An E-zine for Teen Writers by a Teen Writer

Teen Inklings Vol. 23: A New Way of Dealing with Writers Block

2012-01-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

Dealing with writers block? Why not get creative and try something new to get over your block?

Six months ago Jacob Parker challenged me to a Word War. The rules were that whoever wrote the most in a twelve hour period was the winner, and the loser had to sing and perform a song written by the winner.

I ended up losing, and it's taken me six months to work up the courage to make my video. But here it is (finally).

Click HERE to watch my video!

Embarrassment is a good motivator. So, if you're in a rut, why not challenge one of your writer friends to a duel? Just make sure the consequence of losing is sufficiently hilarious.

If you liked my video, please share it with your friends and let me know your thoughts in the comments below! :)

Teen Inklings Vol. 22: Letting Others See Your Work

2011-11-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted on NextGen Writers)

Letting others see my writing has always been difficult for me. In 2009, I procrastinated for twenty days before joining my first critique group. I wanted my manuscript to be perfect! And, sure enough, after finally joining the group and sending my first chapters out, they came back doused in enough red ink to float the RMS Queen Mary.

Since then, I’ve queried agents and editors, gone to conferences, entered contests, and signed my first contract. All of these things required me to put myself out there, vulnerable, for strangers to judge, and that’s a very hard thing to do. In the past three years I’ve received my fair share of negative feedback—but I’ve never regretted putting myself out there.

Why? Because criticism has made me a much better writer. After the initial sting of a critique, I can usually dig through a reader’s comments and find several nuggets of wisdom. Most critiquers genuinely want to help you make your writing better! After all, they are taking time out of their life to invest in you.

The difficulty of a critique is figuring out what feedback you should take to heart and what you should ignore. A good critiquer will offer suggestions that will change how you say something, not what you’re saying. However, if a reader suggests a change that doesn’t sit well with you, ask yourself some questions. How would that advice make your book better? Why are you so hesitant to make the change? Is it an issue of pride for yourself? At the end of the day, it’s your book. You have to do what you think is right. But if you’re ignoring a suggestion that would truly make your book better, you could be keeping yourself from getting published.

So take feedback seriously, but also take it with a grain of salt. Opinions are subjective and they vary, but if someone who doesn’t know the craft of writing critiques your book and you listen to everything they say, their advice could end up sabotaging your story.

If you’re conflicted about a suggestion, get a second opinion. Find a mentor you trust who knows what they’re talking about and can give you honest feedback. Sometimes I lack the distance it takes to look at my writing from a bigger perspective. A mentor can peer over my shoulder and help me see things differently.

For example, I was a semi-finalist and then a finalist in ACFW’s Genesis Competition this year. I received a wide array of feedback. To prove this, here are the scores I received from the nine judges (in order from lowest to highest) throughout the contest: 64, 74, 78, 79, 85, 87, 91, 95, 99.

If this were school, based on these numbers my grade could be anywhere between an F and an A! I didn’t know what to do with all the comments I’d gotten. So rather than pull all my hair out, I sent my judged pages off to a few people I trusted and let them help me sort through things.

The truth is, I learned something valuable from every one of those judges, even the 64. The least helpful number was actually the 99. It made me feel great to get that score, but I didn’t learn very much from that judge’s comments!

The bottom line is this: Be brave. Put yourself out there to be judged, and then learn how to interpret the advice you’re given. Be willing to make changes, but take time to weigh the pros and cons of each suggestion you’re given. And have someone who can pat you on the back and buy you a wig once you’ve pulled all your hair out.

So, how about you? Are you in a critique group? Was your first critique painful? And if you haven’t joined a critique group yet, why not?

Teen Inklings Vol. 21: Voice

2011-04-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

This month I wanted to talk about authorial voice, as it is something very important for writers to have and develop.

At last year's ACFW Conference, when agents and editors were asked what they look for in the writers who query them, a lot of them said, "Strong voice." This was usually met with a mixture of nods, rolling eyes, and looks of confusion. The confused-looking people were either too shy or embarrassed to ask the real question on their minds, "What in the world is voice?"

You know that's a good question by the diverse array of answers to it. Here's how I'd define it: A writer's voice is the unique style they use to tell a story. It's the difference between James Patterson and Stephen King, Cornelia Funke and Donita K. Paul, Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey, John Flanagan and Rick Riordan. Each of those authors writes fiction, but if you read all their books you'd be able to tell them apart after reading only a page or two of their future works.

Whether you know it or not, everything you write—whether it's a tweet, a Facebook update, or a paper for school—is written in your own individual way. Writer's voice is like your personality or your thumbprint. No one in the world has the same thumbprint as you, and no one has the same voice.

But what exactly is style or voice? It's made up of things like syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, and dialogue. It's the distinct flare you write with. Some writers are funny. Some are dark. Some love sweeping descriptions of setting. Some enjoy scaring the willies out of their readers.

When you're first starting out, you're probably going to copy the style of your favorite authors. But that's okay! The first story I ever wrote was basically LOTR fan fiction (which, I hope, will never see the light of day). Your voice needs time to develop, because it's formed by each and every experience you go through. The way to develop voice is by reading and writing as often as you can. Find out what you like and what you don't like. You might try imitating one of the masters, just to study how voice works.

Anyway, I hope this helps. :)

Teen Inklings Vol. 20: Top Ten Books of 2010

2011-03-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

Novel Teen is a blog I'm a part of, and they posted their Top Ten Books of 2010 list awhile back. If you are looking for a good book to read, we hope this list will give you some inspiration. Click on the title or picture to view each book on Amazon.com.

1. Asking for Trouble (Book one in the London Confidential series) by Sandra Byrd
(A contemporary series for girls. All four books in the series are now available.)

Review by Jill Williamson:
Savvy Smith and her family recently moved to England to live. Savvy misses her best friend from Seattle. She’s trying to make new friends in London, but it seems no one has room for a new friend in their life, especially a weird American.

An opportunity arises for Savvy to work at the school newspaper. She has always wanted to be a journalist and she hopes this might be a way to make some friends. She applies for the position, but her lack of experience makes her a paperboy instead of columnist. If only she could find a way to prove that she is a good writer. But how?

Sandra Byrd always tells a good story. I love her Friends for a Season books, so I was excited to read her new series. Asking for Trouble did not disappoint. I enjoyed Savvy’s character, how she thought things out and how she struggled to understand all the differences in British culture and language. Sandra did a great job with her British accents and lingo in the other character’s dialogue. It was fun to read. I also liked Savvy’s determination and drive to make her own future, rather than mope about what she didn’t have or try to follow someone else. This was a fun read that made you think and I highly recommend it.

Age Range: 12 and up
Genre: Contemporary
Part of a Series: London Confidential, book one
Pages: 216
Publisher: Tyndale

2. Final Touch (Rayne Tour, book three) by Brandilyn Collins
(Great for girls who love mystery and suspense. All three books in the trilogy are now available.)

Review by Jill Williamson:
It’s wedding day for Rayne O’Connor and Shaley’s father, Gary Donovon. Shaley couldn’t be happier. She has longed for this day all her life. But minutes before the ceremony begins, Shaley is kidnapped! She tries to do all she can to leave a trail, in hopes that the police will find her, but Shaley’s kidnapper is always one step ahead. Will Shaley’s life as she knows it end forever?

Just when we thought it was happily ever after for the O’Connor family. Here is every mother’s nightmare in book form! Shaley is taken by a man who intends to keep her. This whole thing reminded me of the Elizabeth Smart story. I was terrified for Shaley and thrilled with how wise she was about trying to leave a trail of evidence. This book plugs right along and you won’t be able to put it down until the end. Well done, Brandilyn and Amberly! Highly recommended.

Age Range: 12-16
Genre: suspense
Part of a Series: Book three in the Rayne Tour
Pages: 224
Publisher: Zondervan

3. The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
(A medieval, fairy tale romance.)

Review by Jill Williamson:
Rose has begun her training as the healer’s apprentice. She hopes to learn the job well so that someday she can be the healer of Hagenheim Castle and not have to marry any aging bachelors. But the mere sight of blood makes Rose swoon. Still, she is determined to make this life work for herself.

One day, when the master healer is away, Lord Hamlin, heir to Hagenheim Castle, is brought in with a grievous wound. Rose is the only one who can help. As she struggles to do a good job, she cannot help but notice how handsome and kind Lord Hamlin is. But she is a mere peasant, and Lord Hamlin is betrothed to another. Rose must fight against her attraction and focus on becoming a healer. For that is her destiny, is it not?

Melanie Dickerson writes a wonderful fairy tale romance. Her characters are noble and good, yet struggle with doing the right thing and sometimes fail. She paints a realistic medieval world from the beauty of Hagenheim Castle to the laws that governed society then. I was drawn in from page one and read the whole book in one day. If you love medieval stories, fairy tales, and romance, you must read this book. I’m so excited about Melanie Dickerson’s writing. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. Highly recommended.

Age Range: 12 and up
Genre: Historical romance
Part of a Series: No
Pages: 257
Publisher: Zondervan

4. Kestrel’s Midnight Song by J.R. Parker
(Fantasy adventure. Great for boys, girls, and adults, too.)

Review by Jill Williamson:
Slave girl, Robbyn, is nearly burned to death in a fire set by the Marauder King. Drift, a giant, rescues her. Together they set off to warn King Darius that the Marauder King plans to attack the land of Gable. But will they get there in time? And even if they do, will anyone believe the claims of a slave girl and a giant?

Shepherd boy, Micah, embarks on a journey. He must deliver a herd of sheep to the Gable Kingdom Castle. King Darius has requested that the sheep’s wool be sheared for his wardrobe. Many dangers await Micah on this long journey. And little does he know that the fate of the kingdom rests on his shoulders.

