First Word

One of the hardest things to do when writing fiction is to create unique voices for each character. If you make all the characters sound alike it makes the writing flat and uninteresting. It also makes it difficult to get to know a character -- they all sound like the same person. When I teach my fiction writing workshops, I always teach writers the following concepts to help create a voice for each character. Phone a friend -- I'm being cute ... what I really mean is pick someone you know in real life. Hear how he or she talks. Take this person's voice and apply it to one of your characters. If you don't know someone who would "fit the part" then take an actor or actress or even a public figure and listen to how this person talks. Mimic their inflections and phrases in your character(s). My biggest insight: really listen and repeat. People have their own ways of saying things. So, you want to capture the unique essence of the voice. Formalism in modern writ...

The best books take interesting approaches to storytelling. I recently received a submission from a new writer who naturally and successfully broke linear storytelling structure. As her memoir unfolded it wasn't the typical "...and I was born ... and died" approach. Yes, a story needs a beginning and an end. Her story was unique. She began with an opening that defined the theme in the book. She then fluidly moved to major life events. Guess what? Not in chronological order. She began building intrigue by providing her life story through defining events. As she did so, she opened questions to be answered and pull the reader forward -- and that is what you call a page-turner. The reader wonders okay how are we going to get back to this plot point? After building, for example, a chapter where she alludes to her own "death," she then successfully plunges back into her past and how this history makes her who she is now. Brilliant! So the point? Don't take a strai...

I had this discussion with one of our authors yesterday. Some people mistake the editor's role on a book to be solely about finding the grammatical mistakes. On a fiction book, the editor's job is not just making sure all the grammar and usage is correct -- that is only one part of it. A story editor is looking at the entire picture. A good story editor does the following: Character development -- are the characters consistently written. Do their voices stay the same throughout the book. Did the author build real, vivid individuals who can be easily identified in the story? Story development -- does the story make sense. Is it being properly told with a beginning, middle and end? Are all the plots and subplots wrapped up? Does it all make sense? Holes and consistency -- are there any unanswered questions? Are their holes in the story? Are their inconsistencies? Are all of the references the same throughout the book? Are the names correct and in the right place at the r...