Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 55

January 18, 2020

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 50,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

Business / Miscellaneous

Make 2020 Your Year: Finding Experts Who Can Help: @AngelaAckerman
On Writing Fears, Blue Titles, And Why 6-Figure Advances Are Bad For Your Health: by PJ Parrish @killzoneauthors

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

DSC Prize on ‘Half the Night Is Gone’: ‘Profound in Class and Gender’: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
UK Costa Book Awards: Public Voting Opens Today on Short Stories: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Writing Workshops and Conferences 2020: Requiring Early Registration: @Diana_Hurwitz
The UK’s Parliamentary Book Award Announces Delayed 2019 Shortlists: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / Careers in Writing and Day Jobs

7 Jobs for English Majors Who Love to Write: @thewritelife

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

1 Writer’s Debut Journey: @monashroffwrite @WomenWriters

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Published on January 18, 2020 21:02

January 12, 2020

Taking Small Steps Toward a Big Goal

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

This is the time of year when many people think about goals for the year.

The main reason I think New Year resolutions are so often discarded several months in…it’s too overwhelming to think about losing twenty pounds or exercising forty-five minutes a day or learning a foreign language, or whatever the goal is. Better to try losing a pound every week or exercising 15 minutes every other day or setting small daily goals for learning a new skill.

I think establishing a writing habit is more important than the actual resulting word count each day. If we can just make set our goal so low that it’s hard not to achieve it, then we can set up the practice of working on our story daily. That could be five or ten minutes a day. Being honest with yourself while goal-setting is so important. Maybe you’d like to think you can work every day for an hour on a project, but is that really doable? It’s also important to know the why behind your goal and its importance to you. Are you setting the goal because you’re determined and really want to see it through? Or are you setting it because it’s been on your list for a while (but you’re really not enthusiastic about following it through…which will make the task harder).

One thing I haven’t done that I’ve always heard is a good thing to do is to celebrate your ‘wins’, or the times you’ve met your goals. I recently read an article on Fast Company, “How to Make Your Big Goals Seem Less Overwhelming.” The post recommends tracking your goals each day and then celebrating a long streak.

They also recommend something else I’m not great at: being compassionate with yourself if you break the chain. As they put it: “…remember that progress isn’t lost.”

For further reading on better goal-setting:

Martha Alderson’s post, “Goal Setting for You and Your Characters”

Faye Kirwin’s post, “How to Set Super-Effective Goals (With a Little Help from Psychology”

Lesley Knowles’ post, “5 Obvious Goal-Setting Mistakes You Must Avoid”

Dean Wesley Smith’s “How to Keep Production Going All Year”

What are your goals for 2020? Have you kept them manageable?

Setting Manageable Goals for 2020:
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Published on January 12, 2020 21:01

January 11, 2020

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

Writer Beware®: The Blog: Issues at Audible’s ACX: Attempted Rights Fraud, Withdrawn Promotional Codes: @victoriastrauss
What is a fiction line critique? @LouiseHarnby
Author Essentials: Email: @ph_solomon @StoryEmpire
Refresh, Rehab, Repair and Renovate your Backlist: @RuthHarrisBooks
How Do I Use Public Domain Characters Respectfully? by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
How to Collaborate Across Genres: @RPBook @IndieAuthorALLI
After Finishing Your Story and Before Revision: @Roz_Morris
What it’s like to narrate an audiobook: @NathanBransford

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

“How I Survive Conventions”: @SMCarriere
The Sheikh Zayed Book Award in Arabic Literature: The 2020 Literature Longlist: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Words Without Borders January: Travel Writing in Translation: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Germany’s GINT Competition for Emerging Translators Names Three Winners: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Booker Prize for Fiction 2020 Jury Features Lee Child: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / Careers in Writing and Day Jobs

When Your Day Job ‘Gets In the Way’ Of Your Writing Time: @MegDowell

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on January 11, 2020 21:02

January 5, 2020

Re-evaluating at the New Year

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Happy 2020, everyone! I hope everybody enjoyed their holidays. I went on vacation with my family (actually, I’m returning a little later today, so I’ll be a bit late responding to comments) and enjoyed spending time with them.

Although I’ve never been happy about making resolutions, I’ve always tried to take time at the new year to plan out the year, set goals (better than resolutions, I’ve found), and see what’s working and what’s not.

