Author: Elizabeth Spann Craig

I’m starting to think that my children have an evil conspiracy to get me working out.

Yesterday, my eight year old daughter asked me to take her to the Y. They have a kids’ workout area with miniature treadmills, etc. It’s hot as the blazes here in North Carolina…we’ve had a heat wave for the past several weeks. Indoor exercise sounded like a decent plan, so I agreed.

“You’re not wearing that, are you?” she asked me.

I looked down at my twill shorts and black shirt and flip flops. “No, I guess not.” I reluctantly dug up some workout-looking clothing and a hair band to put my hair in a ponytail, and then grabbed my Ipod.

Now I looked a lot more like someone who was going to exercise. That definitely helped. But then I got on the treadmill and turned on my Ipod. At some point I’d loaded the device with classical music…I’m guessing so I could write to it at the library or coffeehouse if people got too noisy there.

Somehow, Clair de Lune wasn’t putting me in an exercising mood. Actually, I just turned off the Ipod.

I’ve read plenty of books like that, too—the author, for whatever reason, hadn’t struck the right mood for the scene he was writing. And it’s very jarring, as a reader. When I have an important scene in a manuscript that I feel doesn’t work, it’s usually because I’ve introduced a jarring element to something that should be smoothly written.

I’ve read scenes that were supposed to be scary that were filled with the protagonist’s internal monologue. It slowed the pace of the scene down to a crawl. I felt like, “Really? You’re analyzing this now? But your life is in danger!”

I’ve read fantasy where the characters had just arrived at an amazing setting—and the author skimped on sharing it. And the whole point was this cool location. I’m not a huge fan of description, but if I’m suddenly transported to a whole different world, I’m looking for it to be described.

I’ve read scenes that were intended to be funny that fell flat because the reader was basically told the scene was hilarious by the author (or other characters via dialogue) instead of letting us see the humor in it naturally.

I’ve read scenes that were supposed to be sad or touching that just didn’t seem genuine at all… it was overwritten or the character appeared melodramatic.

Just like the lovely Clair de Lune managed to strike the wrong note in my workout, there are other elements that can mess up an important scene—slow pace, fast pace, telling-not-showing, showing-not-telling (telling is usually better in a thrilling, suspenseful scene), etc.

What trips you up as a reader or a writer?

On Saturday, I took my children to see The Karate Kid to escape the relentless heat we’ve been having in North Carolina.

I was 13 when the original movie came out, but this movie seemed different—and better—than my memory of the original. I think it was also a lot more intense…there were several scenes of Dre being bullied that made me wince.

The mother in the movie was an interesting character. She’d never have allowed her son to be bullied—if she’d known about it. The character clearly loved her child…but was busy with a new job, new country, new customs, etc. I thought the writers and director had a tough job—show the mother as loving and supportive, but ultimately keep her distant to allow her son to run into trouble.

It seemed to me that the screenwriter accomplished this by making the mother ineffective in a plausible way:
She’d just moved to a foreign country.
She was trying to learn the language, currency, and her new job.
She was busy enough not to be perceptive.

I’ll admit I’m on top of my kids all the time—I know where they are, who they’re with, how long they’ll be there…and they’re not allowed to go wandering around the neighborhood by themselves.

Any movie based on my children would be extremely boring.

But this mother moved to China, where her son spoke not a word of the language, and let him roam around the neighborhood at all hours. Once there was a text on his phone from his mom that he needed to come home—that was pretty much it for supervision. She also let him spend entire days with a maintenance man who was a stranger to her…someone she knew nothing about.

If she hadn’t kept this distance from her child, if she’d demanded to know why Dre had a black eye when he clearly lied and said he’d run into a pole, the plot couldn’t have moved forward. He’d never have encountered the bully that made him take up kung fu. He’d never have learned martial arts from the strange man. The whole plot could never have taken place.

This kind of character is very prevalent in YA literature—as are dead parents. :) Parents are notorious for interfering. But then I started thinking about my own books. Both of my protagonists are widows. Why? Because they’re older ladies and I didn’t want their husbands being over-protective and interfering if they wanted to track down killers. My Myrtle Clover character has an interfering son, but since he’s not in the same house, he can’t shut her down as effectively—she can bypass him.

