LOL, there it is again.

We all have favorite words that we know we overuse when writing: descriptive phrases, dialogue tags, character actions -- and once we become aware of them, we put ourselves on a word diet. We vow not to use those words quite so often.

But first we have to be aware that we're doing it.

Well, while proofing the galleys for The Trouble with Demons, I attained awareness. (And believe me, it was nothing like nirvana.)

While writing, I work in Times New Roman, 12 point. It's comfy for me and I like it. But as a result, stuff that I should notice, I don't -- until the book is typeset. And then it's too late (and expensive) to change anything except the most glaring errors.

I won't tell you what that phrase is except that it's two words. I won't tell you because once TTWD comes out, I'm going to have a contest where you can tell me how many times that phrase appears in the book. And yes, there will be prizes to the first person to tell me the correct number.

As I was proofing the book, and laughing out loud because "dang, there it is again," I was reminded of an episode of Fraiser (I loved that show). Fraiser, Niles, and their dad were watching Antiques Roadshow, and every time one of the appraisers said the word "veneer" they all did a shot. The folks on Antiques Roadshow said "veneer" a lot, so the boys were well on their way to getting snockered. If you all did a shot every time you read these two words, you'd be snockered. Trust me.

I think a good way to avoid me ever doing this again, plus the added bonus of catching any other mistakes or just things I'd like to fix before I sent the manuscript to my editor, is to change the font from Times New Roman to something else, something that would make the manuscript look different to me. Because when it looks different, the things that need fixing jump out at me.

So I have a favor to ask you all. I've got so much stuff going on in my head, it's a wonder I can find my way out of the house in the morning. When I announce that "I've finished the book!" (and am too giddy to think straight) and that I'm about to do the final read through -- please remind me to change the font before I do it.

Hopefully my "phrase glut" snafu will serve as a shining example to all of you writers of what not to do. ; ) Other than that, in my opinion, this is the best book that I've written. It's also my longest at 370 pages. I think you all are going to love it.

Since tomorrow is New Year's Day, and then it's kind of a holiday weekend, I'll be back to blogging regularly on my normal schedule on Monday. I want to take the next few days to work out the plotting, shall we say "challenge" that I have with B&B.

And on Monday I'll be announcing a fun contest with a prize that I've never offered before. ; )

Happy New Year! -- Be festive, but be safe!
Lisa

Here we go again

Yesterday I finished proofing the galleys for The Trouble with Demons. For those of you who don't know, galley proofs look like the final book (it's typeset), but the pages haven't been trimmed to the size of the final book yet. It's my last chance to catch mistakes. My publisher has another proofreader going over it at the same time, so hopefully between the two of us, we've caught all of the mistakes/typos. If not, oh well, we tried. ; )

After I finished the proofs, the plan was to get back to work on Bewitched & Betrayed where I'd left off (the last part of Chapter 15). I planned to finish that chapter yesterday, then I'd have approx. ten chapters to go until the end.

Well . . . it's happened again. The same thing that's happened with all of my books. I've realized that I need to go back and read through Chapters 1-14 again. While proofing TTWD, I took a LOT of notes on plot twists that I set up in TTWD that must be paid off in B&B. I knew I was about to run into another wall after Chapter 15 of B&B, and the reason I just said is the reason why.

The book's basic foundation isn't strong enough (i.e., developed enough) to support the weight of the rest of the book. I've left some gaps in those early chapters with the intent of going back in later and filling them in. Well, it's officially "later." Time to fill in the blanks. Once I've shored up the foundation I can finish the rest of the book.

Yep, this plays havoc with my writing schedule, but since this happens with every book at exactly the same place, I know that the book is on track, even if it's not cooperating with my schedule. ; )

*** Next Monday I'll be announcing a fun contest with a prize that I've never offered before. ; ) And in tomorrow's blog, I'll talk about something in particular to look out for (and get rid of) in your manuscripts. (I found it in the galley proofs of TTWD).

Lisa

Twas the blog AFTER Christmas

Twas the blog after Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even Andy the Greyhound.

