Writing on the Wall

A popular post from September 2009

by Annette Lyon

A popular post from August 2009

by Annette Lyon

A popular post from October 2008

by Annette Lyon

About writing a good story, Lewis Carroll reportedly said something like:

"Begin at the beginning and go on to the end: then stop."

Nice advice, but it's harder than it looks. How do you know where to begin and when to end?

Here's a good place to look: uncover your major story question.

Sure, your book will have subplots and conflicts along the way, but there needs to be one over-arching question. It needs to be posed, or at least reflected, in the first chapter. It'll then be answered in last chapter.

Sometimes the story question might be just hinted at in the beginning. For example, in The Wizard of Oz, the main question is: Will Dorothy will ever get home from Oz.?

In the opening sequence, she's not in Oz. But she is unhappy at home and tries to run away. She wants to be anywhere but home. So that sets up the ultimate question: by the end, she wants to be home more than anything else. So by the time we get the question, "Will Dorothy get home?" we all want the same thing for her. Everything she does is aimed at that one goal.

After she returns to Kansas, the movie has a brief wrap-up ("You were there. And so were you!") and it's over. The credits roll. We don't need to see her interacting with her aunt, where we see how much better things are now. The question is answered.

Often you can identify the kind of story question your book should have based on the genre you're writing in. For example, a mystery's question is who committed the murder? and a romance asks, will the boy and girl ever get together?

Some books have easily identified questions:

• Will Harry defeat Voldemort?
• Will Lizzy and Darcy get together?
• Will Montag stay true to books and escape with his life?
• Will Langdon solve the puzzle before the bad guys do?
• Will Poirot find the murderer?
• Will Luke destroy the Death Star?

If the book isn't part of a classic genre, the story question might not be as obvious. Older books, such as Dickens' work, often have several story questions, but that doesn't work as well in today's publishing world.
With your own writing, it's important for you to know what your story question is, for two reasons:
1) It tells you where to begin.
2) It tells you when to stop.
Without a good beginning, your reader (or editor or agent) won't get past page twelve (or, realistically, past page three).
And without a satisfying ending, they'll never pick up your next book (or this one will never get published).
It's not uncommon for me to see beginning writers' work where they're obviously not sure of the major story question. I can tell because the chapters flounder around with back story dumps, characters who aren't quite themselves yet, a plot that meanders without a clear conflict (or a conflict that's too thin), and a story that doesn't end when it's supposed to.
There is a reason that The Da Vinci Code ends where it does: the puzzle is solved, the characters are safe, and the bad guys are caught. All the story questions are answered.
It would be silly for Dan Brown to have continued the story so Langdon goes home, takes a shower, makes himself breakfast, and then realizes that he's rather troubled by the events of the last while and he needs therapy. And then we watch him go through therapy.
Ack! That's a new story, with new story questions. It's also a new genre. We'd no longer be looking at a symbology-based thriller.
This may be an over-the-top example, but the point is valid. Do you know when your story is over? You might not know the details of the final scene, but do you have a general idea that when X happens, it leads to Y, which answers the story question, so the story ends?
It's hard sometimes to write that last page. We love our characters, and sometimes we know what comes next, so we want to write it. But if that isn't part of the story you were originally telling, don't include it.
Maybe you can write a sequel to tell the next part . . . so long as you start at the right place and end when that story is over!

By Josi S. Kilpack

"Write what you know" is likely the most touted bit of writing advice any of us have ever heard. I don't think I've ever gone to a writer's conference and not heard at least one presenter talk about this topic. There's a reason it gets so much attention, it is a very good place for a writer to visit and become familiar with, but it's not about writing your life story. Instead, it has a variety of uses that, at different times, will come in handy. Here are a few examples, please feel free to share if you have some more advice along this line. After all, I can only write what I know, so if I don't know it someone better learn it to me:

1) What do YOU know?

Was your father a butcher? Did your grandmother tat lace? Were you forced to pull weeds as a child? Have you ever been arrested? Divorced? Dragged by a truck on icy roads in the winter? What about that vacation you took to those caves you got lost in for three hours? What about the tornado that wiped out the town twenty miles away when you were fourteen?

The point is every single one of us has a lifetime of experiences. Some are going to be similar to other people's--this is good. Shared experience allows us to communicate to other people's memories, it's a powerful tool to apply to your writing, taking full advantage of things you have in common with your readers. However, there are other things you have gone through that the typical person hasn't. My dad is a teacher. Boring. Average, right? But he's an art teacher. Not that much more interesting. He's also a sculptor with a special ability to take a two dimensional picture and transform it into a three dimensional sculpture. I grew up watching him take pounds of oil based clay (that stains your fingers and stings if you get it in your eyes) and slowly transform it bit by bit into the San Diego Chicken or Squatch. It's a phenomenol process and because I grew up around it, I know details of sculpting that most people don't know.

All of us have details like this in our lives that, if not useful in and of itself, lends us to knowing where to look for similar information. Try making a list of all the occupations, locations, talents, family situations, and household tasks you know more about than the average Joe. Keep these things in mind when creating characters, storylines, and details in your books. You might surprise yourself with how much you really know.

2) What do you KNOW?

Do you know where to go to look up the names of stars in any given constellation? Can you tell me the chemical make up of Elmer's glue? How many cups of water equate to a metric ton? How many players on Berkley's basketball team have set records in assists?

Don't know these things off the top of your head? Learn it. We are not limited by the things we already know based on our life experience. Because we are writers, we are likely very good readers, meaning we absorb information well and learn from the printed word better than most people. Take full advantage of this by continuing to learn all the time. Even if you aren't working on a project that demands research, keep your mind open to learning new things. You never know when they might come into play. And, by excersing your mind this way, you have a better chance of finding information when you need it because you have vast resources on research to go to. You might not know the name of that star, but you did read about the zodiac in that one book you found at the library six years ago. I bet you could find it in there. Julie recently blogged about this and it was a great reminder of just how awesome research can truly be.

3) WHAT do you know? (about your genre)

Did you know that in a Romance novel it's okay for the guy to be a playboy, but not the girl? Did you know that fantasy really isn't fantasy if it doesn't have magic in it? Did you know that horror is often considered the purest of all genres in regards to morals and ethics because it is, at it's core, a battle between good and evil? Did you know that even Children's books must have conflict?

Whatever it is you write, be sure to read it, and study it, and immerse yourself in it. There are rules and expectations that have to do with the contract you make with your reader and in order to be successful in that market, you need to offer up those expectations. This isn't to say that you can't provide your own twists and turns, that you can't set yourself apart from the crowd, but you must fit the parameters of your genre FIRST. There are pletny of writing books on this subject as well as very good internet articles you can find via google. Knowing what an editor, agent, or reader expects from you is a great way to start your next story.

4) What DO you know?

What if I don't know the ending? What if I don't know the first chapter? What if I don't know who dunnit? What if I don't know what color I want the carpet to be?

Well, what DO you know? Annette lyon talked about this a couple weeks ago and it pulled me out of a slump I'd been in. I want to write from page one to page 805 without stopping. I want to then start over and revise. It's what I want, but it's not reality. After Annette's advice I just starting writing what I knew. I knew, for instance, that I wanted my character to take over the kitchen. I also knew that I wanted her to find out a medical inconsistancy. And I wanted a really broody character that rubbed her wrong. I don't know who killed the guy behind the curtain and I don't know what they are trying to hide by killing him, but I know I want her to keep her jogging whistle in her pocket for protection, so I wrote that. And then I wrote this other scene, and then I wrote the really funny part. I've managed to break the 30,000 word barrier despite the fact that anyone that tried to read it right now would think I was completly bonkers because it doesn't make sense. Yet. But I have over 100 pages and that alone inspires me to continue. This week I've begun bridging those scenes to one another. I know she needs to get from the bedroom to the kitchen--how? It's coming together, not as easy and seamless as I'd like, but it IS coming together because though I don't know much, I know THIS and I'm writing it down. Don't be afraid to jump around. We live in the age of computers, lucky us!

We are more than we think we are upon first glance, and the journey of discovery often leads us to doors we didn't even know could be opened. Own the knowledge, own the power.

I did a series of posts on genres and gave a few tips on how to write in certain genres I know a bit about.

I like genre fiction in all its variety. I even like the genres I don't write, but enjoy reading. Lately, there has been quite a stir on several local blogs regarding genre, snubbery, snobbery, and lit elitists on all sides.

Someone once asked me what I wrote. The shortest and easiest answer back then was "romance." As if that one word bottles up everything that goes into one of my books and then slaps itself, a little stickered label, onto the bottle.

As I've branched out and become more prolific, I wonder about labels. I've been to conferences where I've been paraded around as the romance author and everyone is thrilled to have me there representing that genre. I've been to others where any of us who wrote romance stuttered, and stammered, and tried to deny what we wrote.

Why? Why would any writer in any genre feel less than worthy? Why would I cringe to tell people I wrote romance? Is there really something so wrong with love that I feel I must hide the fact that I write it and pay penance when anyone catches me writing it? Even now, when my genre has shifted to the classification of YA and middle grade (which is also either applauded or snubbed depending on the audience) I am still--in effect--writing romance.

I believe love works. It's everywhere and affects everyone. It's there between parents and children, between friends, between sisters, brothers, and grandparents, and yes--even between a man and a woman. Love exists. So we write about it. Just as childhood exists. Fear, mystery, days of fanciful thinking and day dreaming, science, days where we need a little pick me up, or days where we need information on how to build a playhouse . . . those things all exist and as writers, we write about them. We record those moments to let others in the world know they are not singular in their thoughts and needs. Writing connects humanity in a way that offers validity to the existance of humanity.

What we choose to write will appeal to someone, somewhere. We should make no apologies for that.

I met a guy on the train when I was comin' out. It was one of those things that kind of makes you mad. I was out on the platform — I was in pants and coat that didn't match but I was riding first class. I was making conversation with a guy who asked me, "Goin' to California?"
"Yeah, I'm goin' out there."
"What business are you in?"
I said "The motion-picture business."
"What do you do?"
I said "I make animated cartoons."
"Oh"
"It was like saying I sweep latrines." "Some people make you mad, and you want to prove something to them even though they mean nothing to you. I thought of that guy... when we had the premiere of Snow White. --Walt Disney

If you write what you love and write it the very best way you know how, you will never have to apologize for it.

By Julie Wright

On Writing for the Non-Fiction market

Genre Toolbox

Non-fiction is a pretty broad topic. There are the self help books, the info-mercials thinly veiled as books, the cook books, the do it yourself books, the books on how to get out of debt, and the other books on how to become millionaires. Then there are the books for the sake of knowledge (history, science, etc).

Regardless of all the tiny facets we could talk about, there are certain all-encompassing things to know in order to write effective non-fiction.

• Story— Before you interrupt to tell me that non-fiction isn’t about story, let me assure you that it is. Think of the parables of Jesus. All these parables were told as a means to help the regular guy understand the teaching behind the story. I do a lot of teaching and have found that people engage themselves into my lessons when I stop boring them to sleep. People perk up and listen as soon as I share personal examples. Never underestimate the power of personal experiences. Examples that tie into the chapter and breathe life into whatever it is you’re teaching are the things that will stick in the reader’s mind the longest.

• Informed— Do you actually know what it is you’re trying to teach? Are you qualified? Are you really qualified? A little research goes a long way and a lot of research makes you an expert. Experts get to write non-fiction. Don’t think you’re going to write a book on how to make a million dollars in a month if you haven’t actually done it. Don’t write a cook book meant to compete with Julia Child if you don’t know who Julia Child is, and if you aren’t sure that mayo isn’t a spice.

• Order!— Order isn’t just something judges yell as they pound gavels to get everyone’s attention. Order is the sense and flow of your book. Make sure that your chapters flow smoothly from one topic to another topic in a way that seems organic and right to the reader. Just like a novel, a non-fiction book has a beginning, and a middle, and an end. What will capture the reader’s interest and make a good beginning? What is a good way to end the book so the reader closes it and feels fulfilled?

• Outline— I am not a great outliner. Organization is for—-well, organized people. However, I found that with writing non-fiction, organization was key. I needed a skeleton before I could begin placing meat on the bones. The structure kept me from tangenting (as I am prone to do) and allowed me the freedom to explore each segment fully. The mystery questions work well for non-fiction outlines: Who, What, Where, Why, and How.
---Who are you writing this book for? Who is your reader, your target audience? Who are you marketing to?
---What type of book are you trying to write? Pick your topic and stick with it.
---Where will people need this book? Where will they be reading? Is it a commuter book for while on the train to work? Is it something they’ll read while running on a treadmill, or something they’ll read while their hands are sticky with dough?
---Why are you qualified to write this book? Why do you want to write it?
---How do you plan on pitching this book to an editor or an agent? And then, how do you plan on marketing this book once it comes to publication?

Once you know the answers to these questions, you’ll be able to write a book that is sharply honed to the needs of the people who will read it.

• Know what else is out there— If you’re an expert on yoga and want to write a book on yoga, you might feel intimidated at the fact that there are a gazillion (not a calculated fact, this is merely an estimation) books on yoga in the bookstore. The beauty of this is that if you give twenty different people the exact same topic to write on, they will write twenty totally different books. Don’t panic. If you have a twist on an old idea, feel free to make it yours.

Non fiction is, in some ways, easier to write because the facts are already there. I wrote a non-fiction book on how to sell on eBay. It was like doing a really long research paper. In some ways I felt like the wizard of Oz. I had the basics--the tin man, but how did I animate him? How did I get a heart into him so others could relate to him? That's when it becomes so much harder to write than fiction.

For this reason, I recommend you pick a topic that you're passionate about.

By Julie Wright

On Writing for the YA market

Genre Toolbox

Since the Harry Potter craze, there is good news for writers. It’s called READERS. More youth are reading for the pleasure of reading than ever before. If you write for that market, this is great news. I happen to write for this market. I love great news.

• Wonder— Wonder is that moment when you discover something for the first time. It’s the first time of seeing snow falling, or the first kiss. Wonder is something that astounds and leaves the person breathless and awe inspired. I don’t care that teenagers think they know everything, the fact remains that life still holds wonder for them and in order to evoke emotion in your writing you need to create a sense of wonder in your story. The teen years are a definite time of discovery. It’s where we learn who we are and how we fit in the world. It’s usually the time you fall in love for the first time. Wonder is simply wonderful.

• Age—YA generally means a character in the age range of 12-18. It doesn’t matter so much how old your character is as much as it matters that they ACT THEIR AGE. A senior in high school has vastly different concerns and perspectives than a ninth grader. Make sure your character speaks and acts the way they would in reality.

• Just because you can— Doesn’t mean you should. I know; I know, everyone says that it’s cool to be edgy--to push the boundaries of what is acceptable in YA novels. Besides that, you can’t get in trouble because YA novels are so under the parental radar that no one will ever know that you wrote a book about ********(pick your own taboo) Don’t forget the power of the pen. Words change society. Be prepared to answer for the words you choose to use. You are responsible for what you write. And I’m not preaching about what I think you should write . . . I am warning you to be prepared to stand up for it. Keep in mind that the younger edge of YA can handle “scarier” conflicts if it’s at a distance. They can handle the teen pregnancy if it’s the main character’s friend dealing with it, not the main characters themselves.

• Character—I am a character driven writer. I have a book that was pretty plot driven on the first draft but by the third draft, it was ALL about the character. Teens are pretty self absorbed (I can say that because I once was a self absorbed teen and liked it so well I grew up to be a self absorbed author) Because of this, they need characters they can relate to on a deeper level. They need characters who think things, and do things, and feel things. They need characters who are like them on the inside. Plot is important. Character is vital.

• Overcoming—Those really fabulous characters need to overcome. They need to grow and stretch and be more than they were on page one. Think of Star Wars. Luke started off as a whiney little brat who wanted to go with his friend to get power converters rather than clean up a couple of silly droids. By Return of the Jedi, our whiney brat has turned into full on Jedi and he is awesome. He’s in control of himself. He grew and overcame all the things he’d gone through to that point. He *became* the person he was meant to be. He found his inner greatness. That doesn’t mean your character has to wield a lightsaber and control the force, but they must find their own magic inside, even if it’s only metaphorically.


• Copycat-- A lot of people think writing for children is sooooo easy, but I am here to tell them, they are totally WRONG! I’ve heard people say, “Yeah, well, I think I’m going to write something like Harry Potter, and make an easy sweet million. Anyone can write that.” Copy cats always get caught for what they are. Bad copycats are the worst.
Kids these days are savvy and sophisticated in ways we can’t even dream. Do not assume you should write for the YA market simply because you think it might be easier. Consider why you want to write to teens. Consider your motives. Consider your *knowledge* because YES it takes some know-how to write in this genre. If you aren’t currently reading YA novels, don’t even think about writing one until you’ve read twenty. I mean it. Twenty. Publishing in the YA market is a lot tougher because the competition is fierce. There are a lot of wicked awesome writers out there setting the standard. You do not want to be the one to fall short of that standard.

Meet me back here next week for the non-fiction toolbox.

By Julie Wright

On Writing Romance

Genre Toolbox

Ah love, what we do without it? Some people criticise the romance writers of the world, but they are fools to do so. Romance represents fifty percent of the fiction market. All the other genres combined make up the other fifty percent. Here's a few tips to throw in your toolbox and grab your share of the fifty percent.

• Internal Conflict-- A lot of people deeply believe that the, "You say tomayto and I say tomahto" conflict is enough for riveting romantic conflict. I say, "Yawn." There needs to be a lot more than a few little differences in personality to make me believe your characters have real internal conflict with one another. Maybe it is a religious difference, or a political difference of opinion. Maybe the internal conflict comes from knowing they are perfect for each other, but he's her best friend's fiance. Something that cause an internal obstacle to the hero and heroine getting together is absolutely necessary.

• External conflict-- A great romance always incorporates both internal and external conflict. External conflict could consist of people pulling our lovers apart, a nefarious competitor for the main character's affections usually works here. it could be the romeo and Juliet scenario of family pulling them apart. Maybe the hero got drafted to war, Maybe the heroine got an all ride scholarship to the university of her dreams and has to make a choice. Whatever your conflict, you need to make sure it remains continually an obstacle until the end. No one wants to read about a couple who get together in chapter one and have nothing to overcome.

• Sexual tension— No matter what it sounds like here, I am not talking about sex as in a roll in the hay. I'm talking about the sparks that fly from pure chemistry . . . Ever wonder why Twilight is such a hit? It's all about the sexual tension. It's all about the restraint of actual sex. You can have "steamy" without one bedroom scene and it all comes from the way the characters interact together. Don't believe me? Go read Twilight. A finger caressing a jawbone and hot kisses on the back of the neck can go a long long way for a woman reading a romance.

• Masculine but sensitive-- Most romance readers want a man who acts like a man, and I am not talking about the gas-passing sort of man, but the kind who will stand up for their woman and who will stand up TO their woman. They want a man who remembers the little details without having to be asked, the kind of man who knows what her favorite flower is and what color her eyes are after she's had a good cry. They don't want their men to be sissies, but they don't want them to be controlling wife beaters either. It's a tightrope walk to find a male character that will make your reader write to you to ask, "Where can I find a man like that?"

• Overcoming-- In order for the romance to be successful, the hero and heroine have to overcome their obstacles one at a time, bit by bit which draws them closer and closer together. They HAVE to overcome ALL the obstacles (except the tomayto and tomahto concept . . . it's good for people to keep some differences)

• Climax-- This is the moment of truth where they realize they are committed to each other. Commitment is more than gazing into each other's eyes and saying the pretty words, "I love you." There has to be actual commitment to the relationship for the reader to have faith that the relationship will last beyond, "The End."

Don't forget the importance of sub genre. There is romantic fantasy, romantic suspense, romantic comedy, and pretty much romantic anything else you can think of. I am one of those who is naive enough to believe love works, and that is why love sells so well. Everyone wants love. Everyone needs love and everyone wants to have someone to give their own love to. Love rocks.

Meet me back here next week for the young adult toolbox.

By Julie Wright

On Writing Fantasy

Genre Toolbox

In every genre, there are important tools to use for writing in that genre. I am going to spend the next couple of weeks doing a genre toolbox for a few of the genre's that I know intimately. I'm starting with fantasy since that is what I'm currently working on.

• Magic system-- Create rules for your magic system. Where did your magic come from? Who controls the magic? Does your magic have limits? Does it cost your characters anything to use that magic?
• Plot-- I don’t care how cool your world is if nothing cool is happening there. No matter the genre, plot is essential.
• Characters—I don’t care how cool your world is if I can't relate to the characters. Even if you have dwarfs and elves and creatures we can't pronounce, you need to make them relatable on a human level.
• World building-- Even when you turn our world upside down, you have to build it up again in some new way that works for the story and is believable. If you are building a new world from scratch, then write yourself a research paper on the populations of that world. Draw yourself a map of that world. Explain what kinds of plants grow on that world, and what the people of that world eat. What do people do for a living? Is that world ruled by a king or a queen? Is it governed by the people? Does chaos rule supreme? Never underestimate world building. Most of the background history will never be used in the book, but you as the author MUST know your own world if you want the reader to believe it exists.
• Biology/science-- Just because this is fantasy doesn’t mean there are no rules. The science of the world needs to make sense. If you have a purple land-roving-squid with twenty tentacles and two legs, there better be some logical believable reasoning behind it.
• Industry knowledge-- Fantasy now-a-days is so much more than middle earth. If the most current fantasy book you’ve read is Tolkien, then you don’t know your field. Research the Hugo and Nebula award winners. Know what is being published so you don’t fall into the trap called: “Yawn, that is so yesterday’s story.”
• Reinvent the wheel. Don’t be afraid to retell an old fable or myth from a fresh point of view. Think how many times Cinderella has been remade; consider the success of Shannon Hale’s Goose Girl.
• Imagine it. Close your eyes. Can you see your world, hear the dialect of your people? Do you understand the pressures and stresses in your character's daily life as they move throughout the world you've created for them?

Meet me back here next week for the romance toolbox.