CRAFT: Sharpening your writing

I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because even the best pair of eyes can miss something. And mine are not that great!

The other day I was cleaning out my files in preparation for the dreaded tax filing and I found a pile of writing magazines I hadn't remembered I had.  One article jumped out at me immediately so I sat myself down and had a good look through it.

It spoke about 25 ways you can sharpen your writing (The Writer, November 2010), and it was written by Ronald Kovach, who is an editor with The Writer Magazine.

I have to say it was an incredibly insightful article and I intend to keep it close when I'm editing and revising all of my manuscripts.  He was talking about writing articles for publication, but I think these rules work equally as well for fiction writing. Here's the short version:

First and foremost Kovach says it's important to "send good signals" to your readers. He says you must present a piece of work that is interesting and well organised, but the most important thing is to think of the readers first. It sounds simple doesn't it? But apparently many writers write with agents, editors and publishers in mind, and forget about the reader. Perish the thought! So if you follow his guide, you'll more likely end up with a better story to  hold your audience.

1. Be inviting. By this he says you need to invite your readers in by presenting an engaging beginning.
2. Don't give too many details in the opening paragraph.
3. Don't overdo the back story.   Weave it in gradually.
4. Try to craft an opening sentence that "engages the reader's sense of drama".
5.  Don't go off on tangents...make the opening smooth.
6. Be clear. Make your sentences simple and graceful.
7. Are you assuming too much of your readers? Make sure you set up events and people so that readers can put them into context.
8. Provide specific  examples to bring out points.  (In fiction, this could be the use of metaphor or simile)
9. Avoid run-on sentences. 
10. Explain by showing - description, the five senses, the emotions. Not telling by giving every minute detail.
11. Add energy to your sentences. Use strong verbs.  Do a final check of your MS looking at your verbs before you press send.
12. Avoid the use of passives. Yes, we all know this one!
13. Think about the order that you place your words. Kovach's says "Beginning a paragraph with the substance of what someone says, or the start of a quotation, can add energy and impact to a sentence."
14. End your sentences and/or your paragraphs with a pop!
15. Short sentences can help rhythm as long as you don't overuse them
16. Look out for repetition or too much elaboration. Frankly - it's boring.
17. The word "and" signifies multiple examples. Can you lose a few?
18. Is the phrase in "parentheses" needed?
19. Beware the temptation of info dump.
20. Have you put too much information in? Written too much? Does the MS finish in the right place?
21. Avoid wordy phrases and clutter - and redundant words. Lost the fat.
22. Watch for phrases that don't add meaning to the sentences.
23. Use positive language.
24. Proof read. Proof read. Proof read. Check all your spelling and facts. Slow down and READ EVERY WORD.
25. If you've cut all the words you think you can, but need to cut more, try cutting the conclusion/ending. It can often work without seeming too abrupt.

I just have.

Now you might have noticed my opening line. Because I have put it there, the lovely people from Grammarly have given me a gift card ($15 Amazon) and I'm going to pay it forward.

Leave your best tip for sharpening your writing or revising your manuscript and I'll choose one to award the prize to you!

Wednesday Wisdom - Writing Sex Scenes with Nicole Murphy

Writing sex scenes – when you should, and when you shouldn’t.

We all know that we romance writers are tarred with the brush of being all about the raunch. Our books are cover-to-cover sex, with those poor little housewives getting all hot and bothered.

And what the hell is wrong with a housewife – any woman, for that matter – enjoying something that she finds arousing?

But that isn’t the topic of today’s discussion. No, today’s is about the sex scene.

A big problem with the above statement is that sometimes they are absolutely right. Sometimes, romance books are full of sex scenes that just shouldn’t be there.

It seems that writers think that in order to be sexy, to show sexual arousal between a couple, that they have to write a sex scene. Not the case. One of my favourite sexy scenes is written by Keri Arthur in her book ‘The Darkest Kiss’. The moment Riley and Quinn see each other is electrifying, and the next couple of pages hot enough to make you fan yourself and yet they never even touch.

So if you don’t HAVE to write a sex scene to show passion, arousal, heat between a couple, when should you write it?

I have a theory and that is that a sex scene needs to follow the same rules of any other scene. In order to hold its place in the story, it needs to achieve at LEAST one of these three things:

• Reveal character
• Develop setting/world building
• Move the plot along

If it’s not going to do at least one of those, I put it to you that it shouldn’t be in the book. A good scene does two. A truly great scene – for example the first sex scene in Jennifer Cruisie’s ‘Welcome to Temptation’ – does all three.