This was how I spent the day after Christmas through the weekend -- proofing the final galleys for The Trouble with Demons. I'm finishing up this morning, and then I'll be finishing Chapter 15 of Bewitched & Betrayed. If you can't tell by the workload, I took today as a vacation day from my day job. I'm back in the office tomorrow, but off on New Year's Day (and more writing).

*** Next Monday I'll be announcing a fun contest with a prize that I've never offered before. ; )

On tomorrow's blog, I'll talk about something in particular to look out for (and get rid of) in your manuscripts.

Andy and I have to get back to work now. ; )

Twas the blog before Christmas

I think I'm going to let today be my last blog before Christmas.

My manager is out of the agency this week, so I'm in charge of proofing and production -- and we're open Christmas Eve, too (though I'm hoping we'll get to leave early). I'll be getting the final galley proofs today for The Trouble with Demons from my publisher and need to turn those around in a few days. I'm managing to stick to my output of a chapter every four days. I'm working on Chapter 15 of Bewitched & Betrayed now (wrote five pages last night -- woot!). But I've reached another one of those pesky transition points in the book and maintaining a chapter every four days is going to be a challenge, but I'm determined to do it.

I have some baking to do tonight; and tomorrow night (Christmas Eve) I'm really looking forward to our church service and getting together with friends afterwards to consume vast quantities of decadent holiday goodies. We're all going to break our diets for one night. ; ) BTW -- I've now lost 17 pounds; Derek has lost 21. After Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner, that could change a little. ; )

Anyway, with all that's going on, I think I'll take a short break from blogging -- at least for the rest of this week. I'll be back to posting next Monday, the 29th. However, as always I will still be responding to emails and blog comments.

I hope you all have a most Merry Christmas!

Love,

Lisa

First three chapters of The Trouble with Demons

The first three chapters of The Trouble with Demons are posted for your reading enjoyment. You can access them from the Home, Sample Chapters, or Books pages here on my site.

It's my Christmas gift to all of you for your support, encouragement, and friendship over the past year. You're the best fans an author could ever hope for, and I'm more grateful than I can say.

I hope you enjoy them.

Merry Christmas!
Lisa

Snippet from The Trouble with Demons

Derek & I will be leaving this morning to go out of town for the weekend to have a Christmas visit with my side of the family. I'll be back Sunday evening, but while I'm gone I won't have Internet access (yes, I can feel the withdrawl twitching coming on now). In case some of you didn't get over to The Book Smugglers on Monday to read the following snippet from The Trouble with Demons, here it is. Enjoy! And I'll be back to blogging on Monday morning.

Knowledge about demons came in three varieties: legend, rumor, and fact.

Demonologists knew the facts; the rest of us floundered with legends and rumors; none of them were pleasant, and each of them was more gruesome than the one before. The rumor that would probably be making the rounds on campus within the hour -- if it wasn't already -- would have nothing to do with fact, and everything to do with horny college students looking for an excuse. Whether demons liking virgins was fact or fiction didn't matter. I'd be willing to bet that the number of virgins among Mid's student population was suddenly going to skyrocket. And every last one of those kids would be desperate to lose their apparently forgotten virginity as quickly as possible to ensure protection against the demons. I wondered what new pickup lines they'd be using. Help me; I'm a virgin.

With the impending increase in fake virgins, I was really glad I'd already secured the help of the real thing. I think. Piaras still wasn't happy about his role in our little expedition. And I didn't think his opinion was going to change anytime soon. Especially since Talon had already heard the one about demons and virgins.

Talon's grin was full of fang. "Well, I'm safe," he was telling Piaras. "I'm probably one of the safest people on this island. Hell, I'm probably demon repellant." His grin broadened. "Are you safe?"

It was obvious that Piaras didn't want to answer that question. "Not exactly," he finally said.

"Piaras, either you're safe or you're not. There's no gray area here. Which is it?"

I'd listened long enough. "Everyone is safe. Regardless. The island is crawling with armed Guardians. Everyone will be safe."

Talon's grin never wavered. "But are you sure of that?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely positive?"

I glared at him.

"When there's a danger, shouldn't you take every precaution?" he asked innocently, his aqua eyes wide.

I added a growl to go with the glare.

"I'll be helping Raine," Piaras said between clenched teeth.

