Writing 101: Leaving Clues

As a writer of mysteries, I have to drop clues into my books. But in any genre, authors often include clues deep inside stories that hint at certain plot points. It's not hard to add clues to a book. What's difficult is hiding them.

Elementary, My Dear Watson

I'm a lifelong fan of mysteries, which is where you're supposed to find the most clues in stories. I am not a fan of Sherlock Holmes, perhaps the most famous literary investigator of all time. Why? Because the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, didn't leave clues. Holmes mysteries are invariably solved on the last page, when Holmes reveals all the keen observations he made throughout the story.

I always started shouting every time I finished. If I had been told about the muddy pants on page one, maybe I could be Sherlock Holmes, too. But that's not the way it was written...ever.

You need to give your audience clues, because half the fun is in guessing at what's coming, what's really going on, what's that person thinking and where is this all going. It's always fun to try and guess at the end, so give the audience clues that allow them to do just that. 

It's okay to make them hard to find (nigh impossible, even). I like to add them in with dialogue. Have the characters mention a book or a movie, maybe a song or a place, that is really a clue. Bury the clue in a letter or a diary entry that also contains other information, or a long monologue with a lot to digest.

There are lots of ways to leave clues in your books. Use them, and keep readers guessing. They'll keep reading for the fun of seeing if they're right.

Going Around with Justice

"Within a few chapters, I found myself hooked and couldn't put it down."

Find out what Roundtable Reviews had to say about Justice (Deck of Lies, #1) before you buy your copy of the book!

Blogger Book Fair is Back

Check in to the Blogger Book Fair, and book your trip to far away places!

July 22-26, 2013

Authors and Book Bloggers, Sign ups for the July 2013 Blogger Book Fair will close on June 15 at midnight central time, so get your registrations in to participate!

As of 5/31/2013, we have:

Authors: 89 Books: 233 Bloggers: 14 If you haven't yet registered, you can find all of the information on the Blogger Book Fair page.

1. Check out the Code of Conduct
2. Fill out either the Author Sign Up form or the Blogger Sign Up form (Deadline June 15)
3. Kayla will match everyone with hosts and send out this information to you after sign-ups close
4. Check out the events--all authors are eligible to participate in the events, and if you have an event you'd like to host, just fill out the simple Event Sign Up Form--all of this information can be found on the Events! page (Deadline July 8).
5. If you're interested in hosting a giveaway to drive traffic to your site, sign up via the Giveaway Sign Up form (Deadline July 15).
6. And if your book will be FREE or $0.99 for the duration of the Fair, you can sign up on the Free and $.99 Book Sign Up Forms (Deadline July 15).

 

Events:

as of 5/31/2013

Art Fiction Gala hosted by Lucie Smoker

Does your fiction promote the visual arts--through featuring an artist, painting, sculpture, performance art, etc? Then, consider entering Lucie's Art Fiction Gala. The Art Fiction Gala is a virtual celebration of fiction that highlights the visual arts. Dress up in your finest, pick up some friends--a bottle of wine--and sample mind-blowing fiction that crosses the line between literary and visual art. Plus a gallery of art featuring reading. More information & entry instructions

 

Three Wishes hosted by Kirstin Pulioff

Introduce your characters to the world. Kirstin Pulioff invites you to ask your main character, "If you found a magic genie lamp, what would be your three choices?" More information & entry instructions

 

Flash Fiction Challenge II hosted by Thomas Winship

Get ready to exercise your flash fiction muscles. For the Flash Fiction Challenge II, Thomas Winship will provide an opening line. From there, entrants will craft a flash fiction piece of approx 500 words. Entries will be displayed on Thomas' blog Vaempires during the BBF, spread out evenly across the five days, in order of receipt. More information & entry instructions
 

Snapshot Synopsis Contest hosted by Fel at The Peasants Revolt

Challenge: chisel your synopsis down to 50 words or less. Voting will be open throughout the fair for visitors to vote on their favorite Snapshot Synopsis. More information & entry instructions

 

Reader's Choice Awards hosted by Sherri at Shut Up & Read

All books registered for the Blogger Book Fair are automatically entered into the running for the Reader's Choice Awards. Voting will be open from July 22 to July 25. More information

 

Indie Soap Box Files hosted by Shah Wharton

Take a turn on the Soap Box. Shah invites speculative fiction writers to write a guest post about being an indie (or hybrid) writer. More information & entry instructions Restrictions: Speculative fiction writers only

