Pantsers Need Timelines, Too

I'm a pantser; I admit it.The easiest way for me to write the first draft of a new novel is to simply do it. That doesn't mean I do no planning. I spend time working out the plot in my head and getting to know the characters. Most important I decide on the endgame. I have to know where I want the characters to end up, but in the middle I find it easiest to let each day's scene evolve from the day before.

This method works well for creating the first draft, but it comes with a penalty. Often my time sequences are off. This is a serious problem in the mysteries I write. Events must happen in a particular sequence so that the ending is believable and comes as something of a surprise to the reader, but is buttressed by clues along the way.

I solve this problem by making a detailed timeline once the draft is finished, and I've had a chance to get away from it for awhile. It sometimes takes a bit of rewriting to assure that all the events happen in the proper sequence, but by then I know my characters, setting, and plot so fixing the details is easier.

This is the season of Nanowrimo when writers are encouraged to just write the novel. I think it's great advice. At least at the end you have something to work with. So, pantsers, enjoy the creative month of November. January is a good month to step back and work on the timeline of your novel.  

Read Book Reviews to Improve Your Writing Skills

By reading reviews, I don't mean just your own, although those can certainly be helpful. I suggest you go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christian Books, or any other good review site, and pick several books. Don't pick books that have several hundred one line reviews saying they loved it. You won't learn anything.

Pick books where there is a substantial spread in the rating. Both the five star reviews and the two star reviews for such a book can be helpful. I recently reviewed Fallen Masters by John Edward. The reviews ranged across the board. Some people loved it, primarily because the plot interested them. On the negative side, some people said there were too many characters, another was disturbed by the consistent use of POTUS for President of the United States. The book was very long and some people thought it dragged in the middle.

So what can you learn from reviews like this?

• A strong plot can carry a book for many readers. This is particularly true if the characters are well drawn and interesting.
• Long books, 400 to 500 pages, can turn readers off unless the action is consistent. Slow moving sections designed to present information turn readers off.

• Unless handled very well, following more than one or two characters can be confusing. With too many characters, readers often go back and forth to remember what the character was doing several pages ago.
• Use of unusual acronyms, particularly in capital letters, can stop the forward motion of the story. Some readers are so annoyed they give up reading.

Almost any series of reviews can be mined for ideas of what makes a book work readers. It helps if you've read the book, but if not, there's still plenty of food for thought.

Pitfalls in Writing Historical Novels

Writing historical novels can be fun, particularly if you love research. There are many wonderful stories from the past waiting to be told. Not only do you have a plot ready-made, but you have background material to enhance your descriptions and allow the reader to enter a different time. Unlike the science fiction or fantasy novel, you don't have to make it all up. There are pitfalls, however.

Wooden Characters

The main characters may be real people if you're using a historical plot, or at least many of the supporting characters can be. It sounds easy, but the problem is making the characters come alive. I recently read a historical novel where the author used the characters like puppets to act out the story rather than having the action driven by their thoughts and feelings. It's not easy to get inside a character who lived hundreds or thousands of years ago in a different time with different cultural constraints. The best historical novelists do it, but not everyone has that facility.

Too Much Research

Doing research is fun. You find all sorts of facts and incidents that just have to be part of the story, but beware. You can lose the impact of the story by surrounding the plot with too much history. I recently read a historical novel in which the author threw in chapters about a secondary historical event. These chapters served to take the focus off the main plot line and dilute the impact of events on the main characters.

Too Much Description

Each time period has it's own background that makes delightful paragraphs of description. Since you're describing a previous period of history you need description to allow your readers to visualize the scenes. The pitfall is too much description. One author, whose books I've read, goes on for pages with lyrical description that makes the time come alive. The problem is that on the first reading (and there may never be a second reading) the reader becomes frustrated and skips over the description trying to find out what happens next. If the description goes on too long, the reader may close the book and not finish even the first reading.

I love well-written historical novels, but I've read too many lately, usually by first time authors, that have the pitfalls I've described. The books get published, but reviewers are savvy. They pick up on these problems. A book that could sell well gets panned and readers avoid it. If you're writing a historical novel, I hope thinking about these things helps. I'm sure it will help your sales.  

A Review of Mormon History, But So Much More

Mansfield gives an excellent review of Mormon history from the beginning in the early 1800's in the “burnt-over district” near Palmyra, NY, the scene of repeated religious revivals, through the westward movement first to Jackson County, Missouri and finally to Salt Lake City Utah. He gives a detailed account of Joseph Smith's meeting with the Angel Maroni and later with John the Baptist, as well as Peter, James and John.

Although retelling the history is important to get an idea of who the Mormons were, the most important contribution Mansfield makes in this book is telling who the Mormons are today. Mansfield, according to the introduction, has taken time to meet the Mormons and learn first hand what they think about their religion and their beliefs. He starts each chapter with a vignette based, he says, on real life stories. These glimpses of Mormons defending their faith, telling what they believe, and struggling with life's problems are the best part of the book. We can see the real people behind the popular ideas of strange underwear, unusual beliefs, and prophetic visions.

