Shorten It Up

Short stories are a great way to keep those creative juices going, to start a new novel or just flesh out an idea. I never saw myself writing them until the past year or so, but entered a few contests (and lost) and have written a few more since then.

I have a few with the recommendation from others that I try to get them published. But I don't know what to do, where to look, or if it will even be possible without contests (which I've given up on). There are a lot of novelists out there, but there are even MORE short story writers. The competition is steep and I'm a little overwhelmed.

Is it worth it? Do you have any advice for an amateur short story-ist or some info? How do you even begin if you want to get these little puppies published?

Something's Going To Break

Otherwise known as "I have too many ideas and not enough time to write." Do you ever feel like this? My brain won't shut off. I keep thinking of new novel ideas and it won't stop. Some people don't have this problem. They can't think of ideas, but I have an over-abundance and it's driving me mad because I don't have time to write! I am very grateful though. I will always have something to write about for about the next 5 years. But  they're all so shiny and new! I have to just remind myself to take it one project at a time.

Do you have this problem? Do you have too many ideas pushing their way to the front of your mind?



Research That Makes Good Fiction

No matter what genre of fiction you write, accurate research pulls your readers into your story. Plotting, formatting, world-building and character research are just four items on a list of many that make your reader unable to put that book down.

Plotting research. A lot of writers write by the “seat of their pants” and that works for them. Others plan every detail of their work, following a close outline, but, no matter how you plot (or don’t), there is a basic guide to follow in fiction.

This includes A) introducing your reader to your character’s ordinary world, B) diving into adventure, C) accumulation of bad things happening, D) answering the call to adventure, E) gathering friends and allies, F) the point of no return G) things falling apart H) your crisis or “black moment”, I) resolution, and J) your happy ever after.

In all actuality, your plot should look something like this:

Formatting research. It’s a simple idea, but as a novice writer, there is a lot of information to sift through in regards to what should be included in the header of your MS, where page numbers should start, the actual font of your MS, and what the title page should look like and include. Authors use their own formatting in a lot of cases, but that’s because they’re allowed to. They’ve become accustomed to what their editor is expecting. But you, my friend, have not. Therefore, we must research. Find a copy of Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript by Chuck Sambuchino. It will answer those questions whether you’re submitting a short story, a full novel, or an article to an agent or editor. Remember, the more professional your MS looks, the more professional you look.

World-building research. I’ve read so many manuscripts, especially paranormal, in which the writer doesn’t take the time to actually build the world they’ve created in their book. Readers want to know an era’s/world’s clothing, language, mannerisms, government, architecture, atmosphere, customs/traditions, and culture. Nailing down the details is what keeps your reader engrossed in the story and believing they are right there with your character.

Regency is a huge in the market right now and it requires a lot of research. This means reading history books, watching films in which the era is correctly portrayed, finding other novels in the same time period as your book and learning new words. Unless you’ve done your research, readers will see exactly how much time you took to get it right.

A word of warning: world-building research can become addicting. Never research more than you need to write about or you’ll never finish the book!

Character research. Characters make the book. This is the reason readers will pick up yours, so make them believe your characters are real. This includes setting your character’s goal, motivation, and conflict and not just for your protagonist and antagonist. Every character has an agenda. This is what drives your plot. Tell the reader what, why and why not. A great resource I recommend for every fiction writer is Debra Dixon’s Goal, Motivation and Conflict. Her tips will make your character multi-layered and believable.

You also need to paint a picture of your characters for your readers. A lot of writers actually find a photo that best suits their purposes and refer to it often to keep their descriptions clear throughout the book.

You as the writer need to know your character inside and out. Their job, their likes, dislikes, relationships with family and friends, favorite foods and everything else you can think of. Some are a little easier than others to construct, but either way, it must be done. Maybe you have a protagonist who is a cop. The best way to learn about your character and step into their shoes is to interview a cop. Find out how that officer spends his day, how many years of training he had to go through before he was allowed on the force, what tests he had to take. When it comes to the simpler things, Leigh Michaels has a great list of questions to ask your character in her book On Writing Romance or you can find it on my website http://thelasvegaswriter.blogspot.com/p/writing-help.html

There is a similar warning here as with world-building research. Don’t get too into your interviews or studying. Learn just enough that you can confidently portray your character to your readers and not have to worry about inaccurate details.

What other research do you include in your process?

This vs. That

URBAN FANTASY vs. PARANORMAL

From my experience, more recently including discussions in my writers group, urban fantasy is based primarily on a female protagonist with some type of supernatural powers (in an urban setting, of course), while paranormal fiction is made up of both male and female main characters. 

I've been told urban fantasy was born with the likes of Lara Croft-type heroines in mind: able to handle themselves, strong, intelligent, have attitude (all those things men seem to be afraid of :) )

Currently, I'm seeing some of the critiques feature males as the MC, but listed as urban fantasy. What do you think? What do you consider urban fantasy?

I'm Alive!

Wow! Things are finally slowing down. It feels great to just sit back and relax. I'm still on a writing hiatus for the month of February, but definately getting a lot of critiques done. And I just want to say THANK YOU to all of you who sent in your work to be critiqued. I'm learning so much by reading other manuscripts and it looks like I will have everyone's finished by the end of the month. Perfect, considering I have an 8-10 page essay due next week ;)

This last weekend, I was able to give a 35 minute presentation to my writers group, Las Vegas Romance Writers, and everything seemed to go well. I was so nervous! But apparently I did all right, because nobody asked questions afterward! Now, I know even MORE on Goal, Motivation and Conflict, but it's for the best. I really believe it changed my entire MS (my dead MS) and in a couple of weeks I'll be submitting it for a...ah....third round of submissions. Third time's the charm?

Eye Candy...Mmm...

Just a little eye candy while I get over this cold. Makes me feel better :)

Query Crit Contest

Offered by Operation Awesome, that is! If you haven't already, head on over there and comment on this post to enter the chance to win a critique on your query! Agents Natalie M. Fischer and Josh Getzler will be critiquing!

Not On Hiatus...Promise

It feels like it's been forever since I last posted! I'm still here, just been veeeeery busy. School, work, critiques, reading for school, writing for school...blah blah blah = life. I promise to keep in touch more in the next week than I have been, but inspiration for awesome blog posts is kind of on the back burner right now.

What have you been up to? Ever feel like there aren't enough hours in the day?

Are You in Love?

It's that time of year again - Valentines Day is around the corner!

I'm absolutely in love with my book right now. I actually wrote/finished it about a year ago, but something was missing for me and for two readers who BETAd for me a few months back. It wasn't keeping my attention and both readers said they couldn't connect to my characters. So I left it alone until a couple months ago. I've already posted a little about GMC, but for the first time ever, I'm in love with my book. My characters have purpose, they are multi-layered, they are REAL for me because of the revisions and the detail I gave them. I'm so excited to see what my current BETAs will think at the end of this month and I'm actually EXCITED to query.

 

So when it comes to our WIP, are you in love? Are you excited to sit down at your computer to bang out another 2,000 words? Do you love your characters as much as I do? Confidence is everything!

And the Winner Is...

LYNDA YOUNG!

Congrats! And thanks for following me on this amazing journey! I will contact you today to send over you prize :)