Writer's Digest January 2015

SPECIAL WORKBOOK: CRAFTING CHRISTIAN & INSPIRATIONAL STORIES
[ This Is the Year You ]
Write That
NOVEL!
NEVER GIVE UP ON
YOUR STORY: TIPS FOR
MAKING IT TO THE END
7 WAYS TO PLOT A
PAGE-TURNER
BETTER DIALOGUE,
STEP BY STEP
ADD DIMENSION TO
YOUR CHARACTERS:
PROVEN TECHNIQUES
W D I N T E RV I EW
Rachel Rene Russell
Secrets to Successful
Fiction Series
HOW THE DORK DIARIES AUTHOR

TURNED A LIFELONG WRITING HOBBY
INTO HER DREAM CAREER
US $6.99
THE BEST ADVICE FROM HEATHER GRAHAM,

BRENDA NOVAK & OTHER BESTSELLERS
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JANUARY 2015 writersdigest.com
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Display until January 12, 2015
If you want to be a great writer,

it helps to read the right books.
American Writers & Artists Presents
The Great Books Club

J
JANUARY
The Elements
o
of Style
SStrunk and White
FEBRUARY
Bird by Bird
Anne Lamott
MARCH
Mastery: The
Keys to Success
and Long-Term
Fulfillment
George Leonard
APRIL
Win Your Case:
How to Present,
Persuade, and
Prevail Every
Place, Every Time
Gerry Spence
MAY
The Big Leap
Gay Hendricks
JUNE
On Writing
Steven King
Each month, acclaimed copywriter

and passionate fiction writer, Marcella
Allison and her special guests, all
successful writers, unlock the keys
to a richer, more rewarding life
by studying the great thinkers
and great writers in the worlds of writing,
marketing, business, and more.
Join the Discussion Today

Its FREE!
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F EATUR ES
Write Your
Novel in 2015!
21 30
Characters, Tension & Release

readers engaged, you need to write a story
Scene by Scene Towithkeep
rhythmand use those beats to drum up mid-
Dimensional characters are born from

dramanot description. Heres why (and
how) to delve into your characterizations
one defining scene at a time.
book climaxes, multifaceted plotlines, and promises

of even bigger thrills to come. Heres how to pull
it off in 7 steps.
BY STEVEN JAMES
BY DAVID CORBETT
26 34
How to Craft Why So Many Writers

Flawless Dialogue Give Up Mid-Novel
Character conversations are the gems
(& How Not to Be
of your storybut just as readers can
appreciate fine jewels, so can they spot
One of Them)
cheap imitations of the real thing. Use
these 7 steps to add quality and
clarity to your storys talk.
BY ELIZABETH SIMS
Take an honest look at the real reasons our stories

can stalland discover 9 simple strategies to help
you make it to The End.
BY TRACEY BARNES PRIESTLEY
38
Installment Plans
What are the real secrets to writing successful series

novels? We brought together four bestsellers across
a spectrum of genres to find out.
BY ADRIENNE CREZO
2 I WRITERS DIGEST I January 2015
JA NUA RY 2 015 | VOLU ME 95 | NO. 1
INK W ELL
44
8 REVISING OUT LOUD: Not sure if your work-in-
progress is, well, working? Gather some friends,

food and manuscripts and have a read-aloud.
THE WD INTERVIEW:
Rachel Rene Russell
BY JOE STOLLENWERK
Rachel Rene Russell stopped practicing law soon after

her first middle-grade novel charted The New York Times
bestsellers list. Ten books and a film option later, it looks
as if she made the right choice.
BY TIFFANY LUCKEY
10 PLUS: 5-Minute Memoir Grammar Booster:
Special Prepositions Poetic Asides: Madrigal

#CompleteThisTweet A Few Minutes a Day
C O LU M NS
17 MEET THE AGENT: Adriann Ranta,
Wolf Literary Services

BY KARA GEBHART UHL
18 BREAKING IN: Debut Author Spotlight

BY CHUCK SAMBUCHINO
4 8 FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK: Querying YA Fiction;
Questioning Copy Edits; Compiling Book Proposals

BY BARBARA POELLE
5 0 YOUR STORY: First Things First, Contest #59

6 0 STANDOUT MARKETS: The Permanent Press;
American Short Fiction; The Progressive

BY CRIS FREESE
6 4 CONFERENCE SCENE: Inland Northwest
Christian Writers; Women Writers Winter Retreat;

Pamlico Writers Conference and Competition
W RI TER S W OR KB OOK
BY LINDA FORMICHELLI
Spi & C W
52
7 2 REJECT A HIT: Websters Dictionary

SPOOF-REJECTED BY ALISSA KNOP
WRITING THE SPIRITUAL ESSAY
ON THE COVER
BY DINTY W. MOORE
5 2 Crafting Christian & Inspirational Stories

3 4 Never Give Up on Your Story: Tips for
5 4 CLICHS TO AVOID IN CHRISTIAN FICTION
Making It to The End
BY JEFF GERKE
3 0 7 Ways to Plot a Page-Turner

2 6 Better Dialogue, Step by Step
5 7 HANDLING CONTROVERSIAL LANGUAGE
21 Add Dimension to Your Characters
IN CHRISTIAN FICTION
3 8 Secrets to Successful Fiction Series
BY JEFF GERKE
4 4 WD Interview: Rachel Rene Russell
PLUS:
4 online exclusives
5 editors letter
6 contributors
7 reader mail
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WritersDigest.com I 3
Right Now at
How to Reach Young Readers

In our bonus Q&A online, Dork Diaries author Rachel
Rene Russell (WD Interview, Page 44) discusses getting
an agent, connecting with her audience, and more.
Tips for Drafting Dialogue

Dazzling readers with dialogue takes careful rewriting
and polish (How to Craft Flawless Dialogue, Page 26).
Try this bonus method from WD Contributing Editor
Elizabeth Sims for getting it written, then getting it right.
Peg Your Series to a Place
In Installment Plans (Page 38), four bestselling novelists

discuss their successful series. In these interview outtakes,
the group talks about using setting as a starting point.
4
Throw a Revision Party
Intrigued by the methods in Revising Out Loud

(Page 8)? Learn more variations on the technique to try.
PLUS:
Let the WD blogs help you start the new writing year right
7 BITE-SIZED TIPS FOR A BETTER
WRITE A PERSUASIVE NARRATOR
BOOK BASH
Author John Mauks methods for writ-
Looking to plan a book launch with real
ing a convincing character borrow from
sizzle? 101 Things to Do With Bacon
the rules of rhetoric. In this guest post,
author Eliza Cross offers 7 ways to turn
he details 3 goals for your protagonist
up the heat at your release party.
and how to achieve them.
tinyurl.com/kvt3r93
tinyurl.com/m8s2gex
5 ATTRIBUTES OF EVERY GREAT GHOSTWRITER
Theres a growing market for ghostwriters, but the job isnt for everyone. For those
considering taking up ghosting, experienced freelancer Kelly James-Enger has a list of
things you should know and do before you begin.
tinyurl.com/n5hou4j
DIALOGUE, WINE AND BLOG PHOTO FOTOLIA.COM; DORK DIARIES ILLUSTRATION; NIKKI RUSSELL
To nd all of the above online companions to this issue in

one handy spot, visit writersdigest.com/jan-15.
E DI T OR SLE TTE R
JANUARY 2015
VOLUME 95 | NO. 1
EDITOR
Jessica Strawser
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Sims, Art Spikol, Kara Gebhart Uhl
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When Something Clicks

Light-bulb moments. Aha moments. Flashes of
recognition. Revelations. Call them whatever
you like. I like to think of them as clicks.
In the writing life, the best kind of click is
that moment something makes you realize
exactly whats been missing from the notquite-right scene youve been working on. Or
the instant you put two plot points together
and suddenly have a clear view of whats really
beneath your characters behavior. Or the random tip on plot structure that
magically conjures for you a map of how everything in your messy draft might
fit together after all.
Clicks. Theyre satisfying, exciting, inspiring, invigorating. And theyre the
stuff writers live for.
Weve done our best to fill this issue devoted to all things novel writing with
the types of craft advice and writing techniques that help things click into
place. Because whether your own moments of realization are quiet head nods
or loud exclamations of triumph, as subtle as the click of a key in a lock or dramatic as a stack of papers launched into the air, we know its the bits of advice
that resonate that can make all the difference for your novel-in-progress.
First, award-winning novelist David Corbett shares what made his own
characterizations finally click on the pageand how you can paint more effective pictures of the players in your own stories, too (Page 21). Then, longtime
contributor Elizabeth Sims details techniques for mastering one of the most
notoriously difficult elements of fiction: dialogue (Page 26). Bestselling novelist
Steven James shows you precisely how to manage the flow of tension and conflict in your storythrough multiple plot points, climaxes, subplots and more
(Page 30). Therapist-turned-writer Tracey Barnes Priestley delves into the real
reasons Why So Many Writers Give Up Mid-Noveland How Not to Be One
of Them (Page 34). And four bestselling series writers take you behind the
scenes with their iconic characters to show you what it is that gives a novel that
special something that makes readers want another installment, and another,
and another (Page 38).
We all know that writing a novel isnt easy. But in those moments that something clicks, suddenly anything seems possible. Heres to many ahas on the
pagesand in the new yearahead.
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STEVEN JAMES (Tension & Release, Page 30)
is the bestselling author of 11 novels, including the

award-winning Patrick Bowers and Jevin Banks
series. He holds a masters degree in storytelling
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JOE STOLLENWERK (Revising Out Loud,
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Manager for Writers Digest University, is a
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READERMAIL
WD consistently provides the encouragement I need

... precisely when I need it.
BEST OF THE BEST
Ive been a subscriber of

WD for years and always
enjoy reading it. But your
October 2014 issuewhich
contained several practical
articles on book proposals,
ways to faster book deals,
steps for pitching in person,
secrets to selling nonfiction
books and a list of 28 agents
seeking new writerswas
the best so far. Even as a
published writer, I found
them informative and educational. We need more
splendid resources for writers that provide step-by-step
methods. Keep up the
good work.
Mansoor Ladha
Calgary, AB, Canada
NEVER TOO LATE
The Late Novel article by

Boze Hadleigh (October)
was a source of great
encouragement to me. Ive
written and sold many
magazine articles. Finishing
my novel-length projects,
however, remains a goal.
Sometimes I feel like Im

living the writers version
of Mr. Hollands Opus. The
novels whirl around in my
mind and Ive become good
friends with their protagonists. Life keeps getting in
the way of letting them finish their stories, but now I
can see the retirement finish
line on the horizon. Perhaps
it isnt too late after all to
release these characters who
have been languishing in
my laptop files for several
years now. Thank you for
this encouragement.
Kathy Haueisen
Houston
Ive been writing for the last
20 years, but as a technical
writer in government and
industry. I recently completed my first novel, Climb
Up the Steel Mountain, a
medical roman clef published in November. Oh,
and I guess I forgot to mention: Im about to turn 81
years old. So, it is never too
late. Thanks for the article
The Late Novel.
stop. Ill keep reading and

writing if you keep providing relevant articles. Youre
a workshop in my mailbox.
can happen, and nobody

tells you that. But WD does,
and you tell me precisely
when I need it. So, thanks!
Barbara Clarke
Cully Perlman
Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Mableton, Ga.
BETWEEN THE LINES
MASTER CLASS
Thank you so much for

Write Like a Master: What
We Can Learn From Jane
Eyre (October). It was a
great way to show writers
how to learn from classics.
Having the actual text and
also how to decipher it was
a wonderful way to show
different techniques that all
writers should know.
Heather Robinson
Lakewood, Colo.
WORDS TO WRITE BY
Every issue of WD keeps

me afloat. Ive been writing
since age 16, but these days
I am married, have a
daughter and another
child on the way, work a
demanding full-time job,
and have other responsiLen Steiner bilities that make sitting
Madison, Ala. down to work on my novels nearly impossible. But I
Thanks so much for addo it. WD consistently prodressing my tribe, the late
vides the encouragement
bloomers, in The Late
I need. As Lisa Scottoline
Novel. Nothing like seeing
said in the October issue,
its not too late to keep us
You have to believe that
writingnot that we could
[getting published] actually
Id like to thank WD for

making the publication of
my new YA novel, Honey
Girl, possible. In 2012, I
attended the Pitch Slam of
the WD West Conference
in Los Angeles, specifically
to meet Thao Le from the
Sandra Dijkstra Agency. I
was her first pitch of the
afternoon. Before my four
minutes were up, Le agreed
to read more of my novel.
When I turned to leave, I
saw a thick line of people
behind me, an entire room
full of other hopeful writers.
Although I had a professional writing career
before the conference, this
event led to a new success.
Le sold my novel to Sky
Pony Press, as mentioned
in Find Your Agent Match
in the October 2014 issue.
If you ever come across
Honey Girl, think of me
one of your most indebted
readersand the opportunities your magazine
affords to those who read
between the lines.
Lisa Freeman
Santa Monica, Calif.
WRITE TO US: Email writersdigest@fwmedia.com with Reader Mail in the subject line. Please include a daytime phone number (for
verification purposes only) and your city and state. Submitted letters are considered for publication and may be edited for clarity or space.
Revising Out Loud

Not sure if your work-in-progress is, well, working? Gather some friends, food and
manuscripts and have a read-aloud. Heres how to get the party started.
BY JOE STOLLENWERK
revision approach, as does poetry.

Revising out loud is a great way to:
BREAK AWAY FROM THE SOLITARY
When
youve been immersed in a project,
its nice to have a writing-related
excuse to spend time with friends.
GET PERSPECTIVE. Lines of dialogue, jokes or entire scenes that
seem crystal clear in your mind
might not come across that way to
others. Nows your chance to find
out exactly where you need to clarify,
change or cut.
IDENTIFY PACING PROBLEMS. In
reading your own work, your eye and
mind can travel at whatever pace you
want. Hearing work aloud allows you
to experience it as a first-time reader.
WORLD OF YOUR WRITING.
Youll find that some scenes that

seemed properly paced on the page
lag too slowly or gloss too quickly
over important information.
CORRECT ERRORS. Reading aloud
to yourself is a good proofreading
method, as it forces you to read what
you actually wrotenot what you
meant to write. The group process is
even better because you have outsiders doing a cold read.
RECHARGE. Sometimes I come to
these readings feeling tapped out or
painted into a corner. Hearing the
work aloud and the reactions from
the room never fails to get me back
to writing.
If youre reticent to share a draft
that you know still needs some work,
PHOTO ISTOCK.COM
riting can be a lonely,

solitary endeavor. And
from time to time, we all
get stuck, unsure of how to improve
upon what weve written or stay passionate about what weve started.
I combat these writing demons
by inviting friends over to read my
drafts aloud with me. I arrived at this
interactive revision method by combining my experience as a creative
writer, editor, writing instructor and
theater directorand its become an
invaluable part of my process.
While you can do this at any stage
of writing, its most helpful when
youve already completed a draft and
done some revising. If its too early
in the process or if you consider the
work finished, you wont get as much
out of the reading and conversation
that follow.
Reading aloud can benefit writers
of any genre. Having adapted the
work of Margaret Atwood and
Dorothy Parker for the stage, Ive
found that any prose piece that uses
language in interesting ways is beneficial for the writer to hear aloud.
Works of fiction or nonfiction that
are dialogue-driven or have a lot of
action lend themselves well to this
dont be. These are your friends,

not teachers armed with red pens.
Theyll be excited to hear what youre
working on and will enjoy playing a
role (literally!) in your writing process. All writers need to find a way to
overcome the discomfort of sharing
their work and taking criticism; this is
a great way to start. Youre in control
you decide who comes, what gets
read, etc. And while you might end
the evening thinking exclusively
about how your writing was received,
your friends are more likely to head
home remembering the delicious
cookies you provided and the uniqueness of the evening. The writing is
just one part of that.
GETTING READY TO READ
Know what you hope to accomplish

with the group. If your work is too
long to read in one sitting, choose
passages that you feel need the most
revision, favoring those with narrative
arcs so that your reader-friends have
something to hold onto, story-wise.
Also consider what will have the most
impact when read aloud. Dialogueheavy chapters might seem like a
given, but comic bits, figurative language, alliteration, rhyme and rhythm
can all come to light in this arena. If
youre skipping over key parts of, say,
a full-length novel or memoir, plan to
being the evening with a brief summary of what youve omitted to provide context for the reading.
Invite as many people as you can
comfortably fit in your living room.
You dont want people packed in like
sardines, but you also dont want so
few people that your shyer friends
feel too much pressure.
Offer food and drink. Short of
cutting them a check, this is the best
way to repay your friends for their

time and energy. I love hosting wine
and cheese readings; just be sure to
keep your own head clear throughout the night.
Print copies of your work for
everyone ahead of time. With a
script, youll want to divide up the
roles and designate someone to read
the key stage directions. With fiction or nonfiction, you have two
options: 1) Having different people
read for different characters, which
can be a truly dynamic way to hear
your work. 2) Having friends take
turns reading a page each, which for
certain types of stories can be easier
(not to mention less confusing)
and just as helpful.
Dont feel the need to cast your
characters by type. It can be more
instructive to hear a character read
by someone of a different sex, age or
sensibility. You also can have multiple people take turns reading a lead
character to get a very literal idea of
how different readers might interpret
that characters voice.
STAGING THE READING
Read first; discuss later. Establish

an energetic pace. Dont be a director. Your friends may not all be the
best readers in the world, but theyre
doing you a favor, so dont overburden them with instructions.
Your job is to sit back, listen and
take notes. Try not to participate in
the readingif you do, keep it minimal. You want to have time not only
to listen to each person reading, but
to take in the real-time responses
from your audience. Where do
they start to look bored or restless? Where are they attentive and
engaged? What jokes get good
TURN UP THE MUSIC

Find more revision party ideas at
writersdigest.com/jan-15.
responsesor not? Do people laugh

when you didnt intend them to?
You might preface the reading by
asking your readers questions that
you want them to keep in mind as
they read, but dont load them down
with too much to think about. Be
careful not to color their perceptions
by asking leading questions such as
I think this part might be offensive
do you agree? or, Tell me what you
think about the symbolism of the
dog. Let the reflection come after
theyve heard it aloud.
FOLLOWING THE READING
Come prepared with questions for

the group. Think about what you
want to get out of the reading and
steer the conversation that way.
Write down every suggestion. This
shows your friends that you value
all of their opinions, but aside from
polite manners, its also good to have
a record. You wont use every suggestion you receivesome will probably
even contradict one anotherbut
you never know when one suggestion that seemed odd at the time
might spark a tangential response in
your brain.
Remain neutral. Dont defend,
apologize or explain. Your job is to
be a spongesoak up ideas and process them later.
Joe Stollenwerk is a Ph.D. candidate in
theatre and drama at Indiana University. He
is the author of Today in History: Musicals.
His stage plays include Catalina and an
adaptation of Margaret Atwoods The
Handmaids Tale.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Revising your work-in-progress now? Log onto the discussion forum at writersdigest.com/forum to read
other writers techniques and methods for whipping a project into shape, and to share your own.
5-MINUTE MEMOIR
Tales From the Writing Life
Getting the Words Right

BY CANDY SCHULMAN
After countless revisions, I tweak

and weed, searching for synonyms,
dreaming up metaphors. Am I
obsessive-compulsive? In love with
my words? Oscar Wilde brought
his journal on the train so hed have
something interesting to read. But
Im not the only writer who composes
three drafts before finalizing a
birthday card. My marriage has
endured because I refrain from editing my husbands birthday cards. I
know when to edit and when not to.
Im not fun at parties. I am impatient with lawyers who say, I could
write a bookif I had the time.
And Id go to law school if I had
the time, I may someday have the
courage to respond.
In the meantime, I am entangled
in the Command+P mode. How
many drafts before my printer runs
out of ink and I run out of energy?
I fling words, blurt out, babble and
turn sentences around.
Until I get the words right.
Candy Schulmans work has appeared in
publications including The New York Times,
The Chicago Tribune, Parents, Travel &
Leisure, Brain Child and several anthologies.
She teaches writing at The New School in
New York City.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Submit your own 600-word essay reection on the writing life by emailing it to wdsubmissions@fwmedia.com
with 5-Minute Memoir in the subject line.
RECYCLING AND CARDS PHOTO ISTOCK.COM; CATS CRADLE PHOTO FOTOLIA.COM
riting is not just cut-and-paste, I tell my students. Tweeters

and Snapchatters stare back dubiously. Theyve written papers
with Apple commands X, C and V.
Writing is painstaking revision, I emphasize. Flaubert didnt write Madame
Bovary by moving paragraphs with the click of a mouse.
Giggles ensue when I confess to revising emails before clicking Send. I
share my personal revision process: I compose a paragraph. Maybe two. Ill
craft 1,000 words of an essay or article. Rubbish. I peruse the hard copy, scratching out editorial marks. I retype all five pages into a new documentnot
unlike the way the Bard rewrote dialogue with his quill pen.
Repeat. Revise. Repeat. Erase. Retype. Revise.
A waste of paper! the eco-friendly scribes doth protest.
I remind them about recycling bins. Quote Peter de Vries: I love being a
writer. What I cant stand is the paperwork. Emphasize how fortunate we are
because we can revise. Brain surgeons cannot. We have the luxury of making
mistakesand getting better for our errors.
Nora Ephron used up to 400 sheets of paper per essay in this type-and-retyping process, claiming this method catapulted her from one section to the next,
sometimes on each retyping moving not even a sentence farther from the spot
I had reached the last time through. Cut and paste alone can never produce
this type of polishing, allowing a writer to see repetitions, creating the seamless
thread that connects an essay from beginning to end. You cant tell whether
a sentence needs work until it rises up in revolt against your fingers as you
retype it, Ephron wrote.
When John McPhees daughter worried that she couldnt get things right
the first time in a high school paper, he responded in The New Yorker: The
way to do a piece of writing is three or four times over, never once.
In a nervous frenzy, I fling words as if flinging mud at a wall, claims McPhee.
Blurt out, heave out, babble out somethinganythingas a first draft.
Revising is the sculpting part of the
creative process. Dorothy Parker liked
having written far better than writing.
For every five words Parker wrote, she
changed seven. Hemingway rewrote the
ending of A Farewell to Arms 39 times.
When The Paris Review asked if he had
technical problems or was stumped, he
said he was getting the words right.
Grammar Booster:
Special Prepositions
Certain verbs, nouns and adjectives require special prepositions. Sometimes they are important simply because to use
the wrong preposition is erroneous, but other times, the use
of a different preposition can actually change the meaning
of the word that precedes it. This handy guide will help you
with the trickiest combinations.
Abhorrence for
Absolve from
Accord with
Acquit of
Adapted for (by nature)
Adapted to (intentionally)
Afnity between
Agree to (a proposal)
Agree with (a person or idea)
Bestow upon
Change for (a thing)
Change with (a person)
Comply with
Confer on (means give to)
Confer with (means talk with)
Conde in (means trust in)
Conde to (means entrust to)
Conform to
In conformity with
Convenient for (a purpose)
Convenient to (a person)
Conversant with
Correspond to (a thing)
Correspond with (a person)
Dependent on
Differ from (an opinion)

Differ with (a person)
Different from*
Disappointed by, in or with
(someone or something)
Disappointed of (what we cannot have)
Dissent from
Exception from (a rule)
Exception to (a statement)
Glad at (a piece of news)
Glad of (a possession)
Independent of
Involve in
Martyr for (a cause)
Martyr of (a disease)
Need of or for
Part from (a person)
Part with (a thing)
Prot by
Reconcile to (a person)
Reconcile with (a statement)
Taste for (art)
Taste of (food)
Thirst for or after (knowledge)
*Different is a special case. Different from is always right and correct.

