Comments on Writing A Novel: An Audience for Einstein: the early days

hinice blog,i have a similar blogi would like to e...

2007-08-09T03:16:00.000-05:00

hi
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i would like to exchange links with yo

my url is http://www.noteseditor.blogspot.com

post a comment there in your reply

or you can email me at

pawni_arora@yahoo.co.in

hi nice blog man.i have have simmilar blog and con...

2007-08-07T02:01:00.000-05:00

hi nice blog man.

i have have simmilar blog and content

so i want to exchange links with you.

my link is http://www.noteseditor.blogspot.com

and my id is pawni_arora@yahoo.co.in

i am waiting for your reply

Bestselling Author’s Secrets for Writing Scenes: T...

2007-06-15T14:12:00.000-05:00

Bestselling Author’s Secrets for Writing Scenes: Tip #5

Hi,

Here’s Secret #5 of 12 tips for fiction writers from bestselling author Bonnie Hearn Hill on how to create, link and focus better scenes. Be sure you’ve added yourself as a friend to receive Bonnie’s next important step! Also, check out Bonnie’s online writing class at www.authorlink.com/classroom/classroom.php

SCENE CHECKLIST
The Big Twelve

Once you learn to create and link focused scenes, you will be well on your way to writing marketable fiction. Keep this list close to your computer to guide you through the process.

5. Where is the scene taking place?
Scenes on the telephone are weak, although it’s almost impossible to omit them. Scenes in most coffee shops and bars are weak. Take that scene in the bar and put it on a ski slope, a sailboat or in a factory that manufactures frozen enchiladas.

Doris Booth
Editor-in-Chief Authorlink.com
Manager, Authorlink Literary Group
dbooth@authorlink.com
(972) 650-1986
www.authorlink.com
http://www.authorlink.blogspot.com

Bestselling Author’s Secrets for Writing Scenes: T...

2007-06-05T13:05:00.000-05:00

Bestselling Author’s Secrets for Writing Scenes: Tip #4

Hi,

Here’s Secret #4 of 12 tips for fiction writers from bestselling author Bonnie Hearn Hill on how to create, link and focus better scenes. Be sure you’ve added yourself as a friend to receive Bonnie’s next important step! Also, check out Bonnie’s online writing class at www.authorlink.com/classroom/classroom.php

SCENE CHECKLIST
The Big Twelve

Once you learn to create and link focused scenes, you will be well on your way to writing marketable fiction. Keep this list close to your computer to guide you through the process.

4. What’s at stake? What will happen if the character doesn’t reach the desired scene goal?
A good way to up the tension in a scene is to up the stakes.

Doris Booth
Editor-in-Chief Authorlink.com
Manager, Authorlink Literary Group
dbooth@authorlink.com
(972) 650-1986
www.authorlink.com
http://www.authorlink.blogspot.com

Bestselling Author’s Secrets for Writing Scenes: T...

2007-05-15T12:57:00.000-05:00

Bestselling Author’s Secrets for Writing Scenes: Tip #3

Hi,

Here’s Secret #3 of 12 tips for fiction writers from bestselling author Bonnie Hearn Hill on how to create, link and focus better scenes. Be sure you’ve added yourself as a friend to receive Bonnie’s next important step! Also, check out Bonnie’s online writing class at www.authorlink.com/classroom/classroom.php

SCENE CHECKLIST
The Big Twelve

Once you learn to create and link focused scenes, you will be well on your way to writing marketable fiction. Keep this list close to your computer to guide you through the process.

3. What does your POV character want in this scene; what is his/her scene goal?
Without a clear scene goal, you will not have a scene; you will have an event. “I want to give the reader some insight into my character,” may be the author’s scene goal, but it is certain to lead you to an event, not a scene. This is not about what you want but what your character wants.

Doris Booth
Editor-in-Chief Authorlink.com
Manager, Authorlink Literary Group
dbooth@authorlink.com
(972) 650-1986
www.authorlink.com
http://www.authorlink.blogspot.com

Bestselling Author's Secrets for Writing Scenes: T...

2007-05-08T15:01:00.000-05:00

Bestselling Author's Secrets for Writing Scenes: Tip #2

Hi,

Here’s Secret #2 of 12 tips for fiction writers from bestselling author Bonnie Hearn Hill on how to create, link and focus better scenes. Be sure you’ve added yourself as a friend to receive Bonnie’s next important step! Also, check out Bonnie’s online writing class at www.authorlink.com/classroom/classroom.php

SCENE CHECKLIST

The Big Twelve

Once you learn to create and link focused scenes, you will be well on your way to writing marketable fiction. Keep this list close to your computer to guide you through the process.

