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.
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Loretta C. Rogers
Read Recent Books in Your Genre
Avoid modeling your story after a book written 10 years ago or you may find that your novel is hopelessly out of date. When you research the market for the genre you plan to write, definitely study the classics, but also read books with recent copyright dates to check out the newer story lines.
Katherine Eddinger Smits
Sensory Details
Readers want to be immersed in a book, to become so involved in the fictional dream they forget where they are and feel like they are living the story along with the protagonist.
How do authors create that experience for them? By using sensory details in description. Sensory details include what the character sees, hears, smells, tastes, feels (both external and internal), and anything they perceive, filtered through their own unique personality, mood, and circumstances.
What does your heroine notice as she runs through the woods?
It depends.
If she’s Little Red Riding Hood trying to escape the Big Bad Wolf, she may only pay attention to the distance remaining to Grandma’s cottage, the weight of the basket thumping against her legs and slowing her down, the blur of tree limbs as she passes by, the wheeze of her breathing: only those things immediately relevant to her dire situation.
What if she is Belle, running through the woods to warn Beast that Gaston is on his way with the torch-bearing villagers intent on destroying him and all those who dwell within his doomed castle? Her heart will be thudding with fear for him, not herself. She’ll spot every root and branch which is about to trip her up or delay her progress. The howling wolves are circling. And the pounding footsteps of the townspeople get louder as they gain on her.
Or what if she is Katniss Everdeen before she volunteers as Tribute? As she runs through the forest, she concentrates on the hunt; her belly grumbles for something to eat; she focuses on the trail of the animal she plans to bring home to feed their family. Small, rustling sounds in the brush indicate where her prey hides. She imagines the aroma of the meal roasting over the fire, and she salivates as she anticipates the meaty, savory taste.
Place your protagonist in a critical scene. Then, consider the sensory details he or she experiences in the moment. Describe two or three of the most evocative ones to your reader, and your story will work its spell on them!
Write What You Want to Read
When you create a story that you love yourself, it comes through in the writing. It will read as if in the words, and your protagonist and characters as a whole, pop off the page instead of being flat. It will also be much easier to write, and you’ll get excited about your story or topic. Picking the right genre for your book matters as you progress on your writing journey.
Honor Your Accomplishments
Making New Year's resolutions? There's nothing like making a fresh start at the beginning of the year. Some years I am as ambitious as a squirrel in a peanut factory. I leave no to-do stone unturned. At the end of the year, when I look back at what I'd written, I laugh like a maniac. There is no way a thousand Nora Roberts could have accomplished the writing goals that I had set out to do (and let's face it, one Nora Roberts is pretty formidable in her ability to produce stories). Now, there's nothing wrong with aiming high, and good for you if you can accomplish every goal you set out to do. And this applies to all life goals. But if you didn't, give yourself Grace.
Even the most realistic writing goals can get derailed by life's unexpected events. For example, you're working like a house afire on that 5,000-word-a-week goal that you had set on January 1, and Pestilence hits the house. Take the Kleenexes that you've stuffed inside your runny nostrils to keep working and go lie down for a nap. We all need to remember Self-Care. You'll be up and running (and hopefully not your nose!) again soon.
At the end of the
week/month/year, take a look at what you were able to
accomplish. Give yourself a break and a pat on the back. You made it through
and now you can begin again. Maybe you'll even get an opportunity to get a few
extra thousand words in.
Whatever your
goals, be it writing, getting in shape, or learning a new hobby or skill,
remember there are people who care about you and who will cheer you on. Just
reach out. And most of all, have a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Sequential Action vs Consecutive Action
Be careful not to show actions happening at the same time when it's impossible for the actions to be anything but sequential. (Exception: Keep in mind that writing style is a factor, and allowances are sometimes made to show a rapid, seamless flow of action.)
Error: She walked into the room, taking a seat beside her friend. (She can’t walk and take a seat at the same time.)
Fix: She walked into the room and took a seat beside her friend.
Error: Sitting down, she sipped tea from the ornate cup. (Sitting down and sipping tea at the same time may be physically possible but would be awkward.)
Fix: She sat down and sipped tea from the ornate cup.
Possible exception
to show rapid, seamless action:
The Marshall whipped out his gun, blowing the bad
guy to Kingdom Come.
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