Different to, often used in England, is always wrong. Different than is
common in America and defended by some grammarians in special cases,
such as This book is different than I expected, which eliminates the awkwardness of the otherwise correct sentence, This book is different from that
which I expected.
Excerpted from Gwynnes Grammar: The Ultimate Introduction to Grammar
and The Writing of Good English 2014 by N. M. Gwynne, with permission
from Alfred A. Knopf.
Stories.
Everywhere.
Creative writing classes
in NYC and online.
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No matter what you write, a bit of poetic license can

be a valuable asset to any writers arsenal.
BY ROBERT LEE BREWER
P O ET IC F OR M: MADRI GA L
The madrigal originated as an Italian form, actually as a pastoral song. The

Italian madrigal offers a lot of variabilityso much variability that well be
focusing primarily on the English madrigal for this column.
The English madrigal, developed by Geoffrey Chaucer, offers more
defined rules, including refrains, preferred meter and structure. The English
madrigal is comprised of three stanzas written in iambic pentameter: a tercet
(or three-line stanza), quatrain (or four-line stanza) and sestet (or six-line
stanza). The poem follows the rhyme scheme noted beside each line with A1,
B1, and B2 acting as the refrains.
This example is from Poetic Asides reader Bruce Niedt:
PO ETIC PR O M PT
Senior Discount
Apparently Ive reached a certain age
A
B
A1
B1
The movies, the museum and the stage
A
B
B
A1
B1
B2
Nobody checks ID, they simply gauge
where Im forgiven at least ten percent. (1)

I wonder how and when my youth was spent.
The opening tercet

sets the stage for the
refrains that will be
used in the second
and third stanzas.
Tap into low points youve
all offer handsome discounts for this gent. (2)

where Im forgiven at least ten percent.
hit in life and write a poem
The A-B rhyme

scheme of the madrigal often creates a
musical effect.
me by my face and how my spine is bent.
where Im forgiven at least ten percent.

I wonder how and when my youth was spent.
that exposes those wounds.

Whether your spouse left
you, your dog ran away
from home or you cant
nd any matching socks,
Free coffee doesnt ease my discontent. (3)

Write a
blues poem.
While the structure

and rhyme scheme
are set, there are no
restrictions on subject
matter or tone.
How variable is the Italian madrigal?
Line length. The Italian madrigal can be written with lines

of seven or 11 syllables.
Tercets. It can also be written with two or three tercets.
Couplets. The tercets are followed by one or two rhyming couplets.
Rhymes. Even the rhyme scheme varies.
weve all had our moments.
SHARE YOUR POETIC

VOICE: If youd like to see
your own poem in print in

the pages of Writers Digest,
check out the Poetic Asides
blog (writersdigest.com/
editor-blogs/poetic-asides)
to enter the most recent WD
Poetic Form Challenge.
Robert Lee Brewer is a published poet, as well as the editor of Poetic Asides (blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides), Poets Market and
Writers Market.
ILLUSTRATION TONY CAPURRO; PHOTO ISTOCK.COM
A1
B1
B2
#CompleteThisTweet
We asked, and @WritersDigest
followers on Twitter answered.
If my characters could talk

about me, theyd say
She needs to finish this
book! @VMPerry6
that Im benevolent and
understanding, but a bit slow.
@KeyWestAuthor
that I have no imagination.
@Kazareith
that I dont give them

enough of my time.
@damedechat
If shed just let us steer,
everything would end just
fine. @clsherwood1961
Why isnt she writing?
@cmdrsue
Cant wait till she deepens

me on the rewrite! (And quit
with the exclamation marks,
eh?) @JulieWHenig
nothing, if they know

whats good for them.
@RobRoerick
This woman is crazy! She

talks to us like were real people! @H_L_Robb
He never lets us go to the

bathroom. Whats that about?
@JonasSamuelle
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When once the itch of literature comes over
a man, nothing can cure it but the scratching
of a pen. But if you have not a pen, I suppose
you must scratch any way you can.
1-800-259-2592
Samuel Lover
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The pages are still blank, but there is a

miraculous feeling of the words being there,
written in invisible ink and clamoring to
become visible.
Vladimir Nabokov
A Few Minutes a Day

These multi-format techniques, adapted from
the methods of one of Americas most prolic
playwrights, will help you sharpen your creativity
and kick your writing pace into high gear.
a fun house. Like Wilt Chamberlain

scoring 100 points in an NBA game,
Joe accomplishes feats that seem
impossible. As you would imagine, it
makes him a very inspiring teacher.
I consider myself a pretty prolific
writer, but sometimes I need a little
help getting over the hump. To that
end, Ive developed a method I call
the Mini-Joe: the act of devoting
myself to smaller, more manageable
versions of Joes ambitious acts of
composition. For example, I might do
Joes sketch-a-day method, but only
for a week. I never seem to write as
many humor pieces as I would like, so
I sometimes do a Mini-Joe, shooting
for 10 humor pieces over a month.
There are hundreds of forms the
Mini-Joe exercise can take. Here are a
few to get you going.
GET IN CHARACTER. Go to a busy
coffee shop or bar. Look at the people
around you. Pick one who looks
intriguing. Write a short monologue
for this person as you imagine him to
be. Do this every day for a week, and
youll have seven new characters, complete with personality quirks, physical
descriptions, wants and needs.
BREAK THE LAW (FICTITIOUSLY,
BY MARK PETERS
If you like writing

crime or police stories, try a Mini-Joe
crime spree. Go to a different location
each day to write, taking in the specifics of the setting. Imagine how the
place could be robbed. How might
such a heist succeed or fail? Read up
on real-life bandits to find details
you could borrow or mix in.
TEST NEW ANGLES. If you have
a draft of something large, such as a
novel or screenplay, select a manageable chunk and repeatedly rewrite it
from a different angle. One day you
might focus on a secondary character. Another day could be used
to fine-tune the setting, or change
eve all frozen up when

faced with a deadline. We
each have a dream project we never quite get around to finishing (or even starting). Although
we know writing more often would
make us more prolific and polished,
we all procrastinate.
Well, maybe not all of us. When
I was going through the writing
program at Second City in Chicago,
I met the writers equivalent of a
superhero, complete with an alliterative name: Joe Janes, the patron saint
of overcoming writers block.
Joea writer, performer, director

and producer of comedy and other
theater in Chicagohas made a
name for himself as an extreme
writer. He wrote 365 Plays, which
collects every sketch he wrote over
the course of a yearone a day. After
that, he wrote 50 Plays; each was produced with a different director. Hes
done Seven Deadly Plays, in which
he wrote seven short plays over the
course of a week, working each day
from an unusual location that would
not seem to be conducive to writing,
such as a speedboat, a cemetery and
PHOTO FOTOLIA.COM
OF COURSE).
GET
up the themes, language choices or
POV. The goal is to freshen up your
work and expand your options by
forcing yourself to reimagine your
story in new ways.
Asides blog at writersdigest.com/

editor-blogs/poetic-asides.)
DIGITALLY!
WRITE DOWN AN IDEA A DAY.
What if you came up with just one

idea a day? It wouldnt take more
Take these ideas and adapt, alter, twist or subvert

them. ... The only wrong way is to not write at all.
EXPERIMENT WITH POETRY.
Because poems tend to be short,

they are a natural fit for the Mini-Joe.
When I was writing experimental
poetry in graduate school, I was
influenced by the work of John Cage
and Jackson Mac Low, who loved
using found materials and chance
operations. A Mini-Joe along those
lines could involve picking a different book every day to use as source
material for a poem. To give the
project shape, you could use the
same technique on different sources.
For example, you could do something like A Humament, in which
Tom Phillips paints over pages of
a Victorian novel, creating new
poems from the words that are left.
Or choose a technique from the
Oulipo, Mac Lows Collected Works
or Charles Bernsteins Experiments
list (tinyurl.com/2m6ykv) to borrow
or adapt.
TEST YOUR TRADITIONAL
A Mini-Joe can
work for more traditional poetry, as
well. You could write a poem a day
in a different location, voice or form
or vary your pen, notebook or font.
You could meditate upon a different
object each day, or a different person
from your lifeit could be interesting to pick people youre no longer in
touch with to explore what memories have stuck with you. (EDITORS
NOTE: Find new prompts regularly on Robert Lee Brewers Poetic
POETRY CHOPS.
than a few moments at a time, and

after just a few weeks, youd have a
heck of a list. This challenge could be
used by any type of writer: novelist,
short story writer, freelance journalist, comic book writer, playwright,
etc. Although you need not thoroughly develop the ideas up front, do
take enough time to make each one
specific enough to stick. For example, in your sci-fi horror story, who
would the lead character be? What
would be the setting and themes?
MURDER YOUR DARLINGS. A
Mini-Joe can also be a useful editing
tool. If you work with manageable
sections, say 1020 pages per day,
you could copy edit an entire novel
in less than a month, or a short story
in a day or two.
MAKE IT SOCIAL. Why not make
a Mini-Joe for tweets or posts? You
could tweet five times a day for a
month, or challenge yourself to
respond to five tweets a day from
others to broaden your network.
Joe Janes provides the inspiration,
but you can make whatever rules
help you crank out the words. Take
these ideas and adapt, alter, twist or
subvert them. Come up with your
own Mini-Joes. Remember: The only
wrong way is to not write at all.
Mark Peters is a freelance writer, writing
teacher and humorist. He writes for Visual
Thesaurus, Salon and McSweeneys. His
own humor can be found in the Twitter
accounts @wordlust and @CNNyourmom.
Win your self-published work the attention

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Deadline: April 1, 2015
MEET THEAGENT
BY KARA GEBHART UHL
Adriann Ranta
WOLF LITERARY SERVICES
San Francisco native, Adriann Ranta is a third-generation agent:

Her grandmother is literary agent Barbara Kouts, her great-
step-uncle founded Philip G. Spitzer Literary Agency, and her mother
was a book editor who also did some agenting. I actually spent most
of my childhood not understanding what all these book people did,
but I beneted from always being surrounded by books, she says.
Annamarie Tendler,
The Daily Face
Ranta landed her rst publishing job at The Editorial Department,
Joe Nelms,
Formerly Fingerman
a rm of freelance editors based in Tucson, Ariz. On New Years

Eve 2007, she relocated to New York City and took a job assisting
Kathleen Anderson at Anderson Literary, then in 2009 joined Wolf
Literary, where shes now senior agent and vice president.
REPRESENTS
Lee Kelly,
City of Savages
Find her complete submission guidelines online at wolit.com and

connect with her on Twitter at @AdriannRanta.
SEEKING
Modern feminism
The Cookbook
Pitch: A sprinkle
of romance, a dash
of intrigue
Voice-y ction
Refreshing nonction
All stripes of young adult
Soulful middle-grade
QUERY PET
PEEVES
Obvious form
letters.
PITCH TIPS
Quote:
Sleep is good.
Books are better.
George R.R. Martin
Know what your book is

and what makes it unique
dont pitch the synopsis.
Recognize the parts of
your pitch that get people
excited and cobble those
parts together. Practice
and adapt.
Make it fun and exciting to talk about your
bookrelax!
ROLE MODELS
I try to check myself against the other
book agents in my family, Barbara
Kouts and Philip Spitzer, who are
always generous and kind with
their advice and time regardless of
their massive success. Im endlessly
inspired by them.
DREAM PROJECT
& CLIENT
My dream project
would be some clever
literary ction ltered
through [the website for women] The
Hairpin. My dream
client is one whose
writing blows my
mind wide open, but
who is still humble
enough to listen
to suggestions.
Drink:
Coffee with
2 percent milk
MOST PROUD OF
Im proud of everything my authors do,
but when Stephenie
Meyer announced [in
2013] that she was
optioning my client
Kendare Blakes Anna
Dressed in Blood at
the Sundance Film
Festival, Ive never
pride-cried so hard in
my life. I was at the
hair salon.
Place:
Dionis Beach,
Nantucket, Mass.
FAVORITE
Living author:
Caitlin Moran
Website:
Jezebel.com
Poem:
Dead author:
September
1, 1939
Norman Maclean
by W.H. Auden
Kara Gebhart Uhl (pleiadesbee.com) writes and edits from Fort Thomas, Ky.
ADRIANN RANTA JOHN ZURHELLEN; COOKING UTENSILS FOTOLIA.COM; DIONIS BEACH PHOTO FLICKR.COM/INDABELLE
Pitches that try to

sell a books theme
or moral purpose
before the story.
BREAKINGIN
Debut authors: How they did it, what they learned, and why you can do it, too.
BY CHUCK SAMBUCHINO
Brooke Davis
Lost & Found
Dutton Adult,
January) A 7-year-
old girl named Millie

is abandoned by
her mother, so two octogenarian
friends follow Millie on a road trip
across the Australian desert to help
nd her mom.
Perth, Australia.
I had some short stories
and nonfiction pieces published in
Australia, but this is my first novel.
I did attempt a novel when I was
10. It was basically just a rip-off of
The Baby-Sitters Club, and luckily
because it was abominable!I gave
up about 20 pages in. TIME FRAME:
I wrote it over five years as part of a
Ph.D. in Creative Writing at Curtin
University in Western Australia.
ENTER THE PUBLISHER: I work as
a bookseller in Australia, and the
account managers from the publishers were always asking me about the
book I was writing. When I finished,
one of them read it, and liked it, and
took it to the head office of Hachette
Australia. They ended up publishing
my book. So being involved in the
industry was really helpful for me.
ENTER THE AGENT: I was put in touch
WRITES FROM:
PRE-LOST:
with my Australian agentBenython

Oldfield from Zeitgeist Media
Group Agencythrough a friend
in Australia. I sent Benython a copy
of my manuscript the day after Id
been made an offer from [Hachette].
ADVICE FOR WRITERS: Work hard, be
patient and become part of a writing community. Get involved in the
industry in some capacityeven
as a volunteerto gain a better
understanding of how it all works.
WEBSITE: milliebird.com. NEXT UP:
As soon as I get some time, Ill start
writing the second book! Ill never
have a first book out again, so, for
now, Im just enjoying the feeling of
completing that goal.
Jessica Lidh
The Number 7
(young adult, Merit
Press, December
2014) When
16-year-old Louisa
receives a haunting
phone call that unearths a buried
family secret, she has to choose
between revealing the truth or
keeping it hidden forever.
WRITES FROM: Rockville, Md. PRE-7: I

was working as a part-time manager
of a Swedish antique shop while
applying to graduate programs. Now
Im a high school English teacher
with an M.Ed., a book Im proud of
and a house full of Swedish antiques.
TIME FRAME: For 10 months, I wrote
in the mornings before work. While
at work, I also took advantage of
Swedish customers who wandered
in. I sat the older ones down and
asked them to tell me what they
remembered about Sweden in the
40s. ENTER THE AGENT: I found
Dee Mura Literary in the Guide to
Literary Agents [WD Books]. Kimiko
Nakamura is my agent. I was so
lucky to find her. The GLA was the
best $30 investment I ever made.
WHAT I LEARNED: I now approach
books Im reading as case studies. Whats working? Whats not?
How can I learn from other peoples
stories and techniques? PLATFORM: I
have a website with a blog, a Twitter
account, a Facebook author page
and a Goodreads author account.
WEBSITE: jessicalidh.com. NEXT UP:
Im halfway through writing my
second YA novel.
BROOKE DAVIS PHOTO AILSA BOWYER
(literary ction,
Angelina
Mirabella
The
Sweetheart
(historical ction,
Simon & Schuster,
January) 17-year-old Leonie
Putzkammer leaves her home

to train at Joe Pospisils School
for Lady Grappling in the Florida
panhandle and begins a brief but
life-altering career as a professional wrestler.
Ithaca, N.Y. PREI completed a masters

degree in English with an emphasis
on creative writing at Florida State
and wrote a short-story collection
for my thesis. I published three
of the stories in literary journals
before beginning work on The
WRITES FROM:
SWEETHEART:
Sweetheart. TIME FRAME: I started

the novel in the spring of 2006 and
sold it in 2012. ENTER THE AGENT:
In 2007, I attended the Sewanee
Writers Conference, where I
had the good fortune to be in a
workshop that was led by a writer
I have long admired, Tony Earley,
who liked [my novel] well enough
to share it with Regal Literary
founder Joe Regal. Thankfully,
Joe liked it, too. My agent is
Markus Hoffmann at Regal. WHAT
I LEARNED: I learned to be patient
and listen to my doubts. Relatedly,
one of the nicest surprises was how
much help I got from my agent and
my editor in the revision process.
Luckily for me, I found people who
saw the books potential and were
willing to help me make it better.
MAKE YOUR TIME WORK

Find tips for making more hours to
write at writersdigest.com/editorblogs/guide-to-literary-agents.
Have one
person in your life who can read and
care about your work while you are
working in the dark. It is hard to put
one foot in front of the other unless
there is at least one person who is
cheering you on. WEBSITE: facebook.
com/angelina.mirabella.3. NEXT UP:
I plan to spend the year working on
a new novel. Fingers crossed. WD
ADVICE FOR WRITERS:
Chuck Sambuchino is the editor of Guide

to Literary Agents and Childrens Writers &
Illustrators Market. His WD Books include
Create Your Writer Platform, and his latest,
Get an Agent.
Become a Screenwriter in just one year.

