Part 3: Make ‘em Pull an All-Nighter

            This has nothing to do with becoming an evil professor that gives a ridiculous amount of homework that is all due the next day. No, I’m referring to those books that keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning because you just can’t put them down.

The tips from this session came from a long-time book editor named Lorin Oberweger. She actually handed out a detailed sheet with her own method and rating sheet, but I’m just going to give you some of her general tips. I don’t know if her method is copyrighted or not, so I won’t go into it. If you want to look into taking one of her awesome sessions, though, you can find out more about her here.

So let’s get started:

#1. Out with the Old, in with the New

Readers are excited when they’re given a new way of looking at things. Be original with your story and put something fresh out there. “But how?” you say. “There are so many stories out there. The one I want to tell is probably already written!”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t totally buy into that phrase, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” It just sounds like an excuse to not be creative. Sure, there are going to be unoriginal pieces in your writing, but what will make your work one-of-a-kind is how you manipulate those pieces and make them into a brand new whole.  Write about a murder from the perspective of the victim’s ghost or place your story in prehistoric times but give everyone cellphones. Use your book as a kaleidoscope that readers can look through to see their ordinary world differently.

#2. Action vs. Reaction

I used to come up with these fast-paced plots that I was so excited to write, but when it came time to sit down and begin, I found that my main characters were dull and flat. Every time. I couldn’t figure out where I’d gone wrong when I had such a riveting story line planned out. Then, one of my friends pointed out that my protagonist wasn’t causing any of the action but was simply being carried along by the events in the story and reacting to what others were doing.

Don’t make the same mistake I did for the longest time. Make sure your main characters are actively engaging in the story. Have them make bold choices or stupid mistakes that alter where the plot goes. The character may not have caused the inciting incident, but the rest of the story should be about the actions they take to reach their ultimate goal that was set in motion by that incident. To make sure that your character is being active, ask yourself this: If I took away the external conflicts and obstacles, would my character be doing anything?

In one of the best movies of all time, Starlord kicks off the movie by making a choice that affects the rest of the plot. He steals the mysterious glowy ball for himself and everyone comes after him.

#3. FOR SPARTA!!!!!!

Another way to make sure that your characters are exciting and well-rounded is to give them clear goals that motivate their actions. If you set up an important desire for your character that he’s determined to accomplish, readers are more likely to keep reading to see if he succeeds. You can also use a more tangible goal of completing something concrete to symbolize the character getting what he wants internally.

For example, let’s say my character is a guy named Hank Girlyman. He decides he’s going to be the ultimate wrestling champion, no matter what it takes. He goes through a lot of unfortunate (and hilarious) attempts but he never gives up, despite the impossible odds. In the end, he loses, but he’s gained the respect of many people. He’s still happy even though he failed, because what the wrestling champion goal really represented was his desire to be seen as a manly man and to be respected. Yay Hank!

Hank Girlyman is manly.

#4. The Reader Connection

Okay. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record with how much I’m talking about characters, but they’re sort of an important part of the story. So here’s another tidbit to work on with anyone you put into your book. Use lots and lots of emotion. I don’t mean, “Marcy felt afraid as she walked through the woods.” I don’t want to be told that she’s afraid. I want to be shown so that I can feel it too. “As she crept through the woods, the hairs on the back of Marcy’s neck stood up and she felt a tingling sensation down her spine, as if a thousand spiders were crawling down her back.” See the difference?

People read stories because it’s the closest they can come to living in another time or possessing magical powers. They want to be the characters and not just see them. Lorin Oberweger pointed out that books should be less passive than movies. In books, we can get inside a character’s head and experience things through their eyes, instead of just watching things happen to someone else.

Someday we'll find it, the reader connection, the readers, the writers, and meeeeeee!

#5. Be a Drama Queen

That’s right, I said be a drama queen. Writing and acting are probably the only two places where you’ll hear that. (By the way, have you ever noticed that writing is basically acting for introverts?) What I mean by that is that you shouldn’t be too afraid about giving your characters too much emotion. Open yourself up and let it out. Just like with makeup for actors on stage, you have to lay your characters’ emotions on thick for anyone to really notice them. What seems overdone to us is probably not the case for the reader.

Remember what I said about motivating characters with strong goals? Since they cling to these goals so dearly, they’re likely to have some pretty extreme reactions when things bring them closer to or further away from their dreams. Make them throw things or cry or laugh uncontrollably. But remember: show, don’t tell.

What do you mean there's no milk left? I've already poured the cereal! All I wanted was a fulfilling breakfast. My life is over!

#6. The Eye of the Beholder

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which means that one person’s perspective is different from another’s, and that’s another great way to bring some excitement into your story. Give your characters unique ways of looking at things and demonstrate their diverse personalities through strong voice. Your writing voice should be a combination of the character’s emotion, language, and perspective.

