by Joe Bunting |
Sometimes when you’re writing, you get so caught up in where your story is going that you’ve forgotten a few details that you previously established at the beginning of your book.
Sometimes those details are smaller, like having a character approach your protagonist from behind when you’ve established that the protagonist is on the top row of the stadium bleachers, and there is no way you can sneak up on them from behind. Sometimes those details are bigger, like a previously-unbeatable monster suddenly being dispatched with ease with a butter knife.
These inconsistencies are called plot holes.
by Joe Bunting |
I once asked over fifty writers what their biggest fear was. Can you guess what the most popular answer was? It shouldn’t be hard. You’re probably afraid of the same thing.
Writers fear Rejection.
We’re afraid our story—the one we’ve been working on for years—won’t be taken seriously. Worse, we’re afraid our work will be ignored completely.
How do you deal with and the fear of failure and rejection?
by Joe Bunting |
Serialized novels are gaining popularity, both in the mass market and literary worlds.
Margaret Atwood is in the middle of her sci-fi novel Positron which is available for free on Byliner. (I read the first Episode. It was very fun!). Alexander McCall Smith, of The Ladies #1 Detective Agency fame, published his serial 44 Scotland Street in the Edinburugh newspaper The Scotsman a few years ago. (I read it much later, and enjoyed it immensely.) And Sean Platt and David Wright’s series, Yesterday’s Gone, was created by two well known writer’s in the blogging world who leverage their platforms to publish their fiction.
However, what most people don’t realize is that serialized novels have a long history, at least that’s what Yael Goldstein Love of Plymtpon Publishing says.
by Joe Bunting |
Is your writing fuelled by everyday life and experiences or by imagination? Of course, these two are often mixed together; yet, you probably draw more from one than the other. You may be the type of person who eavesdrops in coffee shops and later writers stories.
You may be shut down at home, pulled into a parallel world of other planets, creatures and sixth and seventh senses.
by Joe Bunting |
A supportive tone produces better results.
I didn’t learn how to drive till I was in my 30’s. My parents did not want me to learn when my classmates got their permits. Old school. Then, I just kept putting it off.
When I sat behind the steering wheel with my husband at my side, I soon realized it wasn’t the best idea. Having been a driver for years my husband just wanted me to do it.
The next day my new teacher, a close friend confirmed I had made the right choice. She had the voice I needed to hear. My friend praised every effort I made. When I write I hear her voice, “That’s better, I knew you could do it.”
