Riley Adams's Blog, page 148

Help With Dialogue Tags

Guest Post by Jack Smith






Dialogue
Tags

What about “he said”/”she said”—do you
need them?  Or perhaps the character’s
name instead of the pronoun?  How much of
either is needed?  How much is too
much?  Like everything else in creative
writing, no rules here.  Only what
works.  And you can think of this matter
in at least two ways: clarity and style—or both.

Take a look at this passage from Raymond
Carver’s “What’s in Alaska?”  Do we need
the dialogue tags?

“I don’t know.  Something Mary said,” Helen said.

“What did I say?” Mary
said.

“I can’t remember,”
Helen said.

“We have to go,” Jack
said.

“So long,” Carl
said.  “Take it easy.”




We could probably use some help here,
clarity-wise, since we’ve got four characters speaking, but notice too that
Carver creates an interesting cadence by the repetition of “said.”  Really! 
Nice, isn’t it?  What if he went
by some silly hard-and-fast rule about cutting down your use of “said.”  We would miss the lyrical quality of his
prose. Wouldn’t we?

Is clarity a matter in this passage from
Carver’s “The Compartment”?

They love you, I said.

No, they don’t, he
said.

I said, Someday,
they’ll understand things.

Maybe Wes, said.  But it won’t matter then.

You don’t know, I
said.

I know a few things,
Wes said, and he looked at me.

Clarity is much less an issue here.  But again—notice how the repetitive use of
“said” builds an interesting cadence. The texture of the prose draws us in—or
at least it draws me in. 

Notice now this passage from Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises.  No dialogue tags:

“He must drink a lot
of wine.”

“Or wear purple
undershirts.”

“Let’s ask him.”

“No.  He’s too tired.”

There’s plenty of this bare-bones
dialogue in this novel.  And by now, this
stripped-down dialogue is pretty familiar to many readers—readers, for
instance, of Cormac McCarthy.  It creates
an impact.  We hear conversation spoken,
and that’s it—like an audio tape.

 But there’s a middle road—a “he said,” a “she
said,” or “Norm said,” or “Mary said,” now and then—and then an action line
that establishes who’s talking.  For
instance, also from The Sun Also Rises:

“Poor old
darling.”  She stroked my head.

You could avoid the tags by action lines
like this.  We know who’s talking.

So what are your options?

1. 
Ramp up the dialogue tags.

2. Eliminate them altogether and go with
the bare-bones back and forth exchange.

3. Insert action lines now and then to
find ways to avoid tags.

But don’t get the idea that it’s best to
go for the Aristotelian Mean and take a middle path.  Think clarity, but also think style.

What sound do you want to create?  What tone? 





Jack Smith

Write and Revise for Publication
, Writer’s Digest, 2013, and Hog to Hog, winner of the George
Garrett Fiction Prize, Texas Review Press, 2008

Twitterific

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig









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A Productivity Note

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig





This post will be short and sweet
because…I’ve gotten a little behind with everything this week.  :) And the odd thing is that this is back to
school week, so you’d think I’d be getting tons
of stuff done.

But no. 
And yesterday, I had to sit down and assess where I was going wrong. Why
was I scrambling to finish up writing-related tasks like promo?  Why was supper a last-minute effort? Why did
I keep forgetting milk at the store? 
What on earth was different?

Well, what was different was that the
kids were back in school.  But it’s not
quite the same as last year.

Last year…all the years, actually…I’ve
driven my son’s carpool to school and back. 
I sat in the carpool line and typed half of my word goal each day in
that line.  And now—my son is driving
himself to school. 

I’m still driving my daughter’s carpool,
but not every afternoon.  That school
lets out later than my son’s school, too. 


So my schedule changed and that
messed me up.

Another place where I went wrong—in the
afternoons, I felt so lost by not heading off to the high school to sit in the
carpool line that each day this week I asked myself, “What should I be doing
right now?”

And the answer each time was: “I have no
idea.  Maybe I should check my email.”

Wrong! 
Checking email is never the right
answer to that question.  :)  Email is a tremendous time-suck for me.

What I did instead yesterday was to make
a list of what I needed to do.  I’d made
a list in the morning, but I’d checked those things off.  What I need now, apparently, is a separate
afternoon list.  So I wrote it up.  The most pressing things were to proofread a
teaser chapter that I was on deadline for, find and schedule links for Twitter,
and then pull that laundry out of the dryer before the stuff started wrinkling
(there’s not a lot of ironing going on in my house).  Checking email was not on this list.

