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Posts by Carol Despeaux Fawcett

Oct 30

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Seven tips for NaNoWriMo success

I’ve just signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) to help me write my next novel. One of my personal weaknesses as a writer is that I think too much in my first drafts when I should just be writing. So I’m using this NaNoWriMo to help me make a breakthrough.

Even if you’re not participating in NaNoWriMo, the seven tips below can help you finish any project:

Tip # 1: Write from the heart. There will be times when you’ll get stuck. Some days, your prose will sound like garbled hamster hash. When this happens, stop and take a few deep breaths. Remind yourself what you love about your project. I have an index card on my desk with my original idea for the story—it’s the tag line that got my juices going in the first place. Then go back to your page and write from that space of passion. Read more

Oct 26

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Submit your best work

“How you do one thing is how you do everything.” I can’t remember who originally said this but I’ve heard it many times.

Learning to write or do any art is like peeling an onion. A concept or craft technique I learned two years ago will continue to unfold and grow to a deeper level in my understanding.

One of many of these moments came to me last weekend at the Surrey Writers Conference. I heard over and over that, as writers, we should only send out our best work.

I know this, of course, but it resonated at a deeper level of understanding for me this weekend. Read more

Oct 24

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Passive verbs are for zombies

When I first started writing, I struggled with the passive voice. I remember one of my writing mentors drawing it to my attention. In an early chapter of my memoir I had too many “woulds,” “coulds,” and linking verbs. All of this led to my reader feeling distanced from my story.

As storytellers, we want to engage our readers. One way to do this is by using active verbs.

Here’s the difference:

He kissed her. (active) Read more

Oct 22

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Write a pitch for your work-in-progress: the sooner the better

This weekend, I attended the Surrey International Writers Conference in Canada. It’s one of my favorite conferences and a wonderful, supportive environment to pitch your manuscript to potential agents and editors.

I didn’t feel like pitching my memoir, so I decided to practice-pitch my work-in-progress, an urban fantasy novel, because that’s the project I’m really excited about right now. Problem was–I didn’t have a pitch for it.

I did have my original idea and an overall grasp of my story so I spent half an hour throwing my pitch together before bed Friday night. In other words, I winged it. (Shhh…don’t tell). Read more

Oct 18

Writing unique emotions will set you apart from other authors

When you can convey authentic, universally true emotions through your characters, you connect with your readers and they’ll keep turning the pages. Your readers become invested in your story the moment they viscerally feel what your character feels.

See what else the Plot Whisperer, Martha Alderson, has to say about writing emotions in her 5-minute video here: Read more

Oct 16

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Give your characters a humanizing trait to make them relatable

Best-selling author Patricia Cornwell was recently featured on Sunday Morning where she talked about her heroine, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, in her main book series. In the interview, Cornwell says she gives her readers a “huge does of forensic science and medicine” but, at the same time, the story is really about her protagonist Scarpetta, what she’s going through, and where she needs to get to.

One way Cornwell makes Scarpetta human and more relatable is to give her a simple, down-to-earth trait. Read more

Oct 12

Tips for creating a reading list for your work-in-progress

In my posts last week I wrote about why original research is important to your stories and how to make dry research fun. When I have a writing project that requires research, such as my current work-in-progress, I create a list on my computer to keep myself organized.

Some quick tips for creating a research reading list:

Write it down. Sounds obvious but there have been times when I’ve said to myself, “Oh, I have to read that book,” then promptly forgotten about it. Write the name of the book down on a pad of paper or even on your hand, if you have to, until you can add it to the list on your computer. Read more

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