Jerry B. Jenkins's Blog, page 18

How to Choose and Use a Mentor

Guest post by Dr. Dennis E. Hensley

I can personally attest to the value of a mentor. My high school English teacher gave me lists of books to read, edited my manuscripts, and encouraged me to write for the school literary magazine.

My college adviser and teacher pushed me to become a reporter for the college newspaper, helped me select courses that would best prepare me for a career as a freelance writer, and worked elbow to elbow with me to improve my writing by editing my papers line by line.

Today, I have close friends in the field of writing I turn to for advice, encouragement, teaching, and perspective.

Choosing a Mentor

Begin by listing of what you need both in your personal life and your career.

For life skills, you may need help in time management, finances, or health issues. For your career, you may need help in mastering writing skills, improving your public speaking, or marketing yourself and your work.

Sometimes one person can mentor you in all these areas, but, more likely, you will need two or even three mentors. I engage a personal trainer to help me maintain a proper diet, guide my workouts, and advise me on getting proper rest. However, I turn to a different person to copyedit and proofread my manuscripts, maintain my website, and help me secure speaking engagements.

And the Nominees Are…

Because the best advisers are successful themselves, you may have to pay or barter for their guidance.

Approach the person you feel will be of greatest help and be transparent. Tell them you want to develop the skills you see they have mastered. “If you could work with me in whatever time you can spare, I promise not to disappoint you.”

Whether or not they agree take you on, ask for direction in that initial meeting. Are there people you should meet, books you should read, workshops you should attend, connections you should make?

Amaze your potential mentor by following through on every bit of advice. Come back later with written summaries of the recommended books, quotes from a workshop you attended, reports on your meetings with the people they suggested.

Be Reasonable

If you meet resistance in an initial meeting, seek a referral. And don’t ask for too much. I am put off when people invite me for coffee and then try to hand off a 500-page manuscript for a free edit.

I also am put off by people who either brag endlessly or do the opposite: put themselves down and play the part of the victim who has never been given a fair chance.

Foodstuffs Gratefully Accepted

I am eager to hear what you have accomplished, where you’re headed, and why you feel I might be of help. Also, like most mentors, I’m open to bribes.☺As my friend, author and editor Lin Johnson, tells students at my college, “It’s always nice to send a nice thank you letter to editors—and chocolate.”

A mentor can reveal shortcuts, open doors, protect your blind side, keep you focused, hold you accountable, push you to new levels, and channel your energies and talents toward success.

One stick can easily be broken over the knee. Two sticks are sturdier, stronger, and more durable. Don’t go it alone.

Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, a friend and frequent guest of The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, is director of the professional writing program at Taylor University. He has written more than 60 books, including his latest, Finding Success with Your Dream Writing Projects (Bold Vision Books). 

In what area of your life do you need a mentor? If you can’t afford to pay one, what service could you trade for someone’s counsel? Tell me in the comments.

The post How to Choose and Use a Mentor appeared first on Jerry Jenkins | Write Your Book.

How to Write a Series of Novels Your Readers Will Love

Writing a series is daunting.

Each installment must both stand alone and work as part of the whole. You’re forced to keep up with all the elements you exploit in a single novel and make sure they serve the entire entity: characters, plot, settings, everything.

Having written six adult series and ten children’s series, I can say I learned quickly that I had to re-read the previous title before starting the next, every time.

Was that really necessary?

The one time I tried to shortcut the process I found myself more than halfway through the writing of the next title in The Left Behind Series™ when I had a sinking feeling.

One of the global curses I had included was a decrease in the power of the sun by one-third. So my characters in the desert suddenly had to wear long pants, sweaters, coats, hats. Made sense.

But hadn’t that curse been lifted near the end of the previous title? A rather significant development, if I was right.

And I was. A fast re-read of that previous title confirmed my suspicion. The desert was back to full aridity. I had to go back to the beginning of the current manuscript and re-dress my characters!

A Crucial Checklist

Navigating the delicate balance between satisfying your reader with each book and keeping them longing for the next, you must remain vigilant on many fronts.

Ask yourself:

Do I risk frustrating my reader by stretching the story to accommodate a series, rather than ensuring that each title works on its own?
Am I able to keep each installment relatively similar in length and time span covered?
Have I provided enough variety in voice, narrator, and perspective characters without jeopardizing the consistency of the message and tone?
 3 Tips to Writing a Great Series
1. Remember that Publishers Love Series

Left Behind began as a one-book deal. The idea was to tell the story of the Rapture, including the seven-year Tribulation (including 21 judgments from heaven).

Halfway through the writing of that manuscript I realized I had covered only two weeks of the seven years.

