Showing vs. Telling - When Telling is Okay

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! I hope you're all looking forward to the weekend as much as I am. I see so much in reviews about showing vs telling. Today, I'm going to explain why telling is okay now and then, how to gauge when to do it, and when not to. So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

I wrote a post a while back on tension. This is the meat and potatoes of my discussion today. If you haven't read it, do that now so you understand what I mean when I say 5 or 1.

Every chapter of your book should hit at least a 2 or 3 on the tension scale. A 5 should be reserved for those special chapters where you want your reader to bite their nails. Never should you fall below a 1. So what does this have to do with showing and telling?

When you want your reader to feel what's happening on the page, show them everything about the scene: Lay of the land, emotions of the MC, action taking place, what could happen, what is happening, and actions/reactions of other characters.

But to get to that place, sometimes it's okay to tell. While you don't want long passages of filler, you may want to move things along without bogging your reader down in excessive description. I've discussed this before; here's the link: Descriptions - How Much is Too Much?

When the tension is high, launch into those descriptions in vivid detail. Every scene should be rated on the tension scale and adjusted accordingly. A reader won't tolerate scenes with a rating of 0; so, if you find such a scene, either cut it or re-write it.

But, when getting to those moments that bring your scene to the most tense point, you can tell rather than show. The ebb and flow of your story is natural, and should be allowed to happen.

Remember! You can please some of the people, some of the time; but you can't please all of the people, all of the time. In a group of ten, some will love it, others will hate it. Don't let opinions drag you down. After all, there will be people who loathe even the most popular books.

I hope this helps you in some tiny way.

What book gave you too much description or plodded along with chapters ranking 0?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Things I've Unintentionally Learned From Books

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we take a little break from writing to discuss reading. If you're a writer, you're a voracious reader (or you should be, because one cannot write without reading). I'm going to share a few things I've learned over the years through reading books, research when editing books, and proofreading jobs. Buckle in and let's go!

As any of you who've followed my blog for any length of time know, one of my favorite authors, who's now deceased, is Alice Bordchart. She's the author of The Night of the Wolf trilogy and a series she never got to finish (that ties in with the others) called The Dragon Queen. Because I love book covers, here's one of them:

What I learned from this series: Caesar was a vile man. His wife, Calpurnia, was a psychic. Why Greeks were sent to the Colosseum to fight. How Romans and Greeks interacted. What the land looked like back then. And oh, so much more!

From the other series, I learned: Guinevere was the one Arthur needed to save him from his mother. How wolves in the wild interact with one another. Much history about wars that erupted over Europe.

Now, not only was Alice an expert on Ancient Greece and Rome, she's also the sister of the famous Anne Rice. I didn't realize I was learning at the time. But when asked questions in World History I, I knew the answers because I'd read Ms. Bordchart's books.

Another one of my favorite authors is Rick Riordan. From his Percy Jackson series, I've learned a ton about mythology and Greek and Roman beliefs. A new book comes out in October in that series and I'm super stoked! From his Kane Chronicles series, I've learned about Egyptian gods and goddesses. You wouldn't believe how much of it is discussed even today!

Master of medical suspense Robin Cook has taught me about DNA alteration, how insurance companies are raping the consumer, and how medical professionals sometimes get around claim restrictions. One of my favorites by him is Chromosome 6.

This is one that's never hit the mainstream. He was the genius behind Contagion and Invasion, too!









From Cornelia Funke, I learned a little imagination can take you places you never dreamed, and that most readers actually fall into their stories (and I wasn't alone in this).

An Indie book I'm reading, titled Looping in Limbo, is teaching me so much about golf it's unreal! And I'm loving it!

Now, from some of my own writing, proofreading, and editing.

I learned more about Genghis Khan than you could shake a stick at when writing Yassa. Never one to care much about vicious tyrants, I found him to be extremely intriguing and unearthed a strange truth about his life: He had to fight hard to get what he ended up with, and it may have all been for the love of a woman.

When I edited Canopy, for Crystal Lee, I learned a lot about construction of buildings and what it was like to be in the head of a fifteen-year-old girl.