"Helping?"

"Because I'm . . ." Piaras really didn't want to say the word.

"Not safe?" Talon said helpfully, grinning from ear to pointed ear.

"No, I'm not safe!" Piaras snapped. He turned on me. "Now everyone's going to know!"

Talon snorted. "Everyone already does."

Piaras actually snarled at me.

Talon clapped him on the back. "Not a problem. I know some ladies who can get you safe real quick. Though if you're looking for a freebie, you and Katelyn could help each other out. She's definitely not safe."

Piaras blushed scarlet. I smacked Talon in the back of the head. Topic closed.

Downtime is good time

Derek and I will be leaving tomorrow morning to go out of town to have a Christmas visit with my side of the family. (I will blog tomorrow morning before I leave, and will be blogging per normal on Monday morning.) I won't have Internet access while I'm gone (my left eyelid is starting to twitch just thinking about it). I'm taking my laptop with me to do a little work, but mostly I'll be spending quality time with my family.

Which brings me to the topic of today's blog: downtime is good time. It's about a 4-hour drive to my sister's house, and I'll be taking a notepad and a printout of the chapter I'm working on to write in the car. Or not. I figure if I want to work, it's there. But if I decide not to, I'll just put it back in my briefcase, because giving my brain a breather often produces the best writing of all. For me that's when inspiration strikes.

Downtime is good. Reconnecting with your loved ones is even better. Derek and I have the most wonderful talks on long car trips. And downtime is good for your brain. This is especially true for writers because downtime gives your creative mind a chance to play and recharge. And as we all know, good writing comes from a rested mind. New ideas, twists on existing ideas, and simply looking at something other than your computer screen (which is definitely a good thing, just ask your tired eyes).

On another topic: about the possible email problem (being unable to reach me on lisa@lisashearin.com) -- see yesterday's blog for the details. Webmaster Todd has altered the wording on my Contact page to the following:

You can e-mail me at lisa @ lisashearin.com. If you email and don't receive a response within a few days, please try my alternate email which is lisashearin @ gmail.com. Thanks!

We may leave it like this, or we might go with an email form like a lot of authors use. Believe me, I'd keep it very simple and user-friendly if I decided to go this route. What do you all think? Use a form or keep it the way it is but just add an alternative email if you don't get a prompt response from me? Respond to the blog and let me know your opinion.

Lisa

E-mail problems

Yesterday I found out that some of you may be having problems contacting me at lisa@lisashearin.com.

I always answer e-mails, usually within 24 hours -- unless I'm deathly ill or out of town, but even then I'll post here to let you know about it. So if you have sent me an e-mail and didn't hear back from me within 48 hours, that probably means that I didn't get it. This includes any recent requests for a bookmark and postcard for The Trouble with Demons. I mailed those last week, and responded to each e-mail request as I got them. So if you sent a request and didn't get a response from me, I didn't get your e-mail.

If this is the case, please re-send any e-mail or bookmark request to my gmail address: lisashearin@gmail.com.

I don't know how long this has been a problem, but I'm taking steps to fix it. And if you have e-mailed me in the past and didn't receive a response, my most sincere apologies. I cherish my fans and always have time (or will make time) to respond to your e-mails and questions.

Lisa

Dialogue tags and facial expressions

I'll be finishing Chapter 13 of Bewitched & Betrayed tonight. I'm giving myself no longer than four days per chapter. That'll put me finishing the first draft around the first of February rather than the end. I always like to give myself as much time as possible for that second (and final) pass before I turn the book in to my editor.

Dialogue tags (other than "he said/she said"), facial expressions, actions during dialogue -- I can see them in my head while I'm writing, but I usually wait until the final pass to put them in. Why? Because getting that description precisely how I want it takes time, time that I can't spare during the first draft. For me, the first draft is for getting the story down. Those details come later. So what do I do for placeholders? Simple. If I visualize a character saying something with a smile or smirk, I simply put that word in parenthesis and quickly move on. If I have a big chunk of dialogue from a character and need to break it up with some movement or action, but don't know what I want them to do yet, I put (action) right where I think it should go in the dialogue and move on.