Your creativity and command of storytelling can
make your script the cornerstone of the project.
Make sure you know your craft:
Writing powerful screenplays

The art of storytelling
Making your dialogue sing
Editing your script
Learn more at
vfs.edu/screenwriter
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Characters,
Scene by Scene

BY DAVID CORBETT
2015
n The Art of Dramatic Writing, Lajo Egri encourages

writers to craft detailed biographies of their characters
focusing on three principle areas: physical, psychological and sociological.
I obediently employed this method for my first two
novels, only to find it lacking. Inevitably, Id end up with a
static laundry list of information that helped me describe
the characters but offered little guidance in dramatizing
how they might behave.
Ultimately I discovered the truth to what many writers
had told me (but I hadnt quite believed)that once the
writing started, the characters took on lives of their own,
taking me in directions I hadnt anticipated.
Now thats all well and good as long as the characters
take you somewhere interesting. But even interesting
characters cant rescue a meandering narrative (the proverbial Beginning, Muddle and an End that Philip
Larkin famously bemoaned).
So: How to get in all the critical information the laundry list biographical method attempts to accumulate
(and dismiss with the irrelevant information it obliges),
and also gain the living, breathing vividness of characters
with minds of their own?
The key, I discovered, is scene.
How Action Reveals Character

The fact that scenes can open up a character in a unique
and powerful way exposes a simple, fundamental truth:
Characters reveal themselves more vividly in what they
do and say than in what they think and feel.
Words and actions involve choice. They show the character making decisions and dealing with the consequences
in an immediate way, revealing values (the preference for
one option over another) and character (the resilience to
see a choice through).
Scenes test character. And we reveal ourselves most
unequivocally when were tested. It often matters little
how we feel or what we thinkthoughts and feelings can
be changed, replaced by other thoughts and feelings. Our
actions, on the other hand, occur in the world, and cannot
be taken back. Our inner lives matter in exact proportion
to how much they motivate what we do.
What to Explore, What to Ignore

What Im about to discuss is most critical when creating
your protagonist, though it also can be valuable when developing your opponent (so that you make sure the conflict
between these two main characters is meaningful and
interesting, not just a clash of wills or personalities) and

key secondary characters (those who have a profound
emotional impact on the main characters). Just dont get
bogged down in creating backstory for characters who
dont really need it; thats nothing but an industrious form of
writers block.
To the greatest extent possible, focus on envisioning
scenes that serve a purpose in your story-in-progress,
or that reflect meaningfully on the character. That said,
dreaming up emotionally revealing scenes that you may
ultimately discard is no waste of time; its an inevitable
part of the writing process.
Whether or not they have a place in your final story, its
important to delve into key moments of real emotional
impactscenes of helplessnessthat in some way changed
the characters life, her understanding of herself, her standing among others. Theres no need to craft these backstory/
biographical scenes into final form. Mere sketches will do,
enough to give you a vivid impression of the character.
Before you begin, try to have a basic understanding of
your story, especially the three basic elements that will make
it dramatic:
f THE PROBLEM: What the main characters want, both
consciously and unconsciously, and what stands
in their way, both internally and externally. (Often,
what stands in the way is each other. Their wants
are irreconcilable.)
f THE INSIGHT: The crucial revelation the character
gains about himself and/or his world in his struggle
(and failure) to solve the Problem. (This is most true,
and often only true, of the protagonist.)
f THE DECISION : The life-changing choice prompted
by the Insight, allowing the character one last
chance to solve the Problem. (Again, this is primarily
applicable to the protagonist, though it sometimes
can be interesting for the opponent to make a similar, opposite choice.)
Once you have a decent understanding of those elements of your story, youll have a ballpark idea of what
biographical information from a characters past is most
valuable to pursue. Youll also have a reasonably good
idea of what secondary characters need to be in the story,
what roles theyll play and how deeply you need to understand them.
For example, if the characters Problem involves falling
in love, then issues of commitment and self-worth will
often be part of her Problem. So youll want to explore
past moments of pride and success as well as shame and
rejection to flesh out how shes come to feel the way she
does about herself, and how she behaves toward people
shes attracted to. Her Insight will require understanding
how these past incidents have shaped and limited her. Her
Decision will involve a determination to somehow overcome them.
If the characters Problem instead involves facing some
terrifying ordeal, such as combat or tracking down a killer,
youll want to explore past moments of panic and courage,
and key interactions with figures such as parents, teachers,
coaches, siblings, teammatesmoments in which the
characters notions of strength, loyalty and worth were
defined, shaping how he would grow to respond to challenge, danger and authority.
Again, it may turn out you explore areas of the past that
never appear in the final text. But through seeing the character in these life-defining moments, she becomes palpably more real to you. And that translates into a fuller, more
engaging portrayal on the page.
It often matters little how we feel

or what we thinkthoughts and
feelings can be changed, replaced
by other thoughts and feelings. Our
actions, on the other hand, occur in
the world, and cannot be taken back.
How to Add Dimension Using Drama

As noted earlier, the three main areas of characterization
that most writing instruction focuses on are:
f Physical (sex, race, age, attractiveness, health)
f Psychological (love, hate, fear, pride, shame, guilt,
success, failure)
f Sociological (class, education, work, family,
friends, home)
These remain our key areas of concern, but instead of
just accumulating information, ask: How does my characters physical, psychological and sociological makeup affect
his interactions with others? This forces you to picture the
character in scenes, in which this or that element of his
personality or past affects how he interacts with the other
characters in the story.

You do not have to explore all or even most of the following areas for any particular character. Rather, pick two or
five or 10 areas you find particularly interesting or productive, or which speak to the needs of the particular character given the Problem, Insight and Decision at hand. If you
need more, the story will let you know.
Conict engenders fear, because

something is at stake, and the prospect
of losing is always there. What moment
of profound terror or dread changed
your characters life, her condence,
her sense of safety and control?
The Characters Physical Nature

This goes beyond what your character looks like. The focus
should be:
f How does my characters appearance make her feel?
f How does it make others feel about her?
f How do these feelings translate into behavior?
Imagine a few crucial scenes where appearance had a
decisive effect at a key moment in her life.
RACE: The fact that your character is Caucasian or
African American or Latino or Asian is meaningful primarily in the way its shaped how he understands and navigates
the world. Dont be general: Imagine one or more pivotal
scenes in his life when his race played a critical factor in
whether or not he got what he wanted.
AGE: How does your characters age affect how she
engages with others?
Is she a partying 20-something? A buckle-down
30-something? A disillusioned 40-something?
Is she young but wise, having already suffered but survived some terrible loss? (What was it?)
Is she old and sheltered? (Who has protected her?)
HEALTH: Just because your character appears in your
minds eye as in the pink doesnt mean he hasnt at some
point battled death. When in his life was he most ill? Who,
if anyone, took care of him? How has this affected his
understanding of his physical vulnerability? Considering
2015
that scenario alone can often open up a character in a

fascinating way.
ATTIRE: Its not just how the character dresses thats
important, its important to know how she prepares herself
to be seen by others:
Who does she most want to impressor hide from
with how she dresses? Her friends? A lover? A rival?
How much time does she spend getting dressed?
Imagine it. Watch her. Allow it to unfold.
SEXUAL ATTRACTIVENESS: Our sex lives define us in
perhaps the most intimateand thus vulnerableways.
Imagine:
A time when the most beautiful woman in the room
found him attractive.
A date when someone felt disgusted or turned off
by the way he lookedand the moment when this
became painfully clear. How deep and long-lasting is
that wound?
Its important to delve into key

moments of real emotional impact
scenes of helplessnessthat in
some way changed the characters
life, her understanding of herself,
her standing among others.
The Characters Psychological Nature

Areas to explore:
FEAR: Conflict engenders fear, because something is at
stake, and the prospect of losing is always there. What
moment of profound terror or dread changed your characters life, her confidence, her sense of safety and control?
COURAGE: Your story may well concern how your character learns to master or control a debilitating fear. What
moment of courage provided your character with confidence that he could take care of himself if facing danger?
LOVE: Who and what your character loves defines what
is most valuable to her, and what she feels most compelled to defend.
Who does your character love? Is he in her life? If
not, what happened (scene!)?
When did she first realize what it means to love and

be loved?
HATE: Even good people have hatred in their hearts.
Imagine a scene where your character gave in to an overwhelming feeling of hatred for someone else.
SHAME: Humiliation is invaluable for characterization because it involves status among others. When was
your character most ashamed? What did he do, and who
else was present? What form did the humiliation take?
Disgust, abandonment, pity, ridicule?
GUILT: Something morally wrongan act of cruelty, a
theft, a murder, a lieinspires guilt. Whats the worst
thing your character has ever done? Who was hurt by it?
FORGIVENESS: Mercy is a rare state of grace, given the
human hearts propensity for clinging to grievances.
Was your character ever forgiven for the worst thing
she did?
Has she ever forgiven someone else? For what?
FAILURE: How your character responds to failure is a
cornerstone of who he is.
The job he lost, the marriage that fell apart, the
friend he couldnt save: Has he bounced back?
Become wiser? Or has he let that failure define him,
limit him, embitter him?
When else did your character fail terribly? How profoundly did it affect his confidence?
SUCCESS/PRIDE: You need to know when your character
has set out to do something and achieved it, and felt that
swell of pride in her own heart. Looking back on her life,
what would she consider her greatest triumph? Was she
allowed to enjoy it?
FOOD: It may seem curious to include food as an aspect
of a characters psychology, but its often a stand-in for
gratifications the character cant find elsewhere. Food
is solace and ritual. Its preparation is almost as enjoyable as the eating. It conjures two of the senses hardest
to get right on the page: smell and taste. Food mitigates
hardship and rewards patience. Its generosity. Its love. If
youre having difficulty picturing your character, sit her
down at a table and serve her what shes hungry for, or
show her dishing it up for someone else.
DEATH: Every hero must suffer a fundamental confrontation with mortality for his story to be meaningful. The
death may be metaphorical: the destruction of ones reputation, the loss of ones family or livelihood. Or it may be
secondhand: the demise of a cherished love, a devoted
friend, a trusted comrade. But the experience must be
life-changing. Picture your characters first experience
with death, his most disturbing experience with death,

his most shattering loss other than death. How did each
change forever his understanding of life?
The Characters Sociological Nature

Where psychology tracks with the characters inner life,
sociology defines how he navigates the outer world.
FAMILY: This is the crucible in which much of psychological life is forged. Many of ones fears, wants, humiliations,
etc., trace back to some episode with a family member.
(This means some of the scenes that help you flesh out your
characters family background will almost certainly double
up as scenes that help flesh out her psychological nature.)
Picture a crucial scene between your character
and her father that shaped her view of authority,
responsibility, integrity. Or pick a scene when she
learned once and for all if her father respected her,
or when she discovered she was stronger or smarter
than the old man.
Imagine a scene when your character needed comfort,
support or understanding from his motherdid he
get it? Why or why not?
Did your characters grandparents actively engage
with her, perhaps offering wisdom? Did they poison the atmosphere by finding blame with one or
both of the parents? Again, think in scenes.
Which brother(s) and/or sister(s) did the character
see as an ally, an enemy or competitorfor a parents
love, or respect at school or in the neighborhood?
Picture the moment that sealed the alliance or
antagonism.
FRIENDS: Friendship is chosen freely, sustained only
through mutual consent, and unadulterated by family
obligation or sexual desire. Who is your characters closest
friend? When was the friendship most severely tested?
Did it survive? How? Why?
CLASS: How does your character interact with people of
lower or higher social/economic standing? Is she comfortable? Resentful? Is she invited in or kept out?
WORK: What was your characters best day on the job?
Worst day? What happened at work recentlytodaythat
tested his resolve to stay? What was the most life-changing
interaction with a superior or a subordinate or a customer?
RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY: Whether your character is a
believer or not, you need to know what forces shape her
conscience and her sense of purpose in life.
What values inform the way of life she hopes to live,
the kind of person she hopes to be?
What sins does she regularly commit?

What sin has she never committed but might if the
circumstances were right?
What sin would she never commit?
EDUCATION/INTELLIGENCE: Your character has to interact
with people he considers his intellectual peers, his betters,
his inferiors.
How does his education level affect the people he talks
to at work, the TV shows he likes, the jokes he tells?
Did he have a teacher who made a difference in his
life? Imagine the moment(s) when that occurred.
HOME: Where does your character feel she belongs?
Picture a crucial scene that conjures for your character the
sense of belonging she identifies with home. Does she live
there? If home is elsewhere, does she long to go back? Or
has something happeneda scandal, a tragedy, a lossthat
bars her return forever?
TRIBE: Consider the group of individualsthe tribe
with whom your character identifies: his office mates, congregation, fellow volunteers, neighbors. Who is his closest
ally in the tribe? His staunchest enemy? Imagine a scene
that tests his allegiance, or where he betrays, defies or even
leaves the tribe.
In conclusion, compare this:
Avery McNaughton is 22 years old, 5-foot-6, smart and a
little overweight, with chestnut hair and green eyes. She
was born in Boston but now lives in Houston, working as a
lawyer. She dresses sensibly, lives in a two-bedroom apartment overlooking the ship channel, seldom socializes and
reads voraciously.
with this:
Avery McNaughton almost died from pneumonia when
she was 6 after an ice-skating accident. Her older brother
Mark read to her when she was bedridden. Thats when her
love of literature began. Mark died in a car accident at age
22, and Averys terror at falling through the ice returned.
Shes never felt safe in the world since. She moved from
Boston to Houston to escape her memoriesand winter.
She has no friends, wants none and dresses as though trying to be invisible.
Which one gives you a better start on a story? WD

David Corbett is the award-winning author of ve novels, the story
collection Killing Yourself to Survive and the nonction work, The Art
of Character. Find him online at davidcorbett.com.
2015
How to Craft
Flawless Dialogue

mong the many folktales I absorbed in my spongelike childhood, a particularly disturbing one stands
out. A morality fable called Toads and Diamonds,
it concerned a nasty widow who lived in a backwoods hut
with her two daughtersone good, one awful just like her
mother. The mother favored the one like her, and forced the
sweet one to haul water every day from a faraway spring.
One day while the girl was drawing water, a bent old
crone appeared and asked for a drink. The girl kindly gave
it, whereupon the crone revealed herself to be a magical
pixie who bestowed a charm: Whenever the good sister
spoke, flowers and precious gems would fall from her lips.
The girl ran home to share the news, spewing beauty with
every word. The greedy mother wanted the same gift for
her other daughter, and nagged her to hike to the spring
to offer a drink to the old hag.
When the awful daughter got there, a beautiful lady

dressed in finery happened by. She asked for water and
the girl answered rudely, observing that the lady could
easily help herself. Whereupon the shape-shifting pixie
leveled a curse that caused snakes and toads to fall from
the nasty ones mouth when she spoke.
Ive never heard any story that more literally captures
the essential nature of dialogue.
Everybody uses terms such as a gem of an expression and pearls of wisdom. Book reviewers frequently
praise sparkling or crystal clear dialogue. We all intuitively know that great character conversations, like fine
gems, are spare, transparent and polished. And while they
reflect light and truth, they also have hidden depths.
Good writers know that dialogue should always serve
more than one purpose. It can help establish and develop
PHOTO FOTOLIA.COM
BY ELIZABETH SIMS
virtually every other essential element of fine fiction,

including plot, theme, style, mood, your voice as an author,
your characters voices, backstory, setting (both place/
region and time period), pace, tension, conflict and subtext.
Great writers dig even deeper, mining for opportunities
to use dialogue to advance the story specifics of their genre.
Instead of info-dumping via a narrator, use speech to:
f Drop clues, plant red herrings, raise questions
(mystery/thriller)
f Explain the realities of the world youre building
(sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal)
f Gain trust, betray it, create poetry (romance)
f Explore philosophical questions (literary)
f Give warnings and ignore them (horror)
f Establish the limits of law and lawlessness (Western).
Lets see how to create and serve up your own box of
jewels (while keeping the toads at bay).
1.
Begin, of course, by mining for gems.
One way to get good at writing dialogue is to make

a point of noticing real dialogue. (Keep a notebook or
smartphone app handy to capture memorable snippets.)
Think back to an argument or intense discussion you had
in the recent past. Write it out as best you remember. Im
thinking about the guy I confronted at the carwash for
deliberately cutting ahead of me in line. As we watched
our cars go through, we had this exchange:
Me (with a smile): You know you cut in front of me,
dont you?
He (after pause of incredulity): I dont know what
youre talking about!
Me (nicely, quietly): Well, I was over there, waiting for
Jerry to signal
He (louder): I dont know what youre talking about!
Me: Well, see
He: I didnt come here to be ACCOSTED! I didnt
come here to be ACCOSTED!
Theres no way I would have come up with that line; it

sounds real because it was realand well worth capturing.
By the way, all caps (used sparingly) can signify volume;
italics (ditto) can signify emphasis.
Another way to get some terrific dialogue literally

under your fingers is to copy a passage from a great novel
or play. Just head to your bookshelf, grab a book you love,
find a scene of dialogue, and write or type it word for
word, punctuation mark by punctuation mark. I guarantee youll learn at least one key thing to apply to your
own work.
2.
Know that for dialogue to dazzle, your

characters must wear it well.
The basic protocol for dazzling dialogue development

starts with getting your cast together. Determine the
minimum number of characters you need for the scene at
hand. Then:
f See it. Taking time to first visualize the scene in your
minds eye will make the writing go more smoothly.
f Hear them talk.
f Give them all the words they need.
f Edit later.
A simple, effective way to characterize through dialogue is to individuate your players with vocal markers.
Such distinctive markers are shamefully easy to cook up
and drop into dialogue. Dashiell Hammett made the character of Casper Gutman in The Maltese Falcon memorable
by endowing the cold, calculating fellow with elaborately
mannered speech: Oh come, come, my boy .
You can invent endless possibilities for this kind of thing:
f An insecure character might end sentences with
I think, or begin them with, Well, lemme see
f A character who has served in the military might
call men sir and women maam.
f Current or period slang can also individuate well:
That kills me.
Check those gams.
Yeah, he gave his full drunkalogue at the rst meeting.
Dialogue is not only a vehicle for adding life to your

characters, but also for revealing who they really are.
Let your characters words betray their opinions.
You expect to get all the way to Cheyenne in two
days, hitching?
2015
Dont underestimate me. I killed seven men in Venezuela,

all in the same night.
Show your characters clawing for their deepest desires

by making them talk around the point.
Norah, noticing Teds stained jacket and pants, steered
him into the kitchen. She offered tea.
Well, Im homeless again! he declared joyfully.
You dont say. She poured a large mugful for him.
Looks like I might have toyou know, sleep rough for
a while.
What happened? You just got settled into that nice
If youre going to grill me like a criminal, I wont stand
for it. But, hey, is that back bedroom still open?
He never said your back bedroom.
No. Im using it as my music studio. I give lessons there.
This is an example of subtext. If you read between the

lines, its obvious that Ted wants Norah to offer to take him
in, and its equally obvious that Norah doesnt want to, but
their sparring makes the interchange more interesting
and realthan if either of them were up front about it.
agency might ask the nervous interviewee how the cross

town traffic was, before inquiring about his experience
as a CIA operative in Syria. Its of no consequence, just
something to disarm the person. But in fiction, unless
theres significance to the job-seekers experience on the
crosstown bus, it goes away. You might write:
After a minute of terse small talk, Bonner got to the point:
I want somebody who can tell me who ran the village
of Al-Masrab from 1986 to 91.
Half of Elmore Leonards reputation was built on dialogue, which itself made up half of his books. He had a
superb ear for lingo, and he was economical as heck.
From Road Dogs:
I didnt cut the man up, I shot him in the head.
After you robbed him?
The man dissed me.
Herman Wouk kept the pace moving in The Caine

Mutiny by having his characters interrupt one another
rapid-fire, changing course as they went:
Well, I like Mozart, Willie said dubiously, but
Shes cheap, said Mr. Dennis.
Cheap?
Dialogue is not only a vehicle for

adding life to your characters, but also
for revealing who they really are.
3.
Remember that jewels need a setting.
Bring the talk (and your setting) to life by putting in

a detail of your characters surroundings, or a bit of physical
business. This can be a part of the dialogue, or an aside
that breaks up an exchange:
Is this snow ever going to stop? Its obliterating our tracks!
Jordan ddled with his tie clip as he listened.
4.
Cut away the extraneous.
Weve all bumped into someone who was wearing

too much bling. Jewelry is supposed to complement a
persons inherent beauty or handsomeness, not overpower
it. The watchword here is economy.
In real life, people often exchange pleasantries before getting down to brass tacks. A recruiter for a new government
Even the briefest dialogue, if done well, can quickly

establish character and motivation. Its especially appropriate when one of the speakers is a child. Consider
the quickness of mind and limited vocabulary of the
young. This from Stephen Kings The Shining (note that
the first thing spoken is two sentences, and the rest are
each only one):
Hes nice, but hes also a grown-up. And hes very careful not to say things like that in front of people who
wouldnt understand.
You mean like Uncle Al?
Yes, thats right.
Can I say it when Im a grown-up?
I suppose you will whether I like it or not.
How old?
You can do the same. Compare the following examples.

Which is stronger?
Did you set the parking brake?
No! Isnt that obvious?
You forgot?
I was only gone a minute!
Screw it, lets get out of here.
versus:
You forgot to set the parking brake?
I was only gone a
Screw it, lets get out of here.
5.
Apply pressure to improve the grade.
Tension escalates when one character is reluctant

to tell something and another wheedles it out. A good
way to do this is to have a character posit something false,
thus goading another to spill the truth. (In real life, you
can learn this technique from passive-aggressive personality types.)
So I guess Zoltan gets off scot-free, right?
Its none of your business.
Everybody says you didnt hold him accountable.
Well, thats just not so!
Its OK for a character to simply blurt something, indicating that the internal pressure has become just too great.
This is fun to do with children or childlike characters:
DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH

Looking for a simple method for skimming over rough
dialogue in your rst draft, then making it dazzle later? Learn
how Sims does it, step by step: writersdigest.com/jan-15.
Howd you know the pteranodon was even there?

Saw it out of the corner of my eye.
Its also OK to (sparingly) use more crudely phonetic

passages to characterize a voice:
Dont be so ump-patient!
Avoid giving narrative explanations of dialogue:

Get out of my face! he yelled. Sometimes he just got sick
of her, and this was one of those times.
The second sentence is unnecessary.