It was at this point last year that I decided to move forward with my plan to start another series. I managed to publish the first couple of books in that series in 2019. Last year I ended up writing 5 books and I’m planning on matching that this year since it was pretty doable.

The only problem with this approach is that I have less time, obviously. Ordinarily I write about 3 books a year. Adding an extra 2 to the calendar means that I have to be a little more organized with my time and have to evaluate where I might be able to make cuts.

One thing I’m doing sounds minor but really helps me save time: I’m grouping my errands and knocking them all out at one time. Before, I had a little more of a slipshod approach and would run an errand a day.

Something else I’m doing, especially since I’ve got an empty nest now, is reduce the number of days a week that I’m cooking. I’ve discovered that my local grocery stores have a special section for prepared foods that are ready to be popped into the oven. Not only do they have healthy options, the cost isn’t nearly as high as I thought it might be. Plus, the grocery stores seem to be more creative with their recipes than I am. :)

One other thing that will actually impact what I’m doing here: I’m going to cut back on blogging to twice a week. That means I’ll post the Twitterific Sunday post and then blog on Monday (cutting back on Fridays). Although I’ve always felt that blogging has provided me with great writing practice, I’m currently doing so much writing that falling back to twice a week will likely only help me out.

Things I’m not changing: daily exercise, my sleep schedule, and making time to do things with family.

For further reading:

Erin Tolbert’s “4 Simple, Realistic Ways You Can Make Time to Write” (including task delegation…something I need to explore).

Janalyn Voigt’s “Making Time to Write: Quitting to Win” (including retiring a series).

These are just a few of the adjustments I’m making, although I’m definitely looking to find other ways of saving time. How about you? What are your plans for 2020? Are you ramping up your writing? Or needing to shuffle things in your life around to make more time?

Re-evaluating life to make more time:
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Published on January 05, 2020 21:04

December 21, 2019

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Happy holidays to everyone! I’ll be on a blog break to spend time with my family. I’ll be back on the blog on Monday, Jan. 6. :)

Business / Miscellaneous

Get the Most of Writing Coaching: @KarenHWhiting @EdieMelson
Six Things Editors Want Writers to Know: from Jeanette the Writer @DIYMFA

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

List of Book Fairs and Book Festivals by State: @robertleebrewer @WritersDigest
PEN America Announces 2020 Longlists in Its $330,000 Literary Awards: @Porter_Anderson @PENamerica @pubperspectives
International Prize for Arabic Fiction: The 2020 Longlist: @Porter_Anderson

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Writing Tips: Using Visual Inspiration For Your Stories: @JillHedgecock @thecreativepenn
The Ultimate Writing Prompt: @wordgrower @ProWritingAid
Want a More Creative Life? Read a Novel: @kcmaher3 @BookTrib

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

Reading Makes You a Better Writer: @ShanDitty @GoTeenWriters
7 Books About the Struggle of Being a Writer: @v_gnesis @ElectricLit

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

How to Make Time For Writing Outside Your Day Job: A Quick Guide: @MegDowell
Snatch Writing Time When You Can: @terrywhalin

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Don’t Let Your Confidence Issues Stop You From Writing: @MegDowell
How to Become a Full-Time Writer: @sacha_black @jennamoreci
3 Ways to Get Past What’s Holding You Back: @sandrabeckwith @JFbookman
Be Kind To Yourself: @mishy1727 @TheIWSG
Capturing Natural Coincidences, in Fiction and Life: @signoramartha @lithub
3 Ways to Sneak in Writing During the Holidays: @BeingTheWriter
How to deal with a new book idea: @pubcoach
Swimming Sideways: Navigating Grief As A Writer And An Artist: @ChuckWendig

Genres / Dystopian

Things to Consider When Writing a Dystopia: from Sandy Dragon

Genres / Mystery

Crime Writing: Avoiding an Ambush: @LeeLofland

Genres / Picture Books

A Picture-Perfect Picture Book — Five Tips: by Trinka Hakes Noble @DIYMFA

Genres / Romance

Tips for Writing a Flirty Conversation: @rfwriters

Genres / Science Fiction

The Other Final Frontier: Writing Ocean Settings: @victoriarius_ @sfwa

Genres / Screenwriting

Why Do Movie Monsters Keep Kidnapping Women? by T.L. Bodine

Promo / Blogging

14 Things No One Ever Tells You About Having a Blog: @MegDowell

Promo / Connecting with Readers

What Makes Readers Give an Unknown Author a Chance? by Barbara Linn Probst @JaneFriedman

