Strong Writers Review The Basics

I am always talking here about the need for writers to truly understand the craft of writing, as well as understanding how to do literary analysis. It is beyond crucial for an author to understand what makes a great story great and a bad story bad. Unfortunately, too often, writers just come back to "I didn't like it" or will only look at surface issues that really don't factor into the quality of a story. I would also add that the Romance Writers of America have faced this same issue over the years with their Golden Heart and RITA competitions. Fellow authors critiqued and scored other authors' stories with no criteria other than "Do I like it or not?" Far from literary analysis.

When I bring this idea up, I always return to the basics we all learned in junior high and high school English classes as well as those freshman level courses in college. These 4 basic elements hold the entire story together and authors need to take the time to fully understand the "whys" and the "hows" of each of these elements: PLOT, SETTING, CHARACTER, and THEME.

PLOT Writers often screw this one up horribly. Where most people go wrong is the thought that the plot is nothing more than a sequence of events. This happened and then this happened. While that is partially true, each of those events have to have a purpose and have to connect to one another. Strong writers know why they put events into a story and how those events extend off of an earlier event and connect to the next event. They also understand the use of transitions that smoothly connect those events, especially when moving from one sub-storyline to the next. For reference, authors know how to use the basic plot diagram.

SETTING This too is amazingly important. Strong writers know why they are placing that story in a certain location and time period. There is a true reason for doing so. The weak writers miss the point. For example, I had an author submit a suspense novel to me several years ago. She placed it in the early 70's and her only rationale was that she didn't want the characters to have wi-fi. That was it? The problem is that the story now felt out of date. It was a contemporary that just felt strange. 

To take this a step further, authors know what setting will really sell right now and what stories will not sell. Think of it this way. In this turbulent time, there are simply some places in the world using that setting would set off too many bad feelings. 

Finally, these strong authors know how to make the town come alive. The setting is not just a name. Again, I see all of the time, authors creating small towns such as "Quiet Valley, Colorado," or "Harmony, Wyoming." To somehow convey the mood of the town. It has to be much more than a name.

CHARACTERS Successful writers fully understand their main characters and know exactly what they would say and what they would do in each situation. Weak writers have the plot telling them what to do. Not good!

Too often, I read projects where the characters just feel flat. Sure the author has put in dialogue tags and adjectives, but the character is nothing more than a Flat Stanley.

Why have you chosen that character? What do the secondary characters really do in the story? These are things you need to be able to understand fully to be successful. 

THEME This is the big one and something too many authors simply do not understand. What is the message you want the readers to walk away with? What is the "take away?" When I ask authors this they often say things like, "This is a coming of age story." or "This is a lost love story." No, this is not a theme but a trope. The theme is the underlying message that EVERY action, scene and character work though. This is the lens the author is telling the story through. Consider this basic list. UNIVERSAL THEMES.

Look, there is nothing wrong with saying you might not fully understand these elements. In fact, if you can admit to it, then it becomes your first step in becoming a strong writer. Take the time to learn these, not just as a reader, but also as a writer. I promise, your stories will become infinitely stronger!

Don't Second Guess Your Story

This is an issue that I do believe every writer faces. It is that moment, when you are well into your book that you start having second thoughts about the project. I know that many of my clients face this same moment. Understand that you are not alone.

So, first rule when this happens. Don't panic! You don't have to throw the entire book out. At least not yet. Take a deep breath and just think.

Part of the reason this is happening is that you have been immersed in the writing. The odds are, your brain is getting tired and you need to be able to step back. One of my authors always faces this at two points in the writing process. The first is in the initial writing when she just gets past the half way point in the book and she sees the end, or at least knows the end is out there. The second happens when she is going through her revisions from her editor and, get this, she is closing in on the deadline. She will call and complain saying the book is "just garbage." At this point she also knows all of her readers will disappear and her publisher will fire her. These negative comments are simply not going to help her out at this stage.

As I said, her negative thoughts are coming from being too immersed in the writing. But there is also the issue of the pending deadline that seems to be moving faster than she can write or edit.

As her agent, this is where I step in to inject some positive thinking. We discuss all of the great things she has done so far. We talk about how these issues will work in the story, and even how it has worked for other authors. And yes, we even will throw the readers under the bus by saying that if there is someone who complains about this one little point, that person is not worth it. The rest of her readers like her writing.

Now, another reason this occurs stems from a lack of planning on your part. If you don't know where you are going, you will end up some place you don't want to be. AGAIN, this is the reason why I fully recommend planning out your book and not just sitting down and writing. If you don't see that future in your book, you will feel lost.