With great trepidation, I informed the publisher, Tyndale House, that I was afraid the story would require at least a trilogy. They immediately rewrote the contract and urged me to let the story dictate the length.

My editor reminded me that publishers love series because they get more bang for the buck. If the overall plot can bear it, multiple titles allow advertising and promotion that much more impact for virtually the same price. The individual titles themselves promote the whole.

Halfway through the writing of book two, I had covered two months of the seven years. Another phone call. Another rewritten contract to make the series seven titles.

Eventually Left Behind became a series of 16 titles.

2. Keep Character Arc Paramount

The main reason I couldn’t force 21 dramatic judgments from heaven into one big novel was that with such a huge, cosmic concept, my characters had to be realistic and believable.

If the entire novel was filled with slam bang action, my characters would have become props, stick figures on which to hang a sort of comic book tale.

My message in this story is that while it was cast as fiction—putting made-up characters in the way of these dire prophecies—I believe it’s true and will happen some day.

So to lend credence to that theme, my characters had to be easily identified with. The reader had to be able to see himself in these situations and resonate—or not—with the decisions of very realistic people.

Character arc takes time, and pages. It can’t flag and get boring, but neither can it be shortcut.

In a series, readers expect characters to grow in each book and throughout the entire package.

3. Each Novel Must Satisfy On Its Own

This is where too many novelists stumble.

They succumb to the temptation to “save the good stuff” for the final book. Better to give your all to each title and, in essence, have to start from scratch with each new one.

Naturally, the overall story itself needs to continue, but force yourself to write each novel as if it’s the last in terms of intrigue, suspense, conflict, dialogue, character arc, all of it.

That will guarantee that the reader will get your best with every installment and one won’t dip in quality or serve only as a connector title to keep the series going.

Do you have questions about how to write a series? Ask me in the comments.

The post How to Write a Series of Novels Your Readers Will Love appeared first on Jerry Jenkins | Write Your Book.

249 Powerful Verbs That’ll Spice Up Your Writing

Do you ever wonder why a grammatically correct sentence you’ve written just lies there like a dead fish?

I sure have.

Your sentence might even be full of those adjectives and adverbs your teachers and loved ones so admired in your writing when you were a kid.

But still the sentence doesn’t work.

Something simple I learned from The Elements of Style years ago changed the way I write and added verve to my prose. The authors of that little bible of style said: “Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs.”

Even Mark Twain was quoted, regarding adjectives: “When in doubt, strike it out.”

That’s not to say there’s no place for adjectives. I used three in the title and first paragraph of this post alone.

The point is that good writing is more about well-chosen nouns and powerful verbs than it is about adjectives and adverbs, regardless what you were told as a kid.

There’s no quicker win for you and your manuscript than ferreting out and eliminating flabby verbs and replacing them with vibrant ones.

How To Know Which Verbs Need Replacing

Your first hint is your own discomfort with a sentence. Odds are it features a snooze-inducing verb.

As you hone your ferocious self-editing skills, train yourself to exploit opportunities to replace a weak verb for a strong one.

At the end of this post I suggest a list of 249 powerful verbs you can experiment with to replace tired ones.

Want a copy of the 249-verb list to read, save, or print whenever you wish? Click here.

What constitutes a tired verb? Here’s what to look for:

3 Types of Verbs to Beware of in Your Prose
1. State-of-being verbs

These are passive as opposed to powerful:

Is
Am
Are
Was
Were
Be
Being
Been
Have
Has
Had
Do


Does
Did
Shall
Will
Should
Would
May
Might
Must
Can
Could

Am I saying these should never appear in your writing? Of course not. You’ll find them in this piece. But when a sentence lies limp, you can bet it contains at least one of these. Determining when a state-of-being verb is the culprit creates a problem—and finding a better, more powerful verb to replace it—is what makes us writers. [Note how I replaced the state-of-being verbs in this paragraph.]

Resist the urge to consult a thesaurus for the most exotic verb you can find. I consult such references only for the normal word that carries power but refuses to come to mind.

I would suggest even that you consult my list of powerful verbs only after you have exhausted all efforts to come up with one on your own. You want Make your prose to be your own creation, not yours plus Roget or Webster or Jenkins. [See how easy they are to spot and fix?]

Examples

Impotent: The man was walking on the platform.

Powerful: The man strode along the platform.

 

Impotent: Jim is a lover of country living.

Powerful: Jim treasures country living.

 

Impotent: There are three things that make me feel the way I do…

Powerful: Three things convince me…

 

2. Verbs that rely on adverbs

Powerful verbs are strong enough to stand alone.

Examples

The fox ran quickly dashed through the forest.

