Writers in the Storm

Writers In The Storm is delighted to welcome Elizabeth Craig/Riley Adams for this week's Sensational Summer Friday guest post.

I'll confess I let out a huge SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE when Elizabeth agreed to be here. Why, you might ask?

Is it because she finds the very best writing links and tweets them to all of us hanging out on the #amwriting hashtag on Twitter? (Nope.)

Is it because she founded the Writer's Knowledge Base - the search engine for writers where you can type in any writing topic to find amazing posts? (I do LOVE the WKB...but no again.)

The real story goes back to early January when a tired new mom and battered writer (that would be me, Jenny Hansen) decided to get on Twitter and try it out for a work project. Elizabeth found me,  floundering, on the second or third day. With a gentle nudge and a kindly explanation of Twitter terms, she put me on the path to Twitter Nirvana. I was so excited with the whole app, I started writing Twitter posts like a possessed cyber geek hopped up on Red Bull.

Elizabeth was my first Twitter friend. She's one of the most generous writers and all-around-great-Tweep that I know. Plus, she knows a heck of a lot about writing mysteries.

When you're done with the post, be sure to read her bio at the bottom, go to her blog and check out the Writer’s Knowledge Base. Oh, and don't forget to comment...we love hearing from you, and Elizabeth will be popping in.

*****

When Middles Sag—by Elizabeth S. Craig

Book middles can be tricky—especially for those of us who aren’t fond of outlining.  There you are, in the dead-center of your book,  and you feel like you’re not real sure what direction to take next.

This is usually when the deadly Shiny New Idea syndrome (SNI) sets in.  Your manuscript doesn’t feel very exciting anymore, your characters aren’t quite as fascinating, and you get an amazing new idea…for a totally different project.

But don’t give up on your manuscript yet!  It’s important to show yourself you can finish a project, especially if you haven’t been able to complete one.

Here are some ideas for dealing with your saggy middle:

Increase the stakes:  This is my favorite fix for sagginess. If you’re not feeling excited about your book and your characters are just milling around, your readers probably won’t be too interested in the plot, either.  But if you can up the ante, it really makes a difference.  I almost always have a second murder right in the middle of my book.  Now my poor sleuth has a couple of murders to investigate—and if she doesn’t get cracking, there might even be more.  You could increase the stakes in different ways, of course. Basically, whatever your character wants most could be threatened or pushed even farther out of reach. Or make them afraid of something and present them with their fear.  Deepen the trouble they’re in.

Reveal a secret or slip in an interesting, previously unknown character tidbit: Secrets are always fun. They can help provide a little backstory for a character that needs her motivation explained. They can keep readers guessing.  They’re gossipy, surprising, and just right for saggy middles.

Put your protagonist under pressure or give him a setback: This is similar to increasing the stakes, except it doesn’t have to be tied into the main conflict.  You could put pressure on a character by making them lose their job, have an elderly relative move in with them, or by the loss of a friend.

Work backwards: If you know how you want your book to end (but aren’t sure exactly how to get there) you could write your story backwards, working toward the middle from the end.

Introduce a new character: This character could be a helpful sidekick or could be someone who creates tension and conflict for your protagonist.

Work on your subplot: I love subplots.  They help develop characters and create an alternate storyline for the reader to keep up with.  They’re especially fun when they tie into the main plot in some way.  If you’re stalling out with your main story, work on your subplot for a little while. That way, you’re still moving your story forward, but you’re doing something new and fresh while you recover from main plot burnout.

Contradict a truth:  Is there something you’ve set up in your story to be an absolute truth? Something your protagonist believes is an established fact?  Contradict it.  I nearly always kill the most likely suspect for my mystery’s first murder.

Other tactics:

Put the book away for a month. Set a deadline for yourself to return to it and a reward for yourself to ensure that you do.  Read the book up to the point where you left off.  Can you brainstorm 20 different directions for the story to go in?  Can you brainstorm 50?  The possibilities can be as zany and improbable as you want—the point is to get your brain pointed in a creative direction with this particular story again.  Out of all the ideas you came up with, which is more concrete, more viable?

Write the back cover copy for your unfinished book.

Give outlining a go.  Even if you’re not an outliner, this could work—try writing a brief synopsis of what you’ve already written…it might remind you what your focus or theme is.  Or write a set of mini-outlines each day, just outlining the scene you want to write for that day. That's also very effective for squeezing writing into busy days. You'd just sketch out what the characters need to do, where the scene is set, and what the scene is going to accomplish.

Got a saggy middle?  What fixes have you found?

Bio:  Elizabeth’s latest book, Finger Lickin’ Dead , released June 7^th.  Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin/Berkley (as Riley Adams), the Southern Quilting mysteries (2012) for Penguin/NAL, and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink.
Writer's Knowledge Base--the Search Engine for Writers
Twitter: @elizabethscraig

by Fae Rowen 

As exciting as it is to create a physical setting, my favorite part of world building is the cultural aspect.  Out of the world's culture comes the social customs, which can really show life on the planet.  Of course, there are rules.

