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Karina Teaches – Lesson 2

March 14, 2015/0 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Fiction, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Mary Jessica Woods

Over this year, Karina is going to share some of her writing seminars on the blog, with the lessons and references for further study. We’ll be posting these once a month. There’s no assigned homework, but if you have questions, please ask them in the comments. Her first workshop is worldbuilding. This is Lesson 2. Find Lesson 1 here.

Lesson 2: Physics, Geology and Geography

HEY! Don’t open that! It’s an alien planet! Is there air? You don’t know!

–Guy Fleegman, Galaxy Quest

The more we know about the universe and what it takes to create Life, the more we realize just how amazing it is that any life–let alone sentient life–could have developed even once. The world must have a sun that is the right age, be in orbit at the right distance with an atmosphere to block out dangerous radiation and provide something to breathe. There must be carbon or some other basic building block that can combine with other elements to produce complex molecules that will work together. And of course, there must be water or a logical water-substitute. There must be time for those to evolve, societies to develop, etc…

Now, you may not have to start with quite these basics, but you should know to some degree (as determined by the need of the story) how what you’re doing will alter that delicate balance. Alter the mineral content of the world, and you might change its gravity. Change the gravity too much and you lose atmosphere. Introduce two moons and you mess with the tides. Even removing the tilt of your world (the earth sits at about a 23.5 degree tilt to the sun) and you mess with the seasons and the warming of the planet. Not that you can’t do these things, but you need to be aware of them and how they affect your world–and (if they are important to your story) what you’ll do for a work-around.

Second point for today is that planets are not homogeneous. Mars, for example, has a rep for being rather plain and desert-like, but it has fantastic topography, from huge mountains to incredible canyons, long stretches of deserts and rocky flatlands. There are polar ice caps (albeit made of carbon dioxide). Even the gas giants have regions of different climates and “topography,” or else they would not have storms. So the idea of a completely “Springlike” planet or an entirely harsh, rocky world isn’t especially believable.

Of course, there are exceptions. Arrakis (Dune) was desert from pole to pole, but Frank Herbert made it successful for several reasons: it was critical to the story, believable in its presentation, grounded in reason (the scarcity of water and the actions of the sandworms, who walled off water and kept it from rising to the surface), and he acknowledged (through the characters) its uniqueness in the galaxy, thus making it a mystery to draw you into the book rather than a distraction to pull you out.

The point, of course, is to know WHY your world is the way it is, and to make sure that its unique characteristics carry their own unique consequences. Fantasy artists can toss in another moon because it’s cool; writers have to deal with how that second moon affects the werewolves every month–or how it affects the counting of the months, for that matter.

Unless you are an astrophysicist, astrobiologist and geologist, you probably can’t readily say what will happen when you start tweaking your world. Fortunately, others have done that thinking for us. Find books, seek out professors at your local university–or call around and find an expert. And of course, remember that how deep you get into worldbuilding depends on how vital your world is to your plot–if you’re writing a fantasy tale that takes place inland, you don’t need to know how your second moon affects your tides so much as how it affects your werewolves. If you’re doing a “pirates on Xenologia” adventure, you’d better know how the oceans react to your second moon.

But my story takes place on Earth! You may not have to worry about the physics (unless you are introducing some paranormal element, in which case you might consider the “physics” of that), but your area still has geology and geography. Consider the differences between San Francisco, Chicago and Phoenix, for example. One is hilly and foggy; the other has multiple rivers; the third is flat and dry. Each has its own geography, and keep in mind that for the sake of your story “geography” includes man-made elements. Part of the geography of Los Angeles includes Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Hollywood, Beverly Hills… When I think about the geography of my hometown, Pueblo, Colorado, I think of the winding highway, I-25, with the mall at the north end, just before the big stucco welcome signs, and the rusting steel mill on the south end, where the city sort of peters out to an empty lot of the old drive-in and the greyhound race track.

For More Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial_life

http://www.humantruth.info/aliens.html A fair summary of different life possibilities–from organic to robotic

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0091886163/vexencrabtree “What does a Martian Look Like? The Science of Extraterrestrial Life” by Jack Cohen

The End: Sweet Words for an Author, Sweet Experience for a Reader

April 22, 2014/4 Comments/in Catholic Fiction, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Editing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Novel, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

The end.

Two of the most satisfying words a writer can tap onto a keyboard.

We’ve all dreamed of typing those six letters, and many of us have been fortunate enough to have achieved that particular success.

In my past few posts, we’ve discussed beginnings and middles. Let’s talk about endings today.

How do you craft an ending that works? You know what I mean: the ending that satisfies in a way that nothing else can. The good guys win, the couple (finally!) gets together for their happy ever after, the world is saved from certain disaster.

