Hook ‘Em!

Today I'm privileged to introduce you to one of my closest friends - Vonda Skelton. She and I met at our very first Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and she's been my partner on this writing journey ever since. Vonda Skelton is a national speaker, freelance writer, and the author of four books, including Seeing Through the Lies: Unmasking the Myths Women Believe and the Bitsy Burroughs Mysteries for kids. She is the owner of The Christian Writer’s Den Writing Blog, She and Gary have been married 41 years—and they’re still happy about it!


We are both having a crazy week, so we decided to switch blog posts and bring back a blast from the past. Enjoy learning from a master!
Just don't forget to join the converstation!
Blessings,
Edie

Hook 'Em

by Vonda Skelton

I’d already had one article published in Clubhouse Magazine (Focus on the Family) and was eager to write another. I developed a unique idea, found the perfect 12-year-old to interview, and had received the go-ahead from the editor. But my submission was quickly rejected.

And it was all because of my opening paragraph.

Here's what I initially submitted:
Have you ever had a field trip that changed your life? Lindsay Knauer has. She was ten years old when her home school group planned a special field trip to learn about fencing. "I didn't think I would like it, but I did." Like Lindsay, a lot of kids are finding out how much fun fencing is.

The editor's response was kind, but his words roughly translated to something akin to, "Y-A-W-N!!!!!!!!!!"

Lindsay and I collaborated on the rewrite and hit the jackpot:
The air is filled with the crashing and clanking of weapons. Screams of victory and cries of defeat echo all around me. Scoring machines screech high-pitched beeps that set my nerves on end. The score is four- four. The next touch determines the winner.

I have only a few seconds to plan my attack. Suddenly the director calls, "Ready! Fence!" My heart pounds. Rapid footwork takes me to my opponent. Weapons slice the air, metal cracks metal. I lunge for my opponent. Will it be victory or defeat?

Big difference, huh?
In my original paragraph, I made many mistakes.

• The first was starting with a question. Think about it. If you open with a question and the answer is yes, the reader doesn't feel he needs to continue because he already knows what you're going to write about. If the answer is no, the reader believes the piece isn't of interest to him and he moves on. Either way, you lose the reader.
• The second mistake was that the paragraph was just plain boring! And, in case you haven't learned anything else, I hoped you've learned that boring is bad. Really bad.

It’s easy to see that the first example was generic, take-it-or-leave-it writing. But the rewrite drew in the senses, built tension, and engaged the reader through action. Senses, tension, and action are good. Really good.

So as you write your book or article or short story, remember to use the senses, tension, and action to draw the reader in. And chances are, you'll draw the editor in, too.

And that's good. Really good.

Thursday Reviews - The Elements of Style

I'm proud to turn this week's review over to Mary Denman. She's a fellow writer and dear friend and always knows the best writing books! Thanks, Mary.

How useful could a writing book published in 1913 be? Especially one that’s only 85 pages long and could fit in your back pocket or purse. In the case of The Elements of Style, the answer is incredibly useful.

William Strunk originally wrote and published the book for English classes he taught. He proudly called it “the little book.” Why? Because he had distilled the rules of the English language down to a manageable size.

Millions of copies later, we can still learn from the master. He first covers elementary rules of usage—which we all need to review. Remember gerunds? Maybe not, but you still use them. Strunk shows you how to use them properly.

Then come the principles of composition. He teaches about active vs. passive voice, when negatives are stronger than positives, and how to make your words stronger.

Included is a section on misused words and expressions. This section alone will keep you from making mistakes that catch an editor’s eye. Need to learn about developing your own style? An approach to style is the section for you.

Still not sold on the value? The book is loaded with concise examples that demonstrate what he means. You could pay hundreds of dollars for a professional to edit your manuscript. Why not buy this book first? It’s an interesting read and the benefits to your writing will immediate and tangible.

The difference between good writing and great writing is in the details. While this book doesn’t cover plotting a novel, it will help you polish your manuscript or article, eliminating both subtle and glaring mistakes. And that makes this book a gold mine, where you can expect to glean nuggets of style from the first time you pick up this little book.

Mary Denman, a home-schooling mom with 5 kids, has been married to her college sweetheart Todd for 22 years. She began writing professionally a few years ago and has published articles in several magazine, including Focus on Your Child, by Focus on the Family. She’s also a published freelance photographer. She has finished her first novel for young adults and is well into the second book of the series.

Writing is NOT just a solitary pursuit!

We've all heard it said that writing is a solitary pursuit. We can even visualize writers in ages past, slaving away in garretts or hermit-like abodes. In reality, writing is an endeavor built on forging relatioships.

• Between you and the reader
• Between the reader and the subject or characters
• Between you and the editor
• Between you and your agent
• Between you and other writers

I'll go even a step further and propose that writing something for publication is like going on a first date!

If you think about it you'll see it's true. With writing, like first dates, the first impression counts. When you write your first line is your first impression and many times it determines whether or not your reader will go any further in the relationship.

Mistake Number One
One mistake we make is in how we present our story (in fiction-especially book length). We've all met people who try to give us their life story in the first thirty seconds we meet. It's not comfortable and I often find myself running for the exit. This was illustrated in a popular episode of the TV show Seinfeld. Does anyone remember the 'Close Talker' episode? Sometimes we open our novels with too much information and we overwhelm the reader. There's a term for this, backstory.

Mistake Number Two
Another first date mistake we make in writing is in non-fiction. We've all met the person who exaggerates everything. It's hard to take anything they say at face value. I've actually found myself looking outside, if this type of person says it's sunny, just to verify the truth. We can come across that way in articles and non-fiction books if we aren't careful about where we get our facts. It takes time to do in depth research, but the reputation you'll have as a writer is priceless.

Mistake Number Three
The last mistake we sometimes make is the blind date. Now, I know there are exceptios to the rule, but generally blind dates don't end well. It also doesn't end well for us as writers if we don't know our audience. We have to take time to know who our audience is. This is equally true if we're writing books or articles or devotions.
So now it's your turn - how have your relationships with the reader turned out?

Don't forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

Thursday Review - Snowflake Pro

Today I want to share a fiction writing program that I own and really love. It’s called Snowflake Pro. It was developed by writer, Randy Ingermanson.

This is an amazing program that takes you from the big picture of your story to the tiniest detail. I do have to admit that I tried this program reluctantly. I pride myself on being a ‘seat of the pants’ type writer—meaning I don’t outline the story in advance.

I thought a program like the Snowflake would cramp my creative style. Boy was I wrong! By helping me to get the details early, it freed my creative energy to work on the story. Now, I still don’t follow a concrete outline, but I love working with the Snowflake program as I develop my story.

Randy also has awesome customer service and the program runs on Mac or PC. It comes with an unbelievably generous license to run the program on up to 5 computers. All in all, this is one program I recommend.

NOTE: Randy also has a great e-zine for writers called Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine. It’s free and I read each issue every month!

Remember to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie