Janice Hardy's Blog, page 22

WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at Piquing Reader Curiosity on the First 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: Six

Please Note: As of today, critique slots are booked through July 3.

This week’s questions:

1. Does this piece provide enough information to make you care?

2. How's the voice? Do you get a sense of the character's personality?

3. Would you read on?

4. Would it throw you when later it is revealed that this character is the villain?

Market/Genre: YA Fantasy

On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

Emotions and the Body: Less Cliché Ways the Body Responds to Emotional States

By Bonnie Randall

Part of The How They Do It Series

JH: If a cliché is a cliché for a reason, is it still a cliché? Bonnie Randall shares how common emotional responses actually connect with readers.

The other day I read a writing article that really lambasted authors who ‘overuse’ so-called clichéd emotional responses for their characters. “Readers,” the article said, “are really sick of hearing that someone’s gut dropped when they were startled or that their belly got loose when they were scared.”

I confess my heart sank (heh heh) when I saw this. First, as an author, I get a little shirty when I hear that readers are sick of this or sick of that. The snarky curmudgeon in me says “Well then maybe they should write their own damn books!” Second, though, those so-called clichés exist for a reason.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

How to Keep Your Short Story Short

By Rayne Hall, @RayneHall

Part of the Focus on Short Fiction Series
JH: If you’re used to writing novels, switching to short fiction can be rough. Rayne Hall shares tips on how to keep your word count down.

Shorter stories are quicker to write. This means, you can produce more stories, and multiply your chances of getting them accepted for publication. But stories often expand as we write them, trying to grow into novels, demanding more and more words. How can you keep your short story short?

Here are six techniques professional short story authors use. Apply them when you start plotting your yarn.

1. Condense the time frame.
Let the action play out in the shortest time possible a weekend, an afternoon, perhaps even just an hour. Plots spreading over weeks, months or years tend to grow into novels. Curb this by making everything happen quickly.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

How Scene Titles Make It Easier to Write Your Novel

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

This simple step can help keep you from getting stuck in your draft.

A few weeks ago, Laurence MacNaughton wrote about revision, and he said something that made me realize how to use what I’ve been doing in a much more effective way (This is why I love having guest authors on the site—I pick up new tips, too). He was talking about re-outlining your novel, and giving your chapters short, descriptive titles, but my mind took it a step further.

I title all my scenes like this, because it’s easier to search through them later when I’m looking for a particular scene. I use Scrivener, and their format is set up well for scene titles (chapter and act titles, too).
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at a YA Fantasy First Page

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: Five

Please Note: As of today, critique slots are booked through June 19.

This week’s questions:

1. Is this a good opening scene? Would you pay to read on, if this were a genre you liked?

2. Is Prentice (the MC) likeable? Can you empathize with her?

3. Are the stakes big enough for a YA novel?

4. Prentice's family is Chinese/British and they live in the UK. Is this setting clear or confusing? (Might I need to say they're in London, for example.)

5. Is there too much information in this scene for the reader to process?

6. Is the voice right for YA?

Market/Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

The Ins and Outs of Coauthoring as an Indie Author

By Cassie Alexander, @CassieY4

Part of The Indie Author Series

JH: Writing with another author can be a rewarding experience, but how exactly does it work? Cassie Alexander discusses how to handle a coauthorship.

Cassie Alexander is a registered nurse and author. Her most recent book is Dragon Called , cowritten with Kara Lockharte, and they also write together as Cassie Lockharte. Prior to that, she wrote the five-book Edie Spence urban fantasy series, out now through St. Martin's Press, and the Dark Ink Tattoo series, a sultry urban fantasy about vampires in Vegas. Join her mailing list for news about her latest releases.

Website (Cassie) | Website (Kara) | Website (Cassie Lockharte) | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Mailing List 

Take it away Cassie…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

Which Story Structure Is Right for Your Novel?

By Savannah Cordova

Part of The How They Do It Series

JH: All novels have a narrative structure, but finding the right one can be tricky. Savannah Cordova shares tips on which structure best suits the story you're trying to tell.

Savannah Cordova is a writer with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects authors and publishers with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. In her spare time, Savannah enjoys reading contemporary fiction and writing short stories.

Take it away Savannah...
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

3 Shortcuts to Character-Driven Stories

By Laurence MacNaughton, @LMacNaughton

Part of The How They Do It Series

JH: Characters drive the plot through their actions, and some drive it more than others. Laurence MacNaughton shares three shortcuts for developing character-driven fiction.
Believe it or not, your characters can offer you a wealth of story ideas. If you're feeling stuck about what to write next, don't worry. No matter what genre you write, character-driven stories are always a hit with readers. With a little brainstorming, you can generate endless ideas from any of your main characters. Here's how to do it.

Step 1: Dig down deep into your character.
Start by writing down a few important details about your main character. These can be any facts you can think of, as long as they are important enough to have an impact on the story.

We aren't looking for long paragraphs of exposition, here. Short phrases are fine.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at Making Readers Care Enough to Read On

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: Six

Please Note: As of today, critique slots are booked through June 19.

This week’s questions:

1. Would this opening make you want to turn the page? (Right after this opening, he goes to a jazz club and meets a woman who may turn out to be The One.)

2. Is the character of Noah likeable, or interesting, enough? (He's a fairly successful writer who lives alone and is lonely, (though he doesn't know it) and just agreed to join a sailing crew to race around the world for 3-5 months.)

3. Do you need to know more about him to care what happens to him?

Market/Genre: Commercial Fiction

On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

How to Punch Readers in the Feels: A Case Study

By José Pablo Iriarte, @LabyrinthRat

Part of the Focus on Short Fiction Series

JH: The best stories do more than just tell a tale. José Pablo Iriarte shares tips on how to pull more emotion from your plot.
As luck would have it, my newest published short story hit the world this week: "Proof by Induction," in Uncanny Magazine, a story about grief and about mathematics. If you want to see an example of what I mean when I talk about short fiction craft, I hope you'll check it out. (Content warning: death of a parent.) You can find the issue online here, or go straight to the story here. You can read the story for free online, but if you like what you see at Uncanny, I would encourage you to subscribe to them through Weightless Books or Amazon, or support them on Patreon. You can also buy this individual issue here. If you're a reader of this website, you know that good fiction is worth supporting, so that magazines like Uncanny can keep on publishing it.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com