For many unpublished authors getting stories on paper and then into readers’ hands can be frustrating and downright discouraging. That’s why I look for encouragement wherever I can.
Recently, I found it in the Hartford Library. Karen McQuestion taught a class on "How to Write a Novel." She shared some of many things she'd learned in writing and published eleven plus books.
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One of Karen's latest releases |
Eleven plus books? Yep. She’s a successful novelist and I can say from firsthand experience that she’s as likable as her characters.
Here are more of her tips to turning the yarns in your head into published works. They've inspired me and I'm hoping they'll d the same for you.
1. If you want to produce lots of words, chapters and stories—you need to “write on a regular basis.”
2. “Write fast.”
3. It’s important to get the story down, “you can always embellish later. You don’t have to have all the details.”
4. When you write dialogue, “condense what’s not needed or interesting.”
5. Consider the dialogue to be, “conversation’s greatest hits.”
6. Be careful not to use too much alliteration or too many clichés because when the reader notices them, they “turn the story into just words.”
7. When writing characters it’s best to “climb into the character.”
8. “Emotional elements can be added through thoughts, physical responses, and sensory experiences.”
9. “Don’t assume that the readers know what the character feels.”
10. “Give the reader help.” For example, your first chapter is where “reader meets story.” When you start your story, imagine that you are a host introducing a new guest to party. Make sure they’re not overwhelmed with too many people and that they find their environment understandable.
11. “You want characters to seem like real people.”
12. “The biggest compliment a reader can give a writer is to say that they felt a connection with a character.”
13. Relax. Have fun with your stories. “Some people make it (writing) too woo-woo. It’s just words on the page.”
I have fun writing to you and sharing my life and my efforts toward publication. Knowing I’m not alone, that I have friends on this journey encourages me. If you’d like to share a tip, I’d be glad to hear it. If you’d like to learn more about Karen McQuestion or her many books you can find her at http://www.karenmcquestion.com/
Thanks.