Promo / Miscellaneous

Whatever You Do, Make it New: @BE_Sanderson
Using Audiobooks As Part Of Your Author Marketing Strategy: @KimberleyGrabas
Yes, Writers, it is Possible to Get Past Your Fear of Marketing Yourself as an Author: @losapala @TheRyanLanz

Publishing / Miscellaneous

McNally Jackson Independent Booksellers’ Workers Opt to Join Union: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
AAP Joins Broad Opposition to Proposed Trump Policy on Journal Articles: @Porter_Anderson @AmericanPublish @scholarlykitchn @ThomTillis @pubperspectives

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Top Russian Titles and Highlights at Moscow’s 2019 Non/Fiction Book Fair: @HannahSJohnson @pubperspectives
China Bestsellers November 2019: ‘Weathering’ Heights: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Sharjah World Book Capital Program Backs Kenyan Library Restoration: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s World Outreach Prompts Seven Translations: @HannahSJohnson @pubperspectives
Translator Marilyn Booth on Arabic in Publishing: ‘An Encouraging Sign’: @Porter_Anderson @UniofOxford @TheBookerPrizes @magdalenoxford @sandstonepress @HoopoeFiction @CityLightsBooks @OneworldNews
Rights Perspectives From Guadalajara as a ‘Gateway to Latin America’: By Adam Critchley @pubperspectives
Rights Roundup: A Season of Sales: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Writing Craft / Beginnings

How to Ground (and Hook) Readers in Your Opening Scene: @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

The Villain Checklist – How to Create a “Great & Terrible” Villain: @LexicalForge @CareerAuthors

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

How to describe a character (with free character development crib sheet): @amabaie
Five Things Readers Need to Know About Character In Your First Pages: @Kid_Lit
A Writer’s Guide to Understanding People: @KMWeiland

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

5 Questions for Choosing a Protagonist Who Represents Your Story’s Theme: @KMWeiland

Writing Craft / Characters / Supporting Characters

Use Your Secondary Characters Wisely: @beccapuglisi

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

Top 5 Edits Mistakes Writers Make: @Bang2write

Writing Craft / Conflict

Conflict Thesaurus Entry: Discovering a Spouse’s Secret: @beccapuglisi

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Narrative Drive – Do You Have It? @JordanDane @killzoneauthors
Motive: The Key to Writing Stories Readers Can’t Put Down: @KristenLambTX
Back to the Basics: What Makes a Great Story: @eseckman @TheIWSG
Free Indirect Discourse: Its Advantages: @woodwardkaren

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Plot Mapping With Characters: from Fix Your Writing Habits

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

How to Develop your Book Idea: 8 Exercises: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

Punctuation Series: How to Edit Slashes: @tishmartin1416 @A3writers

Writing Craft / Revision

Pre-Editing Checklist: by Bucket Siler

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

5 Tips for Building a House or Setting That Comes Alive for Readers: @DMPulleyAuthor @WritersDigest

Writing Craft / Special Needs

How to Properly Portray Mental Health Issues in Fiction: @shy_holland @ebdawsonwriting @_HannahHeath

Writing Craft / Tropes

Six Rape Tropes and How to Replace Them: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants

Writing Tools / Miscellaneous

Tools for writing: 3 mobile dictation apps that save writers time: by Paul Morton @wearearticulate

Uncategorized

Did Hemingway say “write drunk, edit sober”? Nope—he preferred writing sober. @JessZafarris @WritersDigest #TopTweets2019
Make Free Book Trailers with Lumen5: @MJBowersock @IndiesUnlimited #TopTweets2019
Why “Bird Box” Starring Sandra Bullock Was Such a Ginormous Hit for Netflix: @JeffYorkWriter @CreativeScreen #TopTweets2019

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on December 21, 2019 21:01

December 15, 2019

Five Things Readers Need to Know About Character In Your First Pages

By Mary Kole, Good Story Company, @kid_lit

For the last ten years, I’ve been teaching all about characterization: what writers can do to flesh out their characters. As a former literary agent, I also know the importance of first pages. So I thought I’d put the two together: how to best characterize your protagonist in the first pages of your manuscript. Make no mistake, readers bond with character first. I truly believe that character is a reader’s lens into story. So if you don’t hook your reader (or agent, or publisher) quickly, they may not stick around to see if it “gets good later.”

