Does Your Novel Have a Problem? (It Should) – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

By Janice Hardy (@Janice_Hardy)

I’ve always been drawn to writing science fiction and fantasy, which means that I’ve written a lot of first drafts based on “cool ideas” but no real conflict. Sure, I had a sense of what the problems were, and maybe even a few key scenes unfolding in my mind, but the books were about the idea, not characters with specific problems. 

No surprise, those drafts never got beyond the first draft.

Many a novel has been started with a vague idea and a lot of pages that explain why that idea is so cool. They’re even well-written novels, but in the end, they fail because there’s no point to them and no problem driving the plot.

Read the rest of this post HERE.

Are You a Whole-Hearted Writer? – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

by Tasha Seegmiller

There is a tricky situation that occurs in the lives of writers. To people who are not engaged in some kind of similar creative pursuit, explaining a difficult day can be met with expressions of disbelief. “You mean sitting in your seat and typing words was hard? Exhausting? Really?”

These people may also not understand why the words of others can hurt, whether that hurt was intentional or not. It can be anything from a bad review to a critique from a well-meaning colleague or beta reader that can make us doubt, stall, quit.

I’ve been on a bit of a Brené Brown kick lately.

[Full disclosure: I gave away nearly a dozen copies of her Daring Greatly, have been listening to every talk I can get my hands on, and recount key points almost daily to my very patient husband.]

Most recently, I’ve been listening to The Power of Vulnerability, which has been great because it is a live recording of Brené and I get to hear that she is a lot like me in her resilience to this whole open and honest thing.

But it has got me thinking quite a bit about what it might mean to be a whole-hearted writer. To start with, these are the guideposts she suggests of whole-hearted living:

Read the rest of this post HERE.

Criticism versus Critique – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

by Tiffany Yates Martin

No creative soul likes receiving negative feedback on their work—no matter what we might tell you, beloved crit partners, beta readers, editors, agents.

Yes, we may admit we need it, and that it helps immeasurably to get objective input on what may not be as effective on the page as it is in your head, but as one author I work with memorably put it, having someone offer positive, constructive critique of your story is like an Orange Theory workout: You dread it going into it, hate every second while it’s going on, but afterward you feel great having done it.

But receiving negative, destructive input—criticism—can do more damage to your writing, and your creative efforts in general, than almost any other pitfall of writing life. I’ve heard too many horror stories—one just this week that inspired this post—about feedback that shut down authors’ creative impulses, filled them with self-doubt about their story and their writing in general, and in one awful case decimated the author’s confidence so badly that she told me she was giving up writing. (Don’t worry—ultimately she didn’t.)

“Positive” feedback in this sense doesn’t mean all praise, or empty flattery. It means framing feedback as the carrot, not the stick. “This scene isn’t working” feels a lot different from, “This scene might be a bit stronger/have more impact if…” Just like in a marriage or any relationship, as soon as someone feels under attack, they shut down.

So how do you solicit useful critique, and perhaps more important, how do you assess the input you receive to determine what’s helpful for you and your story and what isn’t?

Read the rest of this post HERE.

Four of the Best Writing Exercises EVER – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

by Barbara Linn Probst

If you’re like me, you have a shelf of books and a computer folder (or two) of tips, checklists, bullet points, blogs, and advice about how to write a good story. Even though many of these strategies are, on a closer look, rather similar, it’s still pretty overwhelming. No one can do everything, so we find those that appeal to us.

My Favorite Four Writing Exercises

Here are four of the exercises that I’ve found the most useful.  They address character, plot, and the quality of the writing.

Listening to Your Protagonist (Adapted from Donald Maass)

The exercise: Visualize yourself sitting across the table from your protagonist. (I like to visualize the setting, too—in my mind, we’re at my kitchen table, but your conversation might be at Starbucks or in a park.) Ask your protagonist these questions, and listen to what she has to tell you. Write down everything that comes out of her mouth, exactly as she says it. (It only works if you actually write down what you “hear” her saying. Don’t just think it.)

