"Classic Ginger" More from the Dynamic Class Given by Cheryl St. John #writingtips

It's not writer's block, per se...

Today I've going to address the middle of your book...you know the time when you avoid continuing?  As Cheryl said in her handouts, "You make excuses for not going to your desk  You read email and do research.  You might even be compelled to clean the garage or paint the kitchen.  Your desk needs to be clean before you sit.  The laundry needs to be folded or else you can't concentrate.  When you actually stop and think about your story, you're confused or discouraged.  Oh my gosh, is this ever a panic mode.  Your synopsis was so good.  You've been totally stoked about this story from the get-go.  You love these characters, but now...you look at your synopsis or your note cards and tally your page count and the only thing a sane person could do is panic."

What exactly is the middle of your book?  "The middle follows the part where your character's motivations were established, their goals were set in place, and where your character decided to go after what he/she wanted or to fight some something he/she believed in...to reach a destination or prevent something from happening."

I've eliminated a few words for conciseness, but the meaning is still Cheryl's. In other words, "The middle is simple a series of events that gets your character from the beginning of the book to the end."

People who plot have it over those of us who don't.  Most use plot points (an event that takes place and forces the character, willing or not, into new circumstances or direction.  Things like:

The villain appears.
A letter arrives.
Someone dies.
A love scene,
An accident.

You're usually halfway when your character's goals change.  Whatever your main character started out wanting should have changed direction by now, or he/she has come up with a new plan to get what they want.  A complication makes it look like they will never achieve their goal.  Don't make the mistake of not being mean enough to your character.  Conflict is good, but remember,  a delay in reaching a goal is NOT conflict.

Help yourself by making a list of 25 things that could happen and review when need be.
Make sure to keep the tension strong and heighten it when necessary.

Keep the outcome in doubt.  Use a time limitation, but give the reader flashes of hope.
 Change POV and leave your main character's fate hanging (a suspense technique), or add an action scene, but make sure you intersperse action with scenes of less tension for pacing's sake.

End every charter with a hook, to keep the reader turning pages.
Question the purpose of every scene.  Is it really needed to move the story forward?
Make sure you haven't revealed too much about your characters.
Can the reader identify?  Are you making the story believable?
Is the conflict escalating?  Things should be worse than they were to start with.
Don't let your story become predictable.
Have you paid attention to pacing?
Is the sexual tension still high?  If not, punch it up.
A good example comes from the movie, "Shrek."  Characters are like onions...reveal them one layer at a time.  If in reviewing your work, create a use later file, cut and paste into it to prevent telling too much too soon.

These are just a few suggestions from Cheryl's book.  I urge you to check it out on Amazon.  I don't plot, but I still found this an enormous help.

Using Emotion, Conflict and Tension in your writing.

A while back, I took a course offered by Cheryl St. John, a very talented and multi-published author. I learned so much, I asked her permission to share some of the material with you and she graciously agreed.

I can't explain the need for emotion much better than Cheryl.  "A story without strong emotions is a not story brought to life."

It's true.  Readers want to feel, and unless you add emotions for them to share, they aren't going to remember your work.  By using words that trigger emotions, you can engage continued purchases.  Find words that evoke mental pictures and feelings.

I'm a big fan of my Thesaurus, because I get annoyed when writer's use the same word over and over within a few paragraphs.  Sometimes, duplication is used for emphasis, but to me, the constant use of one word indicates laziness.

There are many words that share the same meaning, for example, if you want to show interest and want words that emphasize the meaning, try:

Alert
Betwitched
Captivated
Concerned
Devoted
Eager
Fascinated
Impressed
Turned On
Yearning
Zealous

There are tons to show someone feeling threatened or insecure:
Abused
Aching
Agonized
Bitter
Burdened
Cheated
Cheerless
Cold
Condemned
Crushed
Dark
Deceived
Dejected
Depressed
Deprived
Despondent
Destructive
the list goes on and on.  To give you an example of how a few simple words can change your story, let's see which your like best:

Jane, threatned against someone breaking into her house, locked the door.

Now again...with more emotion and showing the reader Jane's insecurities:

Given the rash of burglaries in the neighborhood, Jane agonized over someone breaking into her home.  Jittery fingers manipulated the deadbolt until a distinctive click sounded.

In the second example, can't you feel Jane's apprehension and get a better sense of her concern? Remember...don't be repetitive.

I'll be sharing more examples from Ms. St. John's awesome class in future posts, but since she may not offer personal instruction again soon, I highly recommend her book,

My opinion:  One of the problems I see today:  a lot of people who self-publish believe they were born knowing how to write a book.  That's so untrue.  There is a right of passage to becoming a seasoned author, and people like Cheryl are who we can turn to to learn.  Thanks, pal, for letting me look smarter than I am.