So, for me anyway, even small
fluctuations in a schedule have an impact. If I lose productivity, then I need
to figure out where I’m going wrong. 

And lists…one list may not be enough to
carry me through a whole day.  Because
when I finish the stuff on my morning list—heck, I might just pull up my emails
and lose an hour or more.

Do you ever have to reassess when to fit
your writing in?  And do you rely on
lists as much as I do?

Writing and Taxes

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The business side of writing is my least
favorite part.  I struggle to keep
up.  And there’s sort of a residual guilt
that I’m not doing all I can do to keep my accounts organized.  But I’m trying.

New as of 2013 is an accountant.  I tried…I did try…to do my taxes last
February. I’ve done my own taxes for the last ten years.  This time, however, they boggled my mind
about halfway through and I also felt a rising panic that I was doing something
wrong.  I found a CPA right away.

One of the problems is that my
income—never very much, but always nice to have and increasingly relied upon—comes from many
different sources.  I’ve now got income
coming from two traditional publishers, Amazon, Smashwords, Nook, ACX, and
CreateSpace.  My accountant recently
asked me financial planning questions.  I ended up giving
several apologetic shrugs.  I’m sure this
makes her want to drink heavily.



“So you’re getting a check this
fall?  But you don’t know what that check
will be for?”  She smiles patiently at
me.

“No idea. 
It’s for royalties from Penguin.”

“For sales.  But you don’t know your sales.”

“That’s right.  It’s just sort of a surprise.”  I’m blushing now.  It makes it look as if I’m not paying
attention. But these are numbers I’m not privy to—primarily bookstore
numbers. This is, admittedly, one of the things that drives writers a little nuts when it comes to traditional publishing.  I add, “But I also have
self-published books and I’m paid 60 days in arrears for those.  I should be able to give you an idea of the
money coming in 60 days from now for my self-pubbed books, if that helps.” Financial planning, when you're a writer, means a lot of guesswork and piecing together.

I did get some tips from the CPA that
I’ve been fairly good about following (and then some that are good tips that I
haven’t gotten around to yet).

Open a
business checking account.  If you
can, find a free one—probably with a small bank or a credit union.  Have your publishing income direct deposited
into that account.  Write checks for
publishing-related expenses from that account, too—it just helps to keep
everything straight.

Keep a
small notebook in your car to record gas expenses for writing-related trips.
This is not only for promo…this could be gas spent driving to the post office
to mail off giveaway prizes to readers or gas used driving to the bank to
deposit a random check.

For US writers (since I have no idea how
this applies to international writers)—if you know you’ll likely be paying a
fair amount of taxes to the federal government in April (because this stuff
isn’t taken out of our checks, y’all), we should pay
the government estimated, taxes along the way.  To avoid penalties, for sure, but also to
keep the tax bill from putting us in total shock when we get it in April. 

Contributing
to a 401K (self-employed people can be eligible) or an Individual Retirement Account can help to reduce the
amount of taxes we pay.

Obviously, the necessity of paying taxes
means that we shouldn’t spend all of the money
from the checks that come in. As difficult as this is. :)

If your income is higher during the year
than you’d previously estimated, it might be a good idea to check back in with your accountant and make some
plans. 

Keep
receipts.  Keep your office supply
receipts, your receipts for computer-related purchases, your gas receipts, your
conference receipts.  Remember to keep
receipts of payments for services, too—your agent’s commissions, your cover
designer’s bill, your formatter’s invoice, etc.

And the disclaimer…clearly, I’m not a tax adviser (ha!) If you need tax advice…I do recommend you find a
professional.  It will keep you from
staying up at night worrying about this stuff.

Until you find your professional, here
are some interesting articles on taxes and writing income to get a more
thorough overview.

Taxes 101 for Authors—by Susan
Spann

10
ways to cut costs from your freelance writing business—by Michelle V.
Rafter




Taxes
and Record Keeping for Writers—by Starla Criser




How do you keep track of your writing
income? Got any other tips?  

Image: MorgueFile: ModernCog

How many drafts until you’re done?

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I think when writers ask how many drafts
another writer completes for a finished story, they’re really wondering whether
they’re spending too much time editing or too little time editing.

That’s what happens when you work
alone—you have no basis of comparison.

I got this question emailed to me
recently and I had to really think about it. 
What comprises a draft to me?  In
general, how many times do I go through the manuscript before I send it to my
editor?

