Writers in the Storm

Turning Whine into Gold:
5 things readers want from novelists on social media

by Kathryn Craft

You may not have a book out, but if you have expressed on Twitter or Facebook your hope to be a published author, you have indeed begun a social media campaign.

People are already reading your words on these sites and forming an impression, so it makes sense to think about what your readers want from you.

Here are 5 things I want from the authors I follow:

1. I want to be entertained.

It stands to reason that authors, due to their daily manipulation of language, have a greater command of it. Add to that a flair for comparison, an affinity for odd characters, a love of whimsical description, and the ability to thread an arrow through the very essence of story, and you have all the makings of an entertaining post.

2. I want to be challenged to think for myself

Fiction readers do not want to be told what to think. They want to be challenged to think. For this reason, lovers of story will rarely be swayed by an in-your-face political rant. They will simply agree or dismiss. If they dismiss, you’ve lost access to one of the most powerful roles a storyteller can play in our society: that of the sage who uses story to open the reader’s eyes to a different point of view.

In the fiction I love, I value the way an author will orchestrate a character set to examine a problem from all sides, the way John Irving did so brilliantly concerning abortion in The Cider House Rules. But in order to influence a reader, you have to get her to open your book. She might not if your frequent Facebook rants lead her to suspect that you are likely to preach.

Instead, why not raise a question and get people talking about the issue?

Did you see this video about the emotional reunion between the man and his partner’s arrival home from the Middle East? It really tugged at my heart. How about you?

The reader will receive the message: “This author is respectful of individual opinions. I might like her work.”

3. Exposure to the new and different

Many authors are drawn to odd jobs and odder experiences. Curiosity compels them to observe and investigate. They notice the lone dandelion pushing its way up through the sidewalk and see a story of triumph. From the things they’ll eat to the places they go to the ways they get there, an author’s life isn’t all about the word count. I want access to what their keen sensibilities can provide.

4. News Updates

I want to make sure I don’t miss out on new books and important career milestones.

5. Hope

Hope is crucial to survival, and wordsmiths are in the position to lead readers to it even in the most difficult times. A few short phrases evoking ordeals from around the world will remind you of this fact: The Book Thief. Bel Canto. The Life of Pi. Les Miserables.

I’m not quite sure why writers think it’s a good idea to use social media to vent about the industry that they hope will one day support them, but it goes against your social media campaign goals: you don’t want to turn your readers off to the book world! If you stoke your negativity with the full power of your word magic, you will pull your readers right down the rabbit hole after you, where you’ll all be miserable.

Instead, why not identify your fears more honestly and relatably, as Dani Shapiro did in her recent post, On Vulnerability (it’s well worth a read). Knowing that the authors whose works you idolize are human, too, is actually a source of great hope.

“Published author” is an honorific, bestowed by our culture because of your sensitivity, your keen eye, and dedication to artful communication through story. Social media is your chance to give your readers more of that—and with each bite-sized post, you are building the public persona that will earn you readers and carry your career as an author.

The next time you enter a public forum, think before you type: what is it you really want to say?

What do you want to see more or less of on social media? Do you love or hate "being online?" Which social media platform is your favorite, and why?

About Kathryn

Kathryn Craft’s debut novel, The Art of Falling, will be released through Sourcebooks 0n January 28. To read more about her book, check out her author site, KathrynCraft.com. Pre-order links are live at bn.com and amazon.com! Her second novel, While the Leaves Stood Still, is due from Sourcebooks in Spring 2015.

Kathryn Craft is a developmental editor at Writing-Partner.com. Long a leader in the southeastern Pennsylvania literary scene, she loves anything that brings writers together—conferences, workshops, retreats, and blogs like Writers in the Storm. She also blogs at The Blood-Red Pencil and at her personal blogs, The Fine Art of Visiting and Healing Through Writing. Connect with Kathryn on Facebook and Twitter.

By Laura Drake

As I get better at craft, I’m beginning to catch the nuances of good writing; things beyond the basics of POV, show don’t tell, etc. They’re more subtle and harder to spot, but I believe they can be the difference between a ‘good writer’ and a popular author.

These are only a few - Please add your tips in the comments so we’ll all learn more, won’t you?