Kestrel’s Midnight Song is a solid addition to the fantasy genre. Jacob Parker started this story when he was fifteen years old! This young author writes an imaginative tale, filled with adventure, mystery, and unique characters. The storylines intertwine and keep the reader turning the pages, desperate to see how it will all work out. There are several plot twists that surprised me. I can’t wait to see if there will be a sequel. Highly recommended.

Age Range: 12 and up
Genre: fantasy
Part of a Series: No
Pages: 256
Publisher: Flaming Pen Press

5. Manga (Scenarios for Girls, book three) by Nicole O’Dell
(A contemporary, choose-your-own-ending book. There are four books available in this series so far.)

Review by Jill Williamson:
Molly and her friends want to find a part time job to earn extra cash and a discount on great clothes. But Molly is the only one of her trio that gets hired at Manga, the coolest clothing store ever. At first everything is going great. Molly is really good at her job and quickly gets more responsibility. But some girls at school try to bully her into giving her special deals and then her best friends ask her to do something she knows is wrong. What will Molly do?

You decide.

That’s right. This is a Choose Your Own Scenario book, where you read all about Molly’s life and then choose what she will do next. Then the book has two alternate endings, one for each choice Molly could make.

What an awesome idea for a series of books! And the author handled this in such a wonderful way. Whether Molly chose to break the law or stand against her friends, she was still Molly. There were consequences to both choices, and some consequences were harder to live through than others, but this wasn’t preachy. This was honest. So even in the ending where Molly chose to break the law, there was still redemption, and it was neat to read how she dealt with such humbling circumstances.

So I highly recommend this series to all girls. It’s a fun story to read for entertainment and a neat opportunity to see two sides of one choice.

Age Range: 8 and up
Genre: Contemporary
Part of a Series: Scenarios for Girls, book three
Pages: 190
Publisher: Barbour

6. Secrets Under the Midnight Sun by Elisa Maria Crites
(A historical story that deals with complex family issues.)

Review by Jill Williamson:
It’s 1967 in Fairbanks, Alaska. Twelve-year-old Fredricka O’Reilly has a secret that she doesn’t want anyone to know about. Her brother is gone off in the Air Force, so the only one she can turn to his her mother. But if she tells her mother the truth, it could rip her family apart. What’s a girl to do?

This is a story about a girl who just wants to enjoy life. Her daddy makes that hard, especially when he cuts her off from her best friends. For the most part, the story is lighthearted, filled with the fun things in Freddie’s life. Freddie’s hopes and dreams are heartwarming and I yearned that she would have the freedom she craved. Having been to Fairbanks , Alaska , I also enjoyed the history of the town and the visits to AlaskaLand. In the end, I wanted to read more about Freddie to see what she would do next.

Age Range: 12 and up
Genre: historical/contemporary
Part of a Series: no
Pages: 108
Publisher: Westbow Press (A Division of Thomas Nelson)

7. So Over It (Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt, book three) by Stephanie Morrill
(A contemporary story for girls. All three books in the trilogy are available.)

Review:
After all the drama that went down at the end of her senior year, Skylar is ready to move on. She jumps at the chance to visit her grandparents in Hawaii. She only plans to stay a few weeks, but perhaps Hawaii would be a good place for a fresh start, where she won’t run into her old friends everywhere she goes. But will she be strong enough to be who God is calling her to be?

Whew! I am thrilled with how everything came together in this third and final installment of the Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series. There is still some drama going on in Skylar’s life, even though she tried to get away from it. But she’s finally learning that no one is perfect and that true forgiveness is an awesome, freeing experience. I loved how everything came together, and certain characters matured and were able to do the right thing, even when they wanted to do the selfish thing. I’m being vague because I don’t want to spoil it. J

This is a great series for teen girls. There is romance drama, friend drama, and what do to with my life drama, but it’s fun, realistic, and entertaining. You won’t be able to put them down until you’ve read all three. I highly recommend!

Age Range: 12-16
Genre: contemporary
Part of a Series: Book three in the Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series
Pages: 262
Publisher: Revell

8. So Over My Head (A Charmed Life, book three) by Jenny B. Jones
(A hysterical contemporary mystery story for girls. All three books in the trilogy are available.)

Review by Gretchen Hoffman:
What’s better than a circus with clowns, a unicycle ballet (a skill I’ve been meaning to take up), and a bearded lady? Aside from a good waxing (for the bearded lady, of course), nothing! Ms. Jenny B. Jones writes yet another knee-slapping, laugh out loud, hysterical book that is a must, must, mustread!

Our favorite accidental detective, Bella Kirkwood, finds herself in over her head when she stumbles across the dead body of the Fritz Family Carnival’s fat (and also bearded) lady. Although another carnival member is arrested, Bella doubts his culpability, and decides to find the real murderer. Even though Bella doubts this man’s guilt, there are a few things she doesn’t doubt. For one, she’s certain Luke’s ex-girlfriend’s is interested in nothing other than stealing Luke back. Bella also knows her dad’s fiancée is up to no good. All she needs now is to prove it!

Expect nothing short of crazy schemes, a ride on a Ferris wheel, a creeper, and an undercover operation for Bella to bring a murderer to justice, figure out what to do with Luke’s ex, and stop her dad’s wedding. All in a day’s work, right? Bella’s friends and family are a whole cast of characters, and I love Ruthie (a kooky, crack-up), her stepbrother Budge (who works at the Weiner Palace—that alone is hilarious), her step-dad’s crazy wrestler friends, and a 13-year-old trapeze artist. If you’ve read books one and two, book three is a requirement. And if you have yet to pick up a book by Ms. Jones, definitely check this series out!

Age Range: 12-16
Genre: Contemporary
Part of a Series: A Charmed Life, book 3
Pages: 326
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

9. To Darkness Fled (Book two in the Blood of Kings trilogy) by Jill Williamson
(Fantasy, adventure, and a bit of romance for all ages. Books one and two in the trilogy are available.)

Review by Christian Miles:
The second installment of the Blood of Kings series will thrill, surprise, and delight readers just as much as the first. With stellar craftsmanship, the author continues to thrust her characters into a myriad of plot-driven obstacles that will have readers biting their nails late into the night.

The story picks up right where By Darkness Hid left off, with Achan, Vrell, and the Kingsguard knights fleeing into Darkness to escape the wrath of their former prince. They head north toward Ice Island in the hopes that they can free the wrongly accused men imprisoned there. Vrell continues to masquerade as a boy, but she knows it’s only a matter of time before she’ll either have to reveal her true identity, or abandon the party of questers. Achan, who has only ever known the life of a Stray, wrestles with the decor and responsibilities that come with his newfound authority. As they flee across Er’rets, their bloodvoicing talents and swordcraft excel, but in a world of ever-growing Darkness, how can two teens stay in the Light?

This is the best novel I’ve read since By Darkness Hid came out, and I’m a fairly voracious reader. I’d recommend it to anyone I know, young or old, male or female, fantasy lover or not. It’s just that good.

“Williamson pens an action-packed, imaginative second installment in the Blood of Kings trilogy. All the familiar epic elements and emotions are freshly rendered, with Vrell and Achan especially memorable. The pace gallops along, leaving readers hungry for the concluding book.” -Publishers Weekly

Age Range: 14 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Part of a Series: Book 2 in the Blood of Kings trilogy
Pages: 681 Publisher: Marcher Lord Press

10. To Save a Life by Jim and Rachel Britts
(A contemporary story based on the feature film.)

Review by Jill Williamson:
Jake and Roger were once best friends. They did everything together. Roger even stepped in front of a car to save Jake. But when they got to high school, and Jake got better at basketball, things started to change. Jake started hanging out with the popular crowd. Before he knew it, he didn’t have time for Roger at all.

And now Roger is dead. None of Jake’s new friends even know that he and Roger were once friends. They don’t understand what this loss means. Jake wonders what’s the point of it all? And if he had done things in his life differently, could he have saved Roger?

As Jake searches for answers and tries to find meaning in life, his friends just don’t get it. But Jake can’t go back, even if it costs him his reputation.

I’d wanted to see this movie, but it never came to a theater near me, not that any theater is near me…So I bought the book to tide me over. I’m totally glad I did. This book was powerful. It threw me into Jake’s life, the life most every guy wishes he had: star athlete with a full ride scholarship to play for his dream school, the perfect girlfriend, fun best friends, and popularity. Then tragedy strikes and Jake starts to ask important questions. And he won’t give up until he finds the answer.

This book gets into faith in an honest and ugly way. Sometimes that’s what we need to see. There are a lot of “Christians” out there making Christians look bad, loving themselves more than they love others. This book shows one guy struggling to do it the right way, no matter what anyone thinks. What an inspiring story. Now I want to see the movie more than ever! I highly recommend this to all high school and college students.

Age Range: 14 and up
Genre: contemporary fiction
Part of a Series: No
Pages: 315
Publisher: Outreach

If you decide to give any of these books a chance, be sure and come back here to tell us what you thought! :-)

Teen Inklings Vol. 19: Curing the Lacklusters

2011-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Christian,

Hello!
I’m writing a story about a girl whose Father is in jail and her Mother has died. She’s on her own, and she’s faced with some adventure and a little bit of romance.
But I’m thinking about giving up the story. The ideas are just not coming to me.
What do you think I should do?

-Tasha

Hi there, Tasha!

When you’re in the middle of a project, it can be easy to lose steam. Oftentimes, this is because you’ve gotten bored with your characters or plot. There’s several ways to defeat the Lacklusters, as I like to call them. I’ll list a few remedies below.

Idea – Is the premise for your novel engaging enough to write a full book about? Recently, my friend blogged about this on her site. She mentioned Stephen King’s idea that to come up with a strong story idea, you should take two totally unrelated things and mash them together.