For me a great example of this was Patricia Briggs’ ‘River Marked’ (part of the Mercy Thompson series). In the books preceding, there had been some hot, hot sex. In ‘River Marked’ however, there was none – not detailed anyway. Sure, the characters were having HEAPS of sex but we saw none of it. And why? Because it would have done nothing for the story in terms of character, plot or setting. It just would have been superfluous.

Sure, it would have been GOOD – Patricia Briggs is very good at writing sex scenes. But the scenes in this book would have felt not as hot as in the previous books, because they didn’t belong here.

Knowing it worked for Patricia Briggs meant it would work for me, so in my latest release ‘Arranged to Love’ (Escape Publishing), my h/h have sex three times but I only wrote two sex scenes.

Interestingly, the one I skipped was the very first one. I thought about it, but then discarded it. It wasn’t necessary – the first time they make love is part of the a flashback that sets up the rest of the story and spending pages showing that passion wouldn’t have made the story any better and in fact would have delayed getting to the real action.

I did, however, put a lot of effort into ensuring the passion between them was obvious from the start and that the sex scenes I did write were smoking. So far, readers are happy.

Hope you will be too.

Nicole Murphy has been a primary school teacher, bookstore owner, journalist and checkout chick. She grew up reading Tolkien, Lewis and Le Guin; spent her twenties discovering Quick, Lindsey and Deveraux and lives her love of science fiction and fantasy through her involvement with the Conflux science fiction conventions. As Nicoel Murphy (speculative fiction) she’s had more than two dozen short stories published and her urban fantasy trilogy Dream of Asarlai is published by HarperVoyager.

As Elizabeth Dunk (contemporary romance), she’s had two short stories published and her debut contemporary romance ‘Arranged to Love’ is out now via Escape Publishing. She lives with her husband in Queanbeyan, NSW. Visit her website http://nicolermurphy.com

 

MONDAY MAGIC - Vonnie Hughes

Please welcome to Monday Magic fellow RWAustralia member, and Regency and Suspense author Vonnie Hughes!

***

VOICE

As writers, we constantly hear about ‘voice.’  Your voice is the way you say things on paper, what you say, the way you present things to the reader.  It is you, your persona that shines through the words.  Many readers can tell who the author of a book is by the way the book reads e.g. J.D. Robb’s Eve responds to adversity in quite a different way from, say, a Gayle Wilson heroine.  Whereas Eve punches her way through problems, solving them by putting herself in the perpetrator’s shoes, Gayle Wilson’s Susan (from Wednesday’s Child) or Sarah (from Victim) are more covertly intellectual.  They have waited and agonized and wondered and eventually, when a clue is discovered, not necessarily by themselves, take action.  Eve is more likely to discover the clues herself and roar into action.

There are as many different ways to say something as there are writers, and as many ways to interpret the words as there are readers.  Remember that favorite saying of editors: You can take the same story, give it to ten writers, and get back ten totally different stories?  The education and socio-economic background of a writer influences the way they pose a question or solve a problem.  The geographical background of an author influences a writer mightily e.g. the voice of a writer from the Bronx who never made it to college, or even one who managed to get to college later on in life, will write very differently from an author with a double degree from Harvard.

And that is why a writer need never be afraid of someone stealing his/her ideas.  Every person perceives a scene or a person or an event in different ways, and those different ways are what make for the uniqueness of your voice.  We could all write Little Red Riding Hood at least thirty different ways, and if you multiplied that by authors willing to try the exercise, you’d have hundreds of different versions.

The voice is what appeals to particular readers.  It is why people say, “Oh, I couldn’t stand her.  She waffles on and on about scenery until I lose track of the story” or “He gets so deep into forensics I don’t understand it.”  On the other hand these same readers will enthuse “Loved it.  Loved the whole series.  Easy to understand but with just enough mystery to keep me interested.”  In other words: each to his own.

Occasionally a writer will try to change their voice to suit a particular publication. Sometimes it works; often it doesn’t.  You are not being true to yourself as a writer if you’re struggling to dance to someone else’s tune.  A writer I admire who changes her settings greatly yet stays true to her voice is Jayne Ann Krentz.  Futuristic, historical, contemporary, paranormal, whatever, you can tell a Jayne Ann Krentz (a.k.a. Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle) novel because of her quirky characters and her voice.  You can pick up any one of her books and say, “Oh, that’s JAK.”  And that is the root of her success, because her readers can switch genres but still be satisfied. For example, I would never have begun reading paranormals if it wasn’t that JAK was writing strongly in that genre. And I admired JAK’s voice so much and the way it translated to just about anywhere, that I began reading first her paranormals, and then other people’s.

