• Dawn McClure

    Fleshing Out Your Cardboard Characters by Debra Mullins 

        Published: July 27th, 2011  Views: 837 
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    Every memorable story has a memorable character, and whatever is happening with the plot, it’s the character that people remember. But characters are more than just names on a page. Character is about who these people are. How will they react to the situations in which they find themselves? What do they need to learn in order to earn the prize at the end of the book? Basically, characters need to be just as complicated as real people, and we have to build them that way.

    Below are seven things you can do to flesh out a character that seems too flat on the page and make the people in your head come across as people you might meet on the street.


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    1. Craft
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    The Best, the Worst, and the Most Interesting Advice for Writers by Amy Corwin 

        Published: July 27th, 2011  Views: 163 
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    Every once in a while, I sit back to review what (if anything) I’ve learned. It can be a useful exercise. I’m frequently astounded by the number of times I flip-flop on issues, particularly the usefulness of advice related to writing. Mostly it’s because I try to base “usefulness” on actual numbers and facts.

    As my boss is fond of saying, “Why do you keep letting facts get in the way of perfectly reasonable theories?”
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    Savvy Authors Weekly Newsletter - July 25, 2011 

    by
    Dawn McClure
        Published: July 25th, 2011  Views: 259 

    Congratulations to all Savvy Authors!

    Our first congratulations this week goes out to Savvy Authors member Suzanne Rock. She sold her historical paranormal menage, Whispers, to Loose Id.

    Lynn Rush signed a three book deal for her Violet Trilogy with Crescent Moon Press. The working titles of the books are Violet Midnight, Violet Dawn, and Violet Storm and they are New Adult paranormal romances. Congratulations, Lynn!

    Categories:
    1. Craft
    2. Industry
    3. Workshops
    4. Savvy U Courses
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    GMC: The Muscle-Builder and MRU: The Flab-Fighter by Jill Elizabeth Nelson 

        Published: July 25th, 2011  Views: 1993 
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    Does the title sound like a plan for a trim and toned body? But what, you say, is a GMC and an MRU, and where can I get them? Or maybe, you’re tempted to respond, “If this means sweat, sister, you can skip it!”

    Mastering GMCs and MRUs does involve work, but not of the sweaty variety. It does, however, draw blood—the kind you drip onto the page as you pour your heart and soul into your story. Expertise in GMC and MRU will lead to a trim and toned manuscript.

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    Research for Fiction Writers by Dianne G. Sagan 

        Published: July 23rd, 2011  Views: 634 
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    There are those who think that all a fiction writer has to do is make up a story, type it on their computer, and publish it. Those of you who write know that there is a lot more to the process than that. After the story idea, a writer’s first step should be research. Be sure that the story you are telling is believable for your readers. A book that tells a great story but makes major mistakes in such things as geography, climate of an area where the story takes place, incorrect customs, or inaccurate life during a particular time in history will turn your reader off.

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    What To Do With A Story Idea by Sue Viders 

        Published: July 23rd, 2011  Views: 261 
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    They say that everyone has a book inside themselves...a great story just waiting to be told, but how the heck do you get the darn thing out of your mind and heart and into the computer?

    Those ideas and characters keep rattling around in the mind, bumping into each other, trying to decide which way to go. Should the character be a woman? Like myself? Or should I make up a character and give her all the insights and talents I wish I had?
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    Ambivalence: a Dab will Do You (In) by Hillary Rettig 

        Published: July 23rd, 2011  Views: 607 
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    (Adapted from The Seven Secrets of the Prolific, by Hillary Rettig)

    Underproductive or blocked? Look for perfectionism as a first cause, but after that, look for ambivalence.

