Writers in the Storm

Now and then, I meet a multi-published, award-winning author whom I haven’t read before and ask, “Which book of yours should I read first?” They rarely suggest their debut book. Quite often, they’ll say something like, “My first books were okay, but I really hit my stride with [fabulous book title].”

If they suggest the debut, it’s often because that was the sixth book they actually wrote or they spent six years writing and rewriting it.

What happened between Before and After? They learned stuff. Stuff like:

• Story structure that made the novel flow better
• Character development that made their protagonist and antagonist more convincing
• Prose and grammar skills that made their writing compelling
• Personal insights that clarified which genre they should write and the theme their books convey
• Time management that helped them turn out more consistently good stories

Given how you’re reading a writing blog, I assume you also want to learn stuff. And that’s great. But how can you do it? How do you make sure your stories just get better and better?

1. Craft books.

We live in an amazing time when there are so many great books about the craft of writing. You can find information on story structure, writing approaches, point of view, specific genres, and just about anything else you can think of.

Make it a goal to read at least a couple of craft books each year. Be selective, because you can get so swamped with information from these books that you feel paralyzed about writing another word.

A few of my personal favorites:

• Wired for Story by Lisa Cron
• Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell
• My Story Can Beat Up Your Story by Jeffrey Alan Schecter
• The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi — a must-have

2. Classes.

Since I’m currently penning a mystery, I recently took an online course on Autopsies for Authors. Although my family and friends didn’t fully enjoy my sharing postmortem trivia at every turn, I found the course fascinating and gathered information to incorporate into my story.

Whether it’s craft, marketing, or specific topics, excellent writing courses are available through several sources, including Savvy Authors, W.A.N.A. International, Lawson Writer’s Academy, and RWA University and RWA chapters. Look around, ask around, and find what you need. Someone, somewhere is teaching a class that will improve your writing.

3. Conferences.

Conferences package all that education into a compact amount of time. Whether it’s a local chapter conference or a week-long writing workshop, such events allow you to focus on your writing in a way that isn’t as likely to happen in your house. Where distractions pop up like house elves begging for socks, and all a decent person can do is oblige.

Take advantage of intensive opportunities to improve your writing and industry know-how. Attend RWA National or take a Cruising Writers retreat. Find conferences in your particular genre, like ThrillerFest or SCBWI. Check local sources for day or weekend events worth attending. You’ll return with increased knowledge and enthusiasm for your writing.

4. Community.

Speaking of conferences, that’s also a place to foster community. Much of what I’ve learned about writing has come straight from conversations with other writers. Some have background in an area I don’t, others are farther along in their journey and have great mentoring advice, and plenty are in the pre-published trenches where I am and have insights as well. Not only does community support us personally (and emotionally when we feel like shredding our work in progress because we’re convinced we suck); community educates us.

Make use of writing chapters you can join. Find beta readers and critique partners. Get online and chat with other writers, specifically asking questions of people who know things you want to know. As long as you’re not a wild-eyed stalker about it, most people are happy to share what they’ve learned. Comment on blogs like this one, and you’ll find that conversations start up and become friendships. Create community.

5. Contests.

I’ll be straight, y’all—writing contests are a hit-or-miss activity for learning. Some contests I’ve entered have given me wonderful feedback, and other times the results I got were less than helpful. But when I've received effective critique, it’s been well worth my effort and entry fee. Once you’ve fostered that community mentioned above, ask others about the quality of a particular contest and which ones are worth entering.

Generally speaking, contests with trained judges and/or specific judging guidelines will offer better feedback. Contest feedback helps to clarify what captures a reader’s attention, where your strengths and weaknesses are, and who your ideal audience might be.

But also volunteer to judge some contests. You learn an awful lot by critiquing others’ entries. What common mistakes do you see, that you should then avoid? What keeps you turning pages, and how does that inform your own characterization and pacing? What feedback would you give others, that you really should give yourself too?

We have all kinds of ways to keep getting better as writers. But the way you get those readers who say, "Her books just keep getting better and better" is to never stop learning. There's always something else you can discover to strengthen your storytelling and writing skills.

Which learning tools have been most helpful in improving your writing?

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WITS Readers! We hope you are enjoying Julie as much as we are because you will be seeing a lot more of her. She is our latest resident blogger-in-charge here at Writers In The Storm and we're delighted to have her on the team. Help us show her some love, down in the comments!

~ Fae, Jen, Laura and Sherry

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About Julie

Julie Glover writes cozy mysteries and young adult fiction. Her YA contemporary novel, SHARING HUNTER, finaled in the 2015 RWA® Golden Heart®. When not writing, she collects boots, practices rampant sarcasm, and advocates for good grammar and the addition of the interrobang as a much-needed punctuation mark.

Julie is represented by Louise Fury of The Bent Agency. You can visit her website here and also follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

For those of you who have followed my posts over the years, you know I joke a lot about being queen of the troll introverts. I’m happy in my writing cave, it’s comfy there. I have my espresso machine and my fat cats for company. And I have awesome WiFi which means I can chat with all the writers I want via social media and email and FaceTime/Skype. Why would I ever want to leave?

