Janice Hardy's Blog, page 103
July 2, 2018
Are You Looking for a Critique Group or Partner?
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy It's Crit Time Again! The 2018 Summer Group is now open!
Back in 2013 I started a Yahoo Group called "Janice Hardy's Critique Connection" to help writers connect with like-minded folks looking for critique groups or partners. It was designed to help people find long-term, quality writing partners, not just places you can toss up your work and get quick feedback.
It went from a one-time event to annually, and now to every six months (I open it up every January and July). If you're looking to join or create a critique group, add more to your existing group, or find a critique partner, odds are you'll find someone here.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 1, 2018
Writing Prompt: The Skill Builder: I Know That Voice
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyThis week’s prompt focuses on an exercise designed to work on a particular skill or technique, such as a POV exercise or character builder. Today’s skill:
Developing Character Voices
Characters who all sound the same make for boring, flat, and even confusing novels, but when readers can tell who’s speaking just by their dialogue—you’ve got gold.
Pick a scene from your current manuscript with at least two characters talking. Copy it into a new file, and re-write it, changing the voices of the characters to reflect a different backstory or personality (it doesn’t matter what the truth is, this is just for fun). Think about how their voice and actions would change based on a new personality or background.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 30, 2018
Real Life Diagnostics: Would You Keep Reading This YA Fantasy Opening?
Critique By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyReal Life Diagnostics is a weekly column that studies a snippet of a work in progress for specific issues. Readers are encouraged to send in work with questions, and we diagnose it on the site. It’s part critique, part example, and designed to help the submitter as well as anyone else having a similar problem.
If you're interested in submitting to Real Life Diagnostics, please check out these guidelines.
Submissions currently in the queue: Two
Please Note: As of today, RLD slots are booked through July 14.
This week’s questions:
1. Would you want to keep reading?
2. Is the description too much at this point?
3. Does it sound like Fantasy or is the language too modern?
4. Does the mental and physical state of the protagonist match her actions?
5. Does this opening work?
Market/Genre: YA Fantasy
On to the diagnosis…
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 29, 2018
The Difference Between Editing and Revising a Novel
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyThis week's Refresher Friday takes an updated look at the difference between editing and revising. And for a deeper look on same theme, Jami Gold just wrote about this as well (which is what inspired me to pull mine out of the archives for this week). Enjoy!
You often hear "edit" and "revise" used interchangeably, but it's helpful to think of them as two different things, because they really do focus on different aspects of the process.
Editing is the line by line tweaks that polish your text.
Revision is more macro level, changing parts of the story.
Which do you do first? I revise first, because that covers the big issues. The things that may take a lot of work. Once the story is unfolding how I want, then I edit, polishing it until it shines. For example, there’s no need to polish the text of a paragraph if I might cut that entire scene. Makes more sense to wait until the story is solid.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 28, 2018
What Are Your Thoughts On This New Column?
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy The Indie Author Series launched in January 2014, and since then, we’ve had more than 200 in-depth articles about navigating the self publishing world. It’s been a fantastic info-packed run, but it’s getting more and more difficult for my contributing authors to come up with topics and share new information every week. There’s only so much to talk about. I think it’s time to start thinking about how to revamp this column for 2019 (or even sooner if my authors and guests are excited about the change).
One of the things I’ve always liked about the Indie Author Series, is that it focused on the business side of writing. It was a place for indie authors to turn to for tips and advice on how to handle their careers and author businesses. I’d like to continue with that concept, but expand it to more than just indie authors—especially since a lot of what’s been shared applies to both indie and traditionally published authors. For example, no matter how you publish these days, you’re still responsible for a significant part (if not all) of your marketing and promotion. Both publishing options build a reader audience and gather subscribers for a newsletter. The business side overlaps a lot.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 27, 2018
3 Signs You Might Be Ignoring Writing Advice That Can Help You
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyWe continue our Critique Connection mini-series ramp up on critiques today, with a look at signs that suggest you could be ignoring the very advice you need to improve your writing.
I couldn’t put an exact figure on the number of critiques I’ve received (or given), but I’ve no doubts it’s broken three figures (and gone over 500 for critiques I’ve given). I’ve been writing a long time, and I’ve been active in multiple critique groups in all those years.
I’ve gotten good critiques and bad. Helpful and useless. Encouraging and downright nasty. I’ve had newbies try to tell me how to write and professionals who trusted I knew what I was doing and let me do it. Some groups have been helpful while others have been terrible. When it comes to critiques and their colorful variety…
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 26, 2018
The ‘Maverick Friend’ As a Plot Device
By Bonnie Randall Part of the How They Do It Series (Monthly Contributor)
If you have watched Harlan Coben’s Safe or The Five, you are familiar with the ‘Maverick Friend’, a character employed within many of Coben’s mysteries. The Maverick Friend is often someone who is ‘situationally ethical’; the virtues they have are often buried beneath the shocking things they do…or are what propel the wicked things they do. Maverick Friends are not the stories’ villains, yet they cheat, steal, lie, drink, use dope, sleep around, and sometimes even commit murder.
The Maverick Friend is often used as the character who can employ the vigilante-type violence a plot may require when such a resolution, if affected by the main protagonist, would be unbecoming, unacceptable, unbelievable, or would derail the story’s HEA. In my novel Divinity & the Python , it was crucial that neither my heroine nor my hero become killers, yet my villain needed to die. Enter my heroine’s ‘Maverick Friend’ who was, without HEA-derailing consequences, able to inflict the final act of violence that stopped evil in its tracks.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 25, 2018
Have You Heard about the WRITE-PUBLISH-PROFIT SUPER STACK Bundle?
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy
From time to time, I come across great deals for writers, and today I'm sharing one with you guys. It's a jam-packed writing bundle called the WRITE-PUBLISH-PROFIT SUPER STACK. Check it out here.
Now, this is not your average, every day “Bundle” of a couple of books or a webinar.
There are 30 + highly successful coaches, trainers and thought leaders that have contributed their full-length e-courses and e-books to the bundle. Plus, there’s some helpful writing and editing software as well other resources included.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
What to Do When Your Critique Feedback Gets Ignored
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyIn a critique group, advice goes both ways—we give and we receive. But once in a while, the feedback we offer goes ignored. Our “gifts” are returned unopened.
It’s irritating when you spend hours reading a manuscript, make a multitude of comments, and carefully summarize your thoughts with advice on how to fix any issues you saw, and then the writer ignores everything you said.
It’s doubly annoying when that same writer asks for your advice manuscript after manuscript, and you know you’re wasting your time giving it to them. You could just submit the same critique and they wouldn’t even notice let alone heed your advice.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 24, 2018
Writing Prompt: The Story Starter: Hey, It’s You!
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyThis week’s prompt is a story starter, so take the element provided and turn it into a story of any length you choose. If you’re stuck on size, I suggest aiming for 1000-2000 words.
On a flight, two people recognize each other. One is right. One is wrong.
Write whatever this triggers, and use these details however you wish. Put them together, use them separately, make one a detail in a scene, whatever inspires you—run with it. Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