What emerges from this book is a picture of the Latter-day Saints as:

• People who strive for success, believing that life is a series of tests that must be passed. Their credo is progressing, achieving and moving forward.
• People who believe that family is important above almost everything else. How many other religions require families to meet once a week to discuss problems and successes.
• Education is extremely important to Mormons. It begins at an early age and most Latter-day Saints are very well educated, many doing graduate work.
• Patriotism is inbred in the Mormons. They believe in the free-market system, and more important view, the Constitution as of Divine origin.

When I started this book, I knew a few Latter-day Saints and thought well of them, but I didn't understand their religion at all. I have to admit that I still find their beliefs a bit unusual, but everyone in our country is free to believe what they want from Pentecostals, to Catholics, to Mormons, Jews and all Protestant congregatons.

I highly recommend this book. It's very readable and will give you a much better idea of who these successful people are. At the end of the book Mansfield deals with several problems the Mormons face by becoming more prominent. One is the concern that Mormons are bound by the revelations of Saints in positions of power. I don't think this is a serious concern. I remember the Kennedy election. People painted horror stories of the country becoming subject to the Pope. That didn't happen. I very much doubt that Mormon revelations will guide anyone in charge of the country either in the military or the government to perform acts that are not in the best interests of the nation. Church and State are separate and should remain that way.

I reviewed this book for Worthy Publishing.

How Can a Writer Get in Involved in Current Events?

My husband recently asked me, what can I do to get involved in the election? This is a more difficult question than it might seem. We live in a very rural area. Most voters are from the same party and already decided. Going somewhere to answer phones, or prepare mailers isn't an option – at least more than once, so what does that leave? The Internet.

Here are a few suggestions, the same ones I gave him:

• Write a blog. Getting access to the blogger community is very easy. Blogger from Google is simple to use and to get started. Wordpress is likewise ease to get involved with. I'm sure there are other options, but those two are readily available. Once you've set up your blog you have a platform from which you can expound your ideas. You may worry that no one will come, but I've found that over time people find you.
• Review books. A wide range of books on almost any topic is available. Once you've read the book, you can give others your thoughts. You can do this on your own blog, but Amazon and Barnes and Noble, to name just two, are eager for reviewer input. Sometimes this even leads to an interesting exchange with readers.
• Comment on other people's blogs. This is an easy way to get your opinions out and to start a conversation. I don't guarantee that everyone authoring a blog post will respond, but if you come to my blog Nancy Famolari's Place, I promise to respond.
• Comment on book reviews on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. This is another way to get your views out. Besides the reviewer will be interested to hear what you think, not to mention the author.

I'm sure there are other things you can do on the Internet. All the social medial opportunities come to mind: facebook, twitter, and pinterest. It's the greatest opportunity in this century to get your voice heard. It's not hard to get started, and it can be very rewarding. Let me know if you start a blog or do a review, and I promise to visit.  

Beach Reads

Accredited Online Collages has an interesting article on beach reads. Although many of their recommendations are old standbys, it's fun to look at what they suggest. Perhaps if you haven't read some of their selections, it's a good time to check one out.

Enjoy the sun and surf.

Why You Should Be a Writer

I recently read a post by Susanna Breslin on Forbes (6/12/2012) about why you shouldn't be a writer. Susannah has one excellent point. If you want to get rich, writing is not the way to do it, unless you have some other accomplishment to your credit, or you've been involved in a terrible disaster. There are so many books available today, both published by the traditional press and self-published, it's amazing that anyone is selling well. However, becoming a millionaire isn't the only reason to become a writer.

One point she makes that I disagree with is that you shouldn't write because you're not good at it. Many, many people aren't really good writers. In my estimation, that includes a fair number that are published by large publishers. Writing is a craft that can be learned. The problem is that a great many writers think a creative imagination is plenty, stick words on paper and you're done. It doesn't work that you. If you want to be a writer you have to spend time learning how to do it well. If you wanted to be a brain surgeon, you wouldn't start by cutting people's heads open. (Thankfully, there are laws against that.)

A second point that I agree with is that writing is hard. Yes, it is hard to write well, and it takes time to craft a story, poem or even a non-fiction piece that accurately portrays your view of the world and is something another person would like to read. However, the fact that it's hard is not a reason not to do it. Many worthwhile things are hard to do. In fact, in my experience most worthwhile things are difficult. That is no reason to not attempt them. It's a call to recognize that you have to work that much harder to succeed.

Finally, my own reason for being a writer is that it makes me happy to create something. I feel wonderful when, as happened this weekend, my neighbor, who I'd give a book to, told me he'd give me an A+. He felt the book gave him an experience he wouldn't have had otherwise, and he enjoyed the ride. If you want to please other people and yourself, you have to be ready to work hard and learn your craft, but it's not a reason to give up your dream of being a writer. Just don't expect to get rich.