1. Unnecessary thoughts. Something happens – your character has a thought about it – someone speaks – your character has another thought. It breaks up and slows the scene, and it doesn’t add enough to warrant the break. Example:

When he stepped out, he had no smile for her. He avoided meeting her gaze. Even though his clothing was freshly pressed and his shoulders were back, he looked drained, as if he’d just run the obstacle course.

The presentation must have gone badly.

Do you see how the thought is not only unneeded – but that it weakens the sentences above it? Trust your reader to get it – they’ll appreciate it more. Save thoughts for what we couldn’t guess from the context or body language. That can be powerful – showing that the character is keeping something from the others in the scene.

2. Anchor us in the POV. Adam is the POV character below.

He was going to make an example of this one. Maybe word would get around. He tipped his chin at Joyce, the cashier; his signal to let the kid go.

Halfway out the door, Adam grabbed him.

“Hey, lemme go!” The punk twisted to see who had the collar of his shirt.

Do you see how the way this is worded blurs and distances us from the POV character? Better would be:

Halfway out the door, he grabbed the little thief.

Why? Because if I’m firmly in Adam’s POV, I shouldn’t have to use his proper name. The way it’s originally written, it’s almost in a narrator’s POV.

3. Unneeded dialog tags. I tend to notice these more, because dialog tags is one of my pet peeves. I think we use them much more than we need to. And they’re distancing.

“I’ll walk you back to your ship,” she said, falling into step beside him.

“I’ll walk you back to your ship,” she fell into step beside him.

This is a very small nuance, but can you see how the second is more natural and ‘flows’ better?

A yowl from the cabin next door punctuated his statement.

“What was that?” she asked. It sounded like someone had pinched a baby.

Since there are only a man and a woman in this scene, and we know it’s not him from the line before, the reader will deduce that she asked this. Which means you don’t need the tag. These are small nuances, but important ones. The reader won’t think, “I don’t need that tag.” But these are the things that show an agent/editor etc. that you’re good.

4. Backload your sentences

I’ve got more male in my life than I need already.

Becomes:

I’ve already got more male in my life than I need.

A herd of sharp-hooved nightmares thundered through her sleep every night.

Becomes:

Every night a herd of sharp-hooved nightmares thundered through her sleep.

5.  Favorite ‘author’ words. Everyone has them. Your ‘go to’ words. But they’re not words that everyone uses in everyday speech, so they stick out. Below are mine. My crit group will only allow me one to two of these per book.

Jerked

Hipshot

Full dark

Tipped (as in chin)

Implosion

Come on, you know you have your favorites, admit it!

6.  Same old, same old body expressions.

How many times have you read, ‘he frowned’ or ‘she straightened her shoulders’ or ‘lifted her chin’?  Personally, I use sighing way too often. Why not freshen them, and instead of having the reader skim, give them a reason to pause?

She caught herself squirming in her seat and forced her legs to stillness.

Vale clears his throat. A shudder vibrates up my spine.

Vale’s shoulders tip back, just enough to make the crease across the front of his shirt pull smooth.

7.  Throwaway words.

I’m just becoming aware of how often I do this – throw in unneeded words at the beginning of a sentence. It’s not only wordy, it’s distancing. I’m a big one on ‘when.’

When the woman touched his shoulder, the kid shrugged her off.

Better:

The woman touched his shoulder. The kid shrugged her off.

“Oh yes, I understand that.”

She knew it was hopeless.

See what I mean? They add words, but not meaning. Along those same lines:

Why use “moved” which tells us nothing instead of jerked (oops) jogged, or stumbled?

Why use “started” rather than just showing someone doing something?

“Almost” is another word that doesn’t work well very often. Either someone does something or doesn’t. How do you ‘almost’ do something like smile?

8.  Slip in snippets of backstory. Make the reader want backstory before you slip it in. How do you do that? In the first few sentences, raise questions they’re going to be dying to hear  answers to.

From The Sweet Spot – page 1

For a few hours, the project had rescued her weary mind from a hamster-wheel of regret.

The homing beacon in the Valium bottle next to the sink tugged at her insides.

