Writing 101: The Evil Villain

If every story has a hero, logic follows that it must also have a villain. In writing, we call this character the antagonist. But because we are writers, we are able to make our villains as unique as we like. Your antagonist doesn't have to be evil or frightening. Hell, write it a certain way and it doesn't even need to be human. 

Evil and Good

Your main character is your protagonist, and in any good story there will be plenty of conflict to keep your hero from their ultimate goal. Perhaps they want to gain someone's love, overcome some problem, solve a mystery -- whatever it is they want to do. Something is going to stand in the way of this goal. That something is the antagonist, or the villain of your story. 

In some cases, the villain will manifest itself as another character in the story. Perhaps it's a rival love interest, or a detective who is also working on the case your character wants to solve, or even the criminal themselves. Some stories have more than one villain whom the hero must vanquish before achieving their goal (or failing). 

When the villain is another character, the writing isn't as cut and dry as it seems. Some writers like to make villains sympathetic by giving them some admirable qualities or likable traits. This sets up a conflict in the reader that creates more tension. In other stories, the villain may be purely evil and unlikable (Voldemort is one example). When this villain is also seemingly unbeatable, this can also create a lot of tension and drama. Tension is the key to creating conflict, and another character is a great way to introduce it into the story. 

But, you don't have to use another character as your villain. There are many creative ways to introduce anatogism into the story without creating villainous characters. The weather may conspire against your character, or an automobile. A car that breaks down at a critical moment can be an evil thing in any story. Sheer bad luck may be what plagues your character, or perhaps a physical limitation is their main antagonist. In some stories the villain is an animal, like a fearsome dog or a crafty cat. An entity or non-human creature also makes a handy villain. A terrible memory or some hang-up that your character has can also become a villain, setting up an inner conflict. 

There are many different ways to introduce "evil" into your story. When it comes to the antagonist of your stories, think outside the box. Devote as much time to the antagonist as you do to the protagonist, and you'll create lots of rich drama.

Writing 101: Mary Sue

I was asked and interview question that brought this character to mind, but I've thought about her a lot. The interviewer asked me how I avoid writing a Mary Sue character. I told her I'm not sure that I do, because that's the truth. Sometimes she sneaks in...whether we realize it or not.

Mary Who? 

Mary Sue a literary term named after an actual character that appeared in some 70s-era Star Trek fan fiction. I'm a huge fan of all pre-JJ Abrams Trek, so I have no problem with sweet little Mary Sue. In the original story, she was a very young and yet amazingly adept officer who had adventures in which she invariably saved the day. Now, a certain type of character is known as a Mary Sue, and she's not always female. Many have likened another Star Trek character, Wesley Crusher, to a Mary Sue.

Generally speaking, a Mary Sue character is there in place of the author. She's quite normal or very young, yet somehow has amassed an amazing amount of skills that allow her to come up with solutions to problems in the nick of time. She is well-liked by others, particularly her superiors, and becomes integral to the plot. She rarely, if ever, does anything wrong and she usually doesn't fail.

It's a broad definition, and that's because the term is very broadly applied. Mary Sue has many variations, including Marty Stu and Einstein Sue. The term is so widely used, in fact, that many authors are terrified of adding a Mary Sue to their stories. Critics will verbally lambast writers whom they believe have created this type of character.

But I think Mary Sue is actually in every story, and I'm going to tell you why. At its broadest, the term applies to a character the represents the author. I propose that all main characters represent their authors, at least in part. How else could the author create the three-dimensional main character that feels real to the audience?

So don't be afraid of creating a Mary Sue. Embrace it instead. Don't ever write for critics, or for fear of them. Write for yourself...and then Mary's going to end up sneaking in anyway, so go ahead and welcome her.

Writing 101: Teasing The Reader

Foreshadowing, hint-dropping, a little tease here and there -- these are time-honored literary techniques that keep the reader hooked and wanting more. But you can get to a point where you've just pushed the reader too far. If you tease, and tease, and tease, even when you deliver you won't get the reaction you wanted.

Looking Into the Future

Foreshadowing is a fancy literary term for hint-dropping. When you allude to the reader that something is about to happen, or if you say so outright (which is generally what I do in my writing), you're foreshadowing. You are, essentially, dropping teasers about upcoming chapters of the book. And like any good literary technique, it can be over-done.

In other words, you can't drop too many hints. I read a book, once, with a main character had a very extensive backstory. Now, this is not unusual. The fact that the author teased this backstory, without revealing it, and for a good 80 percent of the book, was unusual. And frankly, I no longer cared about the backstory when it was revealed in very anticlimactic fashion. 

Ever pulled on a dryer sheet? It's resilient up to a point. You can pull it, and stretch it, but only so far. Keep pulling, and it will rip in two. The patience of your readers is a dryer sheet. You can pull and stretch, but only a little. Take it too far, and their patience is going to snap. They're going to stop caring, and that's not where you want your readers to be. 

Tease once, and you're building anticipation. Tease twice, and you're drawing out the suspense. Keep doing it, and you're playing with fire. Like all literary techniques, foreshadowing should be used in moderation. When writing, please remember to tease responsibly. 

Writing 101: Acts of God

When insurance companies use it, they've got a great excuse. When writers use it, they're called lazy. But the deus ex machina, known in some circles as acts of God, can be a viable plot twist...especially when all other possibilities have been exhausted. Snub this literary technique if you will, but it's been used by some of the greats -- everybody from H.G. Wells to J.K. Rowling.

Here Comes the Calvary

We've all reached that point in a story, whether it's one we're reading or one we're telling, when it seems that all hope is lost. When the situation seems so dire, it's impossible to see any light at the end of the tunnel. When that happens, the writer has a few different options for untangling the mess. 

The most controversial is arguably the deus ex machina. Loosely translating the Latin, this actually means "act of God." Through this technique, a heretofore unexpected event is suddenly thrust into the story from out of nowhere to solve or resolve a situation which was completely unresolvable only moments before. Picture this to get the general idea: A tense 60-minute chase has led us here, the Two Tails saloon. Hammerface McGee and his band of local rowdies is on one side of the bar, Sherriff Bullitt O'Neal is on the other with his trusty deputies and of course, Ramblin' Nell. It's a standoff, with everyone's gun pointed at everyone else. Nothing is moving in the room except the sweat on Hammerface's forehead. And somewhere, a clock is ticking away the tense seconds. There's only one way out of this: start shooting. And this is just what Bullitt is about to do...when suddenly, the bottles behind the bar begin to tremble. A glass totters along the top of the bar and falls to the ground. The entire room is shaking. Earthquake! Everyone dives for cover, and the standoff scatters. 

