All posts by Jordan

Technique

Three lessons from LDStorymakers

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Earlier this month, I got to attend the LDStorymakers writers conference. We had some really great guests and presenters, including Larry Brooks, Sara Megibow, Sara Crowe, Becca Stumpf, Marcia Markland, and dozens of published authors and friends. It was an intense and very fun weekend!

Without further ado, I’d like to share the three biggest things I learned this year at LDStorymakers.

1. You can’t please everyone. You can be okay with that.
Okay, we all know we can’t please everyone. But if we’re honest, I think we often imagine that we can please everyone if we just fix this and that and follow all the “rules” and—and—and— Then, surely, everyone will love us!

No. When you ask for feedback, you get what you ask for. I’ve done pretty darn well with my first chapter (or first three chapters) in contests, but the judges’ feedback hasn’t been unanimously glowing. For example, on my opening paragraph, I’ve had judges say:

Foreshadowing things to come as a hook works. I like that you satisfied the foreshadowing so soon.

Your first line isn’t bad, but overall, the hook could be stronger. Find something to pull the reader and keep them hooked. It felt like the last sentence of the first paragraph was out of place, with the rest of the paragraph, yet that is where the real hook was, because now we want to know about the blast. The ideas are solid, just rework them so the hook is more compelling.

Great opening line! Introduces character, story, and tension very succinctly. . . . Wow…everything a reader wants in an opening paragraph. Fantastic!

Good hook – a bit foretelling, but I’m happy to read on to find out what happened.

The beginning feels too slow and sleepy.

So that’s mostly good, right? (You know what’s funny? I remembered them as being half positive, half negative.) My feedback from critique partners has been a little more evenly split. Who’s right?

They all are. It’s what works for them. It may not be what works for me, or for my book. I’m not going to please everyone. I ask my friends to help me make my chapter better, and they do what I ask—they let me know what doesn’t work for them. I still have to decide what works best for me and my book, without expecting that elusive “perfection.”

2. Start blogging now! Okay . . . now. Now. No, now.
About 20% of the conference belongs to Authors Incognito, a writers' support group for attendees. I'm in the front row, purple shirt, with the rest of the executive committeeOne of the classes I took was Elana Johnson‘s class on “building your blog into a platform you can stand on.” (I can’t help it. I gravitate toward these marketing classes. O, years in the marketing industry! How you’ve corrupted me!) Elana strongly recommended that we start blogging now (if we hadn’t already) (obviously I have) (PARENTHESES!).

And Elana wasn’t the only one touting blogs. Agent Sara Megibow pointed out that we need to get the ball rolling on our marketing now, ourselves—because it’s easier to roll a ball that’s already rolling. (This sounded way more eloquent when she said it.)

(I have been saying this for years, so I like this because it backs me up. 😀 )

3. Armageddon and the end of the world don’t begin after a “no thanks.”
I did my research, I read novels she’d worked with, I paid for my pitch session—and I still didn’t get a request. But I did get a great conversation, positive feedback, career counseling, a list of great, current authors in my genre, and questions answered, as well as the chance to practice putting myself out there. That’s worth it.

And you know what else is worth it? Learning to get over it. Learning to move on and keep going. Learning not to get discouraged easily.

Bonus lesson! How great it is to have writing friends!
This is my third year at LDStorymakers, and every year, I know more and more people there. It. Is. Amazing. To connect with other people who “get” writing (and writers!). I think the message I heard most at the conference and afterward was “I wish we’d had more time to talk!” (Of course, we could have skipped our classes, but that would just be silly, wouldn’t it?)

Although the day may come when I won’t be able to participate in LDStorymakers, as I walked through the halls with these kindred spirits, I can’t imagine ever not

What do you think? What lessons have you learned from writers conferences?

Post edited slightly since publication to include more feedback on my first chapter that I was too lazy to get out when I wrote the post.

Marketing

Authors Websites Critiqued

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In case you missed it, Monday I did a guest post at Romance University about seven things an author’s website must be. I drew three lucky websites from the comments that day and today RU has posted my critiques on their content, navigation, networking, promotion, design, and search engine presence.

