Write Me A World

Instincts

Instincts. Animals have ‘em, uber-incredible paratrooper ninjas have ‘em…and writers have ‘em.

It’s something we all develop over time, and they become essential in crafting your unique voice and characters. The subtle nudge that tells you to use this plot twist instead of that one, the savviness to know when to let your MC take off and do her own thing versus when to rein him in.

Even if we’re lucky enough to have a few born-with-it author instincts, none of us are experts in all areas. The trick is to keep building them and, more often than not, the best way to do that is to READ.

Pay Attention: When you’re reading, make notes of places where you admire what the author did. Then, go back and figure out why you liked it and how the author set it up. Study those same writing techniques until you’re confident enough to put your own twist on them.

Narrow Your Focus: Pick the two or three areas where you really want to improve over the next few months—dialogue, pace, writing believable characters? Now, go find authors who are at the top of their game in those categories. Read A LOT. If you’re focused on pacing, for example, pick one fast-paced and one slow-paced book and read them in parallel. You will quickly see the different approaches each author employs. Write down those differences, and it becomes your guide for tightening your own pace.

Do a Subtlety Exercise: Go find your favorite scene in your favorite book. Re-read it, put it away and write down these things:

A description of what happens and why it’s important to the story
How you felt after reading it
What makes you love it so much

Using what you just wrote down, go back through the scene and see how much (or how little) of that is included word-for-word by the author. If you like the scene because the characters are just so madly in love and worried about each other, does the author actually say that? Or is their emotion shown through something else entirely, like a tense argument about which one of them must go into danger?

You might have liked it for the “romance,” but what you actually read is an argument. The key is that a powerful writer can imply emotion without ever scripting it directly. You’ll be amazed how much authors leave off the page, allowing readers to fill it in on their own.

One of the hardest and best lessons in writing is learning what NOT to put on the page. If you can hone your instincts here, it usually means lower word counts and seat-riveting scenes where every word is packed with power and meaning.

Over time, you’ll develop a gut sense of the best approach and learn to trust YOUR instincts.

Wicked & WIP Polls

Wicked is back in Milwaukee!! And, in honor, I thought I’d throw out one of my favorite quotes as it always reminds me a bit of writing.

Getting your dreams, it’s strange but it seems a little, well…complicated.
There’s a kind of a sort of a…cost

(Long hours spent typing, editing, banging your head against a keyboard)

There’s a couple things get…lost

(Sleep, sanity)

There are bridges you cross you didn’t know you’d cross until you crossed

(I wrote a query! I pitched an agent in person!)

But then you reach the end, and you really and truly “Couldn’t be happier!”

If you've seen Wicked, what's your favorite part? If you haven't, do you want to?

In Other News...

My ‘Poison’ of Choice

I bought Poison a few months ago after reading about Bridget Zinn’s story in the blogosphere. Her situation is enough to tug at the heartstrings of any author, so I was absolutely delighted when I fell head-over-heels for Poison!

Get it here!

Kyra is the kingdom’s best potions master, but she’s also on the run after a failed assassination attempt on the princess…who happens to be her best friend. Throw in a charming vagabond and a piglet who puts tracking dogs to shame, and you’ve got one heck of a fun cast.

Kyra is a plucky heroine – my favorite kind! Her actions and dialogue are believable and often funny. She starts out as a tough, go-it-alone skeptic, and I especially love how Zinn’s plot helps her change by book’s end. She’s one of those wonderful, dynamic characters who seem like they could walk off the page.

The supporting characters are also great! I liked Fred from the beginning – he was sort of like Tristan from Stardust meets Flynn from Tangled. His carefree attitude made a nice match for Kyra’s tenacity. And then there’s Ariana, the princess and Kyra’s friend. I didn’t like her at all when she was introduced. I pictured her as spoiled, a little sickly and basically a whiner…boy, was it a joy to be proven wrong. She ended up being the character who made me laugh most!

Throughout, Zinn strikes the perfect balance of tension and playfulness. If you’re in the mood for a rollicking adventure with lots of heart, Poison is a sure bet!

And if you need more convincing, the back cover alone is priceless.

P.S. The last paragraph of Peggy's blog post (see link above) explains what Bridget hoped to do for her readers. She wanted to make people laugh and hoped readers would enjoy spending time with the characters she created, and she really wanted to write a book with pockets of warmth and happiness. I just want to let you all know she accomplished that mission. Hats off to you, Bridget. Hats off!

Week #3 Giveaway Winner

And the winner from last week's comments is Cherie Reich!! Congrats! Send me an email to let me know which prize you prefer.

And, don't forget, the giveaways go on all month. Get the details here.

The Sound of A Million Dreams

A simple post today. I'm letting the music speak for itself. Trust me. There are so many stories, truths and inspirations woven into the lyrics and the piano on this song.

Change a few words and this, THIS, is what I believe and how I feel about writing.

So I labor for hours 'cause I know the power
Of a song when a song hits you right
Pouring my soul into stories of life
Hoping someone'll hear one tonight
Maybe my voice will cut through the noise
And stir up an old memory
And out of these piano keys
Comes the sound, the sound of a million dreams

Captain Obvious

You know those moments in TV shows or movies where you find yourself saying to friends, “I totally called that,” or “Finally! I could see that coming a mile away!" It can be so aggravating – not only are we no longer entertained (because we already know what happens), we also get pulled out of the story itself and wind up disappointed and let down.

