Greetings,
If you'e been writing for some time now, you've discovered most writers don't fly solo. What I mean by that is we attend writer groups in our area or belong to several online. Which ever group you belong to I'm sure you appreciate the welcomed advice from fellow colleagues as I do.
In my last blog I suggested we take time to read other authors' books, but don't forget about all the worthwhile writers's blogs out there. Learning about tools of the trade can be beneficial to you too. I know it's a time consuming task and to be honest I certainly don't read everyone sent my way via the Internet. I'd have no time for writing. But since I've been in limbo for the past couple weeks waiting to hear about my fifth novel being picked up for publishing, I've had tons of free time on my hands - that is in between reading, housework, and selling books at events - and I've read some interesting blogs.
Most of the blogs I've flagged for myself to read now or later can be found on Writer Unboxed. com. The authors are very talented and the majority of them hold master degrees in English or literature. The wide diversity of articles encompasses such topics as stage directions, scenes for the story, marketing plans, writing a synopsis, what motivates your character, and why book PR needs lead time.
Let's take a look at some things I've personally gleaned recently from writers on Writer Unboxed.
The first topic that comes to mind is "Scenes for the Story - Types Add Complexity - 15 to Enliven the Plot" by Jordan Rosenfield and Martha Anderson. According to these two writers strong plots are built upon a mixture of Emotion, Theme, and Action. What I didn't realize myself was a theme takes the drivers seat, displaying itself in every scene. Although Rosenfield and Anderson say theme should be in every sentence too, I don't know if I'd be able to accomplish that with my style of writing. How about you?
Next up, Lisa Cron's article "Who Knows More About Story's Writers or the Pentagon." This article is all about the protagonist's internal struggle and how readers' brains are wired to that. "The protagonist backstory must be present on page one," Cron says, "... it gives the reader empathy." How have you done in this area with your writing? I think I've just scored a point.
"Marketing Plan" by Jon Bard - "Build it not around your book but around how it will enhance your readers life." Good point. Will your book give them a good laugh or inspiration for the day? I like to add humor to my books. Too much suspense can put the reader on edge.
Moving on to Drew Chial - "How to Turn A Complex Story Into A Simple Synopsis". I don't know about you but I hate writing a synopsis or a query. I'm never sure how much or how little to include. Chial and others have suggested keeping the synopsis to one page which makes sense. "Start with a basic framework and build outward," Chial said. Using a "barebones structure" he recommends dividing our paragraphs into Acts 1-3. This article then gives you specific questions to answer for each act. All I can say as a writer is, "Thanks Drew Chial for such a common sense article."
I hope the snippets I've shared with you today will be as beneficial to you as they were to me when they popped up on my laptop. Don't forget, writers can learn a lot from each other.
Do you have any interesting articles you feel would be beneficial to my readers? If so, please share.
Until Next Time
This is Marlene Chabot
Mystery Writer
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