    I sometimes have students in my writing classes compile a list of negative ideas or labels about writers and writing, which usually winds up looking something like this:
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    Create Your Own Book Trailer – Easily! by Scott Prussing 

        Published: July 23rd, 2011  Views: 316 
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    People love book trailers. Having an intriguing trailer is one of the best promotional tools you can have for your book. But hiring someone to create a professional trailer is expensive. Luckily, you can create your own professional looking trailer fairly easily by following a few simple steps. Believe me, I know. I had absolutely no experience with slideshows or overlaying text onto images or any of that stuff before I began making my trailer, and I think it came out pretty darn good. And I enjoyed doing it!

    Step 1-- Collect some art.
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    Writing Scenes That Sparkle by Beth Cornelison 

        Published: July 21st, 2011  Views: 515 
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    I can remember sitting at an RWA chapter meeting years ago as an unpublished writer, listening to a friend and fellow unpubbed writer describe a rejection letter she'd gotten from Harlequin. The rejecting editor had told her the overall story was good but it lacked "sparkle".

     "What the hell is sparkle?" she asked with a laugh. "Tell me how to write sparkle, and I'll be happy to add it!"
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    Plot or Character – Which Comes First? The Literary Slut Comes Clean by Melodie Campbell 

        Published: July 20th, 2011  Views: 914 
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    I’m not a slut, I swear. (Okay, maybe a Literary Slut, in that I write in many genres, but that is ALL.) So it rather shocked me when my character Rowena started acting in a manner that I personally would not have dared consider for myself. It was, however, quite natural for her, and essential for my plot.

    Which brings me to a favorite discussion topic shared by fiction writers in all locales… if plot is the chicken, and character the egg (or eggs), which comes first?
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    Write to Your Obsession by Vonna Harper 

        Published: July 20th, 2011  Views: 473 
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    What is it about wolves? The predators have fascinated me for years, long before they became popular with erotic writers and readers. I’m talking about wolves in the pure form, wild hunters with a complex social structure designed at the core to protect their young. Right now I have five nonfiction books on the creatures in my bookshelf, my calendar is appropriately titled WOLVES. The picture to the right of my desk shows a Native American woman in snow surrounded by the steely-eyed creatures while a wolf stuffed animal (a gift from my friend Kate Douglas) sits on my stereo speaker. Behind me is a greeting card showing a pack moving through a storm that I matted and framed.

    Oh yes, I’m addicted.
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    Make Them Real – Character Development by Joyce Palmer 

        Published: July 19th, 2011  Views: 929 
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    Fall in love with your characters, and your readers will fall in love with them too.

    USE REAL PEOPLE AS VISUAL REFERENCES

    Breathe life into your cast of characters by giving them characteristics from someone real. For instance, the security guard at work who brings you baked goods from his wife, whom he adores. Or the secretary with the big bleached blond hair that files her nails and laughs so uproariously she rattles the plaque on the wall.

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    1. Craft
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    Tips for Building a Series by Mima 

        Published: July 18th, 2011  Views: 1516 
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    Series are big. It’s my belief that you’re shorting yourself if you don’t give one a go. They’re an option in all genres, not just paranormal. Series bring in readers. Some readers don’t even approach a new world until there’s 2-3 to sink into. Some readers won’t read past 3 books, considering long series repetitive. But the thing is, series are actually EASIER on you, the author. You do a lot of the work up front, and then later books have a base you run with. As a reader, I prefer them for the same reason.


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    Plot in a Character-Driven Story by Jodi Henley 

        Published: July 18th, 2011  Views: 373 
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    Recently, I've been talking about how much plot is too much plot in a character-driven story, stuff about proportion, keeping it real, and the limitations of an author's pov, when someone asked me how stripping a character-driven story down to relationship conflict and a teacup-sized plot in a contemporary worked for stories like urban fantasy and paranormals. I love questions—no lie, and it got me thinking about expectations and exactly what defines a character-driven story.
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    Savvy Authors Weekly Newsletter - July 18, 2011 

    by
    Dawn McClure
        Published: July 18th, 2011  Views: 390 

    Congratulations to all Savvy Authors!