Inzared: Queen of the Elephant Riders, by Linda Leander, forced me to research the circus, the early 1900's, and Gypsies when I did the edit. I learned a lot about snack food and when it was invented. For example, did you know popcorn wasn't a popular treat until the Great Depression hit in the 1920's? Neither did I!

I've also learned about Japanese culture, what it meant to be a Samurai, and how the mind of men in that country work. Through the edit for Chasing Memories, I did research on Wiccans, Yellowstone park, and Colorado. And when I proofread Sixty Days of Grace, I learned a lot about raising a child with Bi-Polar disorder and how to be thankful for each and every day I'm given.

When I wrote The Bird, I found out there's a cool place in Pennsylvania called Ringing Rocks National Park where, if you hit the stones with a hammer, they ring.

My daddy always told me reading was a waste of my time. But, without books, how would I have had the chance to learn all these wonderful things? Sure, I could sit down and read the dictionary; but learning it through a story is so much better. Either way, I'm reading.

So, when people tell you to put down that book because it's rotting your brain, tell them you're studying and to stay out of it. After all, you never know what gems of knowledge a novel may unearth.

Besides, books like Pride and Prejudice tend to change us into the best versions of ourselves.

What have you unintentionally learned from a book?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

5 Ways to Bond Readers and Characters

Happy hump-day, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we'll be talking about ways to get your reader to really give a crap about your character. In reality, that bond is the most important. Forget plot, structure, and tension for a minute and think about your favorite book. What do you remember most? The Journey? The Problems? Or was it a character that made you say, "I want to be like them."? Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get this party started!

Here are five ways to create a tie between your reader and your character without resorting to handcuffs:

1. Likability
I'm sure you've all come across characters you didn't really like very much. Stop and ask yourself why. Were they cruel? Did they have too big of an ego? You want a character who can laugh at themselves. One who is kind or commits random acts of heroism. They need to care more about others than they do about themselves. There is one caveat to this: Power. If you make a character who's vile, give them obscene amounts of power. Above all else, you have to make them interesting enough to hold attention.

2. Inner Conflict
A character who has their mind made up, and one who doesn't struggle in some way, is boring as hell. Yes, this goes back to the doorway of change. Someone who has it all figured out and has no reservations will turn your reader off in a nanosecond. Show the inner conflict of your character, and let them come alive on the page. They'll seem much more real. Check out some of the entries in my Human Nature series of posts. That leads us to...

3. Identification
Here, I'm sure you're saying, "Well, duh, Jo!" But this is something a lot of people miss. Create a human that lives and breathes and your reader will identify with your lead. When we read about people that we can visualize, we tend to care about them. I've talked before about creating perfect characters and why it's never a good idea. Make your reader love the character (for all their flaws). This means...

4. Create Sympathy
There are four ways to do this:

• Give your character hardship. Some kind of hurdle in their life that wasn't self-imposed. If you make it so the character put themselves in that situation, they'll come off as whiny.
• Put them in jeopardy. Trouble is coming and there's no way out of it (or so it seems). Emotional jeopardy is just as heart-rendering as physical.
• Show their vulnerable side. If your lead could lose at any moment, your reader will care. Make them nervous for the protagonist and you'll win.
• Create an underdog. This is the long-shot. Know that horse who was slated to come in last in every race because of a prior hoof injury? What if it wins against all odds? There, you have your underdog. It's the same with characters that are humans.

5. The World and the Rules
Show the reader what life is like for the character. A character could be working or playing, but use this to create a bond and show the rules of their world. Perhaps a humorous mayor or a tough aristocracy is what your world will have. Portray the character in their setting and make one of the rules something they don't like or feel strongly about. It will help it feel like a reality to the reader. They'll inevitably compare it to their own if they believe it; and, bam! you have that special link.

Think about this post from last year: Writers that Cannot Feel, Cannot Write and ask yourself why that holds true. It's the same for readers. They have to feel something when they read your story.

Which of your characters do you love the most? Why?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

20 Ways to Plot Ideas - Part Two of Two

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope your Mondays weren't too bad. I know mine was super duper busy. Melody is in round three of edits and I'm into chapter four of Coralie. I hope you're all as excited as I am about that! Lots coming! But, today, we're continuing the discussion on how to come up with plot ideas. Here are the final ten! Grab your pens and notebooks and write these down!

