courage in your writing

“Writing, true writing, requires a level of commitment most people can’t even imagine. You need passion and discipline and incredible amounts of courage.” – Robert Dunbar

I’ve always recognized passion and discipline as necessary elements of writing, but after reading Mr. Dunbar’s interview at TQR Confidential, I started thinking about courage and how it relates to my writing.

An incredible amount of courage is exactly what it took for me to pick up a laptop and begin An Autumn Tale. I had not written fiction for over twenty years, and I wasn’t sure if I could even do it again. Armed with nothing more than a synopsis and an outline, I took up Lucian’s story, and before I was two pages into An Autumn Tale, Lucian’s voice resonated in my mind.

No one must ever doubt the courage necessary for a writer to show their work to another individual. Joining a critique group was one of the hardest things I’ve done. I took several early hits by a few members who were very unhappy with Christians as a whole, and their prejudices were reflected in their critiques. They wanted a nice politically correct pat on the page and were so busy criticizing superficial symbols they missed the underlying meaning of Lucian’s journey.

At this point I stopped and reconsidered my story. I could have made up a religion and given it Christian elements, but Lucian and his story wouldn’t have been the same. I would be writing a novel based on someone else’s world views, not those of my characters. I instinctively knew it would be cheating to make my characters anything other than Christian.

I kept my courage and didn’t deviate from the religious undertones. I was rewarded with the fine critique partners I currently have. They inspire me, and they never tell me what I want to hear. Instead, they guide me toward what they believe will make my story better. They make me re-examine my characters and their motivations by telling me where they feel like I’m taking the easy way out. They force me improve my prose.

If editors shy from An Autumn Tale because of the novel’s themes, I’m not afraid. I have another story, you see. It’s simmering in the darkness of my heart right now, and I can feel Guillermo’s sad tale beginning to emerge. He is a man suffering a terrible curse that only true love can dispel, but the road to love is surreptitious, and Guillermo isn’t prepared for the sacrifice his salvation requires.

You see, I’ve found my courage in my writing. I don’t want to write pop-candy nor do I want to write obscure prose. I want to entertain you, but I also want you to think about yourself as you read.

So I look deep into my soul and show you the nightmares that plague my dreams. My characters will crawl into their fears, but before I am done, I will raise them up into the light. I am not afraid of taking a chance, and if you come with me, I’ll tell you a story, and if you look closely, you might see yourself in the tale.

How do you express your courage in your writing? Do you take chances with your themes and characters? Or do you play it safe?

lunch hour links for writers – 2/3/10

This is the week of the query, so off we go with links to query letters and such from around the net.

A very nice post is available at Agent Query, which gives some very succinct examples of hooks. This is probably one of the best posts on how to write a query letter I’ve been able to find.

Author Lynn Flewelling has an informative post at SFWA, The Complete Nobody’s Guide to Query Letters. In the post, she includes the query letter that secured the sale of her fantasy novel, Luck in the Shadows.

Charlotte Dillon runs a lovely website with resources for romance writers, but regardless of genre, you want to check out her resources for Writing a Query Letter. She has advice and links that will help you formulate your own query letter.

Literary agent Kristen Nelson has a host of information for you on her FAQ page for the Nelson Literary Agency. Scroll down to find sample query letters and pitch workshops that Kristen has placed on her blog Pub Rants.

Speaking of literary agents, they’re all quite eager to show you what they’re looking for in query letters, and many do give samples on their web pages. Nathan Bransford shows you how to do the query letter mad lib and fill in the blanks for a basic query letter.

Jessica Faust of Bookends, LLC has sample query letters that have worked for her. Scroll down and read beneath the heading: Must-Read Posts for her links to previous posts on query letters.

Literary agent Colleen Lindsay dissects Kelly’ Gay’s query letter for her novel, The Better Part of Darkness, to tell you why that query worked for her. If you’re worried about how to format an e-mail query, Colleen has advice for your there too. Rejected? Well, Colleen also has a brief post on why she may have rejected your query where she lists some common mistakes writers make.

Are you reading the Query Shark? You’d better be, and if you’re not, move on down the road in that direction . . .

Before you query a specific agent, drop by their website and see if they have any specific submission guidelines. Every agent is different, what works for one, might not work for another. Keep reading and keep trying, but the ultimate responsibility to make sure you are submitting your best possible work is yours.

writer’s chatroom

Where’s a great place to connect with other writers? Well it’s at the Writer’s Chatroom, of course. Moderated every Wednesday evening by Audrey Shaffer, the Writer’s Chatroom is open from 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EST so you can drop in or out as your schedule allows.