Tip 2. What does your protagonist want in the story?

This is what Jack Bickham calls the story question. It is your external plot, and it is as simple as: Will Jane find the killer? It is not something like: Will Jane find true happiness? That is internal conflict and may even be a subplot.

Doris Booth

Editor-in-Chief Authorlink.com

Manager, Authorlink Literary Group

dbooth@authorlink.com

(972) 650-1986

www.authorlink.com

http://www.authorlink.blogspot.com

Bestselling Author's Secrets for Writing Scenes Hi...

2007-05-03T15:29:00.000-05:00

Bestselling Author's Secrets for Writing Scenes

Hi,

Here's the first of 12 tips for fiction writers from bestselling author Bonnie Hearn Hill on how to create, link and focus better scenes. Be sure you've added yourself as a friend to receive Bonnie's next important step.

SCENE CHECKLIST

The Big Twelve

Once you learn to create and link focused scenes, you will be well on your way to writing marketable fiction. Keep this list close to your computer to guide you through the process.

Tip 1. Who is the point-of-view character for this scene?

Note that every scene should be told through a point-of-view character, although you can have more than one POV character in a book (but no more than you need). One reason for this focusing is so that we feel the character struggle with a scene goal. The struggle takes place through action and dialogue with little internalization/exposition.

A scene is a dramatic unit that includes scene goal, conflict (through action and dialogue) and resolution.

Be sure to check out Bonnie's online classes in Authorlink's Virtual Classroom at www.authorlink.com/classroom/classroom.php

Doris Booth

Editor-in-Chief Authorlink.com

Manager, Authorlink Literary Group

dbooth@authorlink.com

(972) 650-1986

www.authorlink.com

http://www.authorlink.blogspot.com

Hey, all you writing friends, We thought you write...

2007-03-13T17:32:00.000-05:00

Hey, all you writing friends,

We thought you writers might want to know about two FREE teleseminars at Authorlink.

1. Simple Secrets for Negotiating a Better Publishing Contract
A FREE 45-minute Authorlink Webinar With New York Entertainment Attorney Lloyd J. Jassin.
Instructor: Lloyd J. Jassin at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST, Wednesday, March 28, 2007.

To register, simply go to our Authorlink Virtual Classroom at www.authorlink.com/classroom/classroom.php, and click on the webinar headline: Simple Secrets for Negotiating a Better A Publishing Contract. Please note that long distance charges apply based on your long distance carrier.
To have your question considered for discussed in the live session, you must submit it for consideration in advance. Just e-mail Doris Booth at Dbooth@authorlink.com no later than March 19, 2007. Please state your question in 25 words or less.

2. The Only Query Letter You'll Ever Need
Bestselling author Bonnie Hearn Hill developed this approach when she began as a freelance writer and has refined it to help many of her students sell their work.
FREE single-session 45-minute Authorlink Webinar: 1 p.m. PST/3 p.m. CST/4 p.m. EST, Saturday, March 24, 2007

To register for these FREE classes please go to www.authorlink.com/classroom/classroom.php. Let us know how you like these classes!

Doris Booth
Manager, Authorlink Literary Group
Editor-in-Chief, Authorlink.com

dbooth@authorlink.com
http://www.authorlink.com
(972) 650-1986

nice piece, enjoyed reading it.

2007-02-15T09:38:00.000-06:00

nice piece, enjoyed reading it.

Hi, I found your blog so much useful. I am an aspi...

2005-11-29T15:27:00.000-06:00

Hi, I found your blog so much useful. I am an aspiring writer and on the way to finish my first novel, I am writing a blog in my native language, Turkish.
I just wanted to tell you that a great thing you do. And congratulations upon your published book.

nice blog enjoyed it :)Keep up the excellent work!...

2005-10-26T21:06:00.000-05:00

nice blog enjoyed it :)

Keep up the excellent work! and i bookmarked u!

so cant wait for ur next post! :)

Thanks!!

Great post, I enjoyed reading it.Adding you to fav...

2005-10-25T18:34:00.000-05:00

Great post, I enjoyed reading it.

Adding you to favorites, Ill have to come back and read it again later.