Some interfering characters are important—the antagonist, obviously, is there to provide conflict for our characters and propel the plot forward.

But characters who hold our protagonists back? I’m thinking most of us avoid writing them unless we’re writing a story where our character breaks away from these people (Harry Potter escaping his awful aunt and uncle comes to mind.)

How about you? Do you have a character that holds your character back? How do you handle it?

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter for the past week. I’m setting this up as a Sunday installment on Mystery Writing is Murder. If you’re looking for a particular topic, just plug in your keyword into the search box at the top left-hand corner of the blog (on the black header right above my blog name…next to the Blogger symbol…the small search window is next to the magnifying glass) and the roundup with your subject will come up. To narrow your search down on the page, do a CTRL+F, type your subject, and hit enter.

And…to Daddy, who always reads my posts–thanks! And have a Happy Father’s Day. :)

Challenge Yourself To Take On Your Biggest Writing Fear– http://dld.bz/h3E6

How Poeming Is Like Dating (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/h3E3

Balancing Writing, Life, and Multiple Projects– http://dld.bz/h3Eh

The Writer’s Life: Getting in the Mood– http://dld.bz/h3Ed

Writers: do your characters fight to win, but fight even harder NOT to lose? They should. http://bit.ly/cmrmsu @p2p_editor

What I learned from the query process– http://dld.bz/h3DQ @alexisgrant

Keep Your Middle From Sagging– http://dld.bz/h3DN

Don’t let writing excuses pile up: http://dld.bz/hq6W

Steampunk Aeronautics: http://dld.bz/hq6Q

YA girl’s case of gender fender bender: http://dld.bz/hq6J

Conference roundup–tips from the NJ Annual Conf. SCBWI: http://dld.bz/hq65

Directories of SF & Fantasy on Twitter: http://dld.bz/h74P and http://dld.bz/h74Q

Find reporters who need your expertise and build buzz: http://dld.bz/hq5W

For the Zombie Fan: The Most Effective Zombie Survival Plan: Become One: http://dld.bz/h742 @EosBooks

Man created absurd world in plot to sell stolen Shakespeare folio, court hears (Guardian): http://dld.bz/h7CZ

What one writer has learned a year after publication: http://dld.bz/hq42

5 Writing Super Powers I Would Like to Have– http://dld.bz/h725 @JulieeJohnsonn

Father’s Day Mysteries– http://dld.bz/h7C6 @janetrudolph

A glimpse into an editor’s (mad) world: http://dld.bz/hq5p @BookChickCity

The Sophistication and Stupidity of Video Game Storytelling: http://dld.bz/h7AF

How Do You Style a Character’s Thoughts in Writing? (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/h723

Serendipitous Searches for Book Lovers (@GalleyCat) — http://dld.bz/hqAw

Creating 3D Characters: The Character Interview– http://dld.bz/hq48 @gracefuldoe

You’re never too old to write: http://dld.bz/hq5t @flawritersconf

Writing Science Fiction vs Fantasy– http://dld.bz/hq4s

Thoughts on a common element in YA: http://dld.bz/hq2s

Write from your heart? Or follow trends? http://dld.bz/hq2e

Erasing Women from the English Language: http://dld.bz/hqzX

Beginning Novelist? The First Draft Is Your Oyster! http://dld.bz/hqzK

Tips for Workshopping Your Writing When You’re Too Poor To Pay For It– http://dld.bz/hqwj @jesakalong

50 Power Twitter Tips– http://dld.bz/hqvE

Get Wild – How to Set Your Creative Beast Free– http://dld.bz/hqvz

Facing our fears: http://dld.bz/hqvw @JodyHedlund

Info dumps don’t belong in dialogue (video): http://dld.bz/hqvm

Deep POV: Three mistakes and how to fix them, Part II: http://dld.bz/hqvb

Stretching ourselves–writing outside our comfort zone: http://dld.bz/h2qg

The Monstrous Feminine– http://dld.bz/hquT

On making our writing perfect: http://dld.bz/hqu3

Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen: @cleocoyle with a virgin mojito to cool off from a hot summer day: http://dld.bz/hyZn @kristadavis @AveryAames

