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The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Page 11

Writing Craft

What’s My (Last) Line?

By Karen Ballon May 18, 2016
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Here are the sources of the last lines I shared last week:

“Maybe loving dogs… “A Big Little Life, Dean Koontz’s book about his Golden retriever, Trixie. Actually, the ending “The sign now includes…:” comes from the afterword of that same book. Yeah, I cheated. But I thought they both were perfect, in their own ways.

“But the good part is …” Shiloh, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. This amazing novel won the Newberry Award.

“And you ask…” From First Paragraphs: Inspired Openings for Writers and Readers a lovely little writing resource from Donald Newlove. I included this both because I love it and because it made me grin to including the ending of a book about openings.

“He would be there all night…” To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

“Tomorrow we will go…” Dancing on the Head of a Pen: The Practice of a Writing Life by Robert Benson

“However, a few days after …” Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers

So, of course, now that we’ve shared last lines that we’ve loved, it’s time to share our own! Yes, grab your manuscripts and/or published books and pull out those last lines.

However, we’ll allow TWO lines because sometimes, as Inigo Montoya learned, to sum up well takes more than one line. (“No, there iss too much. Let me sum up.”) Come on! You gotta know what book/movie that’s from! And yes, I intended to put in two esses, so don’t write me a note correcting it.)

But I digress.

This week, let’s see how you bring your books to a satisfying end.  Give us the title of the book, a quick one-line summary, and the last one or two lines.

This is the last line from my novel, A Test of Faith, about a mother & daughter who must endure the turbulent waters of their relationship:

And with that truth cradling her, holding her tight, she drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Okay, your turn!

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Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Endings, Writing Craft

A Good End

By Karen Ballon May 11, 2016
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So, you’ve read the wondrous first lines of a book, been immersed in the journey through the rest of the pages, been enchanted and challenged, terrified and uplifted, educated and enlightened. And then it comes. The ending. The final words on the page to sum up all that you’ve read and experienced to this point. And these words, if chosen with wisdom and care, will echo through you, reminding you …

Read moreA Good End
Category: Craft, Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Endings, Writing Craft

Variety Is the Spice of Characters

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 5, 2016
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Recently I read a general market novel where I noticed that the characters sounded the same in a way. For example, for earning money, two disparate characters said, “made scratch.” The phrase jumped out at me the first time because it’s one I simply don’t use. So when a second character used the same expression, my mind wandered out of the story and into thinking about the expression. The book …

Read moreVariety Is the Spice of Characters
Category: Craft, Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Characters, Craft, Creativity, Writing Craft

First Lines For All!

By Karen Ballon May 4, 2016
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Last week we considered some powerful first lines that we’ve read. And, as promised, here are the books they’re from: “This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.” The Princess Bride, William Goldman “It’s Nathan’s fault I became God.” The God Game, Andrew Greely “I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at …

Read moreFirst Lines For All!
Category: CraftTag: Craft, first lines, Writing Craft

The Beauty of First Lines

By Karen Ballon April 27, 2016
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Has it happened to you? That moment when you open a book, let your eyes rest on the first page, and suddenly, you’re transported. Or shocked. Or laughing. Because the very first line has done exactly what the author hoped. It grabbed you, pulling you into the story as inexorably as a Pacific ocean riptide will carry you out to sea. And, depending on the kind of book, it can be equally terrifying. …

Read moreThe Beauty of First Lines
Category: Craft, Writing CraftTag: Craft, first lines, Writing Craft

Be Careful with Your Facts

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 7, 2016
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In light of my last post on taking care of details, I thought my readers would be interested in seeing some oddities and errors I found – in the past week! An Irish Soda bread recipe in a local circular called for: 3 cups flower Hmmm. Roses? Daffodils? Tulips? What color? Green, perhaps? And this on Amazon in describing a book: Praying in the Holy Spirit is one important bible study about the …

Read moreBe Careful with Your Facts
Category: Craft, Editing, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Writing Craft

Details, Details (Do They Matter?)

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 31, 2016
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I was chatting with a reader the other day who told me about an advertisement she’d received about a new book. She said, “I read the sample, but then the author said that Black-eyed Susans bloomed in May, but they don’t bloom until August. I didn’t buy the book.” “Did you like the story otherwise?” I asked. “Yes.” “But you’re not …

Read moreDetails, Details (Do They Matter?)
Category: Craft, Editing, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Details, Research, Writing Craft

What An Editor Does–Phase 2

By Karen Ballon March 23, 2016
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Next week, I promise, we’ll jump into the nuts and bolts of editing. But today I want to talk about what editors don’t do. Why do I bring these things up? Because I’ve encountered each and every one of them as a freelance editor. I’ve had clients say, “While you’re editing, can you do the copyedit?” or “Since you’re also an agent, would you be willing to pitch just this book to an editor?” Here …

Read moreWhat An Editor Does–Phase 2
Category: Editing, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Editor, Writing Craft

What An Editor Does –Phase 1

By Karen Ballon March 9, 2016
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As we saw from the comments last week, editors have many tasks. As do copyeditors and proofreaders, but for the next few blogs we’re focusing on editors. I’ve been an editor for over 35 years, both in-house and freelance. And I’ve worked with all categories of books except Children’s books and academic titles. So here, from that perspective, is my take on what editors do. First, let’s look at what …

Read moreWhat An Editor Does –Phase 1
Category: Craft, Creativity, Editing, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Editor, Writing Craft

What Does an Editor Do?

By Karen Ballon March 2, 2016
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When I tell people I’m an editor, I get some interesting comments… “Wow, you must really know how to spell great!” “So, what, you fix commas and stuff?” “An editor, huh? Don’t you get tired of rewriting other people’s stuff?” “Don’t you get tired of reading?” “Wow, so you get to tell authors what to do, huh?” What’s especially interesting to me is that some of these comments aren’t, as you might …

Read moreWhat Does an Editor Do?
Category: Editing, Writing CraftTag: Editing, Writing Craft
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