I definitely keep going through it if I
keep finding mistakes.  Obviously, if you
think it’s not a clean document, you want to keep working on it.  And I continue reading through the manuscript
if I feel I could have used better diction or if I think of other ways to
improve the story.  But there does get to
be a point where a writer is making changes just for the sake of making
changes.  You can write the life out of
your story and when it’s tough to say if a change makes the story better or
worse…it’s probably time to either put it aside for a while or send it out on
submission.

What comprises a draft?  To me, it’s a new version of the manuscript
with significant changes.  A draft is
something, to me, would make me want to send an updated copy to my editor or
beta reader (“No, read this one,
actually.  Not the one I sent you.”)

I’d say that I have probably four or five
drafts of a story before I turn it in. 
That’s mainly because I write in layers and the second draft is where I
put in the book’s character and setting description and the third is where I
stick in chapter breaks. Then I have another couple of read-throughs for
errors, pacing, continuity, etc.  

You can also approach it a different
way—a bunch of targeted mini-drafts. 
This could take more read-throughs, but each time you’d be looking for
specific things: weak scenes, conflict/tension, description that pops,
out-of-sequence storyline, grammar, etc.

After I’m done,  I’ll email the story to my editor.  Months later, there will be more
editing.  Then it goes to the
proofreader…and even more editing ensues.

How many drafts do you usually go through
on a manuscript?  How do you know when
it’s ready? 

Image: MorgueFile: jppi

Twitterific

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig







Twitterific
links are fed into the Writer’s
Knowledge Base search engine (developed by
writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 23,000 free articles
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at Knockout Novel.com. 



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Likeable characters need a bit of
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The move from writing textbooks to
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Blind Spots and Obsessions in Historical
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Fiction vs. Reality: http://dld.bz/cMRtU @juliekibler

The importance of being interruptible: http://dld.bz/cMRuf @jeffgoins

Why Watching TV Can Actually Be Good For
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The importance of writing tighter: http://dld.bz/cMRuP @jameslrubart

Is Google Plus Important for Search
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Why Did Rowling Make it Big With Harry
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So When Are You Going To Write A Proper
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How music helps 1 writer write: http://dld.bz/cMTmP @nailyournovel @BenGalley

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10 Types of Rotten Writing Advice: http://dld.bz/cMTnf @bunnyape

12 ways to improve your writing: http://dld.bz/cMTpD @blogger_beat

Screenwriting is always rewriting: http://dld.bz/cMTpV @scriptcat

Key components of nonfiction books: http://dld.bz/cMTpZ @bizauthor

The Psychopath Test and Do Writers Fail? http://dld.bz/cMTqc @TheBrandonShire

10,000 Words by Women about Writing: http://dld.bz/cMTqd @BookswBenefits

Various plotting methods: http://dld.bz/cMTrd @penandmuse

Unexpected lessons from 1 year of
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Understanding social proof and how to
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Pride and Prejudice; Or, Why Jerks Like
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The Specter of Similar Ideas: http://dld.bz/cMTrr @scriptcat

The Natural World in Anne of Green
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Author Mary Karr on writing and living
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Screenwriting: the problem with "we
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Writing pitfall--Mary Sue: http://dld.bz/cMTsa @Jen_328 @WriteDivas

Reviews--bloggers, reviewers, and street
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Envy and Your Creative Life: http://dld.bz/cMTs5 @DouglasEby

How to write realistic dialogue using
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Describe with Telling Details—Character: http://dld.bz/cM2h4 @ava_jae

9 Inspirational Bits of Advice From Anne
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How to Sell More Books By Optimizing Your
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8 Promises You're Making to Readers—and
Then Breaking: http://bit.ly/1edpqOU
@KMWeiland

Foods To Help Your Creativity: http://dld.bz/cMTsS @writersbureau

Grounding Your Story in Reality: http://dld.bz/cMTsV @fictorians @jamesorrinwrite

A reason to pick up the phone: your
characters and the call: http://dld.bz/cMTsW
@ajackwriting

The troubled marriage that inspired Nora
Ephron: http://dld.bz/cMTtc @salon

Dos and Don'ts for succeeding as romantic
novelist: http://dld.bz/cMTtx @freya_north

Ruth Rendell: 'Kill off Inspector
Wexford? I don't want to do that': http://dld.bz/cMTt5
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A site that analyzes your writing to see
what famous author you write like: http://dld.bz/cMTt9
@iwritelike