Do you understand how the book selling process works? Recently, Amazon.com and publisher Macmillan had a huge battle over retail pricing and that will be the focus of tonight’s chat.

If you’re not up to speed on the issue, you’ve got time to read a few posts:

Amazon Accepts Macmillan’s Demands

Macmillan Pens Open Letter to Authors and Agents

Macmillan CEO Tells His Side of the Amazon Spat

Amazon is No Longer Selling Macmillan Books; Macmillan CEO John Sargent Issues Statement

Pimp My Novel has also been following the controversy

links to links

Over at Pimp My Novel, you’ll find news from the publishing industry, so check out iPadding Down to Friday for publishing news and links.

Nathan Bransford gives everyone the low-down on the Amazon/Macmillan crisis with his post The Kindle Missile Crisis.

Jessica Rosen has moved her Friday Forum to Tuesday, but it’s no less valuable. Check out this week’s list of links on the value of Brevity.

genesis of a query

I know I said we wouldn’t be talking about query letters this year, but I’ve been hearing negative remarks about working with editors here and there. I wanted to show you what a good editor can do if you work with her.

As some of my constant readers know, I’ve been obsessing over putting my novel into a two paragraph query for the last year. I did everything one is supposed to do when working on a query letter: I read every agent’s web site on blurbs, log lines, and how-to until my eyes were bleeding. Given all the excellent advice out there, I still had one jumbled up mess.

In a paroxysm of despair, I went to Backspace: The Writer’s Place and joined the discussion groups there. I found some super writers at Backspace, who are as free with their advice and time as anyone could desire. I will mention some of them to you later in this blog.

However, I still felt my query was missing something important, and even with all this great advice rolling around, I was still clueless. One day when I went to the Backspace home page, I saw an ad for Kristen Weber Editorial Services.* Hmm. I followed the link to her web site.

I first went to her testimonials and while all the testimonials spoke very highly of her skills, it was Jessica Faust’s (Bookends, LLC) testimonial that won me over. Don’t ask me why, but I just had a gut feeling that this might be the editor to help me with my query.

Here’s how it works: I submitted my query to Kristen through her web site (payment is via PayPal), she edited the original and offered to brainstorm it with me. Due to my hearing impairment, I don’t use the phone very often, but Kristen worked with me via e-mail. She looked at my second version and offered comments on that. That ended the first $25 session. I used two $25 sessions with Kristen before I was happy with my query.

Here is the original I sent Kristen along with her comments in red:

THE ORIGINAL:

Mistakes are unforgiven on Woerld (I think we need more of an introduction to what Woerld is) where treachery can damn body and soul. No one knows this better than Lucian Negru, an exiled warrior-prophet, who betrayed the woman he loved to save his twin sister Catarina’s soul from a devil. But Catarina never desired redemption. She bartered her soul for power and included Lucian in the pact, because he holds the coveted ability to open the Hell Gates. Without her twin, Catarina cannot fulfill her agreement with the Fallen Angels to open the Hell Gates so they can conquer Woerld.

Lucian escapes his sister to find Rachael, the lover he deceived, and save her from the demon he unleashed on her soul. On the run from his sister’s guards, he discovers a twenty-first century girl from Earth who has accidentally passed into Hell. The girl is a foundling, Woerld’s next generation of warrior. As he keeps her safe and teaches her to use her new powers, he learns the selflessness required to defy his sister and win back Rachael’s trust. - I think you really need to work on these descriptive paragraphs. It boils down to a fairly simple story (a brother betraying his love for his sister – and trying to win her back while protecting someone else) so what you really need to sell to us on is the world you’ve created and the characters and rules within it. I’d focus more on that and then weave the plot details around that. You can run another draft of it by me if you’d like – and I’m happy to talk in more detail to brainstorm and help you figure out exactly what I mean.

AN AUTUMN TALE is a dark fantasy novel for adults and is approximately 87,000 words. Based on Christian and Jewish mythologies, the theme is of redemption and forgiveness while the tone is reminiscent of autumn, dark and reflective (While I love the idea of autumn, I’d instead compare it to books that are similar to yours – it’s hard to get a sense of what your book really is. Maybe in the first sentence you can actually say for adults in the vein of…. and just run your comparison titles by me so I can tell you in they’re ok to use).