Some examples:

High school and karate (The Karate Kid)

Talking horse and slave boy (The Horse and his Boy)

Flight and elephants (Dumbo)

Once you find two things like this, that what if question forms in your mind. Just to show how easy it is to get ideas this way, I’ll look around my room, come up with two things, and turn them into an idea.

Looking around, I see my brother and a dragon statue. To turn this into a story, I could ask myself the question What if my brother was a dragon? This would lead to other questions, and I could write those all down and answer them in an outline.

Which leads me to the next segment…

Plot – Do you know what happens next in your story? When I first started writing, I couldn’t get past the first few chapters of any project. And then I discovered outlining. By expanding my story idea into a full-blown map of what my characters wanted to do and where they wanted to go, I gained the confidence I needed to write past those first chapters and all the way to the end.

Click HERE to read my post about Outlining, then HERE to read my follow-up post about Three-Act Structure.

Characters – Is your protagonist boring? If you have a meandering character that never seems to get anywhere, perhaps you need to give him more inner conflict. Figure out the goals of each character in your novel. What do they want in life? What’s standing in their way? What steps can they take to get where they want to be?

Inspiration – Do you need to recharge? Sometimes you can have all the above elements and still find it hard to write. This is when you’ve spent your creative juices. I find that the best way to cure this form of the Lacklusters is to go out and do something other than writing for awhile. Think about what inspires you. Is it music? Art? Find out what makes your creative juices flow, and spend some time immersed in that. Then get back to writing!

Hopefully this answered your question, Tasha. :-)

-Christian

If you have a burning question that you'd like answered, leave it in the comments below or e-mail it to this address: ChristianMiles@(at)live.(dot)com.

Teen Inklings Vol. 18: Resoloutions

2011-01-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the year 2011.

I'm not sure about you, but I've made a few writerly resolutions that I hope to keep this year. Here's the main one I've set for myself:

Write a full novel before January ends.

Obviously, to do this I will need to buckle down and concentrate on pounding out the words. I'll be trying to write a chapter every day, which is roughly 3,000 words. Quantity, not quality is what they say—but why can't I achieve both? Hence my second resolution:

Edit the previous day's chapter every day.

Speaking of edits, I'm just about to turn some in to my editor at Port Yonder Press. I recently found out that the anthology my novella is a part of will be releasing Summer of this year! I'm excited.

Another thing I'm excited about is this site my critique group started to help writers. There's some great advice over there, with more to be added monthly. You can also win books, so go check it out.

I'm gonna strap myself to my laptop's keboard for the next 31 days, but before I do let me know in the comments whether or not you've made any writing-related resolutions for the year. Maybe we can keep each other accountable!

Teen Inklings Vol. 17: Alas, NaNoWriMo

2010-12-01T15:32:00.001-08:00

Some of you writers may still be recovering from NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), so I'll keep this brief. To those of you who passed the 50,000 word count, congratulations! To those of you who didn't, better luck next year!

Now, those of you who wracked up a heavy word count, know this... your work isn't over yet. Sad, I know! But now that you have a large quantity of words, you now have to work on bumping up the quality of those words. So, take a break, pat yourself on the back, and put that crafting cap on your head and get back to work! ;-)

Also, a bit of personal news... it looks like I'll be getting a contract for my novella, The Scarlet Key, very soon! I'll try and post more about that as the months go on. It's exciting to think that sometime in 2011 people will actually be able to hold a book in their hands and read a story I thought up between school periods.

It's also very weird.

I'll keep you all posted on what I learn throughout the experience. See you around the net!

Teen Inklings Vol. 16: Rejection

2010-11-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished writing my fantasy novella (The Scarlet Key) for submission to a publisher. I shipped it off (via e-mail, as the guidelines required) and it's probably now sitting un-opened in the publisher's inbox. What will happen with it? I don't know. But I hope you get the chance to read it someday.

A bit of shameless backstory: After I first finished The Scarlet Key I was on a bit of an emotional high. I decided it was good enough to submit to a press--something I'd never done before. I found and bought an envelope big enough to fit my story into (not as easy as it sounds), and shipped it off. Shortly after I received a rejection letter detailing all the reasons I wasn't good enough.

I'm not a stranger to rejection. But it's interesting how things are so subjective, especially in the literary world.

For example: Contest judge #1 says I have wonderful voice, a sound grasp of my craft, and descriptions that bring my storyworld to life. Judge #2 says I have no voice, no talent with my genre, and no idea what I'm doing when it comes to description.

True story.

I sometimes wonder if writers let their bitterness get a hold of them more often than the average person. This industry doesn't exactly match the typical writer's personality, and it doesn't help that we're all so darn opinionated. I've observed that unpublished writers are generally more cranky than the published ones, and I won't say that doesn't make sense. It does, and it's the reason for all those rude comments on agent blogs. But there is a good way to handle rejection and there is a bad way.

If someone rejects you, DON'T GIVE UP! Take that rejection and funnel it into your efforts to better yourself, while realizing that one person's opinion isn't always the right (or best) opinion. Most of all, though, don't let rejection get you down. If you truly aren't ready yet, realize that if you persist you'll eventually succeed. Success isn't always measured by receiving the title Published Author, and in the end it's God you have to please, not others, and certainly not yourself.

As I mentioned, I'm waiting for feedback on The Scarlet Key. I believe in the story. I hope things work out and it gets published. However, I believe I've already succeeded at this writing game. How many prospective writers actually finish a novel during their lifetime?

(Oh, and I'll let you decide which of the aforementioned judges had checked the "Published Author" box at the bottom of their critique. ;)

Teen Inklings Vol. 15: A Site to See

2010-10-02T11:52:00.001-07:00

This month's e-zine will really just be me linking you over to my favorite site for teen writers. I'm on a writing sabbatical this week so I'll keep it brief.

Jill Williamson, a Christy award-winning author, runs a site specifically for teen writers. Jill is a friend and mentor of mine, and she really knows her stuff.

Check out TeenageAuthor.com. Browse the pages of that site. Soak in some wisdom.

Also, if you're looking for some good Young Adult books to read, check out NovelTeen.com. I write and review for that site twice a month, so I can vouch for its quality.

See you next month!

Teen Inklings Vol. 14: The Editor

2010-08-31T10:10:00.000-07:00

I strive to learn from my mistakes. It’s not always easy to do that, but it’s always worthwhile.

Most of the mistakes I’ve made can be found on this e-zine. Scroll down and take a look at all the advice I’ve given on so many different topics. Those posts are the fruit of learning from my mistakes. By making those errors and learning from them, I can help you guys avoid them.

That’s why I write these e-zines every month. It’s for you guys.

I’d planned for this post to be about editors and their roles at publishing houses, but I decided that’d be worthless information at the moment (though if you’re into worthless information, click here).

What you really need to know is that you are your editor. At first, anyway.

For what seems like the past million years I’ve been editing the first novel I ever wrote. As I type this, only 24 hours has elapsed since I finished writing that novel for the second time.

I wish I’d done things differently, but it’s too late now. Time to learn from my mistake and pass what wisdom I can onto you.

So here goes…

If you’re passionate about a story idea—something you know needs to be written—but have never written anything and had it critiqued by people who know what they’re talking about, don’t write that novel.

Write a different one. Have it critiqued by people who know what they’re talking about. Learn from your mistakes, stuff that test novel in an obscure cabinet, and then… then write the novel you’re passionate about.

I wasted a good chunk of my teenage life writing a 150 thousand word manuscript that sucks. The passion was there, but buried under miles of horrendous craftsmanship.

Let’s face it, readers don’t care much about “telling” or adverbs. So why master the craft of writing fiction?

Because the passion behind your stories can only be inhibited by poor writing. A reader reads a book because they want to be lit by the flame that drove the author. They want to experience new things. Escape for awhile. Be inspired.

Imagine someone giving you a piece of candy, but first rubbing it in the dirt. On the inside, that candy still tastes good—but the faint taste of dirt will ruin the whole point of eating the candy in the first place.

There are many famous books out there as filled to the brim with passion as they are bad craftsmanship. Twilight comes to mind. There’s no doubt that the zeal inside of that book has set fire to many readers (mostly tween girls), but look at the top Amazon.com reviews of Stephenie Meyer’s first book. They all mention how the bad craftsmanship of the novel kept them from enjoying it.

Now let’s look at a book filled with passion as well as good craftsmanship: The Hunger Games. Look at the top Amazon.com reviews for Suzanne Collins’ book. None of them mention craft issues. That’s because it’s a sound novel.

See the difference? Bad writing affects your reader for the worse, even if it’s in a subtle way. Good writing helps you tell a more passionate story.

That’s why you should edit and continually strive to get better. I believe in the book that I just finished rewriting, so I took the time and edited it. It could’ve been less painful, but that’s the way it was. No regrets.

I can’t stress enough the importance of finding experienced writers to critique your work and mentor you. But you have to be careful here. If you’re mentored early on by someone who thinks they know what they’re talking about but really doesn’t, that’s going to do damage. So judge people by their merits.

Something else every writer should understand is that no first draft is flawless. You need to fine tune your paragraphs and let other people read your manuscript so they can give you their opinions on what you could change. Because you are your editor. You can either slack or put in the effort to write the best book you possibly can. It’s up to you.

The last bit of advice I’ll give you this month is something that applies to life as well as writing: never give up. If you’re passionate about something, pursue it with every fiber of your being.

That’s all this time. Come back next month for my recap of what I learned at the ACFW Conference.

Teen Inklings, Vol. 13: Autographed Book Giveaway

2010-07-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome back, everyone! In case you hadn’t noticed, our e-zine has been around for over a year now. Whoo! As promised, this month is all about giving back to you, the faithful readers of this web page.

