Character Exchange

Greetings all, today I'm going to take a look at two well known fantasy characters and cast them as the hero and buddy in a WWII drama. I'm doing this to show how important our characters are and to illustrate that good characters can stand alone. What genre they end up occupying is wholly up to the author. What is important is that you make your characters mufti-dimensional so they are believable. Your readers will either love them or hate them and will find it impossible to dismiss them. That is the mark of a great story.

 Let's see how good a job I do.

"Let me carry it Fred, take some weight off your shoulders," Sam said. The endless days of travel weighted on the friends, they weren't far from their goal now. Problem was how to break into the secured building. There were 'SS' soldiers everywhere they looked from their rocky hideout.

"Wouldn't matter if you held the papers Sam. The instructions on how to dismantle the bomb are fused in my brain. I'm the only one who can do it. Your job is as lookout. You know that." Fred wiped the sweat from his fingers.

Sam studied his friends curly brown hair, matted with dirt. Over the past months their goal seemed impossible to reach. Now at last they were almost at the end. Recent news had come of the attack on the French village where the rest of their team waited them and left them both with heavy grief. If only they hadn't believed the German soldier who led them to the run down villa where other Nazi soldiers had set a trap. They almost lost their lives. Sam adjusted the bloody bandage over his left arm before picking up his rifle again.

"We wait for sunset," Fred said. The ground ahead of them was void of vegetation. Soldiers leaned against the fence and buildings or marched by. "If we make it to the bunker it will be a miracle."

"If anyone can do it, you can Fred," Sam said. "General Gray said so."

The plot is the same, a quest. The goal is to destroy a bomb before it can destroy the allies and stop the villain Nazi's from taking over the world.

Do you recognize the characters? Their story is as vital as WWII soldiers as it is in the fantasy from which I borrowed them.

This one's for  you Denise. I hope in some small way it helped.
Nancy

The Seven Deadly Sins: Greed and your Hero

Today I'm continuing the Seven Deadly Sins and  your Hero with the sin Avarice (Latin) which means Greed. This is one sin that many of us are familiar with. Society is ripe with Greed. Greed drove Wall Street and the Big Banks to ruin our economy and got away with it because (in America) the government lifted the  restrictions that kept them honest. However, business' are not the only place to find Greed. Every place people are, there are those who are Greedy. Not just in our time but throughout history Greed drove many to do terrible things in order to better themselves and those they loved. With this kind of character flaw inhabiting  your hero how do you handle the changes that must happen for your character to see the error of their ways and become a hero/heroine?

Whatever you decide it must be Big. No small event can change such a person. Do they have a near death experience? Do they or a loved one have health issues. Does your character climb a mountain to prove their worth and have an epiphany? You get the picture.

In the beginning of your story you must invest some time establishing their Greedy nature and perhaps all the luxury they have because of it. I'd say no more than one chapter. Then bang, perhaps their investments go south (slang for they lose everything) or perhaps they realize that the homeless woman on the corner is suffering do to circumstances beyond her control.Thus they get involved with charities and take their business savvy into a different arena.

An alternative to this situation is when another character or a group of characters perceive your hero/heroine to be Greedy when they are not. You are still dealing with the same character flaw and  you must establish the reasons others think this. Once again, you go Big with your logic to  paint a  picture that is false. Then you must go Big to change the minds of those around  your hero/heroine.

In every example I used you will find books, movies and television shows. However, only you can write your story, in your voice and make it original.

Any thoughts? I a movie, book or television show come to mind? I hope this was a little help to you.
Nancy

Picture Link: Wikipedia

The Writing Craft: Character Traits

Hi Everyone:
I am sure that there are more post on the writing craft that I can muster, however, it seems there isn't much interest and I need a new direction. So I've decided to go in the direction of our characters. I will call this, Character Traits.

This is a BIG topic. Many writers admit that their characters are based on real people. Family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances. There are writers who claim that anyone who says they don't do this is lying. I am here to tell you that this is not true. Not only am I telling you this, but in future post I will show you how to write believable characters with a ton of personality without stealing from real sources. This doesn't mean that you will not borrow certain traits. Character traits are sometimes the very source we use as inspiration for a story. Someone you know may do or say something that triggers that spark of imagination. It's what you do with the spark after you find it.