 

Monster Menagerie hosted by Noree at Trip the Eclipse

What's your favorite monster or supernatural creature? Feature your creature in a flash fiction piece (500-800) words to be featured on Trip the Eclipse. Visitors will vote on their favorite piece. More information & entry instructions
 

Ways to Help:

Donate to the Blogger Book Fair via the BBF Donation Fund. To help get the word out about BBF, we would like to place ads on Facebook, Goodreads and other places, but to do, so we need a little help. We'd also like to have some BBF sponsored giveaways, so money donated would also go toward prizes. NO MONEY WILL BE KEPT BY ANY ORGANIZER OR PARTICIPANT. Spread the word! Share the Fair on your social media accounts and show off the Blogger Book Fair logo in your blog's sidebar.

Join us on:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Goodreads
• Google +

Books on Film: Terms of Endearment

Terms of Endearment is one of those movies that everyone's seen, or heard about, or wanted to watch. But before Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger made it an iconic film, it was a pretty popular book...and it was a different story. 

The Book

Larry McMurtry published Terms in 1975. It begins with Aurora Greenway, an attractive and very controlling woman. She has many boyfriends, but her life is thrown into crisis when she discovers that her young daughter Emma is pregnant. Emma married the wrong man, and will now bear his child. This makes Aurora a grandmother, and this is upsetting. After a date with a gentleman caller known as The General, Aurora hits Vernon with her car.

He becomes another boyfriend, and he becomes as besotted with her as the others. She won't marry him, or any of them. The novel follows Aurora's various dates and love affairs, as well as drama with her maid Rosie. Emma goes into labor the same night Rosie's husband is stabbed. This first part of the book takes place over a 6-month time span.

Then, shockingly, the novel fast-forwards a decade...and suddenly switches to a different point of view. Emma is now the focus, and her marriage to Flap has degenerated terribly. She's had many affairs, but won't leave him. Then, Emma gets cancer and suddenly dies.

It's a strange way to end the plot, and a bit meandering. Why did we go see Emma's death? Why does the tone of the story change? One can only guess, but it's worth reading the novel because it is well-written. McMurtry is particularly good with dialogue, and Aurora is an inherently likable character.

But the book is not much like the movie. The movie is based on, perhaps, the first quarter of the book...and it's got Jack Nicholson. 

The Movie

Terms of Endearment became a movie in 1983, and it still appears on cable at least once a year. It's still talked about, and spoofed, and referenced. It's that good.

Viewers are introduced immediately to Aurora Greenway, who seemingly drives her husband to despair because she is so over-protective of their infant daughter, Emma. Many years later Emma is a young, somewhat rebellious and fun-loving girl who will do anything to escape her smothering mother...even marry Flap, whom Aurora despises. 

Emma is very happy to marry him, and even to move into a miserable shack of a home with him. Flap is a scholar, a teaching professor, and he's never going to make a ton of money. Aurora is heartbroken when he gets a job far away from their Texas home, and Emma is forced to move away.

They begin to talk on the phone every day, and the years pass. Flap and Emma have a son, then another. But marital problems make life difficult. Much of the trouble seems to stem from their lack of money; they borrow often from Aurora. Emma gives birth to a daughter, but nothing gets better for the family.

She meets a very nice man, also married (played by John Lithgow), and has an affair. This she tells to Aurora, because she tells Aurora everything. But when Emma discovers that Flap has been having an affiar of his own -- and much more serious -- she goes back to Texas. Flap calls to coax her back to their new home in Nebraska, and Emma and the children go. 

Then she gets cancer and dies. That part remains the same. While Emma is living her life, Aurora is living hers. The General becomes the Astronaut instead, actually Garrett Breedlove (Nicholson), Aurora's new neighbor. He alone seems immune to her charms, and he alone seems to ruffle her feathers where other suitors cannot. Nicholson's character is nothing like The General from the book. He dumps Aurora after seeing Emma and the three grandchildren, but unexpectedly flies to Nebraska while Emma is sick with cancer. 

Aurora forcibly explains to Flap that she will be raising the three children henceforth. At the wake following Emma's funeral, Garrett assumes a fatherly role toward Tommy, Emma's oldest boy.

The film was highly successful and went on to become a modern classic. It won 5 Oscars and great acclaim for strong performances from the principle and supporting cast. 

What Got Adapted?