This is an act of God, and many critics complain that it's a lazy writing technique. They argue that such interventions are unlikely. The officer who shows up to rescue the children in Lord of the Flies, the eagle that appears at the end of Lord of the Rings, the resolution of Jacob's feelings for Bella in the final Twilight book -- all are deus ex machina. Critics can call it lazy if they like, but this is one of the oldest plot devices known to writing. It originated with the Greek writers, who needed big moments with which to end their plays. The sudden and unexpected intervention was as good a choice as any, and still is. When used the right way, this plot device (like any other) can be quite satisfactory and believable (I can't fault it in Lord of the Flies). At other times, it's a bit silly (Stephen King wrote that the Hand of God detonated a nuclear warhead in The Stand, and this is not a joke).

But when something comes out of nowhere, it's bound to draw a certain amount of criticism. The beauty of writing a book is that you can always go back and change something. If you've written yourself into a tense situation, come up with a believable way out and link it to something that previously happened. If someone is going to suddenly appear and save the day, write a scene in which that character specifically references the place where he or she will later appear. Bury it if you like, make it hard to find and impossible to remember, but add it in. 

Because there's nothing wrong with an old-fashioned dues ex machina every once in a while, but don't rely on it. Always be willing to explore many literary techniques and write in different ways. As you get better and better at creative writing, you won't need to rely on acts of God.

Writing 101: Cutting Away

Some of the most dramatic moments in stories are abruptly halted, cut off in the middle. When the rest of the scene is finally revealed later in the story, it's pretty heady stuff. Cutting away can be a great writing technique to make any story more thrilling. But it can also be done too much, and poorly, in ways that will simply wreck your story. 

Scene, Interrupted

"There is no more need for questions, Inspector." The interruption halted the room, and all eyes turned to him. "I believe I know who killed Mr. Monroe." 

Two weeks before that fateful night, Phillip was in Tangier...

Cutting away from a scene at a pivotal moment has a number of different effects on a reader. It heightens the tension and draws out the suspense of the story, certainly, but it's also frustrating. When a reader is caught up in a scene and they feel themselves edging close to a conclusion that isn't delivered, it can be incredibly annoying. 

The secret of great writing is annoying your readers just enough to keep them reading. Cross the line and you'll alienate them. Readers give up on writers quickly, and for lots of reasons. If you fail to deliver, they have every right to put your book aside. The trick is to continue to make the reader bend, and bend, without breaking them. 

The crux of it is that you have to finish the scene, and don't wait too long about doing it. If you cut away from an important scene and then come back to it later, you have to make it satisfying. Be sure the scene delivers vital information to reward the reader for their patience. Do it well, and they'll reward you by continuing to read your work.

Writing 101: The Backstory

Not all characters enter into the story fresh and pure. Dickens had a habit of starting his books with the birth of the protagonist, but not every author goes all the way to the very beginning to introduce a character. Sometimes, they've got a past. And if you want me to know about that past, you're going to need a tried-and-true literary device: the backstory.

The Story So Far...

The story-within-a-story is a well-used writing technique. When that story is a backstory, however, you've got to be careful. Many authors create a backstory for certain characters. I do it all the time to help make them seem more real; a character with a past is much richer. But when the audience needs to know that backstory, you've got some stuff to think about. Presenting a backstory is pretty tricky business.

• Prologue: Some authors like to show the backstory right up front at the start of the book, in the prologue. This is a very efficient means of presenting the past part of the story before the real action of the plot begins, but it's been done to death. Other authors try to mix it up a little by presenting the backstory in other ways within the meat of the novel.
• Flashbacks: Looking for an easy way to time travel back in the past? Flashbacks are well-used technique for doing this. Anything's acceptable inside some italics. With a flashback, you can easily insert backstory in the form of entire scenes right into the middle of the narrative.
• Dialogue: Need to reveal some past events? Pull out a character who wasn't involved in that past and put them in a room with someone who was. Make the character start asking questions, and draw the backstory out through dialogue. This is a great way to make the reader feel like a part of the story; the character who doesn't know what's going on is easy to identify with and relate to, because I don't know this mysterious past either.

The way you present the backstory is important, but the timing is essential. The reader needs to have this information, but when? Keep a few tips in mind while you're writing it. Don't offer too many hints or draw the suspense out for too long. If you keep a reader on the string for an extended period of time and stretch their patience, eventually they will break. They'll get to a point where they no longer care about the backstory. Tease it just enough, make them wait just long enough, and reveal all.

A good backstory makes characters even more interesting, and adds another layer to the story you're telling. Use it the right way, and that story will be a lot better. Use it the wrong way, and it's only going to take the reader away from the story you want to tell.

Writing 101: I Seen

Some grammatical errors become so common, they are integrated into language. Words like forever and alot are prime examples. But some mistakes are still wrong, no matter how often we hear them. I seen is the one I hate the most.

On the Grammar See-Saw

I don't care how you phrase it or use it, I seen is incorrect one hundred percent of the time.

The verb to see is irregular. It has several tenses, like any other verb. The present tense is simply see, as in I see you reading that blog post. The past tense of see is saw, i.e. I saw another blogger writing about that last week.

And then there's seen. It is the past participle of see. This means it's only used with another word, like have. For instance, I have seen better blogs. The word seen only works with other verbs, but it doesn't get along with nouns. To use it properly, it's got to have one of its friends. Words like have and has make seen a possibility. Without them, you've just got bad grammar.

Writing 101: Wrist Health

I've always used the computer mouse with my right hand. It's a little weird, because I'm left-handed, but I guess I was just confronted by two many computers with the mouse on the wrong side. So now I always use my right hand. Because I practice good wrist health, I always can. But if you don't, you're going to find yourself in a diner pressing a hot coffee cup against your hand at the age of 20. I know, because it happened to me.