Writing Your Book, part IX: You’re Finished! Now Get to Work! http://dld.bz/hbdG

Knowing Your Process: Who: http://dld.bz/hbdm @wawriters

Can the Experts Be Wrong? Or, The Limits of Expertise– http://dld.bz/hbdj

Agents– 7 ways to spice up your form rejection letter: http://dld.bz/hbde

Do Readers Want to Read Your Work or Do You Wish They Did? http://dld.bz/hbc8 @hopeclark

4 Reasons You Should Avoid Social Media– http://dld.bz/hbbU

Vary the ending clauses in your sentences: http://dld.bz/hbbQ

The ominous rise of 2nd person: http://dld.bz/hbb5

A roadmap for the future: 6 suggestions for today’s publishers that many can’t follow: http://dld.bz/hbb2

7 things one author has learned so far (incl. “your book isn’t yours anymore”): http://dld.bz/hwRV @alanorloff @ChuckSambuchino

Can I read the free ebooks if I don’t have an Ereader? http://dld.bz/hbbp

Clearing permissions in the digital age: http://dld.bz/gZsY

40 Twitter Hashtags for Writers: http://dld.bz/gZsU

10 Things About Submission Opportunities for Writer Trade Magazines: http://dld.bz/gZsK

Write what you love, not what the market wants: http://dld.bz/gZs7

What is an UN-Professional Writer? http://dld.bz/gZst

Writing mentors: http://dld.bz/gZsr

Why one person is saying goodbye to Facebook: (Daily Beast): http://dld.bz/gZsh

Dealing with contradictory feedback: http://dld.bz/gZrN

Finishing Part 1 — The Fear is Real– http://dld.bz/gPSm

I’m interviewed on Beth Groundwater’s blog today–talking a little about my writing process and challenges: http://dld.bz/ht8B

Why You Need Dynamic Characters– http://dld.bz/gPRT

Choose to Spend Time on High Impact Activities– http://dld.bz/gPRM

A Writer’s Serenity Prayer (JA Konrath): http://dld.bz/gMEG

Online resources for writers: http://dld.bz/ht2W @ClarissaDraper

15 things that *aren’t* true about being a writer: http://dld.bz/gMED

Pros and cons on fictional vs. real settings and setting research tips: http://dld.bz/htjT @SpunkOnAStick

How to Write Magical Words: http://dld.bz/gMEC

5 questions to ask if you aren’t motivated to write: http://dld.bz/gMEA @flawritersconf

Marketing–make them feel something: http://dld.bz/gME3

My Backlogged Pages (NY Times): http://dld.bz/gMEu

Genre – Magical Realism– http://dld.bz/gMEg

Serendipitous Searches for Book Lovers @GalleyCat : http://dld.bz/hqAw

‘100 Things Every Writer Needs to Know.’ Well, Here’s Six: http://dld.bz/gMEd

Favorite Tweets for Writers June 7-June 13, 2010 (categorized): http://dld.bz/hqAs

Literacy and the Audiobook– http://dld.bz/gMCs

50 query tricks. Are you brave enough to try no. 43? http://dld.bz/hqAq

Psychology of non-verbal dialogue: http://dld.bz/gMEb

David Bowie, Pleonasms, and Stating the Obvious– http://dld.bz/hqvV @SimplyOlivia

Write Tight– http://dld.bz/gMD7 @SylviaDSmith

When Elevator Speeches Don’t Work for You– http://dld.bz/gMD5

Doing Comic Book Covers Well: 5 Tips– http://dld.bz/gMCp

How to Find More Hours in the Day– http://dld.bz/gMBS

What makes a backbone character? http://dld.bz/gMAA

13 Ways to Add Depth to Your Genre Novel– http://dld.bz/gMA2 @VictoriaMixon

The Five Basic Plot Elements– http://dld.bz/gMAx

A summer of great writing–tips for writing with kids: http://dld.bz/gMAs

Proper use of conjunctions: http://dld.bz/hnfR @crystalproofing

Change is key to powerful character arcs: http://dld.bz/hbaT

How to portray an inspiring leader: http://bit.ly/cGFpcU @p2p_editor

So you want to write a legal thriller: http://dld.bz/gM8t

What All Content Creators Need to Learn From Roger Ebert: http://dld.bz/gM8p

Manuscript mood swings: http://dld.bz/hkrk

Pros and Cons of an MFA: http://dld.bz/gM8j @kierstenwhite

Unenjoyable novels dominate literary prizes– http://dld.bz/gM8f

Find a vehicle for creative collaboration: http://dld.bz/gM7S

Meet @LornaBarrett ‘s Jeff Resnick today on Killer Characters: http://dld.bz/hkqM @kristadavis