You can see she didn’t have a lot to work with on this first version. Here I was trying to cover too many points using very few words. Instead of a clear progression from one point to another, I had several isolated plot issues cobbled together.

On my end, I was frustrated, because after reading and trying to adhere to all the advice on the Internet, I still had a mess. I threw out every piece of advice and started from scratch.

VERSION 2: The next version looked like this (again with Kristen’s comments in red):

Inspired by Dante’s Inferno (I don’t think mentioning Inferno works because it transcends being just a book at this point – is there something more contemporary you can compare it to?) and similar to God’s Demon by Wayne Barlowe (I think this is a good comparison though – more realistic although still well known), AN AUTUMN TALE is dark fantasy for adults. Unlike Barlowe’s novel, which dealt with a fallen angel’s insurgency in Hell - but I don’t think I’d even say this. Instead of starting with the comparison titles, you want to pull us right into your book. I’d start with a bang – describing your book – and include the comparison titles in the paragraph with the word count, when you tell us more about what kind of shape the book actually takes), AN AUTUMN TALE is about I wouldn’t even introduce it. Maybe start with something like an alternative dimension called Woerld, which exists as the frontline of Heaven’s defense between Earth and Hell. The Fallen Angels seek to secure their rule in Woerld so their hordes may overrun Earth, their last obstacle before reaching Heaven’s Gates. now this is key – think about how to introduce Woerld to us in a really big way. Maybe something like -The frontline of Heaven’s defense between Earth and Hell is Woerld (and maybe add a few words of description after that). And now it’s become the battleground for The Fallen Angels seeking to secure their rule in Woerld so their hordes may overrun Earth, their last obstacle before reaching Heaven’s Gates.

Lucian Negru is an exorcist and an exiled member of the Citadel, Woerld’s Christian bastion against Hell’s Legions – is there any way to make this a bit more lyrical? I stumbled a bit over the sentence. In his youth, Lucian made a ruinous (disastrous? It helps if you read aloud for flow and I think that might flow better?) decision to sacrifice his lover in order to redeem his sister, Catarina, from her pact with a Fallen Angel. Now he wants nothing more than to find Rachael, the lover he betrayed, and rescue her from the demon he unleashed on her soul.

Lucian escapes his sister’s city (why just the city? unclear?), but Catarina can’t let him go. She bartered her soul for power and included Lucian in the pact, because he holds the coveted ability to open the Hell Gates. Without her brother, Catarina cannot fulfill her agreement with the Fallen Angels to open the Hell Gates so they can conquer Woerld – I don’t think you need this part. We get it from what you said earlier). She will stop at nothing to bring him back.

On the run from his sister’s guards, Lucian discovers a twenty-first century girl from Earth. The girl is a foundling, Woerld’s next generation of warrior. As he keeps her safe and teaches her to use her new powers, he learns the selflessness required to win back Rachael’s trust. and maybe just end on a stronger note? is there a big conflict?

Ah! The big conflict! All that verbiage and where, oh where, was the conflict? I knew it was there, but Kristen wasn’t seeing it. Of course, this meant an agent wouldn’t see it either, so I had a huge problem.

I e-mailed Kristen and told her I was going to work on the query with her suggestions in mind, then re-submit it through her web site.

THEN CAME THE HOLIDAYS . . .

And my life shut down for a month, but I didn’t give up. I kept re-working those sentences until I had a new version, which I ran by the folks at Backspace: The Writer’s Place. Frustrated once more by my inability to persuade complete strangers that my book was worth reading, I wailed aloud and calm writers responded.

Suggestions came from several writers, but it was the rational Sara J. Henry, who told me to relax. Sara said that I should just tell her what my book was about as if we were having coffee together.

Oh, okay.

Once more – with feeling . . .

I went through another version that I felt was strong enough to send to Kelly Bryson, who has seen almost every version of this query (weep for her, it’s true!). Not all. I like to keep my friends, so when I have mental images of them closing their laptops and walking away when they see an e-mail from me with “Query” in the subject line, it’s time to give them a break. I will say Kelly did suffer through at least twelve versions of my queries, and she wasn’t getting paid. (Thanks, Kelly!)