Ruminations on book promo: http://dld.bz/cMTtH @lv_lewis

Trust your instincts: http://dld.bz/cMTtR @lv_lewis @writedivas

Does feedback on your screenplay equal
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Plausibility in Fiction: Is it a Sacred
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7 Tips to Finding Your Writing Voice: http://dld.bz/cMTuf @jeffbullas

Starting Over is Essential to Your
Creativity and Success: http://dld.bz/cMTvf
@ADDerWORLD

Breaking Out Of A Creative Rut: http://dld.bz/cMTwU @chalkboardmag

What not to say to a writer: http://dld.bz/cMTxn @ScottishBkTrust
@kirstenmckenzie

More tips for running a successful
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Perils of Writing a Real-Life
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A collection of articles on writing
romance: http://dld.bz/cMTCd

On Writing Short Horror: http://dld.bz/cMTCf @SelahJanel

Screenwriting--rewriting vs editing: http://dld.bz/cMTCG

How to Write Your First Book in 33 Easy
Steps: http://dld.bz/cMTDg @electricLit
{lang}

What 1 Reader Learned About Getting
Married From Dystopian YA: http://dld.bz/cMTDx
@BookishHQ

Longhand Pages: A Writing Touchstone: http://dld.bz/cMTJ4 @helenl0we

Reworking an old story instead of
continuing writing a new one: http://dld.bz/cMTJ7
@SeattleAuthor

The very individual journey of novelists:
http://dld.bz/cMTNR @StephanieCowell

Writing Well Will Cost You: http://dld.bz/cMTQZ @JadedIbisPress @DawnRaffel

Some scripts are perfectly good reads,
but aren't any good on the set: http://dld.bz/cMTRd
@scriptcat

A collection of jokes for writers: http://dld.bz/cMTRe

Diversity for the 'Cultureless': http://dld.bz/cMTTJ @ShanaMlawski

Profanity in Genre Fiction: http://dld.bz/cMTTV @NatRusso

You've Written a Cliché? Here's How to
Slay It. http://dld.bz/cMTUn @bluepencil2

10 Writing and Publishing Myths Debunked:
http://dld.bz/cMTUq @MichelleKrys

How to Find Great Content to Share on
Twitter: http://dld.bz/cMTUr @smexaminer

"Dudes, stop reading your
reviews!" http://dld.bz/cMTU8
@celine_kiernan

7 Inspirational Self-Publishing Tips To
Learn From Barbara Cartland: http://dld.bz/cMUBV

Connecting With The Past When Writing A
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@WriteHistNovels @StephanieCowell

8 online writing communities: http://dld.bz/cMUCn @SMisDynamite

What to do when you're having an off-day
with your writing: http://dld.bz/cMUCv

Don't Bet on the Muse: http://dld.bz/cMUC4

Donald Wollheim and the Ace Double Novel:
http://dld.bz/cMUCB @KirkusReviews

5 1/2 Steps for Making Feedback Work for
Us: http://dld.bz/cNaxk @jamigold

10 tips for building a great critique
group: http://dld.bz/cNaxH @JennyHansenCA

Estate planning for writers: http://dld.bz/cNaxM @sarahahoyt

Ways self-pubbed authors could be ripped
off: http://dld.bz/cNaxU @passivevoiceblg

Emotional Description: 3 Common Problems
with Show & Tell: http://dld.bz/cNaxY
@angelaackerman

Are Your Dreams Standing in the Way of
Writing Success? 5 Dreams That Can Interfere With Your Goals: http://dld.bz/cNaye @annerallen

5 Steps to Better Character Arcs: http://dld.bz/cNayh @JordanMcCollum
@Janice_Hardy

Writing a Novel in 15 Steps: From Initial
Idea to Querying: http://dld.bz/cNayp
@ava_jae

A reminder--back up your writing: http://dld.bz/cNcFa @PassiveVoiceBlg

Getting 3rd person POV right: http://dld.bz/cNcFq @aliventures

Business of Screenwriting: The Niceties –
Manners Matter: http://dld.bz/cNcF3
@scriptmag

Photographs, Fantasy, Cover Design and
Neil Gaiman: http://dld.bz/cNcF7
@amazingstories0

