Janice Hardy's Blog, page 36
November 16, 2020
Why You Should Have Judgmental Characters
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy For a strong point of view, let your characters have strong opinions.
In real life, being judgmental might cause a few problems, but in fiction, it's something every character should aspire to. How characters—especially the point of view characters—judge the world around them shows readers what that world is like and how it works (and even non-genre writers need to world build, it's just a little different in the details).
Our characters see something, they judge it as it pertains to their personal views. If we write a scene where a girl walks a dog down the street, how our characters judge that will determine how we'll describe it and even how they'll react to it.
Someone afraid of dogs will see details that support that: large size, straining on a leash to bite them, big teeth. The judgment is "dogs are bad" and the reaction will reflect that.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
November 14, 2020
WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at First-Page Hooks in a Mystery
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: One
Please Note: As of today, critique slots are booked through November 21.
This week’s questions:
1. Does the beginning scene hook the reader?
2. Am I telling instead of showing?
Market/Genre: Mystery
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
November 12, 2020
The Promise of the First Chapter
By Chris Eboch, @Kris_Bock Part of the How They Do It Series
JH: A novel's first chapter makes a promise to readers about the book. Chris Eboch shares tips on how writers can keep those promises.
Chris Eboch’s writing craft books include Advanced Plotting and You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and Books for Kids and Teenagers.
Chris is the author of over 60 books for children, including nonfiction and fiction, early reader through teen. Learn more or read excerpts at www.chriseboch.com or visit her page on Amazon or Amazon UK. (For other countries click here.) Check out her writing tips at her Write Like a Pro! blog.
Chris writes for adults under the name Kris Bock. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter. Learn more at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)
Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Newsletter
Take it away Chris…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
November 11, 2020
An Easy Tip to Avoid Infodumps in Your Dialogue
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Just because a character says it, doesn’t mean it isn’t an infodump.
Dialogue is one of my favorite parts of writing. It's fast-paced, grabs attention, and usually keeps the reader reading. When two characters are having a zippy conversation, readers feel like they’re hanging out with them and part of the story.
But those conversations can also contain the dreaded infodump-as-dialogue.
Infodumping (throwing in a lot of "need-to-know" information at one time) doesn't just happen to prose. Characters can have conversations they'd never have, talking about things they'd never talk about.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
November 10, 2020
8 Suspense-Boosting Techniques for Writers
By Laurence MacNaughton, @LMacNaughtonPart of The How They Do It Series
JH: The "need to know" keeps readers engaged in a novel. Laurence MacNaughton shares eight ways you can add suspense to your story.
Suspense is key to keeping your readers turning pages. Make them wonder what will happen next, and you'll keep them engaged and eager to get to the end of your story. If you feel like the suspense is flagging in your fiction, use one of these eight suspense-boosting techniques to make your reader perk up their ears.
1. A character pretends to be someone they're not.
Force your viewpoint character to act like someone they aren't. Maybe they must go undercover to impress someone, fool someone, escape someplace, or get to the truth. Maybe they have to "fake it until they make it."
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
November 9, 2020
5 Ways You’re Smothering Your Reader in Your Opening Scene
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Let’s look at how much is too much in an opening scene.
I’ve had weekly critiques on the site since 2010, and a large number of those have been opening pages. Between that, my critique groups, clients, random critiques, and of course, my own reading habits, I’ve read a lot of opening pages. And, of course, written them.
Not all have been good. Not all have been bad. Which is fine for most of those pages, as they were works in progress and that’s normal. Opening scenes are tough to get right.
One of the things I see a lot of, is trying to put too much into the story too soon.
And instead of drawing readers in, we smother them in information.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
November 8, 2020
WIP Diagnostic: Is This Working? A Closer Look at Goals in a Middle Grade Opening
Critique By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyWIP 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: One
Please Note: As of today, critique slots are booked through November 14.
This week’s questions:
What I want from this opening scene, is to introduce Zara as the protagonist you want to root for; Zara’s desire to win the competition; a hint of sibling rivalry whereby Zara is keen to earn Aaliyah’s approval. Do these three goals work?
Market/Genre: Middle Grade
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
November 5, 2020
Secrets to Successful Self-Publishing: Invest in Your Team
By Laurisa White Reyes, @lwreyesPart of The Indie Authors Series
JH: There's a lot to consider before taking the indie-publishing plunge. Laurisa White Reyes shares tips and thoughts on how to put together the right team for publishing success.
Laurisa White Reyes is the award-winning author of seventeen books, including 8 Secrets to Successful Self-Publishing . She is also the founder and senior editor of Skyrocket Press and teaches English composition at College of the Canyons in Southern California. Visit her website at www.SkyrocketPress.com.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |
Take it away Laurisa...
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
November 4, 2020
How to Handle Multiple Speakers in a Scene Without Confusing Your Reader
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Too many cooks might spoil the soup, but too many speakers will clutter the scene.
Before I dive in today, here's a heads up that I'm guest posting at Writers in the Storm today, chatting about 10 Ways to Get a Stuck Story Moving Away. Come on by and say hello.
I love dialogue. It’s the easiest thing for me to write, so there’s usually a lot of it in my books. When it’s just a few people talking it’s no trouble at all keeping the speakers clear, but the more character I put in the room, the harder the dialogue is to write.
Wait, let me clarify that.
The dialogue is still easy. It’s the keeping everyone straight without overwhelming readers that makes me want to scream.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
November 3, 2020
Tips for Harnessing Story Squirrels
By Orly Konig, @OrlyKonig
Part of The How They Do It Series
JH: Great story ideas can be lost for lack of a place to keep them. Orly Konig shares tips on how to keep track of your ideas and inspirations.
Orly Konig is an escapee from the corporate world. Now she spends her days chatting up imaginary friends, drinking too much coffee, and negotiating writing space around her cats. She is the founding president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and a member of the Tall Poppy Writers. She’s a book coach and author of The Distance Home and Carousel Beach .
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Take it away Orly…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
