Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Writing Tip Wednesday--Writing Advice from Traci Douglass

Welcome to Writing Tip Wednesday! The year is winding down quickly, isn't it? Remember to keep paper and a pencil handy during this busy season to jot down all those ideas, even if you don't have time to write.

Traci Douglass, another of my fabulous IRWA friends, is here to offer her advice today. Welcome, Traci! Thanks for visiting!

Don’t Fall Victim To Plodding Pacing

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Whether you’re a planner or a pantser, pacing is something that every writer struggles with at one point or another. As a full-time freelance writer, ghostwriter, editor, and frequent critique partner, one of the biggest issues I see in many writers’ work—both new and seasoned scribes—is pacing that drags. This is not something to necessarily tackle in the first draft of a manuscript, but it is something you will need to address later in the revision process, when the real act of writing takes place, to give your novel the best chance for success and keep readers turning pages.

So, what exactly can cause a “Plodding Pacing” and what steps can you take to correct it? Here are three common issues I see (and experience myself in my own work), the common culprits causes of said issues, and ways to fix them.

Lack of Conflict

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A problem with pacing many times means there is an underlying lack of conflict within the scene. Every scene of every story, no matter the genre, must contain conflict or it will fall flat. And conflict comes down to three things: G-M-C. (Aside: If you’ve not read Goal, Motivation, Conflict by Debra Dixon, it is highly recommended). Distilled down, it basically means for each character in each scene you want to determine what each character wants, discover why they want said thing or outcome, then define what stands in the way of them achieving their goal. Re-read each scene of your manuscript to make sure these things are present and compelling on every page. Of course, there are different kinds of conflict as well—External (outer forces acting on protagonist), Internal (emotions and past experiences of protagonist), and in the case of the Romance Genre, Romantic Conflict (why do the H/h belong together and what keeps them apart. What’s preventing their HEA). If you can layer more than one kind of conflict in a scene and make it pull double or even triple duty, excellent. If these things are not present in the scene at all, consider cutting the scene entirely or revising to make sure the conflict is there.

Lack of Emotional Range

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Characters are people too. They should have varying shades and nuances of emotion to make them believable and engaging to the reader. There are times when writers will fall into what Carina Press Editor Rhonda Helms calls “Emotional Incontinence”—basically, letting their emotions run wild all the time, every time. Though this is a tempting fantasy, it is not realistic, nor is it sustainable for the length of 300-400 pages of a novel. Would you want to spend hours on end with someone who is always angry or bouncing off the walls with excitement or the human equivalent of a drugged sloth? Me neither. The emotional range over the course of a book can be thought of as a roller coaster, both heights and valleys. It is these soaring highs and low lulls that will helps propel readers forward in the story.

Lack of Story Structure

Credit: Artist Tom Gauld

This is not to say that there is any right way or wrong way to write. Every one of us is different and that is the beauty of this art we call writing. I have my process, you have yours. But in the end, there are certain pieces of the puzzle that must fit together in order for a story to be solid and marketable. Especially genre fiction. There are parts that readers expect in mysteries, in thrillers, in sci-fi, in fantasy, in romance. For the experienced writer, fiddling with these time-tested tropes can be fun. For those less seasoned, twisting these integral parts or leaving them out all together can spell disaster. The old adage, “One must know the rules before one can break them”, is still around for a reason. Does that mean that you are stuck using standard three act structure for every story every time? Or forever bound to The Hero’s Journey? Certainly not. What it does mean is that you better know those story structures inside and out before you have a very good reason for breaking them. Genre fiction readers are among the most loyal in the world, but they are also among the smartest. Try leaving out the HEA (or Happily For Now) at the end of your Romance sometime and watch the vile e-mails pile up in your inbox. Even the most whackadoodle story still needs some identifiable story landmarks to ground readers in your make-believe world. Readers can only suspend disbelief once they believe in the first place. Give them relatable touchstones—inciting incident, major plot points or turns into the next act, the dreaded black moment, the climax—then let the connections between these be where your creativity shines.

In the end, the most important thing to remember is that writing is a process. It really is more about the journey than the destination. The best writers are the ones who never stop learning, never stop growing, never stop. Period. Except for chocolate. Or wine. Wine is good…

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How do you deal with Plodding Pacing issues in your stories? Are you a pantster or a plotter? What tricks or questions do you employ to spark your muse and get your creative juices flowing?

