The Elements of Fiction

josephjohn — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:55:31 -0500

Character, setting, theme, point of view, and plot. These are the elements of fiction, the fundamentals on which agents and editors judge your novel. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses in these areas. You might be best at character development and setting, whereas another author might be a master of plot and conflict. Few are masters of all of the elements of fiction, but a weakness in one area can destroy an otherwise exceptional novel.

The Importance of the Pitch Paragraph

josephjohn — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:48:59 -0500

In Building the Hook, I talked about writing your pitch paragraph so it reads like the back cover of your novel. Here's another reason why to follow this advice.

Past Versus Passed

josephjohn — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:15:41 -0500

As regular patrons of my website know, I am currently on leave. My wife read my rough draft of The Eighth Day. She's the first person to read it in its entirety other than myself. She dutifully said she loved it, of course. A couple times, I caught her breaking out in goose flesh, which I believed to be a good sign.

While she read it, I read along with her, taking notes and making minor grammatical corrections whenever they jumped out at me. I found that I have a tendency to confuse "past" and "passed." I did some research on the difference between them, which I will now regurgitate both for my benefit and yours.

Write What You Know

josephjohn — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:26:46 -0500

The phrase "write what you know" is a misnomer. It doesn't mean that if you're a lawyer, you have to write about lawyers; if you're a policeman, you have to write about the police; if you're a housewife, you have to write about housewives; if you're a crack head, you have to write about crack heads. It doesn't mean that since I'm in the military, I have to write about the military.

"Write what you know" doesn't mean you have to put characters in situations with which you are personally familiar; it means you have to put a piece of yourself in each of your characters.

Book Launch 2.0

josephjohn — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:54:40 -0500

Ingenious way to outline a few simple steps new authors can take to promote and advertise their novel.

10 Rules of the Invisible Author

josephjohn — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:23:13 -0500

What follows I culled from an article published in the New York Times long ago, before the dawn of civilization, on July 16, 2001. It was written by Elmore John Leonard, a prolific American novelist and screenwriter who, from 1953 to present, has published 44 novels. Some of his better known works include the La Brava (which won the Edgar Award for best novel in 1984), Get Shorty, Be Cool, Killshot, and the short story, Three-Ten to Yuma.

Leonard lists 10 rules that he uses to remain invisible as an author when writing a book. To show rather than tell. Even today, these commandments remain relevant.

Notifying Agents About Manuscript Requests

josephjohn — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 13:43:59 -0500

Let's say you've sent your query letter to a handful of agents. You shoot off your emails, and you get to work on your next novel. Fire and forget. Several weeks down the road, a request for a partial arrives in your inbox. Awesome. You send it. A week later, a different agent requests a partial as well, so you send it to him, too. You think you must be on fire, so you draft another round of query letters. Is it appropriate to mention in them that other agents are looking at partials?

A Tale of Three Authors

josephjohn — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:50:07 -0500

So your novel got picked up by one of the leading publishers in the country, and they gave you a hefty advance. Think they are going to do a great job marketing your book? Yeah? Think again. Here are three examples of authors who were signed by leading publishers but received no support marketing their book.

Three Characteristics of an Unforgettable Antagonist

josephjohn — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:01:16 -0500

An unforgettable novel must have an unforgettable antagonist (the bad guy). He must be as fully developed as your protagonist (the hero). You want your reader to develop an emotional bond with every character in your book. If you create an antagonist that is nothing more than a cardboard cutout, a one-dimensional character whose only motivation is "because he's evil, muahaha," the reader is not going to care about him and is not going to care about your novel. You must make your antagonist come to life. You must make him real.

In order to create an unforgettable antagonist, define these three characteristics:

Professional Relationships with Agents

josephjohn — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:33:03 -0500

Once your agent negotiates your book contract with a publisher, the two of you enter into what will invariably be a long term professional relationship that oftentimes blossoms into a friendship. However, even if you part ways with your agent, you will potentially deal with him for many years to follow. He will continue to collect your royalties and cut you a check, and he may still sell the foreign rights to your book. Whether you keep your relationship strictly professional or spend the weekends golfing together or trading war stories over a pitcher of beer, there are a few guidelines you should follow.

Five More Things to Avoid in a Query Letter

josephjohn — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:50:34 -0500

The second post of the Writer's Corner blog listed five things to avoid in a query letter. Here are five more.

Plot Holes and Required Fixes

josephjohn — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:39:21 -0500

I used several different styles when I was writing the Eighth Day. First, I tried to rewrite and revise as I went. I wrote a paragraph, reread it, and revised it. Wrote another paragraph and fixed that one up real nice like, too. Then I read both paragraphs to see how they sounded together. Once I had about a page finished, I'd go back over everything and revise it again. Every so often, I'd read everything I'd written to make sure it fit together without error. I wrote over a hundred pages like this, and it was a slow and painful process.

Following up on Query Letters

josephjohn — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:17:44 -0500

In my post about agent response time to query letters, I stated that it generally takes an agent two to three months to respond to a query letter. I also said that you should wait four months before following up if you haven't received a reply.

Allow me to expound.

Defining Voice

josephjohn — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:14:25 -0500

In a previous post, I promised that I'd attempt to explain that elusive characteristic of writing known as voice. Dictionary.com lists a plethora of definitions. Here are the ones that I found relevant with minor changes to fit the context.

Consistency in Style

josephjohn — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:31:16 -0500

You've got a novel with an awesome plot and vivid writing. Your characters are deep, I'm talking multi-faceted wonders, baby. They damn near stand up and walk right off the page and pat you on the back for a job well done. You've got style, you've got voice, and you're ready for the big leagues, right?

Not always.