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Sep 29

Three ways to say no to stereotypes and surprise your readers

A sure way to suck the life out of a story is by using stereotypical characters. For one thing, it usually means the rest of your story will be stereotypical – and predictable.

Stereotypical characters are stereotypes because their character traits have been repeatedly used and with little depth or complexity. You’ve seen them before: The popular blonde cheerleader, the cynical, hard-boiled private detective, and the cold-blooded hitman.  They rob you, the reader, of surprise because you automatically know what will happen next. Read more

Sep 28

Is your elevator pitch missing this key component?

These days, authors need to be writers and marketers. Two professions diametrically opposed to one another. There are definitely aspects of both that I least like. In writing, it’s the first draft (I prefer revision—to me it’s where the magic happens). In marketing, it’s the verbal pitch that gets me trembling like a hamster on methamphetamines.

Pitching to a total stranger who could potentially change my life scares me more than an elevator full of zombies.

I’ve read articles, blog posts, and books on pitching but I always felt as if something was missing (from my pitch, not the information). Maybe it just takes me longer to “get it.”

Fortunately, a recent article by author and professor Luke Williams in the Atlantic magazine helped me realize what I was missing: the turning point. Williams quotes master storyteller and screenwriter Robert McKee who says that, “turning points have to surprise, increase curiosity, and present a new direction.”

If you want to sell yourself and your ideas, make sure this element is part of your pitch.

Read the full article here.

Sep 27

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Get in your writing groove with a dance break

As important as it is to get in the zone when you’re writing, it’s equally important to get out of your chair once in awhile and shake yourself up a bit.

That’s where the writer’s dance break comes in.

Even Daniel Pinkwater, author of “The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization,” took breaks from writing to stomp around outside. In describing how he wrote The Neddiad, Pinkwater said: Read more

Sep 26

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How a reverse outline can make your story stronger

Recently, I decided to turn a minor theme in my memoir into a major one. I knew this would involve another edit of my manuscript, which I was loath to do because I wanted to work on my next book. Plus, it’d been awhile since I read the manuscript so it would take a chunk of time just to immerse myself in the flow of it again.

I decided the quickest, most efficient way to do this would be to create a reverse outline (one that’s created after your manuscript is finished).

I didn’t create an outline when I began the memoir, because I didn’t know what my story would be. I’m sure that sounds strange—to not know what the story of your life is, but we all have multiple stories inside us—who we are and what has shaped us. Writing is an act of discovery and as time went on, I realized I needed to build out one of my themes to reflect the evolution of my story. Read more

Sep 23

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Five tips to find your unique writing style

Writing style is all about the decisions you make to express yourself on the page. Style is a blend of many elements, including sentence length, rhythm, and vocabulary. It has to do with how you apply description, dialogue, and characterization. It’s a reflection of your individuality.

Consider these guidelines as you develop your unique style:

Don’t purposely try to mimic another writer. You can’t develop your own style if you’re trying to imitate someone else’s. Read other writers and observe their style as inspiration, but don’t copy them.

Let your writing flow. Don’t overthink style. Just go with the flow. Style is a mix of conscious and unconscious decisions. Write naturally, letting your unique personality and instincts guide you. Read more

Sep 22

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When do you call yourself a writer?

Some days, it seems as if everybody thinks they’re a writer. A few years back I was visiting my mother-in-law in Cherry Valley, California, where I spent the mornings writing at a local Starbucks. As I sat outside sipping my latte and working on my laptop, at least five people a day approached me to ask what I was doing. When I said I was a writer, most of the people proceeded to sit down and tell me their own writing dreams. Guess I just have one of those faces.

One woman, a teacher, hoped to retire and write full time. One man had already published a technical book but really wanted to write fantasy. Another man said, “Oh, my sister is a writer, too.” When I asked him what she wrote, he replied, “Oh, nothing yet. But she’s going to start soon.” Read more

Sep 21

Test your manuscript to see if it’s a page turner

Why are some books so riveting, while others are just okay? What qualities of a story make you want to stay up all night reading even when you know the dreaded alarm will be going off at o’dark thirty?

If your goal is to write a page turner (and whose isn’t?), test your memoir, short story, or novel against these criteria to see how close you’ve come.

1. Create characters readers will care about.  Grab your readers’ attention with fully developed characters. If readers are attached to the characters, empathize, or even hate a character, they’ll want to know what happens next.

2. Make sure that something important is at stake. What does your protagonist stand to lose or gain?

3. Start chapters with a sense of drama, mystery, or trouble. Create curiosity. It helps to start with your manuscript’s first line.

In “After the Game,” from Selected Stories, author Andre Dubus begins: “I wasn’t in the clubhouse when Joaquin Quintana went crazy.” Read more

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