Consider most adverbs and unusual dialogue tags your
Kryptonite, and above all avoid the dreaded combo:
I win, he uttered sneeringly.
Not again, she groaned loudly.
I know youre not allowed to say, so dont worry about it.
Its true, he proclaimed in a whisper.
Dammit! Dammit! Josephine and Estelle are having an

affair! There! Are you happy now?
It works, its funny and it unquestionably moves the

story forward.
An abrupt shift also can work wonders:
The Thames is pretty down here by Greenwich, isnt it?
To be sure.
You and Esther enjoyed many a happy hour together
on that very bank, didnt you?
Yes, we did, picnicking. I miss her terribly.
Well, when you murder someone, its easy to start
missing her, isnt it?
On a more subtle note:

I hope you fellows have found the car by now.
We did. Looks like someone stripped and dumped it
on the east side.
The east side?
6.
Appreciate raw beauty.
Often aspiring dialogue writers fall prey to TermPaper Grammar Syndrome, in which everybody speaks
in complete sentences, with correct punctuation. Steer
clear by dropping words once in a while and letting characters relax into their speech:
7.
Dont over- (or under-) do it.
Economy is great, but how do you really know when

you have too much dialogue, or not enough? When you
get to the polishing stage:
f Break up mega-paragraphs, whether narrative or
dialogue. That is, let neither your narrator nor your
characters get long-winded.
f Opt for dialogue over narration when possible. If it
needs to be said, can dialogue do it?
f Be as sparing with dialogue as with description.
f If you feel your characters are flat, ask yourself if
theyre talking enough.
f Trust your beta readers. If your reliable writing
group, agent or editor says theres too much dialogue or not enough, consider tinkering.
If you follow even a few of these guidelines, youll be
surprised at how much livelier your fiction will feel. Youll
enjoy your writing and revising time, your readers will be
delighted, and perhaps one day youll be stumbling over
piles of pearls, rubies and rave reviews. WD
Elizabeth Sims (elizabethsims.com) is a mystery novelist, WD

contributing editor and the author of Youve Got a Book in You: A
Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams (WD Books).
2015
Tension &
Release

oure stuck.
Your story has a great hook, a killer opening, and
an unforgettable climax, but you can already tell that
the pace of the journey from beginning to end is too slow.
No. Thats not going to work. So you decide to build in
a climactic sequence right there in the middle.
However, then you face a new problem: How do you
keep readers flipping pages past the resolution of the midbook climax and through to the even-more-climactic
final climax in the last act?
Is there a way to balance all this out? Is there a way

to keep readers enthralled through the buildup and
resolution of multiple plot points as they move on to
the finale?
Can you really continue to escalate a story even after
youve closed up some of its threads?
The answer is yes.
And it all has to do with the interplay of subplots, narrative promises, structure, pace and reader expectations.
Heres how to pull it off.
PHOTO FOTOLIA.COM
BY STEVEN JAMES
1.
Understand the dynamics of

reader engagement.
Readers want to wonder, worry, anticipate and hope.

Theyll set a book down if they (1) dont know whats
going on, (2) dont understand why its going on or (3)
dont care that its going on.
So give them what they want: an excuse to keep turning pages.
First, keep them oriented to the central struggles of the
story. Nothing is as confusing as action without intention.
Readers need to know why a character is doing what she
is doing. So give her a goal rather than simply an activity.
Dont let her just go through the motions. Make it clear
why your characters are acting in specific ways, make the
stakes high enough for readers to care, and always keep
the action believable.
Second, remember that there is nothing as boring as
relentless action.
What? Action can be boring?
Yes. Unwavering, sustained conflict ends up having the
same effect as no conflict at allit wears readers out and
causes them to lose interest.
Thats why stories that draw readers in and strike them
as honest about life have moments between the action
sequencesjust as real life does. At the climax of each of
your escalating acts, therell be a moment of calm as the
characters process what just happened and make decisions that lead to the next scene.
The greater the buildup to the climax, the more important that interlude is.
But during those interludes you can lose readers.
Too many stories stall out and languish in the mire of
reorientation after exciting sequences.
So when you look again to your story, dont just add
more problems. Add more promises. Keep readers guessing, caring and worrying.
How?
f Keep them guessing through twists, plot turns, mysteries, secrets and revelations.
f Keep them caring by creating characters worthy of
their attention, emotion and time.
f Keep them worrying by having danger crouch in the
background or hover on the horizon.
f And even more important, keep readers longing for
things to be different.
To create longing youll need to induce both empathy
with and concern for your characters. In real life when we
care about someone whos in a crisis, we long for things to
be resolved, for the situation to be different. This is just

as true of our relationship to fictional characters.
Strive to do more than convince readers to care about
your characters. Take it deeper. Skewer readers on the
longing they have for those characters to achieve their
unmet desires. Let that lead them through the story.
2.
Reevaluate the structure of your story.
3.
Overlap promises that matter.
If you take a textbook approach to structure, the

number of acts youre trying to use might be counterintuitive to the type of story youre trying to tell.
Some stories work well in three acts. Others need two.
Or four. Or more. Stories move from origination into
tension, then through escalating cycles of conflict until
they reach a satisfying conclusion. Dont get trapped
into thinking that this has to happen in a certain number of acts.
In the traditional three-act paradigm, stories often
falter in the long second act. Even those who teach this
approach talk about the story sagging in the middle.
If you find thats the case with your story, consider
(1) moving the second acts climax forward, (2) breaking
the story up into four (or more) acts rather than three, or
(3) adding subplots to enrich your story and to provide
staggered moments of resolution.
Every story is unique, and the pace of your storys
movement toward the climax needs to be unique as well.
Be wary of anyone who suggests you fix your narrative by
recasting it so that it fits into his formulawhatever that
might be. Instead, look carefully at the pace of your story
based on how it reads rather than how well it meshes with
a certain predetermined theoretical framework.
Trust your instinct over your outline.
Start thinking beyond the conventions of two-, threeor four-act structure and instead view your story as a
dynamic whole with interlaced promises that build and
pulse and inform each other on the way to the climax.
Stories have rhythms, beats. They pause and

regroup; they rocket forward into unforgettable sequences
of action and resolution.
This naturally happens as the ever-escalating heartbeat
of tension/release takes readers on a journey deeper into
emotion, deeper into themselves.
Stories are about more than just whats happening on
the page at any given moment. Theyre about promises,
anticipation, fulfillment and satisfaction.
2015
EVERY SUBPLOT WILL:

Promises come in two forms: overt and implied. Overt

promises often originate from the characters themselves:
Ill meet you at ve oclock for our meeting. Dont be late.
Im not going to rest until I catch Bens killer.
Hes got a twist waiting for you at the end that you would
never expect.
These promises tell readers straight-out whats coming

and create either anticipation or apprehension, depending
on the specific promise being made.
Implied promises, on the other hand, come from subtext,
backstory or from readers implicit understanding of story.
For example, if the killer is caught on page 250 of a
500-page novel, readers are thinking, OK, hes either going
to escape or get set free on some sort of technicality.
They know this not because you told them it was going
to happen, but because they already instinctively understand narrative principles.
Note that foreshadowing differs from promise-making.
Foreshadowing is used to eliminate coincidences. Promises
are made to elicit interest.
Dead spots in a story line happen when a promise isnt
being made or keptbut a story thats rich in promises is
a story thats hard to put down.
So, layer in, overlap and intertwine the overt and
implied narrative promises, and youll move readers up to
and then past moments of resolution in your story.
4.
Stagger the resolution of

plot threads.
Closure is the enemy of tension, but tension is the lifeblood of your story. So if you include too much resolution
too early youll undermine your readers engagement with

the story. What about a mid-book climax, then?
Well, we sustain tension when we have different levels
of struggles relating to the protagonists journey. These
struggles revolve around how your character deals with
himself, with others, and with the world around him.
So, your detective might be struggling with depression
(inner turmoil), trying to catch the killer (external quest)
and also attempting to salvage her marriage after her husbands affair (interpersonal crisis).
Make the most of the interplay of these three facets of
your plot. The tension will increase as she faces setbacks
in each areaand if closure occurs on one level (for
example, she reconciles with her husband), theres still
underlying tension to keep readers engaged.
Bring that to the forefront of their attention.
And remember that these struggles might originate,
escalate and resolve at different times.
As you stagger the moments of resolution, remember
to keep readers oriented to the characters intentions and
the stakes. Use reversals, in which the things that appear
to be good are actually devastatingly bad. Keep questions
alivenot necessarily if a character will find closure, but
how. And sustain the narrative momentum as the strands
of the story escalate in tension.
5.
Use mystery and suspense to

your advantage.
In a mystery, the crime has occurred and must be solved.

In suspense, its going to occur and must be stopped.
Unanswered questions (mysteries) keep readers flipping pages because of curiosity, whereas impending peril
(suspense) keeps them reading because of concern.
And the event in question doesnt have to be a crime.
Any event in the characters past (or backstory) could
have deeply impacted him. You can provide a slow reveal
that also keeps readers on the edge of their seats as they
look forward to (or fear) the consequences of the secret
coming to light.
Curiosity appeals to intellect and creates intrigue:
Readers wonder what will happen or why it has.
Concern appeals to emotion and creates apprehension:
Readers worry about what will happen and what the consequences will be when it does.
Use the interplay of curiosity and concern to keep
readers engaged. Alternate between letting them desire
whats coming (closure, a happy ending, etc.) and dreading that it will (pain, suffering, dramatic plunges, etc.).
And heres the secret: Always keep either curiosity or
concern alive until the final climax of your story. For
example, if you resolve suspense in one area (the crime

is thwarted) keep the mystery alive in another (they still
dont know who the perpetrator is).
Conversely, if a mystery is solved (they discover the
villains identity), keep the suspense alive (they must now
stop him before he strikes again).
At the end of every act, accentuate the mystery or suspense that has become primary at that point in the story.
Use the interplay of curiosity and

concern to keep readers engaged.
Alternate between letting them desire
whats coming (closure, a happy ending,
etc.) and dreading that it will (pain,
suffering, dramatic plunges, etc.).
6.
Capitalize on multiple plotlines.
Every relationship your protagonist has will provide you with an opportunity for a subplot. This doesnt
mean youll pursue all of these potential story threads, but
it does mean that you can capitalize on the most important ones to keep readers engaged.
Think of subplots as layers of unmet desire that intertwine with, rather than simply parallel, the main plot. If a
subplot has nothing to do with the main characters journey toward her unmet desire (or object of desire), then it
can probably be cut.
Effective subplots do more than add texture to stories;
they provide opportunities for you to spread out mini climaxes and resolutions throughout the novel.
In my novels featuring FBI criminologist Patrick Bowers,
I often give him two apparently unrelated cases to solve.
Readers rightly expect that the two plotlines will eventually
intertwine. Making it seem as if there are parallel plots can
be a way of drawing readers in as they wonder, What do
these story lines possibly have to do with each other?
Multifaceted plots like this provide a strong underlying
layer of conflict: Even as Agent Bowers moves forward
with one case, the other one is there in the background.
While one of the story lines might rise to the forefront at
any given moment, both are essentially facets of the same
plot rather than either one being subordinate to the other.
In multifaceted plots, there needs to be more than just
a coincidental or tangential connection between the story
lines. The more central the connection is in retrospect

late in the storyand the more invisible it is at firstthe
more satisfying itll be when its revealed.
Using multifaceted story lines broadens the storys
appeal, helps it span genres, deepens readers engagement
and ratchets up the tension.
7.
Remind readers of the riptides.
An ocean might appear calm, but there are always

undercurrents lurking just beneath the surface. And
even when the waves you can see are flowing in one
direction, undertows might be flowing in an entirely different direction.
As it is in the ocean, so it is in your story.
When things start to appear calm, you need to catch
your readers in the riptides and draw them deeper into the
currents of tension running through the sea of your story.
How?
f Point out the overt promises, mysteries and unanswered questions.
f Slowly reveal clues that uncover a long-hidden skeleton in the closet or explain a unique character trait
that has been present throughout the story.
f Emphasize the time crunches or introduce a countdown to the climax.
f Use multiple point-of-view characters to layer in
conflict, accentuate story lines or build subplots.
f Have characters discuss the difficulty of the quest
(or the task at hand) or the devastating consequences of failure.
f Pivot the narrative so the central struggles of the
story are at the forefront by calling back to mind
what the protagonist wants, or the dueling desires
that are vying for her attention or allegiance.
As you escalate the middle of your story, or keep things
rolling after a mid-book climax, remind readers of the
promises, the plans and the stakes. Work to make sure
theres always escalating tension and unresolved conflict,
as well as unanswered questions, overlapping subplots,
underlying promises or unrevealed secrets.
The resolution will come in the final act, but until then,
entice readers to fly through the book toward that satisfying climax where youve saved the best revelations, secrets
and twists for last. WD
Steven James is a contributing editor to WD. He is the critically

acclaimed, bestselling author of 10 novels as well as the craft book
Story Trumps Structure (WD Books). When hes not writing, trail
running or watching science-ction movies, he teaches creative
storytelling around the world.
2015
Why So Many
Writers Give Up
Mid-Novel
(& How Not to Be One of Them)

PHOTO FOTOLIA.COM
BY TRACEY BARNES PRIESTLEY
would be willing to wager that most writers have

made New Years resolutions regarding their writing
practices. I know I have.
Curious about this, I canvassed a few of my writer
friends. Sure enough, many of them had frequently participated in this annual tradition that dates all the way
back to the Babylonians. Each writer had faced January
with a deep commitment and heartfelt enthusiasm for
those resolutions. One promised herself shed finish the
first draft of her novel. Another told me she had written
on her dry-erase board, in big, bold letters, I will clean
up the dialogue mess thats drowning this book. The least
experienced of them, an as yet unpublished young man
full of enthusiasm for his craft, swore he would silence
my inner critic and keep writing, no matter what.
I followed up by asking them how successful they had
been in keeping those resolutions. Unfortunately, all had
experienced the same thing: disappointment. No matter
how hard they tried, they had ultimately been unable to
make good on what they had resolved to do.
I knew exactly what they were talking about. I gave up
creating New Years resolutions about my writing years
ago when I found myself at the end of yet another cold
January, with nothing more to show for all of my efforts
than an exercise in futility. I was left feeling a range of
emotions, from guilty to downright silly.
Its actually quite comical just how few of us keep our
New Years resolutions. Its estimated only 45 percent of the
population even tries to resolve making changes in the New
Year. Of these brave souls, a mere 8 percent are successful.
Yet Ive wondered if writers might be even more
inclined than the general public to approach the New Year
with a list of things we want to change, accomplish or do
differently. We seem ripe for this kind of experience. As
creative thinkers, we face a unique set of circumstances
when it comes to producing our work. Alone in whatever
space we can manage for our writing, we pound away
at the keyboard, with our thoughts, our characters, our
struggles and the never-ending reality that we aspire to
a tough, highly competitive profession. Why wouldnt
we try to capitalize on the fresh start, the clean slate that
January offers us? Magical thinking is right up our alley!
Why Our Writing Can Stall

In my work as a life coach, Ive come to believe that our
writing can be derailed because of two fundamental processes. The first, naturally, is the very nature of our craft,
the writing process itselfthink plotting, character development, etc. Unfortunately, this intrinsic set of challenges
dwells right alongside our individual writing processes
complete with procrastination, destructive thought
patterns, negative experiences, ambiguous motivation,
unrealistic expectations, etc. And we wonder why we
cant keep our writing resolutions.
By now youre probably ready to chuck your computer
out the window. Dont! Think of these two processes as
valuable tools. Once you understand how they may be
driving your inability to meet your writing resolutions,
you will be poised to utilize effective strategies that support you and your writing every step of the way.
Whats Holding You Back?

Lets begin by identifying the warning signs that your
writing may be about to stall out. Consider current or
previous writing resolutions you failed to keep. Ask
yourself if you have experienced any of the following: lack
of initiative; inability to prioritize writing tasks; frequent
distraction; failure to establish a consistent writing pace/
routine; inner dialogue that is one negative message
after another; finding yourself simply too busy to get
anything done. This is hardly an exhaustive list. Reasons
writers stall can be varied and unique. Your task is to be
as exactand as honest with yourselfas you can in
identifying what gets in the way of your ability to make
progress on your projects. Make a list.
Next, evaluate this list from the perspective of the
work-in-progress itself. As an example, lets use my writer
friends resolution to finish her first draft.
Every time she sat down at her computer, this writer
felt lost about where the story should go next, and unclear
about the relationship between her two main characters.
She found herself thinking, This is useless, and, Its not a
strong enough idea for an entire bookmaybe I should
ditch the entire thing.
2015
First, she tried to address the problems in the work

itself. She sought craft and technique help with her plot
and eventually resolved some backstory problems that
had delayed the action and confused things between her
characters. But the problems with her own lack of clarity
persisted. Now she was fairly certain that the problem
was within her writing process.
Its estimated only 45 percent

of the population even tries to
resolve making changes in the
New Year. Of these brave souls, a
mere 8 percent are successful.
That meant facing off with her inner critic, which is

always the most efficient place to begin. She looked her
frustration in the eye and began to unravel the negative messages ricocheting around inside her head. Why
exactly was this project useless? After some contemplation, she surprised herself with her answer: Because
I dont have the patience for anything but short stories
certainly not a full-length novel. This statement got
her wheels turning in a new direction. She rethought
her word choice (she is, after all, a writer) and decided
it wasnt really a lack of patiencethis gifted writer was
actually lacking confidence. She found herself wondering:
Ive had some success with short stories, so why am I risking my time and energy on something I dont know much
about? She realized shed been rationalizing away the
entire project, even though writing a novel really was
something she wanted to try.
Once you are able to identify what is really preventing
you from pushing ahead, youll be freed up to construct
writing goals that will actually yield productive results.
For my friend, this meant not just correcting her selfdefeating thoughts, but lifting the expectations she was
unconsciously placing on her unwritten manuscript. It
didnt have to be a success, as her published short stories had been, to be worth her whileor at least, she
needed to redefine what success meant to her. Once you
decide that writing something you want to write is never

a waste of time, regardless of whether or not its published in the end, you might just find that those negative
voices quiet down on their own.
Lets consider another example, the young writer who
swore he would silence my inner critic and keep writing, no matter what.
When he viewed his writing from the perspective of
each of these two processes, he discovered some distinct
problems. He admitted to himself that he felt foolish
in the eyes of others for turning his back on the profession he had trained forengineeringand that he felt
like a fraud because he had not been formally trained to
be a writer. Those were demons he had to face if he ever
wanted to get past Chapter 1.
Next, from the perspective of the writing process, he
realized that while writing a novel was on his bucket list,
he had not really worked out enough of a story idea to
be able to take action on the page.
If youre intimidated by the prospect of writing an
entire novel (and who isnt?), why not set a goal of
writing, say, three chapters? By the time you meet that
smaller, more achievable goal, you might just find you
have an idea for Chapter 4. When it comes to writing,
the laws of momentum applyits infinitely easier to
move toward something when youre already in motion
than it is to start from a dead stop.
How to Avoid Stalling

Now that youve seen how fundamentals that have very
little to do with actual words on a page can derail a
writers progress, lets take a look at what else we can to
do make sure we keep moving.
1.
DITCH THE WORD RESOLUTION ENTIRELY. Its
a setup, one that has been riding on the backs of

people for thousands of years. Instead, set a goal, objective or even intention.
2.
UNDERSTAND WHAT TRULY MOTIVATES

YOU. For some writers, identifying a positive out-
come and working toward it is the most effective form of

motivation. Conversely, other writers are spurred on by a
degree of unrest, even fear.
Write down exactly what is motivating you to meet your
writing goal. Is it a good fit? Does it ring true? If not, identify a more appropriate motivation. When finished, post it
where you can see it when you are writing.
If youre intimidated by the prospect

of writing an entire novel (and who
isnt?), why not set a goal of writing,
say, three chapters? By the time you
meet that smaller, more achievable
goal, you might just nd you have
an idea for Chapter 4.
3.
BREAK IT DOWN. It can be quite worthwhile,
exciting even, to set large goal. Yes, I will finish

my novel this year! But make sure its specificwhich
usually means breaking it down into smaller goals you
can cross off along the way. Remember my friends resolution, I will clean up the dialogue mess thats drowning
this book? It would have been more attainable to
separate this vague notion into three separate goals:
(1) When I hear myself saying negative things like Im
drowning this book, I will stop, write the negative message down, put it into my complaint box and get back to
work (a good practice for anyone working toward any
goal, by the way); (2) Over the next two weeks I will
identify the dialogue passages that are giving me grief;
and (3) By the end of January, I will have rewritten at
least one scene that includes dialogue. Note that the goals
are not just well defined, but action oriented, and that
the second and third goals include a targeted time frame.
Most of us will be more successful if we give ourselves
reasonable deadlines.
4.
BE REALISTIC. Changing behaviors, attitudes
and habits is a process. Rarely does change occur

because of one event or a date on the calendar. (Curious
to know more about why this is? Do some research on the
neuroscience of changeyou will be astounded by what
is required for our poor brains to shift into a new mode.)
5.
IF YOU FEEL FRUSTRATED, PICK A SINGLE

TASKTHE SMALLER THE BETTER. It should be
related to your work-in-progress, but it doesnt have to

be what chronologically comes next in your manuscripts
progression. It does, however, need to be so simple you

cant possibly fail. For example, it may seem like rewriting one page should be easy enough to accomplish, but if
youre not succeeding, the task is too big. Instead, aim to
rewrite one paragraph or even just one sentence. When
you are finished, move onto the next small task. This
approach fights frustrations with success, and builds forward progress into your writing practice.
6.
PAIR UP. Ask another writer to join you in working toward your individual goals in the months
ahead. Youll both benefit from being accountable to one
another, and the mutual support will motivate you to
follow through.
7.
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, TAKE A BREAK. It can
be as simple as getting up from your computer and

walking around the house, or as significant as putting
your project on hold for a month. Stepping away from the
source of our frustration can give us a fresh perspective
and renewed momentum. But be sure to designate an end
point to this refueling period to ensure that it is in fact a
breakand not an excuse not to get up from that chair
and never sit back down.
8.
REALIZE THAT SETBACKS ARE PART OF THE