The scary thing is it can happen with writing too. And, though it might seem painfully obvious while reading other people’s work, it can be downright tricky to find in our own.

Here are a few tips on spotting (and fixing) common “Captain Obvious” trouble areas.

1. The “Trying Too Hard”
Authors do this when they have a REALLY BIG SECRET to hide from the reader. The problem is they tend to have lots of characters hinting at something mysterious in ways that aren’t actually subtle at all – questions that people refuse to answer, dialogue that amounts to “If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” or “You just wait…something big is coming.”

It’s like flashing a neon light at your plot twist. While trying so hard to disguise a big reveal, you can end up taking all the fun and mystery out of it. Plus, this approach comes across as unrealistic and heavy-handed. Think of it this way: if James Bond walks into a hotel, he doesn’t pat his black briefcase three times and tell the front desk, “I’m here on very important business. You might want to clear the entire floor next to my room because some pretty serious stuff tends to go down around me.”

The Fix: When people have something to hide, they work hard to hide it. That often means lying. Instead of having characters refuse to answer questions, let them answer…with something that points in a completely different direction than your reveal. When other characters are sniffing too close, use dialogue to evade or ask counter-questions.

2. The “Crystal Clear Killer”
Ever read a murder-mystery, only to throw it across the room because the killer was obvious from page one? Don’t let that happen with yours!

The Fix: The key here is often in building up the backstories and motivations for your cast of characters. Everyone should have some combination of motive, means or opportunity. It keeps the reader guessing. I know a lot of mystery writers who claim they didn’t know who the killer was until they wrote the ending. Put on your detective hat and think, “If I had to make it look like Character A did this, how would I do it?” Then, go down the line with all your characters. The same thing works for a guilty party who’s not technically a killer – could be a thief, a two-timer, etc.

3. The “Predictable Escape / Romance / Fill-in-the-blank”
If two characters are being chased through a river warehouse district and they reach a dead-end with a balcony, what do they do next? We all know the answer. They jump into the water. We see variations of this all the time in movies, TV and books. You can maybe get away with it once or twice, but it gets old (and predictable) fast!

The Fix: First, keep the tension high. A fast pace keeps readers from focusing too hard on what’s coming next, so even if the water escape is predictable, it still feels surprising. The better fix is to write the opposite solution of what first comes to mind. Instead of having your characters jump into the water, have them hear one of their pursuer’s boats downriver and scale the balcony to the roof.

4. The “Impending Betrayal”
This one is kind of like the predictable escape route, except it deals with emotions instead of actions. Betrayal is a huge plot device and can be brilliant when used well, but if the betrayer is obvious, then the act of betrayal loses its punch.

The Fix: Find the 1-2 characters least likely to betray your MC. Make one of them betray your MC. And give them a legitimate reason to actually carry it out (or come darn close). This plot twist hurts – it’s supposed to, and it can only hurt if it’s coming from an unexpected source. If you must go with the obvious candidate as your betrayer, give them reasons to help your MC first. It’ll endear them to readers and throw off suspicion later on.

Now that you know the signs, go out there and do battle with “Captain Obvious.” Good luck!

Week #2 Giveaway Winner

And the winner from last week's comments is Sheena-kay Graham!! Congrats! Send me an email to let me know which prize you prefer.

And, don't forget, the giveaways go on all month. Get the details here.

Paths & Prizes

One of my writing buddies shared this cool infographic from Jane Friedman about the different paths to publishing. We all know it can be a crazy journey, and I thought this was a helpful guide to some of the more common options. Just click it to enlarge. You can also get a downloadable version at Jane's site.

Click to Enlarge

In Other Fun News...

Enjoy this hilarious writer GIF montage from Nathan Bransford.

For all you grammar and language nerds out there, check out this summary of the quirky regional differences in common words and phrases. And, yes, I do say "bubbler." Rock on, Wisconsin!

Week #1 Giveaway Winner

The winner from last week's comments is J.A. Bennett!! Congrats! Send me an email to let me know which prize you prefer.

And, don't forget, the giveaways go on all month. Get the details here.

Don’t Think. Just Write.

Stock Image: Ball And Glove #2 Picture. Image: 168451

In honor of baseball season (and partly because my local Brew Crew isn't lookin' so hot in the standings), I give you writing advice from Crash Davis. For those who haven’t seen Bull Durham, Crash is a wise(ass) veteran catcher who comes in to train talented but immature rookie pitcher Nuke LaLoosh.

One of Crash’s mantras is:

“Don’t think. Just throw.”

In other words, get out of your head and just do it already.

It works for writing too. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in...

“Will this plot work”
“Am I good enough”
“Does this genre still sell”
“Insert randomly-generated author panic phrase here”

...that we overcomplicate things before we’ve even begun.

Next time you’re stressed about putting words on the page.

           Pause.
                 Breathe.
                         Write.

They’ll be time for worries and questions later. For now, don’t think. Just write.

*Brownie points for adding your favorite Bull Durham quotes in the comments trail.