Yet I suspect many of us know when an ending doesn’t work. Have you ever read a book where the story had you in its grip—and then it fell flat and limped to the last page? I have. It feels like the author suddenly lost interest. Perhaps they were on a deadline and just typed a bunch of words to fulfill a contract. Or maybe they really didn’t know how the book ended, so they just threw some words on the page and hoped they would do. And that the reader wouldn’t notice.

Alternatively, I’ve read books where The End happened ten or fifteen pages before the printed pages did. It’s disconcerting to be engaged in the story, come across that emotionally satisfying ahhh that is the indisputable end…but then things keep happening and the characters keep talking, and as a reader, you’ve lost interest.

To avoid a bad ending, go back to the beginning. Is your theme still clear? Will the ending make that theme shine (even though it’s likely not stated outright)? What is the question posed at the beginning of the book? There may be an overall question, along with individual questions for each of the main characters. Are those questions answered in the last chapter? What about the middle? Does all that suspense and tension you’ve nurtured through the book come to a climax that is addressed in the final scene(s)? If you’ve been paying attention to these elements of craft, you’ve set yourself up for a good, satisfying end.

Pacing is another issue. Keep the tension strong; don’t dilute it with throwaway words or scenes. When the end is reached, end the story; don’t belabor it.

Make sure all loose ends are tied up. This is a great task for critique partners and/or beta readers. Whatever did happen to Uncle Bert after everyone else hared off after the bad guys and left him chained to the gushing water pipe in the basement? Or Sally rescued the lost kitten in chapter two, but the kitten was never mentioned again. What happened to it??? You can bet your readers will ask these questions!

Whatever you do, please, please avoid the temptation to use a plot ploy at the end. No hand of God reaching down to set all aright, or aliens/knights in shining armor/Navy Seals (that haven’t been part of the book until now) suddenly appearing out of nowhere to solve all the problems. Or a minor character who inexplicably becomes the linchpin upon which the premise of the entire book now rests. I have read books that ended this way, and they were disappointing, to say the least. Keep your characters true to their motivations and your plot logical. That makes for authenticity, and happy readers.

The ending should have a twist that no one saw coming. No one likes to read clichés, whether within the book or at the end. Do your best to give the reader a wonderful surprise, one that delights or challenges. Don’t be afraid to brainstorm different endings; too often we pick the first idea that pops into our head. The best idea may be the fifth or eighth. Have fun with this. Readers will enjoy the result.

What about epilogues? They seem to be more effective and better received than prologues. An epilogue can be a wonderful way to tie up remaining loose ends (especially in an action-packed story). It can even set the scene for the next book, if you are writing a series. But keep it short. No more than two pages. Make it count; otherwise, it’s best to leave it out.

You want your readers to be satisfied so they will write nice reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. You want them to tell their friends about the great book they just finished. You also want them to like the end so much they’ll come back for your next book. And the next one.

So give them an ending that carries an emotional punch, the one they hope for. Your reader has invested money and, more important, their time. Make it worthwhile.

What have you learned about writing endings? Any tips to share? I’d love to hear them!

Books, and Toned Middles

March 25, 2014/1 Comment/in Catholic Fiction, Catholic Theme, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Editing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Novel, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

Last month, I talked about beginnings and how important they are to drawing the reader in to your book. It seems appropriate to continue on to story middles today.

Middles ought to be pretty simple. After all, it’s the stuff that happens between the beginning and the end. Many authors, however, struggle with middles. There’s a term for middles that lose their direction and energy: the dreaded Sagging Middle.

How do we keep our middles on task, doing the unsung but necessary work of getting the reader to the end of the story? How do we keep the energy high? Most important, how do we keep the reader engaged?

It’s best to step back and look at the big picture first. What is the underlying theme of your story? Is it clear and evident in every scene, though it’s likely never stated outright? Theme should be the basis for every action that takes place, every decision a character makes, and even descriptions of setting. Every word you use can and should further the development of the theme you’ve chosen. For more on THEME, click here.

Next, what about story structure? If you’ve built even a rudimentary five-sentence outline of turning points for a particular story, it is much easier to keep the individual scenes pointed in the right direction. No ambling about aimlessly in the rose garden and boring the readers—unless, of course, the rose garden is critical to both the theme and structure of this story! In that case, amble all you want, as long as there is purpose. For more on STRUCTURE, click here.

Now we get down to the nitty-gritty. Each scene in a story must have tension. This is sometimes referred to as conflict, and always results in suspense. Suspense isn’t defined as horror movie scary stuff; it’s simply a reader asking the question “What happens next” and turning the page to find out.

This is the key to toning up the middle of your book: Every scene and each chapter must have higher and higher stakes for the main characters. Each character has more to lose as the story progresses, and each character is forced into increasingly difficult choices. As situations evolve, and as the characters slog their way through their troubles, they reveal their increasingly deeper secrets to the reader. The characters struggle, and they grow. The reader identifies in some way, roots for them, and is willing to be swept along. For more on ROOTING FACTORS, click here.