She menacingly looked glared at her rival.

He secretly listened eavesdropped while they discussed their plans.

 

3. Verbs with -ing suffixes

Examples

Before: He was walking…

After: He walked…

 

Before: She was loving the idea of…

After: She loved the idea of…

 

Before: The family was starting to gather…

After: The family started to gather…

The List of 249 Powerful Verbs


Absorb
Advance
Advise
Alter
Amend
Amplify
Attack
Balloon
Bash
Batter
Beam
Beef
Blab
Blast
Bolt
Boost
Brief
Broadcast
Brood
Burst
Bus
Bust
Capture
Catch
Charge
Chap
Chip
Clasp
Climb
Clutch
Collide
Command
Commune
Cower
Crackle
Crash
Crave
Crush
Dangle
Dash
Demolish
Depart
Deposit
Detect
Deviate
Devour
Direct
Discern
Discover
Dismantle
Download
Drag
Drain
Drip
Drop
Eavesdrop
Engage
Engulf
Enlarge
Ensnare
Envelop
Erase
Escort
Expand
Explode
Explore
Expose
Extend
Extract
Eyeball
Fight
Fish
Fling
Fly
Frown
Fuse
Garble
Gaze
Glare
Gleam
Glisten
Glitter
Gobble


Govern
Grasp
Gravitate
Grip
Groan
Grope
Growl
Guide
Gush
Hack
Hail
Heighten
Hobble
Hover
Hurry
Ignite
Illuminate
Inspect
Instruct
Intensify
Intertwine
Impart
Jostle
Journey
Lash
Launch
Lead
Leap
Locate
Lurch
Lurk
Magnify
Mimic
Mint
Moan
Modify
Multiply
Muse
Mushroom
Mystify
Notice
Notify
Obtain
Oppress
Order
Paint
Park
Peck
Peek
Peer
Perceive
Picture
Pilot
Pinpoint
Place
Plant
Plop
Pluck
Plunge
Poison
Pop
Position
Power
Prickle
Probe
Prune
Realize
Recite
Recoil
Refashion
Refine
Remove
Report
Retreat
Reveal
Reverberate
Revitalize
Revolutionize
Revolve
Rip
Rise
Ruin
Rush


Rust
Saunter
Scamper
Scan
Scorch
Scrape
Scratch
Scrawl
Seize
Serve
Shatter
Shepherd
Shimmer
Shine
Shock
Shrivel
Sizzle
Skip
Skulk
Slash
Slide
Slink
Slip
Slump
Slurp
Smash
Smite
Snag
Snarl
Sneak
Snowball
Soar
Spam
Sparkle
Sport
Sprinkle
Stare
Starve
Steal
Steer
Storm
Strain
Stretch
Strip
Stroll
Struggle
Stumble
Supercharge
Supersize
Surge
Survey
Swell
Swipe
Swoon
Tail
Tattle
Toddle
Transfigure
Transform
Travel
Treat
Trim
Trip
Trudge
Tussle
Uncover
Unearth
Untangle
Unveil
Usher
Veil
Wail
Weave
Wind
Withdraw
Wreck
Wrench
Wrest
Wrestle
Wring
Yank
Zing
Zap

Click here or below to download the expanded list (now 249 powerful verbs!), along with the three types of verbs to watch for in your writing

Suggest in the comments three (only) powerful verbs that should be added to my list.

 

The post 249 Powerful Verbs That’ll Spice Up Your Writing appeared first on Jerry Jenkins | Proven Writing Tips.

195 Powerful Verbs That’ll Spice Up Your Writing

Do you ever wonder why a grammatically correct sentence you’ve written just lies there like a dead fish?

I sure have.

Your sentence might even be full of those adjectives and adverbs your teachers and loved ones so admired in your writing when you were a kid.

But still the sentence doesn’t work.

Something simple I learned from The Elements of Style years ago changed the way I write and added verve to my prose. The authors of that little bible of style said: “Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs.”

Even Mark Twain was quoted, regarding adjectives: “When in doubt, strike it out.”

That’s not to say there’s no place for adjectives. I used three in the title and first paragraph of this post alone.

The point is that good writing is more about well-chosen nouns and powerful verbs than it is about adjectives and adverbs, regardless what you were told as a kid.

There’s no quicker win for you and your manuscript than ferreting out and eliminating flabby verbs and replacing them with vibrant ones.

How To Know Which Verbs Need Replacing

Your first hint is your own discomfort with a sentence. Odds are it features a snooze-inducing verb.

As you hone your ferocious self-editing skills, train yourself to exploit opportunities to replace a weak verb for a strong one.