• How do you feel about the way I’ve portrayed you?
• What do you really want to do that I’m not letting you do?
• What are you afraid I might put you through? What do you dread seeing yourself do on the page?
• What about the other characters? You know them better than I do. Whom am I not getting? What am I missing?
• What do you want to say to one of the other characters in the story that I’m not letting you say?
• What’s this story really about—to you?  What am I getting wrong?  

My experience:  I did this with my WIP, and it was one of the most amazing exercises I’ve ever done! My protagonist pulled no punches and told me exactly what she thought of me—how I was projecting my own hang-ups onto her, making her too defensive, and suppressing her kinder impulses. She told me that I needed to love her more.

Luckily, I listened to her—and when I did, the story got so much better.

Read the rest of this post HERE.

Backstory: Dodging the Info Dump – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

by Lori Freeland

My favorite line from Tangled is when Flynn Rider tells Rapunzel, “I don’t do backstory.” To me, it sets the tone for who he is and how he’s going to change. His past is his past, and he refuses to dump it on anyone—even himself. And that is his backstory.  

Backstory is everything that’s happened in your characters’ lives up to the moment we meet them. It’s the people, places, and events he’s experienced. The family and friends she did or didn’t have. How his parents raised him. The way her childhood illness colored her world.  

Like real people, your characters have a past. It’s what’s shaped them into who they are and what pushes them up and over their character arc into who they’re supposed to become.

If we share too much too fast, it pulls the reader back in time and slows down the story’s pacing. If we share too little too late, it leaves the reader confused and your characters hollow.

The same way that it’s hard to connect with shallow people in real life, it’s hard to connect with hollow characters in a book. Also, remember, backstory is mostly telling rather than showing. That’s okay sometimes, but too much telling runs the risk of readers skimming your pages.   

Backstory. You can’t write with it. You can’t write without it. So how do you sidestep the information dump and slip subtly into the middle ground?

Read the rest of this post HERE.

Is Your Writing in a Slump? Get into the Flow! – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

by Kris Maze

Is your writing in a slump?  Are you having trouble finding motivation to finish your next project?  Have you lost that loving feeling?  (Insert cheesy, singing jet pilots here if that works for you!) Fear not, skilled writers, we are in this together and I hope you will soon find your words flowing like Niagara Falls.

Getting into the Zone, or Flow, has been a popular topic for creatives like writers since the 1990s.  What do you already know about the theory and its application to writing?  Check out your understanding of these studies that clarify the mental process of writing and enhance your satisfaction with life.

Read the rest of this post HERE.

What’s My Motivation? – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

by Eldred “Bob” Bird

My characters are my children. I create them, nurture them, and help them grow. I also abuse them, annoy them, and torture them. I’m a writer—it’s my job.

If I’ve done my job well, by the end of the story the main character will have gone through the fires of hell and come out the other side a changed, more well-rounded individual. That’s the hope anyway.

But you’ve probably heard it said that for someone to profoundly change, they must want to change, and therein lies the rub. People—including our characters—need a reason to step out of their comfort zone and make deep, lasting changes. As writers it’s our job to push our characters out the door and slam it behind them, giving them no choice but to move forward.

So, how do we accomplish this task? We must answer the question our characters ask every time we try to get them to step up:

“What’s my motivation?”

Read the rest of this post HERE.

Ways of Seeing, Ways of Writing – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

by Barbara Linn Probst

I recently read an essay that summarized American painter Georgia O’Keeffe’s views on how to be an artist. Her first principle was: Observe the world around you—closely, hungrily.

That advice seems equally apt for a writer. Before we can write, we need to look, to see fully and well.

What does that mean exactly?

Is it more than accuracy—the 20/20 vision that indicates that we’re seeing what is “actually there” at a standardized distance?

Here’s what the American Optometric Association has to say:

Read the rest of this post HERE.