One caution: Watch for filler, and ruthlessly cut it. It’s easy to rationalize that since this is the middle of the book, the reader is already caught up in it and won’t put it down, so you don’t have to work quite as hard, and nobody will notice that this whole scene/chapter doesn’t really advance the story; it’s just there because you, the author, like it. Nope. Readers are smart. Cut the scene if it doesn’t advance the story. Cut the details if they don’t advance the story. I know. It’s hard. If it’s too hard, create a file for deleted scenes and put the cuts there so they’re accessible if you want them later. I find that’s sometimes a necessary intermediate step, even though those end up fully deleted later. Human nature is pretty funny!

Once you approach the end of the book (or even at the end of chapters!), resist the urge to tie up loose ends too soon. I admit to that failing as a new author. My first attempts at chapters all had tidy endings. Wrong, wrong, wrong! Every chapter should end with an unanswered question. Analyze your favorite I-couldn’t-put-it-down book. What created that quality? I’m willing to bet it was ever more crucial unanswered questions, and lots of loose ends. For more on TENSION, click here, and for more on HOOKS, click here.

What tips do you have to share regarding middles? I’d love to hear a new take on the subject!

In the Beginning…

February 25, 2014/6 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Editing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Novel, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

"The Beginning" Road Sign with dramatic blue sky and clouds. The most important part of your novel, short story, or even nonfiction piece is the beginning.

What compels the reader to keep reading? How do you craft a beginning that doesn’t bog down, one that keeps the reader engaged?

There are several schools of thought regarding beginnings. Depending on the genre, the beginning can create a normal world (think of the movies Star Wars or The Wizard of Oz), and let the reader get to know the characters in their natural habitat. Women’s fiction and literary fiction tend to follow this style. Caution: Choose the details of the everyday life carefully, to the point of foreshadowing what’s going to come next—namely conflict. What’s at stake for the main character? In Star Wars, Han Solo saw his family facing the loss of their way of life, and peace. Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz, engaged in a life or death battle to keep Toto.

What we tend to remember in these stories is the outrageous intergalactic characters and battle scenes of Star Wars or the Technicolor adventures on the way to Oz. Yet when one analyzes the story structure, the “black and white” ordinary life is where the story begins—and presages the main conflict in a way that amplifies the conflict when it arrives.

A different way to begin a story, common especially in suspenses, is in media res, which throws the reader into the deep end of the swimming pool along with the main character. Picture a book beginning with a young woman being snatched from a sidewalk and shoved into a van. The van speeds off—and of course the reader is going to turn the page to find out who, why, where, and what happens next??? This technique can be very effective. The author gives concise clues to setting (city or suburb, day or night, good neighborhood vs bad, etc.), characterization (she fights back or is paralyzed with fear, the snatcher and snatchee know each other and have shared history, etc.), and motivation (kidnapping vs bodyguards collecting an errant charge vs fraternity joke, etc.) without much else in the way of detail to ground the reader. It’s not for every story, though; imagine Dorothy opening the door of the house after setting down in Oz, with the story beginning in Technicolor. The event would lose much of its impact, and the subsequent conflict would lose its sizzle.

One of the most common mistakes new writers make is starting the story in the wrong place. My advice is to write it the way that makes sense to you, then come back when you’ve finished the whole thing and re-read the beginning. Chances are you’ll hit a certain paragraph where everything springs to life. That’s where your story really begins. One common suggestion is to dump the first chapter and start with the second. Personal experience: I had to dump the first three chapters of my first novel—they were that boring, even to me! But I had to write them in order to discover where the story really began. You may have to cut words, but they are never wasted; you always learn something important about your characters, even if it doesn’t end up as words in the book.

Another common mistake is to explain the characters and back story (what happened before the book started). This is called an information dump. Resist. Draw your characters clearly through their internal and present thoughts; let the reader get to know them deeply, layer by layer. What brought them to this point will be revealed in good time. Another wise bit of advice I’ve come across is to get about thirty pages into a story before disclosing back story.

Dialogue is a great way to tell a story, and the beginning is no exception. If you can incorporate dialogue at that point, do so, and make it unforgettable.

For a fun exercise, go to the library or a bookstore, or even your own shelf of well-worn favorites. Open to the first page and read the first line. Is it compelling? Intriguing? Why did you want to read more? How much information about the character, setting, motivations and tone did the author convey in those few words?

When it comes down to it, the story begins when there is a change in the main character’s life. The change can be subtle or cataclysmic, but that is the point at which you, as author, commence weaving a tale that will hold readers in thrall until the words The End.

How do you know where your book begins? Do you have a strategy for determining what the opening scene is, or who inhabits it? Please share!

