swayzee McCright

Workshop Notice: Christian Writers of the West

This writer's workshop has a terrific speaker with a solid and practical point of view toward publishing. I highly recommend that you attend. I'll be out of town that weekend, otherwise I would be there myself. For more information go to the Christian Writer's website at http://christianwritersofthewest.weebly.com/

Self-Editing Makes a Difference

This month's theme is self-editing. Some writers enjoy editing and others loathe it, but it is a critical part of this business. I doubt you can get away from it even if you try. If you write in a journal, you might catch yourself overlooking a weak word like run for a stronger word like sprint. That is self-editing.

I believe editing takes place at every stage of writing. When I look at my printed page for proper formatting. I make sure my font is easy to read. I prefer Times New Roman. I check to make sure there is an inch margin all around. Sometimes I'll catch a two inch margin at the bottom and will realize I forgot to turn the Orphans off on my page setup and several lines were sent to the following page. I make sure I'm consistent with my chapter headings. I like the word CHAPTER and the number, written as a word, to be capitalized and on the seventh line from the top. The overall look of your manuscript needs to be professional and consistent or an editor isn't likely to want to read what you wrote.

I keep my spell check and grammar check on to help with my writing. I'm not above a little help. No matter how many times you go through a manuscript, you will find an error. I believe in making the job a little easier.

During my first draft, I type what's in my head and will do some self-editing as I go along, but most of the editing comes in during my revisits to the book. I'll go over a chapter as many times as it takes to sound right. I'm looking for anything that will make the story flow, the characters real, the plot strong, etc.  Is that word strong enough? Is that a run-on sentence? Am I suppose to use there, their, or they're? Do I need a comma or a semi-colon? Did I mix short, simple sentences with longer, complex sentences? Do I need more details? Have I used my senses to add to the details? Did I show the character's motivation? Do the character's reactions make sense? Does that dialogue sound real or stilted? Did I scatter clues throughout the story for the reader to try and guess the identify of the killer? Did I dump too much back story into that scene? Everything you have learned about writing comes together in the editing process.

Why is self-editing important if the publishing company has an editor and a copy editor? Because you are competing against thousands of other writers. If an editor has two equally strong stories to choose from, but only one available slot, it makes sense they will choose the story with the least amount of work needed on their part.

As a teacher, I learned that two identical papers can be viewed differently by their presentation. This is not an exact science, but I am willing to bet in most cases a teacher, agent, or an editor, will be more likely to think a story with proper punctuation, written neatly, in a standard format is a better story, than the exact same words written messy, without proper formatting and punctuation.

I know of an ebook publisher who chose to correct all their writer's errors, but if they were excessive, they charge for their extra work. As an author, the flow of money should always be going to you. You should not be paying editors, agents, or publishers.

When you have a moment, check your social media for the number of writers out there promoting their work. You need every advantage you can get to stand out in the crowd. Knowing your craft and writing a great story isn't always enough. Do your self-editing so both you and your work look professional.

The Wandering Mind

This month, and next, many of us on the blog will share our secrets for writing. The first topic is

IDEAS.

An idea for a book can come from anywhere. I suspect I’m not alone when I say it is easier for me to come up ideas when I don’t feel rushed.

The ideas for my first published works came to me as a result of letting my mind wander while in a relaxed setting, with no deadlines.

When I wrote Liquid Hypnosis, I had already decided to write about a female DEA agent. I knew an agent who would answer any questions I might have. He had worked undercover in nightclubs, so I let my mind wander… what was he looking for while seated at the bar?… drug deals… date rape drugs…. are scientists trying to find an antidote?... brain research… the accidental discovery of a hypnosis drug…who would want it?... what would they do with it?

I now had my heroine, the female agent, and liquid hypnosis, the means and motive for several crimes. From there I needed a hero. The greater the conflict the better. I had already decided the scientist, who came up with liquid hypnosis, would be kidnapped, so I decided to make the hero his brother. Since both the agent and the brother are looking for the same man, they would have reason to cross paths often. You can’t have a romantic suspense unless the couple spends time together. I also decided to up the conflict by making the hero a criminal, but he has to be likable, so his crimes had to help others. I also had to map out the major turning points in the story. At each turning point, if an idea didn’t come to me immediately, I wrote a list of possibilities until I found one I liked.

I also let my mind wander with my short story Once Upon a Weekend. A friend intended to put together an anthology of fairytale type stories to raise money for another friend’s surgery. I decided a fractured fairytale would be fun. I let my mind wander… Cinderella… Rapunzel… his hair grows instead… need a castle… a man built a small castle home in Tucson… he could build a small castle for a hair salon… for his sister… need a heroine… she needs a reason to be there… the sister owns the shop… she could be the manager… he’s cursed… how?... a witch… how will he break the curse?

Many writers have little tricks to tell their mind it is time to write. I find I am more creative when I spend time outside or near water. If I can’t go outside, I burn incense. Also, a white chocolate mocha from Starbucks helps jump-start my creative side. Try various ways to pamper yourself and find what works for you.