Janice Hardy's Blog, page 79
March 24, 2019
Sunday Writing Tip: Rewrite Body Parts Acting on Their Own
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 for disembodied eyes, hands, fingers, heads, and feet acting on their own.
While we understand what we mean to say, sometimes we write phrases that come across as a body part doing something all on its own. Eyes dart around rooms, feet wander the streets, hands reach for things—often with unintentionally comic results.
If the body part sounds like it’s a separate entity from the character, and you’re not trying to instill that feeling, consider revising.
For more on avoiding inadvertently funny body parts in your novel, try this article:
Breakaway Body Parts: Are Your Characters' Body Parts Acting on Their Own?Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
March 23, 2019
Real Life Diagnostics: Does This Scene Make You Care About the Protagonist?
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 April 13.
This week’s questions:
Does this scene make you care about Nicole? Is there enough conflict to draw you in? Do you hear Nicole's voice and personality? Is the problem clear?
Market/Genre: Christian YA Contemporary
Note: This is a significant and well-done rewrite of previously submitted material. If you’d like to see how the author revised this, find the others drafts in May 2018 and July 2018.
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
March 22, 2019
What's at Stake? How to Make Readers Care About Your Story
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy This week's Refresher Friday takes an updated look at making readers care about your story. Enjoy!
Like many writers, I have story ideas languishing in my files that I really like, but haven't been able to make work yet because they don't have an answer to the "who cares?" question: Why should the reader care about this person and this problem? Until I figure out a way to make the stakes personal, to make me care, those stories will stay languished.
I know I'm not alone in this. I do a lot of critiques for a wide variety of writers. One of the most common comments I make is about the stakes. Why does this matter? Why should the reader care? Often I can see the stakes in the story, but they're general and vast, so they don't make me care. The author could put any protagonist into the lead and nothing about the consequences really changes.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
March 21, 2019
Rising Above the Average as a Writer: Regression Toward the Mean
By Dario Ciriello Part of The Writer’s Life Series
JH: So much of publishing success is blind luck, and getting lucky twice (or more) can be harder than getting published in the first place. Dario Ciriello is back at the podium today to share thoughts on keeping success going.
We all want to succeed at our writing and produce that breakout book that hits big. And it is possible, for all of us. But it’s also necessary to understand success comes with its own challenges.
Not at first, of course. Faced with a sudden, maybe unanticipated hit, a writer, musician, or other creative will be overjoyed and exuberant. Recognition, validation, even money: what’s not to like?
But once the wave crests and the initial happy surprise gives way to considering the next project, that’s when apprehension can set in, and with good reason: how do you do it again?
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
March 20, 2019
A Fun Test to Check Your Scene's Narrative Drive
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyDusting off an oldie but goody for today. Here's a fun diagnostic quiz from 2011 to help you determine if your plot is doing its narrative job or just laying there without direction.
It's not an uncommon situation: You've finished your book, it's well written, the story is good, but for some reason the plot is just laying there, and you don't know what to do to make it better. It's not bad, but it's not making anyone eager to read it either.
Knowing a book isn't working and not knowing why can be horribly frustrating. I've had my share of flat stories, and I've found that when things aren't clicking, it's usually one of two things--lack of narrative drive (goals) or lack of stakes. Often a blend of the two, since they're very connected.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
March 19, 2019
3 Good Reasons Not to Quit Your Night Job
By Maggie Wells, @MaggieWells1Part of The Writer’s Life Series
JH: Finding time to write is an issue nearly every writer faces, no matter where they are in their writing journey. Maggie Wells visits the lecture hall today to share some thoughts on managing a writing life, and tips to balance work, life, and writing.
Maggie Wells is a deep-down dirty girl with a weakness for hot heroes and happy endings. By day she is buried in spreadsheets, but at night she pens tales of people tangling up the sheets. The product of a charming rogue and a shameless flirt, this mild-mannered married lady has a naughty streak a mile wide.
Fueled by supertankers of Diet Coke, Maggie juggles fictional romance and the real deal by keeping her slow-talking Southern gentleman constantly amused and their two grown children mildly embarrassed. The author of over forty published works, she believes in love without limits.
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Take it away Maggie…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
March 18, 2019
Get a Clue: We All Need a Little Mystery in Our Novels
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyI'm still recovering from "conference brain" after five days away. In honor of SleuthFest (which was awesome), here's a dip into the archives on why every writer should add a little mystery and wonder to their novel. Enjoy!
A good friend of mine writes mysteries, and when she first started reading my fantasies (the novels, not the other kind) she remarked that she’d never be able to make up an entire world like I did. I found it impressive that she could write in the real world and not have the luxury of making stuff up when she needed it.
Two totally different writers approaching their stories from two totally different perspectives, but what we both agreed on, was that all stories need a sense of mystery and wonder. Without mystery, stories just aren’t any fun.
I think as writers, we can get so caught up the plot and characters, showing all the cool things we created, and making sure the technical stuff is working, that we forget readers want more than just "good writing." They want a story they can get lost in. A puzzle to solve. They want to figure out the truth and be surprised.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
March 7, 2019
An Author’s Journey: What’s important?
By Ray FlyntPart of The Writer's Life Series
JH: Whether they take the traditional path or the indie path to publication, writers face similar challenges to achieve their dreams.
Two decades ago, I had the opportunity to hear Maya Angelou speak. She told the story of another presentation she’d given to inspire writers and artists, after which a teenaged girl approached and said, “Listening to you, I’ve decided what to do with my life. I want to be a star.” Our audience, comprised of adults, appreciated the irony.
Just as billions of galaxies comprise the universe, millions of writers fill an authors’ cosmos—all struggling to let their work shine through and find an audience. Stardom is for an elite (and lucky) few. There is no such thing as an overnight success. Whomever might be billed as such, has toiled mightily to hone their skills to perfection and—at last—earned recognition for their talent. Anyone who claims a modicum of success has a story to tell of a buried manuscript, or an early endeavor no longer worthy of association with the advancements in their craft. Salmon during spawning season have nothing on artists who swim upstream against a tide of competition, all yearning for the attention and affection of readers.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
March 6, 2019
The Practical Guide to Using Character Archetypes in Your Novel
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyCharacter archetypes are a useful tool in creating characters for a novel.
At some point in your writing journey, you’ve probably come across the term archetype. This has no doubt led you to articles quoting Carl Jung (the father of psychology) and his twelve character types. Pursuing that further, led to multiple articles about the variations of those and the common archetypes used in fiction.
And then your head likely started spinning and you wondered how the heck any of that was going to help you write a better novel.
Personally, I think there’s a difference between Jungian archetypes and fictional archetypes. Jung’s focus was on defining the human psyche, not telling a grand tale, so his list tends be more thematic in nature. Which is great if you’re writing literary fiction with Deep and Meaningful Themes, but not so great for the rest of us.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
March 5, 2019
6 Gadgets to Take to Your Next Book Event
By Chrys Fey, @ChrysFeyPart of The Writer’s Life Series
JH: Whether you go indie or traditional, odds are you’ll do book and author events. And events mean ways to interact with readers on the marketing and sales side of the biz. Please help me welcome Chrys Fey to the lecture hall today, to share some gadgets and gizmos that help make an author’s life a little easier.
Chrys Fey is the author of 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.
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Take it away Chrys…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