She sipped a glass of water to avoid reaching for it and glanced out the window to the spring-skeletal trees of the back yard. Her gaze returned to the two-foot wide stump the way a tongue wanders to a missing tooth. Tentative grass shoots had sprung up to obscure the obscene scar in the soil.

From The Book From Hell (my working title ;) ) page 1

She stopped a few feet short of the open grave. Her mother was down there. Shouldn’t she feel something beyond tired?

Next paragraph:

“Come, Ignacio. It’s time to go.” A meager woman stood at the foot of the grave, her face and raincoat set in the same generic authoritarian lines.

Priss recognized a Social Worker when she saw one. Given her past, she should.

Okay, your turn. Give us your advanced tips, with examples in the comments. We all want to learn!

The second book in Laura's Sweet on a Cowboy series received 4 1/2 stars from Romantic Times!

Nothing Sweeter releases January 28th.  But if you preorder here, you could have it in your mailbox or on your e-reader on release day!

You know how much preorders help authors, right?

 

 

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/istolethetv/5175006590/">istolethetv</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>

by Tiffany Lawson Inman

Hello and Happy December! I’ve kept my blog a little shorter today because I know you all are busy busy busy with festivities writing. *wink wink* My hubby is currently wondering when I will put the laptop away and finish wrapping presents.

Here is Part One of my new series here at WITS: Crossing Physical Barriers. Enjoy!

The in-laws will be on your doorstep in 7 hours. The holiday meal must be unique-yet-likeable to nine adults (plus 4 kids) and, um, perfect!

Your house, marriage, holiday décor, life path, parenting skills, current and past weight and hairstyles will be under close scrutiny for the next week. And you are eight days away from the end of the year, realizing now, you are lacking in accomplishments.

Can you think of a better combination for stress, physical outbursts and acne?!?!?

Just from reading the above passage, did you have a fleeting awareness of your own holiday pressures?

Yeah, I did too.

That’s right. I am not on WITS today to talk about the warm n’ fuzzies that usually adorn holiday festivities. I am here to put the focus on writing physical violence.

What can prompt your character to want to physically lash out at another?

Well, let’s see, how many times can your mother-in-law remind you how she makes whipped potatoes before you dump the gravy on her head?  

Haha!

Oh, but seriously now, according to humanillnesses.com violent behavior stems from:

• genetics
• brain injury
• antisocial personality disorder
• alcohol abuse (other substance abuse)
• desensitization
• learned behavior

Yes, keep those in mind when you are developing characters, especially characters that you predict will be involved in some kind of violence in your novel.  Fabulous starting points for your character’s backstory. But today we are only going to look at the different levels of emotional intensity in fictional fight scenes, starting with the Moment Before the fight.

Why?

Because the Moment Before affects the intensity of action that will unfold.  (And because that is all I have time for in Part One!)

• Surprise attacker. Character has no time to think, just respond.

~ Usually results in high intensity level from start to finish as a result of the immediate adrenaline

• Lay in wait. Character knows the attack is coming and is at the ready with self and or weapons.

~ High or medium intensity depending on characters attack plan, if there is a plan.
~ High or medium intensity depending on level of threat: scare, maim, maim and capture, or all out destroy.

• Avoidance tactics. Character knows attack is coming and is on the run or hiding.

~ High or medium intensity depending on how big a head-start character has, decent hiding spot, and what they imagine will happen to them if they are caught.

• Verbal attack turns physical.

~ Low, medium, or high depending on argument, characters involved, and location.

Think about how these elements affect the action in the fight.

For example in The Princess Bride, there is a BIG difference between the emotional intensity of the fight scenes.

A great example of a low intensity fight is between Inigo Montoya and The Man in Black after they’ve both climbed the Cliffs of Insanity.  It’s not a personal fight. These two men do not know each other. They both know the fight is going to happen before it happens.

• One man is under orders to fight and kill (reluctantly)
• The other man is resolved to go ahead with the fight because he desperately needs to move forward on his journey and this man is in his way.

They start the fight with swords and end it with swords because that was the plan. The Moment Before is a somewhat relaxed discussion of fighting terms for their inevitable fight. Even when one loses his weapon, the other allows him to retrieve it before moving forward.

You will also notice the writer allows for some comedic banter between the fighting fellows.  Another way of showing the low intensity level of the violence.