These things are the spice I add at the end, it's what brings the dialogue to life for me. But while I'm on first draft, I just stick in a placeholder and keep writing.

Some of what's coming up:

• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning
• Why downtime is good time

FYI -- I'll post a quick blog on Friday morning, then Derek & I are out of town for the weekend having a pre-Christmas visit with my family. As a result, I won't have access to email or the Internet. Yes, I'll probably be twitching like an addict going cold turkey by Sunday evening when we get back home. I'll try to catch up on email then.

Lisa

Snippet from The Trouble with Demons over at The Book Smugglers

Ana and Thea -- the wonderfully creative and book-crazed reviewers over at The Book Smugglers have come up with a whole month's worth of fun to celebrate books, the people who write them, and the people who love them. With a twist on their name, and a bow to one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes, they're calling their celebration Smugglivus. Go here for their explanation; it's great!

Today, I'm the featured author. And for my contribution, I sent them a funny snippet from The Trouble with Demons featuring Raine, Piaras, and Talon. Pop over to Ana & Thea's place, visit, read, and enjoy!

BTW -- I'll also be offering a book/book goodie prize pack for the winner of Ana & Thea's contest. Be sure to enter to win! The contest will run until December 20, and all you have to do is leave a comment on today's post over at The Book Smugglers. And for the heck of it, Thea & Ana would like to know if you're "Team Mychael" or "Team Tam" or "Team Whomever." See their post for details.

And next Monday, December 22 is the big day -- my Christmas present to you all! Chapters 1-3 of The Trouble with Demons will be posted for your reading enjoyment. You can access them either from the HOME page or the SAMPLE CHAPTERS page.

Happy Monday -- and Happy Smugglivus!

Lisa

Why does it take so long to publish a book?

I've been asked this question several times and most recently by Simone (Hi Simone!). Why does it take so long to publish a book? A book about a celebrity, scandal, etc. can go from writing to local bookstores in a matter of a few months. Yet, for the rest of us, a year between books is the norm. Why? I found this article in The New York Times that answers it very well.

Since this weekend is going to be incredibly busy for me, I won't be blogging tomorrow. But on Monday there will be a funny snippet from The Trouble with Demons over at The Book Smugglers. (I'll post the link to the snippet here on Monday.) This text tidbit features Raine, Piaras, and Talon. And on Monday, Dec. 22, the first three chapters of The Trouble with Demons will be posted on my site.

Have a great weekend!
Lisa

A question for you all

I have a question for you all. I've recently had a request from a reader for books that are similar to my Raine Benares stories -- similar plot and tone, characters, some sort of quest, magical abilities, and set in a Renaissance-style world.

I don't get the chance to read as much as I'd like, so I'm drawing a blank on this one. Has anyone read any books that are similar to mine? And if so, what are they and who writes them?

Some of what's coming up:

• Why does it take so long to publish a book?
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning
• Why downtime is good time

Lisa

BTW -- For anyone who asked for bookmarks and postcards for The Trouble with Demons -- they are now in the mail.

New place to write

Since I've upped my writing schedule on Bewitched & Betrayed to two chapters a week, I've found a new place to write in the evenings after my day job -- the bar at the kitchen counter. Bar stools aren't comfortable and therefore aren't conducive to surfing/slacking off. I'm focusing better (and the greyhounds are happier having me downstairs). According to the hounds, their happiness is more important than mom being focused.

I wrote seven pages on Chapter 12 last night, and plan to do at least five pages tonight. Five pages a day will finish a chapter in three days (my chapters are 15 pages or so). An additional benefit to me writing downstairs at the bar is that Derek can go upstairs to his office to practice his violin. He's tried practicing downstairs, but Andy the Greyhound circles him looking for an opening to take it away from him. Anything that makes a squeaking sound and is smaller than he is qualifies as a toy. Andy wants that violin -- badly. ; )

So I may be writing the rest of the book while sitting at a bar. Raine and Phaelan think that's a great place to work and wonder what took me so long to think of it. ; )

Some of what's coming up:

• Why does it take so long to publish a book?
• Books with plots/characters similar to Raine books?
  
