"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.

Important Tips to Writing a Good Novel #writingtips

There are certain ingredients a writer should use in order the achieve the elements of good writing.  Here, through the grace of Cheryl St. John, I'm sharing  few:

• CONFLICT - INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL

Use internal narrative to trigger emotions that make your character memorable, but know that some people prefer  text instead of italics.  If using internal thoughts, limit your italics.  What your character contemplates defines him/her as a person, making him/her either sympathetic or not.  Think carefully before you decide because everything in your character's brain will determine how your reader perceives him/her to be.  If you prefer, you can demonstrate conflict by personality.  Does he/she like to fight, argue, is the person fair in dealing, honest, dishonest.  You decide, but remember, most leopards don't change their spots.

• CARING

The reader has to care about your story in order to make it past the first chapters.  Remember, perfect and uneventful lives are boring.

How do you make the reader care:  Begin your story with a hook, and spoon feed the character's backstory a little at a time.  DON'T cram too much backstory into the beginning of the book and bore your reader to death. UNRAVEL the backstory an inch at a time.   Make your reader want to know more about your character by hinting at things...in other words, taunt, tease and tantalize.

• DEFINE YOUR CHARACTERS

Make your characters real and believable.  Insecurities are part of life, and most readers appreciate being able to identify with your hero/heroine.

• USE EMOTIONS

Tigger emotions.  No one sees an Amber Alert and doesn't wonder how the parents must be feeling.
Cheryl uses Method Writing, which puts her readers in the leads shoes.  She gives her characters goals, fleshes out the people about whom she writes, and makes them real.  She becomes them to know how they feel or react.

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Next installment, we'll talk about the middle of the book and the importance of keeping up the pace, writing style, and fulfilling your goals.

Don't forget, if you can't take a class, Cheryl has made all her knowledge on writing with Conflict, Tension and Emotion available in her book.

 http://amzn.com/B00G8OIFYU