Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Converting Your Imagination into Words

"Don't fool yourself: Read what is actually on the page, not the brilliant unwritten story in your imagination."
~ Philip Gerald

It's easy to come up with a story. Anyone can do that. But the stories that could play to a reader in their head are the ones that get published.

So how are authors able to put their imagination into words? I've learned that it's not easy. At all. In fact, it's what I'm struggling with most right now. It's difficult for me to explain things to people, which is odd, considering writing is what I want to pursue most in life. But you can't write a novel unless you're planning on telling a story to someone, not to yourself. What I mean is, as I'm writing my manuscript, I see it in my head the way I want it to be - but the reader may not interpret it that way. Your readers aren't going to be able to experience the amazing story you have created unless you allow them to experience it. But how?

Here are a few things I keep in mind when trying to "put my imagination into words":

~~
  • Read it out loud. Pretend like you are someone just reading
    your story for the first time. Does it make sense? What's missing?
  • Make sure that your characters are introduced. Don't just assume that your reader already knows all about your protagonist before they read your story.
  • Have someone else read it. Ask them how they see the story, and if it's not the way you want your readers to interpret it, then go edit or rewrite. It's worth it!
  • Include enough imagery. As I mentioned in the previous post, setting details are extremely important for your reader. They won't be able to see what's happening unless you give them something to see!
  • Include sensory details. When you play the scenes through your mind, what do you hear? Smell? Taste? See or feel? Write it down.
  • Have your readers feel your protagonist's emotions. If I just told you that Mary was sad, that doesn't put you to tears, does it?
  • Make sure your scenes flow. If the scenes are choppy, then you're most likely telling, not showing.
  • Don't rush your scenes. This is the main thing I'm struggling with. It's easy to hurry with the scenes that I write since I know what's happening and what will happen next - but it's so important to avoid this! Rushing your novel means you're telling, now showing. Don't just imagine and tell your scenes, show it through your pages.
~~

Remember, have your reader watch what happens, not be told what's happening. Let them experience the journey for themselves.

What are some ways you make sure your reader will see what you see? Comment and let me know!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Painting Your Setting

"If the setting is very significant, you should know it well and weave details carefully in the fabric of events. If the setting is not very significant, do not burden your reader with unnecessary details. Too much description can get in the way of the story."
~ Robert Demaria

Every artist has a variety of different colors in their paint pallets, pastels, charcoals, etc. These colors help the artist bring their pictures to life. Without the color, their art would be dull. Plain. Look around - the world is full of color! The different shades of blue, orange, and yellow that the artist used in this painting helps bring the sunrise to life.

Writing scenery is much like painting scenery. Instead of writing a black-and-white, never-ending setting description, add a few colorful setting details. We also have to choose carefully the words we use to paint a setting if we want to relay a certain emotion. For instance, let's say an author is writing a scene where the protagnist's boyfriend is breaking up with her at a park. Obviously the author would want the reader to feel sadness, disappointment. How would she do this through weaving in setting details?

Here is a wrong example of how the author should write this scene:

He turned and starred at me for a while, his watery eyes washing my smile away. Clasping his hands through mine, he said, "Listen, I'm really sorry. But... I want to break up."
My heart dropped. I slowly shook my head as I backed away. Then, after giving once last look into those piercing brown eyes, I walked off.
As I headed toward my car, giggles rolled out of me while passing a group of kids playing tag.

Yes, it's good that the author included a setting detail in this scene - but don't you think the girlfriend would be a little more annoyed at the playful kids since her boyfriend just broke up with her? Your protagnist's attitude toward the setting helps bring out the emotion you want to relay through a scene. Simarly, an artist wouldn't paint a dandellion if he wanted to express sorrow. Choose your colors carefully.

Other ways that you can show your setting without writing long description paragraphs are through the way people are dressed, dialogue, how people speak, description of weather and temperature, etc.

Here are a few other specific ways to help add setting description:

1) Sensory details.
Instead of telling the setting to the reader, let them feel as if they are there. Put yourself in your protganist's shoes. What do you hear? See? Smell? What's it taste like, or look like?

2) Personification.
I'm not sure how other authors feel about personficiation, but I love it. Not only does it give imagery, but personification can also help with the mood of the scene. Make sure your personification isn't cheesy, though. Robin Jones Gunn does a great job of using personification through setting in her stories.

3) Metaphors and similies.
When I was in second grade, my stories consist of one similie after another. My teacher taught that similies were a great way to explain something, so I thought the more, the better. However, I have now learned that adding too many similies can weigh down your story - not to mention they become really cheesy. But when used carefully every now and then at the right places, similies can be beneficial to your imagery.