There is a lot of information over there, including quick tips on what to put on your site, how to increase our search engine rankings, and how to promote (or prepare to promote) your books on your site. Check it out!
free website guide
I used to do author website critiques here from time to time, and it’s been almost a year and a half since our last round. And because I seem to need a little extra motivation these days, I’ll do it as a challenge to myself: if I finish my rewrites by May 25, we’ll do a quick series of (aspiring) author website critiques here!

In the meantime, check out my series on aspiring author websites (also available in PDF)!

A little about me
I do actually know what I’m talking about. I worked in Internet marketing for five years, specializing in organic search engine marketing and industry news. Until I left to have baby #3, I was the editor of the prominent Internet marketing news blog Marketing Pilgrim, one of Advertising Age’s Top 10 Internet Marketing Blogs. I’ve spoken at (and otherwise attended) several industry conferences and might even be called an “expert.” But I’m way too modest for that 😉 .

What do you think? What kind of feedback would you want on your website?

Marketing, News & Contests

Good news for me—and for you!

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Over the weekend, I had the privilege of attending the LDStorymakers writers’ conference for the third time. And for the second time, I pretty much panicked whenever I thought about the results of the first chapter contest.

In fact, I even told people (like, I don’t know, my own husband) that I hadn’t entered at all. (I told him to view this as evidence of only my own insecurities and the fragile state of my ego, not any reflection on him. Plus, I’d told him I entered months ago and he just forgot.)

But, as you may have guessed from the title of the post, I had the honor of receiving an award in their first chapter contest:

Mystery/Suspense Category: First Place for Façade!

And you can read that chapter here!

Thank you to everyone who helped me get my first chapter in shape—and thank you for all the feedback I’ve received on the chapter since then.

(And yes, if you’ve been here a while, I actually won the same award last year.)

Okay, so, obviously, that news isn’t “good” for you so much—but this next one is. Today I’m guest blogging at Romance University. It’s the fourth installment on a series on author websites:

And if that’s not good news for you, maybe this will be—three lucky commenters on Romance University will have their websites critiqued (critiques to be posted on Thursday)!! So head on over!

Technique

Guest Post: The Mess in the Middle

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I enjoyed this post when I read it on Writer Unboxed—and then Miss Barry’s publicist emailed it as a potential guest post. I jumped on it!

By Brunonia Barry, author of The Map of True Places

One year into a two-year book deadline, I have reached page 165 in my manuscript. So far, my characters have obediently done everything I’ve asked of them, but today something changed. This morning, they couldn’t seem to take a step without tripping over their feet. So they decided to stand still. I couldn’t make them go forward, and I couldn’t make them go back. When I asked what the problem was, they told me they were confused.

I’d be panicked about this situation except that I’ve been here before. Twice. And even more if you count the screenplays I wrote when I lived in LA or the books I’ve written for ‘tweens. While I don’t like it, I have come to expect that there are times when characters just won’t move.

For me, this always happens in the same place, maybe not always on page 165 but some place close to it. It’s always in the middle of the book. “What was it you wanted me to do?” seems to be the question my characters ask, and when I tell them, they become skeptical. Since I trust characters over plot every time, I tend to listen when a character tells me “I wouldn’t do that kind of thing.” And the middle of the book is always where they seem to doubt their motivation.

There’s a name for this. It’s called the mess in the middle. It’s an expression I first heard when I was enrolled in one of Robert McKee’s screenwriting workshops. I was writing a comedy called Sluts, a sort of West Coast Sex in the City with an edge, when my characters refused the adventures I was trying to send them on and threatened to infect me with a case of writer’s block if I persisted in giving them directions. They were angry with me, and who could blame them? As a relatively new writer, I was lost and confused.

Confusion, in itself, doesn’t bother me. I honor it as part of the writing process, a byproduct of communing with the muse. It is a frequent ailment, but not a serious one. Unfortunately, the mess in the middle is a different illness. If left unchecked, it can be fatal. I’m willing to wager that this midpoint is where most writers abandon their projects. I know it has been true for me. I have several unfinished manuscripts sitting in drawers, including that screenplay. One day, knowing what I know now, I may open the drawer and dust off those stories. Meanwhile, I’ll tell you exactly what the mess in the middle is, and what you can do about it.

