by Sarah Sundin @sarahsundin Shakespeare tells us, “All the world’s a stage.” For the novelist, the challenge is to take our setting from a cardboard cutout of a stage to illuminating depth. Choosing Your Setting The initial choice of setting is often driven by a story spark. We already know it’s set on the prairie in the 1880s or an …
Copyright Protection and the Constitution
by Barbara M. Britton @BarbaraMBritton America celebrated her 250th birthday, and the Constitution was the topic of conversation. The document that formed our government and protected rights gave a nod to artists. Were you aware that our Founding Fathers cared about your writing? In Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, we are told that Congress shall have power to: promote the …
Where Does Our Fiction Fit In?
by Aubrey Reiss Taylor @aubtaybooks Writing this post led me back to some musings I had scribbled during the first year of my writing journey. At the time, I was questioning where I fit in, and it’s a question I am still unable to answer perfectly. Markets and genres are important ways to define our writing, yet these are areas …
Wons, Nones, and Dones: Know Your Audience
By Bruce Hennigan @bhennigan55 Do you know your potential audience? Jesus knew his audience well. In Matthew 22:15-22 (NIV), Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees about the question of should they pay their taxes. Jesus answered them: “But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying …
Hook, Line, Sold
by Kristine Delano Writers love to talk about authentic character arcs, narrative drive, and the emotional symbolism of rain. Publishers, meanwhile, are sitting in meetings asking one terrifying question: “But what is it about?” Your hook. A strong hook is the difference between someone politely nodding while mentally grocery shopping and someone blurting out, “Wait, she has to investigate her …
When You Hit a Writing Drought
by Glynn Young Since the time I was a reporter for my college newspaper, longer ago than I care to admit, writing has been an integral part of my life. I’ve been a reporter, editor, newsletter editor, speechwriter, public relations manager, novelist, short story writer, non-fiction book author, blogger, book reviewer, essayist, poet, and more. Writing has been central in …
The Enigma of Endorsements
by Barbara M. Britton @BarbaraMBritton When you open a novel, you tend to find a page or two of praise. We call these sentences filled with complimentary words endorsements. Are endorsements necessary for a successful book? I perused my shelves of books and found that novella collections usually do not have endorsements. Novella collections sell well in the marketplace. Perhaps …
Historical Research – How Do You Start?
by Sarah Sundin On a chilly and blustery evening, my husband and I traipsed through a German gun emplacement in Jersey in the Channel Islands. I said to him, “Aren’t you glad I don’t write novels set in fussy tea rooms?” The look of horror on his face was priceless. Aspiring historical novelists often ask for my best tips on …
When Less is More
By Joni M. Fisher @authorjonimfisher Shakespeare said it best in Hamlet, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Suggest, don’t tell all. Let the reader connect the dots. Great fiction is more like impressionist artwork than still photography. Beginning writers underestimate their ability to convey meaning, so they repeat a concept, explain it, or otherwise beat the reader over the head …
The Garden Theory of Writing and Publishing
By Cynthia Ruchti @cynthiaruchti A writer and an agent were chatting over lunch one day. The writer had been at it a long time, had planted many different kinds of stories, but nothing had taken root. The agent asked, “What do like most about gardening with words?” The writer said, “Being in the garden.” “It is beautiful here, isn’t it? …