And what better way to do that than to give away an autographed book?

I recently got the chance to read and review Marlayne Giron’s book, The Victor. It’s a medieval tale of love, sacrifice, and betrayal. Go HERE to read my review of it.

I interviewed her as well, and you can check that out HERE.

How to win the autographed book? There’s three ways.

1. If you’re a teen inkling, leave a comment on this post with your e-mail address in an anti-SPAM format (like this: ChristianMiles [at] live [dot] com). If you’re not a teen inkling, take a moment to click the follow button in the sidebar.

2. In order to gain an extra entry, write a blog post about this e-zine and leave the link in your comment with your email address.

3. Go to my book review of The Victor, read it, and leave a comment over there in order to gain a third entry.

It doesn’t matter if you only do one, but your odds of winning will increase if you do all three.

I’ll randomly pick a winner at Midnight on my birthday, August 14th, and e-mail the winner in order to get their mailing address.

That’s all. Good luck!

Teen Inklings, Vol. 12: Doubt

2010-07-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

This month I'd planned on writing about Editing and Editors, but I just realized something... this is Teen Inklings' 12 e-zine! We've been here for a year! In honor of our accomplishment, there will be a giveaway next month. Stay tuned! I've got big plans for this little web page.

In the meantime, feel free to read this special version of a devotional I wrote for CLASH Entertainment.

Dealing with doubt.

When I was nine my mom told me God had given me a talent for writing. At that age her words were enough to keep me going, but seven years later things have gotten harder. It’s easy to look at what I’ve written at the end of the day and doubt that God has really given me a talent. Most of the time I’m left thinking, Who in their right mind would kill a tree to publish this?

I never would’ve entered a writing competition if it hadn’t been for my Sunday School teacher, who is also a writer. She encouraged me to enter a contest, so I did.

Doubt set in. Every day my dread for the feedback intensified. Finally, the results came back. I hadn’t finaled. I felt horrible, like I’d let everyone down. Then I read one of the judge’s comments. She’d liked my story, and had advice to help improve it!

Since then I’ve learned that developing our God-given talents is a step-by-step journey. If we let Satan plant doubts in our minds, much like they sank Peter’s steps when he walked on water, they’ll sink ours. I’ve entered two more writing contests since that first one, and, though I didn’t win either, my scores have been higher. In ACFW's Genesis Competition, I was in the top 25% of writers. I’m improving, and someday God will be able to use my talents for His glory. Meanwhile, when doubts set in, I’ll pray. Nothing kills doubt faster than taking my eyes off of myself and setting them on God.

Teen Inklings, Vol. 11: SPECIAL EDITION

2010-06-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Writer's note: In honor of Memorial Day, I'm running an article I wrote about a real teenage author. Enjoy!

Many teenagers aspire to be an author. Very few make it so far as finishing a novel. Even fewer get published. Jacob Parker, at only eighteen years of age, is one of those rare few who will see his name in print before he reaches the age of twenty.

Jacob set out to write his fantasy novel, Kestrel’s Midnight Song, while in the fourth grade. It took him two years to finish the first draft. Upon reflection, he says, “I wasn’t as disciplined as I should have been. I went through long periods of stagnation, felt like giving up several times.”

Luckily for readers, he persevered.

Kestrel’s Midnight Song is a mystery-fraught adventure novel about a shepherd boy named Micah. King Darius commissions wool to be sheared for his new wardrobe, and Micah’s sheep are unlucky enough to be chosen to make the long journey to Gable Kingdom Castle. Along the way they face many dangers, as well as the giant creature on the book’s cover.

“The Aegre Bird is simply a combination of a bird and a dragon,” the author says. “The only research I did was for the name. ‘Aegre’ is Latin for ‘scary.’ My original vision of the Aegre Bird was much different than what is on the cover today. Then, when the cover was completed, I was so inspired by it that I went back and changed all the descriptions to match.”

Before he got his final cover, though, he faced the obstacle of shopping his novel to different publishers. But Jacob’s process was different than most. His publisher, Flaming Pen Press, found Jacob’s blog, read the excerpt there, and left a comment inviting him to submit. And, well, the rest is history. Kestrel’s Midnight Song will be released later this year.

When asked what the drive behind writing a novel at such a young age was, Jacob replied, “When I first set out to write a novel in fourth grade, it was probably for fame and fortune. But I quickly got hooked on the joy of writing itself. I like taking bizarre stuff that could never be real... and experiencing it. With book two, though, I will have to be much more disciplined. The deadline looming on the horizon should strike enough fear into me to keep me focused.”

To wrap up my interview, I asked Jacob how his faith affects his novels. He said, “There are definite Christian themes in my writing. I like books that push me, make me think. And I’d like to use the time and gifts God has given me to accomplish more than entertainment. Fiction is a powerful vehicle for Truth and I intend to use it as such.”

Having read Kestrel’s Midnight Song myself, I can only conclude by saying it’s a fantastic story. Jacob Parker is truly a diamond in the rough. Being young hasn’t affected his ability to tell a powerful story. I can’t wait to read his next book.

You can find Jacob online at http://www.songlore.com/. To read the full interview, click here.

Stay tuned for next month's e-zine: THE EDITOR

Teen Inklings, Vol. 10: THE LITERARY AGENT

2010-05-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

After you’ve polished your manuscript to perfection, what do you do with it? You don’t want it to sit in your desk drawer and gather dust, but what are your options? You have a few. As far as I’m concerned there’s only one option you should pursue right away.

Getting an agent.

A literary agent is a person who takes on writers as clients and sends their manuscripts to the editors of various publishing houses. These people are usually well-connected with the publishing world, but some are not. You can’t be too careful when trying to find an agent, so don’t let your emotions get the better of you. Remember, this is a business deal. Your agent will be getting around 10% of every dollar you make. Be cautious.

How do you do that? A good agent will list their clients on their website. This is an acceptable practice, and it helps writers a lot. If you recognize some of the names on the list, good! If you don’t, look them up on Amazon.com to find what books they’ve published and with who. Look specifically for the authors within your genre, and see what publishers the agent collaborated with in order to sell that person’s book. Is the publisher respectable? Would you want your book published with them? Ask yourself these questions.
After researching and analyzing the resulting data, you’ve weeded out the bad agents from the good. Now you can write your query letters!

If a generic query letter existed, it’d consist of three paragraphs. One paragraph to summarize the book, one to identify your target audience, and one consisting of a biography and list of prior publications.

However, a generic query letter does not exist. The above formula is helpful, but you need to check the individual agents’ Submission Guidelines to find out exactly what they want in a query letter. This is available on their websites.

Lots of agents are opting to receive email submissions instead of physical letters. This can make it easier for them to function, but you shouldn’t expect things to go faster because of it. All in all, it doesn’t matter. Just be sure to follow the Guidelines minutely.

Some people suggest you send out fifty queries at a time. It can take up to six months or longer to get a response, and that’s wasted time if you’re just going to get a Form Letter rejection. I’d say to send out two batches of letters. With the first you’d pick out ten dream agents to query, and with the second you’d send out the other forty. Either way, don’t only send out one at a time.

Phases

After you’ve sent your query letters… you wait. Don’t waste this time pining away in agitation, write another book! This will help you deal with the anticipation.

Finally, after a millennia of waiting, the mailman starts to deliver the replies. Rejection after rejection. You feel like a complete failure. Most of these letters aren’t even personalized! You want to give up. Why did you even subject yourself to this torture, anyway?

Then, a reply with a note scrawled in the margin: “Looks promising, but I’m swamped right now.” You tear out your hair wondering exactly what “promising” meant, and then get another response. Someone wants to see more! You dance around your house, type up a cover letter, and send off your requested manuscript.

As you wait yet again, you get another request. You ship that one off. You wait some more. The first agent gets back to you. Rejection. Maybe they supply a reason, maybe they don’t. Your heart breaks.

Agent two contacts you… he/she loves your manuscript and wants to represent you! Floodgates of joy open. You’re not a failure! You talk with the agent, ask questions, get to know each other, then receive a contract. You sign it and everything is made official. You have an agent!

Together, you make a Proposal and the agent ships it off to the editors of various publishing houses. Some reject it. Some have already reached their book quota. Some show interest, but have to back out. And then… your agent finds a publishing house that loves it, passes it, and wants to acquire your manuscript!

Here your agent is especially helpful. He/she handles all the legal junk and gets you the best deal possible. You approve and sign the contract, then ship it off.

You’re in.

Come back soon for next month’s E-Zine: THE EDITOR

Teen Inklings, Vol. 9: THREE-ACT STRUCTURE

2010-04-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

This month’s ezine is a continuation of last month’s article on The Outline. An outline consists of three major acts. Your outline needs to have each part, because, like a snowman, without all three parts the outcome isn’t pretty.

Not all acts are created equal. The first act takes up ¼ of the story, the second takes up ½, and the third takes up the remaining ¼. The Middle should be twice as long as the Beginning or End.

Each act contains a disaster that propels the story forward. The first disaster comes at the end of the first act, where your Main Character is forced past the Point of No Return. The second disaster comes smack dab in the center of act two, and it’s there to keep your story from getting boring. The third disaster comes right at the front of act three and drives your Main Character to the End. Simple, huh?

Let’s look at the three-act structure of the popular movie, Star Wars: A New Hope. The movie is 125 minutes long, so the first act should take 30 minutes, the second should take 60 minutes, and the third should take up the remaining 30 minutes. This leaves us with roughly 5 minutes for the credits, which have absolutely nothing to do with anything.

Act One and the First Disaster
The movie starts with a large ship attacking and docking a smaller craft in outer space. Vader is introduced. Leia is captured. R2D2 and C3PO escape with critical information involving the Death Star. On the planet they’ve escaped to, the droids are captured by Jawas in a massive tank thingy.

