Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 40
October 18, 2016
What the heck is a character arc? Find out here.
I’ve realised that the Beverley Guardian website has disappeared, so I’m reposting my columns here.
Character arc
The protagonist must by changed by their story.
People like to know about other people, that’s why we watch soaps and listen to gossip. Even news stories are more memorable if they have a human interest angle to them. All good stories are about people. The best stories involve people being changed by what happens to them.
The character arc is the description of what happens insid...
October 17, 2016
Ten ways to get to know your character
I’ve just found out that the Beverley Guardian website has disappeared (as has the Beverley Guardian newspaper), which means my columns on creative writing have also gone, so I’m reproducing them here.
10 ways to get to know your character
Put your character on the couch and ask them questions.
As a mentor for the RNA new writer’s scheme, I critique a lot of manuscripts. Of these the hardest ones to fix are the ones where the writer hasn’t properly got under the skin of their character. You d...
October 16, 2016
Using conflict to power your story
This is another article written for the now-defunct Beverley Guardian, recreated here for your delectation and delight.
Conflict is the thing that powers your story. Your protagonist has a problem, they are trying to fix it, but there are things in the way, so they can’t solve their problem as easily as they’d hoped. So what are they going to do now? This tension, the wanting to know what happens next, is what keeps the reader turning the paged. The source of that tension is conflict.
Confl...
October 14, 2016
10 ways to make time to write
This was the first article I wrote for the Beverley Guardian. Since their site has disappeared, I’m re-posting it here. If you have any other tips on how to make time to write, please let me know in the comments.
Are you one of those people who says ‘I’d love to write a book one day, but I don’t have the time’? I have a day job and I have two small children. If I can find the time to write novels, so can you.
First, let’s break down the task. Most novels are about 70000 words long. That’s a...
October 11, 2016
Goodreads Book Review: You’re the One That I Want by Angela Britnell
You’re The One That I Want (Choc Lit) by Angela Britnell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I adore a geek hero, so I was always going to love Matt – the man who is more in tune with computer manuals than people. Sarah was a lovely character too, but Matt was definitely my favourite.
Their fake romance is conducted under the beady eyes of a bus full of fellow travellers… and when it morphs into a real romance, those fellow travellers know more about it than the actual couple do.
This is a fun read, quit...
October 8, 2016
Goodreads Book Review: Little Girl Lost by Janet Gover
Little Girl Lost (Choc Lit) by Janet Gover
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a lovely book. Janet Gover does it again.
I really love the Coorah Creek books – it feels like a real place now. I enjoyed Tia and Max’s story a lot. I think I enjoyed Sarah and Pete’s story even more. I think Pete is just adorable.
A little girl goes missing in the bush and a whole town turns out to find her. It’s a lovely story about community spirit and about forgiving yourself. The bit about the little girl made me cry...
October 2, 2016
Want to write romance? Come to our workshop!
In all the excitement of Girl Having A Ball coming out, I’ve been a bit slack letting you know about the exciting pair of workshops that Jane Lovering and I are doing for Beverley Literature Festival (part of Lit/Up) this year. When I say ‘this year’, I meant NEXT WEEKEND!
Here’s the key information:
When: Saturday 8th Oct 10am – 1pm and 2pm -5pm
Where: Beverley Library (Treasure House)
How much: 18 each or 30 for both workshops
How to book: Via the Beverley Literature festival website (or at...
September 28, 2016
Goodreads Book Review: Fat Chance by Nick Spalding
Fat Chance by Nick Spalding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. The main characters were so warm and likeable. Some of the bits at the start were genuinely laugh out loud funny. My favourite thing about the characters was how Greg was totally in love with his wife throughout… regardless of her weight.
I also like the hint of good things in the ending. The full extent of their happy ever after wasn’t explicitly stated… but then, it didn’t need to be. Lovely.
September 27, 2016
Girl Having A Ball – Release Day!
It’s release day for my fourth book published by Choc Lit. Look at the lovely, lovely cover!
Girl Having A Ball was published before as Having a Ball. It’s the same girl, and the same ball, but with a few changes to make it even better than it was. It’s the sequel to Girl On The Run and tells the story of Marshall’s sister Stevie. The third book in the series, which has the working title Girl In Trouble, should be out next year. [Doctor January isn’t part of this series, but one of the chara...
September 21, 2016
Goodreads Book Review: Max Seventeen by Kate Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’d heard the author talking about this book on Twitter for a while – she called it the Mad Space Book.
I LOVED her last Mad Book (Untied Kingdom – it’s brilliant, if you haven’t read it, please do), so I was keen to read this one too.
Max is a brilliantly heroine. Hard as nails and will steal your teeth if you smile at her for too long. She’s so stubbornly independent, you can’t help liking her. Riley is big and scary to look at, but tota...