In my epic fantasy, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, I have a spunky young American university student who is so focused on music and her personal goals that she has ignored men altogether. This doesn't mean she isn't attracted to men, she is. There are real people who are this driven. I am not one of them, nor do I know anyone like this. How did I create such a character? The story I wanted to tell needed the heroine to be unique in many ways and yet totally modern in her approach to any number of given circumstance. I cast her in a somewhat modified medieval setting with a prince who is just as unique in his approach. I did this to throw curve balls at my heroine and to bring tension. The only character trait that I am personally familiar with are some of her fears. This I did for realism. I know how looking down the side of the mountain makes my stomach plummet.

Of all the characters in this fantasy only the villain is close to anyone I have ever known. In my youth, I belonged to a Christian free group. It's important to note that we were not an occult. I had a job, an apartment and I went to my Mom's a couple times a week to visit her. No chain link fences in my past. However, one of the leaders of the group had plans. Years after I left I received a phone call and an apology from one of my fellow members. He told me they found mind control books in the leaders belongings after he was exposed. How lose is this connection with my villain? Very. My villain is handsome, charming, powerful, and ambitious beyond anything this leader could have imagined. What is the connection? My villain has a magical power to control people's minds and he has an obsessive personality. We will study this trait in one of my future post.

I will admit to having the idea of my story based, very loosely, on my free group experience. I don't think anyone actually can create a story that doesn't resonate with something they have experienced or are passionate about. We are after all, human.

When I was developing my fantasy, I read a historical romance. I really loved the characters and couldn't wait to get the next book from that author. When it came out it was based in modern times. That was one negative. When I began to read it I realized that the two main characters were duplicates of the first book. Then I read the note the author left and learned that these two characters were based on her children. Ugh! A brother and sister cast as lovers. I never read another book by this author. Her ability to create characters in an interesting story was limited to real life and that just wasn't interesting.

Here is the challenge to improve your writing. It doesn't matter if you have written real people in the past. Once you decide to create a series you need fresh, believable characters. Your main characters must be three dimensional and you minor characters that impact your main characters should be two dimensional. In order for you to do this effectively, you must understand Character Traits.

Do you have trouble with Character Traits? Are you working on a piece that just doesn't feel right? Let me know in the comments.
Nancy

The Writing Craft: Voice First and Third Person

Greetings to all my faithful followers. I am amazed you still come by. My own visits to you are on and off again due to illness and internet troubles. So here we are, discussing writing once more.

As you may know, there are many methods of putting down that book. Omnipresent is one that was popular ages ago and doesn't have much of a place in today's market. So we will not discuss this method. Instead we will discuss the two most popular methods. First Person point of view and Third Person point of view.

More and more books are coming out in first person. What does this mean?

As the writer, you must decide which of your characters you will tell the story through. No other characters thoughts should be expressed except through dialogue with the main character. Since this character is telling your story, the use of 'I' is predominate. That doesn't mean your character doesn't have a name, but we must learn their name through another character.

Example:

I pulled the car over clutching the steering wheel with both hands and gasping for a deep breath. Before me, and to the side, ten cars or better had slide on the ice into three semi trucks. Fire engulfed several. I had just missed being the last of the bunch by sheer luck. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed 911. (For those of you not in America, 911 reaches operators to dispatch the police, fire and ambulance personnel.)

As you can see by this example, keep your writing tight, full of tension. The reader will be swept away and find themselves in the same situation as your main character.

Third person point of view allows you, the writer, to give details about the story that your hero or villain is unaware of. This type of writing is just as full of tension and suspense as first person, but the reader is aware of more plot points than with first person.

Example:

Melissa clutched her heart. A loud dong sounded from the next room and made her jump. She heard feet shuffling toward her. A shadow crossed the threshold. She dialed 911 on her cell phone without looking at it. Soon a voice answered. "911, What's your emergency?" Before she could breathe, the person to whom the shadow belonged to bolted toward the door.

In this example as in the first, tension is introduced immediately, not back story to explain who your character is or where they are. With practice, you can achieve this kind of tight, tension filled writing too.

Many of you have considered multiple point of view shifts in your story. This is better done with third person. Take care though to use a page break or start a new chapter so your readers don't get confused.

What  you should not do:

Do not combine both styles of writing in one book. There are some well known authors who have a long writing history who can get away with doing this. But even they risk confusing their readers so that the readers will put down their books, never finish and never buy another book from the author. Do you want to be a best seller? Why not? We are allowed to dream. If so, avoid this pitfall.