If It Hurts, You’re Doing Something Right: 3 Ideas About the Pain of Writing– http://dld.bz/gMvJ

The Invisibility of Women in Science Fiction– http://dld.bz/gMvA

Chocolate and writing–why they belong together: http://dld.bz/hhan @elspethwrites

How to make page buttons on Blogger: http://dld.bz/gMv7

One freelance writer longs for simpler days: http://dld.bz/hgZU @authorterryo

Twitter Book Publishers, Consultants, Agents, Editors, and PR peeps for Adult Fiction/Nonfiction: http://dld.bz/gMv3 @jevonbolden

Flawed characters–how far can you go with them? http://dld.bz/hgYZ

The Poetry Feminaissance — http://dld.bz/gMvt

A roundup of marketing tips from around the net: http://dld.bz/gMvn

20 Questions to Ask When Revising a Blog Post– http://dld.bz/gMvd @PauloCamposInk

Writing as an Art —Words That Dance– http://dld.bz/gMuX

3 tips for cultivating an online brand: http://dld.bz/gMuB @JodyHedlund

4 life lessons from blogging: http://dld.bz/gJCK

Ten of the best bad doctors in literature (Guardian): http://dld.bz/gJCF

The Pavarotti Principle for Creating A-list Blogs– http://dld.bz/gJCE

On creating characters: http://dld.bz/gJC3

Writing a series? Why you should use a style sheet: http://dld.bz/gJCs @BookEndsJessica

Valuable Writing Tips from One Writer’s Most Trusted Professors (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/gJCp

Tension, Character and Story– http://dld.bz/gJA5

Avoiding redundancy: http://dld.bz/hcQ4 @Paize_Fiddler

How to Build a Tribe of Followers– http://dld.bz/gJA9

How to cook up a cozy mystery: http://dld.bz/hcRz

The lazy reader (Globe and Mail): http://dld.bz/gJB2

What’s that you say? Thoughts on dialect: http://dld.bz/gJB9

Writing tips from famous writers: http://dld.bz/gJAW

It’s a Good Time to be a Writer … and a Gamer– http://dld.bz/gJAQ

Writing contests ending this month: http://dld.bz/hbdJ

Oh My Gosh! My Scene Is RUINED! http://dld.bz/gJAs

Struggling with feelings of failure: http://dld.bz/hbdY @JodyHedlund

What are client referrals? http://dld.bz/hbca @nataliebahm

100 All-Time Best Historical Fiction Books– http://dld.bz/hbbF @MargReads

Write your novel in an hour a day: http://dld.bz/hba3 @dirtywhitecandy

8 Tips For Creating Memorable Business Cards: http://dld.bz/gJAm

Common writing mistakes: http://dld.bz/gJAe

7 Signs of an A-List Blogger in the Making– http://dld.bz/g4Gt

On Taking Advice– http://dld.bz/g4Gq

Who said what? Identifying dialogue speakers (video): http://dld.bz/g4Gp

3 Best Takeaways for Writers from BookExpo America (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/g4Gh

Wordle update, how to get more information about word clouds: http://dld.bz/g4Gf

When not to quit–a twisty fairytale: http://dld.bz/g4Gc @emiliaplater

Tips to narrow down what you want from a crit group: http://dld.bz/g4FZ

Will eBooks Make Midlist Authors Extinct? (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/g4E6

The Rural Fantasy Reading List– http://dld.bz/g4E2

Creating multi-layered characters– http://dld.bz/g4Eg

Providing Better Critiques: Being Detailed in Your Feedback– http://dld.bz/g4DQ

Do editors change their minds? http://dld.bz/g4DJ

The Most Important Marketing Acronym: WIIFM (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/g4Ew

