Janice Hardy's Blog, page 15
October 22, 2021
NaNoWriMo Prep: Planning Your Novel���s Ending
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy We now come to the final installment of the annual NaNo prep articles. Hope everyone going for the 50,000 words in November are just about ready to go!
Getting to ���The End��� of a novel is pretty satisfying, both as a reader and a writer, but there���s a lot more pressure to get there for the writer. There are many things that need to happen--plots and subplots to wrap up, and those pesky character arcs to fulfill. And then there���s the whole ���satisfying resolution��� to worry about.
The ending is the last 25% of the novel, so for the NaNo folks, to meet your 50,000-word goal, that's another 12,500 words. At least one of those final chapters is going to be your wrap up, though that can be a much smaller chapter. There���s a good chance that you won���t know all the specifics about your ending in the planning stage, so don���t worry. Ideas and situations will develop over the course of the novel that will help you flesh the ending out. Even if you do know exactly how the ending will unfold, you might find deeper meanings or ways to make it resonate more once that first draft is written.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 21, 2021
A Few Foundations of Fear in Fiction
By Bonnie RandallPart of The How They Do It Series
JH: A lot of skill goes into making stories scary. Bonnie Randall shares five ways to put the fear into your fiction.
It’s that season again! Fears, frights, and bumps-in-the-night. If you’re like me, you’ve saved every scary book on your TBR list all year till finally you could crack the spine on October 1st. Or, if you’re really like me, you’re in the mood to brainstorm creepy plots and supernatural situations that could coalesce into a sensationally scary story of your own.
But what makes things frightening—and why the heck do we enjoy being scared in the first place? Isn’t that whole notion counterintuitive?
Yes…and no.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 15, 2021
NaNoWriMo Prep: Planning Your Novel���s Middle
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Continuing with the annual NaNo prep posts...we dive into the turning points and problems of writing your novel's middle.
Middles might be the most common tough spot for writers, and with good reason. The middle makes up half the novel, and it���s where all the heavy plot workings happen. We usually have a decent idea of how our stories start, and roughly how they end, but that middle? What do we put in there? That often eludes us.
This is when a lot of novels start to bog down, so there���s a good chance many NaNo writers will stumble here. But don���t worry, because I know a great trick to overcome middle woes. The Mid-Point Reversal!
This is a major event that happens in the middle of your novel that helps bridge the gap between the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end (act one and act three for those using the Three Act Structure). It effectively breaks your three acts into four acts, making each section a little easier to manage.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 14, 2021
The Importance of Commas, Meter, and Reading Aloud for the Fiction Writer
By Dario Ciriello, @Dario_Ciriello Part of the How They Do It Series
JH: How your writing sounds is just as important as how it reads. Dario Ciriello discusses how rhythm and meter work to create memorable writing.
I recently completed an edit for a client, Cordia Pearson1, whom I’d gently persuaded to let me introduce Oxford commas into her list phrases. The reasoning for this is that using the Oxford (aka serial) comma never does any harm, and can prevent serious confusion. Consider the sentence,
My parents, Jesus, and Lady Gaga taught me all I know.If you remove the serial comma after Jesus, the meaning changes, and not for the better.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 13, 2021
Writers: How to Tell the Future
By R.W. W. Greene, @rwwgreene Part of the How They Do It Series
JH: One of science fiction’s strengths is showing future possibilities and what life might be like in them. R.W.W. Greene shares tips on how to create plausible (and intriguing) futures.
R.W. W. Greene is the author of The Light Years and Twenty-Five to Life , on bookshelves now via Angry Robot Books. He is represented by Sara Megibow of the KT Literary Agency.
Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram
Take it away RWW…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 12, 2021
13 Tips for Writing a Halloween Story
By Rayne Hall, @RayneHallPart of the Focus on Short Fiction Series
JH: Drawing inspiration from holidays is a great way to spark a new story. Rayne Hall shares 13 tips for writing a Halloween tale.
A Halloween story has two characteristics: it must unfold on or around the time of Halloween, and it must be scary in some way. Here are some ideas and tips for creating your own scary Halloween story.
1. The story features a Halloween ritual – but not necessarily a predictable one.
The story plot needs to involve Halloween customs or rituals. However, these don't need to be the conventional trick-or-treating, carved pumpkins and fancy-dress costumes. Consider the seasonal traditions of other cultures, regions and religions and draw on them for inspiration.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 11, 2021
How Far is Too Far? How Narrative Distance Affects Telling
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy There can be a fine line between a far narrative distance and telling.
Not all points of view use the same narrative distance. A first-person point of view pulls readers in close, while an omniscient point of view keeps them at a distance. Both are valid narrative distances, but the farther away you get from the reader, the riskier it is you’ll slip up and start telling instead of showing.
Maybe you pull away from the narrative for style, or because you want to show more than just what the point of view character knows. Maybe you aren’t comfortable inside a character’s head and don’t yet know what’s going on in there. Or maybe your point-of-view-skills are still a little shaky and you don’t even realize you’re doing it—until your get feedback with comments such as “this feels told” or “I felt detached from the character.”
I see this most often in third person point of view novels, where there’s already a layer of distance between reader and character. If you’re not solid in the point of view character’s head, it’s easy to forget who’s narrating the story and start explaining why characters act as they do, or what a character knows. If a distant omniscient narrator is your goal, that’s fine, but if you want a tighter perspective—that’s a problem.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 9, 2021
WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at Writing a Non-Human POV
Critique by Maria D'Marco WIP 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 WIP Diagnostics, please check out these guidelines.
Submissions currently in the queue: Seven
Please Note: As of today, critique slots are booked through November 27.
This week’s questions:
1. Does this opening work to hook the reader?
2. Does it establish the "alien" POV of the protagonist?
3. Does it establish the initial conflict and goal?
4. Does it need to be clear to the reader that this is a lab if the protagonist does not understand that concept?
Market/Genre: Science Fiction
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 7, 2021
Placing Short Fiction, Part Two: Contests and Red Flags
By José Pablo Iriarte, @LabyrinthRatPart of the Focus on Short Fiction Series
JH: Contests can be a great way to get your writing out there, but be wary of those who take advantage of writers. José Pablo Iriarte shares some red flags that a publisher doesn't have your best interests in mind.
In my last guest post, I talked in general terms about selling short fiction, focusing on considerations such as how to find a market, how much pay rate might matter to you, how to format manuscripts, print versus online markets, and magazines versus anthologies. In my mind, the theme was You've finished you story . . . now what? As I said in July, though, there was really too much I wanted to say to be able to fit in one post, so now I'm back with more thoughts on what to do—or what not to do—with your short work. Today the focus is less on selling and more on adjacent questions, such as . . .
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 5, 2021
Making Magic Systems That Work and Wow
By Bethany HenryPart of The How They Do It Series
JH: There's something magical about making magic, and it's often a fantasy writer's favorite part of writing in that genre. Bethany Henry shares tips on how to create a compelling magic system for your novel.
Bethany Henry writes fantasy novels, and blogs about writing and wellness at bethany-henry.com. When not writing, she can often be found on the frisbee field, drinking tea, or reading picture books with her two little girls. Sign up for her email list for weekly posts on writing craft—along with fun extras like quotes and freebies.
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Take it away Bethany...Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