What are some other ways that you paint your setting without writing black-and-white description paragraphs? Let me know!

--

An artist's colors, brush strokes, and title all help benefit the message he/she wants to relay through his painting. He wouldn't paint a picture of a storm cloud if he wanted the mood of the painting to be cheerful, would he? The setting of a story has more to do with than just where the story takes place. Think about the conflict and the important details. Is your setting necessary relating to the conflict? Does it impact your story?

Remember: Don't just sketch your setting. Paint it.


Thursday, March 18, 2010

Are You a Writer or a Preacher?

"The simple story can bring you a new awareness that can eventually be the key to turning your life and heart around... It may change your life!"
~ Sandy Muller

How can your Christian fiction change someone's life without coming across as "too preachy"? Many writers struggle with this question, including me. It's hard to relay a message to your readers that has to do with Christ without turning what you're writing into a sermon. But this is very important, especially in Christian fiction for YA.

Here's another question to ponder. Are you being to subtle with your message? If you're in the Christian fiction market, there should at least be one lesson to be learned from your story. It irritates me when I read fiction that is supposedly Christian but the book only mentions God a couple of times. If you're writing for teenagers, this is definitely something to think about. These years are probably the most influential period. Us teenagers have a lot of pressure, temptation, and choices to make during this time of our lives. Anything we read eventually becomes part of us and helps guide us to life after high school. There needs to be more life-changing books for teenagers. But it all comes back to the same question... how can I avoid being preachy - especially since most teenagers rebel against religion and consider it annoying?

Here are a few tips that I have discovered through research and thinking about this question.

1) Don't write sermons, especially long ones.
They come across as boring, and obviously preachy. If you need to include a sermon, show a couple of sentence that the preacher says in the story.
2) Avoid shoving religion down your reader's throat.
...unless, of course, you want the reader to immediately drop the book and possibly burn it. Think about it: why do teenagers ignore instruction and seem to get irritated with authority figures? Your Christian fiction can lead people to Christ or lead them away from Christ. Be real, not religious.
3) Don't create perfect little Christian characters.
Once again, this annoys people. Reach teenagers where they are in their life, don't create "religious" role models that just gets on your readers nerves since they can't relate to them. Give your characters flaws. Make them also rebel against religion. Shove some hard situations in their lives - have them make wrong decisions and mistakes, but let them learn from them and experience consequences.
4) Avoid adding too many scriptures.
Of course adding a few Bible scriptures every now and then in your story is a great way to "feed" the reader - but it's also a great way for the reader to stop reading. Make them feel like they're reading a story, not the Bible. If you really feel like you need to add a scripture, include it through dialogue, not narration.
5) Write a story, not a sermon.
If your characters are flawless, your plot is dull, and your chapters are full of scriptures and beautiful times your protagonist experiences with the Lord - you aren't writing a story that will reach where people are in their lives. You're writing a sermon, which is obviously a red flag that you are being too preachy. Weave the message through your story, don't come right out and preach it.
--


What ways do you avoid coming across as too preachy - or perhaps too subtle? Please share!


"You can present truth through fiction. People love a good story, and if they can come away from it with a stronger sense of spiritually, the writer has done a good job."
~ Teresa Gayle

Friday, March 12, 2010

Read Reviews Before Your Novel is Published



No author enjoys reading bad reviews on their novel. I've never had to experience that since I'm not a published author, but I'm sure it's not encouraging to have worked so hard only for people to give one star and say how much they hated reading your book.

If you watch American Idol, I'm sure you're familiar with Simon's cruel, sarcastic remarks. Although most people disagree with his comments, he's giving criticism for the singers to grow in their weakness. Yes, he often goes too far with his negative reviews, but I think that's what pushes those on American Idol to keep going and to prove him wrong.

We will never be able to please everyone. It's rare for all of the judges on American Idol to have loved the performance. The "idols" may have thought they did perfect in their performance, but Simon still says something like "it was like watching a cat die".

While you work on your manuscript, keep in mind that there are many Simons out there. Not everyone will give you a five star, but you have to give it your best anyway. I haven't had anything published yet so I don't have any reviews to read and grow by, but what I do is read other's reviews. Obviously it's not my work that they're judging, but many of the comments give detailed reasons on why he/she liked or disliked the book.

You can go to www.goodreads.com and type a book in the search bar that is within the genre you want to pursue and start reading the many reviews. While you're at it, add my new account that I just created: http://www.goodreads.com/tessawrites

Here are two reviews I found on Good Reads that can be useful for all authors. The first person gave this book four stars, and the second gave it three stars. They reviewed the same YA Christian fiction novel, but I will not give the title or the author of the book.