Here’s what readers will want to know about your character right away:

Something nice: Even if your character is rough around the edges, they will need to prove themselves as someone worth following for the next few hours. Take a cue from Save the Cat by Blake Snyder and weave in an opportunity for your protagonist to show their nice side, even if nobody else sees it. For all their potential flaws, your character needs to demonstrate some fundamental goodness with a kind word or gesture.
Something secret: Readers love vulnerability. It feels true and honest and we can all relate to it. Nobody else in your story world needs to know your protagonist’s vulnerable underbelly, but readers must. Vulnerability is best delivered in your character’s interiority (their thought process), and ideally, it will have to do with the character’s inner struggle or goal (see below).
Something stormy: Inner struggle is a huge part of what makes a character interesting. Usually, our inner struggle is internal conflict that stems from something in our past or our present that we don’t like. Whether it’s a conflict with self, like wanting to feel accepted, or a conflict with others, like needing validation from a partner, this is the sand in the bottom of our shoe. Your character should have something that frustrates them, because this creates conflict and tension. Those are the engines of story. You should, of course, develop an engaging external plot in addition to this, but giving character something that bothers them is a good way of keeping conflict high throughout.
Something past: I wouldn’t recommend starting your story with a strong eye toward the past. Flashbacks and info-dumping in your first few pages are a big no-no. However, it’s wise to plant some seeds of past tense as a way of informing present tension. Is there a big event in the past—whether it’s distant past or recent past—that haunts your character and drives their present action? Let readers know about it, even if it’s a quick mention. Now they will be eager to learn more, and you will explore it further when the time comes.
Something future: Perhaps the most important thing to introduce about your character right away is their object, or what they want. This will drive them throughout the story, and it’s infinitely relatable. We all know what it’s like to want or need something. By setting up a clear objective, you are sending a signal to your reader: This goal is what will drive this character, and this will be a great source of tension throughout. After that, readers will be eager to know whether your protagonist achieves their objective or not.

Putting all of this data into your first few opening pages might seem daunting. Remember, the enemy of dynamic first page action is information. Try to deploy as much of these five things in action, dialogue, or reaction, if possible. You should be starting your story in scene or with forward momentum anyway.

If you launch into your manuscript with strong character, readers will “go there” and dive headfirst into your compelling story.

As a former literary agent, I know the ins and outs of the publishing industry firsthand. Now, I focus on—simply—helping writers craft a good story. I founded Mary Kole Editorial in 2013 and provide consulting and developmental editing services to writers of all categories and genres, working on children’s book projects from picture book to young adult, and all kinds of trade market literature, including fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, romance and memoir. I founded Good Story Company in 2019 with the aim of providing valuable content—like the Good Story Podcast and Crit Collective writing forum—to writers of all categories and ability levels.

On the craft side, I hold an MFA in Creative Writing and have worked at Chronicle Books, the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and Movable Type Management. I’ve been blogging at Kidlit.com since 2009. My book, Writing Irresistible Kidlit, a writing reference guide for middle grade and young adult writers, is available from Writer’s Digest Books.

5 Things Readers Need to Know About Character In Your First Pages (by @kid_lit ):
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Social Links

Company: https://goodstorycompany.com

Editing: https://marykole.com

Blog: https://kidlit.com

Podcast: https://goodstorypodcast.com

Forum: https://critcollective.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/goodstoryco

Facebook: https://facebook.com/marykoleeditorial/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/goodstoryco

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kid_lit

Instagram: https://instagram.com/goodstorycompany

YouTube: http://bit.ly/ytgoodstory

Submission Course: https://bit.ly/kolesub

Book: http://bit.ly/kolekidlit

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Published on December 15, 2019 21:02

December 14, 2019

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

New Stuff

Eldon Sarte (who helped me design this site and has done other web-related work for me) and his son are running a special promo for book marketing graphics. They also have some free downloads of motivational quotes for authors. For more information, head here.