I’m sure you’ve heard that old story about the mountain. You are climbing a tree lined mountain trail in an effort to see the view from the top. You’ve been walking for quite a while. About halfway up, you realize that you don’t have any idea where you are. You can no longer see the bottom of the mountain, and you cannot yet see the top. You begin to panic. If it were up to you, you’d just quit, but you can’t. You’re halfway up the side of a mountain for God’s sake.

So what do you do? If you’ve prepared for the hike, you’ve been smart enough to bring a map. Though it’s an exercise in blind faith, you have no choice but to follow it.

In writing, my map is my step outline. Though I write free form for quite a while when I’m starting a project, I am not a pantser. I believe very strongly in outlines. Once I’ve captured the voice of the characters and know them well enough to ask that first what if question that propels them forward, it is time to create a step outline.

My outline is simple enough. It contains only the major steps of the story. Sometimes it’s a sentence or paragraph, sometimes a list of bullet points. I spend more time on it that any other aspect of my writing, because it’s the only tool that allows me to see the big picture. It particularly helps with pacing and with the progression of character changes. If I follow it, I seldom get into trouble.

The problem is, sometimes I don’t follow it. I am moving along so fast, and the story is going so well, that I just keep writing. This is exactly what I discovered this morning when I went back to look at my outline. A few days ago, I was writing so furiously that I skipped a step, and, as a result, my characters missed an important turn. If they had reached the impasse immediately, I might have spotted my omission. Unfortunately, the dead end hadn’t come until the following chapter, several turns later.

If I hadn’t taken the time to create my map, I might never have found my mistake. The manuscript might have ended up in that drawer with my screenplay. Luckily, with my step outline and just a bit of work, I was able to get my characters back on track. They are now happily moving forward.

How are your story maps constructed? Do you outline? Have you experienced the mess in the middle?

Author Bio
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Brunonia Barry, lives in Salem with her husband and their beloved golden retriever, Byzantium.

Barry is the first American Writer to win the Woman’s International Fiction Festival’s 2009 Baccante Award (for The Lace Reader). Her second novel, The Map of True Places is out now.

For more information please visit http://www.BrunoniaBarry.com, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo by Jack Keene
Post © 2011 Brunonia Barry, author of The Map of True Places. Reprinted with permission.

Technique

Too good

My critique partner Chantele Sedgwick is featuring me today on her Aspiring Author Interview!

To continue with the food metaphors this week, I love chocolate, and I am not picky about it. Yes, you can find some “chocolate” (or actual chocolate) I dislike/wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole, but really, I’m good with anything from Hershey Kisses to chichi bon bons. I can taste the difference between premium and “everyday” chocolate, but if I’m really honest, I’ll take whatever I can get. I love me some chocolate.

(Oh crap, did I just admit that right before Mother’s Day?)

So maybe it’s just my indiscriminate tastes speaking, but whenever I see someone dismiss a style of writing, I am utterly baffled. I have read everything from poor pulpy thrillers to challenging mystery texts in a foreign language. I haven’t loved everything I’ve read, but I could never imagine writing off all literary fiction, or all popular fiction, or claiming that I don’t enjoy them.

The thing that bothers me the most about this, I think, is the elitism of writing off “popular entertainment.” I’m sure you don’t really mean to say, “Everyone else is beneath me because you actually enjoy this mindless garbage. Meanwhile, I strive for HIGH ART and can’t find any pleasure from anything that anyone else might enjoy. Mindless garbage, like I said.”

Okay, so maybe those are the exact words people use—but it’s definitely the impression they give (and we writers should always be mindful of what impressions our words impart!). That condescending attitude usually inspires the no-more-productive reverse snobbery railing against “plotless showmanship.”

Both sides have a smidgen of truth behind their arguments—yeah, a lot of pop culture isn’t very high quality (thank you, Dr. Fox and History of Pop Culture, for three credit hours to learn that), and yeah, a lot of literary works are more interested in pretty words than being interesting. But I don’t think anyone pursuing traditional publishing today can pretend like we can completely do away with popularity, storytelling or good writing.

(Okay, not true. I can think of people who’ve been successfully published with works that were neither well-crafted nor interesting. Or even internally consistent. ARGH. Anyway.)

But seriously, what’s with the attitude?

What do you think? Where do you fall on the spectrum? Or can you appreciate all sides?