The problem with trying to alter your voice to suit someone else is that every word must be agonized over, every phrase re-thought and it is very difficult not to become stilted.  Trying to fit into a particular publisher’s pigeon-hole can be draining, and in the end, pointless.  There are publishers (paper and e-publishers) out there who WILL like your voice, so why bother with those who don’t?  Sure, breaking into publishing is harder than finding the philosopher’s stone, but e-publishers are a lot more relaxed about people who write outside the square. They are open to cross-genre writers.  Once you have found your niche, why not stick with it for a while before you expand? You can build up a fan base in that style and genre. Then you will feel confident enough to carry your voice over to a different genre i.e. you could move from cozies to romantic suspense or from adventure to sci-fi.  Whatever you do, your voice will follow.  It’s part of you.  Understand it.  Respect it. Nurture it. 




You can find Vonnie at the following places:

http://www.vonniehughes.com
http://vonniehughes.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/VonnieJHughes



Vonnie has a Regency short story in the free Christmas read from Musa Publishing. Click HERE to find it


Musa is releasing a Regency novel called THE SECOND SON on December 16. This is rather unusual because it is a prequel to a book which is already out in hardback (With Robert Hale) called COMING HOME.

COMING HOME is also being released on 31 January 2012 as an e-book.

on 13 January The Wild Rose Press are releasing Vonnie's Romantic Suspense LETHAL REFUGE.
It is set in New Zealand and is about the fledgling witness protection scheme there.

A Balancing Act - Putting the Romance into Suspense - PART ONE

Some time ago I wrote an article and online workshop on Romantic Suspense.  Romantic suspense is my first love in writing, and although I've moved into some different areas, I still love a romance with a good mystery behind it.  This article has been previously published in HEARTS TALK, which is the monthly newsletter of the Romance Writers of Australia, and also ran it as a workshop on my old group The League of Amazing Writers.

Here is the first part: Feel free to complete the exercises and post your answers

A Balancing Act - Putting the Romance into Suspense

What is the attraction of the romantic suspense plot?

For me, it’s the heart stopping suspense, the thrill of the chase, and non- stop action that heightens the emotion and intensifies the romance.  Knowing that the characters not only have to solve the mystery and conquer the evil villain or villains, they also learn trust and in the process deal with the best and the worst in each other.  This is one of the main attractions of the suspense story for me.  Whatever the plot device, be it women in jeopardy, murder, stalkers, terrorists, spy thrillers, how can the heroine and hero not fall for each other in these intense and emotional circumstances? 

How much is the right mix of romance and suspense?

Authors such as Nora Roberts, Iris Johansen, Tami Hoag, Shannon McKenna and Rebecca York continue to write huge best sellers.  These authors and all those others who write romantic suspense have such diverse styles it’s difficult to even attempt to define the genre.  The popularity of romantic suspense continues to grow, but for some writers this sub genre of romance fiction continues to be one of the most difficult to write successfully.  The problem lies in the balance between the romance and the suspense.  How much of each is needed?  Should there be two separate or one integrated plot? 

The short answer is that it all depends what type of story you want to write, and which publisher you are targeting.  In the category market, some publishers ask for a 50/50 split of romance with suspense or a 60/40 split with more of an emphasis on the emotional growth of the characters.  If your book doesn’t fit into these moulds they won’t publish it.  This may sound unfair, but in category fiction it’s all about reader expectation.  In most cases the reader is buying the series, not the author, so the guidelines need to be very clear. 

Mainstream single title romantic suspense on the other hand varies from author to author.  If you are writing a single title romantic suspense novel you have more flexibility with the balance of romance and suspense in your story.  Shannon McKenna integrates powerful emotional and sexual relationships within her suspense plots, while for Tami Hoag the suspense or thriller plot is the main focus.  That doesn’t mean the romance is secondary.  Character development and relationship building are integral parts of all romantic suspense novels and add to the suspense/thriller plot and the spine tingling tension that enhances the story. 

Marketing of your book can play a part in your decision as well.  Depending on your own particular blend of romance and suspense, you may well find your book placed on the crime shelves in the local bookshop as well as the romance section.  This can increase sales exposure of your books.  Many authors and publishers do this deliberately. 

At the end of the day, you have to write the book you want to write.  I believe that instinct plays a huge part in how you decide to distribute the suspense with the romantic or emotional plot line.  Nora Roberts says you “just know” what is right for your story.  I’m not sure that it comes as naturally as Ms. Roberts would have us think, but believing in your characters and your story goes a long way to making it the best darn story you can write.

EXERCISE ONE:

• Think about what sort of book you want to write. 
• Are you targeting a particular publisher?
• How much romance/suspense do you think your book requires?

Next week: Steps to Balancing the Romance with the Suspense