Lorin actually had some really good exercises for practicing different voices. First, she said to take your opening scene and practice re-writing it in a different emotion, such as fear, anger, or anxiety. The more you emphasize your character emotion, the stronger your voice. She also said you could practice writing one setting from multiple perspectives. Maybe Tabitha thinks of the mansion as a big fairy-tale castle while her father just thinks of it as a big lonely house with a lot of empty rooms. Feel free to share what you come up with in the comments. I definitely want to try these on my own stories!

Part 2: Writing a Thrilling Thriller that Thrills

                On to part two! In case you couldn’t already guess, this one is all about writing thrillers. So let’s get right to it!

#1. Tension Builders

 The building blocks of tension are more than just action scenes. Setting, character, and structure can be great ways to introduce tension as well. Mention a place a couple of times before the character goes there to create suspense. Or create a character who brings trouble with him every time he walks into the room. Pacing is another great way to add tension, but we’ll get more into that next. Even if nothing scary ends up happening at your setting or with that certain character, it could still get readers on the edge of their seats. What could happen can be just as scary as what is happening. Just make sure that something is still happening in your story. J

#2. Rogue Treadmill

If any of you are masochistic psychos like me, you’ve probably tortured yourself before by running on a treadmill. Some people prefer to keep the pace slow, while others like to run the whole time. I usually prefer to mix it up a bit, but no matter what your preference, you’re always in control of the speed. Now picture being on a treadmill where you have no idea what the speed will be and it could change at any time. One minute you’re walking nice and slow and then BAM! You’re running at full speed and it’s all you can do to keep up! When it slows down again, do you think you’re going to be able to relax? No! You’re going to be nervously waiting for the next unexpected bout of speed.

Your book should be written the same way. Lull your readers into a false sense of security with some beautifully-written narrative scenes (not too long though. We don’t want to put them to sleep.) Then crank up the speed with short, clippy sentences and life-threatening action scenes! If you set a good, unexpected pace for your story, your readers will be thrilled the whole time, even during the slower sections!

*Also important: Make sure not to slow down the action scenes for narrative. Explain before or after the action, not during. That’ll just feel disruptive and unnatural to your readers.

#3. Hook, Line, and Sinker

This one applies to all stories, but especially to thrillers. Grab the reader from the first two pages, and don’t let go. That may not sound like much time. You probably wouldn’t have even introduced all of your main characters yet. But if you don’t give readers a reason to keep going in the first two pages, they’ll put the book down and walk away. The best way to give a solid hook is to use voice. No matter what POV you write in, develop a strong story-telling voice in which to relay your tale. Give the narrator a unique perspective on seemingly simple things to spark curiosity.

Here’s a great example of strong voice in the first line from a well-known book called “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger.

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

And, since I’ve got a picture for everything else, here’s a picture of a great beginning in a little movie some of you may have heard of called Jurassic Park.

Raise your hand if you weren't the teensiest bit curious about what could possibly be in the big metal box that was eating people? That's what I thought.

#4. Make it Personal

Picture yourself walking down the street when you see someone pass by in a clown suit. You’d probably think ‘Wow, what a weirdo’ and then just keep walking without giving him a second thought. But what if you found out later through a friend that he worked as a clown at birthday parties because it was the only job he could get since getting laid off. And not only that, but he had to sell his car to pay for his son’s medical bill, so he had to walk to each of his jobs. He suddenly just got a lot more interesting right?

If only I still had my car. And my job. And a healthy son. = (

That’s kind of an extreme example, but my point is, add emotion! It’s not enough to just create an odd or unique character. Give the reader a reason to care. Oh, your good guy is a monkey with a college degree who is trying to be the first animal president? That’s great but why should I care? The fact that he’s a monkey with a college degree will only hold my interest for so long. Why does he want to become president so badly? What does he hope to change? Did he have to go through torturous procedures to become smart? Is he trying to get revenge on what was done to him by taking over the world? Is he going to become Commander in Chief of an ape army? This is getting to be too much like Planet of the Apes here. Moving on!

For my first order of business, I will eat this banana.

#5. I’m late! I’m late! For a very important plot resolution!

Nothing gets my heart racing like a deadline. The closer I get to the last minute, the bigger that ticking clock appears in my head. All I can think about are the seconds going by, and everything seems to speed up. Put this same effect in your book by giving the protagonist a slim window to complete his or her goal. Then, take that time window and shorten it! Make sure the stakes are high if the protagonist doesn’t succeed. Will his failure result in losing his dreams? His loved ones? His own life? You decide, but bring him close to the end of that clock so that your readers are genuinely unsure whether he’ll succeed or not.

