Dear Editor, I recently watched The Road. I hated the movie because I felt like the stupid decisions the characters made were the only thing furthering the plot. They jumped back and forth from the frying pan to the fire so often, I was kind of hoping they’d just go… Read more“Basing plot on character motivation”
Category: Advice Column
Negotiating with a publisher, with & without an agent
Dear Victoria, I’ve just been offered my first book deal by a professional digital publisher. They’ve sent me a deal sheet and asked if I have an agent or if I will be doing my own contract negotiations. As I’m a new author and have been focusing my efforts on… Read more“Negotiating with a publisher, with & without an agent”
Finding good info on outlining
Question: where to find good info on outlining?—@art1032 Answer: The Art & Craft of Fiction: A Practitioner’s Manual and The Art & Craft of Story: 2nd Practitioner’s Manual. I’m not being flip, either. I devoted the biggest part of the biggest divisions of my books to plotting. You know why?… Read more“Finding good info on outlining”
Expositing
You know, as hard as I’ve tried to get a good understanding of exposition I don’t really have a clue. I’ve begun to think of it as anything that isn’t dialog, action or description. Is that correct?—Jeffrey Russell Pretty much, Jeffrey. In a nutshell. People tend to get confused about… Read more“Expositing”
Revealing hidden relationships
My Main Character has no idea she has a sister. Her nemesis knows the truth but doesn’t want to admit it unless it serves her purposes. She actually wants to step into the MC’s life, to have everything the MC has. How do I make it so that people don’t… Read more“Revealing hidden relationships”
Putting your best foot forward
Hi Victoria! I’ve written what I feel is a great book. My readers love it. But I know that a well-written book isn’t enough to land an agent. How can I tell if my story stands out enough? I read plenty in my genre, so I know how it’s similar,… Read more“Putting your best foot forward”
Using your writing time effectively
How do I make this process faster? And don’t give me stuff like turn off the TV/internet/hole up in a cabin. 😉 How do i make the time I’m actually writing more effective?—Iapetus999 When I was in college, my idea of studying for an exam was to show up at… Read more“Using your writing time effectively”
Writing series fiction
Any suggestions for writing a book series? Do’s and Don’ts, etc.—Lyn South Here we’re probably talking about genre, because it’s all but impossible to create a series without categorizing it in a genre so booksellers can point readers in the right direction when they come in looking for book two… Read more“Writing series fiction”
Seeing the end of revision
Well, how much do you revise before you consider a piece finished? Best—@sandraslad Oh, gosh. Infinitely? Unto the ends of the earth? Until you’re dead? And then you can be like Monte Python’s plague victims: “‘Not dead yet!” “Yes, you are.” I’ve been asked this before, and the straight-forward answer… Read more“Seeing the end of revision”
Selling mechanical or artistic literature in today’s market
To some, writing is a skill. To others, it’s intuitive. I’ve been reading of late a small controversy brewing over the mechanical writer vs. the artistic. I believe that there is a place in this world for both, but my question is which technique does better in the general fiction… Read more“Selling mechanical or artistic literature in today’s market”