VERSION 3: Kelly came through with some nice suggestions and here is what I sent to Kristen the second time (Kristen’s edits in red):

How about: Exiled exorcist Lucian Negru, an exiled exorcist (and then delete this one), deserted his lover in Hell so he could save (or in exchanged for saving?) his sister Catarina’s soul, but Catarina doesn’t want salvation. She wants Lucian to (or help her fulfill?) fulfill her dark covenant with the Fallen by using his power to open the Hell Gates. When Lucian refuses, Catarina imprisons and cripples him, and Lucian learns that mistakes are unforgiven on Woerld (I have trouble with this line because we don’t know that this is where they are yet – so maybe something like their birthplace and Heaven’s…), Heaven’s frontline of defense between Earth and Hell.

Determined to find Rachael, the lover he betrayed, and rescue her from the demon he unleashed on her soul (In this 1st paragraph we learned he just left her in Hell – so I feel like the demon he unleashed on her soul doesn’t quite translate. Is there something else that just reinterprets what we learned above?), Lucian flees his sister, but Catarina’s wrath follows him. In the end, she will force him once more to decide between losing Rachael or opening the Hell Gates so the Fallen’s hordes may overrun Earth, their last obstacle before reaching Heaven’s Gates.

** And while I really think the copy is much stronger, I think we just need somewhere 1-2 sentences about your world and the year it is set in. Setting is such a big part of the genre and – while you give us hints about it in the copy – it isn’t quite as specific as it could be.

Similar to (or inspired by?) God’s Demon by Wayne Barlowe and based on Christian and Jewish mythologies, AN AUTUMN TALE is an adult fantasy at approximately 87,000 words. It stands alone, but I do have four novels planned for this series and each book corresponds to a different character and season.

So that we now have the final cut:

VERSION 4: [Please note there is no red writing on this one for a reason]:

Exiled exorcist Lucian Negru deserted his lover in Hell in exchange for saving his sister Catarina’s soul, but Catarina doesn’t want salvation. She wants Lucian to help her fulfill her dark covenant with the Fallen Angels by using his power to open the Hell Gates. Catarina intends to lead the Fallen’s hordes out of Hell and into the parallel dimension of Woerld, Heaven’s frontline of defense between Earth and Hell.

When Lucian refuses to help his sister, she imprisons and cripples him, but Lucian learns that Rachael, the lover he betrayed, is dying from a demonic possession she has endured since he abandoned her in Hell. Determined to rescue Rachael from the demon he unleashed on her soul, Lucian flees his sister, but Catarina’s wrath follows him. In the end, she will force him once more to decide between losing Rachael or opening the Hell Gates so the Fallen’s hordes may overrun Earth, their last obstacle before reaching Heaven’s Gates.

Inspired by God’s Demon by Wayne Barlowe and based on Christian and Jewish mythologies, AN AUTUMN TALE is an adult fantasy at approximately 87,000 words. It stands alone, but I do have four novels planned for this series and each book corresponds to a different character and season.

We were both happy with this version. I think Kristen would have liked to have seen more detail about Woerld, but I didn’t want my world building to overshadow my character’s story.

These aren’t the only three paragraphs Kristen edited, either. She also edited my opening and closing paragraphs. I just didn’t include those here due to the length of the post.

Nowhere did Kristen change the “voice” of my query, in fact, she helped me focus on ways to strengthen my voice. Now my query moves smoothly from one major plot point to the next without losing the reader. I don’t think I could have arrived at this version so quickly without some editorial guidance.

What about you? Have you ever used a professional editor’s services with your query letter or synopsis? With your novel?

*A disclaimer: Kristen Weber and I met during a business transaction. I am receiving no compensation from Kristen for this post.

Author Joe Buff at the Writer’s Chatroom 1/31/10

From Audrey Shaffer at The Writer’s Chatroom:

Chat with Joe Buff

A former partner in a top-10 global management consulting firm, Joe Buff is a seasoned risk analyst and professional writer on national security and defense preparedness, with an emphasis on undersea warfare. Three of his 10+ non-fiction articles in THE SUBMARINE REVIEW received annual literary awards from the Naval Submarine League.  He has also been published in SEA TECHNOLOGY, USNI PROCEEDINGS, AMERICAN SUBMARINER, THE DAY of New London, and his work is often reproduced in COMSUBFOR’s e-bullet UNDERSEA ENTERPRISE NEWS DAILY.  He is a contributing commentator/blogger for Military.com’s Defense Tech.

