Janice Hardy's Blog, page 92
October 26, 2018
Too Much of a Good Thing: Over Plotting Your Novel
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy This week's Refresher Friday takes another look at a common problem--over plotting your novel.
Often it’s hard to come up with a single plot, but there are writers out there who can spin a tale like they have an unlimited supply. Trouble is, too many plots can spoil a story, and knowing where the line is between complex and complicated can be hard to spot. How do you know when you have a layered story and when you have too much plot?
What’s Going On in the Story?
When I first started writing, I subscribed to “the more the merrier” philosophy. Lots of characters, lots of point of views, lots of plots and subplots. Naturally, I ended up with a mess. It was impossible to tell what the story was about or who my protagonist was. So much was going on you couldn’t tell what was going on.
Eventually, I made it through this all-too-common phase and figured out that less really can be more.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 25, 2018
Why You Should Help Kids Write
By Mary Claire Branton JH: We have something a little different today from a woman I met in June at the FL-SCBWI Conference here in Orlando. Mary Claire is a childrens' publisher--but not in the way you expect. Her company publishers books written by children, and encourages young artists of all types. I asked her to share her story, because I've met my own share of amazing young writers, and there's a lot authors can do to nurture the younger generation of writers.
Mary Claire Branton is a member of the Author’s Guild, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the American Christian Fiction Writers, and serves as an editor and publisher of child authors and illustrators at Charlie’s Port. If you know of a child who is writing or has completed a book, you can send her a query at mc@charliesport.org.
Take it away Mary Claire...
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 24, 2018
Do You Get My Meaning? Providing Emotional Clarity in Your Writing
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Emotions don't always come through in our writing, especially during that first draft. Here's an updated look at making our scenes emotionally clear.
There's a lot of writing that happens in our heads and off the page--we brainstorm, we outline, we talk it through with friends, we think about it as we go about our day. All of these writing moments help us understand a scene and what we want to have happen in that scene, but it doesn't always make it to the page the way we want it to.
This happens quite often with the emotions our character feel.
We might have characters feel something or react to something in a scene, and why they do it is very clear in our minds. But those reasons aren't shown in the surrounding text, so for the reader, those actions aren't so clear. Here's an example from my third novel, Darkfall :
"I'm sure Jeatar can find someone to fill in for you." He glanced at Jeatar, who paused and looked at me as if unsure whether or not to agree to that.
I bristled. "There is no one to fill in for me. His people are spread thin enough as it is."The "I bristled" is what inspired this article, because I could see one of my beta readers marking that and asking, "Why is she upset?" There's nothing in the scene that shows why Nya finds this suggestion annoying. She has some issues with the person saying it, but not enough to warrant her reaction based solely on that. Nya's reasons for being upset by this aren't coming through. "I bristled" just isn't enough to carry the emotion behind her reaction if you don't already know why she's upset.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 23, 2018
Creating Story Tension: Rooms with an Unexpected View
By Bonnie Randall Part of the How They Do It Series (Contributing Author)
Bonnie is off this month, so here's a return to one of my favorites of hers--using unexpected places to create tension in a story.
Consider a house. Envision its rooms. Think about the living room (or perhaps you say ‘family room’) where everything social goes down: TV, gaming, chatter and kid squabbles (sometimes popcorn mashed between sofa seats). The bedroom, where rest and intimacy happen. The bathroom (restroom, if you’re American) where privacy is expected. The stoop, porch, or front step where visitors are met and strangers are kept at a safe distance from the inner sanctum. Then there’s the kitchen, the ‘heart of the home’. Here we prepare meals (with recipes that are often part of our heritage or history), we break bread, and we share dinner conversation with one another.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 22, 2018
NaNoWriMo Prep: Planning Your Novel’s Ending
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy We now come to the final installment of the annual NaNo prep articles.
Getting to “The End” of a novel is pretty satisfying, both as a reader and a writer, but there’s a lot more pressure to get there for the writer. There are many things that need to happen--plots and subplots to wrap up, and those pesky character arcs to fulfill. And then there’s the whole “satisfying resolution” to worry about.