But Act One isn’t over yet, we’ve only passed the fifteen minute mark!

The Main Character, Luke Skywalker, is introduced. He buys R2D2 and C3PO from the Jawas, but R2 runs (rolls?) away and the trio is attacked by Dread Sand People! An old man named Ben saves them, and they discover the secret message that R2 holds. Ben asks Luke to join him in the rebellion against the Empire, but Luke will have nothing to do with it. Instead he returns to his uncle’s farm—only to find it burned to a crisp by the Imperial forces tracking the droids.

This is the first disaster. Because of it, Luke returns to Ben and says, “I'll come with you now. There’s nothing for me here. I want to become a Jedi like my father.” Ahh, the Point of No Return.

Act Two and the Second Disaster
Ben and Luke need a ship in order to reach the Rebels. They find Han Solo, a smuggler and the captain of the Millennium Falcon, and convince him to take them on as passengers. Luke practices Jedi skills and the ship is attacked by a Tie Fighter, which drives them into being captured by the planet-destroying travesty, the Death Star. Ben goes off to shut down the tractor beam while Luke stumbles upon Princess Leia and decides to rescue her.

After accomplishing his goal, Ben faces off against Vader and ends up perishing in the act. Luke is on his own now and must deliver R2’s secret intel to the Rebels by himself. This is the second disaster, and it comes halfway into act two.

Luke and Han escape with Leia and, after a space battle, the Millennium Falcon reaches the Rebel base. They present R2’s intel about the Death Star and a desperate plan is conjured to destroy the planet-wrecking Death Star, and thus abolish the Emperor’s plans forever (yeah…sure).

Act Three and the Third Disaster
Han Solo turns his back on the Rebels and tries to get Luke to come with him. But Luke, on his quest to learn the Force and avenge his adoptive parents’ deaths, sees that the only way to bring Justice to the Empire is to abide by the Rebels’ suicidal plan. This is the third disaster, and it draws everything into focus.

The attack begins. Every Rebel ship that approaches the Death Star is destroyed, and only Luke is left to try. R2 is damaged. Darth Vader is on his tail. Luke turns off the computer and hears Ben’s voice in his head, “Use the force, Luke.” Darth Vader has his finger on the trigger and… Han Solo shows up and drives Vader away. Luke uses the force and blows up the Death Star. All conflicts are resolved. Luke has discovered the Force, his family is avenged, and the rebels have triumphed. The end!

Conclusion
So that was a full outline of Star Wars: A New Hope. If you’re one of those Star Wars obsessed people who know everything from the name of Yoda’s first love to Chewbacka’s middle initial, you’ll note that the acts don’t exactly correspond to the times we gave at the beginning. Act one took 40 minutes, act two took 58 minutes, and act three took 22 minutes. In fact, the credits are the only thing that stuck to their allotted 5 minutes. But guess what… that’s fine. Writing is an art, and like any art there’s some leeway that goes with it. But the tried and true way to structure a novel is this: three acts, three disasters. Stick with it, and you’ll soar with the Jedi Masters of the craft.

Teen Inklings: Vol. 8: THE OUTLINE

2010-03-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

Some writers find it necessary to write an outline for their book before they can put the first words on the page. I’m one of them. You may be, too!

When starting my first novel, I couldn’t get more than a few pages into things before I’d freeze up and stop. I had no idea where things were going, so I couldn’t keep up the momentum. When that happened I felt like I wasn’t trying hard enough, like I was a quitter. But no matter what I did, I just couldn’t get the words on the page. How frustrating!

One day I was browsing the internet, feeling like a complete failure, when I stumbled upon an interview with the popular teen author of Eragon. As it turns out, he had the same problem when he was just starting to write. Eragon is a book that stood on the New York Times Bestseller List for over 120 weeks, so obviously the author got from point A to point B. How’d he do it? Outlining.

An outline is a complete overview of the novel you intend to write. My first outline was seventeen pages long, not including my extra notes, and I wrote it in a furious one-hour brainstorming session. You don’t need to write seventeen pages (seriously, I had snippets of dialogue in that monstrosity), even only one page is fine, but you do need to write it. Writing an outline now will give you practice for that critical synopsis you’ll someday include in your proposal.

Some writers have dubbed themselves "Seat of the Pants" writers. These people like to sit down and write their books knowing little to nothing about the plot or characters involved. If that’s the way you do things, cool. I don’t have a problem with that, it’s a method that works for some people. However, it isn’t perfect. A common trait with first draft manuscripts that weren’t outlined is that they wander about from sub-plot to sub-plot, racking up the word count higher and higher. A novel like that would be a pain to edit, and I just don’t see the point. So I outline.

One argument against outlining is that it takes the surprise out of things. I haven’t found that to be true, even with my seventeen-page whopper by my side. The characters and plot have surprised me several times, sometimes in major ways. It may be a good idea to leave some things vague, though. You can just write the Monkey Princess broke out of the castle, you don’t need to outline exactly how she blew a hole in the wall with the bomb concealed in her crown and swam across the moat. Less is more sometimes, especially if you want some explosive surprises. Just make sure you have your major plot elements down.

When outlining it’s important to keep an open mind. At some point you’ll leave that Outliner’s Omniscience and write your first draft. Once you get onto that nitty-gritty level with things you may realize that some of your earlier plot points don’t make sense anymore. Good! Change them so that they do. You may want to write a new outline at this point, or fix the old one to suit your changes. It isn’t an issue unless you treat it like one.

If you want more info on exactly how to turn your story idea into an outline, visit this web page: http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

Note: No Seat of the Pants writers were harmed in the writing of this article… lol

TeenInklings E-Zine, Volume 7: MOTIVATION REACTION UNITS

2010-02-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

“MRU” is a pretty technical term for such a simple concept. Some people call it Action/Reaction. Same thing. Boiled down, the writers’ purpose is to give the reader a Powerful Emotional Experience. The best way to do this is to make sure everything happens in order. Rapunzel can’t let her hair out the window before the prince calls for her. The airplane can’t fall out of the sky before the pilot shoots it down. That would be taking away the readers ability to Experience your writing! To fix these you need to break them apart into paragraphs. A Motivation paragraph where Rapunzel lets her hair out the window, and a Reaction paragraph where the prince climbs up.

There are two main parts to an MRU. The first is the Objective External Part and the second is the Internal Subjective Part, and they happen in that order. Confused yet? In human speak—Motivation and Reaction. A Motivation would be something that happens to your protagonist, like a thief putting a gun to your protagonist’s head. A Reaction would be whatever action your protagonist takes, like handing over his wallet. They need to happen this way to truly give your reader a Powerful Emotional Experience.

Let’s put on our safety goggles and dissect this ugly frog, shall we? Okay…

Motivation Paragraph:
Sir Gigglebee the Bold brandished his sword and charged Sir Lame of Nowhere.
Reaction Paragraph:
Sir Lame ducked away and slammed his visor. Time to end this. “En Garde, foolish Sir Gigglebee! Your days of boldness are at an end!” Sir Lame hefted his shield and charged.

This is one complete Unit. In good fiction, once you finish one MRU you do another, and then another, and then another… The point to remember is that first drafts are for getting the words on the paper, no matter how terrible. The real magic happens in the rewrites, so don’t worry about trying to make things perfect the first time around.

Now let’s get deep with these things—real deep. After your protagonist has been given a Motivation they need to React. A Reaction has three parts that writers say need to happen in order. Here’s the three parts:

A.) Instant reaction—snort, giggle, nod, chuckle, grin. You really don’t think about these things, you just do them. (Sir Lame ducked away and slammed his visor.)

B.) Internal feelings. Like anger bubbling to the surface or thought. (Time to end this.)

C.) Dialogue and/or action that you think about. (“En Garde, foolish Sir Gigglebee! Your days of boldness are at an end!” Sir Lame hefted his shield and charged.)

When writing your character’s reaction, you don’t need to include all three. You can use only one or two, but unless you have a very good reason not to, keep them in order. Imagine how odd it’d be to read a paragraph that starts with dialogue, then internal thought, then an instant reaction. How backward would that character feel?

Now I have to confess, I don’t always follow the Reaction Rule. The difference is that I know I’m making an error and put it in anyway. In the end I usually just restructure that error to make it correct or cut it. That’s probably for the best.

Once you get your Motivation Reaction Units correct you’ve discovered the secret to compelling fiction. Cool, huh? If you’ve got a question you’re itching to ask be sure to leave it in the comment section.

Check back next month for Volume 8

TeenInklings E-Zine, Volume 6: PASSIVE VOICE

2010-01-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

The car was kicked by Eloise.
The arrow flew toward the target once Billy released it.
A bright rainbow behind the church steeple could be seen by all.

The sentences above all share a common problem. Can you see it? I tried to make it increasingly difficult to spot as they progressed. Read them again with that in mind. Find anything? If not, don’t feel too bad.

Each sentence was written in passive voice. Meaning what? The action is being done to the subject, not the other way around. Three things create passive voice: “to be” verbs, sentence structure, and telling. The above sentences could all be fixed by tweaking their structure. Active voice powerfully moves your character through the scene. Passive voice does not.
Writing in active voice enables the reader to turn words into pictures. Passive voice creates awkward sentences, which don't sound smooth when read out loud.

But wait! How can you tell for sure if your writing is active or passive? One way to identify passive voice in your writing is to test out how strong your verbs are. Weak verbs (like “wandered”) don’t create a picture. Strong verbs (like “ran”) create a picture. “To be” verbs (like is, am, are, was, were, be, being, and been) are a surefire way of indicating passive voice. What do I mean? Read this sentence in which I’ve marked the “to be” verb: All of Jake’s games were planned by me. If this had been Active, it would’ve read: I planned all of Jake’s games. No “to be” verb! Yay!