Joe is also a national best-selling author of tales of near-future warfare featuring nuclear submariners, special ops forces, and Seabees in action at their bravest and best.  His latest novel, his sixth, SEAS OF CRISIS (Morrow/Harper), won the 2006 Admiral Nimitz Award for Outstanding Naval Fiction from the Military Writers Society of America.  He is currently working full time as a co-screenwriter and a producer on a possible major motion picture based on his second novel THUNDER IN THE DEEP (Bantam), which is now well into development.

Joe is an Associate Life Member of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI), belonging to their Albany-Saratoga Base, and has been a speaker at two of the USSVI’s annual national conventions.  He is an Honorary Life Member of the Navy Seabee Veterans of America, Inc. (NSVA), and is a founding member of "Operation Seabees Knowledge," a volunteer grassroots public education campaign on behalf of Seabees of all eras.  Joe is a major benefactor of the Dolphin Scholarship Foundation and of the Naval War College Foundation.

Joe holds a master’s degree in math from MIT, earned under a National Science Foundation Fellowship. He worked as an intern at the Argonne National Laboratory. Previously a qualified actuary for twenty years, with extensive experience at interpreting policy implications of dire "what if" scenarios, he is now a member of the Society for Risk Analysis, a non-partisan international scholarly body headquartered in McLean, VA.  Joe also recently became a member of the Submarine Industrial Base Council (SIBC), an industry trade and advocacy group headquartered in Washington, DC.

Joe Buff Contact Info:

E-mail: readermail(AT)joebuff(DOT)com

Web site: http://www.JoeBuff.com

Facebook user name "joebuffsubs"

WHEN? Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 7 p.m. EST (Not sure what time that is wherever in the world you are?  http://www.worldtimeserver.com)

WHERE? The Writers Chatroom at:  http://www.writerschatroom.com/Enter.htm

Scroll down to the Java box. It may take a moment to load. Type in the name you wish to be known by, and click Login. No password needed.

Please note:  The chatroom is only open for regularly scheduled chats.

the quiet moment in your novel

As promised, I am exceptionally pleased to be visiting my good OWW friend Peter Cooper at the Cackling Scribe for a guest post where I talk about the quiet moment in your novel.

I hope you’ll join me there.

lunch hour links for writers – 1/27/10

I shall be visiting my friend Peter Cooper over at The Cackling Scribe sometime later today or tomorrow. As soon as I have the link, I’ll be putting up a new post with the information. As he’s in Australia and I’m on the east coast of the US, we have a bit of a time lag. While I’m waiting to show up at Peter’s blog, I’ll serve you nibbles and news, a tiny conglomeration of happenings here and about.

Peter Cooper

Speaking of Peter, hop over to The Cackling Scribe and give Peter a big congratulations. His Hobbit Query Letter, which was showcased on Nathan Bransford’s blog, is set to be published by ASIM! We’re all very excited for Peter.

Lisa Mannetti

Next is the delightful news that Lisa Mannetti’s novel, The Gentling Box, will be the subject of the Evil Editor’s Book Chat on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. EST. Lisa herself will be there to enchant you, so don’t miss an opportunity to discuss The Gentling Box with her!

Here is how to participate in the chat:

“At the bottom of the post it’ll say "0 comments." Click there and you’re in. Type your comment in the box at the right, then click publish. Everyone’s comments appear on the left side of the page. Unlike a chat room, you have to refresh the page to see the most recent comments.”

Crawford Kilian

In last week’s edition of lunch hour links I made mention of Crawford Kilian’s series of posts with advice on novel writing at Steampunk. Crawford popped in to let me know where you can read more recent posts. Head over to Crawford’s blogs Writing Fiction and Write a Novel, which is a do-it-yourself online course well worth visiting.

Ashley Grayson Literary Agency

The Ashley Grayson Literary Agency has a most rational analysis on the coming of Apple’s new iThingy (also known as the iWhatsit – or whatever moniker you might choose) and how e-books will drive publishing in 2010.

Personally, I’m becoming a bit jaded about all the excitement regarding the latest technologies. Of course, we all know that once the mighty iThingy, iWhatsit, iTablet or whatever rolls out of Steve Jobs’ BIG ANNOUNCEMENT, the geek boys will be whipping themselves into a frenzy over something NEW AND IMPROVED WITH MORE FUNCTIONALITY next year.