PROCESS. Every writers road is full of tight
curves, jarring potholes and unexpected bumps. Accept

this inevitability, and you wont be as surprised when
you slam into something that brings you to a screeching
halt. By eliminating the element of surprise, you minimize disappointment, which will help you to recover
and get moving again.
9.
ABOVE ALL, BE PATIENT! Meeting your writing
goals takes time and effort. When you throw out

that laundry list of resolutions and focus your attention
on just one or two well-crafted objectives, youre already
one step ahead of where you were last year. Remember
that 12 months is plenty of time to accomplish your
writing goals if you approach them with understanding,
clarity and objectivity. Heres wishing you every success
in 2015. Happy New Year! WD
Tracey Barnes Priestley is a columnist, blogger and novelist. She is

also a life coach who teaches writers organization, communication
and stress management skills useful for todays publishing world.
Contact her at tracey@thesecondhalfonline.com.
2015
Installment Plans

BY ADRIENNE CREZO
he idea of writing a series is tempting. After all, it seems as though half

the bestsellers on todays bookshelves are new installments in popular
seriesbooks that are all but guaranteed a readership before theyre
even released. But how do you know whether or not your idea has series
potential? Or if the work of sustaining a series is something you would even
want to devote your career to?
We brought together Joel Goldman, Heather Graham, Brenda Novak and
Ian Rankinfour of todays most successful series novelists across a variety
of genresto discuss the secrets of writing multi-book characters, the perks
and drawbacks of unwinding a story thread over the course of many years,
and what they might have done differently if they could go back to Book One.
GOLDMAN PHOTO JUDY WILLIAMS; NOVAK PHOTO MICAH KANDROS; RANKIN PHOTO TIM DUNCAN
MEET THE ROUNDTABLE
JOEL GOLDMAN
HEATHER GRAHAM
BRENDA NOVAK
IAN RANKIN
The New York

The New York Times USA Today
TimesUSA Today

TO GET STARTED, CAN YOU EACH

GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE
SERIES YOU WRITE?
NOVAK: Theres Whiskey Creek, which takes place in a
small town; the sixth book released in [March], and I
just signed for another six, so its long-running. [And]
Ive just finished the first book of a suspense series
thats about a psychiatrist who studies psychopaths
the worst of the worst have been shipped up there
for her to study in this new, sort of breaking-ground
mental-health-facility-slash-prison.
I [previously] did the Bulletproof Trilogy, and
Department 6, which is about private policehired guns.
RANKIN: Ive got a series of police procedurals. The
main character is John Rebus. He was invented in 1985
when I was at university, and I didnt know hed still be
going all this time later, but he just refuses to go away.
The books are set in Edinburgh, in Scotland, where I live.
They usually begin with a true storysomething Ive

read in the newspaper, something to do with the economy, something to do with politics, something to do with
social issues. It gets me thinking. And I just use Rebus as
a way of exploring that.
GOLDMAN: I have three different series, all set in
Kansas City, [Mo.], my hometown. The first features a
trial lawyer named Lou Mason. I was a trial lawyer for 28
years and Lou was born as a result of a partner of mine,
in 1992, coming into my office to complain about another
partner. I said, Lets just write a murder mystery. Well
kill the son of a bitch off in the first chapter and spend the
rest of the book figuring out who did it. And thats what I
did. Thats how all that got started.
And then I started a second series featuring a former
FBI special agent around my age at the time. At the time
I was in my early to mid-50s, I developed a movement
disorder that causes shaking and spasming, and I gave
2015
it to him. As you say, Ian, you like to explore the issues

through your character, I was exploring the change in
my life from the development of this movement disorder through the character. That was a great experience
through three novels. The current series features a woman
named Alex Stone, who is a public defender.
GRAHAM: The first series I did was [historical fiction]
on the Viking founding of Dublin. That was in the early
1980s, and there were several books in which the Vikings
established the city. Then I did one on Americana, the historical taking of Jamestown through the pirate age and the
[American] Revolution and into the Civil War. And then
I did one in Florida because someone told me once that
Florida had no history, so I did a six-book series. I have a
vampire series called [The Alliance Vampires], and more
recently Im doing two things. One is Cafferty and Quinn,
[an antiques shop owner and private eye who solve cases
together]. Theyre established in New Orleans, and [the
books] always have something to do with an object that
creates problems for everyone all around them. And the
other is the Krewe of Hunters. Youre always asked for
the one-sentence [logline] and I say [Krewe of Hunters]
is Criminal Minds meets Supernatural. Theyre FBI
agents, theyve been through the academy, they have all
the right skills, but theyre a separate unit because everyone in the unit has the capability of speaking to the dead.
DO YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT PROCESS

FOR DEVELOPING A SERIES CHARACTER
AS OPPOSED TO A LEAD FOR A STANDALONE NOVEL?
GOLDMAN: Theres not a different process for me initially
in creating the character from the outset. I look forward
to the evolution of the character. How do these experiences impact the characters as they grow? A series gives
you a greater opportunity to do that over time. With a
stand-alone, whatever you want to do with that character,
however different you want that character to
be at the end than from the beginning, you have limited
parameters to accomplish thatone book.
NOVAK: It depends on the kind of series. So in romance,
you could connect the series through a town, like Ive
done with Whiskey Creek, with a different hero and heroine in each book who connect with each other through
living in the same place. But if its going to be like my
suspense series where Evelyn is going to carry the show
through each of the books, you have to have somebody
whos going to have a lot of depth. I think a [series]
character needs to be really smart because people like to

[follow] someone who has a special skill or someone who
is really a good adversary for the villain.
RANKIN: Rebus was created to be a stand-alone. This
was me attempting to write a book about Edinburgh. In
the first draft of the first novel, Rebus is shot and killed.
And for some reason, I brought him back to life in a second draft. And a few books down the line, after Id written
different kinds of books, my editor said, Whatever happened to that Rebus guy? I liked him. And so I thought
Oh, did you? Then Ill bring him back again. I was living
in London, which I hated, so I figured if I brought Rebus
back he could live in London and hate it, as well. And
then I had three books and it was a series, but I never
meant to write a series from the beginning.
You want a satisfying ending, but you

also want them to come back and read
the next book. Keeping that tension alive
and interesting, keeping up the suspense,
is enormously challenging. Novak
Every time youre creating a character, hes

an individual. Hes going to have things that hes afraid
of, things he does and doesnt like. I dont think it matters
so much if its going to be one book or a series, although
with a series you have to be careful with things that
might happen in the future. I think were all always trying to put the elements into someone who isnt all black,
isnt all white, so that youre creating a real, fleshed-out
human being.
GRAHAM:
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO WRITING

SERIES, VERSUS STAND-ALONE NOVELS?
There are benefits to both, but in this current climate I think there are more perks to series. The reason, I
think, is that every new book you pick up you have to put
some work into it, to get into it and learn the characters
and the stories. Its like [going to] a partya big party
where there are a ton of people, and when you have all
these people come up to meet you at once its overwhelming. But if you know a couple of people, its more comfortNOVAK:
able, and you can start with those few people and branch
out until you know everyone in the room. Its the same
way with a series. You go back into a familiar environment, or you have familiar people who are like friends
because youve known them through all these books.
GOLDMAN: One thing I prefer about series is that Im
really interested as a writer in how we evolve over time,
how we change, how we adapt. We cant choose so many
of the things that happen to us, but we can choose how
we react or how we deal with those things. My protagonists make bad choices in one book, and then eventually
they have to answer to that in another book. So theres
not just accountability for the bad guys. There has to be
accountability for the good guys because life has consequences. And I like being able to explore that in characters
and take them along that journey over multiple books.
RANKIN: When I started writing the books I wanted to
explore Edinburgh. I was going to explore the city, its history, the darkness at the edge of time, as it were, and Rebus
was going to have access to all that because hes a cop. And
he was going to be a perfect means to explore the society,
the culture, the commerce and everything. Its an organic
process, because (a) I still havent learned everything
there is to learn about the city, (b) Its a useful microcosm
for things that are happening everywhere, and (c) Rebus
keeps changing with the city. He gets older, and slower.
But there are pros and cons. [When] I was maybe six
or seven books in, I remember my editor saying, Would
you do a stand-alone? Because were really struggling to
sell your books. And you can see why! If youre a reader
whos new to a writer and its book No. 7 in a series, you
go, Well, I cant read this without reading the first six.
And Im not going to invest all that time and effort and
money to get to know these characters and this author
before I get to the new book. Or youre just going to take
a chance on it. Whereas, when youre presented with a
stand-alone, you go, OK, Ive heard of this author, Ill
give it a go.
GRAHAM: I think our digital age is helping out [with
that] a lot. For example, youll hear about a show, its a
wonderful show, on TV. And its like, Its been out for a
while. Im not going to know whats going on. But [now
the earlier seasons are] on Netflix. Its the same thing.
Because of our digital age, its, I found this character, and
I absolutely love him, and here are all his books. Whereas
bookstores before couldnt possibly carry every book
in every series, now people can go back and start at the
beginning because theyre more accessible.
I have friends who are readers, and

theyll ask me to ask other authors to
please come out with new characters.
Can you tell Harlan [Coben] he must?
He must add new characters. And no,
I will not. But I can do that in my own
books; I do it quite often. Graham
WHAT CHALLENGES DOES A LONGERRUNNING SERIES POSE?

Its challenging. Thats the drawback. You have
so much material that you cant screw up because your
readers will not miss anything. They will let you know if
youve changed somebodys name or age, or theyll tell
you, This person couldnt have been doing that because
you said he was doing something else, so continuity
becomes important. I have a bible. My assistant writes
down every name, every age, so that I can go back and
have her double-check for me. I can say, How old is he
now? and she can flip to it and tell me, He was 32 in
the last book and this much time has passed. So we have
at least some way to integrate this massive amount of
information. I do it for the town, too, for Whiskey Creek.
The [bible] tells us what the stores look like so I dont
describe them differently from book to book. And keeping tension is a huge challenge for a series like the one
Im doing with the suspense novels, where you want people to see [the protagonist] overcome her past, but at the
same time if you make it too happily ever after in the first
book, that whole story line is shot. You want a satisfying
ending, but you also want them to come back and read
the next book. Keeping that tension alive and interesting,
keeping up the suspense, is enormously challenging.
NOVAK:
WOULD YOU CHANGE ANYTHING IF YOU

COULD GO BACK TO THE FIRST BOOKS
IN YOUR SERIES?
RANKIN: Theres a lot of stuff in there I would change if
Id thought it was [going to become] a series from the
start. I mean, I made him too old. Hes in his 40s in the
first book, which meant in a successful series that takes
place in real time he was going to end up retiring before
2015
I did. And also I gave him the name Rebus, which means
picture puzzle. I then spent years explaining it to people
because its not a name that people have. And I gave him
this very convoluted backstory, which I then had to bear
in mind for everything that happened afterward. For
example, he has a fear of flying because he trained in a
secret military unit and they tortured him, and I have
to keep all that in my head. So I would have done him
differently if I had thought of him from the get-go as a
series character.
There are pros and cons [for series

writers]. If youre a reader whos new
to a writer and its book No. 7 in a series,
you go, Well, I cant read this without
reading the rst six. Rankin
NOVAK: Its like Ian said about how he started his character when he was too old. I made that mistake, too. I
should have started my Whiskey Creek series with the
characters a little bit younger, because now as the years
go by with all these people, theyre starting to get a little
older than I think my readership would prefer. And thats
a little bit restrictive, I think, in romance.
DO YOU TAKE READER FEEDBACK

INTO ACCOUNT AS YOU PROGRESS
YOUR SERIES?
GOLDMAN: I honestly dont. I thank them, but I cant listen
to those voices. I need to pay attention to the story, and
if I try to please everybody, Im not going to please anybody. The stories do end up in a difference place than I
think theyre going to when I start, so its a hard thing to
take [reader suggestions] into account for me.
RANKIN: In one of the early Rebus novels, Rebus
accidentally kills a cat. That got me into a lot of trouble.
You can kill as many people as you like, but never the
pet. Well, I didnt know that. All that happened was he
got pissed off at this cat, so he locks the cat flaps so it
couldnt get in. And then the cat was eaten by a fox. I got
into a lot of trouble. So, yeah, the negative feedback, you
take that in. Ive not harmed any animals since. And
sometimes, someone will say something like, All the

cars in your books are red. And as soon as someone tells
you that, you never do it again. Im never going to have a
red car again. Or kill a cat.
GRAHAM: I think we get a lot of good feedback from
readers, not just on the characters but also on the mistakes we make. I had a character dive in the Great
Lakes and he died and was found with saltwater in his
lungs. And what killed me was I didnt catch it, my editor
didnt catch it, the copy editor didnt catch itnobody
caught it, until it went to audio and the people who listened caught it.
I have to say, I honestly get nice mail most of the time,
but people will write me and very nicely say that they
understand that Im a Southerner, but someone really
should have told me that the Great Lakes were freshwater. ...
I had another mistake like that, too. I had written
a [trilogy] called the Flynn Brother series, and it was
beginning, middle and end, three books. And then I
had the Krewe [of Hunters series] set in Key West, and
I knew these [two series] werent that far apart in time,
maybe six or seven years. So I had the Krewe end up
working with the [private eye from the Flynn trilogy].
And the [Flynns] were brothers in the first books, but
then cousins in the second appearance.
NOVAK: Im such a pleaser; Im always looking for that
A like when I was in school. I would do whatever it took
to get that A. Peoples approval is important to metoo
much so. Readers kept telling me, Oh we love Cheyenne
and Dylan! We want them to get more page time! And
so in order to give them more, I decided to give them
a challenge thats interesting and wont threaten their
lives or their marriage (which are two untouchables in a
romance once theyre together). So she tells a liefor his
sake, out of love. And the mail was all the same: You do
not lie, regardless of the reason or the intent.
And they were very, very angry, but for Dylan to leave
a woman hes madly in love with because she did something out of love for him, to me thats no kind of hero. Its
a very small-minded point of view to say, I dont care
why you lied, youre out of my life forever, even though
I still love you and you still love me. Thats so flat and
unrealistic. So I was as frustrated with the readers as they
were with me. People either loved it or they hated it.
Its part of this issueits a series, people are invested,
they have expectations, and they were angry at that plot
twist because it didnt meet with those expectations.
HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR CHARACTERS

FRESH BOOK AFTER BOOK? ANY TRICKS
FOR AVOIDING GETTING STALE?
RANKIN: [In] a series you can see occasionally where the
writer has run out of steam or lost interest in the characters and [is] only really doing it because the public
demands more books with this character. That hasnt
happened yet. I havent fallen out of love with Rebus.
Theres still a lot about him that I dont know, and to find
out more I have to keep writing the books. And he keeps
being a really useful tool, a really useful way for me to
look at events or issues that I want to look at.
Im really interested as a writer in how

we evolve over time, how we change,
how we adapt. My protagonists
make bad choices in one book, and
then eventually they have to answer
to that in another book. Goldman
GOLDMAN: You can tell, I think, when a series has

lasted for a really long time and you read the latest book
and you think, Well, OK, he mailed it in. The series gets
kind of tired. And as a writer, I wanted to stay away from
thatI didnt want to end up saying, Well, what am I
going to do with these people now? So Lou Mason, I
took him through an arc, and in the final book of that
series, he ends up being disbarred as a consequence of
choices he made. And I got a lot of email saying, Oh my
God, is he done? Is it over? What happens to him now?
And the second series, the FBI agent, I took him through
a three-book arc. At the end of the series, hes getting on a
plane to leave Kansas City and we never know if hes coming back. But as an author, I felt like I had accomplished
what I wantedwhat I wanted for me with that series. So
I like writing series, but multiple series so that I can maintain that kind of freshness, I hope.
GRAHAM: I do think that people fall in love with series
characters. But it helps, I think, to change things up. Its
fun to write people you know and have worked with a lot,
but its fun too to change things. I have friends who are
readers, and theyll ask me to ask other authors to please
SET YOUR SERIES SOMEWHERE SPECIAL

When it comes to writing a series, a setting can be just
as important as any living, breathing character. Read the
roundtables advice and techniques for personifying place at
writersdigest.com/jan-2015.
come out with new characters. Can you tell Harlan

[Coben] he must? He must add new characters. And
no, I will not. But I can do that in my own books; I do it
quite often.
NOVAK: You dont want to hammer anything in. You
cant beat the reader to death with the same story every
time. Its like, how many times can we mow the same
grass already? You have to avoid reader fatigue and one
way to do that is to let the characters grow and breathe.
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT HOW TO

WRAP THINGS UP AT THE END?
NOVAK: I have purposely done some open-ended series
so that I could do as many books as I want. The Last
Stand series, I can add to it, same with my Department 6
series. Thats private police work, they take on jobs that
theyre hired to do. That one I could continue at any time.
But one that I couldnt continue is the Stillwater Trilogy.
The story is so tightly woven together and the mystery is
solved. Ive had people ask me for the fourth Stillwater
story, and Im like, There is no story. We all know why
the dead preacher is buried in the backyard. Where are
we going to go?
GOLDMAN: What Ive done in my third series, the Alex
Stone series, is Alex gets herself into trouble and shes
accused of murder. Shes defended by Lou Masons aunt,
Claire Mason, who is a criminal defense lawyer, and Lou
is her paralegal because hes disbarred. So these series
characters make an appearance in another series and its
a way for readers who wonder whatever happened to him
to see what hes up to.
GRAHAM: I dont always know. For me it would be like
having my name on my tombstone before I die. My
characters [also] sometimes meet characters from other
series, and I have a lot of fun with that and its a way to
bring them back for readers, even if its only briefly.
RANKIN: Nope. The only thing I thought when [Rebus
had to retire] was, Well, I could kill him. I found a
different job for him instead. WD
Adrienne Crezo is the managing editor of Writers Digest.
Rachel Rene Russell

DORK IS THE NEW COOL
Rachel Rene Russell
stopped practicing
law soon after her
rst middle-grade
novel charted The
New York Times
bestsellers list. Ten
books and a lm
option later, it looks
as if she made the
right choice.
PHOTO SUNA LEE
BY TIFFANY LUCKEY
iddle-grade author Rachel Rene Russell may

be a self-described dork, but it must be pretty
cool to be uncool: Since its debut in 2009, her
Dork Diaries series has sold more than 15 million copies, spent more than 230 weeks on The New York
Times bestsellers list and been translated into almost 30
languages. To top that off, Lionsgate recently acquired the
movie rights to the series, with a film set to release in 2016.
If it seems unbelievable that this type of success would
burgeon in just over five years, thats because it didnt.
Russells journey to becoming a bestselling author began
around the age of 12.
Sometime in middle school in Saint Joseph, Mich.,
Russell decided to craft her first book for kids. She kept
writing through college at Northwestern University. But
after receiving harsh criticism from a creative writing professor there, her confidence to pursue the craft as a career
waned, and she opted to go into law instead.
Russell knew, though, that the career she settled for was
not the career she was meant for. In the late 2000s, after
spending 20-plus years as a bankruptcy lawyer, raising two
children and going through a divorce, Russell returned to
her first love: writing.
The Dork Diaries are the humorous journals of Nikki
Maxwell (named after Russells younger daughter), a
socially awkward 14-year-old whos adapting to life in
a new city and a new school. Each book recounts one
month of Nikkis misadventures in the form of illustrated
journal entries, which detail everything from her run-ins
with resident snob MacKenzie to her desperate attempts
to get her mom to buy her an iPhoneyou know, typical
middle-grade crises.
The reason why I was motivated to write Dork Diaries
was because of my own daughters, Russell says. I was
in an upper-middle-class neighborhood with an uppermiddle-class public school, and my kids just were weird.
Actually, they werent weirdthey were smart, they did
their homework, they were really good kids. But for some
reason, both of them got bullied.
In addition to the regular series, Russell has written
two companion booksDork Diaries 3: How to Dork
Your Diary and Dork Diaries: OMG! All About Me Diary!

which encourage kids to express themselves through
journaling.
Russells daughters, now adults, have become directly
involved with creating the Dork Diaries: Erin contributes
to the writing, while Nikki has taken over the illustrating.
The eighth book, Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-SoHappily Ever After, hit shelves in September, and Book 9
is scheduled for a spring 2015 release.
Here, the soft-spoken 54-year-old Russell talks with
WD from her home in Virginia about the challenges of
writing for a young audience, future plans for her writing,
and showing the publishing industry that its actually cool
to be dorky.
You were a bankruptcy lawyer before the Dork Diaries
series took off. When did you stop practicing law?
After the first book [Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-SoFabulous Life] hit The New York Times bestsellers list, I
phased out my practice. The book was released in June
of 2009, and we hit the bestsellers list probably in the
first week. At that point it became obvious to me that
I could actually make a living as a childrens author. I
thought, Well, I wont take any new clients, and Ill finish up the cases I have. And within a year or so I was an
author full time.
What made you want to write?
It was something I always wanted to do. The first book I

really remember writing was about my [twin] brothers. It
was their birthday, and as a gift I made a book called The
Ronnie and Donnie Book. It was a picture book of maybe
10 or 15 pages about the fact that they liked Frosted
Flakes and they liked playing cowboys. It was a really cute,
badly written book that they really enjoyed. [Laughs.]
I probably did a book a year all the way to adulthood.
For my daughters, I made a book for each of them maybe
every couple of years. It was something I enjoyed doing.
But around the time my kids got to high school, I
stopped doing those little hobby books and was basically
working my butt off trying to get them through college.
Rachel Rene Russell
Theres always the fear that [a book with] an African-American

character is not going to sell as well. I can understand that, but
I think some of it is created by the publishing industry.
During the time they were in college, I was alone at home
and had a lot of spare time. Thats when I started to seriously think about writing again, and I joined an online
book cluban African-American childrens writers
group[in 2008]. To help support each other, we would
do manuscript swaps. I didnt have a [complete] manuscript, but I would swap chapters. And when I did, I would
get such positive reinforcement from the group. They
would say, Oh, this is so funny, I cried, or, I was laughing at work, or, I was laughing on the bus, or, I let my
daughter read this and she thought it was really good. I
got such very, very positive feedback that I thought, Hmm.
Maybe I can actually get something published.
In the series, you capture the voice of kids in middle
school, especially girls, so well. Do you have to do
much research?
In the beginning, not a whole lot. [My daughters] were

both drama queens [as kids]. When I was just starting
to get into this, I thought, This is what Ive been living for
many years. Now that theyre grown up and on their own,
I do have to work a little bit harder to stay current. Even
with the slang, I have to run it by my daughters. But now
that theyre older, I usually talk to my nieces, who are now
tweens. And I watch a lot of Disney. [Laughs.]
How difcult is it to write for that audience?
To me, its easy. I found that being a mom, middle-grade

is really comfortable for me because I dont have to get
into the things that young adults start to experiment with.
And, of course, middle-grade is Disney and Nickelodeon,
and its good and clean and still really sweet. Im most
comfortable in that environment.
Whats the pace of publishing the Dork Diaries?
Were publishing two books a year, but that means were

actually writing three books a year. I dont know how it
comes out like that! But thats whats been happening for
the last five or six years. We have a book that comes out
in June and another that comes out around October every
year. Its very intense. But I enjoy writing. Its worth the
headache and worth the grueling schedule.
What are some challenges of writing a series?
The most challenging is the grueling schedule. [And] the

deadlines. Well have a deadline for a first draft, a deadline
for a second draft, and a deadline for edits. Its physically
draining. Sometimes Ill work a 12-hour day. Sometimes,
people who write series will say that they have a hard time
keeping up with characters, or keeping up with whats
happened. But thats not really a problem with me. Of
course, [writing a childrens series] is not as complicated
as if you were writing, say, a fantasy.
You started out illustrating the Dork Diaries, but now
your younger daughter, Nikki, has taken over the
illustration. Whats it like working with her?
Its really nice. I actually love working with [my daughters].