Four stars:
"All in all a beautifully written Christian novel that is uplifting and heartwarming with out being heavy handed. In fact the author is so subtle that I had to double check to see if the book was listed as "Christian fiction" which is great because sometimes kids think these kinds of books will be corny. They will never guess...they will just read a well written, very engaging, positive story about a teenage girl who learns to lean on God and her family when dealing with her problems. "

Three stars:
"This was an interesting book, but I wanted more details and descriptions. I didn't feel like I knew the characters very well and I thought the plot could have been more developed, it was a short book. I thought ___ was an intriguing character, but I never fell in love with her and her life, I wasn't anxious to see what would happen to her next. The book also could have ended better. I probably wouldn't recommend."


Now, pretend like those critiques were reviews of the manuscript you are currently working on. How can you use that criticism to polish what you're working on now? Are you characters developed enough? Are you being subtle with religion, or are you being a little too preachy?

The people on American Idol study the judge's comments and work hard at trying to use that criticism to grow as an artist. You can do the same even before anyone has a chance to give you a one star. So go and prove all those Simon Cowells out there wrong! Remember, don't try to please everyone. That's impossible. Just read the reviews, relax, and write!

~~

"I think you have to judge everything based on your personal taste. And if that means being critical, so be it. I hate political correctness. I absolutely loathe it."
~ Simon Cowell

For more funny Cowell quotes, visit: http://thinkexist.com/quotes/simon_cowell/ :)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Beautiful Blogger Award




Thank you Woven By Words for the Beautiful Blogger Award.

Here are the rules:

Thank & link to the person that gave you the award.

Pass this award onto 15 bloggers you’ve recently discovered and think are fantastic.

Contact said Blogs and let them know they’ve won

State 7 things about yourself:


1. I'm the youngest of two sisters

2. I love cold weather, although I would love to live somewhere on the coast

3. I started doing online schooling as of last year

4. I'm founder of A Sweeter Song, a new Christian ministry for teenage girls that my friend and I run

5. I learned to read when I was three, which is when I attempted my first story

6. I would love to own a coffee shop sometime in the future

7. I'm the youngest of 13 cousins on my mom's side, most of them being girls


Here are the 15 newest sites I will pass this on to:

  1. Beside Quiet Waters

  2. Aspirations

  3. A Bookful of Thoughts

  4. Author, Jody Hedlund
  5. Read~Write~Revamp



Weaving Songs Into Your Scenes



If you ever experience writer's bloc, here's a suggestion: turn on the radio. Story ideas are woven into each song you listen to. Not only should you listen to the song, but read the lyrics as well. Think about why the song was written, what's it about, the message, etc. For example, if you're an aspiring author trying to come up with a few story ideas, listen to Christian music. Each Christian song relays a theme that could go along with the story you are trying to write. If you're writing for the young adult genre, listen to songs written by a teenager. Think about what he/she is struggling with in this song. A breakup? A crush? Songs are much like books. They each have a story and/or message to tell. Songs can be inspired by books, and books can be inspired by songs. That's the cool thing. The stories authors write are the long, more detailed versions of songs. Find your novel's theme song and begin to write!
Music not only is a great tool for writer's bloc, but can also help with setting the tone for each of your scenes. Every movie has a soundtrack, and certain songs are played during certain parts of the story. A sad song wouldn't be played in the background during a fun scene, would it? The reason songs are added into specific scenes is to help set the mood that the writer wants the audience to feel. It's obviously not possible for authors to have songs play during certain parts of their books, so it's a little more difficult for us to set the tone of a scene. We can only use words to help our readers experience certain emotions.
If you plan ahead in your novel, write out each scenes (or the scenes that you have in your head so far) and choose a song that you will listen to while writing these parts in your story. That way the mood of the song can help direct the mood of your writing. Then, after you have finished writing that chapter, turn off the music and read back over the scene. Put yourself in your reader's shoes. Did you relay the emotions through your writing that you want your reader to feel? If not, go back and keep rewriting until your specific tone has been set!
Here are a list of artists and bands I like to listen to while brainstorming and writing certain scenes. If you're still trying to find a novel idea, choose a song. Listen and read the lyrics. Ask questions.
Lifehouse: www.myspace.com/lifehouse
Mat Kearney
: www.myspace.com/matkearney
Tenth Avenue North
: www.myspace.com/tenthavenuenorth
Jonny Diaz
: www.myspace.com/jonnydiaz
Seabird
: www.myspace.com/seabird
Taylor Swift
: www.myspace.com/taylorswift
Jimmy Needham
: www.myspace.com/jimmyneedham
Ruth
: www.myspace.com/ruthrock
Switchfoot
: www.myspace.com/switchfoot
Bebo Norman
: www.myspace.com/bebonorman
Demi Lovato
: www.myspace.com/demilovato
Matthew West
: www.myspace.com/matthewwest
Matt Nathanson
: www.myspace.com/mattnathanson
Edwin McCain
: www.myspace.com/edwinmccain
Serving6: www.myspace.com/serving6
Have fun creating your story's soundtrack! :)
(Update -- I was interviewed by Lauren Anne at Beside Quiet Waters.)