Bon jour. Le temps amer que je vois. Chercher le t...

2005-10-25T12:40:00.000-05:00

Bon jour. Le temps amer que je vois.

Chercher le temps et quelques comment terrien ici.

Blog agréable.

Je devrai revenir plus tard.

There is alot of Blogs, I never guessed I'd find s...

2005-10-25T10:39:00.000-05:00

There is alot of Blogs, I never guessed I'd find some usefull information.

Thanks.
I'll be back later to see if anymore good updates are available.

Hey nice info you posted.I just browsing through s...

2005-10-18T20:25:00.000-05:00

Hey nice info you posted.
I just browsing through some blogs and came across yours!

Excellent blog, good to see someone actually uses em for quality posts.

Your site kept me on for a few minutes unlike the rest :)

Keep up the good work!

Thanks!.

characters are the thing...

2005-10-10T15:36:00.000-05:00

characters are the thing...

Hi Mark! Congratulations upon the publication of ...

2005-07-25T08:05:00.000-05:00

Hi Mark! Congratulations upon the publication of your novel - I look forward to reading it shortly!

Best regards
N

Interesting. Still reading.

2005-05-16T09:24:00.000-05:00

Interesting. Still reading.

Thanks Mark,I appreciate your outlook. I will try ...

2005-05-15T20:31:00.000-05:00

Thanks Mark,

I appreciate your outlook. I will try developing some fiction ideas. I think you're right that it would help me loosen up and explore some new ideas and scenarios. Thanks for the suggestion! I'm glad you have had good experiences with publishers. I am sure mine are a great team, I just haven't learned how to interact with them properly yet. It's such a quick learning curve! Thanks for some great ideas!

My experiences with Mundania Press have been nothi...

2005-05-07T12:11:00.000-05:00

My experiences with Mundania Press have been nothing but positive. Yes, promotion can be a "headache"-and it takes time away from writing- but it's a minor inconvenience. Besides, I feel I owe it to my publisher for taking a chance on an unknown novelists. My editor- Rie Sheridan, a writer herself- was terrific; for the most part, we saw eye-to-eye. We had some small disagreements about word choices, but there was no restructuring or significant additions or deletions to my manuscript as submitted. (Actually, I suppose if any of that was needed, they probably wouldn't have accepted my novel in the first place.)

As for the "problem" you have with being too organized to write a novel, I think creating a set of believable characters in an interesting locale could help you "loosen up" a bit. As the characters interacted, they will suggest some random (and surprising) plot developments. Several fiction writers use this technique, and it's a good one. Letting your characters suggest some elements of your story (and they will) eliminates the artificiality you see in some novels where the plot leads the characters around, making their dialogue sound stilted and their actions/reactions forced.

Quite a few plot-heavy suspense/thriller/mystery books have that problem, as you're probably aware.

Hope that helps.

Good luck with the release of your book!

I am a writer of "how-to" books and articles. I ha...

2005-05-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

I am a writer of "how-to" books and articles. I have recently been commissioned to write for a major publisher.

I was wondering how you found your interaction with your publishing company? I have found it quite challenging, and there is so much involved other than actually writing a book (catalog copy, promotion, outlines upon outlines, etc.) Have you had a similar experience, or is it different where novels are concerned?

Much as I would love to be a novelist, I fear my need for strict organization and planning, that helps me so much in technical writing, would make my characters and plot unbearably dull and predictable.

At one time I had a wonderful imagination, and would start with an idea and let the characters take me where they would, but then I went to college and they "taught me how to write." After 2 unbearable years, I left but the damage had been done and I had lost my creative inspiration. Still, I am very interested in the similarities and differences of our two fields. My book will be published at the end of January 06.

Mark,Great piece on plot over character... You are...

2005-05-04T13:12:00.000-05:00

Mark,
Great piece on plot over character... You are right that if your characters are real and memorable, they will carry the plot and the story will unfold. I am new at trying to write q book of ten short stories, and that is why I like the short story format because you have to have memorable characters to carry the story. Every day life is all I know for sure and I choose characters whose frailities people will recognize because what we all have in common is our humanity--flaws and all.

I am so not of the discipline that you have to sit down and plot a book or story with this twist and that hook--for me writing is about letting it flow freely. and I truly believe you don't plot what you write, but you let the people tell your story. If it feels right, then you are on your way. Thanks for an encouraging article. dawn