    Our first congratulations this week goes out to Savvy Authors member Ciara Knight. She signed a contract for her fantasy novel, Curse of Gremdon, with Crescent Moon Press.

    Cassandra Carr's debut novel, Talk to Me, placed second in the erotic romance category of the More Than Magic Published Author Contest! Congratulations, Cassandra!

    Arianna Skye's novel, Wings of Desire, won the Bookseller's Best Award in the erotic romance category. Congratulations, Arianna!

    Categories:
    1. Craft
    2. Industry
    3. Workshops
    4. Contests
    5. Interviews
    6. Savvy U Courses
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    Navigating the Waters of Self Promotion by Sarena Straus 

        Published: July 16th, 2011  Views: 894 
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    I thought that when my book, “Bronx DA: True Stories from the Sex Crimes and Domestic Violence Unit” was accepted for publication by Barricade Books in 2006, my work as an author was done. Boy was I wrong. It turns out that publication was just the beginning of years of additional work to promote the book and myself. And truth be told, if I’d known then what I know now, the book could have been much more successful.

    Bronx DA was over a year in the writing. When I wrote the book, I had just left the Bronx DA’s office and was working in private practice. This meant long hours of working weekends and holidays with little or no time to write. Bronx DA was a labor of love, created during whatever little free time I had and by sacrificing any chance at a social life or a love life until it was done.
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    1. Industry
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    Everything I Need to Know I Learned From Gidget by Jane Kent 

        Published: July 15th, 2011  Views: 807 
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    Okay, maybe not everything…

    And I confess to a bit of trickery to pique your interest because this blog is not really about Gidget, or even about what I learned from her, though there is a connection. But before I get to that, perhaps I should answer the burning question some of you—okay, probably most of you—have…who or what is a Gidget?

    Hmmm, well, the closest I can come is to say that she was the Bella of the late 1950s and early 1960s…except the vampires were surfers and there was a whole lot more censorship! Like Bella of the Twilight series, Gidget (an amalgamation of “girl” and “midget”, and if you bet me that I couldn’t tell you her real first name, you’d win!) was a teenage girl who’s story began as a novel that was turned into several movies and eventually into a short-lived TV series starring Sally Field (yes, the matriarch of Brothers and Sisters once played a teenage girl crushing on boys!).

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    1. Craft
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    Storytelling – Have We Forgotten? by P. June Diehl 

        Published: July 14th, 2011  Views: 667 
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    As a child, I remember asking my mom to read the same stories, mostly fairy tales, to me over and over. Why? Because these are STORIES. They have active characters, cool settings, events I could relate to, and they had a greater meaning. I cheered, cried, worried and wondered as the stories were read. I connected to the characters and the story events, the emotional journey.

    What elements make a good story? Here are some possibilities:
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    A Genetic Anomaly - Why do you write? by Emma Lane 

        Published: July 14th, 2011  Views: 457 
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    Thanks for having me here today. I thought the experience of writing as it relates to the general public—or at least your bridge, book, or church group-- might be of interest to others as it has been to me.

    Since I have one e-pubbed novel out and three others on the way, I am frequently asked one question: Why do you write?


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    Writing My First Novella by Erin Kellison 

        Published: July 13th, 2011  Views: 203 
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    Last winter I wrote my first novella, SHADOW TOUCH (released June 1, 2011 from Kensington Zebra). My family was very sick with the flu, and the holidays consumed the week before it was due, but I was still able to get that immersed feeling I love when writing. I had no idea how to write a novella—for me, the shorter the word count, the more difficult. All I knew was to simplify plot lines and decrease the number of subplots, while fully developing the characters and the world. I was very concerned about the love story because I couldn’t imagine in that short space of time how two people can fall in love. I mean, really. (Later, author Laurie London told me her brilliant approach—a reunion story. That way the personal history is already in place. The relationship is believable.)

    ‘Course, I like to choose the hard way.

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