Janice Hardy's Blog, page 116
February 2, 2018
Studying the Waking Up Scene: Is it Really That Bad?
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy This week's Refresher Friday takes another look at why the wake up scene rarely works in fiction. Enjoy!
One of the things on the common list of writing “nevers” is starting a scene with someone waking up—especially if it’s the opening scene. At first glance it doesn’t seem like it should be so taboo. After all, it’s a clear start to a day or a situation, and it gives both readers and writers a leaping off point for the story.
Like the don't use adverbs advice, this is a “rule” that is quoted frequently, but doesn’t always come with solid reasons as to why it’s bad. So let’s look a little closer at this all-too-common scene and study why writing pros advise against it.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
February 1, 2018
The Indie Author's Publishing Checklist
By Jan Lewis, @authorsidekickPart of the Indie Authors Series
JH: Please help me welcome another new member of the 2018 faculty, Jan Lewis. Jan comes at indie publishing from a slightly different perspective--she's an author's assistant--and will be sharing thoughts from her knowledge and experience with multiple indie authors at every stage of their careers. She'll be here the first Thursday of every month.
Jan Lewis is the founder of Author Sidekick, a boutique digital agency offering virtual assistance to authors since 2013. She has 20 years of administrative experience and offers clients her expertise in Operations Management, Office Administration and Project Management. She has worked with multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, including JoAnn Ross, Jennifer Armentrout, Anna Banks, Claudia Gray, and Dr. Kelly Turner. Jan’s unique hands-on approach offers her clients the highest level of service tailored to their individual needs. To maintain this level of elite service, she manages a small client list and takes on new authors on a very limited basis.
Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Take it away Jan...
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
January 31, 2018
Is Your Novel All Premise and No Plot?
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Ideas come to me all the time. I have a folder on my computer that’s nothing but ideas, and I add to it every time something hits me—either another new idea or something to flesh out an existing idea. It’s pushing 50 ideas right now, but that doesn’t mean I have 50 books waiting to be written. Most of these ideas are nothing more than premises.
And a premise isn’t a plot.
Without that plot (and the conflict at the core of it) there’s no book. Great ideas can make great books, but only if that idea includes a character with a problem that must be solved or they will suffer the consequences of that failure.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
January 30, 2018
My Unusual Take on Cozy Mysteries
By Glenn Nilson Part of the How They Do It Series
JH: Cozy mysteries have well-loved formats and styles, but sometimes it's okay to bend those rules a little. Please help me welcome Glenn Nilson to the lecture hall today to share how he changed the rules of the cozy for his "sleuth on the road" series.
A native of California, Glenn grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills, spending his time doing farm chores, hiking, and even panning for gold. After earning his doctorate, he moved east to teach sociology in Connecticut. Upon retirement, the West drew him back, this time to New Mexico, the setting for a novel and several short stories. He still revisits the West by motorcycle, camping and visiting old riding buddies. Currently Glenn divides his time between living in rural Florida and up-state New York, refurbishing an 1870’s era creek-side cottage and writing.
Website | Goodreads |
Take it away Glenn...
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
January 28, 2018
Writing Prompt: The Skill Builder: Pace Yourself
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy This 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:
Pacing
Pick a scene from your current project and copy it into another file. If it’s a slow-paced scene, revise it so it’s fast-paced. If it’s fast-paced, revise to slow it down. It might require changing elements of the scene, but that’s okay. This is just for fun.
If you want to challenge yourself, find a way to keep the original intent of the scene while dramatically changing the pace. For example, writing a slow-paced action sequence that’s still exciting won’t be easy, nor will a fast-paced soul-searching period of reflection.
For tips and advice on pacing, try these articles:
And the Pace is On: Understanding and Controlling Your Pacing
7 Tips to Improve Your Novel’s Pacing
Move Along: Fixing Pacing Problems
The Perils of PacingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
January 27, 2018
Real Life Diagnostics: Does This Science Fiction Opening Work?
Critique By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Real 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: Three
Please Note: As of today, RLD slots are booked through February 17.
This week’s questions:
1. Does the opening work?
Market/Genre: Science Fiction Crime
On to the diagnosis…
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
January 26, 2018
Overcoming Adversity Through Adverbs
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy This week's Refresher Friday takes another look on why it's okay to use adverbs. Enjoy!
You've no doubt heard it over and over: never use adverbs in your writing. Sound advice, but if you follow it to the extreme, you could miss out on their very useful properties.
As bad a rep as adverbs have, they're actually pretty handy during a first draft. They allow you to jot down how a character feels or how they say something without losing your momentum. You can keep writing, and go back and revise later.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
January 25, 2018
Working with a Freelance Editor (Part Two)
Editor Mollie TraverBy Jana Oliver, @crazyauthorgirl Part of the Indie Authors Series
Part One of my Q&A with freelance editor Mollie Traver is available here where we discuss her time at St. Martin’s Griffin, the different types of editing and how she made the transition from Big Five editor to freelancer.
Purely by chance, Mollie and I reconnected at the perfect time for both of us: She was launching her editorial business and I was in need of a topnotch professional. I'd just worked with an editor who'd offered good work in the past, but this time they rushed the proofing and it went bad in a heartbeat. Bad like me receiving a note from a NY Times bestselling author, who'd I'd ask to blurb the first book in my Chandler Steele series, kindly informing me there were typos in the finished manuscript. Same with one of my critique partners who reported there were no less than ten typos in the first twenty-five pages.
Ugh. (I used much stronger language than this.)
Simultaneously I was in contact with St. Martin's (who published my first four Demon Trappers books) on a separate matter and learned that Mollie was no longer with the publishing house. A bit of GoogleFu located her on Facebook and I asked if she was editing freelance. I rejoiced when the answer was yes. Since then she's offered full editorial control on the Chandler Series (developmental edits all the way through) as well as editing and proofreading for a number of other projects, including the last three books in my Demon Trappers series.
So let's dig in....
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
January 24, 2018
The Difference Between a Sequel and a Scene
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Last week I wrote about scenes and plotting, and a commentor asked about sequels. While answering the question, I realized I’d never written specifically about sequels, so let’s fix that today.
Sequels are one of the more misunderstood and confusing aspects of fiction. They’re just as important to a story as a scene, but they don’t get nearly the same amount of attention or analysis from a How-To standpoint.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
January 23, 2018
Who Are Your Role Models? On Art Informing Life
By Bonnie Randall Part of the How They Do It Series (Monthly Contributor)
As a clinical social worker for over 20 years, I can attest to having had many times when my practice has informed my fiction. My experiences in the counseling room, for example, have helped me understand human nature—and, thereby, character development—in a way that few other practices would. Every day I spend counseling is the equivalent of many long and intense conversations—which in turn have allowed a learning about the rhythm, pace, and the natural cadence of dialogue that perhaps I would not know otherwise.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