When the book begins, Emma and Flap have already been married for two years and he's already a total jerk. In the movie, we get to see Emma right after graduation. We get to see her marry Flap, and smiling, and totally in love. They're passionate for each other. None of that is in the book. 

Also not in the book is one of Shirley MacLaine's most famous scenes in her epic body of work. In the scene, Aurora Greenway gives everyone in the hospital hell because they've forgotten Emma's pain medication. It's wrenching...and it's original to the movie.

So you should watch the movie. If you love Aurora and want to know much more about her, read the book. Otherwise...well, watch the movie again.

Writing 101: Every Author Needs Secrecy

Do you talk about your books before you're done writing them? Share tidbits and excerpts before the final draft is done? Ask questions about what readers want?

Stop. Every author needs secrecy. Otherwise, you end up writing for other people...and not for you.

Shhh....

Every writer has their own process, but there are some universal truths when it comes to writing a book. And one universal truth that really matters: stories change.

I thought about a book I wanted to write for years and years, from the time I was a child. Finally I decided to start bringing it to life. Originally, the story was going to be told from the daughter's point of view. I was going to kill her mother early and the whole story was going to be about this girl's struggle.

I started researching, and planning, and imagining. And pretty soon, I wasn't telling the daughter's story at all. I was telling her mother's, and she did not die. Everything about that book changed, from love interests to plot to the big ending I envisioned. And when I was done, only tiny pieces of my original plan remained.

Stories have a life of their own. If you interrupt a story's natural evolution by spilling too many details to too many readers too early, you are doing the story (and yourself) a great disservice.

The truth is, you don't know what you've got until the story is finished. You don't know where the process will take you. But you do know one thing: you need room to go in new directions. You need space to make changes and new discoveries.

You need your secrets. Because those first ideas are going to change, and stories are going to grow. Let them, and don't lock yourself into a plan too early.

I didn't talk about that book until the first draft was written. I just let it evolve and take me where it wanted to go. That book is my favorite thing I've ever written.

Hold tight to your secrets. As an author, it's the secrecy that gives you your greatest power. When you give secrets away, you're shutting out creativity. So just remember this one piece of advice: shhhh.

Guest Post: Writing Takes Work

Today I'm pleased to host Sarah-Jane Lehoux. She's stopping in on her Sevy Series Blog Tour to talk about the hard work that goes into writing. 

When people learn that I’m an author, at some point in the ensuing conversation, they’ll say, “I could never write a whole book!” To which I say, “Of course you can. IF you actually tried.”

Anything You Can Do...

See, humans are born with an imagination. We are born with the ability to remember past events and ponder on the future. We have a brain that can learn and grow and reshape pathways and all sorts of other neat stuff. It’s pretty impressive, the human brain. 

I could look at a doctor and think, “Oh, I could never do what she does!” But you know what, yeah, I probably could. Sure, some people inherently lean more towards certain professions than others, but that’s just the start. What comes next is years of hard work, trial and error, and *GASP* learning. 

I very much believe that anyone can become a writer, if they put in the work. Because that’s what writing is. Work. Damned hard work. It’s not as though I just sit down and BAM!!! Instant book. It takes practice. It takes a lot of frustration and a lot of days where I want to repeatedly bang my head against my desk, a la Sesame Street’s Don Piano.  

You’ve got to crawl before you can walk. And you’ve got to write pages and pages of crap before the words start forming a more pleasing structure. 

At the end of the day, it’s all about desire. How badly do you want this? 

I decided long ago that being a writer was what I wanted, and I continue to push forward, through setbacks and successes alike, because I’m not giving up on what I want just because it’s a difficult road. After all, a dream is just a goal without a plan. 

So dream big and plan wisely. And that’s how you write a book. 

About the Author

Sarah-Jane Lehoux has always had a passion for storytelling. From grade school tales of cannibalistic ghosts, to teenaged conversations with God, to her rebellion against adulthood with fantasy kingdoms and fairy magic, she has attempted to share her love of the quirky and unconventional with her readers.

She currently resides in Southern Ontario with her husband and her horde of Machiavellian cats. In addition to her own writing, Sarah-Jane works as an editor and freelance cover artist.