Carpaling a Tunnel

Yes it's true. I used to order coffee, half-full, while hanging out with my friends in restaurants. I did not really drink the coffee; I pressed the back of my right wrist against it. As it cooled off, I instructed the waitress to pour just a little more in there to heat it back up. This is why I had to order it half-full, you see. I did this for a few months before I finally learned a few things about good wrist health...and carpal tunnel.

Everyone has a carpal canal, a small passageway inside the wrist that connects the palm to the arm. It's filled with connective tissues and nerves, not to mention a few tendons. When your wrist is habitually bent at an angle, this tunnel may narrow in size. The tiny bones in the wrist, the carpals, begin to move and shift. As a result, the main median nerve might become trapped in the tunnel. This causes terrible pain.

That said, it is possible to overcome the pain. I successfully manage mine. The secret? Good wrist health.

No Limp Wrists Here

If you're a writer, and you live in the modern age, you're going to be typing...a lot. This makes it highly likely that your wrists are going to be bent, instead of straight. If you want to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome, and the pain associated therein, you want to keep your wrists straight. 

But you're typing, so it's just not always feasible to keep them straight during your waking hours. So do what I do. Make sure they stay straight while you sleep. If your wrists are habitually bent during the day, it's not at all unlikely that when you sleep they resume this same hunched position. You want to keep them straight and flat instead, all night long whenever possible. This can be done with a special brace, but it can also be done by shoving your hands beneath the pillow. Remember you want your fingers out and splayed, and your wrists straight and flat. Make it a habit to sleep in this position. Otherwise, your fingers may curl inward automatically as you sleep and exacerbate carpal tunnel syndrome. 

Please note that I am not a doctor nor a medical professional. If you believe you have carpal tunnel syndrome, you should seek professional help.

Writing 101: Original Ideas

Want to write a story about two young lovers who fall for each other even though their families are at odds? Shakespeare already did it. How about a grittier tale, where one jealous brother coldly murders the other? Sorry -- that story's so old, it's in the Bible. There's a theory of belief out there that there are no more original ideas...and I happen to agree. If you're waiting for an original idea before you start writing that book, stop.

It's All Been Done

When it comes to basic plot, every single sort of love story has already been told. Every drama and comedy was written long ago...most of them by the ancient Greeks.  And mysteries? They're already solved. After all, there are only so many ways to kill. 

Read the Bible, the works of the ancient Greek playwrights, and Shakespeare...and you'll see that there's really nothing new in the world of fiction. It isn't your plot that needs to be original, but your take on it does. When you write, you should be doing so with your own unique voice and style. That's something that can never be duplicated by anyone else. Even Shakespeare didn't always write original ideas (you'll see it after you read the Greeks), but his work is revered because it's good. It's distinct because he made it his own. 

When you do the same, it doesn't matter how unoriginal your best ideas might be.

Writing 101: Reaching for Words?

If you've ever told anybody, at any point in your life, that you want to be a writer then you've probably heard one very shopworn piece of advice: write what you know. I've decided that they might not be talking about plot points and subject matter, however. I'm pretty sure they're talking about the words.

Reaching and Overreaching

Everybody has used a word the wrong way. But when you're an author, you're not really supposed to use them incorrectly. Do it in a book, and some savvy reader is definitely going to catch on. 

Don't use words you don't really know when you're writing. If you're reaching for words, you're just taking yourself out of the flow of writing the story. Use the words that come naturally when you're writing, and your writing will come to you a lot easier. 

If you find that you're using too many of the same words over and over, you need to learn new words. Expand your vocabulary by reading more books. Look for books in your genre and books outside of it, because it never hurts to broaden your horizons. You'll pick up more words naturally, and that will improve your writing. 

You don't need a whole lot of words to express a great story. Being overly descriptive will not serve your plot well, and it will only wear out your readers. Don't worry about using a lot of fancy words. Just use the ones that express exactly what you want to write.

Writing 101: Audio Books

If you've self-published, then you're already learning how to master the art of turning a manuscript into an ebook. Now, you've got to turn that ebook into an audio book.

Listening to Books

There's nothing new about listening to books. Lots of people have memories of family road trips with a book on tape or book on CD droning in the background. But now that so many people have a smartphone or electronic device of some sort, audio books are back...and they're digital.

Once you turn your book into an ebook, the next logical step is to have it read aloud to you so you don't even have to go through the hassle of looking at the screen. Converting to audio books is fairly simple, so don't miss out on this market.

With text-to-speech technology, convert any ebook into an audio book. Your software may already have text-to-speech technology. You can always open up your book and use the text-to-speech function to have it read aloud. Record this audio into an MP3 file that can be played on a smartphone or similar device.

It's much easier to use software, of course. Text2Go is a fairly user-friendly program for Windows users. It will open your ebook and convert it without lots of time and trouble. You will need your ebook in ePub, html or plain text format, so make sure it's properly converted first.

People can listen to an audio book while working out, cleaning house, driving in the car or doing any other activity that might make it inconvenient to look at a screen. Convert your books, and start selling them in a new market.

Writing 101: The Commitments You Make

The commitments you make as an indie author matter. They matter so much, I could leave this blog post at that sentence alone -- there's really nothing more to be said. You can't blow them off, you can't pass them off, you can't change your mind. I don't even have to tell you a bunch of reasons why your commitments matter...there's just one that trumps them all.

Ready for Commitment

I got an email recently, and it got me to thinking about the commitments we all make as indie authors. 

Commitments you've got to follow through on, when you make them. It doesn't matter if you're busy, or if you're tired, or if you're hungry and cold and you haven't had any free time in weeks. Because as an indie author, all you really have is your name. Why associate it with someone who disappoints, and back peddles, and fails to follow through? 

If you agree to review it, review it. If you agree to be there, be there. If you say you're going to write it, then that's what you do. I've been reading through my TBR list very slowly, but I'm working on it. I'm not going to write to those authors and say sorry, I've got too much work and I can't even write my own books right now. And no one is forcing me to continue blogging Writing 101 tips, but I committed myself to a certain (insane) posting schedule. 

The commitments you make, and break, could break your reputation. Any little thing can actually affect readers, and as an indie you can't afford to alienate even one. I got an email from another author asking me to review a book they agreed to review. I saw that same author asking for help at large on a popular authors' forum (clearly, this author doesn't read the blog or they would know all about me and the author forums). And it looks pretty bad, I think. No excuse can be good enough for failing to meet the commitments you make.

