Jackie is happy to answer reader questions sent to her at jdiamondfriends@yahoo.com

A Day in a Writer's Life

What Authors Don't Tell Readers

When you visit a writer's website, you find lots of information about our latest releases and promotional activities, and sometimes about our writing habits.  Yet amid this chatter, ever wonder what we're NOT telling you?

The image: Our careers always run smoothly, our books always sell well and reviewers love us.

The reality:  Of course, you know every author occasionally lands a bad review, but that isn't the only pothole along the road.

Except for possibly a few bestselling authors--and not always then--our career almost never run smoothly.

• Publishers change their guidelines, editors leave or get promoted and new editors arrive with different tastes. Also, publishing trends catch up with us.
  
  For example, sometimes paranormal elements are all the rage in romance fiction, and sometimes they're a complete no-no.  An editor may insist that we write funnier, or more seriously; introduce lighthearted fairytale elements, or stick to reality. No matter how established we seem, we have to satisfy our editors.
  
  Most of them are helpful and knowledgeable.  But over the course of a career, almost every author runs into someone whose views conflict with hers.
   

• The market changes.  I used to write Regencies, which are short romances set in Jane Austen's era, but for a while publishers cut way back on those.  You can still find my hardcover Regencies in libraries and on-line, such as Amazon.com.
  
  I switched gears and learned to write contemporaries.  Still love reading Regencies, though!

The image: When the right idea hits, we run to our computer and toss off a book in a white heat.

The reality:  Writing is work. Although essential, inspiration is only the beginning.  Writers hone our skills by studying how to build characters, how to structure plots and how to refine our voices or styles.

If you ever have occasion to attend a Romance Writers of America national convention, such as this year's at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis from July 26-30, you'll be amazed at the variety of workshops offered on the craft of writing.

And of course, there's research, whether online, in books, on the phone or in person.  If you're reading my Downhome Doctors series, for example, you'll notice details about medical conditions and treatments, about police work and about other professions.  All of that required research on my part.

The image:  Novelists focus on the big picture.  Copy editors fix their grammar, spelling and other glitches.

The reality:  Copy editors do a wonderful job, but we have an obligation to do more than simply run Spell Check.  As a former Associated Press reporter and editor, I'm fairly good at grammar and spelling, but there are other points I have to work at.

Take something boring like word repetition.  Ever read a book where the author reuses the same words in close proximity? He reflected... She examined her reflection...It reflected her values... etc.

Well, most authors have a tendency to rely on the same words, whether they be workaday words like "make" and "said" or exotic ones.  So one of the really boring things I do is use the Find feature on my computer and input, in turn, each of the words I most often abuse.  Takes about half an hour per chapter and my editor still catches lot of repetitions.

And, of course, I reread each chapter several times, looking for inconsistencies, omissions and conflicting information. Yet I still miss some!

Like I said, this is work.  But very rewarding work, especially when readers enjoy my books.  I hope that includes you!

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Critique Groups
Are They for You?
Part One

Question:  Do you recommend joining a critique group?  How do these work?

Answer:  A critique group consists of compatible writers who read or listen to each other's work and offer suggestions and encouragement.

I've belonged to a terrific group for many years, the Orange County Fictionaires.  But not all such organizations are equal.

Watch out for critique groups with these problems:

• Too much negativity and jealousy

• The comments don't seem helpful.  Either the writers love everything or their comments are confusing or skewed by their personal taste.

• One or two personalities dominate, and you find them oppressive and/or abrasive.

Some essentials for critique groups are:

• Members who are serious about writing and improving

• A regular schedule of meetings

• An organized system for accepting or declining members

• An organized system for conducting meetings to prevent digressions, excessive socializing and domination by one or more long-winded members

• A cooperative attitude, along with a refusal to tolerate belittling remarks.  There's a big difference between critiquing, which involves both compliments and suggestions for improvement, and verbal attacks.

Next time:  Where can you find a critique group? What kind of rules should you look for?

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Critique Groups
Part Two

Question:  Where can I find or how can I form a critique group?

Answer:

• Writing classes--whether conducted online or in person--may give rise to critique groups among former students

• Some chapters of Romance Writers of America function as critique groups or produce spin-off groups among members

• If you participate in writers' websites or chat rooms, ask around.  You can form or join a group online

• If you know other writers, ask them about groups they belong to or whether they're interested in forming one with you.  Hold an organizational meeting and make sure you all agree on your goals and procedures.

Question:  What kind of rules should such a group have?

Answer:  These vary widely.  In some groups, members exchange copies of their work, read them in advance and then offer comments.  This scenario lends itself to an online critique group.

In other organizations, each writer reads a short selection aloud--perhaps ten pages--and others comment.  It's important to establish a workable system to restrict each person's time for remarks (such as a two-minute limit).  Generally the reader waits until everyone has spoken before she responds, if she wishes to.

If there are too many members for all to read at each session, a limit can be set with signups at the previous meeting, giving priority to those who haven't read recently.

Some groups are formal, with policies regarding how to apply for membership as well as who may attend (and how often) as a guest.  I think it's important to establish some criteria for new members to make sure their goals, interests and skill levels are compatible.

As for meeting places, they may assemble at a member's home or even rotate among homes, but it's preferable to have one stable location as well as a regular schedule (such as 10 a.m. on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, or 7:30 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays). This makes it easy to remember.

If the group has more than a few members, it's a good idea to choose a president and vice-president each year.  An e-mail loop even for in-person organizations is helpful.  For larger organizations, a bank account may be necessary.

What's the best size?  At least eight people, because they won't all be writing and available to attend every meeting. As an upper limit, twenty or twenty-five--with twelve to fifteen attending a typical meeting--is probably the most you'll find manageable.

More questions?  Please email me at jdiamondfriends@yahoo.com.

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Exposition

Q.  How do I introduce information about my characters?  How much belongs in the first chapter?

A.  Handling background information is one of the trickiest parts of writing.  The general rule is to include only what's needed up front, then gradually provide additional details.

The problem is, how do you know what's needed?

You want to involve the reader immediately with the story and characters.  Anything that slows down that process, unless the information is essential to the scene, should be pared.

However, the reader needs to feel grounded.  Where are we (the U.S.? Britain?), in what time period, and roughly how old are the characters (just a hint -- don't have to be specific)?  Gender's important, too, if you're writing in the first person.

Don't drop information in an awkward lump. It can be subtle. We know it's present day if a character uses a cell phone.  If she text messages, that probably indicates she's young.  If she's an atypical eighty-year-old who text messages, provide other clues.

Warning:  Although readers like an idea of coloring, avoid the cliché of having the hero or heroine see him/herself in the mirror.

If someone's shooting at the heroine and she's running for her life, she might reflect that, beneath the streetlights, her blonde hair is probably turning her into a target.

Or, in a different situation, she might compare herself with someone.  For instance, she considers her friend's shiny dark hair much more striking than her light brown curls.  

Make sure details reveal character.  To say the heroine's wearing a business suit or a cocktail dress is often sufficient, but if she's klutzy, she'll have a stain on that outfit.  If she's wearing a business suit at a cocktail party, perhaps she's a workaholic, or an absent-minded exec.

Furnishings, too, should be relevant.  If she's an impoverished heroine in a Regency romance, show the threadbare sofa and chipped porcelain bowls.  I  f she has a Hispanic heritage, wouldn't her choice of decorations reflect that?  Or she might reject her heritage, which also says something about her personality.

As with physical description, writers struggle with back story -- how much of the hero's tortured past to reveal, for example.  I try to give only enough to set the scene.  By the time I reveal the whole truth, I want the reader to be genuinely curious.

Want to see a film with brilliantly handled back story?  Watch Steven Spielberg's Amistad, about a slave rebellion on a ship.  The conventional approach would have been to start in an African village and follow the inhabitants as they're enslaved.  Instead, the movie starts where the action does, and by the time we get to the flashback, we're eager to learn what happened.

Exposition is one area in which a critique group or a friend who's a sharp first reader can help.  Let them tell you whether they find the first chapter confusing, frustrating, overloaded or just right.  Or, if you're on your own, set the story aside for a few days or weeks, then read it fresh.

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Getting Started

| Part I | Part II|

Part I

You're sitting at your computer or typewriter staring at a blank screen or page.  You've got a story in mind, but how do you start?  What should you include on Page One and what should you leave out?

Drawing the reader into the story immediately is essential these days. Unlike in the 19th century, when novels could begin at a leisurely pace, we have to compete with TV, DVDs, videogames, and cell phones.  In commercial fiction (literary fiction has its own rules), what are we trying to accomplish on Page One?

Some Dos and Don'ts:

Sink that bathtub scene!  Classic bad example: the heroine reflects on her life while taking a bath.  Draw the reader in with action, dialogue or dynamic description, not lengthy exposition (background).
2. Make the tone fit the genre.  Or: Why milady's dog doth not poop on the sidewalk, unless you're writing humor.  If it's scary, make it tense or eerie.  If it's funny, keep the tone light.
3. Aim for sparkling prose and dialogue.  Make it sing!  Prune clichés and chitchat.  If your writing isn't terrific on Page 1, the reader or editor may not make to Page 2.
4. In a romance, introduce a hero or heroine that the reader can care about.  If we can't tell the protagonists from the secondary characters right off the bat, you're in trouble.
5. Establish a clear point of view.  Try to keep it to a single point of view per scene unless you're an expert.  Watch out for frequent shifts, also known as head hopping, especially on the first page.  A few authors can handle this effectively, but the technique is often confusing.

6. Polish the appearance and strive for accuracy (grammar, spelling, facts). Banish the "uh oh" factor from the editor's mind.

Checklist:

• ALWAYS:  Draw the reader into the story

• ALWAYS : Establish tone or voice.  Is it light and humorous?  Scary

• USUALLY: Establish character(s)

• USUALLY: Establish time and place
• SOMETIMES:  Establish theme/symbolism/image system

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Part II

You're sitting down to write. You've heard the advice, "Draw the reader into the story," but how?

Even the most wonderful plot and emotional writing won't help if the reader or editor tosses the book aside after your first scene. Yet you keep getting bogged down, and you don't know why.

Keep these points in mind:

• Your job will be a LOT easier if, before you start, you figure out some key traits (interesting ones!) that drive your characters. Also, what kind of story you're trying to tell (funny? dramatic?). Otherwise, you'll have to fix these problems with a rewrite or, more likely, a whole lot of rewrites.
• Next, you need to keep in mind what your overall book or novella is about, and specifically what's going to happen in the first chapter. That doesn't mean you need to figure out every detail in advance, only that you've got a general idea of what's going to happen
• Now, start your story in the right place. This means the right place for YOU. The easiest way to tell you're going in the right direction is if the writing flows. If it stops, starts and conks out, you're in the wrong place.

Let's take an example. You're writing a humorous story about a young woman who's a complete klutz in the romance department. In the first chapter, she saves the life of the hero, a policeman, when her foot slips on the brake and she accidentally backs into a robber who's about to shoot him.

Here are some possible mistakes:

Perhaps you start with the hitting-the-robber scene. That might work if you're really skilled, but more likely it won't, because the reader hasn't built up any expectation. Like a comedian, you need to set up your punchline.

On the other hand, you don't want to start at a snail's pace, presenting all your exposition (background) up front. An unfortunate example would be a long scene in which the heroine eats lunch with her best friend and, for the reader's sake, they tell each other things they both already know ("Isn't it wonderful that we've been best friends since fourth grade!" "But you got married and I didn't. I don't think I'll ever meet Mr. Right!")

The classic advice of "Show, don't tell" applies here. Put the heroine into action. One possibility would be to start with an earlier scene in which she runs afoul of the same cop. Then when she sees him again, she's determined not to repeat her mistake, and humiliated when she does something even worse, or so she thinks.

However, I don't believe in following any advice slavishly, including "Show, don't tell." A brief, funny rundown of the heroine's romantic misadventures since childhood could set just the right note. A wonderful example is the opening of Janet Evanovich's One For the Money.
Still unsure how to proceed? Thank goodness for computers! You can write three totally different first pages in three different files, being as inventive as possible because you have nothing to lose. Then go with the one that feels right.

It's all part of discovering who you are as a writer. Take risks and trust your instincts.

Don't let fear hold you back from starting. That would be the biggest mistake of all!

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Read Section II of Professionalism

PROFESSIONALISM
Section I
by Jackie Diamond Hyman

Professionalism. That's a description writers can and should aim for even before they're published. But what guideposts can you use? What does professionalism mean, anyway? Professionalism is an attitude, both toward your work and toward others in the writing field and publishing industry.

In Section I, Jackie talks about taking a professional approach to your writing. Section II will deal with professionalism toward colleagues.

Writing for fun or for emotional release is great, and should be
encouraged. But only in rare cases does it result in work that's suitable for publication. A professional writes to be read by people who are going to pay money. That means they want to be entertained and/or enlightened. Therefore, a professional writes to communicate, not to vent or purely for his or her emotional health. A professional also writes to earn money for publishers and booksellers, and to stimulate book borrowing at libraries. That means you have to learn about the market. What steps can you, as an unpublished writer, take to enhance your professionalism? Here are some suggestions.

• Join writers' organizations. Read books and magazines published for writers. You'll find lots of articles about what publishers are looking for. Organizations like Romance Writers of America (www.rwanational.org) offer invaluable information on-line and through the mail.
• Take your writing seriously. If you try to toss off shallow characters, predictable plotting and clichéd writing, you won't get to first base.
• Read the type of books you want to write. A common mistake of beginners is to write stories that don't fit into any category currently being published. That might work if the book has a grand, sweeping vision and terrific writing - but anything more ordinary is probably doomed to failure. So read what's out there!

• Write the appropriate length. True, J.K. Rowling wrote an unusuallylong book for youngsters, but she had a hard time selling it, and besides, how many of us are geniuses? Many publishing companies issue guidelines that list word counts. Otherwise, use the books you're reading as a guide.

• Get your work critiqued, and don't hesitate to revise. One of the worst mistakes of new writers is to fall in love with their own writing and refuse to change a word. Granted, you shouldn't change it in ways you disagree with, but a professional is always looking for ways to improve. Even after a book sells, editors will ask for revisions.

• Do your research. There are lots of books published for writers, by
  the Writers Digest and other sources. Example: the excellent Forensics for Dummies by D.P. Lyle M.D. (who happens to be a member of my critique group).Use the Internet and, if possible, interview people in the fields you choose for your characters. Don't make stuff up or rely on what you've seen on television. Check it out!

• Get your work critiqued by a writing teacher or a critique group, or through contests for unpublished writers. Revise! But I'd advise against paying for a critique unless you know a great deal about the person doing the criticizing. Also, never trust anyone who implies he can guarantee you success or who claims to be an agent. An agent should earn his or her money by selling your work.

Section II

It's a dog-eat-dog world, right?  We're all in competition for a limited number of publishing slots, awards and (let's indulge our fantasies) featured spots on Oprah!

Doesn't that make other writers the enemy? Isn't it wimpy to be nice – and aren't we likely to get stabbed in the back for trying?

Sure, it can happen.  But for the most part, taking a positive and supportive attitude toward others actually works to your benefit.  Here's why:

• Publishing is a small world.  Your reputation, good or bad, is likely to reach a prospective editor or agent.

• If they like you, other writers will often share tips, sometimes quite generously. You learn from networking.

• Friendly colleagues can sometimes accomplish more together than as individuals, from sharing room expenses at a conference to brainstorming plot ideas.  They can also help generate publicity together.

• You are who you are.  People who undercut others in their line of work tend to screw up their personal relationships as well.

So what exactly does a professional attitude involve?

It requires setting aside petty feelings of envy and resentment, whether at an editor who rejected you or for an author who succeeded where you failed.  Try to learn from them instead of burning them in effigy.

It calls for exhibiting a supportive attitude. Congratulate the successful.  Console the rejected.  Keep the Golden Rule in mind.

Guard your tongue and your keyboard against angry words and cruel gossip.  That's always been true, but today more than ever.  The Internet magnifies all sins.

If you belong to a writer's group, contribute your fair share of volunteer work.  Ask not what everyone else can do for you; ask what you can do for them, too.

However, there are unethical and unreasonable people in every profession, and I certainly wouldn't advise you to be foolishly trusting or excessively kind-hearted.  To that end, a few precautions:

• Take all professional advice with a grain of salt, even from a well-meaning friend or supposed expert, especially if it contradicts your common sense.  Check published sources, such as books for writers, and websites.  Join organizations like Romance Writers of America that provide objective information.

• While it's great to be helpful, you don't owe other writers help to the extent that it cuts into your work time or interferes with your own opportunities.  Sadly, some people make excessive demands, and you have to say no – politely but firmly.  Examples: those who expect you to give them a free critique or suggest that you should collaborate with them when you don't want to.

• You don't have to answer questions that make you uncomfortable or infringe in your privacy.  It's nobody else's business how much you earn, and even if you're having problems with an agent or editor, you shouldn't spread the details around.

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ONE WAY TO ANALYZE A PLOT

(compiled and synthesized from various sources)
by Jackie Diamond Hyman

 1.If there's a prologue, it should be brief and have a clear purpose, such as establishing a key plot point or motivational element in the past.

 2.We need to get to know the hero or heroine's normal world, but avoid huge chunks of background. Make a brief reference to important elements, such as a painful divorce, but save the details for later.

 3.The real story begins with an incident that causes him or her to change direction and to formulate a goal. This could be a first meeting between hero and heroine, but something more must kick events into a new direction.

 4.As events progress, the hero/heroine experiences reluctance or fear but persists anyway.

 5.The hero/heroine may be helped by a mentor character, by a flashback or by the discovery of some guiding principle.  However, avoid extensive or frequent flashbacks.

 6.The hero/heroine takes action, in a sense plunging into the unknown.  This point should occur about a quarter of the way into the novel.

 7.There's a setback that tests his or her resolve and leads to the discovery that things aren't as expected.  He or she must experiment and take risks.

 The hero/heroine no longer believes his goal will be easy to accomplish.  He/she refines it from something general to something specific that will define the rest of the book.

 8.About halfway through the book, he or she reaches the point of no return, encountering his/her greatest fear or perhaps making love to his/her romantic interest.  After this point, he/she is fully committed and cannot turn back.

 9.The hero/heroine formulates a plan of action and takes the initiative instead of being buffeted by events.  Think of the movie "Ghost" when Patrick Swayze calls Whoopi Goldberg and says, "I have a plan."

 10.About three-quarters of the way through the story, there is another major setback that forces him or her to change plans.  It may appear that all is lost.

 12.  The hero/heroine makes a last-ditch effort.  This takes us up to the last 10 percent of the book. He or she must really learn the necessary lessons and undergo a kind of transformation of character.

 13.We have a brief but emotionally necessary tapering off, called the denouement.  In a romance, the hero and heroine finally admit their love for each other and resolve their differences.

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Here's a tip you may find helpful: clip photographs of actors or models (or, if you're artistically inclined, draw your own pictures!) who resemble your hero and heroine, and post these on your desk.  It will help your characters take shape in a believable and consistent way.  Sometimes you may feel as if the photographs almost start to talk to each other!

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Characterization Tips, Part I

Things to know about your character:

Note --These facts don't all have to be included in the story, just available if you need them.

1.Vital statistics.  Age, height, general build, race, religion, marital status, where he or she lives.  Occupation, education.

Also, whether his or her parents are living, other significant family members, circumstances under which he or she grew up.  Details of previous marriage and/or serious involvements.

2.  Personal characteristics.  Is he/she shy, bold, outgoing? A gifted singer or artist?  Caution:  Don't give your character too many talents and eccentricities.  Keep the central thrust of his or her personality in focus, although it's okay to have one inconsistent trait.

3.  How does this person view himself/herself?  Summarize this in a sentence:  "I'm one of those people you'd never notice on the street but give me a chance and I'm a tiger."

One's decorating style, choice of cars, clothing, occupation and relationships will reflect one's self-image.  So you can give the reader a lot of information indirectly.

4.  How does this person view the world?  How is this person's world view shaped by environment, occupation, and/or experience?

For example, a policeman entering a restaurant might look for criminal activity.  An emergency room physician might notice someone with breathing difficulties.  An extrovert would seek a table near the front of the room, and so on.

5.  How do other people view this character?  Show this through their actions and dialogue.  How does this contrast with person's self-image  Don't make your characters too noble, or too selfish, either; a real person, no matter how sympathetic, has to have flaws.  But in commercial fiction, make sure we have heroes and heroines we can root for!

6.  What does your character want – what's his/her goal?  How does this goal change during the story?  What does he/she need deep down (and may not be aware of)?  What lesson does he/she need to learn?

7. What are his/her strengths and weaknesses?

 8.  What is his/her character arc?  How does he/she develop and change during the story?

Coming in Part II:  A shortlist to help you shape your romance hero and heroine!

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Characterization Tips, Part II

CHARACTERS AND PLOT CHECKLIST

Greatest strength:

Greatest weakness:

Self-image:

What's at stake:

What he/she wants:

What he/she needs to learn (how character grows and develops):

What he/she fears:

Internal conflict (why is he/she struggling with himself/herself? )

External conflict with love interest:

What is the central conflict between the two of them?

List about several major characteristics, making sure they aren't too similar:

Quirk or quirks that help make this person come to life:

What is the one thing the character would never do?  Then make him do it.

In a romance:

What can he/she give the other that that person needs or wants but has never had before?

Why is this the last person on earth to fall in love with? (How does he/she challenge the other's world view and push him past his comfort zone?  How are they opposites?)

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Here's a character study of the hero from Jackie's Harlequin American release, “The Baby's Bodyguard.”  It includes responses to the above checklist, as well as general background.

Jack Arnett, 32, reddish-brown hair, green eyes.  5' 11,” stocky, muscular build.

A former police officer turned security consultant.  Partner in a security agency in LA.

Grew up in foster homes, accustomed to being an outsider.  Every time Jack looks at a child, he relives the misery of his childhood – his father imprisoned for robbery, his mother dead of cancer when he was eleven, after which he landed in a series of foster homes.

Attended community college, transferred to Cal State LA.  Became a police officer and loved it but didn't like chain of command.  At 28, took a risk and started a security agency with another officer.

Drawn to Casey by her warmth, the fact that she needed him, physical attraction, the way a smile lights up her face, the fact that she too loves books, which had special meaning for her during adolescence.

Greatest strength: survival instinct, protection of those he loves

Greatest weakness: holds onto old self-image as an outsider

Self-image: I'm the guy on surveillance, the one who stands outside everything.

What's at stake: his marriage

What he wants: his wife back – sans kids

What he needs to learn:  That he has the emotional strength and warmth to be a real husband and father.

What he fears:  That in the end she'll abandon him the way everyone else did.  He doesn't trust love. It scares the hell out of him.

Internal conflict:  He's spent his life walling off the pain of the past.  Still can't face it – but it isn't as bad as he thinks

External conflict:  First.  His wife is pregnant although he didn't want kids, and she's divorcing him against his wishes. Second, his work takes him away from her and he can't give it up.

Central conflict:  Casey wants a real home and children; Jack can't face becoming a father, reliving his childhood traumas.

Characteristics: Protective of those he cares about; deeply loving; withdraws from arguments; touchy about issues of loyalty; reticent about emotions.

Quirk: Loves science fiction books.  He sees them as classic conflicts between good and evil.

What can she give Jack that he needs or wants but has never had before? She has a gift for creating a real home.

Why is this the last person on earth to fall in love with?  He loves her too much to simply withdraw, yet to meet her needs, he'll have to confront the void left by his horrible childhood.

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Here's a basic look at how to shape a novel:

First of all, get to know your characters.  What are their hopes and dreams? What are they afraid of?  What's their family situation?  What are their strengths and weaknesses?  During the course of the book, your most important characters need to grow and change (except possibly for the villain, if you have one).

Second, a book needs to have a structure or shape.  In the first third of the book, you introduce the characters and set up the main situation, problem or conflict.  In the middle of the book, the characters try to solve the problem or deal with the situation but find that it's more difficult than they expected.  In the last third of the book, they run into additional complications and we don't think they're going to succeed, but finally they do. 

The other important part of a book is the author's voice.  That's your way of using words and expressing yourself.  The best way to discover your voice is simply to write a lot and see what works for you.   Try writing the way you talk!  In fact, try writing the same scene in different styles and from different characters' points of view.

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