A Memorable Blogger Is A Guest Under Many Roofs– http://dld.bz/g4Ey

6 Things to Check Before Upgrading To Windows 7– http://dld.bz/g4Dn

Basics of an Elevator Pitch—http://dld.bz/g4CQ

Publishing Terms to Know: Lead Title: http://dld.bz/g4C6

Copyrighting Submissions and Agent Plagiarism– http://dld.bz/g4C5

Using SPA to help with revisions: http://dld.bz/g4Cz

5 Incredibly Useful Gmail Features– http://dld.bz/gUuY

A whole new meaning to deadline: http://dld.bz/g4Cb

Mystery writer @AveryAames ‘ cheese shop owner Charlotte Bessette is on Killer Characters today: http://dld.bz/gUrD . Say cheese!

A day in the life of a writer: http://dld.bz/g4BY

Is there such a thing as blogging snobbery? http://dld.bz/g4BU @JodyHedlund

Exploring: Web Resources for Writers: http://dld.bz/g4B9 @PStoltey

Outline your weakness as a writer: http://dld.bz/g4B7

An Agent Offers Basic Help with Contracts: http://dld.bz/g4B3

How to Come Up With an Author Tagline– http://dld.bz/gy8k

A Kiss Is Still a Kiss– http://dld.bz/gy8h

Writer’s block and one trick to beat it: http://dld.bz/gy8g

Twenty Free Ways to Love Your Manuscript– http://dld.bz/gy7X @thmafi

Don’t Try to Be Someone Else– http://dld.bz/gy7Q

Twitterific–the week in tweets from ElizabethSCraig: http://dld.bz/gSkV

Best Articles Writers Should Have Read (1st Half of 2010)–Writer’s Digest: http://dld.bz/gy6c

What’s for supper? Mystery writer Cricket McRae with some Baked Chile Rellenos: http://dld.bz/gSkJ @kristadavis @CleoCoyle

Why One Writer is Enthralled With Blogging… http://dld.bz/gy5W @JulieeJohnsonn

Reading Blogs Might Make You a Better Person– http://dld.bz/gy6b

Who says you need a publisher? http://dld.bz/gy4g @jevonbolden

Read to be a better writer: http://dld.bz/gy3V

American Author Contest (or, Why Writers Should Use Craigslist With Caution)– http://dld.bz/gy38

How to Get Help With Blog Problems, Blog Crashes, and Blog Blips– http://dld.bz/gy37

Worried about being original? There are only 36 plots out there: http://dld.bz/gPRF @ClarissaDraper

What’s Considered a “Clip”? (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/gy33

25 Ways to Make Social Media Work For You– http://dld.bz/gy3z

Your Online Persona – Writers, Stay Consistent: http://dld.bz/gy3n @simplywriting

Writing your pitch – pass me the bullets, please– http://dld.bz/gy2K

So, you want to write Science Fiction and/or Fantasy? http://dld.bz/gy26 @TheNewAuthor

12 Hands-on How-tos for Repurposing Blog Content into a Book– http://dld.bz/gy2u

Listen up: writing project asks authors to eavesdrop and tell (Guardian): http://dld.bz/gyzK

My July 6th release is just weeks away. Click here for my book release contest. Entering is easy…and you might win a $25 bookstore gift card, a signed copy of “Delicious and Suspicious,” and a “Delicious and Suspicious” tote bag. :)

If someone tells me that they are a writer, I don’t tend to question it. Anyone who loves to write and does so recreationally is indeed a writer. “Being a writer” is about more than just putting words on a page… it’s a way of seeing the world. However, there is a big difference between being a writer at heart and being a writer who can put money in the bank and food on the table from their writing.

As an editor of several blogs, I have to deal with a wide pool of writers on a regular basis and am often frustrated by inexperienced writers’ complete misconceptions surrounding what it means to be a professional writer. Let me be clear about one key point: earning a living as a writer takes more than just good writing. If you are just embarking on your writing career, let me say that again; Earning a living takes more than just good writing. In fact, in the past I have chosen to work with writers whose work might not have been top notch, but their professionalism and understanding of an assignment was higher than that of other writers who struggled with the demands of creating web copy.

