F–I–C–T–I–O–N The Heart of the Matter
Fantastic! Yes, create a work that moves the reader beyond normal, into a world of engagement. Think in terms of how the main character displays his/her character traits when in dangerous situations. The protagonist must willfully come out of their shell and use their gifts. Make their actions spontaneous, not obvious. Even weird tactics that seem odd at first glance, but true to them. Make the scenery fantastic, the characters outside-the-box, the relationships tight between characters, and the initial challenges upsetting. Then, deliver a heart-throbbing climax. This kind of writing comes with faith and practice.
Intense! Begin scenes with potential danger, and end scenes with potential death. Place your main character in trial after trial. Trials don’t have to be physical – make them mental challenges, socially frustrating, and psychologically brain-teasing. Cause your main character to have to make serious, death-defying decisions at every turn. Never tire to start a fire, or hesitate to lock a gate; don’t even stall to build another wall, or end a scene with someone mean.
Coherent! Good fiction will be understandable, giving the reader a logical progression that moves the story forward. Coherent fiction is meaningful and carries the reader from scene-to-scene in a unified, connecting way. Scene-to-scene, chapter-by-chapter, the transition from one incident to the next, adds to the growing “picture” or plot of the story. Everything grows out of what has been and is leading into the bigger “picture” of what could be.
Terminology! Unless your purpose is to confuse the reader, keep the written language in the story, to somewhat familiar terms. Using big words to impress the reader, usually interrupts the story flow, and discourages the reader from continuing. When unfamiliar terms, names, words are used, either hint to their real meaning in parentheses, near the word, or define them at the end of the book in a glossary. When using foreign words, place their meaning nearby in parentheses or in the glossary. Even words you as the author are familiar with may be unfamiliar to the reader. Do a careful reading of your story and make a list of those words, terms, names, and their brief meaning, in alphabetical order, at the beginning or at the end of the manuscript. Ask your editor to do the same. Then come up with one good list.
Illustrations! These can be in the form of images, photos, or simply well-worded examples or stories within the story. Read the guidelines of the publisher you’re submitting your work to. Follow the “Writer’s Guidelines” accurately. Do not waver from them. Get help from your editor or email the publisher with any questions. Remember: publishing houses are busy places. Do not call them. Email is best for communication purposes. Do not email frequently or you may lose your “welcome” status. Whether you know the acquisitions editor personally, or not, whomever you’re asking for guidance, be polite and courteous, and keep your messages to the point.
On! There are three things an author needs to be aware of with the word “on“: 1) every author wants to be “On Top!” To be a bestseller, most loved, most read, most appreciated, most speaking engagements, most, most, most! But not everyone makes the most sales, the most money! So, be ready for getting rejected, and humbled at times. That’s the writer’s life. Learn from your mistakes and grow from them. 2) The Ongoing Business of writing always lies before us. Writing daily requires discipline. Without a schedule and the fortitude to write, nothing gets done. Do the hard work of scheduling your time to write, then do the writing, and the editing, as needed, and finding a good editor to help you, and then the hard work of preparing your proposal, and submitting your work. This is the writer’s life. But it can be done, and it can be somewhat successful. Never give up! 3) On to something else! You may find that writing fiction is not your particular form of “joy.” Don’t worry. You are good at something. So, find out what that something is, and pursue it! Find where you fit. Find where you’re happier or happiest, and be thankful. Stop writing and start living another dream you have! Try writing poetry! Try playing the guitar, piano, or improving your vocal quality with a vocal teacher. Don’t beat yourself up. We all have to try things to see if it’s a good pathway. If not, move on to something you are interested in. Keep moving forward!
Niche! Discover your niche: historical romance? Historical fiction in ancient history, or Revolutionary War, or Civil War, or Vietnam War? Speculative fiction and fantasy, or science fiction? Contemporary fiction? What era do you prefer to write in? Do you write suspense novels, or shorter novella’s? Check with ACFW, American Christian Fiction Writer’s, and see their list of niche categories. I recommend their organization for a full view of fiction interests and offerings to writers. Find your niche and write in it!
God bless! Let me know your thoughts!