Because as an indie, your name is what you have.

Writing 101: Are Children's Books Easy?

It's easy to get a little snobby when you're an author, and that also goes for me. The writer who does years of research for that in-depth biography might smile condescendingly at the author who writes lightweight fantasy fiction. I, too, am guilty of author prejudice. I learned it in the worst possible way: I caught myself turning up my nose at another author recently...a children's book writer. So now I have to ask: are children's books easier to write?

A Day in the Life

For the record, I don't have kids. I'm not good with kids, and I haven't really spent any time around them. I also don't write children's books. YA books are as close as I get. I remember being a teenager. I don't really remember being a kid. 

So when it comes to writing children's books, I don't really have the experience to know what it's all about. I went on a journey to learn more.

I began with Carrie A. Pearson, a children's book author. One look at her "about" page humbled me right away. Pearson has a ton of education and experience when it comes to kids, and she's a mother. I have also learned, in reading her blog, that she makes frequent trips to schools and other places where children convene. I hate nightmares in which I participate in the same behavior. But instead of being fidgety and frightened around the kids, as I would be, Carrie is engaging and informative with them. She holds their attention and keeps them from full-scale rioting, which makes her a truly brilliant woman. She does a lot of promotion and she puts herself in a lot of situations to do it. Her blog is also packed with fun stuff that makes me feel like a hack. 

Clearly her life and her career isn't easy. She described one event involving children that would have left me in hysterics. So I moved on. I went to a trade blog instead, one specifically about children's book writing and publishing, a collaborative affair. I ran straight into a post about all the things you can't write in children's books. Did you know you have to be mindful of slang? Even metaphors, the author's favorite tool, are a no-no. When writing for children, you must be forthright and direct. Apparently, children's books are highly story-driven. That means I can't bring all my best puns to the writing table. 

Now thoroughly embarrassed by my own snobbery, I continued. I found a post written by an author named Ree, aka the Pioneer Woman, and became increasingly more flabbergasted as I read about all the work she put into her illustrated children's book. I was sweating bullets by the time I got to step 4. The post was a big eye-opener for me; I never considered just how much plotting goes into creating illustrations based on something in an author's mind. I'm not sure I could ever work so closely with an illustrator without just losing it altogether. 

I continued on to a blog written by an author named Tara, who writes children's books and raises children so all I can say is yowzah. Her blog is so good, I almost didn't get back to writing this post. She puts a ton of thought and care into her craft, focusing on subtle messages and giving kids fun, what kids do and do not like, and writing very helpful blog posts. She's a true specialist, and that takes a lot of hard work. 

Granted, looking at a few blogs doesn't make me an expert on writing children's books. But I think I learned a lot, and I also think I've got an answer to my question. Children's books are not easier to write. In fact, in some ways it might be harder to write a children's book than one intended for adults. For me personally, I'm sure it would be. So today I celebrate you, children's books authors. You've got a hard job to do.

Writing 101: Why You Need a Title Page

Ever literally read a book cover to cover? If you have, and maybe even if you haven't, you've found that there are extra pages at the start of any book. You flip through them to get to the good parts, barely giving them a glance. But if you think you can skip that extra stuff now that you're self-publishing, you're wrong. You need a title page...period.

In the Beginning, There Was Junk

Honestly, the title page is a rather worthless waste of ink in books -- or so I've always thought. It usually consists of just a few elements, some of which are really redundant.

• The title: Obviously. The title page is used to repeat the title again. That's in case you missed it on the cover while you were buying the book, transporting the book or selecting the book to read. The author's name is usually placed here as well, because it's very likely you did miss that.
• The publisher: Often, the title page will contain some information about the publisher -- the name, the address, and so forth. When you're the publisher, you don't have to do any of this but you can if you like. Some self-published authors create their own publishing labels to give themselves more of that professional sheen.
• The copyright: Legally, you've got to add a copyright to your book. You also have to legally obtain one. Don't self-publish without doing so. Find appropriate copyright wording online so you may include it on your title page. Add this! You want the disclaimer there, just in case.
• ISBN: If you've got an ISBN, this is where it goes.

Much of it is unnecessary, and you could just as easily put the copyright at the end of the book if you wanted to. But I maintain that you've got to have a title page for one simple reason: all the "real" books have them. If you want to make your book look polished and professional, you must add a title page. It's easy to do, and it will make your book look very well put together...so do it!

Wondering About Justice

 "I enjoyed reading this book."

"Well written and will leave you wondering just what will happen next."

Justice (Deck of Lies, #1) has been reviewed at Hope, Love and Happy Endings. Read the whole review to find out why the book got four ducks! 

Writing 101: The F-Bomb

The F word is considered, in American society, to be the worst of the worst of words. It's so salty, movies and TV shows that contain it come with special warnings. Books don't come with warnings...so when is it okay to drop the f-bomb on the page?

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge

The letters FUCK were once scrawled on prison cells of those who were incarcerated for sexual misconduct. Adulterers, fornicators, anyone who maybe showed too much ankle -- don't laugh, it used to be a serious crime.

And so, the F bomb was born. For centuries, it would continue to be associated with sex and with the unspeakable. It continues to be provocative, so much so that saying it just twice in any movie will guarantee an R rating.

Authors might use it way more than that on just one page of a book. And some readers are always going to hate it. So when is it okay to use? And beyond that, when should you be using it?

At the top of the post, I specifically referenced American culture. This is because the F bomb isn't much of a bomb in other cultures. Irish authors are known for it. The saltiest, swearingest author I ever read is an Irish Catholic priest -- no shit. F bombs everywhere. His books are largely about love, and sometimes spirituality. Actual angels may appear as characters. And he swears constantly.

His books are not considered to be offensive, and he's won awards. It's because hes smart about it. When you want ti use the F bomb, use your head first.