Business / Miscellaneous

Why Self-Publishing Authors Should Consider Establishing Their Own Imprint: @Wogahn @JaneFriedman
How to Become an Editor: A Comprehensive Guide for Writers: @danasitar @thewritelife
How to Create a Self Publisher Imprint Name and Logo: @carlaking @BookWorksNYC

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

How You Too Can Build a Literary Festival: @StoryADayMay @WriterUnboxed
Newly Developed Data To Fuel IPA’s 33rd World Congress in Norway: @Porter_Anderson @IntPublishers @Bodour @pubperspectives
The Dos and Don’ts of Making School Visits: A Writer’s Survival Guide: @RealAlexWoolf @WritersDigest

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

How many words should you write each day? @pubcoach

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Find Your Creative Heart: @JFbookman @IndieAuthorALLI

The Top Writing Links From Last Week Are On Twitterific:
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Published on December 14, 2019 21:04

December 12, 2019

Why Writers, Like Athletes, Should Cross-Train

by Lucia Tang with @Reedsy

Cross-training is exercise gospel. Gung-ho gym-goers gush over its benefits, from speeding up recovery time to improving overall fitness. Best of all, switching up a fitness routine can stop overtaxed muscles from getting so tired of moving they collectively riot, forcing the unwilling athlete to take up permanent residence on the couch.

No wonder you’ll see gymnasts run, runners cycle, and cyclists swim. But for those of us whose primary form of exercise is flexing our fingers at the keyboard, specialization is the name of the game — often not even on a single genre, but on a single work.

How am I supposed to finish this novel if I keep starting new ones? I should just sit down and force myself to slog through it. You’ve probably told yourself something like this before. That is how the conventional wisdom goes, and it really might help you finally churn out a finished manuscript.

But what if you’re thinking on a larger scale — beyond this one manuscript, to your long-term future as a writer? In that case, this kind of literary single-mindedness can do more harm than good, inviting boredom and burnout.

Like cross-training athletes, writers can and should move between projects — not guiltily, but with intention, as part of a well-organized plan for artistic development. Here are three reasons why.

1. You’ll gain versatility, making everything you write more well-rounded

We all tend to write what we’re good at, gravitating towards projects — and genres — that play to our strengths and paper over our weaknesses. Say you’re often at a loss when it comes to plot, but you’re a lyrical wordsmith who strings gorgeous sentences together on instinct. Then, you probably spend your time writing lit fic instead of thrillers, prioritizing elegant style over tantalizing inciting incidents and satisfying resolutions.

It makes sense to keep doing what works. But if you want to push yourself and expand your range as a writer, it’s a good idea to work against the grain of your own inclinations from time to time.

If you’re more a stylist than a storyteller, try your hand at a genre like crime fiction, where you can’t hide behind your natural lyricism. On the other hand, if you build up intricate storylines as easily as breathing, but have trouble peopling them with a complex, realistic cast, experiment with some quiet, character-driven slices of life. If you normally shy away from dialogue, go all in on it: write a scene from a screenplay. And you tend to rely on stoic, analytical protagonists because you struggle to depict intense emotion, try to build a piece around a real drama queen.

Chances are, the writing you produce in this experimental mode won’t be as polished as what you normally put out, but that’s just the way it should be. After all, even a world-class runner won’t be able to out-swim Michael Phelps when he cross-trains in the pool. The important thing is, you’re developing your overall fitness as a writer, shoring up your weaknesses instead of boxing yourself in.

2. You’ll need less recovery time between work sessions

Writing is exhausting, even if it doesn’t tax your lungs as much as running a marathon. There’s no denying that it takes something out of you to turn the images in your head into well-formed paragraphs. No wonder it feels like you need two hours of Netflix, Candy Crush, or online “research” for every hour you spend plugging away at that novel.

And often, the siren call of the internet and its myriad attractions aren’t the only things making you lose focus. So many of us get chased down by a dozen new plot bunnies as soon as we make any headway in an existing project. You can try to swat them away. But what if these new potential stories keep hopping circles around your head, making it hard to resist starting a whole new novel?

Stop resisting. Toggling between two projects at once — if not three or four — might sound like the perfect way to court writerly disaster. But some judicious multi-tasking can actually help you finish each project faster than working on them one by one.

Feeling trapped by a particularly thorny plot problem? Having trouble getting into your villain’s head? Tired of spending time in the world you’ve built? Start a new story, and you’ll be able to switch gears whenever you get stuck — and then return to the problem feeling refreshed.

Think of it this way: an athlete who hits a plateau will often switch up their training. You’re doing the same thing. And this way, you’ll still be writing instead of eking out another level of Candy Crush.