Seven Deadly Sins Of Novel Writing: http://dld.bz/cNcFC @angelaackerman

Is There a Place for Realism in Your
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The Single Largest Cause of Writer's
Block–Might Not Be What You Believe: http://dld.bz/cNf2d
@kristenlambtx

11 Exhausted SF Tropes to Avoid: http://dld.bz/cNf2e @CarrieCuinn

"Save the Cat" and moviemaking:
http://dld.bz/cNf2p @slate

10 Points For Achieving Professional
Status as a Writer: http://dld.bz/cNf2v
@bob_brooke

Backstory. Get Over It. http://dld.bz/cNf3f @_mdwaters

The One Thing that Separates Great
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@losapala

23 Literary Agent Query Letters That
Worked: http://dld.bz/cNf3j @galleycat
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Why We All Need To Become Better Writers
Right Now: http://dld.bz/cNf3t @forbes
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5 Reasons Perseverance is the Most
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@Woollz

A Healthy Approach to Editing a Chaotic
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@vgrefer

25 Editing Tips for Tightening Your Copy:
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Tips for better pacing: http://dld.bz/cNf3T @BridgetMcKenna

7 Hemingway quotes on writing: http://dld.bz/cNf3V @InkTanked

Surviving the Odds as A Debut Novelist: http://dld.bz/cNf4a @ThreeGuys1Book

78 Tools for Writing and Previewing
Markdown: http://dld.bz/cNf4q @mashable

Quick and Dirty Edit Tips: http://dld.bz/cNf4v

4 Ways to Optimize Your Amazon.com
Listing: http://dld.bz/cNf45

Amazon Exclusivity – Pros and Cons: http://dld.bz/cNf47 @RinelleGrey

Time Management for Writers: http://dld.bz/cNf5n @Woollz

Writing for the Senses: http://dld.bz/cNnJE @writeangleblog

How To Find Your Target Market: http://dld.bz/cNnJJ @nickthacker
@thecreativepenn

Scene and Sequel: http://dld.bz/cNnJS @Wix

Free Tools to Improve Your Author
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@wherewriterswin

Why You Should Get Serious About Your
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@MenwithPens

Unclear Character Goals: http://dld.bz/cNnKP @Ross_B_Lampert

Tips for Authors on Amazon: http://dld.bz/cNnKU @tonyeldridge

Craft and Art: http://dld.bz/cNnMd @theodoragoss

Book Layout & Editing For
Writers—Hyphen, En-dash and Em-dash: http://dld.bz/cNnMf

1 writer wonders if she'd equipped to
teach her craft? http://dld.bz/cNnMx

Live what you write: http://dld.bz/cNnM3

About writing and money when you're young
and a girl: http://dld.bz/cNnM6 @xerinstewart

When Words Get in the Way: http://dld.bz/cNnMD @bridgetmckenna

Correct use of apostrophes: http://dld.bz/cNnMN

Outlining a story: http://dld.bz/cNnMU

How To Self-Publish A Bestseller:
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Is Urban Fantasy The Next Genre
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@erchristensen

Why Protagonists Must Have Some Virtues: http://dld.bz/cNnNw @ozzywood

What's Your Story About? Pitch Perfectly:
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How to Write a Short Story: http://dld.bz/cNnPs @WorkInProwess

4 Ways Adaptation Can Help Your Writing: http://dld.bz/cNnRF @daisymartey

12 Truths About Blogging: http://dld.bz/cNnRH @HeatherCupcakes

Are Creative Types Just A Bunch Of
Slackers? http://dld.bz/cNnSp @mitchjoel

Writers are stupid: http://dld.bz/cNnSq @matthaig1

7 Writing Myths: http://dld.bz/cMTnd @booktrust

Author Mary Karr on writing and living
sober: http://dld.bz/cMTrD @marykarrlit

9 Inspirational Bits of Advice From Anne
Rice, Catherine Coulter, David Morrell and Others: http://dld.bz/cMCUg
@writersdigest @ZacharyPetit

The troubled marriage that inspired Nora
Ephron: http://dld.bz/cMTtc @salon

5 Steps To Writing The Perfect Cover
Letter For Your Novel: http://dld.bz/cNnS7

Rules for Creative Writing (&
Happiness): http://dld.bz/cNnY8 @mindykaling
@PsychCentral

5 1/2 Steps for Making Feedback Work for
Us: http://dld.bz/cNaxk @jamigold

10 Writing and Publishing Myths Debunked:
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An authors-for-libraries effort: http://dld.bz/cNfxu @Porter_Anderson @doctorow

5 Ways To Beat Exposition: http://dld.bz/cNnRy @JimMercurio

Being an aspiring writer: http://dld.bz/cNnYs @Esssjay

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Allegations of bullying in the
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A free directory of cover designers,
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Telling a Story in Our Own Voice (or One That Comes Naturally To Us)

  by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Wednesday, I was the only adult in the
line of about 100 junior year high school students in front of the counselor’s
office.   

