Category: Uncategorized

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
My editor emailed me last week to see if she could get the first chapter for the next book in the series to include as a teaser for the book that’s coming out February 5. Her managing editor said he needed it by November 1.

“Sure,” I answered.  This, although I hadn’t started the book yet, and was working on a different project.  :)  I always say yes to whatever editors want, then figure out the details later.
 
With a teaser, you end up with a chapter floating around with no anchor—no cover copy to give the set-up for the book.  The teaser is functioning solely as ad copy for the series.  My editor asks for it to be fairly fixed—I can have some differences between the teaser chapter and my final version of chapter one …but that it not be too radically different.
 
The character names have got to be the same in both the teaser and the actual finished book.  This means I need to have more of a handle on these characters than I frequently do when I’m writing a first draft (since I usually make it up as I go along and  change character names when I get to know the characters better.)

Setting needs to be fairly concrete, too.  Can’t have the teaser set in a lighthouse and have the finished book set in a remote mountain cabin.

And the general plot set-up has got to be consistent.   If the teaser opens with a dead body and the suspects exclaiming over the body’s discovery, I don’t need to change the story to have the body discovered in chapter three.  Some readers buy several books in a series at once and read them back to back.  Those readers would definitely notice any large discrepancies.

My first chapters usually include (whether they’re teasers or not):

Action.   Something needs to happen in the first chapter.  If there’s a lot of talk and no action, readers may not stick with the book.  Sometimes I have a dead body in chapter one.  Sometimes I have an argument between the future victim and one of the suspects.  The first chapter is a great place to include the inciting incident for your story—the point where it’s no longer an ordinary day for your character.

Minimal character introduction.  This is something I’ve learned the hard way over the last few years of writing.  Readers won’t be happy if they’re overwhelmed by characters and character names in the first 15 pages of the book.

Limited backstory.  I just bring in enough backstory to keep the reader from getting confused.  The first chapter isn’t the time or place to just flat-out tell the reader all the character motivation.  That gets boring when the reader hasn’t even gotten to know the character.

Minimal setting and character description.  I tend to skimp on setting and description, anyway….and it’s really, really skimpy in chapter one.  That’s just personal preference.  I give enough broad brushstrokes to give the reader an idea what or who they’re looking at.  I do provide more detail in following chapters, but still try to space it out.

The story’s mood, tone, genre.  It’s a murder mystery, so I want to make sure it feels like one from the beginning.  I set the mood and tone for the story in the first chapter, too.

Dialogue.  Because I’m a fan of dialogue, I usually have a lot of it in my books—and I almost always open with dialogue (despite what a lot of the writing “rules” say.)

What do you include in your first chapter?  What do you keep out of it?  How do you like to open your stories?
Image—Cohdra : Morguefile


Hope you’ll run by Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy blog for a giveaway of Hart Johnson’s Azalea Assault and my Quilt or Innocence.  You only have to comment on the post for an opportunity to win the books.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’m always interested in seeing what my children bring home as English homework.

My daughter had an assignment a couple of weeks ago where she had to identify four different types of writing and then provide examples of each.

The four purposes for writing (according to this textbook, anyway) were to entertain, inform, persuade, and to express an opinion.

My daughter said she thought one of the purposes should be to make money.  :)  For her, my writing is just another job.  I told her it was a way to make money, but not many of us would write only to make money. 

So she asked me what the purpose of my books was.  I think she was expecting a clear cut answer from just one of those four purposes. 

I told her my books were mostly written to entertain.  In fact, I put a lot of time and effort (and, yes, even market research) into writing to entertain.

But the books are basically wrapped in ad copy.  That would be the cover, the blurbs, and the cover copy.  I also have a teaser at the beginning of my Penguin books and some of my books have teaser chapters at the end.  So, the book is there to persuade, too.  It’s there to look tempting on a shelf or a website.  And, with my content, I’m hoping to persuade readers to buy more of my books.  I’m persuading my readers to like my characters, to like the story, to keep reading the book.  Persuasion definitely plays a part.