As always, your comments are appreciated.
Nancy

The Writing Craft: Voice

Today we will cover voice. What is it? Do you have it? How do you train it?

You've been reading books since you can remember. Maybe you started with Dr. Seuss and picked up The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew later. Now you love J. K. Rowling or Patterson. It would take me a long time to name every possible scenario. 

In fact, you love one or more authors so much you want to emulate their writing, their voice. Well, that will work for a short time, but don't be surprised if you become frustrated. Why? Because you have your own voice. You have been developing it since you spoke your first word. No one thinks exactly like you. You are unique. You may have chosen a popular genre with a ton of available books. But no other author has your voice.

As you write each sentence, each paragraph, each chapter you will train your voice. Only you can bring life to your characters, your plot, your story. It's hard work. You will first write it and then possibly critique it, do more revisions than you thought one person could handle and then submit it to an editor. No, don't even entertain publishing without first paying an editor to review your book.

Congratulations, you have completed your book. Now comes the submission process or you may choose to self publish. All along the way, your voice has become stronger and your writing has been tested.

To read the other post on The Writing Craft go here.

Do you want to learn something specific? Let me know in the comments.
Nancy

The Writing Craft: What's Your Genre?

Hi all, I think I'm back, let's keep our fingers crossed.

When I first began this series I asked all of you to let me know what you struggle with or wonder about. What is your burning question about the craft of writing. I received several questions and have answered all but one. So today folks, when you leave a comment please let me know what you would like to learn about.

Genre: Riva asked how a writer decides on genre. First let us answer the question, what is genre? When I first heard the term genre I was clueless and even though I am blonde, I've never been dumb. LOL. Okay, that was sad.

Genre is simply a word chosen by someone to label the type of stories that are written. In recent years we've seen the rise of sub-genres. For example, it is no longer just a cozy mystery, it's a paranormal cozy mystery which means there is either a ghost or other invented creature in the story that is not human such as a zombie or vampire or maybe an alien.

I write fantasy, both for children and also epic. Epic fantasy, (can also be high fantasy,)  is a story that covers a long or short period of time in which the characters are generally on some kind of quest, usually thrust upon them. While there is a lot of actual historical information in my epic fantasy, it isn't a historical fantasy because I change history to fit my world, which isn't this world in any time period, but another world. My world is medieval with working modern bathrooms. Hay, a girl likes to be pampered. To learn I hope you read it.

One of Riva's comments was that she loved several types of writing. So, how do you, as an aspiring writer decide what genre to write in? I cannot answer that for you. What you should do is just write. As you write,  the story and characters will guide you. Once you discover what you love then the rest is hard work. No, writing is never easy. Coming up with the stories maybe easy for you, but writing is work. It takes discipline, education, revision, and just plain stubborn will power. Fortunately for us, it is no longer as solitary as it once was. We are all just a click away and if you have a local writing organization near you, I highly recommend that you join.

If you need further help, I offer classes, just click on the Writing Craft picture on the right hand side to read more.

Don't for get those burning or smoldering questions.
Nancy

Answered:
Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.
Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump.  
Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.         
Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.

Still to come:
Mike Rushhoeft suggested a list of words to avoid. Good idea Mike.

The Writing Craft: Show don't Tell

First a little news. I believe that I have long term bronchitis which will require a machine. I am a little better, but it doesn't take much for me to lose ground. Unfortunately, this is an awful year. No money for Christmas or doctors. I don't know what to do. Pray I guess, but it seems mine aren't answered. However, I do prefer to look on the positive side and while things are terrible, they must get better. Life is a circle. We all go through hard times and good times and hopefully grow as a person.

Last week we discussed Description. If you have missed the Writing Craft post go here.

Show don't Tell is the next step and an important one. What does Show don't Tell mean? I know writers who stumble on this phrase. So I will take a little time here with you all.

Basically, Show means Experience. You want your readers to experience the events, the description, the fears and hopes of your point of view character. You may have more than one point of view character, but while you are writing in the characters head, the reader needs to be immersed in that character so that all things come to life through them. When you Tell the events of the story you're outside your characters point of view as a third party observering the action. There is a place for this, but a very small one.

Example:

Tell: Robert went into the kitchen. Bread baked. Things were strewn all over. His wife wasn't there. Where did she go?