Authors Are Not Your Competition – From the Writers in the Storm Blog

by Angela Ackerman

Most industries are competitive. Athletes go head-to-head for the medal or trophy. Car companies vie for market share as do grocery stores, restaurants, and delivery services. Reality TV show contestants duke it out for prize money, prestige, and in some cases (ugh) roses. And our favorite retail Godzilla, Amazon? They compete with everybody.

Know who isn’t your competition? Authors.

Sure, on the surface, it appears a competition is taking place. After all, look at the sea of books on the market, the sky-high submission piles. Think about how we need to list comparable titles when we pitch our work to agents and how past book sales and current platform numbers carry weight acquisitions decides which author will receive a contract offer.

Is it true that agents only take on certain clients and publishers only publish certain books? Yes. But the “I’m competing against other authors” idea is a sacred cow leftover from a time when keeping authors divided suited a publishing monopoly (that has thankfully been broken).

Other authors aren’t competition, they’re ASSETS.  Here’s why.

Read the rest of this post HERE.

20 Questions with Author John Howell

Today we sit down with author and blogger John Howell. He is also my hero of sorts becoming a full-time writer after many years in business. This is something I am working toward in the next ten years or so.

Please enjoy this very interesting 20 questions session with accomplished author and blogger, John W. Howell.

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Q1) When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I guess the first real desire to be a write hit me in college. I remember my friends and I trying to decide what we really wanted to do. I wrote a few poems and short stories and thought that this would be a great way to make a living. Unfortunately, the practical world rose its ugly head, and I sold my soul to Procter and Gamble.

Q2) How long does it typically take you to write a book?

I write one-thousand words a day, every day. So I can turn out a novel in ninety-seven days. Of course,, that is first draft. From start to publish takes me no less than seven months.

Q3) What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

I used to do family stuff in the morning and then start writing after lunch. I found that all too often the afternoons were taken up with other things as well. My wife and I agreed on a schedule of one thousand words first and then I’m available for anything else. We have been doing this for two years now, and it works well.

Q4) What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I’m not sure it is interesting, but I write with music. I discovered I Heart Radio about a year ago, and I programmed in my favorite genres. Every morning I pick a genre and write while the music plays. I used to write to Queen CD’s exclusively but then when I found variety I couldn’t help myself.

Q5) How are your books published? (traditional, indie, etc.)

My first book My GRL is traditionally published, and I’m still under contract. The second and subsequent books are self-published. I simply could not abide the restrictions of the traditional route. Of course, it is a very small publisher, and if they had paid a huge advance, maybe I would have been happier.

Q6) Where do you get your ideas for your books?

The ideas generally come to me while I’m doing something like walking the dog or taking a shower. The idea for my first book came to me while I was standing on the flight deck of the Aircraft Carrier Lexington. I was touring the boat since my dad was a naval aviator during World War II and I wanted to walk where he did. The story popped into my head and never left. Four years later I wrote the book.

Q7) If you don’t mind sharing, when did you write your first book and how old were you?

I wrote my first full-length book at age fifty-nine. I wrote it while I was working on nights and weekends. It is a 120,000-word thriller which is in manuscript form and being used to hold open the laundry room door. Yes, it is that bad.

Q8) What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I don’t seem to have a lot of time these days. In addition to my novel writing, I also have a daily blog. When I’m not writing, I take a daily walk on the beach with my wife and two Boxer dogs. I love to cook and watch movies. We do record some television shows we like and watch an hour a day.

Q9) What is your favorite book?

Wow, that is like asking which child is a favorite. Let me answer this way. The first book that I read which had an effect on me in terms of the writing was Neville Shute’s “On the Beach.” It was the first time I experienced a story that was destined to have a sad ending. I was fascinated with how the author portrayed the characters in light of the fact that they had no future. I think this was the book that got me really interested in writing.

Q10) What do your family and friends think of your writing?

My friends all read my books and tell me they enjoy them. None of them have posted a review nor asked for a signed copy. I suppose they figure I’ll be around and no need going to any formalities. They will remark now and then about the stories and do ask when the next one is going to be ready. My immediate family are very supportive. My extended family may or may not know I write. If they do, they don’t say much.