At the end of this post I suggest a list of 195 powerful verbs you can experiment with to replace tired ones.

What constitutes a tired verb? Here’s what to look for:

3 Types of Verbs to Beware of in Your Prose
1. State-of-being verbs

These are passive as opposed to powerful:

Is
Am
Are
Was
Were
Be
Being
Been
Have
Has
Had
Do


Does
Did
Shall
Will
Should
Would
May
Might
Must
Can
Could

Am I saying these should never appear in your writing? Of course not. You’ll find them in this piece. But when a sentence lies limp, you can bet it contains at least one of these. Determining when a state-of-being verb is the culprit creates a problem—and finding a better, more powerful verb to replace it—is what makes us writers. [Note how I replaced the state-of-being verbs in this paragraph.]

Resist the urge to consult a thesaurus for the most exotic verb you can find. I consult such references only for the normal word that carries power but refuses to come to mind.

I would suggest even that you consult my list of powerful verbs only after you have exhausted all efforts to come up with one on your own. You want Make your prose to be your own creation, not yours plus Roget or Webster or Jenkins. [See how easy they are to spot and fix?]

Examples

Impotent: The man was walking on the platform.

Powerful: The man strode along the platform.

 

Impotent: Jim is a lover of country living.

Powerful: Jim treasures country living.

 

Impotent: There are three things that make me feel the way I do…

Powerful: Three things convince me…

 

2. Verbs that rely on adverbs

Powerful verbs are strong enough to stand alone.

Examples

The fox ran quickly dashed through the forest.

She menacingly looked glared at her rival.

He secretly listened eavesdropped while they discussed their plans.

 

3. Verbs with -ing suffixes

Examples

Before: He was walking…

After: He walked…

 

Before: She was loving the idea of…

After: She loved the idea of…

 

Before: The family was starting to gather…

After: The family started to gather…

The List of 195 Powerful Verbs


Advance
Advise
Alter
Amend
Amplify
Attack
Balloon
Bash
Batter
Beam
Beef
Blab
Blast
Bolt
Boost
Brief
Burst
Bus
Bust
Capture
Catch
Charge
Chap
Chip
Clasp
Climb
Clutch
Collide
Command
Crackle
Crash
Crush
Dash
Demolish
Depart
Deposit
Detect
Deviate
Devour
Direct
Discern
Discover
Drain
Drip
Drop
Eavesdrop
Engulf
Enlarge
Ensnare
Erase
Escort
Expand
Explode
Explore
Expose
Extend
Extract
Eyeball
Fish
Frown
Gaze
Glare
Glisten
Glitter
Gobble


Govern
Grasp
Grip
Groan
Growl
Guide
Hail
Heighten
Hurry
Ignite
Illuminate
Inspect
Instruct
Intensify
Intertwine
Impart
Journey
Lash
Lead
Leap
Locate
Magnify
Moan
Modify
Multiply
Mushroom
Mystify
Notice
Notfiy
Obtain
Oppress
Order
Paint
Park
Peck
Peek
Peer
Perceive
Picture
Pilot
Pinpoint
Place
Plant
Plop
Poison
Pop
Position
Power
Prickle
Probe
Prune
Realize
Recite
Recoil
Refashion
Refine
Remove
Report
Retreat
Reveal
Revolutionize
Revolve
Rip
Rise
Ruin


Rush
Rust
Scan
Scrape
Scratch
Scrawl
Seize
Serve
Shatter
Shepherd
Shimmer
Shine
Shock
Shrivel
Sizzle
Skip
Slash
Slide
Slip
Slurp
Smash
Snag
Snarl
Snowball
Soar
Sparkle
Sport
Stare
Steal
Steer
Storm
Strain
Stretch
Strip
Stroll
Struggle
Stumble
Supercharge
Supersize
Surge
Survey
Swell
Swipe
Swoon
Tail
Tattle
Transfigure
Transform
Travel
Treat
Trim
Uncover
Unearth
Untangle
Unveil
Usher
Veil
Weave
Wind
Withdraw
Wreck
Wrench
Wrest
Wrestle
Wring

Click here or below to download a PDF version of the list, along with the three types of verbs to beware of in your writing:

Suggest in the comments three (only) powerful verbs that should be added to my list.

 

The post 195 Powerful Verbs That’ll Spice Up Your Writing appeared first on Jerry Jenkins | Write Your Book.

Does This Scene Deserve a Place in Your Story? 2 Ways to Find Out

Guest post by K.M. Weiland

“Cut this scene. It doesn’t move the plot.”

