Illusions Book Blog Tour with Wanda B. Campbell

Last month, I had the opportunity to coordinate a blog tour and this month, I’m off and running with another one.

Wanda B. Campbell is one of my critique partners, so I’m very familiar with her writing and can tell you Illusions is sure to be the “topic” of many conversations. Wanda shares a very realistic story, one of pain and startling revelations that touches on a subject that often pushed aside and/or completely ignored by the church. Check out the full tour below:

Christian Writers’ Market Guide 2009

The most valuable resource a writer can have on their bookshelf, in this case a writer who wants to write for the Christian market, is Sally Stuart’s Christian Writer’s Market Guide. She publishes this guide annually.

The Resource Guide to Getting Published

For 24 years running, the Christian Writers’ Market Guide has remained the most comprehensive, complete, essential, and highly-recommended resource for beginning and veteran Christian writers, agents, editors, publishers, publicists, and those teaching writing classes.

This year’s guide is even handier with a CD-Rom included that features the full text of the book for easy searches of topics, publishers, and markets, as well as 100 pages of exclusive content including indexes and writing resource listings.

Book Buzz 2.0 | Family Literacy in the Digital Age

Family Literacy in the Digital Age
by Tyora Moody

Originally written for SORMAG Blog

Books. From the time I was four years old, I can remember being enchanted with books. My mom gifted me with a membership in the I Can Read Book Club. I don’t remember how often the books were shipped, but I do remember reading them over and over again until I received a new shipment. The day I received a library card, you would have thought I struck gold. It’s a good thing the library was within walking distance, because I would carry stacks of books home and then pour over them for days, especially during the summer vacations. I’ve always had a thirst for knowledge and adventure. You can find those two things and much more in a book. Read more

Story Structure: Beginnings

Originally written for Urban Christian Fiction Today.

Story Structure: Beginnings
Plotting Your Novel Series – Part 2
by Tyora Moody

In The Beginning …

Anyone familiar with the first chapter of the first book in the Bible, Genesis, will recall these three words. While simple, the words in one breath dramatically draw the reader’s attention into a powerful event. With further reading, God is center stage and He “speaks” the world into existence. As a writer, it should be noted the power of words, and especially the awesome task of writing the beginning or if you want to think in theatrical terms, Act I.

In the last article, I talked about the two writing styles. Whether you are a pantser or a plotter, you will spend quite a bit of time editing those first few chapters. Why? Because these few chapters are not only crucial to potential readers, but you will eventually have to impress an editor at a publishing house or an agent. Currently, the economy is struggling and publishers are trying to stay afloat. That means books are clearly being perceived as luxury items as people continue to monitor their budgets. Your writing has to stand out starting from the first page, the first line, and in some cases the first word.

I can honestly tell you, for my first manuscript, I spent way too much time crafting the first ten chapters. At some point, I realized I need to get past the first one-third of this book. Along the way, there were some key points I learned. Below you will find five checklist items you should keep in mind for the beginning of your novel.

1) Opening Lines – Hook Your Reader. The opening lines are really important not only for the first chapter, but every chapter. You need to write well-crafted sentences that will hook the reader. These sentences may take some work, requiring that you sharpen them over and over again until they flow with purpose. Here are a few first lines to ponder from some of my favorite authors:

Rachelle Mitchell Covington felt both giddy and guilty.
– First Line, Chapter 1 of The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Rayna’s eyes welled with tears as feelings of loneliness and disappointment overtook her emotions.
– First Line, Chapter 1 of Married Strangers by Dwan Abrams

The worst day of my life was the day I caught my husband cheating on me.
– First Line, Chapter 1 of My Soul Cries Out by Sherri Lewis

I hate demons. A dang-gone demon kept me from eating my French fries.
– First Sentences, Chapter 1 of The Exorsistah by Claudia Mair Burney

No one would miss me. They never did. And that was okay because I’d made up my mind. I was never coming to the ballet class again.
– First Sentences, Chapter 1 of Rhythms of Grace by Marilynn Griffith

After reading the first lines above, you can probably tell the genre and without even flipping to the back of the book, you’ve been clued into some powerful events and emotions that are about to take place. Those are just a few lines! That’s what you need to aim for as you begin a chapter.