Giving Thanks

November 26, 2013/4 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, CWG Member News, Encouragement for Writers, The Writing Life/by Leslie Lynch

Last month, I attended CWG’s Your Word is My Delight: A Catholic Writers’ Retreat in Dewitt, Michigan. As is so often the case, it took me a few days post-retreat to recognize the gifts poured out by the Holy Spirit through the event.

Opportunities to pray abounded. Daily Rosary, daily Mass, Adoration most evenings…and those were just the formally scheduled times. Reflection in the privacy of one’s room or walking the beautiful grounds offered occasions for informal prayer. Several of us shared that the main focus of our attendance was discernment regarding our calling and future direction. No matter the answer(s) each individual heard, the time spent in the company of God brought peace.

The intimacy of the gathering allowed us to get to know each other in ways that are not possible through conferences. For me, recognizing the holiness in each person’s vocation, whether religious or as laity, was a true gift. Faith, fidelity, devotion, patience, joy—these attributes were modeled by various people throughout the five days. Our small community built each other up, just as Paul instructs us to do in the Epistles. Not limited to retreats, a mindset willing to see these things in our ordinary lives can open our eyes to God’s hand in the day-to-day.

Networking, both professional and personal, was another gift. Blogs were born, ideas (writing and non-writing related) shared, horizons broadened, new directions and new projects envisioned, contacts swapped. I’d had an idea for a book-length nonfiction project, and, thanks to a presenter, realized I could create it in any number of formats, from brochure to booklet to book. Others took a step into fiction from their background of nonfiction, etc. Sometimes it takes another’s perspective to see possibilities we never imagined. As a bonus, we left the retreat with a strong network of writers in vastly different geographic areas and personal/professional circles of influence. Now, when one of us tosses the proverbial pebble into a pond, the ripple effects will go into coves we never could have predicted.

The subject of New Evangelization came up numerous times in unrelated contexts. New Evangelization is reaching out in love and catechesis to those Catholics who’ve drifted away from the Church, or who’ve made a conscious decision to leave the Church, or don’t have a solid understanding of its teachings—namely, a lively relationship with and fruitful gratitude to Jesus, our Savior. I certainly came away with a better understanding of the scope of the issue, along with a renewed sense of purpose as a writer and evangelizer.

As Michelle Buckman, the keynote presenter, said, God is in the details. He brought each of us to Dewitt, Michigan for a purpose—actually, several purposes. From personal to spiritual to the craft of writing to the purpose of our calling to networking, the Holy Spirit was hard at work at the St. Francis Retreat Center.

Look back at your most recent experience with a conference or a retreat, or maybe in a CWG forum or the new Google group or Facebook group page. Take a moment to recognize the Holy Spirit’s influence, and give thanks. It is far too easy to take these things for granted, or downplay them. Next time you have the opportunity to participate in a writing community, pay attention to what God is showing you. If you’re like me, it won’t be anything like you expected, and may not even be writing-related. It may be difficult to recognize or discern while in the moment, but at some point you will recognize the truth of why you were in that place, at that time, with those people.

God’s hand, open hearts—a combination that bears great fruit, whether on retreat or slogging through our daily lives. Together, they yield blessings, grace, and much cause for gratitude.

Thanksgiving is two days away. What are you offering thanks for this year? Do you have any examples of blessings or gifts related to writing you’d like to share? Let’s encourage each other in our vocation as writers.

On writing…better!

September 24, 2013/12 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Editing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Marketing Your Work, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

What do you view as the most important element of your writing, or your writing life?

Passion? Yes, we all need that, especially when faced with rejection or obstacles in our quest for publication. But if passion were the most critical element in the making of a successful author, the bookstores would be overflowing with our works.

Persistence is certainly another closely related trait shared by successful authors. Again, though, while essential to success, it’s only part of the story.

Time (and balance) questions are often posed to well-known authors in Q & A sessions. It’s a challenge for everyone: how to juggle family/work/writing. That one has no pat answer. Each person has to find what works, and once a routine is established, be flexible enough to accommodate changing circumstances.

How about subject matter and finding a matching audience? Yep. Crucial. Have you written something that someone wants to read? How are they going to discover it? If you have a good handle on these basics, you’re a step ahead of many writers.

Let’s say you have all these ingredients. You’ve got a story (or a topic, for nonfiction writers), a passion for telling it, you are persistent, and you have a good sense of your target audience. You’ve created a workable plan that supports your creativity.

Anything missing?

I would humbly propose that commitment to development of one’s craft might actually top the list. If the final product is full of misspellings, inappropriate word choices, poor pacing, clichés, etc., no one is going to want to read it, no matter how awesome the premise.

Your goal is for readers to snap up your amazing work! And then clamor for more!