That is my most frequent comment on manuscripts I edit for others. It causes most writers to groan. Not only am I telling you to cut your beloved scenes (perhaps even your favorite), but you’re left to figure out why these scenes are extraneous—and then either fix or replace them.

Bill Buchanan emailed me:

Could you tell me how to evaluate the relative value of any scene in my novel?

Sol Stein’s book On Writing says:

“…I found it desirable to set a standard. If any scene falls below that standard, out it goes. The process stops when the remaining scenes all seem to contribute strongly to the work as a whole.”

Stein didn’t describe his scene evaluation standard, so don’t worry if you don’t have an answer for this. If it was easy, Sol Stein would’ve explained it!

Fortunately, I do have an answer. Once you understand the twofold essence of a powerful scene, you will instinctively reject subpar scenes and replace them with memorable and powerful alternatives.

2 Questions You Must Ask About Every Scene

Be brutally honest with yourself. Some of your favorite scenes may deserve a resounding No to both questions. The good news is that you have not only identified a major way to improve your manuscript, but you have also opened a clear path to correcting the problems.

1. Is this scene pertinent to the plot?

Every scene should help you create a cohesive and resonant whole. Any scene—however fabulous in its own right—that does not contribute to the plot, theme, and character arc will prove discordant and distracting.

Does this scene move the plot? Every scene must create a sense of motion. It must change the story. If your characters have not moved closer to their respective goals by the end of the scene, you’re looking at a static tableau.

If you’re unsure, pretend you whacked the scene altogether. Would the story continue without a hitch? Might it be even faster-paced and more focused? Or would the loss leave readers confused?

Sometimes a scene can ace the above requirements and still not be the best for your story. Don’t write scenes that just scrape by. Write scenes that explode off the page, moving the plot by leaps and bounds, affecting not just one element of your story, but as many as possible.

Not every less-than-functional scene has to be deleted. Often, its worthwhile elements can be salvaged by folding them in with the best parts of another mediocre scene. The best parts of two can result in one dynamite scene.

2. Is this scene interesting?

It’s not enough for a scene to be functional. It must also be fascinating.

A scene can work on every level and still be one readers have read a hundred times before. What about this particular scene will make readers pay attention? Look for ways to pique curiosity and create conflict, that tension that keeps readers turning the pages.

One of the surest signs your readers will be bored is that you’re bored while writing. Force yourself to stop and consider why. If the events don’t excite you or challenge you, it’s probably because your characters are going nowhere. Passive characters result in boring scenes. Be sure your character has a scene goal, something to move toward in this scene—and then complicate his progress by introducing obstacles (conflict).

Think Outside the Box

Another frequent cause of boring scenes is a lack of character interaction. Instantly pep up any scene by giving your protagonist someone to talk to—and, preferably, disagree with.

Don’t settle for letting your characters follow the obvious path from Point A to Point B. What would be unexpected? What are your minor characters’ driving needs in this scene? What new setting could might ratchet up the conflict or offer resonant symbolism?

When readers look back on the stories they love the most, specific scenes come to their minds. Ask yourself these two crucial questions, and fill your book with as many amazing and memorable scenes as possible.

K.M. Weiland lives in make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives on chocolate truffles and espresso. She is the internationally award-winning author of Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel, and Creating Character Arcs . She writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in western Nebraska and mentors authors on her award-winning website Helping Writers Become Authors.

Tell me in the comments what you found most helpful in K.M.’s post, and what you’ll do this week to improve your scene writing.

The post Does This Scene Deserve a Place in Your Story? 2 Ways to Find Out appeared first on Jerry Jenkins | Write Your Book.

How to Write Dialogue That Works

Does the dialogue you write bore you?

If it does, it’ll put your reader to sleep.

And unfortunately, your first reader will be an agent or an editor. You can’t slip anything boring past them.

Your job as a writer is to make every word count. That’s the best way to keep your reader riveted until the final page—no small task.

Knowing how to write compelling dialogue starts right there—making every word count.

Readers love dialogue for many reasons:

● It breaks up intimidating blocks of copy containing a lot of narrative summary.

● It differentiates (through dialect and word choice) and reveals characters.

● Done well, it can move the story along without author intrusion.

But, as you have likely discovered, writing great dialogue is hard. If yours is bloated or in any other way uninteresting, readers won’t stay with you long.

So how about we leave them no choice?

3 Tips to Writing Effective Dialogue
1. Cut to the Bone

Unless you need to reveal a character as a brainiac or a blowhard pretending to be one, omit every needless word.

Obviously, you wouldn’t render a conversation the way a court transcript includes repetition and even um, ah, uh, etc. But further, see how much you can chop without losing the point. Like this:

“What do you want to do this Sunday? I thought We could go to the amusement park.”