I know that the times I’ve wanted to inform as a purpose, I’ve nearly gotten myself into trouble.  I’d have a big research session and that temptation is always there—to show what you’ve found out and inform the reader.  It’s easy to get excited about your research. But…the reader isn’t there to learn more about blunt force trauma.  She’s really not.  So we have to be careful about how much we inform with fiction—a little goes a long way. But, yes—sometimes I do try to inform with my writing.

Expressing an opinion, though?  I’d like to think I haven’t done as much of that. As a reader, reading what is clearly the author’s opinion (a political rant, for instance, or support of a cause) can be very jarring.  The opinion becomes author intrusion when it doesn’t seamlessly fit into a scene or when it doesn’t sound natural coming from the character expressing the opinion.  Opinions have to be handled with care in fiction, for sure.

What’s the purpose of your books?  Do your books have more than one purpose? How do you keep yourself in check from too much informing or from author intrusion?

Image: MorgueFile—Alvimann

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I read in the Charlotte Observer recently that there was a new radio station in town…an oldies station.  I was glad to hear the news—I remember thinking that there wasn’t really a station that played Motown or the Beatles. 

The next time I got in the car, I turned on the radio and turned to the station I’d read about.

I frowned.  “That’s strange,” I said to my son.  “There’s supposed to be an oldies station here.  But they’re playing Prince.”

I glanced over and saw my teen son’s face go carefully, cautiously, diplomatically blank.  I kept changing the dial ever so slightly, listening for the Supremes or Otis Redding or the Beach Boys.

Then I realized it. The station that was playing Prince was the oldies station.  I’d thought an oldies station would play music from when my parents were in high school…but it was playing music from when I was in high school. 

Bleh.

Just like my son let me figure out on my own that 41 year olds aren’t spring chickens, sometimes it’s helpful for us to let characters figure things out for themselves.  When should characters realize they’re not able to save the world?  Or be the perfect parent?  Or that they have anger management issues?  Or a drinking problem? Or that they’re getting old? :)

One way to prompt the character into introspection is by having the character react to a life event.  The event (end of a marriage/relationship, loss of a job, fatal car accident the protagonist walks away from) could make the character reflect on his part in the failure and new awareness of his own shortcomings.

In my books (mysteries), sometimes the characters don’t ever have that epiphany. Instead, they end up murdering another character, or become a murder victim, themselves.

Another way to get a protagonist to reach that moment of self-discovery/awareness is to have another character point out the protagonist’s flaw. This can be tricky, though, just like it is in real life.  It can make for great conflict.

If another character offers insight into some truth about the protagonist, it offers an opportunity for character development.  Does the protagonist get defensive?  Analytical? Does he agree or disagree?  Does he storm off?  Is he hurt?  How does it affect the relationship between the two characters?

Something else to consider is the reader.  When should you time this moment of introspection for the protagonist (if it’s a secondary character, I don’t think it’s quite as big of a question)?  When will the reader get tired of the fact that the protagonist just doesn’t get it?  When would you, as a reader, get frustrated that the protagonist is stuck in a cycle, for instance?

Those are the ways that I’ve come up with to make characters come to grips with their own shortcomings (reacting to an event or having another character force them into thinking about it.)  Have you got any other ideas?  What have you used in your books?

Photo: Flickr—Elkit
 

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Twitterific is a compilation of all the writing links I shared the previous week.

The links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 18,000 free articles on writing-related topics. Sign up for our free newsletter for monthly writing tips and interviews with top contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.

Try “My WKB”–a way for you to list and sort articles, view your read articles, and see your search history. Read more about it here: http://bit.ly/S9thqS. The free My WKB page is here: http://bit.ly/PV8Ueb.

Have a great week!

Bad Habits of Good Writers (Beyond Coffee): http://bit.ly/SErrZ6 @TheresaStevens @Porter_Anderson

Examples of childhood memories as plot elements in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/QyP5qo @mkinberg

Why writing with a book deal is a whole different game: http://bit.ly/T8DhB8 @internspills

3 Tips for Writing When Life is Chaotic and Crazy: http://bit.ly/SEMWcg @jodyhedlund

“Mirror scenes” and how to avoid them: http://bit.ly/T8Dswt @juliettewade

Self-Publishing Basics: Where to Publish: http://bit.ly/SENf6V @susankayequinn

The challenge of discoverabilty in a flooded ebook market (DBW con report): http://bit.ly/QI8nd8 @Porter_Anderson @richfahle @rickjoyce @clintonk

A Writer’s Reasons For Falling In Love: http://bit.ly/T8DNz7 @mooderino

What You Need To Know About Writing Video Games: http://bit.ly/T8E30X @booklifenow

When to Hire a Freelance Editor: http://bit.ly/SENM8T @womenwriters

Characterization Skills and Sources: http://bit.ly/SENOO1

Alcohol and the Creative Process: http://bit.ly/T8Ex7n @sianbeilock

6 tips for successful networking: http://bit.ly/SEO8wd @rachellegardner

It’s Not Just about the Writing: http://bit.ly/T8EVCW @4YALit

Writing Mistake: Are Your Characters Invincible? http://bit.ly/T8F21a @ava_jae

Ch. 1 Analyses: http://bit.ly/SEOyml @mooderino

Creative Power Tool: Words: http://bit.ly/Qqc4Xz @diymfa

How To Create A Writing Schedule That Works For You: http://bit.ly/Un4laK @authormedia

Full-service publishers are rethinking what they can offer: http://bit.ly/Qqc89E @passivevoiceblg

7 Freelance Writing Scams and How to Fight Them: http://bit.ly/QqcdtR @victoriastrauss @patrickicasas

7 Steps to Get Your Groove Back When You’ve Lost Your Writing Rhythm: http://bit.ly/Un4GKC @originalimpulse

Watching out for the “wrong” emotion in a secondary world: http://bit.ly/OL7kgi @juliettewade

7 More Ways to Prepare for NaNoWriMo: http://bit.ly/PT8a60 @PYOEbooks

Automated grammar programs: http://bit.ly/OL7HHN @TheresaStevens

The Sensual Writer – Sight: http://bit.ly/PT8GRr

10 Tips for Getting a Staff Writing Job: http://bit.ly/OL83hA @writing_tips

How not to get an agent: http://bit.ly/PT8ZM4

25 Apps to Help You Hack Productivity: http://bit.ly/OL8dpo @lifehackorg

Phases of editing during book production: http://bit.ly/PT9equ @bigblackcat97

Juicing (fraud in book reviewing): http://bit.ly/OL8okv

Sidekicks do NOT need their own stupid sidekicks: http://bit.ly/PT9vts @speechwriterguy

10 Most Epic Love Stories in All of Science Fiction: http://bit.ly/OL8wjT @i09

Make your stress work for you: http://bit.ly/OL8LeU @rachellegardner

A writer vows never to read a 5-star ebook again: http://bit.ly/OL8Uin @BarrBielinski

5 Creepy Social Media Marketing Tactics: http://bit.ly/Qea1D2 @KristenLambTX

Keeping Characters True to Themselves: http://bit.ly/Qe5CzY @stdennard @4YALit

Social Media Will Not Sell Your Book: http://bit.ly/Qlnvzv @hilarydavidson

15 grammatical errors to avoid: http://bit.ly/S4UFzC @bubblecow

What moves you to write? http://bit.ly/QsMDEx

The Influence Of History On Epic Fantasy: http://bit.ly/PNPq9x @fantasybookcrit

How to Overcome Distractions: http://bit.ly/QsMKjE @lifehackorg

Write big or go home: http://bit.ly/PNPEgQ @4YALit @nikkiloftin

Create your own writing retreat: http://bit.ly/QsMNMh

History as Mystery: http://bit.ly/PNPMNn @livewritethrive

How to Become A Literary Agent in 2 Easy Steps: http://bit.ly/QsMUYd @mandyhubbard

Rivet Your Readers with Deep POV: http://bit.ly/PNQavo @JillElizNelson

3 Free Photo Tools for Author Bloggers: http://bit.ly/QsMXDk @jfbookman

Elements of Fantasy: Zombies: http://bit.ly/PNQmLd @fantasyfaction

Using religion to add depth to your fiction: http://bit.ly/QsN3uG

“Setting” the Stage for Storytelling: http://bit.ly/PNQH0h @novelrocket

A writer talks about his experience dealing with depression: http://bit.ly/QsNaq6 @chrisbrogan

Changing senses: http://bit.ly/RawinY @emergentpublish

Working with Startups: 5 Tips for Publishers: http://bit.ly/POI71i @pubperspectives

Using hooks for your scene breaks: http://bit.ly/RawK5m @KMWeiland

Places for finding character names: http://bit.ly/POIw42 @karencv

Why Amazon Must Light a Fire Under the Kindle Fire: http://bit.ly/RawNyg @passivevoiceblg

Subjects you might have avoided in school that could be useful to your writing now: http://bit.ly/POIGbt @BTMargins @gripemaster

How to Write a Short Story No One Else Can Write: http://bit.ly/Rax7go @d_lazarin @joebunting

Character Development: Exploiting Weaknesses: http://bit.ly/POJ2Pm @ava_jae

The 5 Key Personality Traits of Successful Indie Authors: http://bit.ly/POJgWQ @duolit

Ebook Formatting – The Easy Way: http://bit.ly/Raxpny @susankayequinn

Step by Step Guide to Building an Ebook with Calibre: http://bit.ly/RbGJaH @howtowriteshop

How to Keep The Reader Hooked: The Dan Brown Secret: http://bit.ly/QyQf5e @yeomanis

3 Reasons Why Coercing Readers Into Newsletter Subscriptions Is a Bad Idea: http://bit.ly/RbGU5W @roniloren

The Writing Life: The point of the long and winding sentence: http://lat.ms/QyQuNE @LATimes

Animating Songwriting: Making Music That Moves: http://bit.ly/RbH6Ci @usasong

Can Our Social Media Behaviors Destroy Our Social Environment? http://bit.ly/QyQBIY @kristenlambTX

Screenwriting–there’s no right way to write: http://bit.ly/RbHikS @gits

Email accounts for your identity as a writer: http://bit.ly/QyQHAs @kit_lit

How caffeine affects your creativity: http://bit.ly/Qz4x5Y @tannerc

Thoughts and Tips for Writing About Sex: http://bit.ly/Qz4Hu3 @wickerkat

Would You Let Readers Watch as You Write Your Book? http://bit.ly/RbVb2u @galleycat

Should you write with a collaborator? http://bit.ly/Qz4YgE @nickdaws

Does Publishing A Novel Change Your Life? http://bit.ly/RbVkD4 @NicholeBernier

Horror–the era of the found footage horror film: http://bit.ly/Qz5nj3

A Writing Taboo: Never Begin Your Story With Weather: http://bit.ly/RbVIl3 @woodwardkaren

Why Creativity Blocks Happen (and How to Overcome Them): http://bit.ly/Qz5w6d @lifehacker

How to speak publisher: E is for editor: http://bit.ly/Qz6Xl3 @annerooney

Pros and cons of pen names: http://bit.ly/Qz74gj @deanwesleysmith

James Bond and the Perils of Product Placement: http://bit.ly/Qz78g6 @davidgaughran

The elements of a successful pitch: http://bit.ly/Qz7iEl @novelrocket

10 non-writing-related ways to become a better writer: http://bit.ly/Qz7p2D @rachellegardner

10 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Fight Settings: http://bit.ly/Qz7KCl @lbgale

What to Do When People Don’t Get Your Story: http://bit.ly/NPmHDh @jodyhedlund

How to Show (Not Tell) Paranoia, Hope, and Other Moods: http://bit.ly/PWCo9G @joebunting

Explaining your story’s world… and avoiding exposition: http://bit.ly/NPmYG9 @dirtywhitecandy

Use Setting and Background to Meet Reader Expectations: http://bit.ly/PWCQF1 @beth_barany

Ebook Formatting – The Hard Way: http://bit.ly/PWD13f @susankayequinn

6 Essential Tips for Getting Your Guest Posts Accepted: http://bit.ly/NPndB3

Horror in video games: http://bit.ly/PWQhor

Konrath’s Self-Pub Sales Report: http://bit.ly/NPsEjn @jakonrath

The Death Of Genre: Drifting Toward A Post-Genre Future: http://bit.ly/PWSeRR @chuckwendig