Don’t get me wrong, passive voice does have its place in fiction. But there are only two situations where it should be used.

1. When it is more important to draw our attention to the person or thing acted upon: The abandoned vehicle was apparently found by the Sheriff during the early morning hours.
2. When the character in the situation is not important: The rainbow could be observed by all after the thunderstorm.

If you identify a section of passive voice in your writing consider revising it. Your reader can’t really experience things if they are backward.

So, to sum all of that up, passive voice is when your character is being acted upon by the subject: The airplane was driven by Joe. Active voice is when your character is acting on the subject: Joe drove the airplane.

Just so you can see what those first sentences would look like revised, I’ve rewritten them for you. (The subject is in red, the object is in blue.)

Eloise kicked the car.
Billy released the arrow and it flew toward the target.
Everyone could see the rainbow behind the church steeple.

Happy New Year, everyone! Stay tuned for next month's E-Zine: Motivation Reaction Units.

Teen Inklings E-Zine: Volume 5: Setting, Description, and Mood

2009-12-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

What’s a book without setting, description, and mood? The answer is simple: A bunch of boring heads talking in outer space. You probably don’t want that for your novel, but the unfortunate truth is that lots of books are like that. There are ways to keep yours from falling into their midst, though, and I’ve laid a few of them out for you below.

Setting
When starting a scene I’d advise that you know what the setting looks like as well as how it smells, how it’d feel if your character touched it, etc. Know as much about the place as you can, but when you write the scene, choose only a few of the strongest senses to convey. It’s easy when you’ve taken the time to know everything about a place to prattle on endlessly about every fine detail.

The solitary blade of grass atop the barren hill stood like an erected tower, defying age and decay—a bugle of hope in a void of sorrow. But it wasn’t an ordinary blade of grass, no, it had a leaflet shaft jutting out of its base, lifting its head beside its older brother like twin blades brandished at the withering noonday sun—the epitome of defiance.

Don’t get carried away. It’s nice to know these things, but when you look at something do you really stop in your tracks and think something like the above paragraph? Probably not. Tolkien was famous for his overwrought description of setting, and as a result he lost a good many readers—a couple of my family members included. The rule of thumb for fiction is this: Immerse your readers in your setting, don’t drown them. Give your reader a few specifics and let their imaginations run with the rest. Donita K. Paul does this well.

Description
It’s necessary to give a paragraph of description for every new setting you come into, preferably on the very first page of that scene. Some writers think you should never do this, that you should avoid the paragraph and trust that the reader will come to their own realization of setting on their own. This creates very irritating, vague writing where random objects can pop up halfway through any given scene. Imagine this as the first scene in a novel:

Megan walked toward Brad. “Hey! I thought you were at college. Why are you here?”
“Yeah… I dropped out. Those classes are confusing—totally not for me.”
“Didn’t your parents pay your tuition?”
“Sure did,” Brad said.
Megan scowled.
Brad returned the gesture and hefted his surfboard under an arm. “Look, I don’t want to talk about this. See you on the waves.”
“Whatever.”

Wait a minute, are Brad and Megan on the beach? When did that happen? Where was that surfboard the whole time? All of those questions should’ve been explained, but they weren’t. Here’s what that would like rewritten:

Megan stole across the scalding sand and wished she’d kept her sandals on. It was like Hades had opened up beneath her and was now attempting to swallow her whole. Should she go back? No. She was already halfway to the drink shack. She listened to the ocean waves crashing on the nearby shore to distract her mind. Halfway there…
“Megan?” The voice was familiar. Brad’s voice.
She spun around and saw her old boyfriend, standing a few feet away, a blue surfboard tucked under a freakishly muscled arm. She feigned a smile. “Hey! I thought you were at college. Why are you here?”
Brad was the same as ever: broad and blond with pearly whites that reflected the bright afternoon sun and nearly blinded her. “Yeah… I dropped out. Those classes are confusing—totally not for me.”
There’s a shocker. Megan scowled. She fought to relax her jaw and winced as stray granules of sand gritted under her molars. “Didn’t your parents pay your tuition?”
“Sure did.”
Megan abandoned all pretense and smirked.
Brad returned the gesture and hefted his surfboard. “Look, I don’t want to talk about this. See you on the waves.” He stood still for a moment—allowing the awkward silence to continue—then managed a twitch that might’ve been a wink and turned away.
“Whatever.” Megan ran the rest of the way to the drink shack, ignoring the blistering sand. Why had her friends insisted she come here? Did they seriously think that putting her on the same beach as her ex would make them get back together? Unbidden tears leapt to her eyes, fueled by her raw emotions. Brad was a loser. She shouldn’t have ever let herself get wrapped up in a relationship with him.

See how much I added? Lots of it was characterization, but go back through it once more with a pen and highlight all the description of setting (and of character, if you want) that I added. You’ll find lots. Another thing I added up there was action beats to tie the reader to the environment. After establishing that Brad has a surfboard, I allow him to “heft” it instead of using a said tag. This is good to do. You need to keep your reader tied to the setting they are in. Jeff Gerke said it best on his Tip of the Week Column: “Like a hot air balloon, conversation needs tie-downs to the setting or they will float away. Every fifth line of dialogue or so you’d better be giving us a note about how the characters are relating to the environment (standing, eating, changing the radio station, etc.) or your reader will lose track of what’s going on.” He speaks truth.

Mood
Bland description is better than no description, but only by a little bit. The words you choose in that paragraph of description we just talked about should convey your POV (Point Of View) characters mood or emotional state.

1. Megan walked across the sand.
2. Megan stole across the sand.

Which of those creates a better understanding of Megan’s mood? The first one is bland and boring—it tells us nothing about Megan. The second one is quite a bit better. “Stole” evokes the feeling that Megan doesn’t want to be there. Weak verbs like “walked” should be weeded out and replaced with stronger ones, unless you’re purposefully trying to make a character boring. Choose your vocabulary carefully.

Another way to convey your viewpoint characters’ mood is to point out different things in their environment. In that paragraph awhile back Megan was dwelling on the scalding sand. This elicited the feeling that she was feeling slightly mutinous, that she wanted to leave. If instead she had dwelled on the bright blue sky or the seashells, she would’ve seemed happy. If you’re walking through a graveyard, do you see the bright flowers placed there by loved ones, or the chalky, unfeeling grave stones? Either one creates a very distinct mood.
Yet another way to set mood is to use Imaginative Comparisons. A well placed Simile can work wonders on your manuscript. Metaphors can do the same, but I tend to use those less. Here’s one Comparison I used above: It was like Hades had opened up beneath her and was now attempting to swallow her whole. These are sometimes called Word Pictures, and by the end of that one I can decipher Megan’s mood easily. Make good use of them in your novel, but be sure not to overuse them. They can get annoying if they’re in every other paragraph.

Check back later for next month's E-Zine

Teen Inklings E-Zine: Volume 4: DIALOGUE

2009-11-01T12:15:00.000-08:00

Dialogue is a very important part of writing. It’s always action, and action is what drives a story. Dialogue is a great way to add personality to your characters. It can be fun, quick, quirky, or even tense and serious. It can also be misused. Tons of writers make mistakes inside—and outside—of their quotation marks, but you can avoid that easily.

Said Tags
We’ve already discussed this at length in Volume 2, but there are a few more things you need to know.

A.
Never, never tell inside of a said tag.
“I love pie!” Katie gushed.
Gushed needs to be changed to “said.” Resist the urge to tell your readers how to interpret things. They like to interpret things for themselves. Same goes for ly words, which are incorrect modifiers placed after the said tag.
“I love pie!” Katie said ecstatically.
The ly word could be cut and the meaning wouldn’t change. Less is more.

B.
If you are writing a long paragraph, get your speaker attributions (said tags) into your dialogue ASAP.

“I find you irresistible. And now I know that you’re the love of my life. I don’t care if you’re a mortal and I’m… not. That doesn’t matter… So what if I want to suck your blood? That’s a small quirk to overcome in the face of true love. I’ll keep you safe and love you until the end of time. No matter what,” Edwardo said.

That’s too late.

“I find you irresistible. And now I know that you’re the love of my life. I don’t care if you’re a mortal and I’m… not. That doesn’t matter,” Edwardo said. “So what if I want to suck your blood? That’s a small quirk to overcome in the face of true love. I’ll keep you safe and love you until the end of time. No matter what.”

Still too late.

“I find you irresistible,” Edwardo said. “And now I know that you’re the love of my life. I don’t care if you’re a mortal and I’m… not. That doesn’t matter… So what if I want to suck your blood? That’s a small quirk to overcome in the face of true love. I’ll keep you safe and love you until the end of time. No matter what.”

Juuuust right. And keep in mind that you only ever need to use a said tag—or an action tag—once in any bit of dialogue.

C.
Resist the urge to use a said tag after every bit of dialogue. That’s just plain annoying. If you were to take away every said tag in a book—which nobody should do—the reader ought to be able to tell who’s saying what and where. More on this later.

Bonus Tip!
Something I used to do when I started writing was invert my said tags.
You’d write: “Pizza!” he said, not, “Pizza!” said he.
Always do the same with names.
“Pizza!” Mark said, is the correct form of, “Pizza!” said Mark.
Lots of authors get this wrong. You shouldn’t.

Show Vs. Tell… Dialogue Edition.