If you missed day one, here's a link for you: 20 Ways to Plot Ideas - Part One of Two

11. Start With a Title
You can come up with so much from just a title! Think about it: Runner (what does that bring to mind?), The Fae of Ferion, Clockwork Cricket (maybe Cricket is a humanoid), A Piece of Peace. The possibilities are endless!

12. Create a Character
Develop a character using this outline: Character Bios. Then see where that character takes you. Don't forget that the Enneagram Personality Type List can help you decide how that character will act and react. Maybe the character you create will be a supporting cast member. That's okay, too! Change your bratty little brother into a bratty little sister and let them lead the protagonist. Run with it.

13. Make a List
Close your eyes and visualize something from your past. Use the memory to begin a list of things. Write down a couple of words for each scenario. Example: 1. Puppy (the one we found that was half starved) 2. Snow (the time we were homebound) 3. Accident (the time I drove my car into a tree) These all contain the thread of a story. Perhaps it can be woven into the blanket of a novel.

14. Trending
Read the paper or a magazine that deals with a specific subject. If you can read an issue of Popular Science and not get a billion ideas for a plot, you're not paying attention. See what's emerging in the world and write about it. Find something interesting and ask yourself these things: Who cares? What will the trend bring in the next ten years? How can it change the world if everyone takes to it? What if everyone fights it? Who will be impacted? And let your mind go nuts.

15. Prologue Writing
Lights, camera, action! Write a scene filled with action. Pretend it's a short story and use it to build a plot around. Make sure it causes your reader's heart to beat fast. Make them want to turn the page.

16. Write a Sentence
Come up with a fantastic first line for a story and go bananas. Write the entire prologue based on that sentence. Once you have that line, you can back up and flesh your character out or run forward and let him/her lead you where they may.

17. Playing the "What if?" Game
This is a fun game to get your brain working. I came up with an idea for a zombie novel by asking, "What if?" It's easy: Everything you see, question it. Say, "What if that squirrel could talk?" or, "What if people could turn invisible?" You'll find yourself with more plot ideas than you can shake a stick at (this is how The Bird came to be).

18. Do Research
Take a topic you love and plug it into the search engine of your choice. Read everything you come across and take notes or just hold it in your head. Once you've got a good grasp of your subject matter, start writing. All that research will give you a ton of reference to draw from (this is how Yassa came to be).

19. Just Write
Write about anything. It can be the chair you're sitting in, your dog, or the grass in your yard; but get something down on paper. You'll be surprised at how far it can take you. Your dog may be from a shelter, which is run by a corporation, which has a CEO that's a little kinky, and so on. See where I just took that one? It's all about letting your fingers fly.

20. A Dynamite Ending
Come up with the end first. Perhaps your character wins a race. What did he/she do to get there? What stood in the way? Maybe the character is disabled in some way but that didn't happen until he/she was in their thirties and the win is a miracle stemming from hard work and determination. If you have an ending with impact, you'll have little trouble backing up and creating the rest of the story.

I hope you all have wonderful plot ideas in your heads now; or, at the very least, intend to do a few of these exercises.

Thanks for joining me for these two days. Come on back tomorrow for more writing tips!

Which of these do you see working for you?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

20 Ways to Plot Ideas - Part One of Two

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are sitting with your muses for the writing days ahead. Today, I'm gonna tell you ten ways you can get great plot ideas. I hit on this a bit before when I gave you a little bit on How to find an Idea.This will be a lot more in depth. Don't worry, ten more will come tomorrow! So grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

1. Fire in Your Belly
I've breached this first one in the past. It's all about what fires you up. What issues get you all riled up? Pick one and apply some pressure. If you care, your reader will care. But be sure and turn it into a story that people can identify with. No one likes a long lecture.

2. Listen to Music
Sometimes music is just the thing to get your creative juices flowing. Listen to the words and close your eyes. Picture scenes in your head and write a few down.

3. Visualize Scenes
Before you begin writing for the day, take a few moments and watch a little movie in your head. Think of an issue, character, or situation you'd like to hit upon. Free write for at least an hour. Don't think about plot, structure, or punctuation/grammar. Put it away and don't look at it again for a few days. After that, go back and give it a read through. See what makes you smile. Cut it out and use it.

