Janice Hardy's Blog, page 70
July 13, 2019
Real Life Diagnostics: Is There Enough Tension and Interest to Keep You Reading?
Critique By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyReal 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 July 27.
This week’s questions:
1. What are your expectations from these opening lines?
2. In your view, what promise is made to the reader?
3. Is there enough tension to keep you reading?
4. What is your overall impression?
Market/Genre: General Fiction
Note: This is a revised snippet: Here’s the original if you’d like to see what the author did.
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 12, 2019
Whose Head is it Anyway? Understanding Omniscient Point of View
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy This week's Refresher Friday takes an updated look at writing the omniscient point of view.
One of the more challenging point of views to write is the omniscient point of view. You'd think it would be easiest, since it's "someone outside the story telling the story," and the author fits that description, but an omniscient narrator makes it easier to fall into a common writing issues, such as infodumping and telling.
For those unfamiliar with the term, third person omniscient point of view is when somewhere other than a character in the book is telling the story. This outside narrator knows things the characters don't, can make comments about what's happening (or about to happen) or see inside the heads of other characters.
That's the key to omniscient point of view: it conveys things the characters don't or can't know.
Seems easy enough, right?
The trouble is, a detached third person limited can sound a lot like third person omniscient, especially if it's not changing characters. So much so, that sometimes it's hard to know the difference.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 11, 2019
Developing an Audiobook: An Indie Author’s Perspective
By Ray FlyntPart of The Indie Author Series
JH: Audiobooks are hugely popular, but not every author knows how to create one for their novels. Ray Flynt is back in the lecture hall today to walk us through the process of creating an audiobook.
In its purest form, writing a novel is storytelling. The world’s first books undoubtedly had their genesis in timeless stories once told around campfires. We also know that children learn to read and develop their own love of books by being read to, whether from those first Golden Books or hearing about the adventures of Harry Potter.
Thanks to ACX.com (an Amazon company) Indie Authors can see their stories come to life as an audiobook. It makes sense to have your books available in as many formats as possible to appeal to a broad audience. I’m always puzzled when I see Indie Authors say, “I only have my novel available as an eBook, since a print version would be too expensive.” It’s my contention that if you’re willing to spend time and a modest amount of money, you can easily develop a trade paperback. In this article, I’ll provide my perspective on adding an audiobook format to your available mix.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 10, 2019
The Overwritten Novel: Identify & Fix Purple Prose in Your Novel
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Going too far in our writing happens, and a good sentence or even scene can turn into an overwritten mess.
The term purple prose has been around as long as I've been writing, and chances are you've heard it to. You'll also hear folks say "the prose is too flowery" or it feels "overwritten." People know it when they see it, but how do you spot it in your own work? And more importantly--how do you fix it?
If you're unfamiliar with the term, purple or flowery prose is so filled with adjectives and adverbs, similes and metaphors, that it screams "hey look! I'm fancy writing" and distracts you from the actual story. You often need a thesaurus just to read it.
Overwritten text is trying too hard, either trying hard to sound "written" or trying to explain too much. For example, one sentence that uses fifteen words when three is enough. Or explaining every single step in a task that doesn't need it. If you ever thought to yourself, "Yeah, I get it, he was angry, move on" then you probably read an overwritten passage.
(Here's more on Avoid Overwriting – Subtle is More Sophisticated)
Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 9, 2019
Plotting Made Easy: Do You Need the Three-Act Structure?
By Alex Limberg, @RidethePenPart of the How They Do It Series
JH: Not every writer writes the same way, and not every story follows the same path. Please help me welcome Alex Limberg to the lecture hall today to share some thoughts on why and when you might want to ignore the three act structure.
Alex is blogging on ‘Ride the Pen’ to help you boost your fiction writing. His blog dissects famous authors (works, not bodies). Create intriguing descriptions of body language or any other story part with his free ebook “44 Key Questions” to test your story (download here)or check out his creative writing exercises. Shakespeare is jealous. Alex has worked as a copywriter and lived in Vienna, Los Angeles, Madrid and Hamburg.
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Take it away Alex...
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 8, 2019
Plotting for the Thrill: Making the Most of the Worst That Can Happen
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardySometimes the worst thing that can happen to your protagonist is the worst thing for the story, too.
"What's the worst thing that can happen? Do it," is good advice when plotting a novel. It adds conflict, escalates the stakes, and raises the tension.
The downside, though, is that sometimes letting our readers know what "the worst thing" is, is actually bad for the story.
I ran into this problem when I was drafting my fourth novel. The "worst thing" was something pretty darn terrible, so when my protagonist found out about it, she naturally tried to stop it (as protagonists are wont to do).
Unfortunately, this happened well before the third act and climax of the novel, so "the worst thing" was out there in the story and readers would know what it was. Knowing it would spoil a lot of the tension because the stakes could no longer escalate.
I had a choice to make--tell the reader and risk killing my tension or keep it a secret and risk not raising the stakes enough.
If you're facing this dilemma n your current project, here are some things to consider:
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 7, 2019
Writing Prompt: The Chain Story: That's Not Right.
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyLast month I took a survey to see which Sunday post you guys preferred--tips or prompts. Most asked for tips, but enough of you also liked the prompts I decided that the first Sunday of every month would be for prompts.
This month’s prompt is a chain story! I’ll give you the first line, and someone else comments and builds off that line. Next commenter will build off that line, and so on.
In the event of two commenters posting at the same time and sending the story in different directions, just pick the line you like best, or try to incorporate both if you can.
There was definitely something wrong with him.
Let the fun begin. Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 6, 2019
Real Life Diagnostics: Does the Dialogue in This Scene Work?
Critique By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyReal 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: Three
Please Note: As of today, RLD slots are booked through July 27.
This week’s question:
Does this scene with dialogue work?
Market/Genre: Contemporary Romance
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 5, 2019
On the Road: How to Write an Opening Scene that Hooks Readers
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyI'm over at Writers in the Storm today, talking about How to Write an Opening Scene that Hooks Readers . Come on over and say hello!
And for those in the South Florida area (or those within driving distance to it), a reminder about my workshop next weekend in Delray Beach, FL. Seats are still available.
The Authors Academy Writers Workshops
Saturday, July 13, 10:00am to Noon
Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore
At their new location: 104 West Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach
All workshops are $25 per person. Reservations are requested.
The Muddle in the Middle
The “boggy middle” has claimed many a writer, but with a little planning and forethought, writers can sail right through it. In this workshop, you'll discover why the middle is such a troublesome chunk of the novel, and how it’s really where all the fun happens in a story. You’ll also learn how to avoid getting sucked into the mire, what to do keep your pace moving, and some nifty plotting tricks to help you create stronger story arcs and conflicts.
The Florida Authors Academy Writers Workshop series runs all summer long, with workshops every Saturday. Get the full lineup of workshops here.Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 4, 2019
Put a Stop to Procrastination – Today!
By Shanna Swendson, @ShannaSwendsonPart of The Writer’s Life Series
JH: Some days, we want to do anything but write. Shanna Swendson returns this month with tips on getting back to work when you don't feel like writing.
Shanna Swendson earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas but decided it was more fun to make up the people she wrote about and became a novelist. She’s written a number of fantasy novels for teens and adults, including the Enchanted, Inc. series and the Rebel Mechanics series. She devotes her spare time to reading, knitting, and music.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Take it away Shanna…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