The business-savvy writer has a good offense: http://bit.ly/NPtyfO @kristinerusch

How Many Spaces After a Period? http://bit.ly/PWSro2 @writersdigest

Using folklore to create a story: http://bit.ly/NPtCMD @genelempp

TMI Sentences: http://bit.ly/PWSHUf @aliciarasley

Writing Tip: Action! http://bit.ly/NPtMU5 @threekingsbooks

Have writer’s block? Try something different: http://bit.ly/PWSZud @emergentpublish

Should You Use A Pen Name? http://bit.ly/QUKiQB @woodwardkaren

Ethical Roulette: http://bit.ly/Ri57rj @JAKonrath

6 Necessities for Your Blogged Book: http://bit.ly/Ri59zr @ninaamir

How One Writer’s Social Hestitations Led to Something Great: http://bit.ly/Ri5eTB @khaledcallen

Advice on Writing Mentors: http://bit.ly/QUKEXl

How to write comics: agreements and collaboration: http://bit.ly/QUKTBR @79SemiFinalist
@litreactor

Serialising a novel–what to do when the show is over: http://bit.ly/Ri5ZMw @dirtywhitecandy

5 Things to Consider During Revisions: http://bit.ly/QULcwv

Every Writer Needs a Bio: http://bit.ly/Ri6oib @novelrocket

Engaging Readers Using Social Commentary in Ebooks: http://bit.ly/QULt2y @ddscottromcom

Intellectual Property Considerations for Writers: http://bit.ly/Ri6N3Y @thecreativepenn

Are You Making These 7 Book Marketing Mistakes? http://bit.ly/QULBz3 @JFBookman

10 Inspirational Disabled Characters From Sci-Fi And Fantasy: http://bit.ly/QULF1C @sfxmagazine

How to Take on Writer’s Block like a Pro: http://bit.ly/OXI9HF @emilywenstrom

How to Choose When to Use Dialogue (and What Kind) in Your Fiction and Nonfiction: http://bit.ly/QImGOD

What’s the best way to cover a speech? http://bit.ly/OXIkCM @michellerafter

Are “sock puppets” really that bad for the book business? http://bit.ly/QImTRV @paidcontent

There’s no right way to write: http://bit.ly/OXIslA @gits

Less Distractions, More Writing: http://bit.ly/QImZZP

Applying Picture Book Wisdom to Longer Fiction: http://bit.ly/OXIBFG @annastanisz

4 tips for writing your personal story: http://bit.ly/OXIH07 @rachellegardner

Self-Publishing Basics – Publishing to iTunes: http://bit.ly/QInfZ1 @susankayequinn

Why Write Blog Posts Consistently? http://bit.ly/QInnHN @ava_jae

5 Tips To Help Improve Your Story’s Pacing: http://bit.ly/OXJ0Ii

Dominate Your Personal Brand On Google With This 14 Point Checklist: http://bit.ly/OXJrCz

10 Best Closing Lines Of Novels: http://bit.ly/PMDG7E @xymarla

Writers Be-Wary: Electronic Distribution and Control of Creative Material: http://bit.ly/V9P940 @victoriastrauss

Writing in a child’s voice: http://bit.ly/V9Q04P @SW_Messenger @angelaackerman

A legal blog for writers–publishing law and copyright counsel: http://bit.ly/PMEo4O @SheilaJLevine

When Do Writers Need Multiple Blogs? http://bit.ly/PgD1ZK @kristenlambTX

An editor reviews common manuscript issues she comes across: http://bit.ly/SLOt5N @behlerpublish

YA readers tell authors what they like to read: http://bit.ly/PgDo6o

30 Synonyms for “Meeting”: http://bit.ly/SLOG94 @writing_tips

The 11 Biggest Lies Ever Told By Favorite Heroes and Villains: http://bit.ly/PgDwTC @i09

Is Your Work Day Filled With Unwanted Obligation or a Burning Desire to Improve? http://bit.ly/SLP2MJ @danblank