Well, over the last few months, I did leave. I went to three vastly different writer’s events: In May, I participated in the Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF). Then in August, I went to New York for the Writer’s Digest Conference. And September was the Women’s Fiction Writers Association retreat.

My thoughts on the different types of events:

The Book Festival

GBF is my home town book festival. They’ve brought in some amazing authors over the years so when I got the letter that my application had been accepted, I was equal parts ecstatic and terrified. Plus, the event was taking place a week after my debut released. I’d never – NEVER – done a book event before.

What I did right:

Since it was my very first event, I asked a couple of other debut authors I’d become friendly with and who lived in striking distance, if they wanted to submit applications with me. It was much easier getting onto the stage with others who shared some of the same fears and excitement.

What I learned:

Knowing your book and talking about your book are not necessarily the same. In the couple of months leading up to my debut, I wrote a lot of guest posts for various blogs and responded to many of the same interview questions in each. I thought I was ready to answer almost any question that came my way. Until I was asked those questions live.

Why it’s worth going:

Aside from the fun of getting to talk about your book, I loved the opportunity of interacting with readers and getting to meet a few favorite authors who, until that day, I’d only interacted with via social media. It also gave me the confidence to know I could do it. I may not have been brilliant that first time, I may not ever be brilliant at this type of event, but I can do it nonetheless (and I’m already looking at other opportunities for when my second book releases next year).

If you’re not published yet, go meet authors and support the event. One of the first years I went, I fan-girled over a favorite author. I bought her book from the indie selling on site even though I already had a copy at home and asked her to sign. There weren’t a lot of people at the signing tables which gave us the opportunity to talk. She ended up blurbing my debut.

 

The Large Conference

I’m not a large conference kinda gal. I find them overwhelming and underwhelming. But since this was my debut year, I was pushing myself to take on things I haven’t done or would usually steer clear of, so not only did I register to attend, I signed up to present.

What I did right:

I told my inner doubter to shut it and submitted those speaker proposals. And then agreed to not only do a solo presentation, but participate in two panels. Hey, if you’re pushing past your comfort zone, jump straight into the deep end. And to reward myself for being so brave, I went up for the conference a day early to meet my editor and attend a workshop I’ve been wanting to do for ages but never had the opportunity.

What I learned:

It actually is possible to put lipstick on a troll and make her somewhat presentable. :-)  In all seriousness though, the experience was a great reminder that you can do whatever you want once you believe in yourself. I may never become a highly sought-after speaker, but I didn’t completely embarrass myself and I was able to help a few people with the information I presented. And you know what else? It was fun.

Why it’s worth going:

You never know who will be in the audience. A number of folks approached me after the various sessions to ask questions about the topics addressed. I had the pleasure of bringing up the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and, as a result, the group lucked out with a few new members.

Another audience member picked up my book at the onsite bookstore. Turns out she’s local to my area and runs a radio program discussing books. She contacted me and I got to check one more first off my list – the program will air later this month.

And, of course, if you’re unpublished, these events are a gold mine for meeting and pitching agents and connecting with other writers.

 

The Writer’s Retreat

The WFWA retreat is a bit of a hybrid event. We have a presenter give two half-days of a craft workshop, and there are discussion groups on marketing and the business of writing and writer’s life. But there’s also writing time and plenty of socializing time.

What I did right:

This one is a bit harder for me since I’m the retreat organizer, so my time during this event is mostly spent running around making sure things are running smoothly. That said, I did two things differently this year: (1) I made myself sit and write on a new project, and (2) I took off the organizer hat long enough to socialize and relax.

What I learned:

It doesn’t matter how comfortable you are in your writing cave, every writer needs to connect with other writers from time to time. Even – especially – during those times when you think you’d rather hide in the darkest part of the cave.

Why it’s worth going:

The energy and creativity in a room of writers, particularly those who write the same genre, is better than a giant pot of coffee. I was pretty worn down by the time I got to Albuquerque for the retreat and, to be honest, my thought in the days leading up to the event was to get through it and regroup after. But once I was there with my writing tribe, I was swept up in the creativity and the bonding over our shared experiences, and I left with an optimism that I hadn’t had days before.

The more relaxed atmosphere of retreats allows everyone to be themselves, to share their experiences, ask questions, let their guard down, be writers.

 

There are, of course, plenty of other types of events – writer’s cruises; small group retreats that are only focused on writing and reading your work; pitch events; local meet-ups, etc. Depending on your available resources (time and money), some may be more doable than others. But all have value. You’ll get from any event what you want to gain from it. From someone who didn’t attend a writer’s event for years when I first started, this introvert is a convert.

What type of writer events do you enjoy most? What’s something you learned about yourself from attending a writer event? What’s held you back from attending or participating?

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About Orly

 

Orly Konig is an escapee from the corporate world. Now she spends her days chatting up imaginary friends, drinking entirely too much coffee, and negotiating writing space around two over-fed cats. She is the founding president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, a quarterly contributor to Thinking Through Our Fingers blog and Writers In The Storm blog, and an active member of the Tall Poppy Writers. Her debut women’s fiction, The Distance Home, released from Forge in May 2017, and Carousel Beach will be releasing May 2018.