Development of craft can come through formal schooling (college coursework, or in-residence classes), informal schooling (online classes or workshops at conferences), or books. I’d like to share my favorite books on the craft of writing. Some of these have garnered mention in my contributions to the CWG blog over the past year or so, but I thought it would be helpful to list them together. I’d also love for you to jump in with your favorites.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Browne & King. The first craft book I ever bought, its precepts remain timeless and valuable.
Plot & Structure, Bell. Great for learning, well, how to structure fiction.
Conflict & Suspense, Bell. How to keep your reader turning the pages. The ideas pertain to all fiction, not just suspense, and can be applied to nonfiction, as well.
Revision & Self-Editing, Bell. Just what it says. (*Note: The last three books are by James Scott Bell, and are published by Writers Digest, which offers an extensive list of books on the different aspects of craft. There are other books on these subjects by other authors and other publishers.)
Save the Cat!, Snyder. Intended for screenwriting, it is a great resource for learning story structure and for increasing the level of dialogue (a trend in modern fiction).
Writing the Breakout Novel, Maas. Everything about novels and how to balance the elements, written by a high-powered literary agent.
Break into Fiction, Buckham and Love. Perhaps more geared to the genre of romance, but more broadly applicable.
Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies, Wainger. A top editor with many years of experience, this peek at our work through her lens is invaluable. Again, the content can be more broadly applied.
Believable Characters, Creating with Enneagrams, Schnebly. A method for creating rich characters based on personality types.
Punctuation, Plain and Simple, Edgar C. Alward and Jean A. Alward.
Roget’s Thesaurus.
Any good dictionary.
Words That Make a Difference, Greenman.
The Elements of Style, Strunk and White.

Books by successful authors about writing on my shelves:

On Writing, Stephen King
How I Write, Janet Evanovich
Escaping into the Open, the Art of Writing True, Berg.

Believe it or not, this is not a complete list of my reference books. Some of the rest duplicate the content of the ones listed, or stray from a strictly-writing focus. Have I read all of these? You bet. In some cases, several times over. Have they helped me? Absolutely. Would they help writers of the submissions of a recent contest I judged? Yes, yes, and yes again.

What references do you keep at hand as you write? What books do you consider so essential that you’d buy a copy for your favorite protégé? Let’s see how many different books show up in this list! Thanks for contributing to a reference gem for our fellow authors!

Dismantling Writer’s Block

May 28, 2013/16 Comments/in Blogging, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Editing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Inspirational, Self-Publishing, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

Writer’s block.

I don’t believe in it.

Okay, I’ll hedge that a bit.

All writers have moments when the words don’t come, or they have to be pried out of our brains like candy out of a three-year-old’s grasp. I do acknowledge that fact. Those moments are not fun.

Those moments are always uncomfortable, even anxiety-provoking.

“Writer’s block” is a great excuse when you need one.

But I’ve learned that when I run up against the dreaded blank-page-combined-with-blank-brain syndrome, rather than “try harder,” I need to dig deeper.

For me, writer’s block is a symptom, not a disease. It almost always shows up when something else is wrong.

I’ve run up against it twice in the past couple of weeks. The first time, I was working on revisions to a book length manuscript. The rut began to form when I tried to revise in accordance with a critique partner’s suggestions. Mind you, there was nothing at all wrong with her suggestions; I understood and agreed with them. And yet the more I tried to comply, the deeper the rut became, until I was stuck.

When I finally stepped back and reevaluated, I decided to trust my own instincts and disregard the advice. The floodgates opened. Ta-da! No more writer’s block.

The other instance was when I was trying to write a post for a guest blog appearance. I got so tied up in how awesome all the other guest-bloggers were (and how hard it was going to be to compete with them) that I couldn’t think of a subject to write about. Fear of the unknown kept my fingers off the keyboard, with that blasted cursor mocking me.

And then I recognized what I put in parentheses in that paragraph.

I know better than that! At a simple decent-human-being level, or at the level of maturity befitting the color of my hair, I know better than to compare myself to others. And at the level it matters most, as a Catholic Christian believer, I know that we are all given the exact gifts God wants us to have. I can entertain exactly zero envy over the other bloggers’ humorous or clever or passionate posts. Once that flash of insight came, I was able to write.

Here are some of the tools for dealing with writer’s block I’ve discovered over the years, none of them my own, by the way. I credit the many authors who traveled ahead of me with these ideas!

1. Give yourself permission to write badly – and then write. The words you tap out on your computer are not etched in stone. You can delete what doesn’t work later, so just start putting words on paper, so to speak. I’ve often started out with “I have no idea what to write next, but I have a sense that such-and-such character might do/say this, or that plot idea might happen.” Within a few sentences, it usually morphs into something I can work with. The unanticipated gift of this method is that I often discover a gem that livens up the story.