I’m not buying anything. I’m holding out for the microchip that can be implanted in my brain so I can touch my forehead and simultaneously drive-a-car-answer-the-phone-listen-to music-read-a-book-watch-my-favorite-tv-show-check-my-email. I suppose then, we’ll all just sit around and drool while our bodies corrode and our brains implode. There you go science fiction fans, an idea for a novel or short-story, ripe for the picking. Have at.

writer’s chatroom

Where’s a great place to connect with other writers? Well it’s at the Writer’s Chatroom, of course. Moderated every Wednesday evening by Audrey Shaffer, the Writer’s Chatroom is open from 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EST so you can drop in or out as your schedule allows. Visit the Writer’s Chatroom tonight and pick up some great writing tips or leave a few!

That’s it for this week! Stay tuned, I’ll be back later today or early tomorrow with another post over at The Cackling Scribe.

making your characters active, even when they’re not

Erica Hayes is one of those magical authors who is generous with her time. I’ve been reading her informative posts on other blogs and was absolutely delighted when she accepted my invitation to write a guest post for helluo librorum.

Erica knows how to write effective characters, and her skill is evident if you take the time to read Shadowfae, the first novel in her Shadowfae Chronicles. Erica has created “a secret world veiled in fairy glamour and brimming with unearthly delights. A city swarming with half-mad fairies, where thieving spriggans rob you blind, beautiful banshees mesmerise you with their song and big green trolls bust heads at nightclubs.”

Her latest novel, Shadowglass (book two of the Shadowfae Chronicles), which is scheduled to be released on March 2, 2010, received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly.

How does Erica make her characters and situations so believable? Well, that’s what she is here to talk about today. Without further ado, I present Erica Hayes:

Making Your Characters Active, Even When They’re Not

by Erica Hayes

We’ve all heard it a hundred times: your main character must be active.

So what does active really mean? We’re talking about the difference between active and passive, right? Your MC isn’t just the point of view character — they’re the one who drives the story. They don’t just wait around for things to happen to them. They create the action. They’re the protagonist, which comes from the Greek protagonistes, meaning ‘first actor’.

So your main character acts first, and the story grows from what they do. Right?

It’s a good guideline. No one wants to read about a heroine who never makes a choice or takes a risk.

But sometimes, things just happen to people. Characters aren’t always in control right from the beginning. Sometimes, you need the serial killer to strike first, so the detective will get assigned to the case. Or you need a tornado to rip in and whisk Dorothy away. Otherwise, how will she get to Oz and kill the Wicked Witch of the East, thus gaining the ruby slippers? She can’t follow the yellow brick road — can’t make her heroine’s journey — if the tornado doesn’t start her off. No tornado, no story.

Or, you might want your dashing romance hero to burst in and rescue Lady Heroine from the Dread Pirate Boris and his evil band of cutthroats. Even if it means the heroine’s not driving the action at that point. Because it’s an awesome meeting scene, and a great source of conflict, and anyway, what kind of weakling hero would stand by and let a beautiful lady get ravished by pirates?

So having your protagonist the only source of action doesn’t always make sense. It can make a mess of other characters’ motivations — in the example above, it makes our hero decidedly unheroic if he leaves Lady Heroine to stew — and it can turn a perfectly good antagonist into a plot-convenient cipher.

So what tricks can a writer employ to avoid the pitfalls of a passive MC, but still have other characters drive the action in those scenes where it’s required?

1. Make sure the MC has a plan.

Readers will like Lady Heroine a whole lot more if, when the hero bursts in, she’s fighting the Dread Pirate Boris off with her nail file, rather than weeping helplessly in the corner. And remember, her plan doesn’t need to have a high chance of success. So long as she’s trying her best, it doesn’t matter if her resources aren’t up to the task. Have her decide what to do, and begin to act. And then let the other character interrupt. Same with MC-captured-by-the-villain scenes: just make sure the MC wasn’t waiting around for it to happen. Give her a plan and the resources to put it into effect, and the villain can interrupt her just as she’s on the cusp of action without making her seem like a wimp.

2. Don’t force other characters into actions that suit your MC.

If your villain is truly motivated to win, he won’t sit around and wait for the heroine to act. And he won’t ever do what she expects. Even a potential love interest won’t always do what the MC wants or needs — he/she will have their own agenda. So let the antagonist (whether it’s a serial killer, a love interest or a tornado) be strong and unpredictable, and catch the MC off guard occasionally — but make sure the MC grabs the ensuing opportunity with both hands. So long as she reacts in a way readers can understand, it’s okay for the MC to be reactive, at least for a while. This is where the technique of ’scene and sequel’ comes in handy:

Scene = antagonist does something e.g. killer strikes, tornado blows house away, pirates attack.

