Pen Dames Pointers! Tips to Jazz Up Your Writing 2023-9-19

 A passion of Pen Dames is to help other writers by sharing tips and insights we have learned along the way. We hope you will find the pointers beneficial to your writing process. 

Jennifer Taylor

Plotting:

Every writer works out their plots differently. Some people (definitely not me) see the plot in their heads like a movie. If you're a plotter, you might write an outline. Over the years and the three novels I've written, I've tried different methods.  I have learned what works for me (although I'm always open to trying new things). I'm a semi-pantser and work on developing my characters first. 

Once I know what a character would do in a given situation, I take one of those big desk calendars-I usually pick up a couple at the end of the year when they're cheap. Instead of the day of the week, for example, I cross out "Sunday" and put "Chapter One". I'm a global type of thinker and tactile, so I like to have everything in front of me. So I use the calendar to jot down ideas for the chapter and which characters are featured. Remember, these are early days. I use the other calendar to jot down random ideas and eventually, I'll transcribe both "calendars" into my computer, which always seems to generate new ideas. 

This is my strategy for the early days of plotting. If you try it, I'd love to hear how it went for you. And if you have any questions, feel free to comment on our blog.

Flossie Benton Rogers

To tune in more deeply to your characters and descriptions, visualize your scene. Put yourself in the place of your point of view character and walk through the scene. Notice what she notices. Feel what she feels. What gestures does she naturally make while speaking? What sensations does she experience?  Getting to know her better can create more authenticity in character development.

Loretta C. Rogers

Does My Story Need Suspense?

Part I

The short answer is: Yes!

Every story, regardless of genre, needs some sense of build-up and suspense. No suspense at all will leave a flat story line. Utilizing suspense can move the plot forward, strengthen interest in your characters, and have your reader wrapped up in how you tell the story. If you craftily use foreshadowing, cliffhangers, red herrings, and symbolism, you can build depth to your story and make it come alive.

For example, in a romance novel you might create a cliffhanger by creating a new scene when a character professes his love after an emotional build-up, but you fast forward to a different scene or flash back to another before the other character responds.

In a thriller/suspense/mystery novel, you might need to draw out suspense for a couple of chapters. For example, you place your H/H in the middle of the action by having them running from someone or trying to catch someone or waiting to be rescued but the rescuer is delayed, and time is running out.

Stay tuned for the next Pen Dames Pointers where I will share 4 tips for crafting a suspenseful scene. 

Katherine Eddinger Smits

If you plan to publish and sell your books, I recommend setting up a website and establishing a social media presence before you begin submitting. That’s right! Do it now while you’re still working on your first draft. 

I know what you’re going to say. “I don’t have anything to show anyone yet.”

BUT

That is wrong. You have yourself, your writing process, your thoughts about the publishing journey, and so much more!

Readers want to know about you, the writer. When did you know you wanted to write? How long have you been writing? What are your favorite genres and books? Who are your favorite authors?

You can answer any of those questions and many more.

Start with one platform. Chances are, you already use at least one. If Facebook is your jam, establish an author profile. If you’re on TikTok, you have potential gold. Post, engage, and repeat.

Next, launch your website. Find a free one and DIY. You can do it. Once you know how, you’ll never have to pay someone else to create or maintain one. Trust me, this will save you a lot of money.

On your website, be sure to include a Landing Page so readers can sign up for your newsletter. Get all your family and friends to subscribe. 

Begin sending out newsletters. They don’t have to go out often or contain tons of content at first, but this will help you learn how to do them and get into the habit of sending them. 

Planning to submit to a traditional publisher? Great! You still need to do all of the above. Having a social media presence could actually help get your work accepted, and chances are, you’ll be asked to implement all these things and more anyway.

Take a little time and establish yourself on social media, your website, and newsletter. With each book you publish, the demands on your time will grow. Organizing all this early in the process will lessen the learning curve and stress of that first release!

Barbara Cairns

After a very frustrating day when technology problems threaten to fry my brain, my writing tip for this month is this: When everything seems to be going wrong, take a day off and do something completely different. Watch a movie on Netflix. Try out a new recipe. Buy a new plant. Phone your friends. Declutter a kitchen drawer. Take your dog for an extra walk. Surprise someone with an act of kindness.

etc. Just remember . . .  There's always tomorrow to write those exact words you want or to conquer that crochety computer.

Did these suggestions resonate with you? Let us know, and also let us know of any writing questions you have and topics you’d like us to cover in these Pointers.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy writing! Cheers from the Pen Dames.

Monster in the Dark - Who will be the next victim?

 To my delight readers often tell me that the paranormal events in my stories sometimes creep them out because the events seem so real; and I’m asked how I accomplish the realism. The answer is neither easy nor difficult. You see, my grandmother was a seer. Yeah, I know, it’s weird. However, she always said that her abilities were a curse and not a gift, and she never wanted any of her children or grandchildren to inherit this empathic ability. So, none of her grandchildren were allowed to have Ouija boards, tarot cards, or a Magic 8 Ball; and we were always cautioned to not ever visit fortune tellers.

Honestly, I never intended to write paranormal or scary stories; it seems to come naturally. Perhaps, a large part of this type story telling stems from my childhood.

As a child, I was considered a “little different,” so books became my best friend. My most favorite stories were fairytales with villains and villainess such as in Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, to name a few. 

“Monster in the Dark” book #4 in my Doc Holliday Mystery Series was inspired by such fairy tale monsters. Please enjoy this excerpt from Monster in the Dark.

As one reviewer said, "A dark mystery that grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go."

Available in Print and Ebook

At first, I thought it was a mannequin. You know, like the ones used in store windows. There was no blood. She was sitting in a chair with her back toward us. The room reminded me of a scene from a horror movie.

Dad said, “Mrs. Gardner?”

I thought about the time I’d been on the movie set of Lights…Camera…Murder where the stunt man was killed, but in this act, there were no supporting actors. In the distance, a dog barked, and there was no movie director to call “Cut!”

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. The beats of my heart echoed inside my ears. I eased around the table. Oh, God! She was real. She was once…like flesh and blood and bone…just…oh, God! The woman I had thought was a mannequin was a corpse.

It was only the extreme brutality of her death that made her appear as if she were not, as if she was some creation of the most brilliant and lurid mind working in a Hollywood special effects studio.

A heavyset woman, clad in an old-fashioned granny dress, her wrists and ankles wrapped with silver duct tape, securely bound to the chair’s arms and legs, and with a double strip of tape that sealed her mouth shut, stared vacant-eyed at an empty soup bowl.

Dad gasped against the offensive smell. “Which fairy tale character is she supposed to be, Tullah, and how long do you think she’s been dead?”

Monster in the Dark is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Kobo, Apple

https://www.amazon.com/Monster-Dark-Doc-Holliday-Mystery/dp/1509250476

 I always enjoy comments from readers. If, for some reason, you are unable to leave a comment, please feel free to comment on Pen Dames FaceBook page. I look forward to hearing from you.

HAPPY READING!