2. Get out of your own way. Figure out what’s wrong. If there are underlying issues, acknowledge and face them. If fear has you paralyzed, stare it in the face and then stomp over it. We are all insecure. We all fear failure, success, taking a risk, criticism, making a commitment. Deal with what ails you, and then write anyway. If there’s something wrong with the manuscript, try writing the scene from a different character’s perspective or go a different direction for a while.

3. Change your scenery. Get up and walk away from the computer. (I can’t tell you how many times a solution came to me as soon as I shut down the laptop and stood up!) Even better, go outside. Smell the flowers. Let the sunshine warm your face. Listen to the raindrops on the street, the leaves, the roof. Go to a museum, or a movie. Go to the zoo and watch people watching animals. Go to the mall and make up outrageous stories about the people walking by.

4. Get physical. Go for a walk or a hike. Dance. Play a game of tennis or hopscotch or go for a bicycle ride. Anything to get the blood flowing in your muscles—and in your brain.

5. Write something else. Write a thank you note or an email or an honest-to-gosh real live, old-fashioned letter! Free write, or use a writing prompt. Write fiction if you’re stuck on a nonfiction piece, and vice versa. Interview your characters; ask them what they want you to know.

6. Do something creative with your hands. Draw or paint a picture. Do it with your non-dominant hand. Make a quilt square or embroider the beginning of a pillowcase design, if you like fabric arts. Cook something really yummy from scratch, and enjoy the aromas and textures along the way. Garden, whether it’s indoor or outdoor. Write something longhand. Try that with your non-dominant hand!

7. Engage with another human being. Hey, we’re writers. It’s a solitary activity. Sometimes we forget how much we need to connect with others. Take a break and play with a child. Talk with your spouse and make eye contact. Volunteer, officially, or just lend a helping hand. Go out for coffee with a friend, or invite another family over for dinner.

Rather than a curse, writer’s block can be a blessing. Listen to it. Let it tell you what you need to do, or not do.

Just don’t let it be an excuse to keep you from your passion.

How do you identify writer’s block? What strategies do you employ to get past it? What have you learned from it?

Community! Find it in Unexpected Places!

April 23, 2013/12 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, CWG Blog Info, CWG member benefits, Editing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Inspirational, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

I took up a swimming challenge at our local YMCA in January, and I’ve had plenty of time while plowing through the H2O to contemplate. One of the things that came to me recently – and which I did not anticipate – was what swimming (or any solitary sport), writing, and faith have in common.

Did you notice the word solitary? Swimming is singularly solitary, because your face is in the water and the opportunities for interaction are pretty limited. This is true for writing, minus the face-in-water part. It’s an internal activity. Faith comes down to one’s core beliefs, which is, by definition, extremely individual.

What I never expected to discover with swimming is community – and yet it is there. Maggie, Ann, and Linda show up at roughly the same times I do for laps. They bring smiles, enthusiasm, and energy which all rub off on me. (Hopefully, I bring the same to them!) They also challenge me to do more than I ever thought possible, both in distance and in perseverance.

This is what a faith community does for us, as well. While we are responsible for nurturing our own growth, its potential is exponentially expanded when we share our faith with each other, and deepened when we gather to worship as community.

Writing communities can be powerful agents of support and encouragement, too. Because of the solitary nature of writing, it’s important to connect with other writers, whether through online venues such as Catholic Writers Guild, or through face-to-face opportunities.

So how is one to find these opportunities? The question of finding critique partners has come up a few times recently in the CWG blog. It’s not always an easy question to answer. The first step is to find writing groups. You’re here, so you’ve discovered this wonderful community. There are some forums for critique groups; check them out and see if they are a good fit. Also, participate in the live and online Catholic Writers Guild conferences whenever possible, and consider saving up for the annual writing retreat. Opportunities abound within this group!

Beyond CWG, check with your library or a nearby college for local groups. Google writers, authors, or writing groups in your area. (I recently found two groups in my area that I had no idea existed; you might be surprised!) Attend a local or regional writing conference, even if it’s not in your genre. You might connect with another author and decide to trade manuscripts for critique. Sometimes critiques are raffled off as writing fundraisers, or are offered as an extra benefit at a workshop. While this last idea isn’t as likely to result in long-term relationships, you will get some insight on how to improve your writing.

Many special interest associations exist, and most have local chapters. Check out American Christian Fiction Writers (which is focused on the Inspirational market and has a slightly different audience than the Catholic Writers Guild), Sisters in Crime (misters are welcome to join), or Romance Writers of America®. RWA® has a wide variety of online special interest chapters, one of which might address your genre, although all are focused on writing some variation of a Happy-Ever-After ending. Mystery Writers of America has an associate membership level for unpublished writers. SCBWI, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, is a gold mine of information for writers of children’s and young adult literature.