“I was thinking about renting a rowboat on one of the lakes.”

“Oh, Vladimir, that sounds wonderful! I’ve never gone rowing before.”

That doesn’t mean all your dialogue has to be short and choppy—just that you’ll cut out the dead wood to keep to the point. You’ll be surprised by how much power it adds to your prose.

2. Reveal Backstory

Sprinkling in backstory through dialogue is another way to keep your reader turning pages. Hinting at some incident for the first time is an automatic setup that demands a payoff.

Example:

As they emerged from the car and headed toward the house, Janet whispered, “Can we not have a repeat of Cincinnati?”

Jeanie shot her a double take. “Believe me, I don’t want that any more than you do.”

“Good,” Janet said. “I mean—”

“Can we not talk about it, please?”

What normal reader wouldn’t assume they will talk about it at some point and will stay with the story until then?

As the story moves along, you can continue to reveal more and more about your protagonist’s past and have your story come full circle.

This technique accomplishes two things at once: it offers a setup that should intrigue the reader, and it helps you avoid flashbacks.

3. Reveal Character

Your reader learns a lot about your characters through dialogue. You don’t have to describe them as sarcastic, witty, narcissistic, kind, or anything else. The reader will know from how they interact with others and their choice of words.

Avoid the Cardinal Sin of Dialogue

The last thing you want is to be guilty of on-the-nose writing, especially in dialogue. Rather, cut and reveal, and you’ll immediately see the difference. And so will your reader.

In the comments, ask any questions regarding how to write dialogue.

The post How to Write Dialogue That Works appeared first on Jerry Jenkins | Write Your Book.

Showing vs. Telling: What You Need to Know

You’ve heard it a thousand times from writing mentors, and you’ll hear it a thousand times more:

Show, don’t tell.

But what does it mean?

If you struggle with the difference between the two, you’re not alone. Once you’ve got it, it seems simple. But until you do, this maxim causes as many questions as anything in the writing world.  

Is it really that important? You bet it is. If you want your writing noticed by a publisher or an agent—and for the right reasons—it’s vital you master the art of showing.

So let’s see if I can solidify the concept in your mind right here, right now.

I want to supercharge your showing vs. telling radar—and make it simple.

Showing vs. Telling—the Difference

When you tell rather than show, you simply inform your reader of information rather than allowing him to deduce anything.

You’re supplying information by simply stating it. You might report that a character is “tall,” or “angry,” or “cold,” or “tired.”

That’s telling.

Showing would paint a picture the reader could see in her mind’s eye.

If your character is tall, your reader can deduce that because you mention others looking up when they talk with him. Or he has to duck to get through a door. Or when posing for a photo, he has to bend his knees to keep his head in proximity of others.

Rather than telling that your character is angry, show it by describing his face flushing, his throat tightening, his voice rising, his slamming a fist on the table. When you show, you don’t have to tell.

Cold? Don’t tell me; show me. Your character pulls her collar up, tightens her scarf, shoves her hands deep into her pockets, turns her face away from the biting wind.

Tired? He can yawn, groan, stretch. His eyes can look puffy. His shoulders could slump. Another character might say, “Didn’t you sleep last night? You look shot.”

When you show rather than tell, you make the reader part of the experience. Rather than having everything simply imparted to him, he sees it in his mind and comes to the conclusions you want.

What could be better than engaging your reader—giving him an active role in the storytelling—or should I say the story-showing?

Examples

Telling: When they embraced she could tell he had been smoking and was scared.

Showing: When she wrapped her arms around him, the sweet staleness of tobacco enveloped her, and he was shivering.

 

Telling: The temperature fell and the ice reflected the sun.

Showing: Bill’s nose burned in the frigid air, and he squinted against the sun

reflecting off the street.

 

Telling: Suzie was blind.

Showing: Suzie felt for the bench with a white cane.

 

Telling: It was late fall.

Showing: Leaves crunched beneath his feet.

 

Telling: She was a plumber and asked where the bathroom was.

Showing: She wore coveralls carried a plunger and metal toolbox, and wrenches of various sizes hung from a leather belt around her waist. “Point me to the head,” she said.

 

Telling: I had a great conversation with Tim over dinner and loved hearing his stories.

Showing: I barely touched my food, riveted by Tim. “Let me tell you another story,” he said.

Is Telling Ever Acceptable?

Yes, it’s a mistake to take show, don’t tell as inviolable. While summary narrative is largely frowned upon, sometimes it’s a prudent choice. If there’s no value to the plot/tension/conflict/character arc by showing some mundane but necessary information, telling is preferable.