Its exciting, and I think they like working with me, too.
And your older daughter, Erin, helps out, too?
Yes. Erin is an assistant writer. She helps me directly. [But]

I work more closely with Nikki. Ill tell her what chapters
were writing, and Ill send her art instructions [for what]
I want her to create. Generally, anything that she draws is
because Erin and I tell her [whats] happening.
So the writing comes rst.
Pretty much. Then, once we get the illustrations back, well

sit back down with the manuscript and go through and
edit it. But we probably only go about a chapter at a time.
[In the beginning], my editors and I sat down and tried
to figure out the most efficient way to get the first draft
of a manuscript done, and they suggested to write the
whole thing [and] then go back and put the illustrations
in. That does not work. [Laughs.] Ive tried it a couple of
times. If I had to write a Dork Diary without the illustrations, I would never finish it. I think its just seeing the
artwork that inspires more writing. I dont get more
than maybe a chapter ahead of Nikki. I dont know if its a
crutch. Ive even said that maybe Nikki is my muse, or her
artwork is my muse. I dont know. Weve tried over and
over again to get the manuscripts done and put the
illustrations in later, but Dork Diaries cannot be created
in that manner.
Have you ever considered writing and publishing in

another genre?
I have! I probably could very easily go to easy readers next,

something between middle-grade and picture books. I
might seriously try young adult at some point, but Im a
little nervous about young adult because I think the older
teenagers are going to read it and figure, Oh, this is silly.
But with the Dork Diaries, you do touch on some
serious issues that cross over to the YA audience.
Thank you for telling me that! Ill have to remember that.

Of course, when I look at the bestsellers list and theres
Divergent and Twilight and Harry Potter, Im like, Am I
ready to dive into that? I dont think so. [Laughs.] Harry
Potter started off as middle-grade, but, of course, as he
aged, [the series] became more young adult. But when I
look at Divergent, or even The Fault in Our Starsthere
was the bedroom sceneIm like, Ahh! Im a mom! Even
though my oldest daughter is married now, youd think
I could get over it, but, still. [Laughs.] So when I look at
the content and the pacing and the romance in the young
adult category, I get a little nervous. But its something that
I would like to do at some pointor at least try.
Youve talked before about how the Dork Diaries
protagonist, Nikki Maxwell, is white, but youre African
American. Do you feel that authors should step outside
of their comfort zones and craft characters of races and
ethnic backgrounds that differ from their own?
They have to do what theyre comfortable with. Authors of

any race and gender should writenumber onewhat their
heart and brain are leading them to write, andnumber
twowhat theyre passionate about.
When Nikki Maxwell popped into my head, she was a
white girl. I dont know why, but she just was. I couldve said,
No, Im going to make her black because Im black and my
daughters are black. But I thought, Well, Ill write her and see
what her voice is like. Then I started writing, and it was really
comfortable and I enjoyed it.
Authors of any race should be able to write other races. We
see [white] authors writing people of color [all the time], so,
to be fair, people of color should be able to write other races
[as well]. It shouldnt be a rule that if youre black, you should
only write black characters, but if youre white, you can write
Native American, or African American, or Asian or Latino.
Thats why it irritates me a little bit when people make a big
deal out of it. [Laughs.] I dont mind getting asked the question, but then Ill have people say, But why are you doing
TALES FROM A MIDDLE-GRADE AUTHOR

In our bonus outtakes, Russell talks about nding an agent,
why its important to engage with readers, and more at
writersdigest.com/january-15.
that? and Im like, Wait a minute. Why is it that as a black

author I have to be limited, but other authors are not?
Do you feel that minorities as a whole are underserved by the publishing industry?
Oh, most definitely! Theres always the fear that [a book

with] an African-American character is not going to sell
as well, or is not going to be as well-received by readers or
the book-buying population. I can understand that, but I
think some of it is created by the publishing industry.
There was a bookstoreI think it was Bordersthat
would file all of the African-American books together
in one section. If the books were nonfiction, I can see
where it would make sense, because you do have AfricanAmerican history. But [they] put all of the AfricanAmerican books in the same section for fictionwhich
would not be such a problem for an adult author. But if
youre a childrens author, more than likely, the kids are
going to be hanging out in the childrens section [where
your books arent shelved].
Then you had to worry about publishers thinking
that your book is not going to sell to anybody but black
peopleand of course you want to sell to everybody. You
want your book to be embraced by everybody in the world.
As an African-American author, there are challenges.
What are your future plans for the Dork Diaries series?
We have a movie coming out. It goes into development in

2015 and it will be released in 2016. Book 9 is the last book
in the current contract were in, so hopefully well be getting a new contract from Simon & Schuster.
What other advice can you offer writers?
Write what you are comfortable with, write what youre

interested in and what makes you happy. Because if you are
enjoying the writing experience, youre probably going to be
more successful with it. And finish it! Even on my [current]
book, I have to remain disciplined and get the things done.
So write a book you personally enjoy writing, and remain
disciplined to get the manuscript completed. WD
Tiffany Luckey is the associate editor of Writers Digest.
FUNNY YOU
SHOULDASK
A literary agents mostly serious answers to your mostly serious questions.
Dear FYSA,
How are queries received by
agents for young adult fiction? Is there
a taint? Or do they get the same consideration as other genres?
Sincerely, Untainted Love
submission. Even if a query is a little

wobbly on the dismount but has a
grain of something that rings a bell
with me, I will dip into the writing to
see whats there, and thats where all
decisions begin and end.
Dear Untainted,
Are you referring to rumored misconceptions that young adult is somehow
easier to write, or that YA authors
are in any way less capable than adult
authors? Quite the contrary! YA is a
robust and varied market, and if anything the readers are more voracious
and loyal than in other areas of the
bookstore. Think about a readership
hopped up on hormones and angst,
still willing to believe in magic and
very able to call out heroes and posers
on vast social media forums. Thats
a stadium for some truly spectacular
storytellers to show their best moves.
YA authors, like those in any other
genre, need to put blood, sweat and
tears into every word. But this would
be obvious to everyone writing in the
genre as they are also aggressively
reading in the genre right? And not
just focusing on the bestsellers, but
taking the time to read titles of lesser
fame, to ask librarians (those brilliant
Book Buddhas, those gorgeous Genre
Gurus) for recommendations.
So rest assured that submissions
from all desired genres get the same
consideration in the inboxthe writing is the only thing that can taint a
Dear FYSA,
In your response in the
October 2014 issue to Non-Vanity
Writer, you stated that the publisher
hires editors to edit your manuscript.
This causes me no little trepidation. As a rather strict grammarian, I
am explicit in my use of language, the
placement of modifiers in particular.
(Speaking French, German and Latin
tends to do that to one.) Ive been horrified by the painfully low level of English
language standards displayed in books
published over the past 20 or so years.
This trend has resulted in prose that is
painfully dull, illogically [dis-]organized and flat-footedly pedestrian.
Is there a way of making it plain to
the publishers editors that grammatical and syntactical issues are areas of
my own expertise and specific style?
Is there a way of imparting that I will
not abide anyones slaughtering my
adverbs with pitifully ungrammatical,
and illogical, misplacement?
Sincerely, Grammatically Precise
Dear Precise,
Ugh. Drunken grammar. Sloppy
syntax. Participles dangling like the
corpses of so many broken piatas.
Thats how I would describe my

own writing.
Further, Im always in such a hurry
that I sometimes forget to do a little
thing called proofread. Ive been
known to fire off emails that include
such spectacular phrases as, Can you
poop over those net figures to me by
end of day? and Sorry! You are correct, I had this under the wrong labia
in my e-files.
Thus, I sit on this side of the table,
and leave the heavy lifting to the
professionals. And so do many writers. I can tell you that by and large
my clients are satisfied with the edits
and revisions suggested; the rare
occasion when we need to throw
down is rarely about a misappropriated semicolon.
Frankly, unless your last name is
The Chicago Manual of Style, I would
initially give the editor the benefit
and courtesy of assuming they have
your same skill level of deploying the
English language. At the time that
you sign with an agent, however, you
might want to share with him your
concerns so that at point of sale he
might mention, Oh, and this author
is basically the love child of Lynne
Truss and Billy Strunk, so make sure
you are Johnny-on-the-Spot with the
mechanics of the edits.
Then theyll have fair warning
if you decide to load a T-shirt gun
with stet and blast away when you
receive your copy edits. Because
ASK FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK! Submit your own questions on the writing life, publishing or anything in between to writersdigest@
fwmedia.com with Funny You Should Ask in the subject line. Select questions (which may be edited for space or clarity) will be
answered in future columns, and may appear on WritersDigest.com and in other WD publications.
PHOTO TRAVIS POELLE
BY BARBARA POELLE
Even if a query is a
little wobbly on the
dismount but has a
grain of something
that rings a bell
with me, I will dip
into the writing to
see whats there.
rest assured that, as with the content of your work, the grammatical
edits being made are suggestions to
improve the writing, and you and
your agent will have ample opportunity to review and address them
before publication.
Dear FYSA,
I am writing a nonfiction
book proposal. But all literary agencies seem to have different guidelines
and requirements for what the proposal should contain. It makes my
head spin. If I slip up by not following
one of the minor requirements, will
that guarantee a rejection?
Sincerely, Proposal Puzzled
Dear Puzzled,
Not from me. At first glance, I care
about the overall appeal of the subject matter, the qualifying factors of
the author that enable her to speak
with authority on said subject matter, and the market need for a book
(or yet another book) on this subject
matter. If I can make a case for all
three of those factors, I can easily
work with an author on shaping up a

proposal to fit industry standards.
A proposal has basic requirements
that are fairly common across the
board, and while some agencies may
want to see different elements, I
think working from an established
resource [Michael Larsens How to
Write a Book Proposal (WD Books)
and Jeff Hermans Write the Perfect
Book Proposal are two I recommend]
should keep you covered. In the end,
what goes on your table of contents
is going to mean a whole lot more
than where you put the TOC in the
proposal. WD
Barbara Poelle is vice president at Irene

Goodman Literary Agency (irenegoodman.
com), where she specializes in adult and
young adult ction.
YOURSTORY
CONTEST #59
First Things First

Write the opening sentence to a story based on the photo
prompt below.
THE CHALLENGE:
Agent Starr embraced the brunette, certain of two things: She was
a good kisser, and she would try to
kill him within the hour.
Jim Weaver
No one would ever believe it was

me in that picture, but I will never
forget those 45 seconds 25 years ago.
Clark Johnson
Nothing surprised Alicia more

than Cassandra hiring her for the
engagement photo shoot; nothing
delighted Alicia more than ruining it.
Judine Brey
It all started as kind of a deal: She

offered to fix his broken heart and he,
in return, her secondhand tripod.
The last time I saw my sister alive

she was kissing my husband.
Cliff Young
There were strict rules about time

traveling, and kissing your deceased
wife was breaking every one of them.
Rafal Lato
Jenny was a recovering kiss-aholic,

three years clean, when a nice stroll
through Stoney Creek Park sent her
rather absurdly into relapse.
Sloan Lofton
Joanna Tegoli
Words failed me as a man Id

never seen before embraced me like
a lover and said, Play along or were
both dead by midnight.
Teri Edwards
He eased me in closer and closer,

and just as our lips met, it remained
very clear to me: I did not remember
this man.
Sarah Sarver
Jaya hid her panic as she smiled

up at Sams unsuspecting face and
positioned her body out of the line
of fire.
Lana ONeill
PHOTO ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/KNAPE
Out of more than 1,100 entries, Writers Digest editors and forum members selected
the following 10 story openers.
ENTERYOURSTORY
WRITE A SHORT STORY of 750 words or fewer based on the photo below. You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story.
TO ENTER: Send your story via the online
CONTEST #63
63
submission form at writersdigest.com/

your-story-competition or via email to
yourstorycontest@fwmedia.com (entries
must be pasted directly into the body of
the email; attachments will not be opened).
NOTE: WD editors select the top entries
and post them on our website
(writersdigest.com/forum). Join us online
in late January, when readers will vote
for their favorite to help determine the
winner(s)! (Simply register or log in to the
free WD forum to participate.)
The winner(s) will be published in a future issue of Writers Digest.

DONT FORGET: Your name and mailing address. One entry per person.
DEADLINE: January 14, 2015
GET
PHOTO FOTOLIA.COM
DIGITALLY!
W R I T EWRI
R STER S
EXERCISES AND TIPS FOR HONING SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF YOUR WRITING
Spi & C W
WRITING THE SPIRITUAL ESSAY

B Y DI N TY W. M O O R E
f the essayists primary charge is to dive headlong into

uncertainty, it is no wonder that writing about spiritual
matters has always been front and center in the personal
essay tradition.
The Confessions of St. Augustine, written in the late
fourth century by a Christian bishop and theologian, may
indeed be the worlds first memoir, and all of these centuries later the book remains powerful and startling.
Why?
Because Augustine was honest. He didnt claim that
his Christian beliefs were uncomplicated or that he fully
understood every difficult aspect of his faith. He went
straight to the doubt and contradictions.
The spiritual memoir may exist within a specific religious traditionJudaic, Islamic, Sufic, Hindu, Christian,
Zoroastrianor it may be rooted entirely outside of organized religion. There are, in fact, spiritual writings from
atheists and agnostics, from those who embrace New Age
philosophies, and from those so uncertain of their basic
beliefs that they have no idea where to place themselves.
What unites the spiritual essay is the quest to explore
lifes basic mysteries: Is there a God (or Higher Power, or
unexplained force that knits the universe together)? How
do we know? What should we do with our doubt or certainty about what this God or power expects of us? If we
are to live our beliefs, what is the proper way to act?
Philip Zaleski, editor of the discontinued Best
American Spiritual Writing anthology, has defined the
genre in a similar fashion, saying that spiritual writing
deals with the bedrock of human existencewhy we are
here, where we are going and how we can comport ourselves with dignity along the way.
All you need to write a spiritual essay is honest curiosity

about the questions that surround us. Faith, by definition,
means we dont know for sure. But perhaps some people do
feel 100 percent certain. Well, then, let me say this: If you
feel altogether sure that every question and mystery can be
answered by following the teachings of a particular religious
tradition, or, alternately, if you are steadfast and entirely
secure in your atheism, then enjoy the benefits of your certainty, sleep well at night, use your confidence to do good in
the world, and dont bother tackling the spiritual essay.
If you are conflicted, however
Ah, that essay is just waiting to be written.
PUTTING SPIRITUAL CONFLICT
ON THE PAGE
Understand that the spiritual essay is not meant to be a
forum to attack the beliefs of others. The conflict within
a spiritual essay is not between different religious traditions, alternate interpretations of scripture or competing
opinions on which faith is the one true faith. The conflict
of the spiritual essay is internal. Most often, it has to do
with our inability to be sure of what our spiritual convictions demand of us, or with our failure to live up to those
expectations given our clearly imperfect human nature.
I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools
straight through to the end of high school, back in the old
days when nuns wore black habits and the parish priest
ran not only the school but the neighborhood as well.
My second book, The Accidental Buddhist: Mindfulness,
Enlightenment, and Sitting Still, American Style, was
an extended spiritual essay examining how I eventually fell away from the teachings of the Catholic Church
Spi & C W
and found myself more attracted to Zen meditation and

Buddhist mindfulness.
Buddhismmore philosophy than religionis
about 2,500 years old, and much of what we know
as Buddhism today is deeply intertwined with Asian
cultures, so a good portion of the book explored the
awkward fit between this different way of thinking and
20th-century America in the age of the cell phone, the
Internet and instant gratification. The book focused as
well, however, on my own efforts and failures attempting
to live a mindful lifestyle and embrace the basic teachings of the philosophy.
I didnt have to disprove the tradition of Catholicism
to make my point. In fact, many portions of the book
explore my journey into my Catholic past, including time
spent with a Jesuit priest who was also a Zen teacher. I
ended up finding a great deal in common between the
roots of my Catholic tradition and the basic tenets of
Buddhism, and I hope that I succeeded in treating both
belief systems with respect.
Writing that book taught me much about writing, of
courseevery new piece of writing we create teaches us
something about writingbut also about myself and how
I want to act in the world. Thats the true power of spiritual writing. It is not just about reaching others, though
giving comfort and inspiration to others can certainly be
counted among the blessings. Writing the spiritual essay
is about discovering parts of yourself.
G S
Below, youll nd a list of prompts that will get you
started writing your spiritual essay. Its important to
note that these prompts are not strict guidelines or
rigid maps. If one seems to direct you down a certain
path, but your instincts suggest a different path,
follow your instincts. The goal is to discover your
spiritual questions, not mine.
1. How do you pray? Do you kneel down beside the
bed the way a child is taught to do it? Do you fold

your hands? Do you even use words? Can action
be prayer? What about meditation?
2. If you knew for sure that there was no Heaven or
Hell, would you act differently in your life?