4. Pick up a Newspaper
See what's going on in the world at large. Twist it around and use it as a plot. Those six people who got arrested for cooking meth in their house? They must have a background! Who better to write on a compelling story like that than you?

5. Fetishes/Obsessions
Think about what people are into. Is it a weird predisposition to wear other peoples' shoes? How about a desire to collect things (hoarding)? What could they collect? If you're a fantasy author, this could be pixies they keep in jars; and the MC could be willing to do anything to get that next, rare one.

6. Thought Web
Back when I was talking about Blog Topics and Where they Come From, I discussed thought webs. This technique works for novels, too! Choose a word and go nuts!

7. Jobs
Start with a job and work your way around what the person in that profession must be dealing with. Maybe the stress leads down a path of self-destruction, maybe it leads down the road of homicide. Perhaps that job has made everyone crazy because of a bug in the ventilation system. Your imagination is the only thing holding you back with this path to plot.

8. Change the Genre
Alice in Wonderland and Snow White have been redone so many times! Why? There's a great plot there that's begging for a makeover! Grab a book and think about how it can be changed to suit a new genre. Make The Princess and the Pea a Sci-Fi story, change the names, outcome, and situation. At the very least, it'll give you direction.

9. I really want to write...
Take twenty minutes out of your day and grab a sheet of loose-leaf. Start with "I really want to write about..." and fill in the rest with what your heart desires to put on paper. Let it take its own direction. Don't force it.

10. Borrow
Do you have a favorite novel? Borrow the plot line. Change everything but the plot. Give characters the personalities you always wanted them to have and write about it. Remember, there are few original plots. It's what happens from point A to point B that's different.

I hope this gets you writing if you were in a slump.

What do you do to get plot ideas?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Character Arcs

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! I'm looking forward to the weekend SO much. Melody is in round three of edits (see this post for the editing steps I take) and Coralie's story is flying from my fingers. I've been an emotional wreck the last few days because her story is truly terrifying. But, today isn't about those books, though I may use them for reference, it's about Character Arcs. What the heck is a Character Arc? Well, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

If you've been a regular visitor to the blog, you've probably read a lot about doorways and change. I'm always talking about how a character should pass through the doorway of no return and how that moment should end up changing your character in a profound way. But what are the steps from doorway to epiphany?

An excellent character arc has these things:

• Meeting
• The Doorway
• Impact on the Persona
• Moment of Change
• Finale

Meeting is where we're introduced to the character and learn a little about them. This isn't full disclosure, it's a tasting of the character's basic beliefs, values, attitudes, and opinions. Now, the basic beliefs and values a person holds are a direct result of their attitudes and opinions. Change enough of the opinions and you end up changing a core belief.

This is where The Doorway comes into play. Your character must waver on the threshold. Because of their beliefs and values, they won't want to step through that door. Find a way to shove them through. Leave them no choice in the matter. This is the beginning of change.

A few examples: In Mystic ~ Bronya, she has to leave the town she's in and give up on the possibility of love. I shoved her through the door by taking away all she cared about and leaving her no other option. While she answers the letter from WSTW with gusto, she almost turns around at the airport because she's still trying to retain hope that she'll end up with Cecilia. In Mystic ~ Lily, she's made to face the person in the mirror and practice self-love. She fights it because drugs and alcohol have served her well in taking away the pain up to that point. I added Markaza to the mix to shove Lily through the doorway; kicking and screaming.

Impact on the Persona happens throughout the story. These are what lead a person to begin to change their beliefs. Maybe hate is erased or judgment tendencies are quelled. But there are always outside forces at work. People the character interacts with or things they witness will begin to change their opinions, thereby changing their attitudes, values, and beliefs.

There has to be a Moment of Change. From everything that happens to the character from the doorway beyond, it will bring about the epiphany. It's that "ah ha!" moment. And it can't come out of nowhere. Outside forces are always at work on all of us. It's the same with your character.

You don't have to write out the moment. It can be shown via actions during the Finale. New things the character does or says can show the reader just how monumental the change was, and how the values and beliefs of the character were altered.

