LET THE UNDERDOG STAR IN YOUR NEXT NOVEL

 Relating to the Underdog

Photo from Pixabay

What do you think when you look at the photo to the left? Everyone's pointing a finger at the little boy. Tears stream down his face. What's he feeling? 

Fear, shame, distress come to my mind. People are judging him, and he's in a bad situation. They're all ganging up on him. He represents an underdog. Though this photo was staged, I feel sorry for him. I want him to escape. 

Readers Love the Underdog

The underdog is one of my favorite characters to write. The plot is near and dear to reader's hearts because it represents strong versus weak, rich versus poor, healthy versus sick, imprisoned versus free, unloved versus loved, and the list goes on and on. That’s why this character works in any genre. 

In my upcoming novel, Run Girl Run, my protagonist Tracie is an underdog. She escapes her violent father only to find herself swept into an invalidating world that owes her nothing. While on the run, she must solve a family secret that comes at a cost.

Who doesn’t love the disadvantaged? In his or her world, the scales tip in the wrong direction, forcing the character to fight for justice. From the time we were children we felt sympathy for Cinderella and Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

Later we watched movies like Lord of the Flies, The Shawshank Redemption, Never Been Kissed, Rudy, and The Blind Side. And we read books like The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Red Queen, and Memoirs of a Geisha. Why? We liked to root for the main character. It felt good when he or she finally got their just reward.

Tips for writing the underdog character:

1.    Make sure the audience understands your character’s motivation. Why does he/she want to succeed so bad? What happens along the way to make it harder? Why does it matter on an emotional level? According to Alfred Hitchcock, emotion is an essential ingredient to suspense. (Suspense is another topic I will cover in a future blog.)

2.    Let your character take the action needed to reach his goal. Otherwise, he/she becomes a punching bag for the plot. If someone else saves the character, your protagonist fails to earn their reward.

3.    Raise the stakes during his/her journey. When he/she reaches the goal, the story ends, so make winning difficult and interesting.

4.    Don’t make the disadvantage so lopsided that no one will believe your character can beat the odds.

5.    Ronald B. Tobias, the author of 20 Master Plots, has some excellent advice. He said if you want your reader to feel empathy for the protagonist, make sure the emotional/ intellectual plane is equal or lower than the reader’s. Readers want someone they can relate to, not someone superior to them.

6.      Reaching goals must come at a cost for the protagonist or someone else. This is the emotional conflict that must accompany the external plot. Pit what your underdog wants against what she needs and you’ll write a hell of a story.

 

Have you written a story about an underdog? What is your favorite underdog story? Why is it your favorite? Do you have a writing tip I didn’t list? If so, leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.

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Cut These 5 Scenes to Strengthen Your Novel ( Are your readers yawning through your sex scenes?)

Photo by Girl with Red Hat on Unsplash

Hello, and welcome to my blog. Today, I’ll give you some writing tips that helped me. I’ll tell you which scenes in a story aren’t necessary and why you should cut them. Each of the following slows the pace and diffuses the focus from your plot. 

Leaving in the wrong details leads to boredom. We don't want our readers to yawn like this sleepy feline. 

Let’s get to it.

     

 1.    Characters en route

Cut traveling scenes unless something exciting happens or the character needs a moment of reflection. Long journeys with elaborate description is boring. 

If the characters are having an important conversation, consider letting them talk at their destination. There are exceptions. If what they're saying builds suspense, don't cut the scene.  But keep it short.  

2. Chit-chat

Making small talk is painful for me. I don’t believe readers want to wade through paragraphs of sluggish dialogue. Stories must move the plot forward. Avoid anything that slows the pace. This includes consecutive pages of flirting. A little goes a long way. Also, delete mundane activites such as taking showers and eating. Unless something interesting happens, no one cares.

   3.     Long Sex Scenes

Less is usually more. If you're writing romance, stick with the standard guidelines. Research what readers expect from each genre. Know your readers and what they like. A friend once told me she read a popular erotic novel and 

after a few chapters the sex got boring. Who knew? Right? 

4.    Static setting descriptions

Long descriptions (more than a few lines) don’t advance the plot. Integrate setting details so the reader isn’t getting a laundry list that they'll want to skim. 

5.    Vague dream sequences

These scenes are distracting and confusing. Multiple dreams kill the suspense and hurt the pacing. When a story includes dreams, I might read the first one. After that, I stop. Even movies structured this way annoy me.

Now, what if you have fabulous descriptions or witty dialogue, and you’re finding it hard to hit the delete button? It pains me to cut lines I love from my own stories. But I pick out the relevant phrases for my work in progress and move the rest to a reference file. Sprinkle those lines into future stories.

I hope you find this advice helpful. This is what has worked for me. Are there any scenes you cut that I haven’t mentioned? If so, leave a comment below. Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. 

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10 WRITING TIPS THAT HELPED ME GET A BOOK DEAL

Photo by Eileen Pan on Unsplash   

  Hello, and welcome to my blog. 

 Today, I want to share some important tips that helped me.  I   have limited it to 10 useful pearls, so this is brief. If you have   a tip to share, please leave a comment. This list is not all-  inclusive. And I don't consider these rules. When I started   doing fewer of these things, a publisher noticed my work. 

 1. Write concise sentences. Don’t stack the adjectives.

 Here’s an example of stacking. Her father has a long, pointed,   frizzy, red beard and a large, scarred, crooked nose. There is  too much at once. If the details are important, sprinkle it into more sentences.