• Non-adult genres: Clearly this is not a word to be used in children's books. It may appear in YA books, and quite often does, but it's dicey. If you sprinkle it in here and there for realism's sake, that's one thing. If it's appearing in every single paragraph, parents are going to get riled up about it.
• Adult genres: Even when you're writing books for adults, you can't get too liberal with your F-bombs. Mystery books and romances rarely contain the word, for example. Mysteries are provocative when it comes to crimes and crime scenes, but usually you won't find a lot of sexual activity or swearing in them. Romances are supposed to be about love, and a whole lot of F-bombs is just going to distract from the story.
• Setting: No matter what genre you're writing, in there are times when the F-bomb is simply appropriate to a certain setting or character. Certain characters are often given salty language to display some aspect of their personality -- a tendency toward aggressiveness, for example. It may also appear because of a certain setting. An attractive female lawyer walking down a cell block is highly likely to hear a few F-bombs during the course of the journey. Sometimes, F-bombs are expected and the scene may even demand it. 
• Make a point: And like all words, the F-bomb serves an important purpose. It's a storytelling device, just like any other word. When used correctly, it can make a very strong point or bring a certain flavor to a scene. Remember how it all plays out in the movie A Christmas Story? When you use the F-bomb extremely sparingly, it stands out and it makes a strong point. Use it well, and readers will see the necessity and importance in the word.

The F-bomb is provocative, and it's been used as a provocative word for centuries because it does work. Be smart when you drop it into your books. Make sure every F-bomb has a purpose, illustrates a point and paints the scene. Otherwise, it's gratuitous...and readers do not like gratuitous swearing. Choose all of your words with care, especially this one.

Writing 101: Chapter Length

How long should chapters be? It's a question that indie authors ask over and over, and one I've asked myself many times. So what's the answer?

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Letters

It would be nice if there were certain rules about chapters. For YA, write chapters that are 2,000 words long. Adult romance? Try 5,000. Historical epic? You're going to be skirting 10,000.

I'm just making those numbers up out of thin air, of course. There is no standard when it comes to chapter length...maybe that's why authors are asking about it all the time. Every writer does it differently, and maybe that's another reason it's so confusing. But when it comes to chapters, there's really just one answer: there are no rules.

I mean it -- none. Lewis Carroll wrote chapters that were one word in length, or a handful of words. He ended chapters in the middle of sentences, nevermind in the middle of scenes. If he can get away with that, you can get away with anything you want, too. 

So, forget about length. Next? Uniformity. Some authors like to have fairly precise chapters. I used to read an author who wrote chapters that were so perfectly organized, I could finish each one in exactly 30 minutes. Seriously, I could practically time a watch by it. Weird stuff. But this is just a matter of personal preferences (or maybe with some authors, a weird compulsion). If you want uniform chapters, write them. If you want to be as unbalanced and random as Lewis Carroll, do it. You're writing your book, so go crazy if you like.

What I'm saying is this: disregard chapter length. If you're writing in an organized fashion, you've got an outline to follow so you have a rough idea of what should happen in each chapter. Write out your scenes until the chapter feels complete and all important plot points are covered. When it's done, you'll know. Forget about how long it is, and write the next chapter. 

Instead of worrying about how many words or pages your chapters are, worry about how long it takes you to write them.That's something worth thinking about.

Writing 101: What's Steampunk?

Steampunk has gone from being sub-culture to being much  more mainstream, and it's inspired many authors to write lots more books. But before you rush to label your work, make sure you understand the genre. Make sure you can answer this question: what's steampunk? 

The Sum of Its Parts

To get technical about it, steampunk is a sub-genre of the larger science fiction genre (which isn't at all a bad place to be). All steampunk must have a single element in order to be steampunk: steam-powered engines. If you don't have this, you don't have steampunk. 

However, the umbrella could be much wider than you think. The genre does not limit you to the industrialized American or European culture of the 1800s. A steampunk story can be set anywhere in any time -- on a distant moon or in a distant future -- so long as it features the steam-powered machines that marked the early Industrial period.

Because the genre harkens back to the Victorian era, it often features the fashions, art and general styles of the day. Often, technology is enhanced to make the setting much more mechanized than what would be historically accurate. The ideas that marked the era and general inequality is often changed for the sake of steampunk stories, in which women often hold key roles.

H.G. Wells and Jules Verne could both be considered steampunk writers because they envisioned future worlds and grand steam machines. However, the term didn't actually exist until the 1980s (so they were really pioneers). More contemporary steampunk authors include Scott Westerfield and Cassandra Clare. 

To learn more about the steampunk genre, research the Victorian Era. It's rich in great ideas and some pretty amazing fashions.

Writing 101: Characer Development

The term character development can be a little confusing. It sounds like character invention; you're developing a character to fit into your story. But that's not what it means. And if a reviewer or agent is telling you that you lack it, you've got a problem. 

Every good story needs character development. How do you know you've got it in yours?

It's Alive

With any book, you want to create characters with whom the readers can relate. Without that, they won't connect with your book and they probably won't like it. So as a writer you spend a lot of time thinking about the main characters in your stories, who they are and what they look like and how they talk. 

Here's the trouble: your characters can't be the same at the end of the book as they were in the beginning. You've got to show character development. Without it, the audience isn't going to relate. 

Human beings (and I'm referring to the ones who live off the page) are never static. They are constantly taking in new information every single day, learning something new or honing their skills in a particular area of expertise. You can see the proof of it for yourself. Open up your files, and read a little bit of that last thing you wrote. Now, go and find something you wrote at least one year ago.

You're better at it now, right? That's because you, too, undergo character development in that your own character develops over time. The same thing has to happen to the characters you put on the page. In any good book, there is some plot. Events will occur. Interactions will happen. Your characters will meet new people, learn and do new things. Like real people, their personalities and world views should change accordingly. 

That's character development, and every good book has got it. Show that your character is learning and adapting, that they are changing because of the events that are happening to them on the page. Show growth. Do it well, and you'll find that people enjoy your writing much more.

Trapped by the Tower

"The lies. The twists. The phenomenal writing that is Jade Varden. It kept me completely engrossed and hanging on until the very end."

"As Rain begins her own search for the killer, she soon discovers that NOTHING is what is seems. Once you think you know a character or what’s really going on, something else happens and it makes you question EVERYTHING."

The Tower (Deck of Lies, #2) has been reviewed at Lily Bloom Books. Read the mostly spoiler-free review to see why the reviewer is second-guessing everything!

