Ding, ding!. Referee: “Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the first ever bout between Back Story and Character History.” Wahhaaaaa. Cheeerrrs! Ref: “In this corner, from the New York City, weighing a hefty five hundred and eighty-two pounds, wearing black shorts, is the champion of all novel prose, Baaaaack Storrrryyyyyy!” Waahhhha, crowd cheering. “And in this corner, from Miami Beach, weighing a sleek one hundred and seventy-eight pounds, wearing blue shorts, is the challenger, Chhhaaaarrracter Hhhiiiistorrrryyy.” Wahhhhha, other half of the crowd cheering. Ref: “All right you twos, I want a clean fight. No hitting below the belt, no tripping, spitting, holding or biting. Touch gloves, go to your mutual corners and when the bell rings, come out fighting.” Ding! Character History leaps to the center of the ring as Back […]
Read the RestArchive | 1. Discover your story RSS feed for this section
Ten Common Author Mistakes. #10
October 20, 2011 I Quit Not enduring to the end. Definition: Quitting. Giving up. Not pressing on and enjoying the journey. Rule: Never, ever quit. Unless God says. Unless you finally realize, “This is not my passion.” Then run out and find your passion! Rachel Hauck is an award winning,best selling author who’s made plenty of “author mistakes”
Read the RestTen Common Author Mistakes. #9
Forgetting to weave in the story elements and symbolism. Definition: If you want to use a metaphor, like a world event or a family trait or tradition to show a contrast in the hero or heroine’s life, you must layer it in. If the heroine’s life if falling a part, coming down around her like 9-11, don’t tell the reader, “her life was just like the twin towers…coming down around her.” Weave it. The scene opens. It’s 9-11, the heroine is preparing breakfast. She calls her husband down to breakfast but he doesn’t show up. When she goes to see what’s taking him so long, she finds him collapsed on the bathroom floor, dead. As she’s calling 911, her best friend buzzes in. The twin towers […]
Read the RestTen Common Author Mistakes. #8
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 […]
Read the Rest
All-Time Popular Posts
- Sign up for FREE SECRETS from Book Therapy! by Susan May Warren
- Doctor's Notes: Creating Story World by Susan May Warren
- Prescriptions: Listen To Me! by Susan May Warren
- Picks: Straight Up by Lisa Samson by Rachel Hauck
- Ask the Doctor: How do I determine my character’s Noble Cause? by Susan May Warren