Photo by Staso

Mechanics, Technique

The building blocks of writing

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I like the Food Network game show Chopped. It’s cool to see the unusual ingredients the contests must use and the amazing things they make with them. The competitors are experienced and/or trained chefs. They know everything about the tools of their trade, from the knives to the appliances to the techniques to the ingredients.

Although they’re probably not planning a flash fiction reality game show any time soon (darn!), we writers need to know the tools of our trade just as well—perhaps even more so, since we don’t have the excuse of a 20-minute time limit or a set of necessary ingredients we’ve never seen before. One of the ingredients we always need is grammar.

It’s not optional! We know, obviously, we’re not going to get published with dozens of dangling modifiers and comma splices littering every page. “I have critique partners who’ll catch all that,” claim some aspiring authors. That’s a very worrisome attitude for someone who calls himself a writer, trying to argue that grammar is 1.) not important enough to learn and 2.) something I can shuttle off onto someone else.

If you want to be a writer, grammar is YOUR job.

Imagine if a cook wanted to become an executive chef, but he absolutely refused to learn knife techniques, or how to use a frying pan, or what a risotto should taste like. Would you take his goal seriously, or would you think he wasn’t really dedicated to it?

But, our imaginary cook argues, when I’m an executive chef, I’ll have other people to do those things for me. The people who’re beneath me. Yeah, he will—but he’ll also have people he’ll need to teach. And if they mess up, they’re not going to be the only ones held responsible.

If you have your name on a published book, writing and the English language are your business—even if you want to claim you’re only a storyteller. People will think you know something about those subjects. (Duh, I know this isn’t always right, but they’ll assume it anyway.) How are you going to feel (and look!) if someone asks you a basic question and you can’t answer? Or what if you can’t tell good grammar from bad and you pass along something unreadable to your agent or editor? What will they think?

Grammar is not impossible—and it’s not optional. You don’t have to learn the exact definition of a periphrastic tense (though obviously it might come in handy if you’re my CP 😉 ), but it’s my opinion that you should be able to construct a coherent sentence. You should be able to tell the difference between a complete sentence and a fragment. For the LOVE, learn to use commas and apostrophes correctly.

We all make mistakes—but we all need to try not to. That might mean learning to write excellent grammar on the first try (and I do believe that can be learned!), or it might mean a rigorous self-edit. Critique partners and copy editors will always help, but the primary responsibility—and effort—should come from the writer himself.

What do you think? Is grammar important? Could you use some grammar instruction?

Photo by Robert Johnson

Technique

Z is for Zeal

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When I’m writing first drafts, in general, my two favorite parts are the beginning and the end. Usually, I’ve envisioned both of these long before writing, and I’ve been looking forward to them for a long time.

The end is fun because I’ve anticipated it so much, because it’s so satisfying to be done (for now), because it’s the final show down and my chance to have true love conquer all and/or justice to triumph just when it seems impossible. It’s something I’ve imagined and re-imagined, crafting lines of dialogue or action sequences or prose, foreshadowing.

Beginnings are even better. Often I start them before I even intend to, so many ideas and characters and phrases are screaming to get out before I forget them. I’ll have been thinking about a story idea for a week or a month, and all of the sudden, I’m at the computer, just giving it a try. A day or two later, when I’m a chapter or two into it, sometimes I’m so in love with it I send it to a couple friends for an alpha read. (A day after that, I’m ready to tell my husband I’ve started another book—which basically means we’ll see each other again in a couple months 😉 .)

Now, there are of course lots of scenes in the middle that I look forward to, but it’s hard for me to pin down a pattern of which scenes or plot points are most exciting. It’s pretty consistent with beginnings and endings for me. Revising I’m less enthused about, but I do love the purpose and the result—getting better and better!

What do you think? Do you have favorite sections to write? How do you feel about revising?

Photo by The Shopping Sherpa

Uncategorized

Y is for Yea!

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Yea! This A to Z thing is almost over!

Yea! I have a conference coming up, and I’ll get to see my friends and just spend time with other writers!

Yea! I have 8,000 things to get done (and that’s one of my favorite numbers of things to say I have to do . . . . that was convoluted)!

Yea! My husband took the kids for 2+ hours today so I could work on those 8,000 things! I got one done. But hey, one more than yesterday!

Yea! The Ugh story is doing better!

Yea! For encouraging blog posts!

Yea! For trying to find joy in the little things!

What do you have to say yea to?