Writing 101: How to Write a Book

Regular readers know that I'm not the biggest fan of writer forums. I think would-be authors ask too many questions instead of doing their own research. But recently I realized it isn't their fault they're so lost.

It's mine, because I haven't yet explained how to write a book. It's time to fix that.

Turning the Page

So you want to write a book. Learn the process, and this very ambitious plan wont seem so overwhelming.

In order to write a book, all you have to do is break it down to its most basic parts and plot points. For this example, we're going to write a book about two best friends who fall in love. But the template is solid, and you can use it for any story.

When you write a book, always keep the big picture in mind. Every word should drive the plot further. Allow me to illustrate:

• Introduction: Start with the scenes that introduce your main character. Show the reader what this person is like. Maybe she's a free spirit, so the opening scene is her bungee jumping. This gives the reader immediate information.
   
• Introduce the cast: What's this world like? Show the character in her normal life, interacting with the people who make up her world.
   
• Introduce the drama: Time to meet the love interest (or whatever it is that will move your plot forward). Set it up for the action.
   
• Show the action: Okay, introductions over. Time to make stuff happen. Throw obstacles in the way, give your characters challenges. Allow them to succeed or fail.
   
• Progress: Readers want to know they're getting somewhere. Make sure your character is reacting. They should grow and change in direct relation to the events of the book. Lets use our example. A girl in love might change her appearance, maybe join activities to get her closer to the one she loves.
   
• Result: The character is reacting and taking action. What are the consequences of that? It helps that there are only two possibilities. It will either push the character closer to their goal, or set them back.
   
• End: Know how it ends, or your story will meander along with no purpose at all. Always be driving toward the end.

 

And everything else? It's mostly cosmetic. Once your plot is in place, either on the page or in your mind, the details are easy. Be descriptive without going overboard, edit until you just can't edit anymore, check the story for flow and accuracy...and you're on your way.

Dying of Suspense

"The life of a girl that is more than a mystery series, with amazing ingredients such as power, money and love."

"Jade Varden does an excellent job maintaining the suspense and surprises until the last page. You never know what is coming next."

Death (Deck of Lies, #3) has been reviewed at Reading...Dreaming by Ruty, longtime friend of the blog. There are spoilers in the review if you haven't read the first two books (and if you haven't, get caught up!). Read the whole review to find out why the book got 5 out of 5 stars!

Writing 101: Why Are You Writing?

I look at writing tips and advice every once in a while. My reason is twofold: for one, I need fodder for this blog. But like any writer, I want to become a better writer -- so it follows that I should seek advice. And I keep finding one piece of advice that greatly disturbs me. So today I have to ask: why are you writing?

Be careful of your answer. You don't know it, but other authors are judging you.

For Love of the Game

In scouring interviews, articles and blog posts, I've noticed a particular piece of advice that successful authors trot out whenever they're feeling superior...and trite. Many of them tell writers that they must think about why they are writing...and that if they are doing it for financial gain they will never succeed and never become "real" writers.

I'm calling bullshit on that misguided notion, and I'm prepared to explain why. 

Many writers don't wake up at age 25 and decide to become writers. You don't go to sleep one day and wake up the next saying "I think I'll write a book." It's a decision I made at age 9, to write a book that is, but I didn't manage to put a full story together for many, many years. When I was 9, all I wanted to do was write. I didn't think about the money involved.

That's because I was 9, and didn't understand money. A few (very few)  years have passed, and now I know the one thing I need to know about money: no one can live without it. And I love to write. So naturally, and quite reasonably, I hope to make money writing because this would seem to be more fitting for me than to make money doing something else...say making saddles. I'm sure it's a noble profession, but I don't really have a passion for saddle-making so I'm not certain I could be very good at it. 

Yet so often I see successful authors offering up little nuggets of wisdom saying that to be a great writer, you mustn't think about money. And I strongly disagree. If thinking about money motivates you to write, do it. If you dream about making enough money to support yourself with your writing, keep doing it. This notion that you can't write to make money is silly and cruel. Everyone wants to make money doing what they love, whether it's saddle-making or storytelling.

Some advice, I think, is meant to be ignored. Next time you come across a successful author suggesting that you can't write to make money, send them a comment: if they don't think authors should write to make money, they ought to make all their books free.

Amazon Gobbles Goodreads, and What it Means for Self-Published Authors

If you've somehow managed to avoid all writer forums, self-published authors, Twitter and the news, I've got some rather shocking news: Amazon owns Goodreads. You haven't noticed any changes yet, but you will soon. It's a big merger that begs a big question: what's it all mean for self-published authors...like me? 

The World That Amazon Bought

If it's on the Internet, there's a darned good chance that it's owned by Google, or Amazon, or both. Amazon pioneered online shopping. Then it revolutionized the book industry. Now, it's got some other plan that's either exciting, or terrifying...or both.

Goodreads is well-known to indie authors because it is the self-published author's best friend. Countless forums allow indies to use the site to market their work, find reviewers and connect with promotional opportunities on other book blogs. The site allows authors to acquire fans, share blog posts and keep all of their book reviews in one convenient place. It is the only site that even comes close to having as many book reviews as Amazon. 

And now, Goodreads is owned by Amazon. Every author knows that Amazon is already a well-established site. It's already got book reviews. It's even got writer forums. So what the heck is going to happen to all the stuff on Goodreads...and, for that matter, to all self-published authors in general? Is Amazon, the site that built the indie author, now about to kill them all? 

According to a blog post I stumbled across in my research, Authors Guild president Scott Turow is practically predicting Armageddon. He called the merger "a textbook example of how modern Internet monopolies can be built...the key is to eliminate or absorb competitors before they pose a serious threat." In a roundabout way, he even accused Amazon of attempting to control information in order to drive sales.

There's no secret to the fact that Amazon is in the business of making money. With more than 16 million regular users and many millions of reviews, Goodreads was in line to be serious competition. Now it's not. For Amazon, this was a pretty simple business move. The company also released a new Kindle model to compete with the iPad, and nobody's screaming "conspiracy theory" over that. 

But it is scary. Goodreads has become a warm and fuzzy home to many self-published authors. Amazon, to many indies, is still a towering mountain that's impossible to scale. As soon as you climb up the lists a little, you'll slide back down. So what does it mean for the self-published author? Will Goodreads continue to exist?