3. You’ll be able to keep the writing process fun

When you’re knee-deep in a dreaded revision, eyes glazing over and mind moving like a rusted gear, it can be hard to remember why you even started writing in the first place. That’s the perfect time to put your manuscript away and work on something else: not a second project, but something just for fun, like an epic poem dedicated to your cat or a self-indulgent fanfic about your favorite pop star going to Hogwarts.

Don’t worry about whether your words will ever see the light of day. Just write with abandon — try to rediscover the joy of seeing your ideas in motion, no matter how ridiculous they are. It’s like taking the day off from jogging your usual trail to drop in on a swing dance class. You may not come back every week, but isn’t it exhilarating to try something new?

Remember, writing is something you do for you. Don’t let it turn into a chore! After all, boredom and suffering aren’t signs of artistic progress: they’re harbingers of burnout. And you can hone your craft while still having fun.

Lucia Tang is a writer with Reedsy , a marketplace that connects self-publishing authors with the world’s best editors, designers, and marketers. Reedsy also provides tools to help authors write and format their books, as well as free courses and webinars on publishing. In Lucia’s spare time, she enjoys drinking cold brew and planning her historical fantasy novel.

3 Reasons Writers, Like Athletes, Should Cross-Train by Lucia Tang @Reedsy:
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Published on December 12, 2019 21:01

December 8, 2019

The Usefulness of a Series Bible

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

If you’re starting a series, or even if you’re already several books in, I highly recommend a series bible. A series bible, or a document that helps you keep track of trivial details in your stories, is a useful tool to keep from making mistakes.

I don’t think I really realized how important a series bible was until readers started emailing me to let me know about errors that I’d made…usually contradictions. In one book, I’d said that a character had never smoked. In another, I said the character had been a former smoker.

It’s easy to toss out these little details and then promptly forget about them, especially if you have a long-running series. But it’s horrifying when a reader finds the mistakes. And readers these days, in our binging entertainment world, sometimes read books back to back that we wrote over a course of years. If there are errors to find, they’ll find them.

That’s why a series bible is so helpful. Any sort of minutiae that might crop up again can be carefully recorded. Then, before making a statement you’re not completely sure of, you can check it. Are a character’s glasses wire-rimmed or rimless? Exactly how old is a recurring child character? What’s the name of the local cemetery (handy to know in a mystery)? The denomination of the church the protagonist attends?

Naturally, it’s easiest to record the facts in book 1…that’s what I’ve done with my new series. But it’s not too hard to do it for older books in an active series if you’re good at skimming. Just pick out content that is important for you to track or which might come up for a future story.

With my series bible, I list my recurring characters and all of the trivia about them. Then I list details for recurring settings. I have any recurring subplots, tropes, story memes, etc. listed after that.

Whenever I add a fact to the bible, I document where it came from, abbreviating the book title to keep it pithy.

I also track style notes. (Is the newspaper The Bradley Bugle or the Bradley Bugle? Is the dog’s name Noo-noo or Noo-Noo? Is the name of the quilting guild The Cut-ups or the Cut-Ups?)

The Types of Things I track:

Character habits or details: Early riser. Kills houseplants. Subscribes to the newspaper. Peanut allergy. Cries at weddings. Scrapbooks. Reads nonfiction only. Likes jazz. Attends church. Exercises daily. Eats junk food. Smokes. Drives a minivan.

Character description: Wears glasses (and type/color of frame), never wears flats, blue eyes, gray hair, fondness for bowties, age, height.

Character beliefs: Political leanings, spiritual beliefs, attitudes toward family or spouse.

Character backstory.

Setting details. The color of a house, the name of the character’s street, the favorite hangout for the characters, what type of food their favorite restaurant serves, the character’s living room. Population of the town.

Continuing subplots: A character’s health issue, a character’s relationship with another character, a character’s issues with his work or his family. Story tropes: a character’s bad cooking, silly book club meetings, a lazy housekeeper’s “thrown” back, a character’s chronic insomnia.

The most important thing is to use the series bible once you’ve taken the time to put it together. I’m not going to say I don’t make mistakes anymore, but I’m doing a whole lot better, despite being on book 16 of one series and book 12 of another.

For further reading:

How author Lorna Faith uses a series bible.

Author Heidi Hormel on the IWSG explains how to create one using Excel.

Anne Walk on creating a bible using Scrivener

Do you use a series bible to keep your story facts straight? What kinds of things do you track?

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Published on December 08, 2019 21:01