Bio:

Traci is an award-winning author of Paranormal and Contemporary Romance and Urban Fantasy, including her bestselling Seven Seals Series. Her stories feature sizzling heroes full of dark humor, quick wits and major attitudes and heroines who are smart, tenacious, and always give as good as they get. She is an avid animal aficionado, unrepentant chocoholic, and more than occasional smartass.

Discover more about Traci and her books at: www.tracidouglass.net

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Writing Tip Wednesday--Writing Advice from Aly Grady

Welcome to Writing Tip Wednesday! I'm baaack! Every time I think I'm caught up, more must-be-done-this-minute stuff pops up again. When I'm working on my 2016 plan and goals over the next week or so, finding balance is going to be at the top of the list! What's on your list for next year?

My IRWA friend Aly Grady is here to add to those resolution ideas, especially where writing is concerned. Welcome, Aly, and thanks for visiting today!

Are you new to writing? OR, do you still feel like a newbie? What are some of the steps you’ve taken to get over that newness?

Honestly, my New Year resolution at the end of 2014 was to improve my writing career. Let’s face it. If you choose to start writing a book, seriously have a story in your head that just won’t stop talking to you, then you write. The problem is I’d already self-published three books, but still felt like a newbie. There are so many aspects to the writing industry that were, and still are, a mystery to me. So what did I do?

Early on in the editing process for my first book, Winslow Elliot suggested that I seek out a local Romance Writers of America chapter. What did I do? Brushed her off. Who needs a group right? Come to find out, I do! I don’t know about you, but sitting at home day in and day out—just the dog, me and my laptop—got lonely. Well, I would talk, but that stubborn dog wouldn’t respond.

Writing is lonely and I’m a social creature. That New Year resolution idea kicked in and I signed up for the national group. That’s all fine and good. But again, that was just an on-line thing. I needed people who got me and what I was doing with this writing thing.

Ta-da! Cue the bells and whistles. I found my local chapter of RWA. This group of ladies, and token gentleman, are a wealth of information. We come together once a month and learn writing techniques, strategies that have long been forgotten since high school or college. Discuss the latest trends in the writing industry and socialize.

We all come together from different places and backgrounds, but we have a common goal. We pump each other up and cheer on successes. I’ve felt less alone in my solitary career and, for me, that is priceless.

Have you looked for a local writing chapter and none are to be found? Well, since I’ve joined my writing chapter, I’ve also sought out more groups. There is a host of writing groups to be found on Facebook and I often use the hashtag #amwriting on Twitter. If you search that hashtag, you’ll see who else is writing. Go ahead. See who else is out there.

My latest endeavor to not feel alone in my writing was participating in National November Writer’s Month or NaNoWriMo. This is a crazy, stressful, exciting, and rewarding way to get 50,000 words written in a month. It is tracked on-line, but you can sign up to meet up through-out the month with others in your area. This is for any person who is interested in writing any genre. There are coaches to help you along your journey. There is a twitter sprint writing challenge you can participate in too. It’s fun tweeting with folks in Australia or Europe or anywhere in the world who are doing the exact same craziness as you. The whole thing is free, which is nice, and if you stick to their pre-prescribed plan, it can be relatively painless. Unless you are like me and you skip a day or five and push that last day to the limit of your imagination. Even if you don’t “win” by reaching that 50,000 goal, you still have the start of your amazing new work in progress.

So my point is—no matter what genre you write in, there are other folks out there doing the same thing. Seek them out, attend educational workshops designed for writers at industry events or local colleges. Most likely they want to find you too.

Talking to your Mom, sister, or friends about your writing struggles is nice, and they can pat you on the back and tell you that it will be fine. It’s a fellow writer who can work through that writing road block with you, because they know what you’re going through. They will also be the first to help you celebrate too.

So go find a writing buddy and then get to work on that next bestseller!

Bio:
Aly Grady is New England born, but for the past ten years has enjoyed living in the Indianapolis area. She has firsthand knowledge of the racing industry because she is a racing widow. While not writing, Aly enjoys time spent trying to keep up with her two children and their busy lives, reading books by her favorite authors, watching IndyCar races to look for her husband, and traveling. The newest addition is a fur kid Labradoodle named Cody.

Aly accepted the challenge by her husband to write a book and created The Racer’s Widow, which was released in November 2012. Chasing The Dream and Taking A Chance round out the series. Aly is a member of Romance Writers of America, Indiana Romance Writers of America, and Contemporary Romance Writers.

Website: http://www.AlyGrady.com
Twitter: @AlyGrady
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AlyGrady2012
Email: alygrady@aol.com

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With A Kick!