You might want to try out Critique.org, an online group that runs on critique exchange. No cost is involved, other than your time in exchange for someone else’s. Or consider an online writing class. One of my critique partners built a years-long critique relationship with a fellow writer she has never met in person. You can find class offerings on Announceonlinewritingclasses, a yahoo group. (Be judicious. When I first discovered online classes, I signed up for several at the same time, not realizing how much time and energy they can take. The cost adds up, too, but if you only sign up for the ones that really apply to your interests and level of expertise, it’s possible to develop a critique relationship with a like-minded author.)

For more on critique and critique groups, see my CWG post from May 22, 2012.

How have you found a writing community that meets your needs? How did you find Catholic Writers Guild? My guess is that many of us came from other groups; share what was best about them!

Balance in Fiction Writing

February 26, 2013/17 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Editing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Marketing Your Work, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

Balance.

A few days ago, Ellen Gable Hrkach posted a great blog on common errors to avoid in writing fiction. One item she mentioned got me to thinking, namely too much dialogue.

What’s ‘too much’?

A lot of times that depends on the genre you’re writing. Clearly, screenplays and graphic novels rely almost exclusively on dialogue.

Novels, however, require a blend of narrative, description, introspection and dialogue. The ratio of one to the other changes with both prevailing ‘style’ and with genre. Novels written a century ago utilize long passages of description and flowery stretches of dialogue, whereas the trend today is for faster, tighter construction in all areas, especially dialogue.

How do you know if your manuscript has a good balance? Part of this comes down to voice, that elusive factor that makes your work yours. However, we’ve all had the experience of reading a book and finding ourselves skipping over passages, maybe even pages. If we skip too much, we’ll put the book down – and if that happens, we may never pick it up again.

Not good, if you’re the author.

Next time this happens, stop and analyze why you lost interest. Chances are there was too much of one element on the page. Too much description. Too much internal monologue, or perhaps too much narrative. Sometimes too much dialogue, but if that’s problematic, it’s more likely because the ‘voices’ of the characters are too similar. They need to be so distinctive that the reader knows who is speaking. Even so, if they go on for pages, the reader may tire. (For more on dialogue, click here.)

One helpful technique is to analyze your manuscript for the different elements and highlight the pages. Margie Lawson teaches a method for this in her Deep Editing classes. Choose different colors for narrative, description, emotion, dialogue, and internal thought, etc., then go to town with your highlighters (or crayons, or whatever your inner child wants to play with!). If one color dominates a page, revision might be in order. One of my critique partners occasionally says of my work, “This section has too much yellow.” Since we’ve both taken Lawson’s class, I immediately understand what the problem is. My work flows better if the page has a rainbow of colors. Another application of this technique is to apply your highlighters to one (or more) of your favorite published books.

Keep in mind there is no ‘one size fits all’ in fiction. Thank God! Otherwise, reading would get boring! Check out a wide variety of books to see how other authors manipulate the elements that create story.

For instance, action novels such as Lee Child’s Reacher series use lots of dialogue, but it’s nearly all less than one line long. Child also uses relatively long stretches of description/narrative, and he tends to go with one or the other at any given point. His books are effective, powerful, and popular.

Debbie Macomber takes a more blended approach in her wildly successful women’s fiction and romance novels. You will find narrative, description, introspection and dialogue on nearly every page.

Many authors are exploring screenwriting classes, some for the challenge of breaking into a new field, but most for a better understanding of both story structure and use of dialogue. While this is an excellent strategy for honing of specific elements, written fiction is more effective and more engaging when the entire spectrum of tools are used to create the final product.

The subject of balance also touches on pacing, which is a topic deserving of its own post. Narrative, description, and interior monologue can slow the pace—although skillfully applied, they can ratchet up the tension until it is unbearable. Dialogue tends to speed things up.

As you can see, there isn’t a cut-and-dried answer to ‘how much is too much’. But a willingness to analyze and evaluate your writing will always make it stronger. Look at your work with an eye toward what you want to accomplish in a given scene. Learn to use all the tools in your toolbox. Buy books on the craft of writing. Review them once in a while. Take classes. Be open to feedback from trusted colleagues, and then decide how (or if) you will apply their advice.

Find the best balance for your story and your voice.

Have you struggled with this aspect of writing? Do you have tips to share? Please do!

Query Letters – How to write a good one

November 27, 2012/25 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Marketing Your Work, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

You’ve just typed The End on your manuscript, your gloriously awesome book that’s going to rocket to the top of the New York Times best seller list! Editors are going to line up at your door, fighting to be the one privileged enough to publish your work. Thousands of people will stand in line for your signature at book signings, and you’d better clear your schedule for the television talk show circuit. Oh, and make sure your bank account is big enough to hold all the moolah that the USPS is going to deliver to your door. You are on your way, baby!