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning
• Why downtime is good time

Lisa

Keeping a story believable

Fantasy writers especially face the challenge of making their characters, situations, magic system, and world-building believable.

For me, the key to enjoying a fantasy series is being able to identify with the characters. I'm very character driven. And when it comes to magic, it has got to make sense. Likewise, the world has to be well thought out and developed. That was one of the reasons why I based Mermeia on Venice. One, Venice is uber cool. Two, everyone can immediately visualize a Renaissance-like city with canals.

As to my characters, I try to give them flaws. Goodness knows, real people aren't perfect, so characters shouldn't be either. A little bit larger than life is acceptable; heck, they don't call it fantasy for nothing. ; ) I like my locations and my characters gritty and real. My favorite fantasy series are filled with characters who I can't wait to visit again and again -- like real friends.

And when I set rules for magic, character behavior, action sequences, etc. I do my best to keep them consistent throughout the book. Nothing sticking out like a sore thumb and disrupting the flow of the story. Having a reader stop reading and go "huh?" is very bad. I hope I've managed to avoid that. The ultimate goal is a "suspension of disbelief," for you all to accept that goblins exist (and they're hot), that elven pirates prowl the seas preying on the rich and unsuspecting, and that a spellsinger can sing a baby to sleep in a nursery or sing a platoon to sleep (or to their deaths) on a battlefield.

I hope I've been successful.

Some of what's coming up:

• Why does it take so long to publish a book?
• Books with plots/characters similar to Raine books?
  
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning
• Why downtime is good time

Lisa

Working hard, writing harder

Last week and at least the beginning of this week are insanely busy here at my day job. No time for a blog today (I was going to talk about keeping a story believable). I'll try to do that tomorrow. Also, I've increased my pace for writing Bewitched & Betrayed. I WILL WRITE two chapters a week. I've said it here, so it's official. BTW -- It'll be a tough schedule (danged near impossible, actually) so any encouragement you'd like to throw my way will be greatly appreciated. ; )

Back to the grindstone.

Lisa

Some of what's coming up:

• Why does it take so long to publish a book?
• Keeping a story believable
  
• Books with plots/characters similar to Raine books?
  
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning

Smugglivus -- The celebration, the prizes, the book craziness

Ana and Thea -- the wonderfully creative and book-crazed reviewers over at The Book Smugglers have come up with a whole month's worth of fun to celebrate books, the people who write them, and the people who love them. With a twist on their name, and a bow to one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes, they're calling their celebration Smugglivus. Go here for their explanation; it's great!

This is a great site to add to your daily reading list. I have discovered quite a few new authors by reading their in-depth reviews. And I love that they include excerpts from the books that they're reviewing. That's one of my tests for a book I'm about to buy -- I have to read a section to see if I like the writing. Ana & Thea's tastes run similar to mine, so I'm now accumulating a stack of Book Smuggler-inspired book purchases that waiting for me to read them.

Each day there will be reviews and guest blogs from their favorite authors. They asked me to join in the fun, and so on Monday, December 15, they'll be posting a particularly funny snippet from The Trouble with Demons featuring Raine, Piaras, and Talon. I'll post the link on my blog that day, or you can just go on over to Ana & Thea's place for the fun.

I'll also be providing Ana and Thea with a book/book goodie prize pack for the contests that they'll have ongoing through the month. My giveaway will probably coincide with my post on the 15th, but if Ana & Thea let me know otherwise, I'll let you know.

I got some great blog topic questions yesterday, but I always love more. Got questions? Let me hear 'em! ; )

Have a great weekend!
Lisa

Building a story arc in your novel

What makes a collection of 100,000 words a novel and not a collection of scenes & snippets?

A story arc.

When you're working with a full plotline, it's easier to catch yourself straying off into left field (or falling off of your arc), but when you're writing "sans plot" or "pantster" (aka by the seat of your pants), it's easier to fall off the arc -- or as Martin Scorsese said in my favorite American Express commercial of a few years ago, "I've lost the narriative flow." (If you can find it on YouTube, watch it. It's priceless.)

