Learning Center

In the world of writing it’s sometimes impossible to know which rules and guidelines we should follow, which ones we should break. It’s simple. All of them and all of them. One thing my experience as an editor and writer has taught me is that anything goes.

For instance, some of my fellow Astraea Press authors and I were recently discussing several well-known writers who head hop. With most publishing houses this is a big no-no. Yet these authors’ books are making the NYT best sellers list. Same with those evil words we’re not supposed to use such as to be verbs, words ending in -ly, the word “that”, etc. A number of famous writers constantly break these rules and no one is slapping them on the hand. So how do they do it? What’s their secret?

Incorporating the spiritual aspects of a character or the religious aspects of a setting or plot can enhance a story. However, done wrong and it can wreck a story. Here are four pitfalls I see:

One, they are superficially portrayed and thus not really believable. Rose Dimond gave a good example of this in our workshop at the 2008 MuseOnline Convention. In a critique group, one person told the story of a woman who was abused. She later became a priestess, and was able to "find peace" after murdering her abuser. The story flopped because, as Rose said, "Revenge is not generally recommended as the pathway to peace by the holy."

BOUQUETS AND RIBBONS

Congratulations to all Savvy Authors!
Our first congratulations this week goes out to Savvy Authors member Kelly Whitley. Her flash fiction piece "The Letter" was published March 16, 2011 in Rusty Typer.

Fighting Evil by Mary Abshire was released on March 21, 2011 from Noble Romance Publishing. Congratulations on the new release, Mary! Wishing you many sales!

Jan Romes has received a contract for her contemporary romance, One Small Fib, from the Wild Rose Press! Congratulations, Jan!

My dream job is writing. I love to write. I’ve met thousands of other writers, some published, some not. I want to share what has been vital in the lives of those who are successful. From what I’ve seen, there are three very important ingredients in the success of a writer: learning, writing, and networking. All three ingredients work together and are important from the day you decide to write, till the day you write for the last time. This is the first of three articles on these subjects.

Learning is vital to a career in writing. We have to learn about ourselves, and the world, as well as about the techniques of writing. There are writers with master’s degrees in English or Literature, and writers who are not yet in high school. Both can be successful.

By his own admission Larry Brooks takes an overly long introduction into his premise that mastering “Six Core Competencies” leads to successful writing. And they are not new ideas, but familiar to all writers: concept, character, theme, story structure, scene execution and writing voice. However, he brings a distinct perspective to each one that opens up creative methods to build your novel.

Using clear definitions and excellent examples he lifts away the fog that often surrounds these basics and gives storytelling principles that contain structure, focus, and criteria. “The Six Core Competencies” create a story development model that leaves nothing out of the writing equation, except perhaps the need for an abundant number of drafts.”

If I get lost in a forest, I want it to be because the writer set such a fascinating, detailed, sensory atmosphere and I got so caught up in character, story, and setting that I blindly followed the author and I’m lost because that was the author’s intent. I’m lost WITH the character, and I’m completely invested and engaged in the setting. I want to look up from the book and feel that minute of shock, the realization that I’m in my reading chair or on the train and NOT in the world of the book. I don’t want to read the book, wondering where I am all the time, unless dislocation/disorientation is a theme of the book.

How is that achieved?

Sometimes we're so busy keeping up with deadlines and striving for that next book contract that it's difficult to see where we're headed for all the...stuff that gets in the way. So when my critique group heard about another group of romance authors who had spent some time successfully analyzing their careers together, we decided to do the same.

Most of us felt vaguely dissatisfied with our careers and knew we wanted to do something different, but weren't quite sure exactly what that should be, so this came at an opportune time. We set aside a full day at one person's house and combined a number of exercises to help us take a look at where we were and where we needed to go.

DESCRIPTION
Start and complete a young adult (YA) novel in six months!

We’ll make use of small groups, writing buddies, word count checkpoints, mentoring, chats, and personal chats or phone calls to keep you motivated and on track during this intensive six month class.

Learn how to target your story for the YA reader and the elements necessary for that to happen. Learn the how to weave the craft elements together to create a story you’ll be proud of and work on writing exercises during the first three weeks before we begin the intensive writing of the draft and revising your novel. During the first three weeks the focus will be on developing your writing skills.

Our editing techniques evolve parallel to our development as a writer. What looked good to us a year ago might get the ax today. My upcoming course, Shaping and Sculpting: the Art of the Edit, will take you to the next level (perhaps even several levels) in your own unique approach to molding your Best Book Possible.

Editorial styles are as individual as writing styles. Some writers blast through their first draft and then flesh out the story during the editing process. Others perform some variation of edit-as-they-go. (That would be me.)