Two Books I Should Have Featured Last Week

I totally spaced posting these two fine inspirational novels from Waterbrook/Multnomah authors Linda Chaiken and Angie Hunt. Mea culpa, but better late than never. These authors show the rest of us how Christian fiction is done. Read on:

Tomorrow’s Treasure (ISBN-13: 978-0-307-45808-7)
by Linda Lee Chaikin, book one in East of the Sun series. Family secrets and a passion for a man of a higher social class draw Evy Varley into a dangerous mystery and disturbing questions about her past.

The Silver Sword (ISBN-13: 978-0-307-45809-4)
by Angela Elwell Hunt, book one in The Heirs of Cahira O’ Connor series. The auburn-haired O’Conner women push against social limits. Their tale is one of peril, courage, vengeance, love and sacrifice.

Wait. . . I Can Explain

In my writing classes, I often write R.U.E. on student work. Resist the Urge to Explain is a fancy way of saying show don't tell, but some writers are good at showing and then, just in case the reader doesn't get it, they explain what that showing meant. Readers would rather you stopped at the showing.
As writers, we must manage our readers. We are bound to point them in the right direction, stress one thing over another, foreshadow or withold information at just the right time. Yet readers don't want to be told what to think or have obvious explanations served to them as if they can't come to any conclusion.
An example might be: Fred clenched his jaw and smacked one balled fist into his palm. "You'll never get away with this!" he bellowed. Fred felt really really angry, angrier than he'd ever felt before. If you tagged the first two sentences as "showing," and the last sentence as telling, you're correct. Watch for words such as felt, noticed, realized. Use of these words often signal that you are telling the reader what they rather be shown.
Writing Tip for Today: While clarity is important in helping your reader experience your scenes as you envisioned them, it's also a good idea not to insult that gentle reader. Show don't tell, true, but contain the natural urge to tack on a worn-out "telly" phrase. By Resisting the Urge to Explain, you'll satisfy the reader's desire to experience the story, not just be told the story. Learn to show artfully, but R.U.E.

Baby Writers and Baby Chihuahuas

This afternoon I am doggy-sitting my daughter's 7 week-old chihuahua, Bella. At her 6 week checkup she weighed exactly one pound. Bella is a typical puppy--wants everything right now, plays with everything (she grabs her chewy toy and struts about the lawn, looking like an ant with an oversized burden), gnaws on everything, and then stops in mid-gnaw to grab a short nap. The biggest fear we have is that one of us will step on her. In a way, new writers are often similar to puppies. I remember wanting everything right away, playing with all sorts of different styles and writing forms, chewing over rejections or critiques instead of applying their lessons. My biggest fear was of being stepped on by a more experienced or published writer.
You aren't a chihuahua, but maybe you can relate. You can't learn fast enough, or make your writing skilled enough to do what you want to do. All the chewy toys in the world can't replace the one thing you need the most: a byline (preferably a paid byline). Yet you will keep on going because you know it will pay off later.
Writing Tip for Today: Right at this moment, I can barely move because sweet Bella is napping on my lap. When you feel stuck or limited by your own puppy-clumsy writing mistakes, remember that Bella won't always look like an ant carrying an oversized leaf. She'll grow up and so will you. Practice improving your craft and you are bound to mature as a writer. Keep writing!

A Little Leavening

If you've ever baked your own bread, you know that it's important to get the ingredients in proper balance. Too much yeast and the loaf balloons out of its pan. Too little "food" for the yeast, and the bread won't rise. Wrong temperature liquids (I have killed my yeasty friends accidentally) or incorrect rising times can also result in a heavy, chewy mass you might as well use for a doorstop.
Writing is that way too. Often, new writers assume that if some is good, more must be better. This results in heavy-handed prose that isn't readable. The right amounts as well as the correct time to introduce a technique, description or action is as crucial as the tools themselves. We all have the same writing ingredients to use. Learning the writing craft is often more about the timing and amount than it is the actual useage.
Writing Tip for Today: Remember the "Rule of Three." Watch movies to learn how dialogue is delivered. Finally, read many books you love in the genre you are writing in and pay attention to rhythm and pacing. Practice writing scenes with the information you glean. Don't worry too much about "copying" another well-known author. Chances are, the more you practice the more you will see your own style emerge.

Every Scene a Head Movie

A client and writing student asked me if I might be available for a "Star Trek" mind meld to help her learn the writing craft. I wish it were possible, but until someone figures out a way to do it, we're stuck with old-fashioned practice, wide reading and maybe classes or mentoring from an established writer. The one thing I did relate as a tip was to envision each scene written as a movie. In the draft stage I ask myself, "What is the purpose of this scene?" Then I simply get the main ideas down. This is important because different writers have different styles--some "hear" mostly dialogue, others write a lot of stage directions or description. I try to avoid writing many scenes with only the protagonist present on stage. This includes telephone calls. Conflict is much easier to sustain when at least two are on stage. After the scene is roughed out, let it sit a day, a week, whatever. When you open it again for revision, imagine the movie version of your story.
Writing Tip for Today: Every scene imagined as a movie may help you revise. In the head movie, (which is not something old hippies would watch) you'll imagine the rate at which dialogue and action happen. You'll see when the camera zooms in or out. You'll write the characters' body language, emotions and attitude instead of simply labeling (he was angry, happy, sad) them. You'll add details where it is appropriate. In movies, the scenery remains static, but in fiction the reader must be reminded at intervals or else the surroundings dissolve. As you revise your imaginary movie, cast your favorite film stars as the characters or add swelling music to dramatize. Have fun revising your head movies. You'll learn the writing craft as you do.

New Day, New URL for the Trailer

In my excitement to show off the book trailer, I uploaded the "beta" version yesterday. After watching it, we wanted to make the caption fonts bigger and add in more of Ethel's lovely flute playing, so I took down "beta" and made it better. Please use the following url to view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JojWwNK3We4 Enjoy!

Writing Tip for Today: It's a good thing the trailer only needed minor adjustments. In writing, my buddy John Reed always says, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Amen to that. When you get excited about something you've written, let it sit one more day before you submit. That way, you'll be able to catch any errors or changes that need to be made before you impress that agent or editor.

Book Trailer--The Fence My father Built

OK now I'm getting excited! My talented husband Brad and I finished our trailer for the October release of The Fence My Father Built. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds7Ov3P_lmg Let me know what you think.

Writing Tip for Today: Book trailers are at today's cutting edge of marketing techniques. Yet there is already a debate on about whether or not they actually sell books. What do you think? Would you buy a novel based on watching a book trailer? In the case of The Fence My Father Built, I certainly hope so.