Have you ever wondered what a novel looks like in a spreadsheet? The outline, I mean. Maybe you’re wondering what a novel outline even is. When I say outline, what pops in your head? Is it something like this? I. This is the first heading. A. This is a subheading. 1. This is a subsubheading. No, I’m not referring to an outline for a high school English term paper. I’m referring to a novel. When I say outline, I’m merely referring to some kind of organizational structure behind the story—a blueprint, if you will, that shows all the critical ingredients that must work together behind the scenes for the story to work. You may be surprised to learn how many organizational details must work together to make a good story, especially for a suspense novel with multiple characters and settings on a timeline. There are actually lots of ways to…
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Keep in mind that I’m simply asking the question. This is no overt message to my readers or anyone else that I’m leaving traditional publishing. However, lately I’m seeing more and more signals that traditional publishing is becoming even narrower and less author friendly than it ever was before. Why do I say this? Literary agent Steve Laube recently posted about massive changes at B&H Publishing, home of Brandilyn Collins, Alton Gansky, Robin Carroll, and other fine Christian suspense novelists. What are the changes? One listed item made my stomach drop: Novels scheduled for release through March/April 2014 will continue as planned. But all novels contracted thereafter have been cancelled. Authors may keep advance monies prepaid and rights to those books will revert, but all future contracted advances will not be paid. (http://stevelaube.com/changes-at-bh-fiction/) Oh, that’s bad, my friends. Can you imagine slaving away for several years and finally getting a…
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See Part 1. #2: I know how to tell a good story. I don’t need these novel-writing rules. I’m always amazed when I hear that someone invested hundreds, if not thousands, of hours into writing a novel before studying how novels are written for today’s market. Yet it happens. Just ask agents and publishers. But why? Is it because of arrogance or ignorance? Or maybe a little of both? In my last post I addressed the absurd notion that whatever comes from the heart must be untouchable. I think sometimes newbie authors can become too enamored with their own words. They reveal how thin-skinned they are by how quickly they bristle at the slightest negative remark about their work. But constructive criticism is how all of us grow. It’s a true maxim that sometimes we can’t do something right until we learn what we’re doing wrong. In fact, it’s often…
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