3. What does sacred mean to you?
4. Write a brief essay titled My First Sin. You
neednt dene sin the way a priest or rabbi might

dene it. The denition is up to you.
5. Author Tobias Wolff suggests that writing the per-
sonal essay calls upon us to surrender for a time

our pose of unshakable rectitude, and to admit
that we are, despite our best intentions, subject
to all manner of doubt and weakness and foolish
wanting. Are you guilty of acting righteous and
sure in your life when in truth you are probably
less certain than you seem to others?
6. Rainer Maria Rilke offers this advice: Be patient
THREE QUICK TIPS

1. START SMALL. Dont attempt to answer all of the great
religious mysteries in your first effort. How did we get
here? What happens after we die? There are 1,000page books that explore those questions without ever
reaching a firm resolution. Look for a smaller piece of
the puzzle of life and start exploring there.
2. BE SPECIFIC. Stories from your past or examples from
the lives of those you know well help to illustrate
either your confusion or the tentative realizations
you are exploring. These scenes and stories can be far
more convincing than abstract explanations and are
much more compelling on the page.
3. READ WIDELY. The genre has changed since St.
Augustine wrote his weighty tomes. Great essays
from myriad traditions can be found at Beliefnet
(beliefnet.com).
toward all that is unsolved in your heart and

try to love the questions themselves like locked
rooms and like books that are written in a very
foreign tongue. What is unsolved in your heart?
What questions have you locked away?
7. Write about your parents faith. Were they devout,
or did it sometimes seem as if they were just

going through the motions? Did their faith or
strongest beliefs change as they grew older?
8. Youve heard the expression charity begins at
home. What does that mean to you? Is being

charitable to others part of your spiritual beliefs?
9. Many religions have a tradition of sacred dance,
but why stop there? Do you believe there is such

a thing as sacred gardening? Sacred walking?
Sacred child rearing?
Excerpted from Crafting the Personal Essay 2010 by Dinty W. Moore, with permission from Writers Digest Books.
CLICHS TO AVOID IN CHRISTIAN FICTION

B Y JE FF GE R KE
very genre has its set of pitfalls to avoid, and

Christian fiction is no exception. If you are aware
of the most common missteps before you start writing,
youll be able to steer clear of them and focus on delivering a satisfying and realistic story. Here are three of the
genres biggest offenders.
1. THE DEUS EX MACHINA

In Greek theater, tragedies especially, the human characters made a royal mess of things. And then, when it
looked like there was simply no solution, a god would
appear and sort everything out. You marry her; you
apologize. You, you have to diesorry. Zap.
This has come to be known as deus ex machina
(literally god from the machine, because a mechanical
crane was used to lower the actor who played the god
who brought about a resolution to the story). Today we
say a novel has a deus ex machina ending if someone
or something comes in and magically fixes all of your
characters problems.
Such a literary device worked in ancient Greece, but I
hope you can see how using it in modern fiction is a copout. Its too convenient, and it doesnt arise from the story.
Christian novelists, who are used to dealing with supernatural elements, are especially prone to writing endings like this.
Lets say youre writing an inspirational Western. The bad
guys have surrounded the good guys and outnumber them
a hundred to one. The pretty schoolmarm is in the clutches
of the antagonist, and the stampede is coming. The hero is
tied to the train tracks, and the locomotive is bearing down.
Theres no good ending in sight for the good guys.
But instead of letting the bad guys win or showing
the heros ingenious escape to save the day, you bring in
an angel. Suddenly a bright light appears, and the cattle
stop in their tracks. The angel points, and a lightning bolt
melts the locomotives engine, stopping it. She zaps the
antagonist and levitates the schoolmarm into the heros
(magically untied) arms. She sweeps her angelic wings,
and all the villains are turned to dust. Huzzah.
As readers, were certainly glad things worked out the
way we wanted, but this ending doesnt feel rightit feels
like the writer cheated. The resolution we were hoping for
happened, but no one in the story did anything to bring
it about. If the angel was planning to fix everything, why
didnt she just do it at the outset and save the characters

from running around?
The ending feels too convenient and random. Even if
the bad guys had won, at least the story would have finished in a logical way.
Your ending has to arise from your beginning. It has to
make sense and grow organically from the story youve
written. The best endings feel inevitable; they feel right.
As a Christian novelist, you might be thinking, I write
stories that include a spiritual component, so why not use
that component at the climax of my story? Didnt the characters pray? Dont I want to tell readers that prayer works?
What could illustrate that better than having God show up
and do something miraculous at the climax?
The problem is that this is a cheesy ending. Its still God
from the machinean inorganic resolution to your story.
Its also not an accurate portrayal of the Christian life.
You must figure out a way for your hero to pull off the
victory, perhaps using divine guidance received earlier in
the story. Dont let God save the day by direct intervention.
There are some exceptions. When your story is expressly about the power of God, then sometimes seeing
that power displayed is the most organic resolution to
your story.
For instance, in my sixth novel, Operation: Firebrand
Deliverance, I tell a story about Gods intervention. One
character is questioning Gods existence. Hes heard
that God is working among a fiercely persecuted people
(North Koreans), and he feels he needs to see something
like that himself.
Throughout the story, strange and possibly miraculous
events are occurring. There have been reports of titanic
warriors appearing and aiding the oppressed as they flee for
safety. But our American characters have not witnessed this.
During the climax of the novel, the character who is
questioning Gods existence does something stupidly
heroic, thinking he will die in the processmainly because
he has concluded that God wont intervene. In that action
sequence, mysterious warriors appear and help him escape.
He thinks its his own team coming to bail him out, but
when he gets away he encounters his own team at the rendezvous point. Who were those guys back there?
It ends up being the answer to his question about faith.
Even though he is unsuccessful in what he was trying
Spi & C W
to do, he realizes now that there is something to Gods

supernatural power. I believe God sometimes meets us
right where we are and gives us exactly what we need,
even though most of the time it seems He wouldnt do so.
Technically, that storys climax uses a deus ex machina.
Something besides human intervention helped our hero
escape. But because the point of the whole story had been
about Gods power and intervention, I felt it was justified.
Writers should be cautious about using such an ending.
Almost always err on the side of not using divine intervention to bring your story to a close.
HOW TO SIDESTEP IT
The way your story resolves must organically arise from

how the story began. Heres another way of saying it: Your
ending must be built into your beginning.
I cant tell you how many unpublished novels Ive
read in which the ending has absolutely nothing to do
with the beginning. For 200 pages weve been dealing
with this guys decision of whether or not to euthanize
his elderly mother who has been in a coma for 20 years,
but the ending is about him foiling a bank robbery. Or
for 300 pages weve been following this womans story to
free a group of prisoners, but the ending is a courtroom
drama in which the hero proves that a law about building
codes should be illegal.
You want to strive for something I call plant and payoff:
You have to establish something before you can use it (the
plant). Conversely, if you establish something you must do
something with it (the payoff ). These principles apply to
how you begin and end your story. How you begin your
novel establishes what your story is going to be about.
I know some novelists like to launch into a story with
no clue about where its heading. Thats fine. Even writers
who use detailed outlines sometimes make adjustments
when they have a better idea while writing.
So maybe you shouldnt worry about the ending as
you write. Maybe you should just write the story and see
where you end upas long as you go back and fix the
beginning. Once youve found your story and discovered
where its going, you can rewrite your earlier scenes so
the reader will be able to see (in retrospect only, perhaps)
that the seeds of the books resolution were perceptible
from the start.
Your storys ending must grow organically from how it
began and developed along the way. Ensure that it does,
and youre well on your way to making sure your reader is
satisfied with your story.
2. THE STORY SERMON

The second thing you want to avoid in Christian fiction is
the book that hinges on a sermon (or a Bible study lesson,
a Sunday school lesson and so on) that tells the hero what
to do to fix the problem.
I dont know whether to call this a form of telling
(rather than showing), a fiction clich, an agenda-driven
plot or just a personal pet peeve of mine. Its clearly all of
the above.
Your ending has to arise from your

beginning. It has to make sense and
grow organically from the story youve
written. The best endings feel inevitable;
they feel right.
Were reading this novel, and its fairly good so far. The
protagonist has some pretty weighty matters he needs to
think about; maybe hes doing something he knows he
shouldnt, or maybe hes seeking wisdom. At the height
of his dilemma, he steps into a church or Bible study and
listens to a sermon. Would you believe that what the pastor says is exactly what he needed to hear? The text of
this message contains chapter and verse for what the hero
ought to do. He leaves the church relieved that God has
solved his dilemma for him.
Well, doesnt this happen in real life? Dont we sometimes hear Gods voiceas were listening to a sermon,
even if what God tells us doesnt have direct bearing on
what the speaker is actually talking about? Of course.
Thats one of the reasons we go to church, after all. So
whats the issue?
The issue is that this makes for bad fictionoverly
convenient fiction. Just because something happens in
real life doesnt mean it will work on the page. Or are you
ready to describe your characters every trip to the bathroom? That happens in real life, too.
Including a sermon in the middle of a novel is a bad
idea because it stops the story and makes the reader listen directly to the author. Theres a reason kids squirm in
church: Its boring to them. Making a reader sit through a
full sermon is the equivalent of asking a 5-year-old to stay
interested in the adult pastors words. The typical reader
wont be able to do it and wont try.
Its also a bad idea because the reader feels like the
story is preaching to her. Your book is already in big
WRITERS WORKBOOK
trouble if you are thinking, If people arent going to go

to church to hear about my beliefs, then Im going to
bring the sermon to them, packaged in a story theyll like.
If the reader wants a lecture shell go to church, not to
the bookstore.
HOW TO SIDESTEP IT
Am I saying that fiction must be about funny or entertaining things, lite topics without any substance? Of course
not. Good novels have a theme or a message or even a
note of warning or challenge. With hope, your novel will
have this, too.
Two of my novels, Operation: FirebrandCrusade
and Operation: FirebrandDeliverance, tackle serious
humanitarian issues: modern slavery in Sudan and North
Korean tyranny to its people, respectively. I wanted to
make people aware of whats going on in these regions.
But in those novels, story was king, and characters
reigned over message.
Theres a difference between writing a novel to prove a
point and writing a novel about a character and finding
out later that youve made an interesting commentary on
some theme that resonates with you and readers.
Dont come to fiction to prove a point or teach a lesson.
Just tell your story and let the chips fall where they may.
3. THE BAD BOY FINDS SALVATION
The final mistake well look at is probably the oldest and
worst clich in Christian fiction. Usually its a story about
a good church girl who falls in love with the local bad boy
(who is inevitably named either Damien or Devlin). Hes
rakishly handsome, of course, but forbidden because hes
a heathen.
Throughout the book, the heroine reaches out to this
lost soul with the Good News, to no avail. Meanwhile,
our lusty heroine is fighting her own temptations to
throw off all restraint while she simultaneously doubts
Gods goodness.
Just when it looks like our good girl is going to do the
right thing and turn away from her hearts desire so she
can stay pure, God removes the scales from Damien/
Devlins eyes, and he is radically saved. Now hes off the
Thou Shalt Not list, and she can marry him.
Its not always a romance that commits this mistake.
Sometimes a godly mother is praying for her prodigal
son, a godly wife is praying for her straying husband or a
wealthy but sad widower is praying for that cute young
woman at Starbucks he wants to date.
Whatever the case, the story ends happily once the targeted person gets the clue and comes to Christ.
Dont do that.
Dont let your happy ending be the lost person finding
salvation. The fact that its a clich ought to be reason
enough to steer you away from using this device in your
novel. But the main problem is that such a portrayal
gives a false picture of Christianity. A lost character
becoming a Christian in a Christian novel is as realistic
as Cinderella getting married to the prince in the fairy
tale. It makes for a nice, tidy story, but it doesnt reflect
reality. Marriage is hard, even in fiction. So is the
Christian life.
Sometimes Christian novelists, in their zeal to reach
readers with the gospel, do those very readers a disservice.
If we depict Christianity as the all-happy, end-all solution
to lifes problems, what will happen if someone takes our
advice and becomes a Christian based on our recommendation? When that person discovers the bills dont get
miraculously paid, the disease doesnt magically disappear
and Mr. or Mrs. Right doesnt instantly come along, what
will happen to that persons faith?
HOW TO SIDESTEP IT
Its been my experience that a person becomes a Christian

when his problems startnot when theyve been solved.
Suddenly he appears on the devils radar, and Big D sends
a boatload of troubles his way to discourage him about
this new Christianity thing.
In my six novels Ive had exactly two people get saved.
In both trilogies it happened in book 3, after both the
character and the reader have had a good longtime to
see what real Christianity looks like in the lives of other
characters. And in both instances life doesnt get instantly
better for the person whos just come to Christ. In the first
one in particular, his life gets miserable pretty quickly
after singing I Surrender All.
Its not wrong to show characters seeing the light and
coming to Christ in your fiction. Just dont depict it as an
and they lived happily ever after ending. Walking with
Christ is hard and lonely and doesnt usually result in a
miraculous change in the persons life circumstances.
There is, for the Christian, an ultimate happy ending, of
course. Just dont let coming to Christ be the happy ending in your Christian novel.
Excerpted from The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction
2014 by Jeff Gerke, with permission from Writers Digest Books.
HANDLING CONTROVERSIAL LANGUAGE

IN CHRISTIAN FICTION
B Y JE FF GE R KE
rankly, my dear, I dont give a care.

Doesnt quite work, does it? Give a rip? A flip?
Frankly, my dear, I dont care one way or the other?
And yet in Christian fiction, profanity is verboten.
Many readers who enjoy inspirational fiction want to do
so without having to expose themselves to foul language.
So how do we portray characters who use profanity if
were not allowed to use it in our books? Its one of the
great dilemmas of writing Christian fiction.
Many people come to Christian fiction to experience
good stories but want to remain untouched by the vilest
elements of the cultureand Im one of them. Having to
read profanity in something Im reading spoils the experience for me.
In my years in Christian publishing I have had a number of disagreements with fellow publishing professionals
on this topic. Some feelquite vehementlythat avoiding profanity is inherently dishonest, inauthentic. The way
to reach the lost, they argue, is to show lost people doing
lost things and talking the way lost people do, and then to
show Christians living out their faith in the story.
Others want to include a watered-down version of profanity in Christian fictiona PG-rated vocabulary. The
words they prefer usually have a one-to-one correlation
with actual profanity.
Still other folks want to eliminate cussing in Christian
fiction entirely. Im of that school of thought.
That doesnt help us with our dilemma, however. How
do you create profane characters without resorting to profanity? Or should you darn the torpedoes and use whatever
profanity that character would use?
UNDERSTANDING THE DEBATE

To get a better sense of this debate, I surveyed some of my
published Christian novelist friends to hear how they deal
with this issue. Here are some of their proposed solutions.
1. USE ALL THE PROFANITY YOU WANT.
You can choose to let your foul characters talk the way
they would really talk. Though it may pain you to do so,
you can simply let it all hang out and hope your publisher
will let it stay in the finished manuscript.
One problem with this is that your typical Christian

fiction publisher will not let you get away with this. And
its not because theyre prudes.
Its because they know all it takes to doom your book
is one complaint from one reader. She posts one-star
reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. She then marches
to the Christian bookstore where she bought the book,
complains to the manager and says shell never buy from
that store again. A few more complaints later, your book
is pulled from the shelves and sent back to the publisher,
along with a nasty letter about how the bookstore owner
will never trust that publishing company again.
You obviously dont want this to happen. Is using profanity indiscriminately worth the risk? Thats for you to
decide, but keep in mind that there are realistic alternatives to having your characters curse every other page.
It is quite possible to create the feeling of

profanity without the use of profanity.
In fact, doing so is superior to using
profanity in your fiction. Its the better
way, in my opinion.
2. USE WATERED-DOWN PROFANITY.
In this solution you come as close to the real four-letter

words as you can, but you use alternate phrasing that isnt
considered as bad. In other words, you let your characters beas foul-mouthed as you can possibly get away
with, while pushing the envelope.
Im a big believer in Ephesians 4:29, which says
we should allow no unwholesome word to proceed
from our mouths, but only those words that serve
to build up or educate the hearer. So I dont cuss. I
think, however, that the latter phrase in that verse
will allow me to tell you what I mean here, for purposes
of education.
In this proposed solution, you use words like crap,
dang, heck and geez, all of which offend me personally
but are in the daily vocabulary of many people who love
WRITERS WORKBOOK
the Lord with all their hearts, so I wont judge.

To me, this solution makes your characters seem like
B-level foul mouths. Theyd like to cuss, but their moms
wont let them. Its hard to make people seem depraved
when they always exercise self-control over their tongues
and hold back from actual profanity.
In that sense, my opinion is that this solution actually
works against what youre trying to do: You want to create someone truly foul, but you end up creating a wimp.
DWAYNE
Little blond Barbie dolls. Cute.

Dwayne moved through the house with the silence of
a roach. He entered the girls playroom and crept inside.
Must be nice to have a playroom and a big room of your
own. He bent over the large dollhouse, where a blond
plastic bimbo sat askew in her chair having a burger and
fries with a redheaded plastic bimbo.
Moonlight cast soft shadows on the toy cabinets and
dress-up bin and pink beanbag chairs in the playroom.
3. USE EUPHEMISMS.
Typical. Delicious.
This is the most commonly employedsolution to the profanity dilemma: Let characters be as foul-mouthed as you
want them to bebut dont spell it out.
molded smile with the tip of his hunting knife. The stiff
Dwayne picked up the blond doll and caressed its

yellow hair fell across the edge of the blade.
Hmm.
When Jerry learned of Marys affair, he let us all know

exactly how he felt about her character, her physical attributes and choice aspects of her ancestry.
He snatched the locks in his thumb and ngers,

slightly less dexterous because of the rubber gloves.
He put his left hand over the dolls face, held the knife
to the scalp, and pulled the hair across the blade. The
Louises anger grew throughout the day. Finally, after
strands came away in his hand reluctantly, like pulling a
kicking her toe on a table leg, she let loose with a string
wing off a bird.
of profanity that left the ochre paint two shades paler.
He rotated the deled doll before his eyes and felt the
excitement rise in his neck. Pretty little thing.
This is the literary equivalent to how old movies used

to handle sex scenes. The door shut and the screen faded
to black. We knew what was going on, but it wasnt demonstrated for us onstage. You can accomplish the same
thing in your fiction.
In Internet parlance, we speak of metadata. That
refers to data about data. Metaknowledge is knowledge
about knowledge. Its a way of describing something by
taking one step back to tell us what it is and what attributes it has.
This solution to profanity could be called metaprofanity. Its information about the profanity. We dont see the
swearing itself, but we see a description of the swearing.
You have to be more creative (and use more humor)
to write this way. Anybody can write a cuss word, but
it takes real talent to give us the feeling of the cussing
without literally spelling it out.
Dwayne dropped the doll to the carpet and stepped

into Camilles bedroom. The kindergartner lay sideways
on her Powerpuff Girls sheets, blond hair arrayed over
the pillow like a yellow skirt.
Pretty little thing.
LORRAINE
Lorraine gazed at the martini just down the bar from

where she sat. She shut her eyes, almost tasting it. Her
own glass rattled when she lifted it to her lips, the ice
betraying the tremors in her hand. Water. All it did was
chill her. But at least it kept the gravel out of her voice.
You really used to be a model? the guy asked.
Lorraine forced herself to look at him. He was bulbous
and sweaty, with meaty ngers like a stack of Michelin
tires. The thought of him touching her
Yeah, she said, really. Magazines and catalogs and
sh She censored herself. Maybe this guy was one of
FINDING A BETTER WAY

Weve looked at three proposed solutions for how
Christian novelists can handle profanity in their fiction.
Now lets look at a better way.
Because I value showing over telling, let me illustrate
with a pair of examples. See if you can spot whats missing
from these two passages.
those pervs who didnt mind adultery but couldnt stand

foul language. Stuff.
His eyes widened and wandered somewhere south of
her face. Thats really something, huh?
Yeah. So you sure you dont need the Percocet anymore? Hed said it was his wifes painkiller, but there
was no need to remind him that he was betraying her. It
Spi & C W
might blow the whole thing. Lorraine stamped down a

shudder. She needed a smoke.
His eyes came back north. Huh? Oh, right. No, no,
working against you. Conversely, the absence of profanity

in a book does not mean you cannot create hard-edged or
profane characters, as I hope Ive demonstrated above.
she doesntI mean, itll be ne.

Lorraine stood up and pressed herself against his
shoulder. I dont know about you, honey, but Im ready
to get somewhere private with you.
He almost fell getting off the barstool. Yeah, sure.
Denitely. He dropped a twenty on the bar and headed
to the door, gripping her hand on his arm as if he thought
she might run away.
She was going to run away, all right, but not just yet.
She watched his jowls bounce as he walked and again
thought of that face on hers.
Just lets go grab the Percocet rst, okay?
What? I cant go home with
She yanked her hand away and stopped. Youre going
to get it rst, you hear me. Or you dont get, she said,
pulling the hem of her shirt wide open for him to have a
look, what you want.
His eyes bugged. Right. Right. Okay. Come on.
She smoothed her shirt and preceded him to the
door. Perv.
Were the characters in those examples foul? Were

they profane? Did you feel their depravity in the seat of
your being? If I did my job right, you were horrified by
Dwayne and disgusted by Lorraine.
Surely these are the kind of people who would use
profanity. Foulness pervaded their character. Even if you
didnt actually see or hear them using four-letter words,
you felt a deep corruption oozing through their skin.
Heres the point: It is quite possible to create the feeling
of profanity without the use of profanity. In fact, doing so
is superior to using profanity in your fiction. Its the better
way, in my opinion.
In his novel Rising Sun, Michael Crichton introduces a
foul-mouthed detective character. He drops the F-bomb
as commonly as the words the, or and and. He is truly the
most disgusting, pathetic character Ive ever seen on the
pages of a novel.
This reaction may not have been what Crichton was
aiming for. He probably wanted this character to seem
intimidating and street-smart, but I just thought he was a
sad and empty wretch, consumed by self-loathing.
In other words, the free and frequent use of profanity
in a book does not necessarily create the hard-edged character you may be trying for. You may find the profanity
SHOWING INSTEAD OF TELLING

Youre likely familiar with the writing advice Show, dont
tell, because it applies to so many aspects of writing
craftincluding the use of profanity in Christian fiction.
Anybody can write, She was angry because of how hed
treated her on the plane. It takes a lot more skill to communicate that she was angry and that the cause of her anger
was how hed treated her on the planeand to do so without saying it outright.
Telling is cheating. Its lazy storytelling. It reveals a low
view of the readers intelligence and a lack of trust in the
authors own ability to convey information on paper. It
stops the story cold, removes all mystery and bores the
reader. It is, in short, a bad idea. Showing, on the other
hand, is the land where the masters dwell.
When it comes to communicating that a character
is lost or profane, the frequent use of profanity in the
manuscript is telling instead of showing. It takes more
creativity and skillnot to mention more words
to communicate that the character is lost or profane
without the use of profanity itself. In other words,
its showing.
Which is more effective: Crichtons detective or
Dwayne and Lorraine? Which method most perfectly
conveys the dissoluteness of the character? Which
method more insidiously reveals the persons degraded
inner state? Which method better shows profanity?
Telling conveys head knowledge to the reader, and
only faintly at that. Showing conveys heart knowledge.
When you show something to your reader, she feels it at
the center of her being. It enters her mind deeply. She
remembers it well. Thats what you want to accomplish
when you have a foul character. You want your reader to
feel it in her toes.
The next time you bring a debauched character onstage
in your fiction, I challenge you to consider how you can
reveal the characters foulness through scene, action and
thought instead of the direct use of profanity. WD
Excerpted from The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction 2014
by Jeff Gerke, with permission from Writers Digest Books. Visit
writersdigestshop.com and enter the code Workbook for a 10
percent WD reader discount on this and other books to help you
hone your craft.
STANDOUTMARKETS
An exclusive look inside the markets that can help you make your mark.
BY CRIS FREESE
FOR YOUR BOOKS:
The Permanent Press