Here then, are some of the top issues that as a writer you will need to face before deciding if this is really a career for you.

Be prepared to pay your dues

If you are dreaming of writing articles for Cosmopolitan or the New York Times, or believe that you will only write about topics that inspire you, and envision earning $1 per word that’s great. If you think that this will happen overnight you are in for a painful wake-up call. Most writers start out with writing jobs that are low paid and often painfully boring or repetitive and work their way up. The good news is that if you are willing to work hard you can build a strong portfolio and a stable of references that will earn you the better jobs, but it does take time, patience and perseverance.

You need to find your voice

This is a big problem among the bloggers that I get submissions from. Many can write a 500 word article, but only a few can write one that engages the reader, entertains, educates or holds their attention past the first paragraph. Make sure your work doesn’t fall into the blah, blah, blah black hole!

Get into good research habits.

Being a fast and efficient researcher will allow you to take on a wider range of topics and complete work faster. I have a stock of reliable reference sites for getting general background information fast, and I create a folder of bookmarks for each topic I tackle. That way I have references if needed and can quickly access the information if I have to write an article on a similar topic in the future.

Manage your time

Finding a way to earn a good hourly wage when you are being paid per word or per project can be challenging, but this is part of being a professional writer. When considering a project take into consideration the time it will take you to do research, formatting, keyword research or any other additional tasks that will accompany the actual writing. I strongly recommend making a writing schedule that allows you to quickly view your commitments and organize your deadlines.

Understand that you are writing for a client, not for yourself!
At the end of the day, the person who will judge your work is the person who is paying you. This is the major difference between writing for pleasure and writing for profit. You might not think that 300 words is enough to cover the topic of Facebook as a social phenomenon, but if that’s the brief you accepted then that is exactly what you will need to write.

About the author:

Angela Neal is a freelance writer and online marketing consultant. She has written articles for national magazines and newspapers in the US, Spain and the UK and for hundreds of client websites and blogs, including NBC. She currently writes about writing for Writers Remorse http://writersremorse.com. You can also find her at her own blog http://www.angelaneal.com.

I’ve always thought that if we don’t stretch ourselves, we don’t grow.

But stretching doesn’t always feel good. And sometimes we end up pulling things.

My friend asked if I wanted to go with her to a Zumba exercise class at the YMCA. I was, I’ll admit it, completely horrified. “No, I think I’m good. But thanks.” We continued our conversation and she said again, “Sure you don’t want to go to Zumba with me?” “No thanks.” I changed the subject.

Finally, she brought it up again. “I really think you’d enjoy it, Elizabeth. Why don’t we give that class a try tomorrow?” “Please don’t make me!” I said. Zumba combines all the things I don’t like—large groups of people, socializing, loud music, and an attempt at coordination—into one activity.

But I felt bad about turning down the opportunity. So when my son asked if I’d work out with him at the Y on Thursday, I agreed to do it (it wasn’t a Zumba class.) I walked on the treadmill, but then I hesitantly tried the weight machines. As of right now? I’m sore. But I did receive extra energy from the experience. And I felt proud that I’d given it a go.

Stretching as a writer is good, too. I’m the first to admit that I don’t have a lot of time to try something new. But I do write articles for a local parenting magazine from time to time, just to write something different.

Ways to Stretch as a Writer:
Try reading a different genre.
Try writing a different genre.
Experiment with short stories or drabbles.
Try writing more description.
Try writing less description.
Write a character that’s completely different from any character you’ve written before.
Try writing from a different POV than you usually use.
Try writing humor. Or try writing seriously.
Write a magazine article.
Enter a contest (watch those entry fees, though.)
Or continue writing your usual genre or style, but make it better—don’t be complacent.

What are you doing to stretch yourself?

*********************
I got some author copies of Delicious and Suspicious yesterday! My July 6th release is just weeks away. Click here for my book release contest. Entering is easy…and you might win a $25 bookstore gift card, a signed copy of “Delicious and Suspicious,” and a “Delicious and Suspicious” tote bag. :)