For instance, say you have to get your character to an important meeting and back, before the real action happens. Maybe he has to get clearance from his superiors before he can lead a secret raid.

Rather than investing several pages showing every aspect of the trip from packing, dressing, getting a cab to the airport, going through security, boarding the plane, arriving at his destination—you quickly tell that this way:

Three days later, after a trip to Washington to get the operation sanctioned by his superiors, Casey packed his weapons and camo clothes and set out to recruit his crew.

Then you immediately return to showing mode, describing his visits to trusted compatriots and getting them on board.

Why the Book Is Usually Better Than the Movie  

The theater of the reader’s mind is more powerful than anything Hollywood can put on the screen. Well-written books trigger the theatre of the mind and allow readers to create their own visual.

Your writing can do the same if you master showing rather than telling.

Have another question about showing vs. telling ? Ask me in the comments.

The post Showing vs. Telling: What You Need to Know appeared first on Jerry Jenkins | Write Your Book.

How to Write a Great Opening Line for Your Novel or Nonfiction Book

Some say editors and agents can decide against your manuscript within the first three pages.

Harsh as that sounds, the truth is worse…

They can actually pass judgment within the first few paragraphs.

If they aren’t hooked immediately, they move on. That doesn’t sound fair, but we writers must face reality.

Except for loved ones and close friends, readers aren’t much more merciful. So even if you’re self-publishing and avoiding the harsh glare of professional eyes, rivet your readers from the get-go or most will close your book without a second thought.

There’s no formula for the perfect opener, but great writers have been creating them for centuries. The key, as with every other writing question, is to think reader-first and do what you believe will work best.

Novelist Les Edgerton began a short story this way:

He was so mean that wherever he was standing became the bad part of town.

I’d keep reading, wouldn’t you?

You’ll find some favorites below in four categories. Play off these and see what you can come up with for your work in progress.

Great Opening Lines
1. Surprise

Fiction

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. —Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. —George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)

It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not. —Paul Auster, City of Glass (1985)

It was the day my grandmother exploded. —Iain M. Banks, The Crow Road (1992)

High, high above the North Pole, on the first day of 1969, two professors of English Literature approached each other at a combined velocity of 1200 miles per hour. —David Lodge, Changing Places (1975)

Nonfiction

By the time Eustace Conway was seven years old, he could throw a knife accurately enough to nail a chipmunk to a tree. —Elizabeth Gilbert, The Last American Man (2002)

Every year I bury a couple hundred of my townspeople. —Thomas Lynch, Undertaking: Life Studies From the Dismal Trade (1997)

In the fall of 1993, a man who would upend much of what we know about habits walked into a laboratory in San Diego for a scheduled appointment. —Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit (2012)

2. Dramatic Statement

Fiction

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. —Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita (1955)

I am an invisible man. —Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (1952)

“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.” —Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea (1952)

Someone must have slandered Josef K., for one morning, without having done anything truly wrong, he was arrested. —Franz Kafka, The Trial (1925)

They shoot the white girl first. —Toni Morrison, Paradise (1998)

You better not never tell nobody but God. —Alice Walker, The Color Purple (1982)

Nonfiction

My sharpest memory is of a single instant surrounded by dark. —Mary Karr, The Liar’s Club (1995)

What are you looking at me for? I’m not here to stay…  —Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)

I was five years old the first time I ever set foot in prison. —Jimmy Santiago Baca, A Place to Stand (2001)

Beware thoughts that come in the night. —William Least Heat Moon, Blue Highways (1982)

My high school friends have begun to suspect I haven’t told them the full story of my life. —Ishmael Beah, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (2007)

3. Philosophical

Fiction

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. —Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (1877)

This is the saddest story I have ever heard. —Ford Madox Ford, The Good Soldier (1915)

Nonfiction

It’s not about you. —Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life (2002)

No comet blazed when I was born. —Denis Healey, The Time of My Life (1989)

4. Poetic

Fiction

When I finally caught up with Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just outside of Sonoma, California, drinking the heart right out of a fine spring afternoon. —James Crumley, The Last Good Kiss (1978)

It was just noon that Sunday morning when the sheriff reached the jail with Lucas Beauchamp though the whole town (the whole county too for that matter) had known since the night before that Lucas had killed a white man. —William Faulkner, Intruder in the Dust (1948)

Nonfiction

The village of Holcomb stands on the high wheat plains of western Kansas, a lonesome area that other Kansans call “out there.” —Truman Capote, In Cold Blood (1967)

When people ask—and seems like people always be askin to where I can’t never get away from it—I say, Yeah, that’s right, my mother name was Henrietta Lacks, she died in 1951, John Hopkins took her cells and them cells are still livin today, still multiplyin, still growin and spreadin if you don’t keep em frozen. —Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2010)

A Great Opening Line Is Only the Beginning

Then it’s your job to keep the reader with you.