Q11) What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

I think the thing that surprised me the most was how the characters can pretty much take over the direction of the story. I used to hear about this phenomenon and pretty much scoffed at the idea. I now know I was a fool, and it actually happens.

Q12) What do you hate most about the writing process?

Hate is a strong word. I prefer to use despise. I despise the marketing aspect. I spend an inordinate amount of time with marketing efforts and feel I don’t get a degree of payback that would be proportional to the effort. I don’t mind working my butt off I just wish I had more to show for it. I envy those who can afford to have a professional run the selling of their book.

Q13) How many books have you written?

Which is your favorite? Counting my door stop, I have written five. My favorite is my last titled Circumstance of Childhood. It is in draft form and will be published in 2017. It’s a story about a successful guy who is a victim of fraud and potentially loses everything until a friend of his helps clear his name. The fun part is the friend is dead, and I totally enjoyed writing such an offbeat thriller.

Q14) Do you have any suggestions to help us become better writers? If so, what are they?

The only suggestion I can offer is to write. Practice tends to make perfect. The other thing I would say is for any writer is to finish what you are working on before showing your work to anyone. You can always take suggestions and correct the MS after it is finished. When a writers show work that is not complete, they are risking critical comment that could cause them to give up.

Q15) Do you get feedback from your readers much? How and what kinds of things do they say?

Yes, I receive comments since I put my email in the back of each book. Most say they love the story and the protagonist. There are a few who offer story ideas which I always appreciate. I get maybe a couple of comments a month.

Q16) What is your preferred reading audience?

I prefer thriller readers. I have had a number of readers who don’t like thrillers but say they enjoyed the story since the protagonist is a different kind of hero.

Q17) What do you think makes a good story?

A good story to me is one that engages the reader in the situation and elicits a strong emotional reaction throughout the course of events. I also believe a good story leaves the reader with a sense of caring about the outcome and the fact that the story is over.

Q18) As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I grew up in Detroit Michigan, and I wanted to be an automotive designer. I pursued this desire right up to high school and then discovered my skills as an artist were somewhat lacking. I drew a number of car designs and unfortunately they were consistently awful.

Q19) Where can we find your books?

They are available in paper and eBook versions from Amazon.

Q20) Will you give us an excerpt from one of your favorite works? Yes here is an excerpt from His Revenge.

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The water rushes over my head. I’m sinking and don’t know why. With my breath held, I have trouble stopping the air from escaping since the pressure drives the air up and out. I try to keep my mouth closed, but the water pressure pushes the air out more and more. Will I pass out? In the distance, the light is dim. To rise to the surface in time might not be possible─I need to breathe right now. Toward ending the pain in my chest, my rambling mind rationalizes taking a deep breath—even knowing it will end my life. In conflict with the irrational thought of ending it, my body won’t let me suck in the water, as it fights to retain the little bit of oxygen left to fuel my brain.

The despair is nearly overwhelming, and my mind considers other ways to battle the feeling. What more could I have done with my life? The pressure becomes more intense, and I’m about to lose it all, and I decide I’ve lived the way I wanted and have no regrets. I close my eyes and hear only the roar of the sea. I’m so tired. Exhausted. Sleep will fix everything, and I want to give in.

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John’s Books

Click on the cover images to view them on Amazon

About John W. Howell

John’s main interests are reading and writing. He turned to writing as a full-time occupation after an extensive career in business. John writes fictional short stories and novels as well
as a blog at http://www.johnwhowell.com.

His first novel, My GRL is available on Amazon and wherever e-books are sold. His Second His Revenge is available on Amazon. The third Our Justice will be released in July of 2016.

John lives on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of south Texas with his wife and spoiled rescue pets.

He can be reached at:

his e-mail johnhowell.wave@gmail.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/john.howell.98229241

Twitter at @HowellWave