The students were all there to
have their schedules changed for one reason or another.  My son was next to me, both relieved that I
was there and resigned that I was there. His schedule,
unfortunately, needed four or five changes to it—sometimes computers stick odd
things on schedules.  This computer
had.  I was there to lend an air of
gravitas to the situation and help him get the schedule in order so he’d have
what he needed for these colleges he’s starting to look at (primarily German
III and German IV, since they want four years in a single language).

So here’s the situation.  We’re all sitting in plastic chairs in a
long, long line outside this office, each with a number.  He has friends to the right of him and
friends to the left of him and I’m right in the middle. I have brought my book
with me and am determined not to bother/embarrass him (if I can help it).  Although I could potentially be bothering him
by the fact that I’m quietly writing about murder in my notebook.  Or that I’m there at all.

We wait about four hours.

His friends, nearer the start of the four
hour wait, aren’t exactly sure how to talk around me.  And this is literally around me, since they’re having to lean forward to bypass my
presence.  There is some stilted
conversation.  They pass their phones to
each other to share a video or a funny picture, but they only snort or laugh
and don’t talk about whatever it is they’re looking at.  I keep writing.

Finally the girl next to me asks sweetly,
“Mrs. Craig, are you here to get your schedule changed, too?” Trying out a
different tack to see how I’d respond. My son looks sideways at me.

I nodded. 
“I was supposed to graduate in 1989, but I can’t seem to get enough
credits for graduation.”

This makes them laugh.  And soon, they’re carrying on conversations
that seem a lot more natural. Not as natural as they’d be if I weren’t there at
all, but a whole lot more natural than they were before. This helps me relax
too. It’s very distracting when people are acting stilted around you.  I was actually able to block them all out and
write several pages for my book.

To me, this is half the battle of coming
up with a writer’s voice—not sounding stilted. 
Stilted narrative is distracting and makes it tough for a reader to get
wrapped up in our story.

I knew what I wanted my storytelling
voice to be before I wrote my first book…but it took a while for me to achieve
it. I wanted it to be intimate and friendly. It took some practice and both
hits and misses before I nailed it.  One
tip that I found:  once you’ve written a
passage of your book in the voice you’re shooting for, print that portion out
and keep it near you.  When you feel
you’re sounding stilted again, reread the passage that you wrote. It can help to reorient you.

Here are some posts on voice that I’ve
found helpful in the past:

Can
You Hear Me Now? Developing Your Voice—by Janice Hardy @janice_hardy

10 Steps to Finding Your Writing
Voice—by Jeff Goins @jeffgoins

Need Voice? Think
Out Loud—by Jami Gold @jamigold

3 Vs of
Fiction—Voice—by Darcy Pattison @fictionnotes

Did your author's voice come naturally to
you? How did you find it? 

Photo--MorgueFile--mconnors

Outlining a Story

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve been asked a few times lately to
write a post about how I outline.

This is something I’ve been reticent to
do, since I don’t really think of myself as an outliner.  My outline process does seem to work for me,
though, and in the hopes it might help someone else, I’ll share it.  But it’s not pretty.  There are no highlighters or index cards
around.  And at times, it seems like the
ramblings of a crazy person.

With that caveat, here we go.



Pace--I outline generally as quickly as I
can. My goal is to get through the thing, look for places where the story seems
weak, fix the outline, then either hand it in or start writing the book.

Format—The outline looks like a
story.  If I’ve really thoroughly
outlined and gone scene to scene, the outline runs anywhere from ten to
twenty-five pages.  It’s in paragraph form.
I sometimes include dialogue. There are no numbers on my outlines since I’m a
fervent believer that numbers and words should stay segregated (this would
explain my grades in Algebra all those years ago.)

Starting out—I write three series, so to
keep my head straight, I put a list of all the recurring characters at the top
of the page before I start out.  I start
out with my victim, as usual, and come up with a quick list of who might want
to kill such a person.  With that victim
and that list, I start writing the outline.