Except…no one is knocking. In fact, no one is even lurking in the shrubbery. And when it comes down to details, you’re not entirely sure how to get the attention of those New York editors, or even agents. You’ve been talking up your project to all your relatives, your friends, even your acquaintances. You’ve let a select few read your work (you deserve to be paid for it, after all!), and they rave about it! Why, it’s better than (fill in the blank with your favorite—and very rich—author)!

What to do???

This is what: set up a systematic, professional plan for querying.

It’s going to require hard work, persistence, and a thick skin to sell your work. If you do this part right, you’ll have a much better chance of actually getting published. And if your work rises above the fray, you may make it to that rarefied atmosphere of best seller-dom. If you do it wrong, you’ll get nowhere in traditional publishing.

A query letter, whether submitted via email or hard copy, is a one-page business letter with a fairly standard format. It is brief, professional in tone, and your only chance to connect with some agents or editors. Let’s look at the elements of the letter, and some common pitfalls to avoid, as well:

Research your targeted agent/editor. Make sure s/he is interested in the type of project you are pitching. Don’t send your speculative fiction to an agent who represents cookbooks and memoirs. Make sure they are accepting new clients. Then, send an individually addressed letter to the specific person—and spell their name right. The advent of email queries has tempted too many authors to try the ‘Dear Sir or Madam’, multiple-recipient approach. Sound like spam to you? It does to the recipients, and most delete without reading. I can’t stress these items strongly enough. I follow several agents on Twitter, and the biggest reasons for not reading past the first paragraph of the query letter are included in this list.

Cutesy doesn’t work. Use white paper if submitting via hard copy, or no background wallpaper on your email submission. Use standard fonts and font sizes. Times New Roman 12 works well; beautiful flowing script fonts don’t. Remember, this is business—on your end and on theirs.

Pitch finished projects. Keep in mind agents get thousands of queries a month. An unfinished manuscript isn’t competitive.

Only include personal information as it relates to your project. Your family, hobbies, other career, etc., are not fodder for this letter. If your story has strong elements that include fighter pilots or dulcimer players, and you are a fighter pilot or a dulcimer player, then include that; otherwise, as fascinating as your background is, it’s irrelevant. Also, resist the urge to say that your mother (or best friend, or spouse, etc.) thinks yours is the best book ever. Let the agent or editor be the judge.

Do include any writing credits. I’ve had interesting responses with this. At a pitch session for book length fiction, I sat with one editor who literally wadded up my nonfiction writing credits and threw them away. Clearly, he was unimpressed. However, the next editor was quite taken with the same information and spent time exploring it. Those credits lifted my submission above the standard in her mind. Bottom line: it doesn’t hurt to include writing credits. At the very least, it demonstrates that another editor somewhere thinks your work is worth publishing, and that you have experience with the editorial process. Always list membership in writing organizations and contest wins or placements. Again, some agents/editors value this more than others. But if you don’t toot your own horn, they’ll never know.

Keep it professional and polite. A query letter is a great place for confidence, but not such a good place for an overinflated ego. If you have a critique group, run your query letter past them. Sometimes they can see an area you need to emphasize more, or can suggest better wording. As an aside, one of my critique partners discovered she was pitching the wrong aspect of her story. Once she corrected that, her queries began getting responses.

So the basic format is:

Dear Ms. Specific Name Spelled Correctly,

I am seeking representation for my completed, xxx-thousand computer word count (name of genre) manuscript, Best Book Since War and Peace, set in (time, place). (If the story has a theme that is unique, you may wish to include it here.)

The next two paragraphs are like the back cover blurb would be for the book. Generally, one paragraph for the main character, the second for the other lead. Go to the bookstore (or your private library) for examples. Your goal here is to give a solid sense of the plot, a taste of your voice, but not a synopsis with lots of details or the resolution of the story.

The fourth paragraph will list your writing credits.

Close with a polite ‘I hope to hear from you soon’ and make sure to include your contact information.

Keep a spreadsheet or record of your queries. Make notes; don’t be afraid to follow up after a reasonable time (usually listed on the website), but don’t stalk. The publishing community is a small one; take care to develop your reputation as one of consummate professionalism. Divas and stalkers have no place in the business.

Query. A lot. Set aside time, set a specific goal, and keep the queries flowing. Follow the submission guidelines on the websites; they differ. Evaluate your responses and adjust future queries accordingly. But keep at it. And continue to work on improving your craft. If you’ve significantly revised and improved a project, don’t be afraid to re-query. Agents and editors really are looking for great stuff to publish. Give your work its best chance to catch their eye.

There are lots of sites and books out there that are great resources. Check with your writing organization for reputable agents, and make sure agents you query are members of the Association of Author’s Representatives. *No legitimate agent will ever charge a fee for reading your work.

What have your experiences with querying been like? Any advice? Questions? I hope this post helps rocket your work to the status of ‘sold and published’ – and best seller-dom!