In a series, the Moment of Change doesn't usually happen in the first book; but in the last. For example: In the Mystic series, none of my ladies have really had that moment yet. Markaza is off collecting the girls,  each book is a sampling of their individual doorways, and some of the Impact that occurs to force the girls to pass through. There's no outside forces changing their belief systems just yet (though there was a hint of it in Mystic ~ Shelia when Aunt Ivy shows up).

Now, how to keep it straight?

Try creating a Character Arc list. Four columns on a sheet of paper, each with a heading. Here's an example:

Temujin begins life believing he's the end-all be-all and has very astute ideals about how things should be. When he breaks his values during the story, he ends up with a lot of humility and understanding about life and love. This can be ramped up with a little bit of tweaking, but it'll give you a map to work from. I didn't show what I have in store for the women of WSTW because that would spoil the last book.

I hope you all have a good grasp of Character Arc and a handy tip that will help you formulate a plan.

Question of the day: Do you plot out your characters beyond page one? How has it helped you/hindered you?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Plotting, Pantsing, and 'Tweening

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I'm gonna talk about plotting, pantsing, and 'tweeners. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you're in the right place for learning! So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First, let's discuss plotters.

If you're a plotter, chances are you have copious notes about where your character is going, what they're going to do, and where they'll end up when the story comes to an end. How many different plots are there? A ton. But every plot will tell you exactly what your character will face and achieve by the end of the story.

Plotters often go all out and make an entire outline before they begin writing.

Pros of Plotting:
You're almost guaranteed a well structured plot.
There are no holes in your story.
You have a lot of control over what happens and when.
A huge sense of security is provided for the writer.

Cons of Plotting:
Possible loss of spontaneity by the lead.
You can become stuck going in a direction you don't want to go in.
Twists that could happen are beaten into submission by structure.
Index cards can become overwhelming.

Now, on to the pantsers.

If you're a pantser, you probably write with abandon. There are no notes to guide you, and your lead goes wherever he/she wants to. You're but a follower and chronicler. Just the thought of an outline leaves you running for the hills, screaming gibberish about how you can't work under this kind of pressure.

Pantsers often grab a story idea and run with it; having no idea where the characters will end up.

Pros of Pantsing:
You have the freedom to let your characters do as they wish.
With a set word count goal every day, you write what you feel.
There is no direction you have to force your way toward; opening your story up to twists and turns.
Characters feel real and you have an excellent understanding of their nature.

Cons of Pantsing:
Your plot may have gaping holes.
Characters can get sidetracked in a big way, leading to parallel plots you didn't intend.
You have no control beyond what you decide to put on paper.
Fixing your manuscript when complete can be a huge pain in the ass.

What the hell is a 'tweener?

A 'tweener writes out a loose plot and pantses their way through the rest. If you're a 'tweener, you'll oftentimes change the plot halfway through or end up abandoning the finale you had in mind from the beginning altogether. You're in a class with some of the most creative writers because you hold an idea in your head but are open to changes along the way.

'Tweeners write down an idea, work it through, then write with a kind of abandon that sticks loosely to the original.

Pros of 'Tweening:
You have structure from the beginning, but aren't pigeonholed to one story line.
Your characters go where they choose and do whatever strikes their fancy with no prerequisites about how that should happen.
Your plot is generally solid.
Index cards are your friends, but you aren't afraid to set fire to them or put them through the paper shredder when need be.
Stories written by you are full of adventure.
There's a hint of security in that you have an ultimate goal for your lead.

Cons of 'Tweening:
You may find yourself burning those index cards only to re-write them and tack them back on the board because you lost your plot along the way.
You're more susceptible to writer's block because twists leave you with no way to get back on track.
Characters can take over your story and run amok.
You must keep copious notes as you go.

No matter what kind of writer you are, every story has a Lead, Objective, Confrontation, and Knockout (ending). Every story also has a doorway (moment of decision) through which plotters lead their characters, showing them exactly where to put their feet and telling them what to expect on the other side, pantsers shove their characters and step back to watch what happens, and 'tweeners send their characters to the door, educate them about what may be on the other side, open it, and note what happens next.

When doing your first round of edits, look for holes, fat, and structure. Make sure it's all working the way you want it to. If you know what kind of writer you are, you know what to be leery of.

What kind of writer are you? Why?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo