The 7 Secrets to Writing Dynamic Fiction
WITHOUT Tears, Trama, or Character Deaths
You CAN Make Your Writing Even More Riveting! And I’m Here to Help.
Being a Good Writer isn’t Magic or Science
“Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but most of all, endurance.” — James Baldwin
There are tips and secrets, but no rules.
“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” — Somerset Maugham
Who Am I?
Hi, I’m Jenifer Ruth. No, I’m not a world-famous author or editor for one of the big houses. I’m just like you, a writer in the trenches. I’m also a teacher. I can’t help but want to share the lessons I’ve learned along the way.
How I got here
Like many of you, I really can’t remember a time I didn’t write. My mother still has the first story I remember writing back in elementary school. Typed using her electric typewriter, with hand-drawn illustrations, it was a bit of a rip-off of The Dark Crystal.
I wrote many, many stories before finally getting published. I could paper my office with the rejection letters from my first novel. It was only thanks to luck and a timely contest that my second attempt caught the right attention.
That was in 2003. I’ve learned a lot since then. About any mistake you could make, I’ve brushed against. Now I want to share what I got out of each experience to help you skip a few hurdles along your way.
My Best 7 Tips
“Okay, now with that out of the way, I’m super excited to share the top 7 secrets I discovered on
my OWN road to published writing. Let’s start with #1
Secret #1: Write What You Love
Creative writers need to look past what they know and focus on what they love.
If you want your reader to be interested in what you write, you have to love it as well. Don’t get caught up in writing the expected or the popular. Toni Morrison said it best, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
I’ll be honest. I didn’t always follow this advice. I chased the current trends, wanting the sell more than the great read. In the end, I wrote some solid books under pen names I wouldn’t want my grandma reading. I made money, but I didn’t write the books that called to me.
Call to Action: Think about what you enjoy reading or doing. Make a list. Take time to find your sweet spot when it comes to what truly interests you.
Secret #2: You Have Five Senses, Use Them
I know this sounds basic, but sometimes you need to focus on your descriptions. You don’t just see things in real life. You’re surrounded by sounds and smells. You feel things against your skin. You can even taste the air you breathe.
Be careful not to write your characters in a visual world alone. If you surround your characters with different sensations, you drag your reader in as well.
Call to Action: Look through the first few pages of whatever you’re working on. When you see that you’ve used a sense other than sight, make a note in the margin. If you don’t have multiple notations, look back and see where you can add more targeted descriptions.
Secret #3: Beta’s are Necessary
It’s scary. It makes me a little queasy at times. Still, you have to do it at some point. You need other people to read and (gasp) critique your work.
Our books are our babies. We love them and all their imperfections. Unfortunately, like many parents, we can’t even see those imperfections. It takes an outsider, one we trust not to lie or be cruel, to point them out.
This can be a severe kick to the ego, but you can’t fix what you can’t see.
Call to Action: Find a beta reader. You can pick from your friends or family if you give them solid directions. Otherwise, look for reading groups in your area or even online.
Secret #4: But They Aren’t Always Right
While you definitely need other eyes on your work, you need to take their advice with a grain of salt. No one is always right.
Now if someone tells you that the golden retriever that your character owned suddenly became a black lab by the end of your book, you need to listen (and yes, this happened in my first published book, thankfully before publication). But if you are given more subjective advice, look at what they mentioned. Then you decide what to do.
Call to Action: If you’re not sure about a beta reader’s advice, give it to another reader with directions to just look at that area. A second opinion can help clarify advice.
Secret #5: Kill All Adverbs
Stephen King is right when he said, “I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops.” The first thing an editor ever told me to do was to find any -ly word in my manuscript and get rid of it.
He didn’t mean to just eliminate the words and go on. No, an adverb is a giant red-flag marking a place where your description could’ve been better. Too many of them leaves the reader with a sing-song sound ringing ever time they read yet another -ly.
Call to Action: Use the find feature to look for -ly words. Kill and replace it. Try for stronger word choice. Better yet, see if that is a place to add more description.
Secret #6: Contests Can Be A Great Place to Start
I know, you probably know this already. But many authors start this way, even me.
I approached my first contest as a trial run. Part of the deal was having a published author read your work and give a critique. That’s what I went into it for, though I lucked out and placed. But that’s the thing about contests. Depending on the one you choose, you get more than just prize money. You get unbiased opinions of your work. You get exposure. You get experience in submitting. And yes, you might get money.
Call to Action: Do a quick internet search (or check out some of my links). Find out what kind of contests are out there for your genre. Pick one and try it out.
Secret #7: Be Fearless
Secret #1 was to write what you enjoy. But that doesn’t mean that you have to stay in your comfort zone.
Try writing in a different style. Try starting your story in the middle or end. Try plotting it all out, or not plotting much ahead of time. Don’t let yourself get stuck in the same formula you’ve done before. Have fun with it. Try something new.
Most importantly, take a deep breath and jump. I get sick to my stomach each time, but you have to shove your story out into the real world.
Call to Action: Stuck? Try out a genre that you enjoy but haven’t written before. Write an ending for the story. See if it inspires you to finish that story. Finished? Send it out to a contest or publisher. You’ll never move forward if you don’t try.
You Can Do This!
“The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.” – William H. Gass
Check out my blog for more helpful tips and keep writing!