So study storytelling, work at creating compelling characters, and become a ferocious self-editor. You just might produce a manuscript that keeps an editor or agent reading all the way through.

What are some of your favorite opening lines? Tell me in the comments.

The post How to Write a Great Opening Line for Your Novel or Nonfiction Book appeared first on Jerry Jenkins | Write Your Book.

How to Fix Passive Voice

Acquisition editors have eagle-eyes for both talent and for amateurs.

They’re looking for stuff to buy and publish, and most are so overwhelmed with submissions, they’ve learned to quickly spot anything that allows them to set your piece aside.

Sound cruel? They don’t want reject your writing. But because of their work loads (and their goal—finding something they know will sell), once they see the mark of a novice, they’re on to the next manuscript.

Even experienced writers see their work land in the reject pile if they allow passive voice to creep in.

Give your manuscript a fighting chance and rid it of passive construction before you submit.

Defining Passive Voice

So, what is it?

I could tell you about subjects and objects and verbs and which is acting vs. being acted upon,  avoiding adverbs, and all that. But unless you excelled at diagramming sentences in school, that’s going to sound like gibberish.

The easiest way to spot passive voice is to look for state-of-being verbs and often the word by.

And the best way I know to teach this is by example.

Examples:

Passive: The party was planned by Jill.

Active: Jill planned the party.

Passive: The wedding cake was created by Ben.

Active: Ben created the wedding cake.

Passive: The Little League team was given trophies by the coaches.

Active: The coaches gave the Little League team trophies.

Passive: A good time was had by all.

Active: Everybody had a good time.

Avoid passive voice to increase your chances of getting more than five minutes of an editor’s time.

Active Voice Strengthens Your Prose

Avoiding passive voice will set you apart from much of your competition, but even better, it will give your writing a distinct ring of clarity.

Scour your work-in-progress for passive voice, root it out, replace it with active, and see how much more powerfully it reads.

That’s the kind of writing that gets more of an editor’s time.

Has this helped clarify the problem of passive voice? Do you still have questions for me or tips for others on how you’d dealt with this? Tell me in the comments.

The post How to Fix Passive Voice appeared first on Jerry Jenkins | Write Your Book.

How to Refine Your Raw Writing Talent

Discouraging, isn’t it?

You write a few blog posts and friends shower you with praises. You dream, Maybe I’ve got what it takes to score a publishing deal.

But then the music screeches to a halt.

You receive a scathing critique by an agent, an editor, an author.

And the storybook ending fades.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen it over and over.

Writers ask me for feedback. I believe they want real input, but when I fill the page with red marks, their faces fall.

They hoped I would say, “Where have you been all my life? How has a major publishing house not found you yet?”

They weren’t looking for help—they were looking to be discovered.

You might have a boatload of talent—enough to tell a compelling story in a fresh way. But if you think that means you don’t need to refine your skills, you’re wrong.

I’ve written and published more than 190 books, including 21 New York Times bestsellers, yet I still need fresh eyes on my work. And I’ve had to become a ferocious self-editor.

Writing is a craft.

That means you must build your writing muscles and learn the skills.

Regardless how talented you think you are, writing takes work. Many talented athletes never make the pros because they believed raw talent would carry them.

That doesn’t have to be you, as long as you cultivate your skills.

3 Effective Ways to Hone Your Talent
Read, Read, Read

Good writers are good readers. Great writers are great readers. Mediocre writers are mediocre readers.

Writing in your favorite genre? You should have read at least 200 titles in it.

Read everything you can get your hands on. You’ll begin to notice patterns that’ll inform your inner critic about what works and what doesn’t. And you’ll see a noticeable difference in your writing.

Write, Write, Write

Don’t expect to grow as a writer unless you’re in the chair doing it.

Write short stuff first. Articles, blogs. Learn to work with an editor. Learn the business. Get a quarter million cliches out of your system.

Welcome Brutally Honest Feedback

The fastest way to shave years off your learning curve is to seek real input from someone who knows.

But prepare yourself first. Your ego is likely to get a bruising.

Yes—the red pen hurts. During my early years in the newspaper and magazine business, my editors tore my work apart.

But it made me the writer I am today. Without that scrutiny I don’t know where I’d be.

Being heavily edited just means you can get better. So take advantage of every opportunity to grow. Assume there is always room for improvement—because there is.

I am still learning and sharpening my skills, after over 50 years in this game.

Tell me in the comments how you plan to act on this advice this week.

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