#6. Confounded Conflicts

In addition to time limit, your characters should have a whole slew of conflicts that are getting in their way. Make it as difficult as you can for them to succeed. The higher the stakes, the more curious readers will be to see how your character manages to succeed.

Keep in mind that there should be two threads of conflicts running through your story: internal and external. Internal involves the character’s development as a person throughout the novel and how he or she feels about each situation. External involves the physical conflicts that can be seen without being in the reader’s head. Some examples are natural disasters, kidnappings, deaths, etc.

This

is a lot more exciting than

this.

*Bonus Tip!*

The last thing your readers will read is your ending. Make it a good one. Do I need to put the Toy Story image on here again to drive this point home?

Conference Tips Part 1: Creating an Effective Series

                  As promised, I am sharing with you the golden nuggets of wisdom that I learned from my writing conference. When I started typing them up, though, I realized it would be a really long post. So I’ll be delivering them in parts. Here is Part 1: Creating an Effective Series. Remember: these rules can apply to any genre, and don’t take them as written in stone.

Creating an Effective Series:

#1. Make sure to provide a resolution for your main plot. Leaving too big of a cliff hanger will make your readers mad. The sub plots are the ones you can leave open for the next book.

#2. If you ever plan to publish your series, write the first one as a book that could stand alone if it needs to. There is no guarantee that a publisher would buy the rights to your whole series. Plant seeds for another book, but don’t make it necessary. For all of you visual people:

See how the seeds are hidden below ground? The reader might not be able to see them in your first book, but they're still there.

#3. Create a book bible for tracking all the details of your story. You can probably find a template for this if you google it. It’s important to make sure all of your details are consistent throughout the series so people don’t end up saying this about your novels:

#4. When recapping a previous book at the beginning of a sequel (which is always a good idea) don’t give everything about the last book away. You want readers that are starting in the middle of the series to want to be intrigued enough to go back. Always leave them wanting more.

"Ooh! What's that over there in book one?"

#5. This was a tough one for me to hear because I’m totally guilty of this: don’t save all the good stuff for your next book. This might sound like an obvious tip, but stop and think about it. Have you ever said when describing your series something like ‘Oh, well the bad guy’s identity isn’t revealed until book two.” Or how about, “Wait until you get to book three. That’s when the ultimate showdown happens.” If so, then you’re as guilty of this as I am. We have to give our first book everything we’ve got and not hold anything back. When it comes time to write the second book, we’ll come up with something even more epic to include. A writer’s imagination is endless. Remember: you’re not guaranteed to have your entire series published. Wouldn’t you hate for your readers not to get to read your ultimate fight scene just because you had planned it for a book that will never be published? I know. It burns. That’s how I felt when I first heard this tip. Put on some aloe and get back to writing.

#6. And my favorite series tip: Create ‘yes’ moments. Have you ever watched a show or read a series where something seemingly insignificant from the very beginning suddenly popped up much later in the series and became a vital part? That’s a ‘yes’ moment! It’s when those seeds you planted much earlier, have now popped up and blossomed into a full tree when you weren’t looking. If done correctly, it’s a very neat trick.

Write On Target

“For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven't tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar, never fail to be polite and never outstay the welcome. Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience.”

-                            From “The Beach” by Alex Garland

Hello old friends! I have returned! I was off sucking in my own experience at the Tallahassee Writer’s Conference, Write On Target, with my friend/roommate Patty this past weekend. It was my first writing conference, and, let me tell you, nothing stirs the imagination like being surrounded by a large group of fellow writers. If you enjoy any kind of writing, no matter what level you’re at, I highly recommend attending a conference.

By the end of this busy weekend, I went to about ten different sessions. Sadly, only about half of them were worth attending though. Luckily for you, I sifted through all of the unnecessary stuff and will share the golden nuggets of wisdom that I uncovered in my next post. The things I learned are helpful no matter what genre your story falls under.

To be honest, being around so many other writers took a little bit of getting used to. In the first session, I was listening to an author talk about the fairies in her book. It’s not every day that you hear grown-ups talking about fairies with a straight face on when there are no children in the room.

This author ended up being my favorite speaker at the conference. Her name is Shelli Johannes. Cool first name, huh? ;) Her sessions were well planned out, clearly explained, and provided a lot of helpful examples.  The best part was, she ended up hanging out in a group with me and a few others, so we were able to ask her as many writerly questions as we wanted!  You should definitely go check out her blog because she had a lot of great things to share. She’s written a really successful teen conservation thriller series called The Nature of Grace. I bought the first book and will put up a review as soon as I’ve read it.

