Janice Hardy's Blog, page 64

Ebooks and Courses and Software, Oh My!

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

I don’t care for pushy sales promo stuff any more than most folks do (and I think a lot of writers feels the same way, which is why marketing is so hard for many of us). So please forgive me for this salesy today.

Over the last few years, I’ve become an affiliate for a few people and products I truly felt you guys would A. Like, and B. Benefit from. So a couple of times a year I grit my teeth to do the whole “marketing thing” and try to find that line between promo and pushy.

Oddly enough, it’s easier to promote someone else’s stuff than my own. I think it’s that whole, “Hey, this is pretty cool, check it out” idea versus the, “Hey, look at my new stuff” idea. It’s fun to share, but painful to promote.

So here goes…

Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

Don't Let Your Plot Hijack Your Story

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

The plot illustrates the story, but sometimes, it has a mind of its own and takes your novel in the wrong direction.

It’s a common enough tale. You’re writing away, listening to your characters and letting them run the show. They’re diverting a little from your outline, but that’s okay because where they’re going is good stuff. Or maybe you’re the kind of writer who doesn’t have an outline, and you’re enjoying this unexpected path your characters have taken.

And they keep doing it.

And doing it.

And doing it.

You follow, because the plot is moving and it seems like a good idea, and the words are coming fast and furious. You’re getting a huge amount of writing done. You’re feeling so productive!

Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

Sprinkling Seeds of Backstory: How This Writing Faux Pas Can Work In Your Story

By Bonnie Randall 

Part of the How They Do It Series 

JH: Backstory has its place in a novel, but the trick is knowing when and where to use it. Bonnie Randall takes her turn at the podium this month to share tips on how to make backstory work for you.

We’ve all heard the lectures: Backstory bogs down your book. Backstory pulls the reader out of your story. Backstory BAD. Cutting it GOOD.

Mostly that’s true.

Sometimes, though, a plot or character’s backstory adds to the richness of theme or atmosphere in a piece of fiction—and can even operate to drive the plot forward. The trick, though, is to use it sparingly—and almost cunningly—when you’re crafting your work. Consider:
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

In the Beginning: Which Type of Opening Works Best in a Novel?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Opening lines are your novel's first impression on a reader. As long as it's a good impression, how you get there doesn't matter. 

The opening line of your novel is probably the most important line you'll write (no pressure). How you start your novel determines how many readers (or agents and editors) will keep reading it. And there are a lot of opinions about what that opening line should be.

Do you start with dialogue, description, or internalization?

Each one has a horror story associated with it about the dangers of using that type to start your novel. "Don't open a story with dialogue," or "Never start with description," or "Opening with internalization is just navel gazing."

Truth is, the type of opening line doesn't matter. It's how you start the story that's important. 

Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

Sunday Writing Tip: Cut Unnecessary Internalization From Your Scenes

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Each week, I’ll offer a tip you can take and apply to your WIP to help improve it. They’ll be easy to do and shouldn’t take long, so they’ll be tips you can do without taking up your Sunday. Though I do reserve the right to offer a good tip now and then that will take longer—but only because it would apply to the entire manuscript.

This week, check your scenes are remove any unnecessary internal thoughts.
Last week you added thoughts where they were needed, but this week, let’s focus on places where you’ve gone a little too far and let those thoughts ramble a bit.

A common place to to find unneeded thoughts is when there’s a lot of text between lines of dialogue—especially between a question asked and answered, or two statements made by the same character.

Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

Real Life Diagnostics: Does This Scene Work?

Critique By Maria D'Marco

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: Two

Please Note: As of today, RLD slots are booked through October 5.

This week’s question:

Is this working?

Market/Genre: Middle Grade Science Fiction

On to the diagnosis…

Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

Power Up Your Prose with Rhetorical Devices

By Suzanne Purvis

Part of the How They Do It Series

JH: Literary devices add zing to your prose, and give you tools to make literary magic. Suzanne Purvis visits the lecture hall again, to share some tips and thoughts on rhetorical devices. 

Suzanne Purvis is a transplanted Canadian living in the Deep South, where she traded “eh” for “y’all.” An author of long, short, flash fiction, and poetry for both children and adults, she has won several awards including those sponsored by the University of Toronto, RWA, Bethlehem Writers, and Women Who Write. You can find her work in print anthologies, magazines, ezines, and ebooks.

She leads workshops at Lawson Writer’s Academy and for Romance Writers of America, including her popular Sizzling, Scintillating Synopsis, Potent Pitches and Brilliant Blurbs, Revision Boot Camp and now she’s honored to be teaching Margie Lawson’s Deep Editing, Rhetorical Devices and More class.

Her next class begins October 1st Deep Editing, Rhetorical Devices, and More.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads

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

6 Ways to Build Traffic to Your Website

By Chrys Fey, @ChrysFey

Part of The Writer’s Life Series

JH: Being an author these days also means being a promotor, marketer, and even social media guru—at least to some degree. Today, Chrys Fey takes the podium to share tips on building traffic to our website.

Chrys Fey is the author of the award-winning book Write with Fey: 10 Sparks to Guide You from Idea to Publication . Catch the sparks you need to write, edit, publish, and market your book! From writing your novel to prepping for publication and beyond, you’ll find sparks on every page, including 100 bonus marketing tips. Fey is an editor for Dancing Lemur Press and runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group’s Goodreads book club. She is also the author of the Disaster Crimes series. Visit her blog, Write with Fey, for more tips.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Blog | Newsletter

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

Don’t Make This Common Characterization Mistake

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

A flat character can kill an otherwise good story.

I was chatting with an editor of a publishing house recently, who mentioned a problem he sees in a lot of the submissions that cross his desk.

Poor characterization.

Cardboard characters. No sense of depth. Names, but not people. Without that characterization, it's impossible to connect with the characters or the story.

Compelling characters are vital to a novel, so if you want readers to love and connect with your characters, they need to feel like real people. So remember:
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com

Guest Blogging Builds Platform and Sells Books: 5 Tips For Landing Guest Blogging Spots.

By Anne R. Allen, @annerallen

Part of The Writer’s Life Series

JH: Guest blogging is a fun and easy way to get your name out there without pestering your fans or scaring off potential readers. Anne R. Allen visits the lecture hall today, to share tips on the benefits of guest blogging for authors.

Anne R. Allen is an award-winning blogger and the author of 13 books, including the hilarious Camilla Randall Mysteries, and the Amazon #1 bestseller The Author Blog: Easy Blogging for Busy Authors , named one of the “99 Best Blogging Books of All Time” by Book Authority. She’s also co-author, with Catherine Ryan Hyde, of How to be a Writer in the E-Age . Anne blogs with NYT million-seller Ruth Harris at Annerallen.com.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter |

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