Rule #1:  As an author, you must know the details of the backstory for your world's culture in order to build a society that makes sense within the physical context of your setting.  This backstory should never be info-dumped on your reader.

In fact, your reader will probably never know any of the cultural backstory of how your world came to be unless one or two--no more!--small points of cultural difference are integral to your plot.

Think Harry Potter.  Over the course of the series we learned about the wizarding world, but just how many readers would have made it through the first book if, instead of action, J.K. Rowling gave us a history lesson on how Hogwart's came to be?

George Lucas got lucky with Star Wars.  He got to write the prequel, AKA backstory, when he decided to film Episodes 1, 2, and 3 after the success of the original three movies.  Save the backstory for your prequel series.

Rule #2:  Show, don't tell, the social and cultural world you've designed.

Yes, that "Show, don't tell" thing again.  Instead of telling me how hard it is to survive on the moon, show me your characters struggling with leaking air seals, glaring relentless sunlight with patches of shade, or playing with the effects of gravity that is only one-sixth that of earth.

Historical authors show their past "world" with accounts of clothing, food, and social customs.  The only difference between world building for a past setting and a future setting is that some things are fact.  The historical writer must still build the world according to the time and place of their story.  Jayne Ann Krentz , writing as Amanda Quick in Wait Until Midnight, crafts regency romance with suspense.  Her details of rooms, carriages, and butlers show her readers how the culture of the time shaped social customs.

By looking through the "lens" of your social and cultural world the reader will experience life as if she's there.  A few small sensory details is all it takes to show us important differences.  I find that when I rely too heavily on the sense of sight I begin telling. Enabling your reader to see, hear, smell, and touch  is how you show, rather than tell, about your world.

Rule #3:  Reveal the differences in the culture as if you are unrolling Cleopatra from her carpet.

You know the story of how Cleopatra rolled herself into a carpet and had herself delivered to Julius Caesar.  Imagine his surprise as the beauty of the carpet was revealed and then, he saw Cleopatra.  If you can do that for your readers, you've hooked them.

You've worked hard to fit together a cohesive society.  As you reveal the changes, it raises the stakes for your characters.  Each successive revelation should supply a necessary element of plot development in a turning point, plot twist, or character arc.

Inventions, medical breakthroughs, or your secret fantasy machine to take care of a daily chore--mine is a cap that comes out of the shower ceiling to wash and dry my hair--can all change the fabric of society.  Research can change the culture; consider the social non-acceptability of smoking nowadays because of health research.  You can get creative with new machinery, technology or research whether your story takes place in the past, present or future.

If you're a science fiction fan and haven't read C.J. Cherryh's Downbelow Station, I highly recommend it as a study in building a world and showing the society that grew out of that culture.  You prefer historical?  Say, the Crusades?   How about Jack Whyte's Knights of the Black and White.  He shows us the secrets of the beginnings of the Templars n the simple daily life of the small band of knights.

Rule #4: Change  no more than three things in the culture.

Cultural differences promote many societal changes. Remember, there is a cause-effect relationship between a culture and how one operates within that culture.  If you don't believe me, consider our electronic culture and its growth in the past forty years.  Think that hasn't impacted society?  Can you say, "Don't text and drive"?

Unless you're working in a totally alien world, there will be humans in your book.  And humans are, well--human.  Highlight the differences in the culture of your world by showing the societal differences to our own.  And, remember that human behavior, given certain circumstances, is fairly predictable.  Don't make mankind into an unrecognizable animal.  Your reader won't connect with your characters.

Rule #5:  Through your character's growth, show how it's possible to improve your world.

Whether it's as small as your family or as large as your planet, what reader won't sigh at the end of a well-delivered story showing there is hope--and a better future-- for us all?  You may have blown up the Earth, but your characters  managed to thrive on a new colony world.  The protagonist may have initially been inept in a new setting, but after some setbacks learned how to cope on a different world.

Sometimes this means there will be a change in your society by the end of the book.  Even bigger and better, the culture will change.  It doesn't have to be huge, like there will never again be war or conflict, but it has to be real and important.  It has to be a signal that the world is about to become different.  Better.

And what a great way to position yourself for writing that sequel!

Do you have additional rules for building a world's social and cultural aspects?  Do you have questions or comments on these rules?  Is there something you'd like clarified?  I don't have answers, but I love a good discussion!  Thanks for reading.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Elizabeth Spann Craig, aka Riley Adams, is our Sensational Summer Friday guest blogger this week. Elizabeth is one of the most giving writers we've met on our journey and we are delighted to have her!

If you get a moment, feel free to visit her blog, Mystery Writing is Murder. Be sure to look at the Writer's Knowledge Base (WKB) while you're there.

Warning: If you click on the WKB, you'll get sucked into Writer Utopia for a few hours. Don't say we didn't warn you... :-)

By Jenny Hansen

Last Friday Margie Lawson did a guest blog at Writers In The Storm. If you missed it, please take a moment to catch up by clicking here.