My outline’s first draft (and only draft,
if it’s self-pub. I clean up the outline if I’m handing it into an editor)
reads as if a child is telling a friend about a movie they’ve seen.  You know what I mean:  And then this
happens! And then that happens! And
then…

I go through the whole story scene by
scene: body, suspects identified and interviewed, second body, suspects
interviewed, alibis checked out, sleuth in danger, murderer revealed.  Sometimes I get carried away and stick in
some dialogue as I go…frequently without the use of quotation marks. I’m flying
through it, doing a brain dump with the story. 
If I need to do extra brainstorming as I go, I do it on a different Word doc. 

Then I’ve got a skeleton of a story.  There isn’t setting in there.  But it’s an outline.  I don’t think my editor necessarily wants to
see description in my outlines and I sure don’t. 
I just need something to get me started. 


Then I go back to my opening scene and
add some other things in:

I hint at the trouble that’s about to
engulf the story.

I like to tie in the beginning of the
story with the ending—sometimes with a subplot, sometimes with the opening
scene. I think of ways to do this, and then put my first mention at the start
of the story.

I do try to have a sort of “Save the Cat”
moment at the beginning of the story—some way to make my protagonist
sympathetic to the reader.  I tend to
write protagonists who are prickly and difficult and this helps to soften them
up. 

I list my characters on a separate
page.  I make a few notes about them…what
they’re afraid of, what they really want in life, where they are now.  Then I think of ways that I can possibly give
them an arc over the course of the story. 
Can I make readers end up relating to a character they originally
disliked? Can I give some extra dimension to a character who just seems always
cranky, cheerful, remote, whiny?

My editor for the quilting series
particularly likes it when I can weave different characters’ stories
together—one helping the other to grow or change in some way.  She feels it gives the story a sense of
completion in smaller ways…not just the murder investigation being solved.  I do look for ways to do this.

Subplots are vital to my stories and are
ways to incorporate humor, diffuse tension, help readers connect with
characters, or even help solve the case. 
I brainstorm ideas…as many as I can think of and with a variety of
different characters…and then see which idea is the strongest.  Especially if it’s an idea that can also help
me accomplish other story goals at the same time.  I stick the winning subplot(s) into the outline.

Strictly for mysteries—I check out my
clues, red herrings, alibis.  I make sure
the story will be fair to the readers and that they have a shot at solving it.

I make sure my readers’ favorite
recurring characters are in the story.

I look for spots that seem boring.  I look for spots where my protagonist appears
to be taking a backseat. I look for spots to put in clues and red herrings for
my sleuth to explore.

If the outline is only for my eyes, then
I’m done.  If the outline is for an
editor, then I try to make it sound more sane...I put in punctuation, for instance. :) 
I tell my editor I’m open to changes. 
And I warn her that I may change
the story, too.  I frequently do.

As for the character description, chapter
breaks, et al…those go in after the first draft is finished.

And…that’s about it.  It’s really a very simple process. A scene by
scene outline that basically covers the entire the book takes me almost a week
to write and edit.

Then I write the book.

How do you outline, if you do?  Does your process work well for you?

10 Ways Plot Structure Influences Character Arc

by K.M. Weiland (@KMWeiland)





I’m sometimes asked which is more important: plot or character. This is a misleading question, at its foundation. Not only are plot and character equally important, they’re also interdependent upon one another. The term “structure” has become almost synonymous with “plot.” But the truth is this: structure is as much about planning your main character’s arc as it is crafting a solid beginning, middle, and end. In my book Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story , I talk about the structure of plot, but today, let’s take a peek at the structure of character.



1. Your Character’s Arc in the Hook: The beginning of your story is where you must not only hook readers with an interesting premise and plot development—but also with the protagonist’s fundamental dramatic problem. You will be introducing your character’s personality and “normal world” via a characteristic moment. This normal world and your character’s mindset within it will be defined by the Lie He Believes.

     This Lie will be holding him back from the Thing He Needs (e.g., he may need love and acceptance, but believe he is unworthy of it). This conflict will define the entire course of your character’s arc. You will also be introducing your character’s overall story goal via the Thing He Wants Most—which will either be inhibiting him from gaining the Thing He Needs or will be impossible to gain until he rejects the Lie.



2. Your Character’s Arc in the First Act: The First Act (which encompasses roughly the first quarter of your story) will be all about reinforcing your character’s belief in the Lie. You will also want to indicate that the character has the potential for enough personal growth to eventually overcome that Lie.