So the solution here is simple. Make a plan to get yourself through that phase of the writing. What needs to get done to work your character through just that scene or that predicament? For my author, she starts panicking the moment she thinks of all the changes her editor wanted. We have to talk her down off the ledge and focus on only one issue at a time. When we do this, all is fine.

Just understand, this is normal. You can get though it. 

“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.”

― Coco Chanel 

So, this weekend, I was watching my cooking shows, and once again, I heard a quote that was so perfect for authors.

I think that too often, I am passing on projects because they are simply trying to do too much. Authors add subplots, extra characters and extra scenes just to enhance a story. The reality is that adding more often ruins the entire story and forces the reader to lose sight on the central theme you probably (or hopefully) established in the beginning.

I have been working with one of my authors on some revisions, and she was also running into this same problem/ When she sent me her project, she was talking of adding full scenes to even a full new chapter to fix some issues. This would have distracted from the great story she was writing.

The solution? We found 3 places in 3 chapters to simply add a couple of sentences of introspection for the characters. When the reader gets through those three chapters, a whole new level would have been developed. Adding the chapter? Too much!

If you feel your story is not working for you, the key might not be adding more, but taking something out. Simply and focus! That will always create the great story

What To Cut And What To Lose From Your Story

I was talking with a client a couple of days ago and we were venting about some recent books we had read. Other than the normal, "How did this even get past an editorial board?" discussions, one of the biggest things we looked at were the number of books with so much useless information included. So, that led to the question: what do cut and what to keep?

I get that when we are writing, our brains start to take over and we really don't "think" about the words going on to those pages. At the time we are writing those scenes, everything seems relevant. We know that our readers will need all of that information either at that exact moment, or even when we get to a later scene. Unfortunately, 90% of the time, that is not the case. Now, the time you spent writing those scenes and the time it will take for the reader to get through that useless scene is for nothing.

One of the first rules I follow when it comes to looking at the need for a scene is simply, "Does it advance the storyline." Does the inclusion of that scene, that character, that segment move the plot any further? In many cases, that scene only sets a tone or is a vehicle to get the characters from one scene to the next.

I think a great example of this is something one of my writers faced while writing her last book. She had a great well written scene with the hero and heroine in a carriage driving out to a summer house. In the end, however, we felt the story was just slow right there. The answer was simple. Cut the scene. The dialogue the shared in the carriage, the introspection and all of that other "stuff" was cut down to one paragraph at the summer house. Something to the effect of "The three hour carriage ride was fantastic. They talked about their goals and dreams. They shared thoughts about the latest politics..." I think you get the idea.

If you think about it, this all comes down to word economy. Those 2000 words you used to describe that carriage ride can easily be used for more worthy things later in the story.

So, ask yourself today. Does the story need that scene, or is it something you just need to see in your head as an author to get the characters to their next destination?

Why Did You Add That To Your Story?

I started thinking about this as I was reading a recent submission where the author was really going heavy on the swear words. This was a romantic suspense and it really had me questioning. Why was it that the author was so determined to have that many swear words in the story? And then it extended to really wondering what authors were thinking about many things in stories.

Let's start first with the swearing. I used to teach creative writing to junior high and high school students. When we first start, some of the first questions I get are "Can we swear in the story." There is a giddy excitement that now they get to actually say those things they get in trouble saying. My answer always shocks them. "Sure, as long as it is necessary."

I always like to give two examples here. The first came from my American Literature instructor at the University of Puget Sound. He was a Vietnam lit specialist. He would note that the door gunner had the worst life expectancy rate out of many of the soldiers. But he would also go on to describe the world the military were having to live in. He would note that, after hearing all of what they were going through, it shouldn't shock a reader to know that the language level in this literature was pretty dang high.

The second example is more designed for those of you with kids, or who have been around kids. Have you ever stepped on a Lego with bare feet? In this case, you will know that the word "Ouch" just doesn't sum up the pain. In this case, that four-letter word is probably more descriptive.

I do believe that many authors add the language to their stories in an effort to "create a mood." Unfortunately, this is not going to do that. The language the characters use will shape the way we see the character, but the mood is based on the narrative you put around the dialogue. It comes from the descriptive phrases and paragraphs you add to the story.

I think another element I often question in the stories is the addition of unnecessary sex. This becomes especially true when authors want to create a "hotter" story. The result, however, of adding in those unnecessary scenes, is the creation of unrealistic characters. True sexual tension comes from holding off getting those characters together as long as you can. It is like blowing a balloon up to that maximum capacity, right until the moment it pops.

These are just two examples, but it might give you something to ponder as you work on your story today. Always ask yourself, "Why am I putting this in the story?" Does it really add to the story, or is it just a plot device because you think it is necessary for the genre? Is it really driving the story forward, or is it simply adding word count? These are important decisions to really create strong and powerful stories.