You can find her online at http://www.orlykonig.com or on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest

Angela Ackerman

Writers are encouraged to dig into their hero or heroine’s past to understand what factors (including wounding events) are steering their behavior and motivation in the story. By doing this we can ensure our protagonist’s goal aligns with the unmet need driving them, tailor challenges that will force them to face specific fears, and raise their awareness of destructive emotional shielding (flaws, biases, dysfunctional behaviors) that is holding them back. Internal growth, after all, is what character arc is all about!

Putting time into backstory is a no-brainer for the protagonist…but there’s another character often overlooked who also needs this type of development: the villain.

The villain (if your story has one) plays a crucial role. He’s the main source of conflict, making the hero’s success that much more difficult to achieve.

Few things disappoint readers more than a cardboard villain who is “evil for evil’s sake.” Yet, we see this portrayal countless times, which steals the power from an otherwise incredible tale.

Compelling characters have real motivations…villains included.

Just like the protagonist, we should always know what is driving the villain in the story. Here are three key areas to brainstorm to help you build a credible antagonist that readers will love to hate.

Negative Life Lessons

All characters enter the story with a suitcase of past pain, including your villain. The fear of being hurt again motivates him just as it does the protagonist, but how this manifests through behavior will be darker. Uncovering the wounds of the past is a must because to write the villain’s dysfunctional behavior well, we need to know what caused it.

To find the wound, ask yourself, who hurt him, and how? What negative life lessons did other people or circumstances teach him that led to his current jaded worldview? Someone, or something, caused him to become the person he is now, and his past trauma, whether it involved a significant loss, a humiliation that can’t be forgotten, or a betrayal that locked his emotional shielding into place, is at the root of it.

Moral Beliefs

Another area to examine is the villain’s moral center. Core beliefs shape our actions, but in fiction, the villain’s code of conduct will change significantly due to the skewed way he views the world.

Imagine two people who suffer the same devastating circumstance—say, one of their children dying in a hit-and-run accident. Though they end up with the same missing need of safety and security, depending on personality, support system, mental state, and a slew of other factors, they could go about filling this need in different ways. One might pursue a career in law enforcement, seek to change the law regarding drunk-driving offenses, or open a rehab center to make it easier for alcoholics to receive treatment. Goals like these are inherently positive pursuits and make sense for someone seeking security.

Another person could go a completely different direction: stalking and ultimately murdering his child’s killer or going on an arson spree and burning down bars around town. He thinks that eradicating the responsible person or establishments from his neighborhood will make the world safer. But because he refuses to work through grief and instead allows fear to dictate his behavior, these goals are ultimately dissatisfying, leading him to commit bigger offenses in a desperate effort to find peace.

Morality is often the biggest difference between protagonists and villains. His do-not-cross line, if he has one at all, is set much farther back than the protagonist’s, enabling him to do unthinkable things to get what he wants.

Coping With Unmet Needs

Unmet needs are also the result of a wounding event. Being hurt in such a deep, psychological way leaves the character in a protective state: he’d rather go without something (love, pursuing a dream, freedom, etc.) than risk having it stolen from him again. The longer this need goes unsatisfied though, the unhappier a person becomes. In a change arc story, the protagonist will eventually reach a tipping point where he’s no longer willing to live without his unmet need, but the villain doesn’t always get to this place. Why is that?

One possibility is that the antagonist once made an attempt to work through his wounding experience and that attempt was unsuccessful, reinforcing the same pain he first felt. As a result, he became hardened and unwilling to risk that kind of hurt again.

Another likelihood is that the villain refuses to revisit the wound and heal because it’s too painful and so simply muffles the gnawing void by pursuing whatever temporarily eases the hurt. This may result in him rejecting his emotions so he feels nothing for himself or anyone else, thereby enabling him to seek revenge (Howard Payne, Speed) or do truly horrific things without remorse (Jigsaw, Saw franchise).

Or maybe the villain’s dysfunctional behavior is personally satisfying to the extent that he’s not willing to give it up. Vices are ultimately destructive, but on a base level they’re enjoyable; for someone who is in denial or is mentally imbalanced, these activities can act as motivators that make it difficult to sacrifice them in favor of lifelong changes for the better. Understanding how your villain copes with his unmet need will help you write his actions in a way that rings true.

A villain’s motives will have deep roots.

Villains are products of their past, just like everyone else. Genetics and anomalies can play a part, but the overwhelming majority of deranged individuals are that way because of the negative people and events they were exposed to. Knowing what’s driving him and why he’s chosen his particular goal helps you to portray a villain who is credible. If you need help with this, pull out your Emotional Wound Thesaurus book, or visit One Stop for Writers’ vast collection of emotional wounds.

What’s your villain’s motivation in the story? Let me know in the comments!

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About Angela

 

Angela Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, as well as five others. Her books are available in six languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. Angela is also the co-founder of the popular site Writers Helping Writers, as well as One Stop for Writers, an innovative online library built to help writers elevate their storytelling. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.