As usual, Margie’s advice was spot-on and amazing. However, what surprised me about Friday’s post was the comment section.

I knew Margie had a big following, but I was not prepared for the superhighway of love flowing between her and her students – it was a two-way street full of warmth and generosity. Best of all, for little ol’ me who has never attended one of Margie’s classes, it gave me insight into the magic I’ve been hearing about from my critique partners, Laura Drake and Fae Rowen.

Below are my favorite tips from the comments section – some from Margie and some not. As always, I included the links where I had them so you can explore some of these authors yourself. I limited myself to TEN tips so your brain doesn’t explode from the lava flow of great writing advice!

From Margie:

You should ask these three Critical Keeper Questions [about each scene]:

1. Does it move the story forward?
2. Does it deepen character?
3. Does it carry a Humor Hit you’d kill to keep?

Margie:
Keep your book’s controlling premise posted where you can see it and will think about it with every scene! (Margie recommends you put it above each chapter header.)

FYI:  A Controlling Premise is an expanded log line. It’s a story summary that is usually three to five sentences long. It includes who, what, where, and why — and shares those dynamics in a way that makes the reader care.

Kristina McMorris:

Here’s a not-absurd tip that I try to live by: Use the opening line and closing line of every chapter to raise a question, and whenever it’s feasible, end each chapter with a power word.

Margie (in response to Kristina):

I’m a big POWER WORD advocate. I vote for Power Words ending as many sentences as possible. Two words that carry no power — are IT and THAT. I vote for nixing as many IT’s and THAT’s as possible.

Louisa Cornell:

I carry a stack of index cards in my pocket everywhere I go. You never know where inspiration or your quirky characters are going to strike next. I am always jotting things down on those cards. When I get home I may rewrite them, but I always tuck them into an index card file box. I keep a box for my current WIP and for other stories running around in my head. Sometimes I have pulled entire scenes and even entire chapters from those card boxes.

Mindy Blanchard (a different take on writing it down):
Number one tip: WRITE IT DOWN! (even seemingly crazed notions can be important at some point. We always think we’ll remember it later, but we WON’T.) Keep notebooks in your bathroom We are always working on a new story. In the car, in the grocery line, etc. I don’t know what I would do without my mini voice recorder in my car. Surely you would think I could remember that juicy tidbit that will make my story rock in the 15 minutes it takes me to get home…What were we talking about?

Anita K. Greene:

A tip I’ve received: Don’t consider your editing done until you’ve read your story aloud. This will reveal tongue twisters, cadence and the ‘word of the manuscript’ – the one word that seems to be the perfect choice over and over again.

Margie (in answer to Anita):

The ‘Word of the Manuscript.’ I like that term. I refer to it as the ‘catch word’ of the book. They’re caught in the writer’s mind — and keep getting tossed on the screen. I catch them – but many writers don’t. Some of the ones I’ve caught are — muttered, seethed, irascible, shuttered, washed over (as in grief washed over her, fear washed over her, regret washed over her . . . ) snubbed, penultimate, discounted, furor.

Lorrie Thomson:

My not absurd writing tip is that I always end a scene on a hook.

Thea Hutcheson:

I learned that you should have all five senses in every 1000 words. It is a way to make sure you have setting in your work and keep your critique partners from having to say, “Setting would be nice.”

Sherry Isaac:

Have you thought about connecting with Mattel, marketing a ‘Margie’ Barbie? They could load her with pre-set Margie-isms: ‘Cliche Alert!’ ‘Write Fresh!’ “Needs more pink!’ She could have EDITS rainbow hair! And a walking stick for those hikes on the mountain.

Rose McCauley:

My one tip would be to persevere. After almost ten years years of writing, my first novella releases this September. Thanks for all the help along the way, Margie.

Margie has started something new!

From now on, she’ll teach all her online courses in a cyber classroom from her web site (using Moodle). Visit Margie’s cyber Open House for Lawson Writer’s Academy, July 14, 15, and 16. You’ll have a dozen chances to win a Lecture Packet or an online class!

To refresh your memory, Margie’s most popular packets are:

1. Empowering Characters’ Emotions
2. Deep Editing:  The EDITS System, Rhetorical Devices, and More
3. Writing Body Language and Dialogue Cues Like a Psychologist
4. Powering Up Body Language in Real Life:
   
   Projecting a Professional Persona When Pitching and Presenting
5. Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors

For more information on Lawson Writer’s Academy, lecture packets, on-line courses, master classes, and the Immersion Master Class sessions offered in her Colorado mountain-top home, visit:  www.MargieLawson.com.

Note: While you’re at Margie’s site, be sure to check out her Deep Editing Analyses while you’re there. You’ll find over 25 short articles that analyze several examples from authors like Harlan Coben, Lisa Gardner, James Scott Bell, Lisa Unger and more!

So, do you have any more writing advice we need to know about? What helps you meet your writing goals? Are there any other special teachers like Margie that you recommend?

We LOVE hearing from you!