Do Classes Really Help?

I recently took a class called "Once More With Feeling. Cheryl St. John, a well-known and multi-published HQ author was my instructor, and I learned so much from her. I urge anyone who has the opportunity to enroll in Cheryl's classes to do so...she instructs in plain English and makes it so easy to understand.

I know she won't mind if I share my favorite point of contention with you. I've written several novels, but no editor has actually pointed out how I'm jerking the reader out of the character's head by using phrases like:

he thought
she wondered
he believed
he remembered
her thoughts wandered to
he thought to himself (who else would he think to?)

or if you use excessive italics or underlining.

Cheryl pointed out that huge passages of italics can be irritating and can easily be just as effective as text. Another publishing house I worked with restricted to your internal thoughts for this very reason. I now find them irritating and try to avoid using them at all.

As far as using the "jerking" phrases, I'll share two examples Cheryl so expertly used to demonstrate the difference:

He wondered where she'd hidden the deed to the house. He believed it was probably hidden in that old trunk upstairs. Travis saw several photographs on the table as he passed through the kitchen, and he picked one up. It was a picture of the two of them, taken the summer they'd rented the house on the lake. She was smiling at him the way she used to.

See the problems? If you are telling the story from the characters POV, then we know who is wondering, believing, and seeing. The new rule that seems to be popular in eliminating as many instances of "was" as it is considered passive. Here's an improved version.

Where the hell had she stashed the deed? Lydia's predictability was one of the things he'd always loved about her. She kept everything from old canceled checks to her birth certificate in that trunk upstairs. On his way through the dining room, a scattered pile of photos captured his attention. He recognized the one on top before he even picked it up and held it to the late afternoon light slanting through the blinds. That summer they'd spent at the lake had been one of the best times of his life. Back then, they'd still smiled at each other like silly teenagers, still held hands on the beach...still had dreams.

In the second paragraph, it's clear that the author became Travis and experienced the scene through his eyes.Without even using backstory, you can tell that Travis and Linda aren't getting along as well as they used to.

Cheryl also reminded us to make our character's thoughts match their speech, intellect, upbringing, ethnicity, and personality. For instance, if you're writing from a child's POV think like a child. An uneducated person will think like one. Get into the character's head and write from that perspective.

And if you are like me and wondered what about Deep Point of View, I can finally explain it. As a writer, you want to be invisible. Stay deep in the POV of the character by avoiding any words or flowery phrases that remind the reader that someone wrote the story and they aren't experiencing it firsthand.

Kudos to Cheryl St. John for helping me to continue to grow as a writer and for not suing me for using her material on my blog. She's an awesome instructer, friend and author. (Is that enough sucking up?) *lol*

To find out more about Cheryl's vast backlist and her newest releases, visit her website.

Working the Muddle Out of Your Middle

It's my pleasure to promote award-winning author, Cheryl St. John's upcoming class. It was my great pleasure to strike a friendship with her at my first and only RT conference. It's evident from the instructor's bio below that she knows what she's doing, and if she can teach me something, I'm willing to learn.



FEBRUARY ONLINE CLASS: Working the Muddle Out of Your Middle
Cheryl St.John
DATE: February 1-28
COST: $25.
REGISTRATION VIA PAYPAL: http://cheryl-stjohn-workshop.blogspot.com/
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

CLASS DESCRIPTION:

It happens to everyone at some time or another--that muddle when you reach the middle of a book. Ever lost energy and drive? Ever thought you didn't have enough story? Ever panicked because you had too much story? Most of us know what it's like to stall out, but there are steps you can take to keep your story moving forward.

Every writer needs to know that just because a certain scene or chapter or book is difficult to write, your talent has not deserted you. There are techniques that will carry you across that difficult stretch more effectively.

In Cheryl St.John's workshop, WORKING THE MUDDLE OUT OF YOUR MIDDLE, she will offer suggestions on how to focus during this challenging stage of the story. After over thirty published books, she knows each book will be a different challenge and that not one solution will always help. She'll show you how to come against destructive self-doubt. Returning to the first love of what excited you about the story is a big part of moving forward, and she will share exercises on how to jump start your creativity. Writers who've taken this workshop come away with fresh ideas and inspiration.

