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Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Page 17

Writing Craft

How Much Back Story?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 27, 2014
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escape

Sometimes in my review of a novel, I find that the story doesn’t pick up soon enough. I’m not sure what I’ll be reading about and my interest may lag, though I can still eye great writing.

“But I wanted my readers to know about my characters,” the author may protest.

Understandable, indeed.

However, I believe it’s important to lay out the basic conflicts for the reader early on so she’ll know what she’ll be exploring with you and will be eager to keep diving in. Before I learn that the hero had a difficult childhood and the heroine struggles with lingering effects of poverty, I want to know their immediate obstacles to their current goals. Those goals may be (whether they know it or not) their ultimate romance. Or they may be involved in a quest. Or perhaps solving a mystery. In any event, the reader wants to know what type of book he’ll be reading and will want to learn what obstacles he’ll be overcoming with the characters right away. Then, once the reader is interested in the characters’ journey, their back story will be all the more fascinating and relevant.

I’ll grant that this is a finely tuned dance. Learning how to balance enough back story within the plot is part of the craft, but one worth pursuing.

Your turn:

What is your favorite book that is really successful in balancing back story with plot?

Have you ever put down a book because you thought the story took too long to get moving?

Did you ever slog through a couple of boring chapters to get to a story? Did it pay off?

Leave a Comment
Category: Craft, Editing, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Back Story, Craft, Writing Craft

Basketball and Writing

By Dan Balowon February 25, 2014
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Next week is March and that means basketball “March Madness” around the country.  From high school to college, teams will compete in tournaments where excitement is at its peak.  

One of my hobbies is to work as the official scorer for the Wheaton College (Illinois) men’s and women’s home basketball games.  I started doing this back in the late 70’s, took some time away from it when our kids …

Read moreBasketball and Writing
Category: Book Business, Career, Creativity, Dan, The Publishing Life, Writing CraftTag: Basketball, publishing, Writing Craft

The Right (Size) Stuff

By Dan Balowon December 3, 2013
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One hundred and fifty years ago this fall, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address on the site of the battle that turned the tide of the American Civil War.  It was 270 words and took two minutes to deliver.

Not as memorable was the 13,600-word oratory by American statesman Edward Everett that lasted for two hours prior to Lincoln’s epic speech. In fact, the program …

Read moreThe Right (Size) Stuff
Category: Craft, Dan, Editing, Get Published, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Writing Craft

Your Writing Team: Freelance Editors

By Karen Ballon November 6, 2013
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You’ve heard the old saying, “Can’t see the forest for the trees”? In other words, you can see each tree, take note of the beautiful leaves and strong branches, but because you’re focused on them you don’t see the whole forest. The big picture. And that, my friends, is where it helps to have freelance editors on your team.

Yes, for some, the editor role is filled by an in-house editor. But if …

Read moreYour Writing Team: Freelance Editors
Category: Career, Communication, Craft, Creativity, Editing, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Career, Writing Craft

Castor Oil for the Soul

By Dan Balowon October 22, 2013
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I am taking a big risk here, knowing there are authors and avid book readers looking at this post.

Columbia University Press polled hundreds of editors, writers, booksellers, librarians, literary critics, and general readers in order to produce a list of the ten most boring books of all time among the great classics. The winners were:

Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan
Faust, Goethe
Don …

Read moreCastor Oil for the Soul
Category: Craft, Creativity, Dan, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Creativity, Writing Craft

Embrace Abandon

By Karen Ballon October 9, 2013
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As many of you know, I've recently returned home from a series of writers’ conferences. As I met with writers and read their proposals or sample chapters, one thing struck me over and over…

More and more writers are spending time writing what they think agents and editors want to see.

Is that bad? Well, yes and no.

No, because you need to understand what editors and agents are looking …

Read moreEmbrace Abandon
Category: Career, Craft, Karen, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Career, Craft, Writing Craft

Make it Count for Something Important

By Dan Balowon October 8, 2013
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Everyone has a pet peeve. People who drive too fast, or too slow, or fingernails scratching on a blackboard.  My pet peeve is a strange one. I have a visceral reaction to the fast-talking legal-speak at the end of radio or TV commercials. I have to change stations…immediately.

You’ve all heard them…commercials that are 50% written by the legal department of the advertiser.  The last 100 words …

Read moreMake it Count for Something Important
Category: Career, Craft, Creativity, DanTag: Communication, Writing Craft

Genre Hopping

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 3, 2013
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An author recently posed a question to us through our question button (in the right column on the blog page). We like when authors do this, so please feel free to use the button!

While everyone's situation is different, the elements of the question are relevant to many so I'm addressing those today.
I have a question about genre hopping. I have a non-fiction book geared for parents of teens …

Read moreGenre Hopping
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Career, Genre, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Career, Genre, Writing Craft

Let the LIGHT In!

By Karen Ballon October 2, 2013
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People being gunned down.

Government shutdowns.

Families in financial crisis.

Politicians calling each other names.

Increasing assaults on religious freedoms.

All of this and more overflow us. On the news. Over the Internet. In our conversations. It would be so easy to think these ugly things are all there is of life nowadays. To feel sad and angry and hopeless...

Which is why …

Read moreLet the LIGHT In!
Category: Christian, Faith, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Christian, Faith, Writing Craft

Fueling Creativity

By Karen Ballon September 18, 2013
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As many of you know, we just finished up the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. Almost 5 days of being surrounded by writers, agents, editors—people steeped in the business, work, and love of words. Each day overflowed with conversations about writing, from workshops to mealtimes to moments in the hallways sharing experiences and insights. And through it …

Read moreFueling Creativity
Category: Conferences, Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Conferences, Creativity, Writing Craft
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