 Consider the following. Her father has a pointed beard and a crooked nose. Specific details are better than a list of descriptions. They help the reader remember the character.


 2. Use strong verbs and omit most adverbs to form stronger sentences.

Consider this sentence. Devon walked slowly across the room. What does walking slowly look like? Did Devon tiptoe or slink? Describing how he walked will improve the prose. Not all adverbs must go. Study the line in question and try to improve it with a stronger verb. I limit my adverbs to one or two in a chapter, if that.


3. Describe and resist explaining the interesting parts of a story. When we explain, we slip into telling.  When we describe, we show. Most writers have heard the saying show don’t tell. One way to check for telling is imagine yourself doing whatever your character is doing. If you can do it, you’re showing.

Adverbs tend to tell instead of show. Consider this dialogue.

“I can’t go,” she said, sadly.

Let’s see her pain.

She lowered her head and swiped a runaway tear. “I can’t go.”

Now the reader can see a sad woman.


4. Save telling for the boring parts and make it quick. If your character takes a bath, don’t include the details unless something exciting happens. That goes for house chores, travel, and anything a reader can imagine without help. No one cares about the soap unless it's laced with poison. 


5. End scenes with the point-of-view character experiencing a different emotion than at the beginning. If she was carefree, give her something to worry about. Maybe she realizes the man she loves is married to the sister she hasn't seen in ten years. The changes we create drive the plot. Readers need a reason to turn the page.


6. Avoid unnecessary words that add nothing important. Cut words like just, very, that, rather, quite, and seem unless you’re using them in dialogue to make a point. Even then, double check. Google crutch words in writing. Look for them in your story by using the word processor search box. Cut, cut, cut. Long, confusing sentences drag the pace.


7. Ask yourself how you can make your story more interesting. Maybe cats have wings in your novel. Perhaps butterflies bite and spread disease.  Anything goes. It’s your story.


8. Read to become a better writer. Learn to recognize good and bad writing. The best writers I know read several novels a year.


9. Leave your readers with an impression. Your fans may not remember everything in your story, but they will recall how it made them feel.


10. Connect with other writers. Go to conferences in person or online. Join writing critique groups. Try to find groups with published writers who mentor others. Learn from others. 


· Bonus tip: Keep writing if you like to. Don’t let anyone convince you to stop. While some people have more talent than others, perseverance counts. If you want your work published, keep trying.


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HOW TO MAKE MINOR CHARACTERS SHINE

Photo by Ajay Zula on Unsplash

Give Minor Characters Five Minutes of Fame

Some writers give little thought about minor characters. They’re written into a scene to relay information so the main character has a link to move on to the next scene. Too often filler characters do clichéd things and add nothing to the story. When they’re written in this way, it’s a missed opportunity.

To avoid minimizing the minor characters, imagine that they want to be the star of the story as if the story is about them. Let them shine though their part is small. Minor characters can add interest to the scene by helping or hindering the protagonist. For example, in the story, Cinderella, the stepsisters have minor parts, but they are unforgettable. 

Here is the link to the original story by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm: https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm021.html It’s different from the Walt Disney version and is quite interesting.  Below is a piece of it illustrating how the stepsisters were irritants to Cinderella.

 "Why should that stupid goose sit in the parlor with us?" they said. "If she wants to eat bread, then she will have to earn it. Out with this kitchen maid!"

 They took her beautiful clothes away from her, dressed her in an old gray smock, and gave her wooden shoes. "Just look at the proud princess! How decked out she is!" they shouted and laughed as they led her into the kitchen.

Later, when the prince searched for Cinderella and presented the gold shoe to the stepsisters, one cut off her big toe to make it fit. The other sister chopped off her heel. This was a shocking surprise.

The birds were also minor characters. They were Cinderella’s allies. When the stepmother made her pick lentils from the ashes, the pigeons and turtledoves helped. During her wedding, the pigeons punished her stepsisters by pecking out their eyes. This made the story memorable.

When writing about minor characters, give them dialogue, mannerisms, and descriptions

that set them apart from the other characters. If they’re too common, the reader will yawn and put down your book. I hope this post helps you write better. Let minor characters do the unexpected, giving them five minutes of fame. Sprinkle a little spice into your stories.

THE WRITING SCHEDULE

My Own Routine

People ask me how I make time to write. My day job takes 40-50 hours out of my week. If I'm not physically at my office, I'm running errands to keep my small business afloat. I have a husband, two dogs, two cats, and a house that needs attention. 

My morning starts with preparing for work and tucking everyone in before I head to my job. When I get home, the chores are waiting. 

Colby is my only distraction.

It's easy to say there's no time to write. But I enjoy creating stories, and sometimes I'm up past midnight pounding the keyboard. It's part of my life and writing a novel takes months. 

CREATE A SPACE FOR WRITING

I have a cozy spot in my living room where I disconnect from the rest of the world. Phone calls, televisions, and distractions disappear. Occasionally, my cat sits on me. No problem. Two of us can fit in the chair. This is where I alternate between reading books and writing my own. To understand writing well, I read every day. 

When I'm in my den, my imaginary world takes priority. I build it line by line, page by page, and chapter by chapter. This is what I do most days. Some people think my habits are strange, obsessive, and unnecessary. It makes me different from them. It makes me a writer.