Progress Update For My Novel

Hooray! Dragons truly can be beaten! I’ve just put together a complete and comprehensive outline of the first book in my series. I’ve been at this for years and it’s finally coming together. Act I and Act II are fully complete so I only lack choosing the best ending among several variations in mind. It’s going to be a young adult mystery novel that deals with the loss of a close family member as a necessary part of the plot. Ultimately, this will be the first in a seven-book set.

Thank you James Scott Bell for your excellent book on Plot and Structure! I couldn’t have done it without you.

Anyway, I now feel comfortable enough with the content of my book to start writing the scenes. I’m not much of a seat of the pants kind of writer so I hate rewriting. Thus, planning the whole thing out in an outline form was a must for me. I do have some scenes already written that came to me at the odd moment. (Why do I get so many ideas when I’m in the shower?)

So, if you are interested in reading an early copy to give me feedback or would like to help me publicize it in any way, send me a quick message and I’ll add you to my list. (No spam - I promise.)

BTW, I haven’t settled on a title yet. There is a recurring theme of “Darkness” throughout the book so if anyone has some suggestions, I am open to hear them. And when I say the theme is “Darkness” I mean it in every sense of the word, so let your creativity loose when making suggestions.

Seven Universal Facial Expressions of Emotion

Source: So You Want to Be An Expert (part 2 of 3)? | Humintell

These seven are based on extensive research by multiple scientists on people all over the globe. Apparently, all humans have at least these seven facial expressions of emotions hard-wired into our DNA.

Spy Shoelaces

Source: Spy Shoelaces – Impact Lab.

As the author says, the simplest things usually work out the best.

I bet there is much more to be learned from the book, “The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception“.

Writing is a lot like Life

Source: Novel Journey: Author Interview ~ Terry Brennan.

Writing is a lot like life. Enjoy the journey. And let God handle the details.

Terms that cannot be used in a Steeple Hill novel

Source: Terms that cannot be used in a Steeple Hill novel.

[Update: The link above no longer works. Harlequin has taken the page down as reported by Ted Dekker. Read comment #2 for the history behind this post.]

Terms that cannot be used in a Steeple Hill novel:

• Arousal
• Bastard
• Bet/betting
• Bishop
• Bra
• Breast (except for breast cancer if necessary)
• Buttocks or butt (alternatively, you can say derriere or backside)
• Crap
• Damn (try “blast” instead)
• Darn
• Dern/durn
• Devil (except in the religious sense, but the circumstances would be rare)
• Dang or Dagnabbit
• Doody
• Father (when used to describe a religious official)
• Fiend
• For heaven’s sake (can use “for goodness’ sake” instead)
• For the love of Mike
• For Pete’s sake
• Gee
• Geez/jeez (but “sheesh” is acceptable)
• Gosh
• Golly
• Halloween
• Harlot
• Heat (when used to describe kisses)
• Heck
• Hell (except in the religious sense, but this would be rare)
• Holy cow
• Hot/hottie
• Hunk
• Need/hunger (when used to describe non-food-focused state of being)
• Pee
• Poop
• Panties
• Passion
• Priest
• Sexy
• Sex
• Sexual attraction
• Tempting (as applied to the opposite sex)
• St. [name of saint]
• Swear, as in “I swear…” – Christian characters are not supposed to swear.
• Undergarments – of any kind
• Whore

The following are allowed only in the context mentioned:

• Angel – only when used in a Biblical context
• Miracle – only when used in a Biblical context
• Oh my God/Oh, God – ONLY allowed when it’s clearly part of a prayer
• Heavenly – only when used in a Biblical context
• Although you can say “He cursed” or mention cursing, do not overuse. Furthermore, only non-Christian characters can curse.

Situations to be avoided:

• Kissing below the neck
• Visible signs or discussions of arousal or sexual attraction or being out of control
• Double entendre
• Nudity – people changing clothes “on screen” or any character clad only in a towel
• Hero and heroine sleeping in the same house without a third party, even if they’re not sleeping together or in the same room
• Also, Christian characters should not smoke, drink, gamble, play cards or dance (except in historical novels they may dance but please limit to square dances and balls, no “sexy” dancing like waltzing cheek to cheek), and terms associated with these activities should only be used in connection with bad guys or disapproving of them or such.
• Bodily functions, like going to the bathroom, should be mentioned as little as possible and some euphemism may be necessary but we don’t want to sound quaint or absurd.