The answer is that no one knows what to expect. Amazon hasn't made any sort of big announcement, Goodreads has offered up a saccharine public statement about how swell it all is, and everything is pure speculation at this point. The smart money's on more of a complete merger, with Goodreads operating as a stand-alone book discussion community. This could allow Goodreads ratings and reviews to remain in place, but GR author pages could become a thing of the past. Amazon has its own author pages.

But only time will truly tell. If the Goodreads indie author community does fade away due to the merger, don't despair. The indies will band together again, somewhere new, and wait it out until Amazon (or Google) buys it.

Writing 101: Just Say No

I'm terribly behind on my book requests (literally months and months out). I'm over a month behind my own publication schedule for my books. I'm typing this post at 2 am, and I'm going to get less than 5 hours of sleep tonight.

I have trouble saying no to stuff...and that's why I'm always drowning in work to do. Brace yourself. You're about to hear a cautionary tale.

I Am Not Leading By Example

It's me. I'm the cautionary tale. I've managed to get myself into a mess, and I'm going to do what I do best by telling other people how to avoid my mistakes.

Just say no. 

• Read this book!

You don't even have to hang up a shingle, so to speak, to receive review requests from authors. You just have to have a blog. You'll get requests through your email, Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, whatever the heck you've got. Some pitches are great. Some books look amazing. Sometimes, it's really hard to say no. But if you know you don't have any time to read and you've already got books on your list you'll never get around to finishing, say no. 

• Guest posts and interviews.

Yeah, I know why you do them. Guest posts and interviews allow you to become exposed to users on a totally different site, a book blog where you may find many new readers who are picking up whatever you're putting down. But too much of a good thing is still too much. Don't agree to so many guests posts and/or interviews that your own blog and books suffer.

• Forums.

As faithful readers know, I'm not a big fan of writer forums. This should clearly be the first thing to go whenever you're feeling pressed for time. If you're going to make time for something, please don't let it be slogging through the forums. 

• Personal limits.

My time-management problems go beyond the responsibilities I have as a self-published author. I have a hard time saying no to work assignments, and I don't back down from the exercise and cleaning commitments I've made to myself. You have to say no in your personal life as well, sometimes to your friends, your bosses and even to yourself.

It's very difficult to say no, and I understand that. But sometimes you have to...or you'll end up going for many weeks without enough sleep, and perform poorly at pretty much everything.

Writing 101: What's in a Book Name?

I see new indie books literally every day. Because I move fast, I'm usually looking at one piece of information only: the title. I won't even look at the cover, I'm not worried about your name. I don't even care about  the blurb. I make my decision after I read the title. 

What will I be thinking when I read yours?

By Any Other Title...

They say that names aren't important...and they're wrong. When it comes to books, the title is everything. And lately, I've been seeing all sorts of weird stuff in all kinds of titles. I think it's time we set a few guidelines for writing good ones. 

• Length: Too long is just too long. I've noticed all sorts of epic book titles lately, one or two that were just about as long as one of my opening chapters. If you're having trouble squeezing all the words onto a book cover, take that as a sign that your title is just too long. By the same token, you may want to re-consider all those really short titles, unless you have some way to distinguish them. One-word titles are perfect for books within a series. Otherwise, you might have trouble distinguishing your one-word title from all the others that are out there. 
• Proper Names: There's a rash of book titles containing proper names lately. It's tricky business, doing that. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is pretty good, there's a hook in there. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert sounds intriguing. Abby Got an E-Mail from Kate Winslet isn't such a great title, and I'm not even sure it's legal to write that book. Only use a proper name if it is what? Easy to spell and easy to remember, which is what your pen name should be also. Never forget that you are already asking readers to remember a name before you put one in the title: yours.
• Weird Adjectives: Stuck on You is a clear metaphor that I immediately get. Coaxing Your Love is a little bit more obscure, but I'm still with you. Venerating Johnny, that's just too darn complicated. If I have to figure it out, it's just too much. The title is not the best place to trot out the four-syllable words or impress the world with your knowledge of little-known descriptors. Remember that simple language is usually the best.

If you look for these three things, and eliminate them, you'll have better book titles. You want something fairly simple, yet distinct. Something I can remember that's not too cumbersome, something unique. Try cutting proper names down to just one (The Curious Case of Benjamin?), simplify those adjectives and edit out any unnecessary length. Because by any other name, I might decide not to read that book.

Books on Film: Fried Green Tomatoes

Fannie Flagg was a Match Game regular, an actress and a colorful personality, so it makes sense that she would write a book that managed to shine and stand out. She's the mind behind Fried Green Tomatoes, the novel that inspired one of my favorite chick flicks (and I've seen an embarrassing amount of them). But if you pick up the novel expecting to find the Idgie you loved from the film, you're in for a bit of a surprise.

The Book

Flagg published Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which is the actual title of the book, in 1987. Like the movie, it focuses on two different time periods in one woman's life. In the novel's present, an elderly woman in a nursing home named Ninny Threadgoode becomes friends with a middle-aged stranger named Evelyn Couch. During their once-weekly visits, Ninny tells Evelyn a story that happened many years ago.

Her story revolves around the Whistle Stop Cafe, which is found in Whistle Stop, Alabama. Idgie and her friend Ruth ran the cafe, which was known for its fried green tomatoes. The story took place a long time ago, around the 1920s, but hearing it inspires Evelyn Couch to make positive changes in her own life. She's enthralled with Idgie's bravery, and it compels her to shed some of her own cowardly ways.

But the novel doesn't tell the same tight, cohesive stories you'll see unfold in the film version. The narration is confused at times, and the reader must determine where and when they are based on the descriptions that open up each chapter. This is helped along somewhat by the Weems Weekly, Whistle Stop's local paper. Events are revealed out of order and in no real pattern.

Ninny was taken in as a child by the Threadgoode family and she married Cleo, one of the brothers. But her true first love was dashing Buddy Threadgoode, who was very close with his little sister Idgie (short for Imogene). She's a tomboy, and the apple of her brother's eye. But things change when Buddy is hit by a train and killed. She takes to living away from the house and becomes even more boyish. Years pass in this fashion, and then Ruth Jamison arrives.