From left to right: Shelli, Me, Patty, and Byna

Another favorite speaker of mine was Arliss Ryan. She actually leads ghost tours with her husband near my hometown! With this information, it should come as no surprise to you that she writes historical fiction. I was blown away by her writing when she shared some examples. I always assumed that you had to be British to write high-quality, believable fiction set in England, but she proved me wrong. I want to read some of her stuff as well. Check out her Facebook here, and if you read or have read any of her stuff, let me know what you think!

By the way, if you’re wondering who Byna is from the picture, we met her at the conference as well. She’s written an apocalyptic zombie novel and has a really neat zombie blog. (Do people still use the word ‘neat’?) Anyway, you can check out her blog here.

I also posted some pics on Instagram of some of the random Tallahassee outings we went on. My friend Sarah who came with us is an FSU alumni so she brought us to some of her old haunts. I felt like an old lady when we went to a college bar called Bullwinkle’s, but they played awesome 90s tunes!

So that’s about the gist of my first writing conference. Check back later for those writing tips I’ve promised, and if you’ve ever been to a conference, I’d love to hear about it in the comments! 

Welcome!

                Allow me to set the scene for you:

A pair of thick wooden doors open to reveal a dimly lit study. The only source of light comes from the large marble fireplace on the opposite side of the room. You’re drawn in by the warmth of the flames, and, as you get closer, you can hear the crackling sound of the slowly-burning logs.

As your eyes adjust to the flickering light, you start to notice the layout of the room. Other than the large mirror hanging above the fireplace, the rest of the wall space is covered by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Upon closer inspection, you realize that you’ve read some of the titles and others you’ve at least heard of. You get caught up in the memories of the stories held in those pages.

The sound of a particularly loud crackle erupts in the flames, and your thoughts drift back to the present moment. You turn around and notice for the first time that there are two plush armchairs sitting in front of the hearth. Their backs are tall enough to hide anyone from sight who chooses to sit down in them. They currently sit empty, but a small round table between the two seats holds a well-worn book, as if someone had been recently sitting there reading.

Without hesitating, you walk over to one of the empty chairs and sit down. As you sink into the soft velvet lining, warmed by the fire’s glow, you can’t help but feel that this place was meant for you.

Your choice to stay seemed to trigger something because the doors you first came through swing open once more. You hear footsteps behind you, and you suddenly start to wonder if you’ve trespassed into someone’s private library. You’re grateful that the distinctive armchair hides you from view, but the stranger doesn’t seem all that surprised to see you when she walks up. Instead, she sits down beside you, and, with a pleasant smile on her face, begins to speak . . .

                I see you’ve found my study. Welcome. I hope you like it. It may not be much in the way of decorating, but it’s cozy.

                You may be wondering why I’m not surprised to see you here. It’s the books, isn’t it? A good story always draws people in time and time again. No matter how you like to read or what your favorite genre is, everyone has something that sparks their imagination.

                That’s why I created this place. I’m sure you’ll have read some of the books on these shelves. There’s nothing better than getting lost in a story, but sometimes a book’s effect on you is too strong to be kept to yourself. This place is the perfect spot to come share your thoughts and hear another’s point of view on your favorite novels.

                Maybe there’s some books that you recognize and have always wondered about. Another great thing about this study is that you’ll hear about a lot of well-known classics and current bestsellers. You don’t have to wander aimlessly anymore to find another captivating book. As a practiced reader, I can give you the ultimate scoop on whether or not a book is worth reading according to your tastes.

                There’s no rule that says we only have to talk about books here, though. Since writing goes hand-in-hand with reading, I’ll be sure to share some of my own works as well as any handy writing tips that I’ve picked up.  One thing to keep in mind is that writing inspiration can be drawn from literally anywhere. Because of that, you may see some random posts about all sorts of things that are currently motivating me or simply making me laugh. I hope they’ll inspire you as well.

                Finally, there’s The Challenge. I’ll give you all the details about that later, but to satisfy your curiosity for now, I’ll give you a few minor details. A few years ago (I don’t remember exactly when), I challenged myself to read all 100 books on BBC’s fan-voted list of the best novels of all time. The list can be found on the right side of this page. I’m almost halfway through, but to push myself to continue, I’m going to add some additional challenges along the way to make things more interesting. I’ll probably make a fool of myself, but that just means it’s more fun for you!

                So now you know what to expect. I hope you’ll stay and visit for a while. The doors to my study are always open for some in-depth book discussions and miscellaneous ramblings.

                There is one note I wish to make. To ensure that everyone is able to experience the joy of reading stories for the first time, please be sure to include SPOILER at the top of your comments that contain any information that could ruin a book for someone. I’ll be sure to do the same.

                Once again, I would personally like to welcome you to Bookin’ It. If you want more frequent updates, feel free to drop by my contact page. Enjoy your visit and come back often!