Story Sensei

This is continuing my series on things to look for in your first page. Click here for part one. Figure out where to start your story You don’t need cars blowing up or gunfights or a grotesque witch dying a horrible death to open your story (although if you do have those things, that’s a good thing, too). All you need is something different. You need something unusual happening that will perk your reader’s attention. You need something disrupting the character’s normal life. You need just the intimation of some type of change or upheaval. This means you don’t start with backstory or telling or explanations about who the character is and why they’re there and what has happened to him before this scene. You start with the action spurred on by Change in the character’s life. I’ve seen too many manuscripts that started in the wrong place. The character’s “ordinary world” is introduced, but it’s not an active, engaging opening for the story. You need to start with the change to the characte...

I'm a mentor for the Mount Hermon HeadStart mentoring clinic this year! The HeadStart clinic is a couple days before Mount Hermon Writers Conference, April 1-3, 2009. HeadStart is mostly for beginning writers (intermediate writers can take the regular Mentoring Clinic given during Mount Hermon Writer's Conference). I hope that those of you who can will come and take my mentoring class! Mary DeMuth, who's also a mentor for HeadStart, made this really cute video that gives a little more info about who the HeadStart clinic is for and what you can get out of it.

I’m going to be doing a series on things to look for in your first page. Why just the first page? Realistically, that first page is all you have. That’s what will either grab an editor or make him/her put the manuscript in the reject pile. Editors have very little time, and they get thousands of manuscripts a year. If they’re not hooked by that first page, most will not bother to read on to the second page. Editors just don’t have time anymore to “grow” an author and help them improve his/her writing. In past decades in publishing, an editor might contract an author with incredible potential and help them to become a better writer with successive books. That doesn’t happen anymore. A debut author that’s contracted these days has to have very strong writing skills right off the bat—an editor will not contract a writer who’s “good but not quite there.” It’s the same with a reader. Think of yourself in a bookstore. There are thousands of books on the shelves. How do you decide which book...

I'm over at Seekerville talking about how writers can set goals for 2009 to challenge themselves to write faster and/or more efficiently. Camy here, talking about Writing Goals for 2009! Pam Hillman recently shared her writing goals with us, and I was totally impressed how she broke things down into quarters. What that mostly did was to help her target herself in terms of writing efficiency. She challenged herself to write a certain amount—or at a certain speed—by a certain date. Click here to read the rest of the post.

Here is an example from my own query letter, written for one of my old Asian chick lit novels when I was still unpublished. This was originally published on Suite101. An Example From Real Life Here is a bio paragraph from a real query letter from an author who was unpublished at the time. The credential or bio section of a query letter is important because it lists why the writer is qualified to write the novel being proposed in the query. It also shows the agent or editor the writer’s experience in the publishing industry and in the writing craft. The best way to learn is by example, so here is an example bio paragraphs from a real query letter from the author, who was unpublished at the time she sent this query. There are also comments about each section of the bio paragraph at the end of the example. Example One Here is an example from a query letter this author submitted when still unpublished. The novel was an Asian American chick lit novel. This novel explores the ...

I just critiqued a query letter and answered a few questions about the credentials paragraph. So I wrote this article, which originally was published on Suite 101. Make Your Bio Powerful and Informative Here are a few tips to make the bio section of a query letter as good as it can be. An important part of query letters is the credential or bio paragraph. It should do two things: 1) Let the editor or agent know why you are qualified to write the novel and its topics 2) Let the editor or agent know that you have publishing credits and writing connections to show you’re not inexperienced in the publishing industry. Show You Are Qualified A writer should show that they are qualified to write a novel’s settings, issues, themes, or character professions. If the novel is about firefighters, a bio should mention the writer is the son of a firefighter or married to one, or is a firefighter himself. If the novel is set in the Michigan upper peninsula, the writer should mention...