See, I just went off topic. ; ) It is so easy to do, especially when you're having fun with what you're writing and not realizing that your pet/beloved/precioussss scene doesn't have a danged thing to do with what you need to accomplish in your book. I have committed this sin on numerous occasions. In fact, the first draft of Armed & Magical basically had no story arc at all. Well, it kinda/sorta did, but it was buried so deep even I couldn't find it. In what I can only call a delusional state, I thought the book was brilliant. My agent dumped a metaphorical bucket of ice water over my head and brought me to my senses. As soon as she started pointing out its many problems, I could see every crack, crevasse, and bottonless gorge that the thing had. It was nasty.

I rewrote the book. When I turned it in to my editor, she accepted it for publication without any changes (a rare and wondrous thing in publishing). Apparently, it rocked. Disaster averted. I started breathing again.

And I vowed NEVER to lose sight of my story arc ever again. Being on deadline, that's time I can't afford to lose.

For me, it takes writing the first draft to get the story down and to "firm up" the story arc. I have a vague notion of it in my head, and I keep it there to refer to. Whenever I sit down to write, I'm constantly asking myself, how does this move the story forward, grow a character, thicken a plot? To build a story arc that will support the weight of a book, I've found I need the following:

Each scene and chapter must build on the one before. Crimes are committed and solved. Secrets are discovered and revealed. Problems are encountered and overcome. Characters learn and grow. And all of this must happen together, interweaving until it becomes seamless, comes to life, and jumps off of the page.

Oh, and it has to be funny, exciting, fast-paced, and keep you all turning the pages. ; ) Piece of cake, right? Definitely not. But I'm finding that the more I write, the better I'm getting at keeping that arc in the forefront of my thoughts, and making sure that everything I write builds that arc -- and makes a book.

Pop in tomorrow and I'll tell you when and where the next snippet for The Trouble with Demons will appear. Clue: It's not on my site. Tidbit: It features Raine, Piaras, and Talon -- and it's hysterical.

Happy Friday!
Lisa

News and a cool book-buying blog

I was going to blog today on how to define and develop a story arc in your novel. But today is absolutely nuts here at my day job office, so I'll tackle that topic tomorrow.

For today, some news. I've just posted it on my NEWS page, but on Monday, December 22, the first three chapters of The Trouble with Demons will be up for your holiday reading enjoyment. As my long-time blog readers know, I love nothing more than to thank you all for your support and encouragement by posting the first three chapters of my next book as a holiday gift. I hope you all enjoy it.

And according to UPS, today they'll be delivering my last box of books that I bought as Christmas gifts for my family. Yea! (I ended up placing three orders.) And of course, I tossed a couple of books in the basket for myself. : )

Over at Galleycat.com (a fabulous publishing industry news site), I found a link to the perfect blog for buying books for gifts. It's appropriately called Buying Books for the Holidays. It features guest blogs from authors on what books they would like, top books for writers, top books for foodies, recommendations for audio books, spotlights on indie bookshops, and more. This is great stuff, folks. If you want to buy books as gifts but need some recommendations or help, this is the place to go.

Lisa

Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger

I'm at the halfway point on Bewitched & Betrayed, and I thought I'd pass on something that seems to be working for me -- I start each chapter with a hook and end with a cliffhanger. For me, this involves keeing my characters up to their eyeballs in trouble, especially Raine. If she's not in trouble, she's about to be in trouble, or has just gotten out of trouble (for the moment). I'm not a completely heartless author -- I do try to let her catch her breath. ; )

I constantly ask myself the question: "How much worse can I make it for Raine?" I learned this in Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. If you don't already have this book, treat yourself and buy it. Or it would make a fabulous holiday gift for the writer in your life. This is the book that made the lightbulbs go off in my head about such things as how to keep raising the stakes for my characters. It's a treasure trove of information. With my characters, I've found that if I don't need a yardstick to measure the crap, then they aren't in it deep enough.

Of course, I know that I have to find a way out for everyone, and that the way out can't be easy for them either. I've got a rule for Raine getting herself out of any sticky situation -- if she uses magic, it can get her out of that particular situation, but it gets her into more trouble down the road. I prefer for Raine to rely on her brain, not her magical brawn. And in each book, she's getting more magical mojo courtesy of the Saghred. There's the temptation (and need) to use it, but there's the greater need to not use it, and of course to get rid of it. And when she goes up against those who have more magical power/experience than she does, it's a challenge to say the least, to figure out a way for her to use brains and street smarts to defeat them.