3. Your Character’s Arc in the First Major Plot Point: As the First Act comes to an end and your narrative approaches the First Major Plot Point, your character will still be deeply entrenched in the Lie. But he will be in the beginning stages of rebelling against its foundation. His belief in how he serves the Lie will begin to evolve (e.g., he will still believe he is unworthy of love, but he may determine to do something to at least be worthy of respect). Then the First Major Plot Point will hit, changing your character’s normal world forever and giving him just a glimpse of what life might be like without the Lie.



4. Your Character’s Arc in the First Half of the Second Act: This section (which generally spans from the quarter mark to the halfway mark) is all about your character’s reactions to the First Major Plot Point. During this time, you will lay the first stone in the protagonist’s ability to defeat the Lie (often, this will come in the form of another character’s “mentoring”). The character will be getting closer to the Thing He Wants (although he may not realize it), even as he gets farther away from the Thing He Needs.



5. Your Character’s Arc in the Midpoint: The Midpoint will present another dramatic incident, this time forcing your character to abandon his reactions and begin a series of strong actions in an attempt to gain the Thing He Wants Most. The Midpoint will prompt the character to move away from the effects of the Lie, if not yet the Lie itself.



6. Your Character’s Arc in the Second Half of the Second Act: Thanks to the lessons learned in the First Half of the Second Act, the character will now be able to act in ways he wouldn’t have been able to in the First Half. For the first time, he will begin to move away from the effects of the Lie and toward the Thing He Needs, even though that may ultimately mean moving away from the Thing He Wants Most.

     Toward the end of the Second Act, the character will be close to getting the Thing He Wants Most. But he will be conflicted, since claiming the Thing He Wants Most will mean putting himself entirely under the power of the Lie once again. His inner conflict will ramp up as he convinces himself his inner need is not an obstacle to his outer want.



7. Your Character’s Arc in the Third Major Plot Point: The Third Plot Point will once again be an event that changes everything for your character. This time, that event will be a point of crisis within your character’s arc. The Thing He Wants will now be within his reach, but to gain it, he will have to totally sacrifice the Thing He Needs. That’s where the Third Plot Point comes into play: something must happen to force him to realize he can’t surrender the Thing He Needs. At this point, he can no longer hide himself from the horror of the Lie. He must wrench himself into action by rejecting the Thing He Wants Most. In a sense, this action signifies the character’s dying to his old self.



8. Your Character’s Arc in the Third Act: Immediately, after the Third Plot Point, your character will find himself at a low point—either physically, emotionally, or both—as he realizes how much he lost when he rejected the Thing He Wants Most. The character must choose between surrendering to his pain and continuing the fight. This is the moment in which the character will be remade. This is where his new self will begin to rise.

     The character must realize that the price he paid to gain the Thing He Needs was worth the pain. At this point in the story, he will have recognized the Lie, but he will not yet have completely forsaken it. The Third Act is about helping him grow into his new paradigm.

     Throughout the Third Act, your character’s belief in his new paradigm will be under siege. As the Climax approaches (roundabout the 90% mark), this attack will intensify. This attack may come from the main antagonist, a minor antagonist, an ally, or the protagonist himself. The Lie will be flung into the character’s face, and he will totter as his weak point is punched. The greater the character’s peril of relapsing, the higher the tension. He will be off-balance and unhappy as he doubts whether he made the right choices earlier. His doubt is a sign he hasn’t completely overcome the Lie.



9. Your Character’s Arc in the Climax: The Climax begins as the character finally and fully rejects the Lie and acts upon his new Truth. In the climactic moment, he will use this Truth to conclusively destroy the antagonistic force. If appropriate, he may yet gain the Thing He Wants Most as well.



10. Your Character’s Arc in the Resolution: The Resolution will provide an illustration of the character’s new life, free from the Lie.



Once you understand how the structure of both plot and character work together to create a seamless, powerful story, you can use these basic tenets to raise your stories to the next level.










K.M. Weiland is the author of the epic fantasy
Dreamlander, the historical western A Man Called
Outlaw and the
medieval epic Behold the Dawn. She enjoys mentoring other
authors through her website Helping Writers Become Authors, her books Outlining Your
Novel and Structuring YourNovel, and her
instructional CD Conquering
Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration. She makes her home in western Nebraska.

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A revealing
interview with writer Lee Child: http://dld.bz/cMREb