Dialogue can be a great place to convey facts. I mean, who hasn’t seen those CSI type scenes where agent X arrives on the scene and has the whole crime explained to him in detail by agent Z? In writing, tread this ground carefully. Either you’ll get through the field safely or you’ll step on a mine. Most of the time that mine is backstory. Backstory is a very “telling” way of conveying information. Example:

Mark walked up to Jeremy. “Hey, bud! How are you doing?”
“Not so good. Remember when I broke my arm last year?”
“Yup. You fell off your skateboard. Wasn’t that during a competition?”
“Sure was. My arm’s still sore from that fall.”
Mark stared at the lazy clouds drifting above the trees. “You remember when we first met?”
“Uh, no. Could you remind me?”
“Yup. It was in the middle school hallway next to my locker. You remember Bart? The football player who lives with his grandma? Anyway, he was picking on me and you came to my rescue.”
“That’s right!” A grin spread across Jeremy’s face. “We’ve been best friends ever since.”

Ach! Nearly every sentence in that example had something to “tell.” There are much better ways to “show” that Jeremy is a skateboarder, Bart is a bully, and Mark is Jeremy’s best friend. Reading that I feel like I’m floating outside of the characters, listening to their oh so stilted dialogue.

Ways writers use to tell in dialogue: protagonist conveniently overhears key information; characters suddenly forget certain events in their lives; protagonist asks a character to “jog his memory” about something; characters suddenly become narrators and so on and so forth… Please don’t do those things.

This isn’t real life, people!

When you write dialogue, don’t do it realistically. That’s boring. The written word and the spoken word are two very different things. Consider this example:
“Hey, uh, do you know where my keys are? I mean, I’m always… You remember when we were on that carousel? Yeah, that one with the… Man, I’m not feeling so good.”

When a writer tries to make his dialogue “realistic” the outcome is extremely fragmented, convoluted sentences that hop from one line of thought to the next like a bullfrog with ADD. Here’s how that example should look after revision:

“Do you know where my keys are? Man, I’m not feeling so good.”

The difference is clear.

Politely Echo Me, Please

Don’t let your characters become so formal that they start echoing each other. Broken records are boring, and dialogue is all about action. Example:

“Good morning, Dave,” Julia said.
“Yes it is a good morning, isn’t it?”
Julia nodded. “Oh it sure is. How’s your wife?”
“My wife? Oh, she’s fine.”
“Fine? Well that’s good.”
“Thank you for asking.” Jack took a sip of his coffee.
“You’re certainly welcome.”

Boring! Julia and Dave are way too polite. Nothing is being alluded to. Everything is being repeated. The dialogue is stilted. Stilted equals boring. Let the reader figure things out for themselves. If you deprive them of that right, they’re justified in chucking your book at the nearest wall.

Word to Word or Subtext to Subtext?

In the real world, so much is conveyed by body language. In dialogue, so much is conveyed by the subtext of our words. When we talk, it’s from meaning to meaning. Sometimes words are poor conveyors of meaning.

“When’s the last time you checked your wallet?”
“Are you calling my girlfriend a thief?”
“Well, if the shoe fits…”

When your characters allude to things, it creates tension. Let that tension create conflict and, voila! You’ve got action.

Let Dialogue Give Your Characters Personality

The words you choose and the order you put them in can add a great deal of personality to your characters. Giving your character a special word or sentence structure that is totally unique to them can make them memorable. Take these bits of famous dialogue for example:

“My precious.”
“Mmm, the force is strong with this one, it is.”
“Inconceivable!”

Each of those immediately conjures up an image in my mind. That’s the effect giving certain words or ways of talking to your characters can have on a reader. Even punctuation can give your characters personality. You can make a person rude by having them constantly cutting people off by using em dashes. Or you can give somebody a stutter by using hyphens. Maybe one of your characters omits certain letters in words? You can convey that by using apostrophes—though I suggest you use this trick rarely.

Some writers, like J.K. Rowling, attempt to give their characters personality by misspelling words. They think this gives their character an accent, when really it just makes readers stumble over the paragraphs. If you want your character to have an accent, convey that by your word choice. Jill Williamson did this by giving a group of people in her book, the Barthians, the tendency to end lots of words with ing. That created a very cool, alien way for those people to talk that I’ve never once stumbled over.

The last piece of advice I’ve got to tell you is to read your dialogue out loud. There are things that your eyes won’t catch. It’s the job of your voice to point them out. If something sounds awkward or stilted, change it. Better yet, pull your family members together and give them your dialogue to read out loud. Record it and listen to it later, then make your revisions.

Check back next month for December’s E-Zine: Setting

Teen Inklings: Vol. 3: SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF

2009-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

A time will come when you’ll be forced to suspend your readers’ disbelief—regardless of your genre. But before I explain that statement, let me define what Suspension of Disbelief is after being boiled down: Creation of Belief.

Let’s imagine a boy sitting down to read The Wizard of Oz. He opens the book and reads for awhile about a girl named Dorothy living a rather bleak life in a remote part of Kansas. All pretty normal stuff, right? So far, the little boy hasn’t been faced with anything to make him think that peculiar or impossible things are about to happen… Then a tornado sucks Dorothy into a magical land filled with Munchkins where she crushes an evil witch under a house. What? That could never happen on earth. Here is where the little boy has to suspend his disbelief and just follow the story along. As writers, it’s our job to make that process easy.

Earlier I said that regardless of your genre, you’re going to be faced with this problem. I stand by that. Whether you’re writing about a fantasy world or the real world, you’ve got to keep things believable enough so that your readers won’t roll their eyes. Even if your book is about a futuristic tribe of cannibalistic Vampires living in the far off realm of A’po’stro’phe’, you’ve got to keep things real. No, I haven’t gone crazy. If perchance you are writing dialogue for your Vampire hero and he says something like “Good gravy, I’m hungry. Too bad there isn’t a McDonald’s around here… Guess I’ll just eat my hand.” I would laugh. And not because of that last sentence. How could the land of A’po’stro’phe have a McDonald’s? Will McDonald’s even be around in the future? Why does he say Good Gravy when that term is so outdated? Are there Leave it to Beaver marathons on Vampire TV? Do they even have TV? And so on and so forth. Those are all questions you’d have to sort out and do a good deal of explaining of in your first chapters. This is why you need to be extra careful with your facts. A misplaced word can sever the rope suspending your readers’ disbelief and bring real life crashing down on your book. Research is a key component in Suspension of Disbelief.

If you are writing a modern day story and you say that the White House is in Kentucky, readers are going to know better. Or if you are writing a medieval novel and your gallant knight wields a ten foot stainless steel sword, you’re not going to get away with it. Stainless steel wasn’t patented until the early 1900’s, and some of your readers are going to know that. Does this mean you can’t twist fact? Not at all. But do it realistically.

One way to do this is to spend time researching, or, if you write speculative fiction (like most teen writers), by being thorough when you create your world. You can do this. I have faith in you. I know of some sci-fi writers who drew out extraterrestrial charts for every planet they created, down to interplanetary movements in the galaxies between their characters’ worlds. The hard thing is doing all that work and not putting it in your book. And you’ll be tempted to do that. Don’t; it’ll bog down your writing and put people to sleep. If you know how things work, and you believe that those things could happen, chances are, your reader is going to as well. So take your time creating a world you don’t have any trouble believing in.

Now I’m going to give you a sample that does an extremely poor job of suspending my disbelief, and then I’m gong to show you why. Sound good? I hope that after reading this you’ll realize just how careful you need to be as a writer. Ready? Here goes.

[The setting is a medieval fiefdom in the fantasy world, Elowell. Our main character is Lydia, a young kitchen girl.]

Lydia tightened her silk apron and turned back to the tower of unwashed dishes protruding from the nearby sink. Plates, forks, knives, cups, all piled one on top of the other as if fighting for her attention. There’d be no way she could set the table in the adjacent dining hall and finish the dishes in time for supper. She needed help.
Hurrying to the back wall, Lydia yelled out the window leading to the Stables. “Brogan!” she yelled, and presently a boys head appeared out of the nearest stall. “I need your help!”
“No prob,” Brogan said, clapping his dusty hands together. “I’m finished here anyway.” He disappeared from sight.
Lydia bustled back to the sink and stared at the dirty saucers before her, as if her mere stare could make them vanish. She waited for what seemed like hours for Brogan to arrive, and was slightly surprised when he finally did.
“What took you so long?” Lydia asked, her voice spiking.
“Ah, nothin’,” Brogan said, grinning. “I had to give Lord Rupert a boost so he could replace a light bulb in the entrance hall.”
Guilt replaced Lydia’s anger like a rug being pulled out from under her. Brogan had only taken so long because he’d had to help someone along the way. “Er, sorry. I didn’t mean to be so angry.”
“Whateva.” Brogan turned to stare at the Mahogany cupboards lining the wall. “Whatchoo need help with?”
“Setting the table,” Lydia said, pointing at the cupboard directly in front of Brogan’s boyish face. “The china’s in there.”
“No prob.”

Stop! I think we’ve got quite enough to work with here. Let’s start from the beginning and work our way to the end. I bet you’ve already caught several of the mistakes in this passage.

