I sometimes hear from writers who have written a manuscript, then immediately contacted an agent or editor with plans for  getting published.  They believe they’re (whoopee!) on their way to publication. Problem is, the manuscript is nowhere near ready for the bright lights of a publishing house. Too many writers fall into the common trap of writing fiction without an adequate understanding of its structure and underpinnings. Without this understanding you end up with a lot of words but not a rollicking story.

It pains me to say this, but if you’re seeking representation with hopes of a publishing contract, first complete the rewrites and make certain that every part of the story reveals a deep  level of craft. Make certain that the story first goes out to beta readers and that it has been copy edited.

I’m not trying to dissuade you, but to encourage you to create a polished product. And this goes double for people who are slapping together “stories” and self publishing them. You’re clogging up the marketplace where thousands of writers are toiling away trying to create their  best works.

Spend time analyzing how published authors create action scenes and emulate them. EVERY scene you should ask yourself:  1- Is the character doing something interesting? 2- Is the action moving the story forward? And 3- Does the change in the scene matter?

Here’s a quick structure cheat sheet:

 The dramatic question is:_________________________________

 Main story line is:_______________________________________

 Protagonist:

 Antagonist:

 Important Secondary Characters:

 Subplot A

 Subplot B

 Subplot C

 Subplot D

 Most crucial back story scenes/elements:

 1.

 2.

 3.

 4.

 5.

Just a reminder for out-of-towners attending the Claim Your Story Writing Conference  on April 12th in Ashland, Oregon : Friday, March 28 is the last day to receive a discounted hotel stay at the lovely Lithia Springs Resort.

Details for this conference are here.

Registration, however, is still open. Stay tuned for more updates from our teaching staff.

I cannot say enough about the Lithia Springs Hotel. Charming grounds and rooms, mineral water piped in, blooms everywhere….a little bit of heaven nestled near the foothills of Ashland.

Hello there,

The Spring Writing Life newsletter was emailed this week,.. If you did not receive it please contact me at jessicapage(at)spiritone (dot) com. My email was giving me fits so I will be switching to MailChimp or a new program. My article was the second part of Haunted which is about using back story to create fully-fleshed characters. I used Ree Dolly, one of my favorite characters from Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone.

As always, thanks for reading my work and inspiring me.

“Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another’s ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense transmutes, and the spoken word winds through the ear’s labyrinth into a sense that is no longer the nerve’s realm. The written word unfolds behind the eye into the world, world’s image, and the imagination sees as the eye cannot see – thoughtfully.”
~ Dan Beachy-Quick
A Brighter Word Than Bright
invisible stories

“I write because I have an idea I want to get out….Writing it feels better, and if what I write influences anyone, that’s unexpected and great.” Michele Weldon

 Erle Stanely Gardner was a lawyer although he was admitted to the bar without attending law school, and a prolific novelist and short story writer. He’s most famous for his character Perry Mason, who along with Della Street, Paul Drake and Hamilton Burger became household names in the 1960s.

 “Murder is not perpetrated in a vacuum. It is a product of greed, avarice, hate, revenge, or perhaps fear. As a splashing stone sends ripples to the farthest edges of the pond, murder affects the lives of many people.” (from The Case of the Horrified Heirs, 1964)

 In one of Erle Stanley Gardner’s notebooks he jotted the following reminders:

“Work on every plot until you have

1. Unusual opening incident

2. Complete character conflicts

3. Some emotional appeal

4. Some unusual slant of characters and situation

5. All stock situations eliminated

Make a genuine reader suspense in which he doesn’t know what will happen next and surprised either by

(a) What does happen

(b) the way in which it happens.”

Keep writing, keep dreaming, have heart

from my former blog The Writing Life Too. If you’d like to look through the archives you’ll find it here.