Sequel = MC assimilates what happened, thinks what will I do now? and summons resources.

Next scene = MC responds.

The sequel part is used to show the reader why the MC chooses the response she does. Without this, her actions can seem arbitrary, thoughtless, or worse, stupid. So pay close attention to sequels — sometimes a couple of sentences are all that’s required.

One last thing: at the final confrontation, the MC really does need to be the active character. That’s what character arc means — your character must grow sufficiently in strength to be able to win through on their own in the end. The climax won’t be very climactic if someone else is doing all the work.

P.S. Thanks to Teresa for having me here today!

Thank you, Erica, for taking time out of your busy schedule to write an article for us!

You can read more of Erica’s guest posts and learn more about Erica and the world of Shadowfae by visiting these sites:

Guest posts by Erica:

Magical powers – you do the charm, you wear the harm

Lets Hear It for the Bad Guys (or vampires and why they’re cool)

My personal favorite: Conflict, or Tales of the Unexpected.

There are two great interviews with Erica at SciFiGuy and Dark Faerie Tales.

You can also visit Erica at her blog: Faerylite ; her web site: The Shadowfae Chronicles ; or follow her on Twitter.

Sherrill Bodine at The Writer’s Chatroom

From Audrey Shaffer at The Writer’s Chatroom:

On Sunday, January 24, 2010 The Writer’s Chatroom will chatting with Sherrill Bodine.

Sherrill Bodine is sure growing up in her grandmother’s house, taking care of her developmentally disabled mother, forged who she is, but she doesn’t believe any one thing defines her. Her philosophy of life is that we are all in this together-and we need to embrace one another with as much grace, humor and compassion as we can muster. She sees life as big, bigger, biggest, and she wants to take everyone along with her on the journey.

She not only attends black-tie affairs and works on charity board projects, but she is also just as likely to be taking a grandchild to lunch and a movie. She’s happily married to John, with whom she eloped when she was an 18-year-old freshman in college. It was quite the scandal. They have four beautiful children and 11 grandchildren.
She won her first writing award in the seventh grade in a statewide essay contest about a television broadcast of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates. Instead of silver skates, they sent real skates, which she enjoyed immensely. She’s only sorry she doesn’t still have them so they could hang in her office.

While moving 22 times across the country and rearing her children, she sold stories to Fate Magazine, Home Life Magazine and True Confessions. In 1988, she sold her first novel and a week later received a two-book contract from Fawcett. Sixteen novels later, she’s seen The Other Amanda win the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America Write Touch Readers’ Award and Talk of the Town chosen by Cosmopolitan magazine as its "Red Hot Read" for February 2009.

WHEN? Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. EST (Not sure what time that is wherever in the world you are?  http://www.worldtimeserver.com)

WHERE? The Writers Chatroom at:  http://www.writerschatroom.com/Enter.htm

Scroll down to the Java box. It may take a moment to load. Type in the name you wish to be known by, and click Login. No password needed.

Please note:  The chatroom is only open for regularly scheduled chats.

Don’t forget the open chat on Wednesday nights, 8-11 pm EST!

a thank you to Hilary Wagner

This is my thank you note to the multi-talented Hilary Wagner, who last week bestowed upon helluo librorum the coveted One Good Rat Award.

I must say that when I began blogging and linking in with various online communities, I never thought I would encounter such gracious, delightful people. Nor could you have convinced me that I would come to admire so many writers, published and unpublished, for their humor, their willingness to be helpful to the aspiring writer, and the generous gift of their time.

Hilary is one of these special writers. She is a talented artist in every sense of the word. Her middle-grade fantasy, Nightshade City, will be published in the Fall of 2010 by Holiday House Books. She is also an accomplished artist, because the lovely rats you see in the award were drawn by none other than Hilary herself [correction: the error was mine and Hilary sets us straight: “The rats were not drawn by me, I’m sad to say! They are actually by a brilliant French illustrator named Gustave Dore, from the 19th century. http://dore.artpassions.net/.” However, Hilary is an talented artist; I’ve seen some of her lovely work!]

I love watching young women like Hilary, because they show us that we can have everything. She works, has two lovely daughters and is devoted to her family. Like the rest of us, she writes in her every spare moment, and she shows us all that dreams do come true.

