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Ten Common Author Mistakes. #8

By on October 6, 2011 in Author Mistakes, Editing Basics, Rachel Hauck, Secondary Characters

My Best Friend’s Wedding Neglecting to create dynamic secondary characters. Definition: Secondary characters are the protagonist, and the author’s best friend. A great story telling tool. They widen the stage, round out the story, spotlight the protagonist. They help tell the story. They add depth. They add conflict. They add humor. They reveal truth. It’s so easy to get caught up in creating our protagonist(s) we often forget to layer and deepen other characters. The end up being placeholders or sound bit machines. Secondary characters need to have a goal. A purpose. A hint at a problem. They can be a bit shallower than the main characters, and a bit two-dimensional, a bit more flippant, a bit more of a hyperbole. Use secondary characters to show the heart and depth […]

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How to Craft the Motivation for a Noble Quest

By on October 4, 2011 in 2. Create Your Story, Editing Basics, How to write a Suspense, Limelight – Sample Novel, Push Pull, Susan May Warren, Suspense, Want to see a book in Action? Read the Blog-a-Book Series, What is the Noble Cause?, Writing your Suspense Chapters

How do you build a powerful Noble Quest for your character, launching him off into his Second Act Journey with enough motivation, yet enough reward waiting at the end?  This section of your story is pivotal because you must have built enough Want  for your character to propel him through all the obstacles and disappointments of Act 2, all the way to the Black Moment.  Often, when we don’t believe in a character, if they seem “too stupid to live,” it’s because we haven’t built enough WANT. This can be solved by using the Push-Pull Technique. I’ve heard them called MRU – Motivation, Reaction Units.  This technique is more about building a solid motivation to convince us of the Reaction and can easily be added to the MRU technique. Again, […]

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Ten Common Author Mistakes #7

By on September 29, 2011 in Author Mistakes, Editing Basics, Rachel Hauck

Zap-Pow! Then What Happened? Tension is king. Never miss an opportunity for a good argument! Definition: Most of us hate conflict and confrontation. Even in our books. But tension is king! Donald Maass suggest tension on every page. Better yet, on every line. Tension doesn’t mean argument. Tension means “things aren’t going well.” For example: A conflict arises for your heroine. She gets pulled over for speeding. Instead of the officer letting her off, she gets a ticket. This upsets her. While she’s getting a ticket, her mother calls to say Uncle Ned is coming Sunday and our girl is expected at the house for dinner. She blows up. Why is Mama always so bossy?  Our heroine will do what she wants for Sunday dinner. She might have plans already. Ever […]

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Ten Common Author Mistakes #6

By on September 22, 2011 in Author Mistakes, Editing Basics, Rachel Hauck

Cry Me A River Telling emotion rather than showing. Definition: Showing verses telling applies primarily to emotion. It’s the authors job to show the reader what the characters are doing and feeling. Even what the character is thinking through the action on the page. Telling means the author is describing the emotion and reaction in the prose. Struggling to show verses tell might mean the author doesn’t know what the characters want in the scene or the scene goal. Showing “pictures” the emotion, pictures the action. Most authors do this well. He slammed the door shut as he left the room. She gunned the gas as she headed for home. We get they are angry. But where we get a bit lost is in showing the emotion of the scene. […]

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