Lydia tightened her silk [silk was expensive in medieval times and was reserved for the upper class, not kitchen girls.] apron and turned back to the tower of unwashed dishes protruding from the nearby sink. Plates [plates weren’t used back then. Bread bowls called Trenchers were used], forks[forks weren’t used either. In a medieval banquet you’d cut and eat off of the knife], knives, cups, all piled one on top of the other as if fighting for her attention. There’d be no way she could set the table in the adjacent dining hall and finish the dishes in time for supper.[Something missing here are the cooks making the meal. A medieval kitchen wouldn’t be empty, especially before a meal] She needed help.
Hurrying to the back wall, Lydia yelled out the window leading to the Stables.[the kitchen and stables wouldn’t have been next to each other… for obvious reasons.] “Brogan!” she yelled, and presently a boys head appeared out of the nearest stall. “I need your help!”
“No prob,” Brogan said, clapping his dusty hands together. “I’m finished here anyway.”[As a stable boy, Brogan wouldn’t have gone to help in the kitchens. That was largely woman’s work in medieval times.] He disappeared from sight.
Lydia bustled back to the sink and stared at the dirty dishes before her, as if her mere stare could make them vanish. She waited for what seemed like hours for Brogan to arrive, and was slightly surprised when he finally did.
“What took you so long?” Lydia asked, her voice spiking.
“Ah, nothin’,” Brogan said, grinning. “I had to give Lord Rupert a boost[a dusty handed stable boy wouldn’t be giving a Lord a boost. He probably wouldn’t have even got permission to enter the main kitchens.] so he could replace a light bulb[Thomas Edison didn’t live in medieval times] in the entrance hall.”
Guilt replaced Lydia’s anger like a rug being pulled out from under her. Brogan had only taken so long because he’d had to help someone along the way. “Er, sorry. I didn’t mean to be so angry.”
“Whateva.[Brogan’s speech is far too modern for his era.]” Brogan turned to stare at the cupboards lining the wall. “Whatchoo need help with?”
“Setting the table,[Again, a stable boy wouldn’t do this]” Lydia said, pointing at the cupboard directly in front of Brogan’s boyish face. “The china’s[This is a fantasy world, China exists on earth. Even if Elowell was on earth, acquiring china would’ve been quite a feat for a small fiefdom.] in there.”
“No prob.”

And I saw more problems in that passage than what I pointed out. Believe it or not, I have read books where the facts have been that bad. One medieval fantasy book I read had the protagonist musing about how he needed to go take a shower. Yikes.

Now that was quite a bit to digest for one article. If you have any questions about Suspension of Disbelief, feel free to leave them in the comments for this post, or you can e-mail me at this address: ChristianMiles@(at)live.(dot)com.

Check back soon for next month’s E-Zine

Vol. 2: September 1, 2009: SAID-TAGS AND ADVERBS

2009-09-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

This months E-zine is going to focus on two commonly misused functions in the writing world. By following the advice given in this article you can escape or bypass two mistakes novice writers often make.

Said-tags and adverbs are commonly linked together. Take this sentence for example:
“I love you, Ted,” Melissa breathed admiringly.
Did you catch them? “Breathed” is our said-tag and “admiringly” is our adverb. And--guess what--they are both incorrect! If a good agent or editor saw this, they’d probably toss your manuscript in the junk pile. Why? Read on and I’ll explain.

Said-Tags

A said-tag is a dialogue attributor used at the end, middle, or beginning of a piece of dialogue. The only reason a writer uses a said-tag is to let the reader know who is talking. Most reader’s skip over these without noticing that they are there at all. That’s why you should want your said-tags to be invisible. A fancy tag can interrupt the flow of the story by drawing your reader out of it. Which is why you should keep things simple. Above I used the word “breathed” as a said-tag. “Breathed” is an action I used instead of the word “said.” You should never do this. The verb “said” is almost exclusively better than using any other verb.

A writer friend of mine calls these “said-bookisms” and they are evil. Here are a few examples of said-bookisms:
“Hamburgers are my favorite food,” Ella smiled.
“Don’t take me to that asylum,” Billy laughed.
Don’t do this. The only time you should use a verb instead of “said” is if your character is whispering. There is no way to show whispering through dialogue. If your character is yelling something, you’re probably using an exclamation point at the end of your sentence. Having an exclamation point and a said-tag using the word yelled is redundant.

Said-bookisms with redundancies should be weeded out as well. Here are a few examples of those:
“I’m sorry,” she apologized. (Dialogue shows that she’s apologizing)
“I have to go,” he excused himself. (Dialogue shows that he’s excusing himself)
“Your hair is yellow,” she pointed out. (Dialogue shows that she’s pointing that out)
“Where is your mother?” she questioned. (Question mark shows that it’s a question)
All of those said-tags are redundant because the dialogue or punctuation is showing those things already.

Also, you shouldn’t be afraid to simply use the word “said.” And you don’t need to have a said-tag at the end of every bit of dialogue. Readers are smart; they can guess who is talking. Another thing you shouldn’t be afraid to do is mix things up. You can use action-tags instead of said-tags. That is substituting your “said” with action. Here’s an example:
Jimmy walked to the door. “It’s raining outside.”
It’s as simple as that. So mix it up! Keep things fresh and your readers won’t get frustrated… or bored. Now we can move on to topic number two.

Adverbs

Has anyone ever told you that you need to show and not tell? Maybe that reason is because you’re using adverbs incorrectly. For the most part, an adverb is just a verb ending in the suffix ly. Happily and sappily are good examples of this.

Remember that sentence about Melissa way back? “Admiringly” is an adverb that should have been cut. It tells us how to interpret her feelings instead of showing us her admiration. Here is a way to show in that scene:
“I love you,” Melissa said. She stroked the fuzzy chin of her teddy-bear and tucked it under the covers next to her.
Did you see it? I added sensory details in “fuzzy” and described what Melissa is seeing. And I think it really makes a difference. Adverbs aren’t evil, but they certainly aren’t good, either. Now go apply that rule to your writing and see if you can see after showing… (erm.) If you can’t… keep an eye out for a future E-zine, or go read a book. Figure out how your favorite authors describe things. What words do they use? How many senses do they give you?

And that’s it for this article. You should have a pretty good grip now of what those annoying little said-tags and adverbs are all about. So let’s recap really quick…
“I love you, Ted,” Melissa breathed admiringly
should be changed to
“I love you, Ted,” Melissa said. (I promise that rhyme was unintentional.)
And we’re done!

Check back for next months E-zine: Suspension of Disbelief

E-zine copyright Christian Miles, 2009

Vol. 1: August 12, 2009: THE THREE STEPS TO GETTING STARTED

2009-08-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

There are many methods to starting your novel. Tons and tons of ways to begin--and some may be better than mine. But this one has worked for me. And since, I'm assuming, you're a teen writer as well, you can use this process to get yourself started... just like I did. So, without further ado, let's start the steps!

Step 1: The idea.

Every book started with an idea. All of them. Some ideas are good, and, well, some of them aren't that good. But since I'm guessing your idea is absolutely brilliant, you don't have anything to worry about. What do you do to start step 1? Take your idea and write it out in one sentence.

Ex.
After being rejected from battleschool, a fifteen year old boy becomes the reluctant apprentice of a ranger-Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan

Things NOT to do in your one sentence summery.
1. Don't use names. It's better to say "a fifteen year old boy" than to say "William."
2. Don't let it stretch longer than twenty words. Fifteen is ideal. The shorter, the better.
3. Leave out extraneous plot details. We don't need to know if Will is allergic to garlic or if his Dad was a knight before he was born... Unless that's your idea. Only mention your biggest plot driving conflict.

This one sentence summary is called a sales pitch (or elevator pitch). On Randy Ingermanson's site (Advancedfictionwriting.com) you can find the process he's developed--the snowflake method--to further develop your sentence into a paragraph, your paragraph into a page, and so on and so forth until you have an outline.

Step 2: Learn your Craft, decide your Point Of View (POV), and pick a Tense.

Now, this step is where the most work is done. Learning your craft involves studying the language you intend to write your novel in. Grammar and punctuation fall under this one, as well as many other aspects of writing. The best advice I can give you? Read books. Read how-to books. Analyze your favorite books. There are tons of books I could recommend on the topic of writing, and maybe I will in a future e-zine.

Right about now, you might be asking "What? There's more than ONE point of view?" and here's the simple answer: yes! There are many point of views (called POV from now on because my fingers are getting tired) and all of them have their pros and cons. Here are three of the more popular POV's out there.

Omniscient: By its definition, omniscient means having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight. Thank you Webster! This is like having God as the narrator. The author can hop from one person's head to the next every other paragraph. Which, at least for me, is very annoying. Cornelia Funke uses this POV in Inkheart. A disadvantage of using omniscient is that it makes your characters less intimate for your reader, as you are popping from one person's head to the next.

First Person: This POV reads very much like a diary. "I walked to the door and I tripped across the slippery tile floor" is an example of it. Stephanie Meyer uses this POV in Twilight. But there is a disadvantage. Where first person might work great in a romance novel, it wouldn't be the best/easiest choice for a suspense novel, as it is fairly intimate and hard to use.

Third Person: This POV is the most commonly used of them all. And it's easy to see why. Written in Third Person, the above sentence would read "Bryan walked to the door and he tripped across the slippery tile floor." You can use the word "he" or your POV character's name for your pronouns. A book that uses this POV is Christopher Paolini's Eragon. As for disadvantages... when used properly, there really aren't many! That's why it's used so often.

After you decide what POV you're going to use, pick a tense. There are only two tenses: past tense and present tense. Here's the difference: I walk to the door (present tense), I walked to the door (past tense). Easy, right? After you've learned enough about the craft of writing and have decided your POV and tense, you're ready for step three.

Step 3: Write your book!

This step can be the most fun. You finally get to write your book! Yay! So you're writing along, lost in a white heat of inspiration, and then you hit a lull (otherwise known as writer's block). What do you do? Keep writing. Zip through that first draft and don't worry about how it looks. Unless you haven't taken the time to master the second step, you shouldn't start re-writing your chapters until that first draft is done. No first draft is perfect. And, unless you're a prodigy, your first--and maybe even second, third, and fourth--draft is going to suck, deal with it. Perseverance is the only difference between you and a published author. The sooner you learn that, the better. And remember, the only thing you don't have to finish is a piece of pie. So keep at it! (Oh, and Donita K. Paul gets the credit for the pie advice. lol)

Check back soon for next month’s e-zine: Said-tags and Adverbs

E-zine copyright Christian Miles, 2009