I was going to talk about the Black Moment this week. Then I decided to back up and talk about the Dark Moment. There’s a certain order to things crafting a novel. So there’s no sense in talking about the What and Why of the Black Moment if we haven’t tackled the What and Why of the Dark Moment. What: Dark Moment This is a specific negative event in a character’s past that shapes them into the person they are today. Heads Up: This next part is crucial. You recreate the Dark Moment in the Black Moment. More on that in my next What and Why column on the Black Moment. Why: Determining the Dark Moments is essential in developing both your hero and heroine. Out of the Dark Moment […]
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What Comes Before Editing: Planning the Work & Working the Plan
With the nickname of The Evil Editor (TEE) – said with affection, remember! –I bet you think I’m all about editing. Not true. I’m also a writer. Which means I’m also about writing. But even before the writing, which comes before the editing, I’m about planning. I can see all you seat-of-the-pantsers (SOTPs) out there in the blog-o-sphere rolling your eyes. Thinking: Not another writer who chains herself to scripting out every last word of her novel, detail by infinitesimal detail. You think there’s nothing better than letting your story run away with you, surprising you with unexpected twists and turns as a character kisses someone unexpected – or maybe kills them. But even a SOTP has to plot something. Beginning, middle, end. The Disappointments (Ds). Maybe resist putting hands to keyboard and […]
Read the RestWriters’ Math: Word Count Basics
I’m a writer. I don’t do math. That’s my mantra — and I stuck to it. Until … I ran into two little words: word count. Stay in the writing world long enough, say longer than 24 hours, and you’re gonna run into those two little words too. Word count, like jeans, comes in all shapes and sizes. You’ve got non-fiction word counts for blogs. Magazine articles. E-zines. Devotionals. And then you have word counts for books, both fiction and nonfiction – everything from novellas to self-help to sagas the size of Gone with the Wind (960 pages in paperback). Just what are the basics when it comes to word counts? It depends. Really. It depends on the publisher. But there are some ballpark figures — and that’s what I’m […]
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