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Write a Story, Not Words



You're probably wondering what this title means, considering the post I recently wrote about choosing your words carefully. But let me explain.

I'm not an author. But I've read many books and have been able to distinguish the difference between the flat, okay stories from the Nicholas-Sparks-type-novels. As I mentioned, choosing your words with careful consideration is important for an author. The words we write can either destroy or heal. But they can also be the same thing that slows down your novel. Yes, your writing may be perfect, you may even have real, well-rounded characters. But what about your overall story - your plot, the message that you want to send through your writing?

Some people get so focused on perfecting their writing skills. After every chapter they write, they go back over and read what they've written, making sure there are no grammar mistakes and that their words flow to create the next scene. Yes, this is very important for an author. But this shouldn't be your main goal.

Earlier today I was watching a concert that was on my DVR of Taylor Swift singing with Def Leppard. She always has put on a great concert, but while I was watching, I was wondering how she became so popular. Her vocals aren't that perfect. A good range is usually what people say that make a great singer, but honestly, she doesn't have that much of a range. She's so famous, and I always find myself listening to her music. Why? Because she has a major talent in writing lyrics in a way that reaches out to other teenagers. She's a great role-model. She even designs amazing stages for her tours. Adults highly respect her because of her maturity. Fans are drawn to her because of the songs she sings, and for how real and humble she is in the midst of her fame. There's more to singing than amazing vocals and range. There's also more to writing than perfect grammar and sentence-fluency.

While you write or plan your novel, what is your focus? Do you ever wonder why your novel hasn't gotten accepted by a publisher or agent, yet you feel your writing is almost flawless? Although that is obviously a very important part of writing a novel, that shouldn't be our only focus. There have been many authors succeed although their writing could use some improvement. For example, Stephenie Meyer's popularTwilight series. Why are so many teenagers attracted toTwilight? The answer is simple. The storyline she created about a vampire falling in love with an innocent girl is apparently beautiful.

So how can you turn your writing into a treasured story? Here are a few tips I've learned that can transform a dull plot into a Nicholas-Sparks-type-novel that your readers will love:

1) 3-dimensional characters.
Create realistic characters with flaws. Readers are drawn to characters that bring humor, and ones that they can relate to. Not perfect, stick-figure, no personality characters. Fiction is a genre in which the author creates a story that could probably happen, so make characters that probably could exist.

2) An appealing setting.
Choose a setting that will interact with your story and characters. Include imagery and senses so the readers can feel as if they are really there, but don't go on and on about the appearance of snow-covered mountains. Doing this can slow down the pace of your story.

3) Symbolism.
This is one that authors tend to leave out, but I think symbolism is a powerful way to attract readers and help them remember your stories. This can also be a great way to prove a point without having to come out directly and say it.

4) Real problems, real conflict.
Creating situations that people go through can reach a reader in a personal way. Choose carefully when deciding on your character's conflicts.

5) A journey.
Not only should your protagonist take your reader on the many rides he/she goes on throughout the novel, but the character should take him/her on a spiritual journey as well. Your protagonist should be a different person than he/she was at the beginning of the story, so take your reader on that journey also.

6) Positivity.
When creating a novel that deals with real problems, it can be hard to weave in a little positivity. But don't make the focal point your characters' problems. Your goal should be to uplift the reader by helping them through what they're going through, not making them feel more depressed. You can also use this through dialogue.

7) Create a story that is different but the same.
Another thing I've noticed that attracts fans to Taylor Swift is the fact that she's different. She's a teenage country-pop artist and is completely not influenced by Hollywood's glitz and glam. Read well-liked books and think about what attracts the readers to them, but don't completely write a story just like it. Twist your story so that it's different in a way that will draw people to it, but the same kind of novel that readers adore.

~~~

So while planning your novel, consider the type of plot that will attract your audience. Instead of only paying attention to the way that you write, pay attention to the message you want to impact your readers with. Books can heal. Books can bring hope. Books can bring encouragement - but they can also bring boredom if your plot is not appealing enough.

Stop reading your previous chapters to make sure your grammar is perfect. You have a story to tell, not just words. So write it.