More Tips

By the emails I received last month you seemed to like the tips for fiction writers.  So I thought I’d give you a few more tips this month. 

Live through your story, experience it and give your reader the ability to capture it with his own senses.

To get your story underway is to let your reader know there will be three things; 

1. desire,  2. danger and  3. decision.

You must be sincere.  On an unconscious level your story reflects your innermost feelings.

Be self-disciplined with your writing schedule.

What makes a character interesting?  The contradictory.

How to make your characters fascinate a reader?  1. Pinpoint the emotional needs of your specific reader group.  2. Don’t try to make virtue take the place of courage. 3. Have faith in your judgement.

How to keep the action rising?  Arrange your scenes—or groups of scenes—in an ascending order of intensity. 

A character must have character.  The reader needs to know where your character stands.  He’s for or against something.

I can’t stress the rules of scenes and sequel enough.  Time unifies the scene, and topic unifies the sequel.  Sequel controls the tempo of the story.  It allows space and emphasis to get the effect you want.  Sequel is where your character’s reaction to the preceding scene is posed.  Sequel is where the character thinks, “What do I do now?”

Use character tags.  What types of tags to use?  1.  Appearance, 2. Speech,

3. Mannerism, and attitude.

Know your character’s background well enough to let them react to various situations they find themselves in.  Every character should have a self-image.

Keep each character consistent throughout the story.  Remember that characters’ reaction patterns operate on the habit level. 

Make your character excite and fascinate a reader.  If you can do that said reader will want to read about and experience the story with the character.

If your characters don’t intrigue readers, your stories won’t sell.

Until next month, I’ll see you in print.