Show: Robert was drawn to the kitchen by the smell of bread baking. Nothing was better than hot bread and melted butter. His stomach roared as the kitchen door swung shut. Piles of dirty dishes overflowed in the sink. His wife's favorite cookbook was open on the table. A cup of coffee had chilled beside it. Where was she? He turned, anxiety replaced his hunger pains and the loud beeping of the kitchen timer told him the bread was done.

This is short but it shows the difference. Often as we write, it is to tell, then as we rework the piece we change our telling into showing. The seasoned writer may be skilled enough to do that the first time. This scene is not complete; we are missing the 5 senses. I have smell and sight right now.

In the telling, you may choose to make Robert irritated with his wife. Maybe she does this all the time. Maybe she just went to the bathroom. But I have chosen to make his wife's disappearance a mystery. All writers can take a mundane, ordinary life scenario and create mystery, suspense or humor and fill it with tension.

To Tell: There is a place for telling. When you are writing your manuscript and you have 80,000 - 120,000 words it is acceptable to do a little telling. Other wise your story could easily become 90,000 - 130,000 words. When do you know to tell? When it isn't important for the tension or action to show the scene. In other words, you want 95% showing and 5% telling no matter what.

In today's market we are being told to make our stories shorter all the time. While this is the publisher's response to rising cost, it should not be your response to a well crafted story. Your reputation is on the line.
I hope this is a help to all of you. If you need more specific help, I am offering online classes, just email me at gillael@aol.com

Answered:
Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.
Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump.  
Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.         

Still to come:
Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.        
Mike Rushhoeft suggested a list of words to avoid. Good idea Mike.

Let me know if there is something I can answer.
Nancy

The Writing Craft: Description

Hello everyone. I'm still sick and pretty tired of it. But I will endeavor to post this week. On Wednesday Ty Johnson is stopping by for his blog book tour and I hope you all will come by. On Friday is Romantic Friday Writers which is a flash fiction story featuring a picture as inspiration and a story that includes romance.

Alex J. Cavanaugh asked about description. Specifically how to add enough description the first time through? There isn't a fix to this Alex. You have to train yourself to do it. Some people have too much description and others have flat and underdeveloped description.  I will share my method and hopefully you all will be inspired.

I am a trained artist. Color is important to me. As a child I viewed the world differently than my family members. I saw beyond the tall grass and weeds to a world that hummed with life. I have lived in Nebraska, Colorado and Minnesota and when I was a child our family took month long road trips. I can tell you that each place has its own feel, its own hum, its own life oozing out of the corners to envelope those it touches.

As a child in Nebraska, my brother and sister and I ran wild at night with our friends catching fireflies. I saw magic in their glow. Later we moved to Colorado where the grass was spiky from lack of humidity and hurt my bare feet. The mountains spoke to my insignificance and I began to search for God. Found Him. In college I lived in several locals in Minnesota, land of ten thousand lakes. Autumns in Minnesota are vibrant and beautiful and the first frost left ice crystals like fairy dust all over the trees, houses and windows. I loved Minnesota.

With this background I can shut my eyes and imagine a world rich with color and life, with sweltering heat and freezing cold, with damp rain or wind that rattles the shades. I can smell the world around me. I can twirl in my imagination and see the buildings and people, smell the pigs or horses, flick away a fly. Perhaps I have an unfair advantage. But I am not a science fiction writer, as is Alex, and there is no way I could describe the intricate details of a machine that is critical to the plot.

What do I recommend for those of you who don't get all the description you need the first time though?

Slow down. When you do your research or you're out and about take notes, take pictures, write down or record in some fashion what you see, smell, and taste. What do you hear? What sensations are available to the touch? Then imagine one of your characters in that same place, what is different about it to them? What do they experience? With this type of discipline, you will develop the skills necessary to give your novels a rich backdrop that will cause the readers to get lost in your world and make it their own.

I hope that is a help to all of you. Let me know if there are any burning questions you would like answered.
To read previous Writing Craft post go here.

Answered:
Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.
Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump. I broke this up into several post.
    
Still to come:

Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.        
Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.            
Mike Rushhoeft suggested a list of words to avoid. Good idea Mike.

Need additional help? Email me for class information. gillael@aol.com
Nancy

Writing Craft: Information Dump

Greetings all. I am feeling better, but this bronchitis seems to have a high relapse issue since I've suffered three relapses so far. Ugh.

Today on the Writing Craft we are talking about the dreaded Information Dump. What is it? How do you prevent it?

As discussed in previous post too much information can take the form of back story. To read these post go here. However, Information Dump is really about learning way too much cool, boring or irrelevant stuff about the character's profession, talent, skill, town and so on. While you are conducting your research you've written everything down. You have taken notes and side notes and pictures. You collected a lot of Information. So now is the task of how much to include.

Hold your breath, I'm about to break your heart. Sorry in advance.

You only include enough to make the story believable. Now that translates to all of you completely differently. So I will illustrate.

In my epic fantasy, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, I had to research map making and the art of the survey. Okay, maybe not an art to some, but I bet it is to the professional surveyor. Luckily, my brother surveyed in college and I sent off an email to him. He sent back detailed information. Next I researched how long people have surveyed…think ancient Egypt though the Romans were masters. Then I had to look at the actual equipment that might have been used in medieval times. Needless to say, I had a lot of Information.
My first through eighth draft was so full of information that my critique group kept shaking their heads at me. I tooled back and it was still too much. So to let you see what actually turned up in Chapter two of my fantasy here is an excerpt.

Prince Healden has approached the mapmaker Newlyn to check on his progress:

Newlyn bent over his work, spreading the needle legs of the compass on the map that lay on the long table. As he worked, he referred to a small slate with measurements recorded in chalk. He dipped the quill into an ink bottle, and added the twisting line of a stream to the parchment. The giant redwoods that surrounded the meadow on three sides were indicated on the parchment by an outline bearing the name Northwode.

As you can see, very little of the act of making maps and survey equipment is in this paragraph. It is just enough to give flavor to the story. The needle legs of the compass, the measurements recorded in chalk, the quill pen and ink bottle. The reader will fill in the blanks. They will understand that there is an instrument being used without me telling them and a slate is a better term for this time period than a chalk board. Think of information as the seasoning in a fine dish. Most people don't use an entire garlic bulb in their spaghetti only one to five cloves according to taste. Too much salt spoils the recipe. Too much information spoils the story telling. The reader is dumped into engineering school or some other class room scenario. Your characters and your world didn't go with them. You risk your book being set aside never to be read again.

Does this help? If you need more specific help I do offer classes, just email me and we'll talk. gillael@aol.com

Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.        
Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.
Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump.  
Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.        
Mike Rushhoeft suggested a list of words to avoid. Good idea Mike.

To add your topic just let me know what you struggle with or have questions about in the comments.
Nancy

The Writing Craft: Weave Back Story In

Last week I talked about back story and indicated that it is a two part series or post. If you missed it go here. Now how to weave it into the story.

Flashbacks:

A flashback is when the character remembers something in his or her past. Or when they re-live it if they are troubled. It may be done in a dream segment. Or it may be that a sight or smell sends them back in their memory and you as the writer take advantage of this style to share what has happened in the characters past.
In my epic fantasy, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, I used this technique when Missie was exploring a cave. Her fears were beginning to suffocate her and just the smell alone sent her to a scary memory of an incident in her childhood. How far along was the story by then? chapter six.

Dialogue:

Another effective way to handle back story is through dialogue. However, this must be a natural discourse, not a lecture.

Example:

"I told you. I suffered terrible pain from my accident and as you know I had surgery. Now I am better but I am still struggling to learn to walk like a normal person and not like a duck."

What is wrong with that discourse? What is right about it?

The character is lecturing another character. "I told you."

The character is dumping information. "As you know."

If the other character already knows about the accident and the surgery then it isn't natural for your character to tell them about this again.

What is right? The use of humor.

Better:

"How are you feeling?"

"Better, not so much pain."

"To bad they didn't discover this injury when you had the accident. You could have sued for more money."

"Well, I'm just glad it's over now. I have to see a therapist though, so I don't walk like a duck."

This discourse is natural. One character is visiting the other and their discussion is in the present even though they mention her car accident which is in the past.

Next week we will cover the dreaded information dump.


Future post by request:

Riya wants to know how a writer decides on a genre since she reads in many different genres.
       
Alex J. Cavanaugh wants to know how he can add enough description the first time through.

Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu wanted to know about back story and information dump.  
   
Nas Dean wants to know about show don't tell.             

Please let me know in the comments if you are struggling with a writing challenge and would like me to cover it.

Is this post helpful?
Nancy

The Writing Craft: Back Story

Happy Halloween!

Last Monday I began a new series on the Writing Craft. I asked for your help so I could determine what questions you have and address them. Four of you asked me to discuss three topics. So each Monday I will talk about one of them or in the case  one question it is really a two part answer.

The Golden Eagle and Michael Di Gesu asked about back story and too much information. This is two parts. While back story is information, technically an information dump is research that you have conducted in order to get that part of the story right. The two things can easily over lap.

Riya asked how do writers know which genre to write in. She reads all genres.

Alex J. Cavanaugh asked how he could add enough description the first time through.

Today I will address back story:

As a writer you must know your characters. That means you will know what happened to the character before the story began. It is a temptation to start the story and then spend time for the character to explain his or her past. Never do this. But how do I avoid it, you may ask? The best way for me to illustrate this is to give you an example.

Twenty-four years ago I was in a car accident. I split open my head and hit my knees on the dash. At the hospital they checked me out, sewed up my head and generally made sure I was okay to be released. No one took x-rays of my hips. Twenty years later I couldn't walk because of the injuries to my hips. One was pushed into my pelvis and no longer had any cartilage. The other had been doing double duty for twenty years. The agony was beyond anything I had ever experienced including childbirth.

Suppose I am your character struggling with this pain. The story begins twenty years after the accident. How much about the accident do you include? Nothing in the first three chapters. What, you say? You begin the story with the current struggle.

Examples:

3rd person

Nancy slipped on the wet kitchen floor and cried. Tears escaped her eyes, the pain in her hips nearly sent her to the floor, she fell against the counter top and braced herself. Dirty dishes were piled in the sink and she wouldn't be able to do them again. How she hated that. Her hunger was swallowed by the agony that shot fingers of pain throughout her hips. Unable to make the simplest meal she would starve until her husband got home from work. She grabbed the crutches from the floor were they had fallen and hobbled to the living room recliner. It took ten minutes what would have taken less than one. 

1st person

I slipped. Pain drove me against the kitchen countertop. I wailed, unable to stop myself. Gulping for air, my arms shaking, I stared at the pile of dishes. I wouldn't be able to do them again. My hunger was swallowed by the shooting pain that enveloped my hip. Another week before my surgery. It seemed so long. For the first time in my life I feared it. I was aware that my age made me more vulnerable. Would I survive?

**

In both cases nothing about the accident was mentioned. We only know that she has a hip injury. The focus is a little different. There is tension because she can't help herself much. This actually happened to me but when it did my husband and daughter were home and could help. It is true that I starved all day until someone could cook for me. It is also true that I was afraid I might die in surgery. There is always a risk with anesthesia that increases with age. This story can take many turns. In it Nancy could die. Or her husband could leave her. Or some other tragedy might strike. How would she deal with that? Much later in a scene with family members or with the hospital staff you could introduce the news about the car accident via dialogue. But be careful. Whatever is said must be in the present and not with a then this happened or that happened type of reference. You can also disclose some of the information in a flashback.

I will cover this next week.

Does this make sense to you? Does it help? Do you need help with another aspect of writing?
Nancy

New Series on the Writing Craft:

Happy Halloween! Well, almost...next Monday.

Is it in the cards that I begin a new writing series? Or is it just plain spooky? LOL

Whatever the case may be we start something new today that I will call The Writing Craft. You may notice I have a new blog called the same thing, N. R. Williams, The Writing Craft. So here we go.

I am going to need your help. Yes I am. We all struggle with various aspects of writing. After more than 18 years I've learned a lot. In those 18 years I've attended writer's conferences and workshops as well as being the moderator of a critique group. It's time to share a little information.

So what do you struggle with? What lessons can I share?

Here is a partial list of things:
Voice
Back story
Too much Information
Show don't Tell
POV
Description
Dialogue
1st person/3rd person
Genre

Or something else entirely?

I will answer your questions, one at a time, in as much as a single post will allow. For hands on training with a more in-depth challenge and critique, go to N. R. Williams, The Writing Craft and sign up for classes via e-mail.

Cheers,
Nancy

The Writing Craft

Greetings all my friends and visitors.

Over the course of a year I have offered suggestions on how to improve your writing. By the end of October, my plot post will conclude. Since many of you have asked so many varying questions about writing I have decided to offer affordable classes. Just $25.00 a month. I'm still working on the classes. So please let me know in the comments here and at my new blog dedicated to The Writing Craft.


See you there.



Just found Alex's Insecure Writing Group...so I've joined and will share more on that next month.
Nancy
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