by Diane Hammond
My to-do list states very clearly that right now I should be writing the excellent and thoughtful guest blog that Bill Kenower at AuthorMagazine.org so richly deserves. What I’m doing instead is writing lists.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
When I was a child, my parents tried to teach me to ride a bike. Although I assume they must have tried more than once, all I remember is the one time I got on and rode into a tree. After that, I remember feeling that all my efforts to learn were a failure. It seemed like I didn’t have any belief in my ultimate ability and so each attempt ended up serving as evidence of that initial perception.
Read Moreby Jason Black
Bad habits make good character growth
Many character arcs hinge on transformative moments: event or experiences that change the character. The moment may be a realization that something she thought was true isn't. It may change the way she thinks about life or how she interacts with other people. Whatever change she undergoes, afterwards readers knows one thing: this character is going to behave differently than before.
Read Moreby Erin Brown
For those of you who read my articles every month (oh, how I love you so. The rest of you can suck it), you probably know that I have a certain, tried and true “voice” that comes through in my writing. Some might call it sarcastic, or witty, some might even say it’s annoying (bite me), but it is consistent. This is my “voice.”
Read Moreby James Thayer
An entry at a writing chat board: I’m writing a novel that takes place on a tropical island, owned by natives. The prologue is about how the tribe was created. Then I’m stuck.
Stuck after the prologue? Uh oh.
But we can sympathize. A successful plot for a novel is a rare thing for many writers. Where do plots come from? How do we know if we have a plot that’s good enough?
Read Moreby Laura Yeager
I was diagnosed with severe bipolar illness in 1991.
I once wrote that if I could choose to come down with bipolar illness again, I would because I like the way my life has unfolded (with the disease.) In other words, if I didn't have bipolar illness, I probably wouldn't have gotten married when I did and probably wouldn't have married the same guy. And we probably wouldn't have had to adopt, so I wouldn't have my current child. The thing is I dearly love my husband and child.
by Cherie Tucker
When you are writing and break into the stream of thought, you need to use punctuation to advise your readers what you are doing. Sometimes you are just giving them a little more information about a name, so you use commas: Jim, my neighbor, will be here. (You stop the sentence to tell who Jim is.) We do the same things with dates and addresses: He was born on June 4, 1919, in Pitcher, Oklahoma. (You tell which June 4 and which city named Pitcher.) We’ve talked about these before.
Read Moreby Erin Brown
Timing is everything when it comes to publishing and writing. I was pondering the other day that time is one of those things that you can both control and is completely and totally out of your hands. So I wanted to discuss the importance of timing in our world of writing—what we can control and what we must leave to the fates. It’s essential to embrace and manage what you can as a writer and throw up your hands at the rest.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
Recently I received a letter from my editor that the book I’ve been working on needs to be revamped . . . again. And although I am grateful to be in a working relationship with an editor I so respect and who is supportive, I started to think that I simply can’t do it. I looked at my book and saw it, not just as a draft, but as a mess. My heart became heavy and suddenly running and hiding seemed an attractive option. All from my attention to one little thought.
Read Moreby Jason Black
Emotionally credible reactions are key in creating believable characters. There’s nothing worse than a book that is otherwise well written except that the characters don’t react like real people. Yet, writers who are still honing their craft often have difficulty giving their characters realistic human emotions.
Fortunately, there is a roadmap for doing this. It comes from psychology, and is called The Five Stages of Grief. Writers should think of it as The Five Stages of Misfortune because the roadmap holds for misfortunes of all kinds.
Read Moreby Laura Yeager
A good way to bring in extra money as a writer (or if you make enough money, to support yourself while you write) is to teach writing. I've been teaching for 25 years.
I'm not suggesting that everyone who writes can be a writing teacher. There are some basic requirements.
by Cherie Tucker
We’ve talked about this one before, but it was early in the life of this magazine, so you may not have seen it, or you may be one of the willful who thought that since the language is always changing, you didn’t need to believe me. Let me repeat: all right is two words. Just like all wrong.
I bring this to you again because I’ve been reading a bestseller that is set in the early 60s. The author has a smash hit and weaves a terrific tale. But on nearly every page is the word alright.
by James Thayer
The literary agent Donald Maass says, “The number one mistake I see in manuscript submissions is a failure to put the main conflict in place quickly enough. In fact, it is the primary reason I reject over 90 percent of the material I receive.”
A chief culprit: backstory. Too much backstory too early is a manuscript prospect-killer. Nothing contained later in a manuscript can overcome backstory delivered too early because agents and editors won’t read beyond the backstory.
Read Moreby Bill Kenower
This month in Author we are featuring interviews with two non-fiction authors, both of whom, I believe, are carrying a useful and timely message.
Daniel Pink’s book Drive takes a scientific look at motivation. What he found, lo and behold, was that people are ultimately less motivated by money and safety than they are by an internal desire for mastery and progress. Sound familiar? While his book is aimed theoretically at the business world, I chose to interview Daniel because I felt his work and all that he has learned is directly applicable to writers.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
The other day I was playing with our cat Lou and because he is still relatively new to me (we got him about a month ago), I found myself studying him. What I noticed as I watched him play, first tracking some string and then a small toy, is that every time he’d catch what he was after, he would soon let it go. Because if he were to continue holding on, the fun would be over and the game done. Letting go of his hold was clearly critical so the next thing could happen.
Read Moreby Jason Black
Ask anyone in the publishing industry—agents, editors, sales reps—and they’ll all agree your novel must open with a strong hook. You'll never escape the slushpile without one. If you ask them what that means, you'll probably get an answer like, “It has to pull readers right in, grab them by the shirt collar, and make them want to read the next page.”
Read Moreby Erin Brown
One of the main questions I am often asked by first time authors is, “How do I define my genre?” I always think it’s incredibly obvious until I realize that perhaps I take genre definitions for granted because I spent so long in the publishing business. So I’m going to include an easy guide for picking your genre. Sure, it’s a bit tongue and cheek, but it’s definitely true as well.
Read Moreby James Thayer
The Red Swede, who was a yegg man, and a good one, sat over a pint of champagne with Dopey Polly, from Chinatown, and his side kick, the Runt. This sentence from Helen Green’s At the Actor’s Boarding House (1906) is terrific because of the nicknames, the slang (a yegg man is a safecracker), the dissonance (a pint of champagne, not beer?), and, most importantly, the promise of a tale involving a sidekick.
Read Moreby Jennifer Paros
I’ve always liked the New Year’s resolution; it is deciding purposefully to practice choice. But what if, instead of just one Big Fat Choice, like Quit Smoking, or Lose Weight - what if the choice we think we are making for at least an entire year (if not a lifetime) is seen as comprised of an infinite number of choices of response we make moment by moment? This way, we start recognizing our choice in everything; no longer are we victims to anything. Now, regardless of what we choose, we are aware of choosing.
Read Moreby Jason Black
Last month's article covered tips for writing realistic dialogue. That's essential, but it's only half the game. The other equally essential half is writing distinctive dialogue. Your characters cannot all sound like one another.
Ironically, while writing realistic dialogue means engaging your speaking brain while you write, writing distinctive dialogue means escaping your speaking brain.
Read More