Janice Hardy's Blog, page 71
July 3, 2019
Give Your Self-Published Book Its Best Shot
By Laurisa Reyes, @lwreyesPart of the Indie Authors Series
JH: Laurisa Reyes is back this month on the other side of the publishing desk, sharing tips on how to give your self-published books its best chance.
Publishing today is easier than ever. Once a book is written, it is pretty simple to format and upload it to KDP and present it to the world, but the ease of the process can be deceptive. Just like it is easy to publish your own book, it is even easier to fail. What I mean by fail is this…
You’ve spent months, maybe years, writing your book. You’ve poured your heart and soul into it. You want people to read it. You want people to buy it. But here is where too many authors sell themselves, and their books, short. The fact is they often don’t want to spend the time or the money to “do it right.” The result is a poorly crafted book that fails to attract readers.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 2, 2019
Are You Looking for a Critique Group or Partner?
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy It's Crit Time Again! The 2019 Summer Group is now open!
Back in 2013 I started a Yahoo Group called "Janice Hardy's Critique Connection" to help writers connect with like-minded folks looking for critique groups or partners. It was designed to help people find long-term, quality writing partners, not just places you can toss up your work and get quick feedback.
It went from a one-time event to annually, and now to every six months (I open it up every January and July). If you're looking to join or create a critique group, add more to your existing group, or find a critique partner, odds are you'll find someone here.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
July 1, 2019
Understand Your Premise to Understand Your Novel
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy A great premise is a great start, but there’s more to writing a compelling novel than having a cool idea.
There’s a strange phenomenon in Hollywood where two movies with the same premise appear at the same time. Volcano and Dante’s Peak. Armageddon and Deep Impact. Sky High and Zoom. This isn’t new, and goes back as far as Gone with the Wind and it’s twin, Jezebel.
Maybe it’s movie espionage, maybe it’s the same inspirational triggers in the air, maybe a studio hears about a cool new script in the works and wonders if they have any options of their own like it.
What’s interesting to me about this, is how many examples it gives writers for different ways to approach the same premise. You can take the exact same premise and craft completely different stories. Just look at all the Romeo & Juliet clones out there.
(Here's more on The Difference Between Idea, Premise, Plot, and Story)
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 27, 2019
Mind Mapping: A Pantser’s Path to Planning
By Orly Konig, @OrlyKonigPart of the How They Do It Series
JH: As a plotter, I’m always impressed by writers who can dive in a wrote a novel with little to outlining beforehand, and not have the story spiral out of control. Orly Konig visits the lecture hall today to share tips on mind mapping and its value—for pantsers and even plotters.
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 .
Website | Goodreads| Facebook| Twitter | Instagram|
Take it away Orly…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 24, 2019
Just Another Day: Writing the "Slice of Life" Novel
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardySome stories are more challenging to write, and crafting a slice of life tale is one of them. Here's an updated look at what makes or breaks a day in the life of a character novel.
I have an uncanny ability to read a lot of the same types of books over a short period of time with no intention of doing that. Maybe I'm just in the mood for that type of story then and pick up books that are similar.
Because of that, I often get interesting perspectives on what makes stories of a certain type work and why they didn't.
This happened a few years ago with several slice of life stories. The ones where the focus is more on a character's journey through a period of time, and not so much about that one big bad problem that needs to be resolved.
Slice if life stories can be a lot harder to pull off than your typical plot-driven novel, because character growth isn't all that exciting in and of itself. It's the results of that growth, and the struggle to achieve that growth within a particular situation that's intriguing.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 23, 2019
Sunday Writing Tip: Make Sure You Escalate Your Stakes
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 major plot turning points and make sure the stakes go up each time.
A lack of escalating stakes can make a novel feel static or even boring. As things in your plot get worse, you want the stakes to rise as well, matching the ever-worsening problems in the story. Rising stakes help with pacing, with making readers care, and with giving the story a sense of urgency.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 22, 2019
Real Life Diagnostics: Does This Opening Page Feel Slow?
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: None
Please Note: As of today, RLD slots are open.
This week’s questions:
I'm trying to establish the narrator's personality and the environment he's operating in. I'm worried this opening may be slow because it's telling. Can I have your opinion on this?
Market/Genre: Humorous Mystery (Heist)
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 21, 2019
4 Steps to Establish the Beginning of Your Novel
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardySetting up a novel baffles many writers, but it’s easier when you focus on what a beginning needs to do.
On Wednesday, I talked about what the word setup actually meant in fiction and why so many writers had trouble with it. Today, I’m going to focus specifically on ways to establish (good setup) your novel’s beginning without falling prey to bad setup.
When you’re setting up a story, what you’re really doing is establishing the premise of the story and where the plot is going to go. It’s part of the story, not something done before readers get to the story. It’s not dumping backstory, though there might be a little backstory in there.
A good beginning contains and conveys all the critical elements required to understand the premise, the story, the plot, and why the protagonist is willing to get involved. But it also needs to do it in such a way that piques readers curiosity and makes them interested to know more.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 20, 2019
Stress and the Writer: To All Things a Season
By Jana Oliver, @crazyauthorgirlPart of The Writer's Life Series
JH: Stress is a part of life, but it can be particularly hard on writers, sapping our creativity and making it impossible to do our jobs. Jana Oliver returns to the lecture hall today to share her story and offer tips on what to do when stress keeps you from writing.
Jana Oliver is an international bestseller and a multi award-winning author who’s chronicled Atlanta’s demon invasion and Victorian London’s meddling time travelers. When writing as Chandler Steele, she’s penned gritty stories about domestic terrorism, white collar crime and the Russian mafia.
Jana now lives in Portugal, savoring the slow life, where there is always a small café and a bottle of wine at hand.
Jana Oliver | Chandler Steele | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads |
Take it away Jana...
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
June 19, 2019
What “Setup” in a Novel Actually Means
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Setup is one of the more confusing (and frustrating) terms in writing.
I was working with a writer recently on developing his novel, and were discussing his struggles in setting up the story. Specifically, his frustrations with the word setup and what it actually meant, because he kept reading articles advising him to avoid setup, but then he’d also see advice on the importance of setting up a story.
I don’t blame him for being confused or annoyed by this.
Setup is a misleading word, especially since it has both positive and negative connotations, and it can be hard to know which one people mean. People say “setup,” even though they mean, “establish the premise of the story and tee up where the plot is going to go.” But that’s harder to work into a conversation.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