Grammar for First Lines

You should already know to avoid adverbs throughout your writing, but did you know there are some sneaky ones that don’t end in ‘ly’? For examply, the word “this” can function as an adverb. (See: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/this)

Everybody go ‘Boo! Hiss!’.

So here are three grammar rules for first lines that I’ve gleaned from my sources and distilled for your reading pleasure.

Rule #1: Don’t use adverbs in your writing. If it can be said with an adverb, it can be said stronger another way since the only function of adverbs is to strengthen weak verbs.

Again, everybody go ‘Boo! Hiss!’.

Rule #2: Use pronouns sparingly in your first lines. Generally, the more specific your language is the better.

Lets look at an example:

• He gathered up this strange coat into his arms.

-OR-

• Ronald gathered up the strange, patchwork coat into his arms.

Which example do you think is stronger?

Of course there are exceptions to every rule. Consider the following:

• On February 24th, 2005 he remembered that his daughter’s boyfriend was coming over at about 6:15 that night and decided to get his gun out for cleaning.

-OR-

• Today Samuel remembered that April’s boyfriend was coming over this evening and decided to get his gun out for cleaning.

Again, which is stronger?

Rule #3: Stronger verbs mean a stronger emotional response in the reader. Robert Frost has a great quote on this: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.”

So, how about this next example:

• I watched when this thing bearing teeth came out of the hole.

-OR-

• I recoiled as a creature bearing teeth came out of the hole.

Which comes across as stronger?

Note: The ‘Boo! Hiss!’ line came from a workshop presented by Angela Hunt at the 2009 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. She doesn’t like adverbs either.

The Most Popular Christmas Toys 1960-2008

Source: Permuto Discoveries » The Most Popular Christmas Toys, By Year Since 1960.

(Since the image is so tall, I’ll leave my comments here.)

A very interesting image, don’t you think? I bet more than a few writers would have loved having this in front of them when they were writing a period piece.

Oh, and did you notice which toy appears twice?

The Opening Chapter Difficulty

Source: Finding Hope Through Fiction: TEN GIVE AWAY OPPORTUNITIES – NORA INTERVIEWS ACE COLLINS.

I think the most difficult part of any book is the opening chapter. Every word has to count. You have to draw readers in and get them interested in the characters and the plot. Hence, I spend more time working with the opening paragraphs and then the rest of the initial chapter than I do any other facet of the book.

Five Tips For Writing Reviews

Source: Thoughts on Marketing « A Christian Worldview of Fiction.

But here are a few things I’ve come to believe about reviews:

1. They don’t have to trash books, even the ones that are less than great or maybe even terrible. Writing, after all, isn’t easy, and the author of the book should be respected for his efforts.
2. Reviews should be honest. A reviewer who always says the current work he’s discussing is the best thing since C. S. Lewis, simply loses credibility.
3. Most books have strengths and weaknesses. In mentioning both, reviewers actually gain credibility. Plus, many readers will decide that the things that bothered the reviewer aren’t significant enough to dissuade them from buying the book.
4. Reviews should not serve in place of discernment. Again, in discussing the strengths and weaknesses of a work, the reviewer is actually putting the ball back in the hands of the reader, forcing him make his own decision.
5. Recommendations can be tailored. Because I as a reviewer may not like a book, does that mean no one else will, or should? Absolutely not. However, if I make judgments as to who I think might like the book and to what extent they may like it, my recommendation can then guide others to consider whether or not they are part of that audience.

Some good points to keep in mind when writing and reading reviews.

Tips For A Great Storyline

Source: How-to Author, Randy Ingermanson – Margie Lawson.

The storyline is a single sentence that summarizes your story.  If you write a great storyline, your editor will instantly get what you story’s about.  She’ll be able to explain that storyline to the publishing committee and they’ll get it too. Ditto with the sales team, the buyers for the bookstore chains, the staff in bookstores, and ultimately the readers.

I devote a lot of space in my book to teaching exactly how to write a strong storyline that instantly communcates the gist of the story.  You want it less than 25 words and you want to focus on one or two characters.  And you want to elimiate absolutely every ounce of excess weight.

The storyline for my first novel TRANSGRESSION is only 11 words.

“A physicist travels back in time to kill the apostle Paul.”

You either like that concept or you don’t. It doesn’t matter.  All that matters is that I can communicate my storyline to you in 5 seconds whether you like it or not.  A great storyline separates the sheep from the goats–the potential buyers from the nay-sayers.

The book Randy is referring to is Writing Fiction For Dummies which will be releasing December 2, 2009.