So in every book/chapter/page, I'm going for the same thing with Raine (and my other main characters as well):
1. Get them in trouble.
2. Having them try to get out of trouble, find a solution to the problem, solve the crime, etc. propels the story forward. Each page must propel the story forward. I try to start each chapter with a hook, and end it with a cliffhanger.
3. The characters grow and change as a result of all of the above.

Some of what's coming up:

• How to keep a story believable
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning

Send me questions! Is there any writing- or book-related topic you'd like me to blog about? Either respond to the blog or email me.

Lisa

Say no to "info dump"

What's info dump? We've all run into it, usually in the first chapter or whenever a new character is introduced. And we know when we run into it -- info dump will stop the flow of a story in its tracks while the author gets the "facts & figures" out of their system.

Since I'm writing a series, I find myself doing it and it's something I have to be especially on guard against. Ideally people will read my books in order, but a lot of times they don't. Heck, I do the same thing: I find a new author I want to read, pick up the book on the shelf, buy it, take it home and read it, and if I like it, go back and get the others in the series. Most bookstores carry only an author's most recent works since bookshelf space is a precious commodity. So a lot of the time, the first book in a series isn't on bookstore shelves.

So in my writing, I feel the need to bring readers up to speed -- but it's a fine line between dropping some needed plot "breadcrumbs" to familiarize a reader with a character or situation, and info dump. Anything that disrupts the flow of the story is bad. Anything that tells too much about a character or situation up front is bad. Tell only what needs to be told to move the story forward in that scene or chapter. If some facts aren't really needed until Chapter 8, don't include them in Chapter 4. It's confusing, unnecessary, and it makes the reader go "Huh?"

My editor caught quite a few of these in The Trouble with Demons. Since I'm writing a series, I carry storylines from one book to the next, and I felt the need to give some background on what had happened to Piaras at the elven embassy in Armed & Magical. Problem was, Piaras and the actual reference to that situation didn't happen for another ten chapters. Yep, I fell prey to info dump. Once Anne pointed it out to me, it was obvious that I'd screwed up.

But I'm learning. In Bewitched & Betrayed, Raine literally hits the ground running. And she doesn't trip over a big pile of info dump.

Some of what's coming this week and into next week:

• How to keep a story believable
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning

Lisa

Vacation day = Writing day

I'm taking today as a vacation day from my day job to get more writing done -- more to the point to get Chapter 11 of Bewitched & Betrayed finished. When I'm writing a book, some chapters literally dump themselves on the page/screen and it's all I can do to type fast enough.

Not this one. Jeez, but it's giving me fits.

Normally there's a good chance this would mean that I've made a wrong turn somewhere and my muse (in her infinite wisdom and annoyance) won't let me go any further until I've gone back and fixed what I've screwed up. I've sat and analyzed the situation, and I don't think this is the case. What I've got is good (hopefully); it's just coming at the speed of cold molasses trying to flow uphill. What's even more confusing is that it's a scene with Raine and Sarad Nukpana -- normally the snarky dialogue flows fast and furious. Not this time. I guess I'm having trouble tapping my inner Sarad Nukpana. Well, it's a little after 7 AM, I haven't had any caffeine, and I'm still half asleep. I'm on the last few pages of the chapter, so I think I'll take a run at it before my muse and inner editor are alert enough to screw it up for me. Wish me luck.

BTW -- An update on the NutriSystem diet: In a month, I've lost 14 pounds and Derek has lost 17. My goal is to lose 20-25 pounds, so I should reach that goal by the end of December. And what's amazing is that we ate Thanksgiving dinner at his parents' house AND went out to eat the next night and didn't gain any weight. I think Derek & I have discovered the secret to getting the weight off and keeping it off (at least for us) -- portion control. I'm wearing jeans now that I haven't been able to get into in years. Woot!

Some of what's coming this week and into next week:

• How to keep a story believable
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning

Have yourselves a great Monday!

Lisa