Writing Craft

Easily Entertained

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 16, 2017

Recently my husband, daughter, and I had dinner with my parents at King’s Barbeque in Petersburg, Virginia.

My paternal grandfather discovered this restaurant in the 1950s and it is still one of our family’s favorite places.

Since it was near Christmas, they displayed a unique decoration – a pig wearing a Santa hat. Amused, I took pictures with my cell phone.

I heard voices. “That’s a first!”

I turned to see the waitstaff looking at me, noting that no one else had ever taken a picture of the pig. Just as I found the pig to be comical, so they found humor in my amusement.

Anyone who spends time with me knows that I am easily tickled. New and unique sights and sounds bring me happiness. I take pleasure in little things. Over the years, I have come to believe that my ability to find everything entertaining is a little gift of sunshine from God.

Your turn:

As you develop your characters, what big gifts have you given them?

What small gifts have you given them?

How do these character traits affect your story?

Remove the Barriers in Fiction

By Karen Ballon February 15, 2017

Few things empower fiction better than well developed characters. Which is why you don’t want to create unintentional barriers between your characters and your readers. What barriers, you ask? Well, here’s one that affects POV characters: John knew he was about to learn something important. Do you see it? The barrier? No? How about here… Sally realized she wasn’t getting it at all. This barrier is …

Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: fiction, Writing Craft

What is Your Attention Span?

By Steve Laubeon February 13, 2017

I came across the study that claims the average person now has a shorter attention span than that of a goldfish. Eight seconds. This means most people tend to lose concentration in less than ten seconds. As an experiment, I read the above paragraph out loud. It took about 10 seconds to complete. That means I just lost you. At least the goldfish will swim around its bowl and come back to the same …

Category: Communication, Craft, Inspiration, Reading, The Writing LifeTag: book proposals, Creativity, Writing Craft

Should I Join a Professional Organization?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 9, 2017

Thinking about joining a professional organization? This post is geared to the writer who has decided what type of books to write and wonders if memberships would enhance the proposal. Those who are undecided would be better served by attending a few conferences as a nonmember to discern career direction. When investigating professional organizations, I recommend asking yourself questions: Can I …

Category: Career, Conferences, The Writing LifeTag: Career, The Writing Life

Contrived is a Four-Letter Word

By Karen Ballon February 8, 2017

Few things irritate fiction readers more than a story peopled by characters who act and react without any apparent reason for what they’re doing and saying. No reason, that is, except to illustrate the author’s message. Or prove the author’s point. Well, you say, don’t we all have a message or point in what we write? Isn’t fiction about letting our characters take the readers on a journey of …

Category: CraftTag: Craft, fiction, Writing Craft

New Year, New First Lines!

By Karen Ballon January 25, 2017

Are you as stunned as I am that we’re already weeks into 2017? I figure the beginning of an all-new year is a great time to share our all-new first lines! I love seeing what you all are working on, so jump in and share the first line—and ONLY the first line—of your current work in progress. Fiction, nonfiction, children’s book, whatever. Let the sharing begin! Here’s mine: His first breath …

Category: CreativityTag: Creativity

The Seeds of Great Ideas

By Karen Ballon January 18, 2017

Thanks so much for sharing your tips and sources for ideas last week. What fun to read your thoughts and insights. I’d invite you all to review those comments from time to time, considering if one or more of them might not help you expand the ways you develop ideas. For today, though, I want to encourage you to give something a try, and that’s an Idea Journal. This isn’t a regular journal. It’s …

Category: CreativityTag: Creativity

Finding Great Book Ideas

By Karen Ballon January 11, 2017

The beginning of a whole new year seems like a good time to think about new ideas. Specifically, new ideas for stories to write. We all have our favorite sources for new ideas. Some pull story ideas from breaking news stories, some from their own personal experiences or struggles, some from the lives of those they know, some from all of the above and more. Next week I’ll share some ways to spark …

Category: CreativityTag: Creativity

Exclamation Points!!! Avoid or Embrace?!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 15, 2016

I love using exclamation points! Don’t you? How about interrobang sentences?! Finally, I think we should bring those back, don’t you?! And not just in dialogue, but in narrative! Finally, shouldn’t readers just really ought to be able to keep up with run-on sentences, no matter how complex, or whether or not they stay on topic, and I wonder how many people could diagram a sentence that’s simple, …

Category: Craft, Creativity, Grammar, HumorTag: Craft, Grammar, Humor

Writers Learn to Wait

By Steve Laubeon December 5, 2016

Good publishing takes time. Time to write well. Time to edit well. Time to find the right agent. Time to find the right publisher. Time to edit again and re-write. Time to design well. Time to market well. While there can be a lot of activity it still feels like “time” is another word for “wait.” No one likes to wait for anything. Our instant society (everything from …

Category: Book Business, Contracts, Get Published, Indie, Marketing, Steve, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Agents, Book Business, Contracts, Editors, Get Published, Marketing, Traditional Publishing