The ending is the last 25% of the novel, so for the NaNo folks, to meet your 50K-word goal, that's another 12,500 words. At least one of those final chapters is going to be your wrap up, though that can be a much smaller chapter. There’s a good chance that you won’t know all the specifics about your ending in the planning stage, so don’t worry. Ideas and situations will develop over the course of the novel that will help you flesh the ending out. Even if you do know exactly how the ending will unfold, you might find deeper meanings or ways to make it resonate more once that first draft is written.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 20, 2018
Real Life Diagnostics: Would This Query Letter Make You Ask for Pages?
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: Four
Please Note: As of today, RLD slots are booked through November 17.
This week’s questions:
1. I am wondering if it is too familiar at the start. I am aiming this particular letter at a specific agent as you can see. I will amend the letter for other queries.
2. Am I using the correct format?
3. Is my plot clear enough?
4. Do you have any suggestions to make this query stand out?
Market/Genre: Query Letter
On to the diagnosis…
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 19, 2018
NaNoWriMo Prep: Planning Your Novel’s Middle
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Today we dive into the turning points and problems of writing your novel's middle.
Middles might be the most common tough spot for writers, and with good reason. The middle makes up half the novel, and it’s where all the heavy plot workings happen. We usually have a decent idea of how our stories start, and roughly how they end, but that middle? What do we put in there? That often eludes us.
This is when a lot of novels start to bog down, so there’s a good chance many NaNo writers will stumble here. But don’t worry, because I know a great trick to overcome middle woes. The Mid-Point Reversal!
This is a major event that happens in the middle of your novel that helps bridge the gap between the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end (act one and act three for those using the Three Act Structure). It effectively breaks your three acts into four acts, making each section a little easier to manage.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 18, 2018
Starting your Series: Worldbuilding, Research, and… When to Stop
By J. Kathleen Cheney, @jkcheney Part of the Indie Authors Series
Writers are caught in a world of conflicting priorities, exemplified by two axioms, one Portuguese, one Italian: Haste is the enemy of perfection and Perfection is the enemy of good
Like most things in life, it’s about the balance.[image error]
HERE I BLATHER ON ABOUT HOW I REACHED THAT CONCLUSION
When I first started writing my Golden City stories, I didn’t know what I was getting into. I planned a novelette of 15K words. I had an outline for a story set in 1900 Venice. I dove in and began writing… only to have the story tell me that Venice was not the right setting. After about 30 minutes of looking at European maps, I thought, Hey! I’ll set this in Portugal instead, and went on to finish the novelette.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 17, 2018
Don’t miss it: The Indie Novelist Summit Starts Today!
By Janice Hardy, @Janice_HardyThis week launches the Indie Novelist Summit, with over 30 writing and publishing professionals giving workshops you can watch in your own home. It's like a conference you don't have to leave the house for.
But don't let the name fool you... it's not just for indie novelists. There's a lot to learn about writing and publishing no matter which career path you plan to take.
The always-amazing Joanna Penn (from The Creative Penn) starts off the summit this morning with how to launch your career at 10am EST. You'll hear my session on productivity on Friday, at 8am. The full schedule of sessions is below.
One of the best ways for you to fast track your path to writing, publishing and marketing your first novel is to put yourself in a room with many people who really know what they are talking about and piece together your own recipe for success from their tips and advice… kind of like a dessert buffet.
If you’d like to hear what a the top experts in fiction are saying about writing, publishing and marketing novels, you should sign up for this free event
Whether you’re completely new to fiction writing or have been trying for a long time and want to finally publish your novel, Brian Berni has pulled together some impressive names in writing/publishing to share experience and tips on writing, publishing and marketing your first novel. With 30+ speakers, you’re sure to find some great tips to help you!
Get your free Indie Novelist Summit ticket here
I'm honored to be included in this great line up, so check it out.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
October 16, 2018
Five Stops on Your MC’s Inner Journey
By Dorian Cirrone, @DorianCirronePart of the How They Do It Series
JH: A strong character journey can be a powerful element of a story. Please help me welcome Dorian Cirrone as she visits the lecture hall today to share her technique for creating memorable character arcs in her novel.
Dorian is an award-winning writer of books for kids and teens. Her most recent book, The First Last Day (Aladdin/Simon and Schuster) has been translated into five languages and was featured on Bank Street College’s Best Books List and New Mexico’s Battle of the Books list.
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter |
Take it away Dorian...
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com