We're all feeling the financial crunch, but what's an unpublished writer to do when there are so many things you need to buy to develop your craft? I wrote this article, which originally appeared on Suite101. A Writing Career on a Budget Money-Saving Tips for Novelists Here are tips for developing writing skills, improving craft, and taking advantage of resources inexpensively. An unpublished novelist is stuck in a catch-22. He can’t make money until he sells a novel, but he can’t sell a novel until he develops his craft, which usually requires money. Here are some tips for developing your writing craft while limited by a budget. Take Advantage of Free Stuff These days, there are tons of writing articles online that teach the basics of writing. Google is your best friend. There are many websites that have lists of links to free articles. One of my favorites is Resources for Romance Writers . While many of the articles do pertain to romance, much of the informati...

I am agented by Books and Such, and they've just started a blog! http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/ They'll be posting 5 days a week, and they'll also have a Newsflash feature where they'll be posting every new and juicy tidbit from the world of publishing.

Noah Lukeman now has his article, "How to write a great query letter" available as a free download! Way cool! How to write a great query letter

Feedback can sometimes be vague, can't it? I wrote an article that might help you improve your story when the feedback is not so helpful. This article originally appeared on Suite101. Increase Character Conflict Make Characters and the Story More Interesting By Increasing Conflict Here are some tips for making a bland or episodic story more interesting by introducing deep character conflicts. Sometimes, a writer will get feedback that the characters are unlikable or uninteresting, or the story is only “okay.” This is usually a good indication that the story needs more conflict. For popular fiction, the best type of conflict involves personal character conflict. Some writers refer to this as “throwing rocks” at your character. This type of internal conflict can also directly impact the external storyline, so you get maximum bang for your writing buck. Conflict will automatically create more interest for readers because they want to see how the protagonist responds unde...

For Love and Money Week in Seekerville ( www.seekerville.blogspot.com ) Monday Jan 5: Deb Ng on professional blogging. Deborah Ng is the genius behind Freelance Writing Jobs. Tuesday Jan 6: Cindi Myers on the working writer. If you don't know Cindi, check out her Market News Yahoo Group or her website for news on her latest release A Man To Rely On, from Super Romance. Wednesday Jan 7: Michael Bracken on writing for the Confessions. Michael is a phenom in the confession world and we are thrilled to have him stop by and share. Thursday Jan 8: Abingdon Press Senior Acquisitions Editor for Fiction, Barbara Scott, is back for an Encore, Encore!! Friday Jan 9: Myra L. Johnson on the Christian nonfiction market. In addition to her multiple fiction sales in 2008 (Heartsong and Abingdon), Myra is also a nonfiction writer. Saturday Jan 10: Tina Russo shares on writing romantic fiction for Woman's World Magazine. Keep an eye out for her latest Woman's World story, Letting Go, which i...

This article originally appeared as a series of blog posts in November and December 2008 . Here are all the posts collected together. Building a blog These days, blogging is a great way to express yourself and/or to market a product you might have. Blogging is cheap, easy, and can be a lot of fun. But while anyone can blog, how do you create an effective blog? Here are a few tips, broken down into Blogging Logistics and Blog Content. (Before I begin, I also want to mention that blogging isn’t for everyone. Not everyone likes to blog, and that’s perfectly fine. I think that no one should feel forced to blog—if you don’t like blogging, then don’t blog. But if you do enjoy blogging, this is a series of articles to help you make a better blog.) Blogging Logistics: Blog consistently. Good blogs have bloggers who post consistently and often. Most of these bloggers post five days a week, taking Saturday and Sunday off since blogs usually have lower traffic on weekends. Ideally, a blogger who ...

The Story Sensei blog is taking a break from Christmas to New Year's. Have a great holiday season!

This article I wrote originally appeared on Suite101. Knowing Your Characters Some Tips for Getting Into Your Character’s Story Here are some ways to know your character more deeply, which might solve plot or story problems as you write your novel.
 Many times, when a writer has hit a wall when writing their novel, it could be that the writer just doesn’t know the character well enough. It doesn’t take much to hinder the creative process. Even not knowing a character’s preference for vanilla or chocolate ice cream can cramp the flow of words. Not knowing more major things like the character’s deep core values behind their motivations can be equally deadly to a novel’s progress. So whether the writer is someone who plots the story before he/she writes or who just goes at it, exercises for getting to know the character can be done either before or during a novel’s creation. Utilize Character Charts There are several good character charts available on the internet these day...