Novelists Seek Help Fighting Internet Addiction: http://bit.ly/PgDY4b @_thefix

What Should Indie Publishers Be Called? http://bit.ly/SLRJhm @deanwesleysmith

A closer look at new commercial models for publishing: http://bit.ly/PgGO9c @MikeShatzkin @Porter_Anderson

10 Excuses for Not Writing – and How to Smash Them: http://bit.ly/PgLcFd @KMWeiland

Fantasy Influences: Ancient Greek Mythology: http://bit.ly/PgLg8a @fantasyfaction

Thoughts on chapter breaks: http://bit.ly/PgLrA7

The Writer’s Block Myth: http://bit.ly/SLX8VN @kkuseklewis

Chart a course to your dream: http://bit.ly/SLXgVf @sarahahoyt

Entries in the character trait thesaurus: just– http://bit.ly/PgLWdD and modest–http://bit.ly/PgLWdE @angelaackerman

Conflict is Key: http://bit.ly/PgM78F @heidiwriter

5 Sentences That Should Save the Best Until Last: http://bit.ly/PgQL6P @writing_tips

Everybody has a method for organizing a book.  It’s important to stick with whatever works for you. 

For me, the most important thing about organizing a book is that it’s got to be easy.  It can’t be time-consuming.  Because it would be incredibly tempting to sink your writing time into making the perfect, tabbed notebook with color-coded sections.  Believe me, I’d be totally pulled into that kind of time suck. 

I haven’t talked about my own method for organizing a book (and it’s pretty basic) for a while, so I thought I’d share it here. It does help me to work through a draft pretty quickly…and the edits, too.

I just finished writing a first draft. So, to help me keep all my documents straight, I have a folder in Word with the working title of the manuscript. Inside that folder, I have a character sheet with character names (full names) and short descriptions. I fill this out as I go so that I don’t have to look back in my document to try to remember character details (I have a lousy memory…)

Sometimes I’m writing on the go, so there will be scraps of paper in places like my car, my purse, etc.  Or I’ll wake up with an idea and scrawl an unintelligible note on some paper on my bedside table.

What I’ve learned I have to do, though, is to gather those papers together at the end of the day.  If one of the ideas is for later in the story, then I type it into an ideas document in the WiP’s folder on Word.  If it’s something related to my current spot in the story, then I add it in.

Keeping tabs on these scraps is important—frequently the ideas that suddenly hit me are better than the ones that I sit down and decide to have.  A few times I’ve finished a book, emailed the manuscript to my editor, and found a scrap of paper later that had a really cool twist on it.  Oh well!

I’ve seen other writers use different methods.  Some swear by Post-Its on a bulletin board/story board.  Some write everything in a spiral notebook, then they type it all onto the computer later. Another  way to organize a book is to use an online program designed specifically for writers. My friend, Mike Fleming’s, Hiveword, for example.  It sure makes it easier to find all the different components of your book. And helps avoid the sloppiness of Post-Its.

On to editing.

One thing that really helps me speed through a draft is the fact that  I don’t edit as I go…although I know plenty of writers who do, and it works well for them.

I, on the other hand, become a disaster when I edit as I go.  It messes up my creative flow by making me use a different part of my brain.  When my editor hat is on, I feel like my manuscript is a broken mess.  It might be, but it’s all fixable.  This is something that I don’t need to worry over while I’m drafting.

I do one time-saving thing that helps me organize my to-do list for editing the next draft.
I notice problems as I go.  I’ll either jot down a note on a separate document to remind myself to address it later, or make a comment to myself in Track Changes on Word.

If I stop to fix the problem, it just pulls me right out of the story. 

I’ll also have a document with extra bits of dialogue and ideas to be worked in later…or discarded.
And I have my list of things to edit after the first draft is done.  For mine now, the list is stuff that only I would understand:

Add Corrine’s reward
Short updates from Myrtle in the newspaper
Elaine’s photography
Albums
Freeze the ham.

So…you get the idea. I’m not writing a huge explanation when I jot these notes down. These are just brief reminders to help me remember things I need to add or adjust so that there won’t be continuity errors or plot holes.

That’s really it.  Simple stuff, but it helps me move quickly through drafting a manuscript and editing it.  How do you organize your writing and editing?

Image: Patricia Fortes, Morgue Files