Janice Hardy's Blog, page 18
July 31, 2021
WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at Hooking Readers with Action on the Opening Page
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: Eight
Please Note: As of today, critique slots are booked through September 25.
This week’s questions:
1. Does this opening scene hook the reader? Does it work?
Market/Genre: Romantic Suspense
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 29, 2021
Word Count Is Not the Only Metric for Productivity
By Spencer Ellsworth, @spencimus
Part of The Writer's Life Series
JH: Putting too much focus on word counts can derail a writer from what really matters—the story. Spencer Ellsworth shares thoughts and tips on how to be productive without stressing over word counts.
Spencer Ellsworth is the author of The Great Faerie Strike from Broken Eye Books and the Starfire space opera trilogy from Tor. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and three children, and would really like a war mammoth if you know a guy.
Website | Twitter | Goodreads
Take it away Spencer…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 27, 2021
What My Literary Heroes Taught Me about Writing
By Rochelle Melander, @WriteNowCoachPart of The Writer's Life Series
JH: We can learn a lot from other writers. Rochelle Melander shares things that have made a difference in her writing, as well as her writing life.
Rochelle Melander is a speaker, certified professional coach, and the bestselling author of twelve books, including Level Up: Quests to Master Mindset, Overcome Procrastination and Increase Productivity and the forthcoming children’s book, Mightier Than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World through Writing. Through her writing and coaching, she helps writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs overcome distractions and procrastination, design a writing life, turn their ideas into books, navigate the publishing world, and connect with readers through social media. She is the founder of Dream Keepers, a writing workshop that supports teens in finding their voice and sharing their stories.
Blog | Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Take it away Rochelle…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 26, 2021
The Danger of Infodumps (And How to Avoid Them)
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Infodumps aren’t the end of the world for a novel—as long as you keep these things in mind.
One of my critique groups has two cozy mystery writers in it. While I don’t write cozies, I am writing a private detective series, which is why I’m in this group. One surprising thing I’ve learned, is that cozy readers love infodumps.
They like learning about something new. They want their amateur sleuth to give them mini-lectures on the dangers of radon gas or how a proper English breakfast is made.
This makes it a little hard to critique those pages, since all my instincts are screaming “Danger! Danger! Infodumps ahead!” In most genres, all that extra information is bad.
However, it is a great reminder that not all infodumps are created equal. They do have their uses, and when done well, a little infodumping actually makes the story clearer (and sometimes more interesting).
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 24, 2021
WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at Narrative Flow in a Sci-Fi Opening
Critique by Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy 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 September 11.
This week’s questions:
1. Does this opening work?
2. Does this page start the story with a strong enough premise to interest the reader?
3. There is no dialogue with another human so is the internalization effective?
Market/Genre: Science Fiction
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 23, 2021
Sell More Books with a Marketing Mindshift
By Jenna Harte
Part of The Writer's Life Series
JH: Marketing is about more than selling books and sharing new releases. Jenna Harte discusses ways to shift your thinking about marketing and build your readership.
Jenna Harte is a die-hard romantic writing about characters who are passionate about and committed to each other, and frequently getting into trouble. She is the author of the Valentine Mysteries, the first of which, Deadly Valentine , reached the quarter-finals in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award in 2013. She has a contemporary romance series, Southern Heat, and a cozy mystery series, Sophie Parker Coupon Mystery Series.
Romance authors can join her free writing community for support, accountability and more at WritewithHarte.
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | YouTube
Take it away Jenna...
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 20, 2021
Accessing Deep Point of View Via Description—A Writing Exercise!
By Bonnie RandallPart of The How They Do It Series
JH: POV is a vital and powerful tool for writers. Bonnie Randall shares a fun writing exercise to sharper your point-of-view skills.
Shout-out to the cable news personality who recently described a certain Canadian Premier as a “demonic hedgehog.” It didn’t just make me laugh, it also inspired this month’s column on accessing Deep Point of View via descriptions.
The way an individual sees the world offers insight into how we, in turn, see that individual. In other words, a benevolent and soft-spoken anchor would be unlikely to pair demons with hedgehogs. A sarcastic wise-guy though…? It’s demonic hedgehogs all the way, baby!
Think of the last time a character in your fiction was in a setting. Was the sun blistering their skin, or was it beaming? Did that same sun illuminate everything they’d rather not look at, or did they have to squint away their chronic hangover? Andrew, the hero of my paranormal suspense Within The Summit’s Shadow—and an acerbic, pessimistic kinda guy—travels to Vancouver for a stakeout where he “Sat in the pissing rain. Typical Vancouver.”
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 19, 2021
Want Better Descriptions? Describe What Readers Won't Assume
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Writing better descriptions is easy when you take advantage of your point-of-view character.
I always chuckle a bit when I write about description, because I dislike writing description. I’m much more intrigued by what characters say, think, and do than what things look like, but description is necessary to craft a well-rounded story. In some genres, it’s vital.
Lucky for me, my attitude toward description actually helped me develop tricks to do the most with the fewest words possible—a valuable skill for any writer. Instead of writing a paragraph or two detailing what a room looks like, I assume the reader knows what a room looks like, then I pick specific details about that particular room, and show it through my point-of-view character.
I learned this trick a decade ago from author Kathleen Duey at the Decatur Book Festival in Georgia. During a panel, she brilliantly said, “Describe what the reader won't assume.”
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 17, 2021
WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at Piquing Reader Interest on Page One
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: Five
Please Note: As of today, critique slots are booked through August 21.
This week’s question:
By diving into the inciting incident in the first 280 words of ch 1, will it peak the reader’s interest or is it too jarring?
Market/Genre: Paranormal Mystery
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 15, 2021
Twelve Story Ending Twists That Don't Work
By Rayne Hall, @RayneHallPart of the Focus on Short Fiction Series
JH: Some twists have been written to death. Rayne Hall shares 12 endings you should avoid.
Certain short story endings will almost inevitably lead to rejection. What are they, and why should you avoid them?
1. "And then I woke up. It was only a dream."
You've created an exciting story, and your readers sit on the edge of their seat to await the outcome... and then you reveal that none of it happened. What a let down!
In my role as an anthology editor and contest judge, I've received quite a few of those, mostly from novice writers who are submitting their first stories. Other editors and writing contests judges are fed up with them, too. Often, when I chat with editors and judges, one of them says, "Today I got a big batch of 'it was only a dream' submissions," and the rest of us just roll our eyes and groan in sympathy.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