So please visit Hilary’s blog, say hi, and tell her I sent you.

Hilary, I raise my bag of Cheetos to salute you! It is truly my pleasure to have made your acquaintance online, and I hope one day to meet you so I can thank you in person.

lunch hour links for writers – 1/20/10

Author Erica Hayes is coming to helluo librorum on Monday, January 25 when she has graciously offered to write a guest post for us! Who the heck is Erica Hayes, you ask?

Erica Hayes is the author of the Shadowfae, the first novel in the Shadowfae Chronicles “a secret world veiled in fairy glamour and brimming with unearthly delights. A city swarming with half-mad fairies, where thieving spriggans rob you blind, beautiful banshees mesmerise you with their song and big green trolls bust heads at nightclubs.”

Watch for her latest novel, Shadowglass (book two of the Shadowfae Chronicles), which is scheduled to be released on March 2, 2010. Just so you know, Shadowglass received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly.

Before she comes to helluo librorum, you can get to know Erica by visiting some of her past guest posts and interviews:

Guest posts by Erica: Magical powers – you do the charm, you wear the harm ; Lets Hear It for the Bad Guys (or vampires and why they’re cool); and my personal favorite, Conflict, or Tales of the Unexpected.

You can check out some great interviews with Erica at SciFiGuy and Dark Faerie Tales.

You can also visit Erica at her blog: Faerylite ; her web site: The Shadowfae Chronicles ; or follow her on Twitter.

anatomy of a novel

Monday’s post was on the anatomy of a novel, so in keeping with our structured theme (get it? structured theme? a tiny pun? no? I’ll stop now . . .), I’ve tried to find some really great links to posts on the structure of your novel.

Take time to find the structure and style that suits your writing the best. Everyone has a different way into their novels or short stories, so don’t feel constricted by one method or another. Mix and match until you find the structure that fits your writing style or story.

Probably one of my favorite online posts about the structure of a novel comes from Peder Hill, who talks about conflict and character within your story structure.

Randy Ingermanson outlines the ten easy steps of the snowflake method for working through your initial synopsis. I like Randy’s article, because he and I share the philosophy that any synopsis or outline is a living document and can be changed as the circumstances or characters dictate.

Mel Menzies offers twelve tips on a plan for novel writing that is quick and easy to digest.

Ron Brown outlines the classic structure of a horror novel and offers a suggestion for a helpful book from those wonderful folks at Writer’s Digest, How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction.

For horror writers: another great book that just came to my attention last week is Writers Workshop of Horror. Edited by horror author Michael Knost and with essays by Elizabeth Massie, Clive Barker, Tom Piccirilli, Deborah LeBlanc, and Ramsey Campbell (to name a few), this book covers everything from “Creating Effective Beginnings” to “Formatting Your Manuscript.” These essays apply to developing good writing skills and good writing skills apply to all genres.

theme

What is a novel’s theme? Check out Novel-Writing Help for the answer and some links to more articles on theme. If that doesn’t do the trick for you, head over to read Joanne Reid’s post on writing your novel’s theme.

Larry Brooks wants you to make sure your novel has a theme over at Men with Pens.

story/plot

Oh and what a goldmine I found over at Steampunk! Crawford Kilian has a series of posts with advice on novel writing! Everything from developing solid work habits to advice on reading contracts. Go, go, go, then come back so I can show you what I found on . . .

setting

It’s your world, and Kim Kay gives some helpful hints on making it work, while the Fiction Writers give you some key points to keep in mind when beginning your novel.

writer’s chatroom

Where’s a great place to connect with other writers? Well it’s at the Writer’s Chatroom, of course. Moderated every Wednesday evening by Audrey Shaffer, the Writer’s Chatroom is open from 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. EST so you can drop in or out as your schedule allows. Visit the Writer’s Chatroom tonight and pick up some great writing tips or leave a few!

links to links

Jane Friedman at Writers’ Digest has the Writers’ Digest Best Tweets for Writers. Great advice and posts all in one convenient place.

Over at Pimp My Novel, you’ll find news from the publishing industry, so check out The Dad Lunch Round-Up: Redux for publishing news and links.

Nathan Bransford continues his excellent weekly round-up of publishing news with This Week in Publishing.

Jessica Rosen has moved her Friday Forum to Tuesday, but it’s no less valuable. Check out this week’s list of links Query Rejection.