Books by Sarah-Jane

Thief 

Happily Ever After Doesn't Come Without a Price

In the crumbling city of Eloria, there are two indisputable facts. First, everyone has a dream. Secret, seemingly unattainable, altogether irresistible, it is the kind of dream that aches and, at times, burns. For most, it will forever remain a teasing enigma, but there are those for whom dreams grow into obsession. Which brings us to the second indisputable fact: everyone has a price. Protestations of morality have little meaning when confronted with the all-consuming passion of the soul. Better judgment is pushed aside for the chance to obtain the unobtainable. The only question remaining is just how much a person is willing to sacrifice in order to get what they want.

Sevy has always been a quick study in the wicked ways of Eloria. Since childhood, she has eked out a living for herself with the help of her sticky fingers and her indomitable spirit. She has no qualms about taking what she desires, and when the unrequited love of her life is mysteriously murdered, Sevy will stop at nothing to get him back. Elvish black magic, necromancy and demonic pacts are of little consequence if it means she can once again have her beloved at her side. But is she willing to murder her only friend to get the job done? Is there a line that even this selfish, self-proclaimed bitch is not prepared to cross?

Shades of War

There is More Than One Road to Redemption

Sometimes the past can't be forgotten. Sometimes the truth refuses to be buried. And sometimes the dead won't stay dead.

It began as a simple request: Journey to the Northern Jungles and bring a wayward son back to the safety of his farm and family before the racial tension that is building between humans and dark elves erupts into civil war. But life is never simple for Sevy, and she soon finds herself entangled in a bloody battle of good versus evil, love versus hate.

Old friends and enemies reunite, familial bonds are broken, and loyalty is tested. And in the midst of the steamy, sultry jungles, the ghosts of a serial killer's victims come out to play. Sevy, as petulant and irascible as ever, must overcome her personal demons in order to expose a madman and bring peace back to the kingdom. But just how much of her sanity must she sacrifice to help her friends? And how can she save anyone when she can't even save her own soul?

Masquerade

Never Trust a Liar, especially when they're telling the truth.

Starting over isn’t easy, especially when the world isn’t ready for you to change. Sevy, thief turned assassin turned mercenary, isn’t having any fun adjusting to a normal, law-abiding life. Luckily for her, an old partner in crime arrives with an irresistible proposition: a getaway to a tropical island, an adventure of a lifetime, and an amazing friendship ready to blossom into an even more amazing romance.

Things are looking up for Sevy. That is, until a pack of maniacal fairies with a taste for human flesh arrive on the scene.

Now she must unravel a web of magical intrigue hidden behind the outwardly idyllic atmosphere of the islands of Belakarta. Nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted. Trapped under the spell of a handsome and mysterious stranger, Sevy must fight fairies and tricksters to regain her freedom.

Or spend an eternity as a sorcerer’s plaything.

Obsessing About Justice

"I was so obsessed in it and couldn't stop talking about it."

Read the review of Justice (Deck of Lies, #1) at Karen's Choice to find out why the reviewer can't stop thinking about the book!

Writing 101: How to Set a Mood

Ever read a book that made you feel happy? Hopeful? Scared? Some authors know how to play with your emotions, and it's a skill that can be learned. Find out how to set a mood with your writing, and start jerking on those heartstrings.

Evocative Words

You can say that hamburger looks tasty, or you can say it looks mouth-watering. Which description made you feel the hungriest? Certain words and phrases evoke certain emotions, and it's the author's job to figure out which ones to use to create the right emotion in the reader. 

Was Jessica upset or was she in despair? The mood created by each word is very different, though either might be appropriate to describe the mood of the character. When you're writing, it's important to pay attention to the way certain words and phrases make you feel -- because if you feel it, the reader will probably feel that also. Do you want them laughing or crying? Groaning or gasping? Feeling hopeful...or hopeless? The words you choose do all of that, so you have to choose well.

Setting the Pace

The words you choose are of course the most important element in any book, but there are other ways to set a certain mood. Do you want the reader to feel the boredom of a long day, the tedium of a strenuous task? Write longer, thicker paragraphs with more details to slow down the pace of the book and create a mood of inactivity. Want to make the reader feel a little more rushed, frantic? Write shorter, choppier sentences in quick, small paragraphs. Make details come hard and fast when you're creating a chaotic mood, describe them slowly when you're creating a moment you want the reader to live in for a while. 

Setting a mood is all about pacing, proper word choice and of course, the action that's taking place. Focus on mood when you're writing your scenes, and your writing will come across a lot more strongly. Readers will feel it more, and they'll connect with it more easily as a result.