Ruth has also come to live with the family because she's teaching at the nearby Bible School. Idgie falls in love with her and begins to spend more time at home, but Ruth has not come to Alabama to stay. She's promised to marry a man, and moves to Georgia to be his wife at the end of the summer. Idgie leaves home again, and once more the years start to roll on by.

A Bible page torn from the Book of Ruth arrives at the Threadgoode home. Idgie understands at once that it's from Ruth, and that she's being abused by her husband. How she infers that from Ruth 1:16 one never knows, but then I have trouble understanding much of the Bible as it is so I'll let it go. Idgie brings Big George, a servant in the Threadgoode home, and her two surviving brothers to take Ruth away from her husband Frank Bennett.

Ruth's carrying his child, so Idgie's father gives her money to start her own business so she can care for Ruth. Idgie builds the Whistlestop Cafe. Sipsey, Big George and Onzell begin working there with her. Together, the two women raise Buddy Junior, later nicknamed "Stump" after a train accident.

Regulars come to the cafe, people like Smokey Lonesome. He's a Depression-era hobo who rides the rails, and the cafe gains some notoriety among this set. Idgie and Ruth ruffle a few feathers when they even start serving blacks out the back door. Frank Bennett has disappeared, and detectives come by to ask Ruth if she has any information about it.

Hearing about Idgie's incorrigible ways inspires Evelyn to create an alter-ego named Towanda -- she's sort of like Sasha Fierce. It makes Evelyn confident, self-possessed, bold and unafraid.

And in the past, the cafe carries on. The Depression comes and goes, as does World War II. Buddy Junior becomes a man, and the town grows quiet around them. Ruth dies of cancer in the 50s, and the railroad was already out of fashion by then. Idgie is later arrested, along with Big George, for Frank Bennett's murder. His car was found at the bottom of a lake outside town, you see. But the case is dismissed after the town minister lies for Idgie on the stand. She once helped his son (and most of the people in town).

We learn later that Sipsey killed him with an iron skillet when Buddy Junior was still a baby. The detectives ate Bennett's body when they came to investigate, meat that was barbequed by Big George. They loved it.

While away at a weight loss spa, Evelyn learns that Ninny Threadgoode has died in the nursing home. It's a sad ending, and a different one from what you'll see when you view the film. In fact, a whole lot of things are different on film.

The Film

The movie Fried Green Tomatoes was released in 1991, and starred Mary Stuart Masterson as Idgie. Mary-Louise Parker played Ruth. Jessica Tandy became Ninny onscreen, and Kathy Bates was a perfect Evelyn.

The meeting between the two new friends is much the same on film...and the story begins to deviate almost immediately from there. We focus right away on young Idgie, and meet Ruth early. In this version, it's Ruth who is in love with Buddy and she has moved into the home because she will marry him. Both girls are present the night Buddy dies, and both are devastated.

Ruth is asked to come back to the home years later, once Idgie has slipped so far out of civilized society her parents become concerned. Though at first reluctant, Idgie soon accepts Ruth's friendship and returns it in kind. But Ruth still leaves Whistle Stop to marry Frank Bennett, and Idgie is left bereft because she misses her best, and arguably only, friend.

Idgie goes to visit Ruth under her own steam and all alone, and sees evidence that Frank has been beating up on her. Idgie pretty much drags her BFF back to Whistle Stop, and the events of opening the cafe take place just the way they ought.

The rest of the film pretty much carries out as the book does, with a few very glaring omissions. Ninny goes to live with Evelyn at the end, and it's revealed that Ninny is actually Idgie.

What Got Adapted?

The few changes made to Fried Green Tomatoes are probably the most important, because they manage to change the entire tone of the book. You see, Idgie and Ruth are lesbians. Such is not the case on film, where the relationship is made into more a sisterish or best friend pairing. If you don't know they're supposed to be lesbians, you probably won't see it anywhere on the film.

Ninny lives on film, because her death really does make the whole thing so sad. In the movie, Ruth lives to testify at Frank's trial. In the book, she never lives to see Idgie arrested. On film, Ninny and Idgie are the same person. This is not the case in the book. They talk to each other and they are certainly two different people; Ninny was Idgie's sister-in-law.

The book is largely about aging. It's an extremely important element that we meet a childhood and adolescent Idgie, a twenty-something Idgie and Ruth, middle-aged Evelyn and elderly Ninny. All represent something different. The town ages, too, as does Idgie's childhood home. The south becomes older, a little colder, and changes come to take away some of it charm.

It really feels like Whistle Stop dies with Ninny at the end of the book. Racism is a strong theme of the story, but only briefly touched on film by comparison. Death is another central theme, and avoided on film wherever possible.

It becomes a different kind of story, but both versions of Fried Green Tomatoes are great. It's still one of my favorites. If you don't read it and watch it, you'll be missing out.

Writing 101: Pursuing Perfection

I tend to over-research my books. I once spent an entire afternoon learing the history of plumbing in order to double-check a chamber pot reference (once upon a time I wrote historical novels). I pursue perfection...and sometimes it's a real problem.  

The Perfect Novel

Every writer wants their work to be error-free, engaging, important. Thar's not the kind of perfection I'm talking about. I get so caught up un perfecting the details, it might take me years just to finish a single story. I take perfection to such a dark place, it nearly set me back to the beginning of my newest book.

It all started with a discussion about global warming. That might sound random, but it's relevant to the book in question in a roundabout way, and therefore to this story. As the discussion carried on, I realized that I had estimated the future projected water table incorrectly.

I'm terrible with math, anything involving numbers really, so this is not shocking. But I was upset, because I  realized the science of the story is wrong.

Specifically, I realized that my map was wrong. It could not be tolerated. I immediately began making plans to throw the story out altogether, go back and do more research to get it right this time.

I was lucky that day, however, because someone else told me I was acting crazy. It was true. Someone else had to remind of what no writer should forget: it's my story, so there is no right and wrong. I make the world, I make the map.

When you're busy pursing perfection and getting caught up in the details, throwing out an entire book (or even half of a first draft) suddenly doesn't seem like a terrible idea (and trust me, it really is). Don't get too caught up in the details of writing it perfectly and getting every fact right. Sometimes, creative license isn't just an option -- it's an absolute necessity. 

Just remember to repeat this to yourself the next time you start wading through the detail swamp: it's my story...I can lie if I want to.