There are some stories I've read where the author didn't introduce the setting very well, and I felt like I was dropped into a black pit with two people talking in the dark (or, at best, surrounded by fog or fuzzy light). Ever feel like that? Other times, the author opens with SO MUCH SETTING DETAIL I'm bored silly before the end of page one. You can avoid both of those scenarios. This is especially important for historical and fantasy/speculative fiction writers who need to introduce an entirely new world for the reader within the first few pages without sounding like a travel guide and without confusing the reader. (I think the only exceptions are Regency and possibly medieval writers whose genres are so rampantly published these days and whose time periods are limited to a few years in history. They can introduce the setting with a date and place or a few words and the loyal reader will know exactly when and where they are. For example: “Lord Montgomery entered...

You can download the ebook FREE from Donald Maass's website: The Career Novelist “Packed full of fine analysis, solid advice, and thoughtful reflection on the state of contemporary publishing. It’s further distinguished by more common sense than any book of its type that I have ever read. A treasure.” — Dean Koontz, author of Intensity “...an indispensable volume for all libraries, and for anyone interested in learning about the world of publishing...” — Ed Gorman, Mystery Scene

Brainstorming is one of my favorite parts of writing fiction, but I'm very careful to make sure my brainstorming time isn't just time wasted daydreaming. This article I wrote originally appeared on Suite101. Effective Brainstorming How to Make the Most of Collecting Ideas Brainstorming all aspects of a story can be made more effective and efficient with these simple tips. Brainstorming is one of the most powerful tools in a writer’s arsenal. A writer can brainstorm all aspects of a novel, from large scale to small scale. A writer can brainstorm high level element like theme and premise. A writer can also brainstorm mid level story elements like character personality, external goals, backstory, career. Also story setting, possible villains, etc. A lesser known but equally powerful use for brainstorming is for very small scale elements like a character’s goal for a particular scene, possible character decisions in a scene, variety of conflict or obstacles in a scen...

Read part 6 here Blog Content, continued Focus on your blog readers. Your blog might be about you, but to build a blog readership, you have to think about what you can give to your blog readers. People visit a blog because of what they get out of it. What do people get out of your blog? Hopefully you’re entertaining. Get some feedback. Figure out which are your most popular posts—and why they’re popular. Can you write more like them? What are your more unpopular posts? Why were they unpopular? Are your blog posts all about you, or do you have things that might be interesting or informative to your readers? Remember to post things that your readers would want to read. Are your blog posts mostly information with very little about yourself? Add some personality to your blog posts. Building a blog readership will take time. Don’t be discouraged and don’t have expectations too high for your blog traffic. All blogs take time to build. Just keep blogging consistently, and also do a few thing...

Read part 5 here Blog Content, continued Blog about personal themes. Think about any personal themes you might have. They can be deep or shallow—but everyone has personal themes. So blog about them. For example, my personal themes are: (a) Asiana because I grew up with a lot of things that are new and different to my blog readers (b) humor because I’m naturally rather irreverent and like funny stuff (c) Christian fiction because I’m an avid reader (d) knitting because I’ve gone gaga over my new hobby (e) my dog because I don’t have children Cheryl Wyatt has themes of both military related things and also funny embarrassing moments for herself (her “Blush and Cringe” posts are hilarious!). Sharon Hinck has a theme of encouragement, so she blogs short encouraging devotionals rather frequently. ChristianFictionQueen blogs not only about Christian fiction but also on BBC movies and miniseries, and also on musicals and other CDs. Look at your own personal themes and build on them. Go wit...

I'm over at Danica Favorite's blog with my list of The top five things to look for when revising your rough draft .