Topics addressed:

* frustration and lack of confidence
* defining the middle
* intuition and first love
* plot points
* tension
* focus


INSTRUCTOR BIO:

Among her achievements, which include over thirty-five published books in both contemporary and historical genres, Cheryl St.John has received multiple Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Awards and three RITA nominations. In describing her stories of second chances and redemption, readers and reviewers use words like, “emotional punch, hometown feel, core values, believable characters and real life situations.” She has taught writing on local and national levels, and is in demand as a motivational speaker.

FORMAT:

The class will be conducted via subscription to a private yahoogroup. Two lessons per week, after which you're encouraged to post questions. Most lessons will include a brief exercise pertaining to the participant’s current work in progress. Entire archived class will be available for one week after the ending date.

Tag, Your it!

I was tagged by Anita Davison, so I stole her tag image to use on my blog. I know she won't mind because she probably stole it from someone else. :)

I guess the purpose of this lovely game is to garner interest in my blog and those of my friends. I'm supposed to tell you six exciting things about myself and refer you to six other blogs. The blogs I can do, but I don't know if there are six interesting things to share about myself. I guess I can try.

1. I hate spiders and bugs that jump. I'm afraid to walk across the floor at night because Tennessee seems to have lots of night crawlers despite my continued efforts to poison them all. I have been known to lay in bed with a full and aching bladder because I don't want to risk walking to the bathroom. Don't get me wrong...our house isn't laden with bugs, but you know, there's always the chance.

2. I was a school bus driver once in another life. On my maiden voyage, I was sent to pick up some children who missed their usual bus. When I got to the school, I couldn't find them. I left the bus and went into the office to call my supervisor to ask what I should do. While I was on the phone, I saw my bus roll past the window. EEEK!!!

3. I met my current husband at a single's dance. He came there to meet up with someone else. He joined a dating service and paid a whole lot of money to be ignored by the woman who ran the dance. He was on his way out the door when I noticed him and approached him about a dance. He could have had me for free! Well, I guess he did, although I refused to spend the night with him. I have morals. I made him wait until the second date for a sleep over and that's because he refused to leave. He acted like came to my house on a wagon train instead of in a car.

4. Embezzled Love is really a fairly accurate accounting of what happened to my sister when she hooked up with a guy she met on the internet. I wrote it for entertainment, but mainly to warn people what can happen if you are too trusting.

5. People are so paranoid about their social security numbers. Did you know that if you look on the social security death registry, you'll find the names of most deceased people along with their social security numbers? And we wonder why some dead people are still voting. Duh uh!

6. Okay, one more bus driving revelation. One morning, when my bus was being serviced, I gassed up the best of the sub buses and had it ready to go. When someone came in and asked who was driving it, I announced "Me." I was shocked when they told me it just left the yard. Boy, was I pissed. I ran out the door to discover who took my bus, only to see my supervisor running after it with arms flailing. Luckily old number eight made a perfect left-turn, thus avoiding six driver's ed cars, and passed with ease through the exit gate. This time I set the emergency brake, but I forgot to take it out of drive (the only automatic in the yard) and once it warmed up, it overrode the break and decided to leave without me. Do you see a pattern here? Fortunately, after bumping over the plowed furrows of the field across from the transportation yard, the bus finally stopped. Boy, my supervisor must have really liked me. :)

Okay, here are my six friends:
Tabitha Shay because she's an awesome friend and author. She has a whole series of Witch books and a series on Montana Men. Treat yourself to a peek.

Sloane Taylor . Sweet as Honey...Hotter than Hell. Check out Sloane's Naughty Ladies series.

Anne Whitfield Check out this award winning author of historical and contemporary fiction. You'll love her work.

Carol Shenold . Carol writes wonderful mystery with humor. My kind of gal!

Rita Karnopp . Rita is a wonderful author and a dear friend from Eternal Press. Check out her wonderful romance, Sacred Ground. You're in for a treat.

Cheryl St. John . If you're looking a great blog, a talented author, and someone with a great sense of humor, then check out Cheryl St. John. I'm very proud to call her my friend...even if she keeps denying she knows me. *smile*

So, now I've shared my deepest secrets and notified these lucky six people that they've been tagged. I did my duty, Anita! Aren't you proud of me?

Message from Cheryl St. John

Imagine, Cheryl sent me a message thanking me for letting her spend a day on my blog. Can you believe it? I'm was absolutely honored to host her. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about her and following the comments. I can tell from all the remarks, that I'm not the only one who is glad she came.

Cheryl asked to announce the winner of the drawing for her book... so
JANNINE CORTI PETSKA, you're the lucky gal!

If you'll contact me, I'll let you know how to get your copy of Cheryl's latest release, The Magic of Christmas.

My thanks again to Cheryl St. John for bringing some light and laughter to my 'house' and to those of you who visited and made the day even more special.