2) No Backstory. Most writers when they start a story for the first time, may be guilty of this one. Backstory is the events that happened off-stage or in the past. The first chapter is not the place to try to explain the character’s background. There are ways with well-crafted sentences to include a small tidbit here and there about the background information, but you don’t want to dump it all on the reader in the beginning.

Whether you write suspense or romance, just save the information, and try to include some mystery or suspense about the character. Information can be revealed later in the story where appropriate. Just remember your focus, in the beginning, is to draw the reader’s attention into what’s going on NOW!

3) Introduce your Protagonist. You may have a cast of characters, but usually there is going to be a main character or protagonist who really drives the story. How you present this person, whether through first or third person, plays an important role in the story set-up. Do you want the reader to empathize with the character? Or do you want the readers to love to hate the character? You definitely want to be sure to work on the character development.

Don’t start a character off being sassy and then later she starts acting mousy. Through the character development process, you should have a really good understanding of her personality, so you can keep the behavior consistent. Sometimes a conflict or struggle may cause a character to stumble, but the personality should still be recognizable.

4) Bring the scene to life. Learn the art of show, not tell. This technique is another whole article. I still find myself having to work on this when I edit. You want to capture the reader’s imagination and bring them into the story. This is usually done by honing in on the senses (sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste).

You have to be careful about being too detailed. I discovered depending on the genre, some writers can get away with more description then others. For example, if you write speculative or fantasy fiction, you really have to paint a vivid picture because you created a fictional world. If you are writing a historical, you are going to have to spend some time bringing that particular time period to life in the reader’s imagination.

5) Don’t Stop! Have you start the first few chapters of a novel and then stopped? Maybe you edited those first 50 pages so much that now you are not really sure what to do next. Most proposal or queries only require the first three chapters. Those pages you wrote are probably impressive enough to attract an agent to ask you for your completed manuscript. Can you see a problem here? Notice the word “completed.”

You have to push past the beginning. My advice is to write a rough draft, and then go back to edit. The more you write, the more you will develop editing skills along the way. What is most important is to TELL THE STORY, beginning to end.

Now these are just five pointers I’ve learned, but for a real expert, check out The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman.

Also during the beginning stages, it’s important to format your manuscript properly. Believe me, this was one of the first steps I took and it really helped. When I decided to submit my manuscript to a few contests, I didn’t have much to do as far as the formatting. As a matter of fact, I received great scores for the formatting if nothing else.

Here is another book you should have on your bookshelf. Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript by Cynthia Laufenberg.

So, keep writing, push past the beginning and next month, we will discuss the dreaded middle.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tyora Moody is the editor of WrittenVoicesBlog.com where she features “African American Literature that Edifies the Soul.” Known simply as “Ty” in many circles, she’s also a writer, blogger, and the owner of Tywebbin Creations, a marketing and design company. Follow her journey to publication on TyoraMoody.com.

The Someday List Book Blog Tour with Stacy Hawkins Adams

I have had the opportunity over the past month or so to coordinate two different blog tours for authors. Starting January 12, 2009, Stacy Hawkins Adams will be visiting some of her favorite bloggers and fellow writers to share the themes in her latest book release, The Someday List. Visitors can expect to delve into the story and explore how the issues faced by these fictional characters are relevant to real life.

Also, during the blog tour, Stacy’s readers will have an opportunity to listen to her on several online radio shows too. Check out the dates below and plan to call-in with your questions. Here is the full list of blog stops: Read more

BOOK REVIEW | Too Little, Too Late

I’m still catching up on book reviews from 2008. Here’s one I read awhile ago.

Too Little, Too Late
by Victoria Christopher Murray

Jasmin Larson Bush is back. Fans of Victoria Christopher’s Murray groundbreaking Temptation, may recall Jasmin’s havoc on one marriage. The consequences of her sin from the novel A Sin and a Shame are still wreaking havoc in Too Little, Too Late. Jasmin is determined to protect her marriage to Minister Hosea Bush and keep her daughter’s real father from ever finding out the truth. Life is going along pretty good. Then, the unexpected happens.