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Ten Common Author Mistakes. #4

By on August 4, 2011 in Author Mistakes, Editing Basics, Rachel Hauck

You do realize these common author mistakes I’m blogging about are my opinion only and not subject to any known or award winning authors. I formulated these ten things while on a reading spree this summer. So, take them for what they are worth. Okay, numero quatro! He said, She Said. They Came, They Saw, They Went Leaving the reader suspended in time and space. This one actually surprised me. But I read several novels recently — one a YA and the other an historical — and I was lost on where I was as the reader. I wasn’t sure how much time had advance. The scene’s stage had little to no description. I couldn’t get a feel for the “space” the characters lived in. In the YA, the protagonist […]

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Ten Common Author Mistakes. #3

By on July 28, 2011 in Author Mistakes, Editing Basics, Rachel Hauck

Hi! How Are You? I’m fine! Good, Good. So, What’s New? Using dialog to as filler. Letting prose do the heavy lifting. Dialog is the gas to your story. It’s what makes the characters come to life. And characters are the story. Without them, we have nothing engaging to hold the reader for 400 pages. Dialog is created to tell the story. It is not every day communication. Dialog is not used to show the reader the protagonist is a nice Christian by saying “thank you” and “I’m sorry.” Show they are a Christian by the journey they take and decisions they make. Dialog isn’t a place holder for storytelling prose. I was recently reading a novel where the author told a lot of the story from the internal thoughts of […]

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Why should I read your book?

By on July 26, 2011 in Suspense, Tricks

It’s early on a Sunday morning, and the house is quiet. It’s my favorite time to read so I wander downstairs to my bookshelves to hunt up a book. I have over 500 books, many that I haven’t read. Twenty minutes later, I’m still hunting (It’s not unlike trying to find something to wear!)  What am I looking for?  Voice, Character Sympathy, an intriguing plot…and the most important element…WHY. This is the last – and the most important trick to writing a suspense. W – Why – Why should they read your book?  So it’s fun?  So it’s romantic so your character has overcome some dangers and saved the world. The key to a great suspense is that it more than just a romance, more than just a thriller. A […]

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Don’t go over the top – another trick of writing suspense.

By on July 25, 2011 in Suspense, Tricks

Tricks! We’ve been talking in the past two weeks about incorporating a few tricks to writing a powerful suspense.  Last week we talked about the Hook, and leaving the reader hanging. Today…we’re going to talk about what NOT to do. The hallmark of suspense is the unexpected twist and turns, the increasing tension and dangers.  Readers read suspense for the adrenaline ride and the breathless moments – and you as the author want to give this to them. Some of the breathless moments I’ve included in my suspense have been: Trapping my hero and heroine in a burning house. Pushing my hero and heroine off of a cliff into a raging river. Making my heroine jump out of a moving plane. Having my hero chase a suspect through Epcot center. […]

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