THE INSIDE STORY FROM:
MISSION: Our
Martin and Judith Shepard, publishers
goal has always been to choose and give voice to ne novelists,
most of whom are too good and unique to suit the Big Five conglomerates. Our
satisfaction comes from earning more literary awards, per title, than any other
publisher in America.
WHAT STANDS OUT & WHY:
Publishers Martin and Judith

Shepard have spent nearly four
decades building a strong reputation in the publishing industry. The
Permanent Press has been proled
in The New York Times and in 1998
was honored with the Literary
Market Places LMP Award for
Editorial Achievement. In recent
years, Leonard Rosens All Cry
Chaos won the Macavity Award for
Best First Mystery Novel and was a
nalist for the Edgar Award and the
Chautauqua Prize in 2012, and Chris
Knopfs Dead Anyway won the 2013
Nero Award. C F
FOUNDED: 1978. PUBLISHES: 16 new

titles per year. FOCUS: What we are
looking for is something artfully
written: The way the story is told
is as important asif not more so
thanthe plot itself. ADVANCES:
$1,000. SIZE OF PRINT RUNS: 800
4,000. KEY TO SUCCESSFUL SUBMISSIONS: Something fresh that
catches our attention within the first
two or three pages. WHAT MAKES
US UNIQUE: We receive no outside
grants or funding, and have kept
close to 95 percent of the books
weve published in print here in our
warehouse, on our own property
(nearly 500 titles in all), believing if
they were good enough to publish
originally, why not keep them in
print? WE MIGHT BE A GOOD FIT FOR
YOU IF: You think your novel, be it
a mystery or [mainstream] fiction,
matches our interests. We receive
roughly 5,000 submissions each year,
and half our list consists of authors
weve published before. HOW TO
SUBMIT: Send us your first chapter(s)
(1224 pages maximum) by postal
mail, including an SASE, to: Attn:
Judith Shepard, The Permanent Press,
4170 Noyac Road, Sag Harbor, NY
11963. Include a cover letter with a

short summary of your work,
approximate page and word count, a
brief author bio and contact information. No simultaneous submissions. DETAILED GUIDELINES:
thepermanentpress.com/index.php/
submissions.html.
WHAT MAKES A SUBMISSION STAND
OUT? Being able to get involved with
a story from the first page on (often
from the first paragraph), making
an early connection with the major
character. [We look for] a story that
weve not seen or read before.
WHAT TOPICS ARE YOU ACTIVELY

SEEKING? Quality fiction and
quality mysteries. Half our list is
usually mysteries.
WHAT COMMON MISTAKES DO YOU
Bad cover letters in [poorly]

constructed sentences, telling us that
their book can be a bestseller or more
than we need to know about their
literary history. We want to read a
submission in the same way a browser
would open a book in a bookstore
and see if [he] wants to go on.
SEE?
FOR YOUR SHORT STORIES:
American Short Fiction

MISSION:
Issued triannually, American Short Fiction
Although it asks for a small
publishes work by emerging and established voices; stories
reading fee, American Short Fiction
that dive into the wreck, that stretch the reader between
recognition and surprise, that conjure a particular world with
boasts a competitive pay rate and
delicate expertisestories that take a different way home.
a healthy balance of seasoned and

novice writers. In addition to its print
1991. PUBLISHES: Three times per year.

2,500. PAYMENT: $250500 per story. PAST
NOTABLE WRITERS: Joyce Carol Oates, Dagoberto Gilb,
Don Lee, Susan Steinberg, Ander Monson, Maud Casey,
Chris Bachelder, Benjamin Percy. HOW TO SUBMIT: Send
one story at a time (including a $3 reading fee) via the
online submission manager at americanshortfiction.
submittable.com/submit. DETAILED GUIDELINES:
americanshortfiction.org/submityourwork.
FOUNDED:
CIRCULATION:
version, the journal publishes additional stories of no

more than 2,000 words online, giving submitting authors
a second shot at being accepted for publicationnot to
mention worldwide exposure. American Short Fiction
also offers a short ction contest, which awards $1,000
and publication to the winner. Works rst appearing in
the journal have been selected for many highly respected
anthologies, including Best American Short Stories, The
O. Henry Prize Stories and The Pushcart Prize: Best of the
Small Presses. C F
FOR YOUR FREELANCE WRITING:
The Progressive
MISSION:
The Progressive is a monthly magazine covering
politics, education, economics, culture and progressivism.
The Progressive is 75 percent
The magazines founder, Senator Robert La Follette, felt the
freelance
written, offering no
f
magazine should seek to defend the public interest against
sshortage of opportunities for writers
private greed. Current editor Ruth Conniff believes that this
tto land a byline. The magazine
goal is more important now than ever before.
ccontinues to look for new and

outstanding voices to acknowledge and comment on
FOUNDED: 1909. PUBLISHES: Monthly. CIRCULATION:

47,000. PAYMENT: $5001,300 per article. PAST NOTABLE
WRITERS: Jane Addams, Noam Chomsky, Clarence
Darrow, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jack London, George
Orwell, Upton Sinclair. HOW TO SUBMIT: Queries or manuscripts, accompanied by an SASE, should be submitted
to: Matthew Rothschild, Editor, The Progressive, 409 East
Main St., Madison, WI 53703; or via email to editorial@
progressive.org. DETAILED GUIDELINES: progressive.org/
mag/guidelines.
current social and political issues. The Progressive and

its editors have been recognized for their excellence,
and were the recipients of the George Polk Award
in 1996. The Progressive Media Project, an afliate of
The Progressive, provides another outlet for writers by
distributing op-ed commentary from freelancers to many
newspapers across the U.S. (progressivemediaproject.
org/pages/submissions). C F
Cris Freese is the associate editor of WD Books and the Writers Market series.
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SNAKES in the
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Paul Hereford does not feel like someone who is coming home. As he
turns onto the two-lane road leading into his hometown, he has no idea
hes about to embark on a life-changing odyssey that will bring him both
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CONFERENCESCENE
Events to advance your craft, connections and career.
BY LINDA FORMICHELLI
Inland Northwest
Christian Writers
Conference
This friendly, inclusive two-day
conference welcomes writers of
Christian and secular work alike
and it wont break the bank.
MAKES THE CONFERENCE UNIQUE:
This conference is faith-based but

all-inclusive, covering all forms of
writing and even offering a Teen
Track ($40, including lunch) for
writers ages 1318. Its also one of
the lowest-priced regional conferences in the West. HOW MANY
ATTEND: Around 150. FACULTY: The
keynote speaker will be James L.
Rubart, bestselling author of the
Wellspring Trilogy. Other instructors/presenters include suspense
novelist Brandilyn Collins (Gone to
Ground), inspirational authors Kurt
Bubna (Epic Grace: Chronicles of a
Recovering Idiot) and Jeff Kennedy
(Father, Son, and the Other One:
Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a
Transforming, Empowering Reality
in Your Life), and writing coach
Mick Silva (YourWritersGroup.com).

HIGHLIGHTS: Editors and agents will
take pitches from writers in small
group sessions and will offer 15minute critiques of writing samples
all included in the registration fee.
In the Teen Track, young scribes will
be challenged with writing exercises,
skill games, contests and more. IF
YOU GO: Check the website a couple
of weeks before the conference; some
workshop handouts will be available
for download ahead of time. FOR
MORE INFO: inlandnwchristianwriters.
com/conference.
Women Writers
Winter Retreat
At this intimate getaway, women
learn the craft of writing while
enjoying accommodations at a cozy
bed and breakfast just miles from
the scenic Ohio coast of Lake Erie.
Feb. 28March 2, 2015.

WHERE: Homestead House Bed
& Breakfast, Willoughby, Ohio.
PRICE: Complete Weekend Package
(includes all sessions, plus meals
and lodging): $315 for single
rooms; $235 for shared rooms.
Weekend Commute (includes all
sessions, lunches and dinners):
$155. WHAT MAKES THE CONFERENCE
UNIQUE: Writers work on their craft
in a small, cozy setting perfect for
those who want a chance to personally connect with instructors and
fellow writers. WHO ITS PERFECT
FOR: Women writers of fiction,
nonfiction and poetry, from novice
to published. HOW MANY ATTEND:
24 maximum. FACULTY: Presenters
include T.L. Champion, writing
coach and author of EarthShattering [Story] Climaxes; Gail
Bellamy, Ph.D., author, executive
food editor of Restaurant Hospitality
WHEN:
INLAND NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE PHOTO MINDY PELTIER;

WOMEN WRITERS WINTER RETREAT PHOTO DEEANNA ADAMS; TURNAGE THEATER PHOTO BEAUFORT COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL
WHEN: March 2021, 2015. WHERE:

Eastpoint Church, Spokane Valley,
Wash. PRICE: Nov. 15Feb. 1: $125.
After Feb. 1: $135. Price includes
lunch and dinner on Friday and
lunch on Saturday. Special event rate
on reserved rooms at the Comfort
Inn & Suites on East Mission Avenue
in Spokane Valley: $8595. WHAT
A Celebration of Craft, Commerce & Community
SAN FRANCISCO
WRITERS CONFERENCE
magazine and former Cleveland
Heights Poet Laureate; Deanna R.
Adams, author, award-winning
essayist and Women Writers
Winter Retreat founder and coordinator; and Susan Petrone, whose
first novel, A Body at Rest, won a
bronze medal for regional fiction
from the Independent Publisher
Book Awards (IPPYs). HIGHLIGHTS:
Workshops include Food on the
Page: Writing About Food; The
Story Climax Formula, where
writers learn to layer in escalating
conflict; and Making Your Way
Out of the Trenches, about what
to do when youre stuck in your
work-in-progress. Special events
include a Friday night dinner and
wine, a work-in-progress roundtable and an open mic. IF YOU GO:
There is a coffee shop right next
door for those who like to write
in that atmosphere, and a library
across the street, which is handy for
last-minute research or to grab a
needed book. ... We urge attendees
to come and go as they please. Its
their weekend away from reality!
Adams says. FOR MORE INFO:
deannaadams.com.
Pamlico Writers
Conference and
Competition
This event offers a money- and timesaving way to mingle with writers
and experts, pitch publishers, learn
the ins and outs of the industry, and
even try your hand at a writing competition, all in a renovated theater
on the Pamlico River.
March 2021, 2015. WHERE:

Turnage Theater, Washington, N.C.
PRICE: Friday evening: $10; includes
keynote speech and finger-food
reception. Saturday: $49; includes

a full day of panel sessions, an
awards ceremony for the writing
competition, and hors doeuvres.
WHAT MAKES THE CONFERENCE
UNIQUE: For an additional $10
fee, attendees can submit a prose
piece (fiction or nonfiction) or
three poems for a chance to win
recognition, and cash or a gift
certificate. WHO ITS PERFECT FOR:
New and developing writers of any
genre. HOW MANY ATTEND: About
150. FACULTY: Speakers include
prolific multi-genre author Susan
Sloate; Marnie Graff, author of
the Nora Tierny mystery series;
Horse and Buggy Press book
designer Dave Wofford; poet and
East Carolina University professor
Amber Flora Thomas; historical
romance novelist Katharine Ashe;
and Jacar Press publisher and poet
Richard Krawiec. HIGHLIGHTS:
Panel topics include How to
Write About Sex Without Getting
Arrested, Keeping Up With
Characters, Movies to Books
and Launching Todays Writer.
Attendees can participate in sevenminute Pitch the Publisher sessions
for an additional $10 each. IF YOU
GO: Read up on the speakers youre
most interested in hearing; this
might stimulate questions to ask at
the end of the sessions. Also, Bring
cash or a checkbook, since some
vendors may not have ability to
sell through credit cards, and buy
books, Conference Director Doris
Schneider says. FOR MORE INFO:
pamlicowritersconference.org. WD
Featuring:
John Lescroart (The Keeper)
Yiyun Li (Kinder than Solitude)
Publisher Judith Curr (Atria/S&S)
Kirk Russell (Die-Off)
Michelle Richmond (Golden State)
Ellen Sussman (Wedding in Provence)
Vikram Chandra (Geek Sublime)
100+ well-known authors, editors,

publishers & literary agents from
New York, L.A. & S.F. Bay Area
February 12-15, 2015

at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel
Early registration discounts & special room rates.
February 12 & 16
Single & half-day workshops
Event details & online registration:
www.SFWriters.org
A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization
WHEN:
Linda Formichelli (therenegadewriter.com),

co-author of The Renegade Writer, teaches
an e-course on breaking into magazines and
offers writers phone mentoring.
C ON F E RE NCEGU IDE
CONFERENCE GUIDE
JANUARY 2015
Keep in mind that there may be more
than one workshop in each listing.
These workshops are listed alphabetically by state, country or continent.
Unless otherwise indicated, rates
include tuition (T) only. Sometimes the
rates also include airfare (AF), some or
all meals (M), accommodations (AC),
ground transportation (GT), materials
(MT) or fees (F).
When you find workshops that interest
you, be sure to call, email or check the
website of the instructor or organization for additional information.
All listings are paid advertisements.
CALIFORNIA
THE BIG STORY WRITERS CONFERENCE
produced by West Coast Writers
Conferences. February 2022, 2015 at Los
Angeles Valley College, CA. The Big Story
Writers Conference is an educational and
inspirational event focused on helping
authors define the elements and improve
the structure of virtually any story idea into
a BIG STORY. You will learn how to master
your skillset as a writer and develop a solid
story structure that can be applied to any
media. The curriculum includes novel writing,
short story fiction, nonfiction, screenplays
for movies and TV, plus poetry, blogs,
book proposals, synopsis, query letters,
and more. Writers of all levels and genres
can benefit from this program. Topics will
cover everything from how to structure and
position your story for success, to how to
write a solid book proposal that attracts the
interest of publishers, and great query letters
to agents. Guest speakers include veteran
educators, industry experts, publishing
professionals, noted writers and best-selling
authors. Open to all levels and genres.
Attendees may optionally enjoy a Keynote
Address (with complimentary lunch), receive
advanced submission ProCritiques of
your MS by professional editors and literary
agents, or meet with agents in search of
new talent. Single Day and Full Weekend
early registration discounts still available
from $199.
Contact: Tony or Lillian Todaro
P.O. Box 2267
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Ph: 310/379-2650
info@wcwriters.com
www.wcwriters.com/bigstory
2325, at Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling

Hall. Join fellow writers, agents, publishers
and marketing experts for a weekend of
workshops on the publishing industry.
Registration is limited to 150 attendees. Sign
up now! www.lasvegaswritersconference.com
NEW YORK
UNICORN WRITERS CONFERENCE,
Saturday, March 14, 2015, 7:30 a.m.7:30

p.m. at the Reid Castle, Manhattanville
College, Purchase, NY. As valuable for
published authors as it is for beginners!
This conference covers the total story
from craft to career. Meet industry shotcallers, get one-on-one feedback and learn
little-known insider secrets to acing every
department of a publishing company! Make
connections and get feedback with dozens
of opportunities for one-on-one face time
with industry insiders, including: One-onone manuscript reading and feedback
sessions with agents and editors. Networking
breakfast, lunch and dinner. After-conference
networking party, Perfect Your Craft with a
choice of seven workshops to attend from
over thirty different sessions offered. Get
the insiders edge with a vast selection of
rare how-to tutorials from every department
within a publishing company.
Contact: Jan L. Kardys, Chairman,
Unicorn Writers Conference, Inc.
unicornwritersconference@gmail.com
www.unicornwritersconference.com
INTERNATIONAL
MEXICO
2015 SAN MIGUEL WRITERS'
CONFERENCE AND LITERARY FESTIVAL ,
YOU WROTE A
BOOK
NOW WHAT?
NEVADA
THE 2015 LAS VEGAS WRITER'S
CONFERENCE, hosted by Henderson
Writers' Group, is scheduled for April
A CONCISE GUIDEBOOK
CONTAINING ESSENTIAL
INFORMATION
WRITERS NEED
TO GET PUBLISHED TODAY!
Jan L. Kardys and Jeanne E. Rogers write

with a depth of understanding of the
publishing business that few can match...
Laura Blake Peterson
V.P., Literary Agent, Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Accessible and thorough, and
of use to both the newbie and established
author who want to review
new options in the marketplace.
Rita Rosenkranz
Rita Rosenkranz Literary Agency
2015 SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS

CONFERENCE, February 1216 at the
Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. Major

names in publishing (authors, literary agents,
editors and publishers) attend the SFWC and
take personal interest in projects discovered
there. The 100+ presenters will include John
Lescroart, Yiyun Li, Michelle Richmond,
Vikram Chandra, Tina Folsom, Kirk Russell,
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Websters Dictionary by Noah Webster

SPOOF-REJECTED BY ALISSA KNOP
Dear Mr. Webster,
January 4, 1805
Thank you for submitting your manuscript, A Compendious

for
Dictionary of the English Language. It was a lengthy read
her. For
our team, and quite frankly, the story confused us altoget
this time.
this reason, we will not be able to publish your book at
Our first concern was the sheer volume and size of the
ng read
work. At more than 1,600 pages, it seemed like a daunti
gh we
and we hadnt even made it beyond the title page. Althou
the manmay not be publishing the book today, we thank you for
we have
uscript you have sent us. We will keep it nearby in case
to take down a robber during a break-in.
We can only assume the story is supposed to be about
he never
an aardvark, the first main character mentioned, but
on of
makes a second appearance. Its more like a giant collecti
the
ely
random words placed together haphazardly, and strang
O are
entire collection is alphabetized. Theres a reason N and
every
next to each other in the alphabet. Should you alphabetize
word in your novel? No.
the
We also felt a little insulted that every single word in
ion
book was defined, as if the reader wouldnt know the definit
on
of simple, everyday words of the English language. Then
of.
top of that, you include words that no one has even heard
are
these
Hemidemisemiquaver? Tintinnabulation? We doubt
e his
actual wordsperhaps a small child decided to practic
letters in your draft.
We do see potential, however, so if you decide to send the

for you.
manuscript to any other publisher, well put a word in
On second thought, it may not fit.

Best regards,
Lou Singbrayne-Sells
Editor, Litt-Earl Story Seekers
ets step once again into the

role of the unconvinced,
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What h
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autth of some of our favorite hit
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by humorously rejecting a hit in 300
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or fewer. Then, submit your letter via
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ow
wdsubmissions@fwmedia.com
with R
Reject
ej
a Hit in the subject line.
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SPECIAL WORKBOOK: CRAFTING CHRISTIAN & INSPIRATIONAL STORIES

[ This Is the Year You ]

Rachel Rene Russell

HOW THE DORK DIARIES AUTHOR

THE BEST ADVICE FROM HEATHER GRAHAM,

JANUARY 2015 writersdigest.com

Display until January 12, 2015

If you want to be a great writer,

The Great Books Club

Each month, acclaimed copywriter

Join the Discussion Today

Characters, Tension & Release

Dimensional characters are born from

book climaxes, multifaceted plotlines, and promises

How to Craft Why So Many Writers

Take an honest look at the real reasons our stories

What are the real secrets to writing successful series

2 I WRITERS DIGEST I January 2015

JA NUA RY 2 015 | VOLU ME 95 | NO. 1

8 REVISING OUT LOUD: Not sure if your work-in-

progress is, well, working? Gather some friends,

Rachel Rene Russell

Rachel Rene Russell stopped practicing law soon after

10 PLUS: 5-Minute Memoir Grammar Booster:

Special Prepositions Poetic Asides: Madrigal

17 MEET THE AGENT: Adriann Ranta,

Wolf Literary Services

18 BREAKING IN: Debut Author Spotlight

4 8 FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK: Querying YA Fiction;

Questioning Copy Edits; Compiling Book Proposals

5 0 YOUR STORY: First Things First, Contest #59

American Short Fiction; The Progressive

6 4 CONFERENCE SCENE: Inland Northwest

Christian Writers; Women Writers Winter Retreat;

Spi & C W

7 2 REJECT A HIT: Websters Dictionary

WRITING THE SPIRITUAL ESSAY

5 2 Crafting Christian & Inspirational Stories

5 4 CLICHS TO AVOID IN CHRISTIAN FICTION

Making It to The End

3 0 7 Ways to Plot a Page-Turner

5 7 HANDLING CONTROVERSIAL LANGUAGE

21 Add Dimension to Your Characters

3 8 Secrets to Successful Fiction Series

4 4 WD Interview: Rachel Rene Russell

How to Reach Young Readers

Tips for Drafting Dialogue

Peg Your Series to a Place

In Installment Plans (Page 38), four bestselling novelists

Throw a Revision Party

Intrigued by the methods in Revising Out Loud

WRITE A PERSUASIVE NARRATOR

Author John Mauks methods for writ-

Looking to plan a book launch with real

ing a convincing character borrow from

sizzle? 101 Things to Do With Bacon

the rules of rhetoric. In this guest post,

author Eliza Cross offers 7 ways to turn

he details 3 goals for your protagonist

up the heat at your release party.

and how to achieve them.

5 ATTRIBUTES OF EVERY GREAT GHOSTWRITER

4 I WRITERS DIGEST I January 2015

To nd all of the above online companions to this issue in

Writer's Digest January 2015

Writer's Digest January 2015

Spi & C W