An example of a high intensity fight involves Wesley (The Man in Black) in the Fire Swamp and a Rodent of Unusual Size (ROUS.)

The Moment Before happens without the antagonist. He is a surprise attacker; therefore the fight starts with a zap of adrenaline for the character and the viewer. Because of the shock of the Moment Before the level of intensity is much much higher than before.

ROUSs motivation is to kill and eat. Wesley’s motivation is to keep himself and his bride alive, preferably with limbs intact. The audience can feel the emotional intensity as Wesley and his bride struggle to survive in this fight. He goes through a variety of approaches. When one fails he is forced to scramble for another, and with each change the intensity rises. Hand to hand, big stick, fire, and finally sword.

And I will ask you to notice here as well, how much or really how little dialogue happens when the intensity is this high. There isn’t any time to talk when you are fighting for your life.

I could go through every fight in that movie and for each one we would get to see a different level of emotional intensity.

Why did the writer do that? Because the audience will get desensitized to your violence if it’s all at one level. There will also be a loss of meaning behind the altercations and the reader will probably question the characters in these fights.

What you need to consider for a fight scene’s Moment Before:

• Was there premeditated motivation going into the fight?
• What were the premeditated motivations?
• How long has your character been plotting this action?
• How big of a change is your character needing/wanting/going to get as the fight’s outcome?
• Was it a spur-of-the moment response to an emotional or physical attack?

Break down:

Was there premeditated motivation going into the fight? If there was, then your instigator probably knows a lot about where the fight will take place, giving him/her the upper hand or the element of surprise. Premeditated usually means there are many emotions backing it up.

What were the premeditated motivations? Fight can’t happen if you haven’t made it clear what the motivations or circumstances behind attack are.

How long have your characters been emotionally plotting this action? Easier to show emotion behind plotting from POV character, but is also nice to know the duration of opposite side of the fight.

What is the character need/want of the fight’s outcome? Sometimes this isn’t a blip on their radar yet and they might not have even registered that there could be a different outcome. But more likely than not, there is a need or want involved from beginning. If the reader knows what that need or want is, it’s easier for them to emotionally connect themselves to what happens in the fight as well. What could make it interesting is when the outcome is something opposite or contradictory to what character wants/needs.

Was it a spur-of-the moment response to an emotional or physical attack? I find these the most interesting and usually the highest emotional intensity because of the nature of the fight or flight response.  Primitive action. Survival mode. This is where you can push your character to the edge and over.

Coming up next month in Crossing Physical Barriers -- Part Two:

I will be dissecting fight scenes so you can see a few different ways to show the levels of emotional intensity.  I wonder which authors will be under my dramatic microscope... *wicked smile*

Till next month...I'm wishing you a healthy and safe holiday season. Thank you for reading. Toss me a "Hiya" in the comments.

For those of you drooling at the chance to get your name in the hat 2x for participating in the mini-challenge assignment, you will have to wait till January for that opportunity.

December is too busy with holiday, travel, wife-ing, momma-ing, editing, and teaching to dive in to a mini-challenge this week. SORRY!  I will of course be drawing a name from the regular comments below.

Today's comment winner gets...a free slot in one of my upcoming courses!

• January – Triple Threat Behind Writing a Scene (8 lectures and as always TONS of one-on-one feedback and edits)
• February- Action and Fighting in Fiction: Writing Authentic Choreography With Precision and Bite 
• or jump in and join December's - Method to Madness: Using Acting Techniques to Invigorate Your Writing and Make Each Moment Oscar Worthy

About Tiffany

Tiffany Lawson Inman claimed a higher education at Columbia College Chicago. There, she learned to use body and mind together for action scenes, character emotion, and dramatic story development.

She teaches Action, Choreography, Emotional Impact, Violence, and Dialogue for Lawson Writer’s Academy, presents hands-on-action workshops, and will be offering webinars in 2014.

As a freelance editor, she provides deep story analysis, content editing, line by line, and dramatic fiction editing services. Stay tuned to WITS to see Tiffany’s upcoming guest blogs, classes, contests, and lecture packets.

Check out her previous blogs on WITS.

You can also find her on Twitter – follow @NakedEditor.