Lines from Linda

12 Steps to a Great Critique

Note: This post is an article I wrote for the October 2007 issue of American Christian Fiction Writer's Ezine, Afictionado.

Multi-published author Ginny Smith never studied writing. She credits her success in print to her critique partners. While some may cringe at the word “critique,” Ginny explained that evaluating another writer’s work is not only an act of service, but also benefits the critiquer. But she adds a caveat: If it’s done correctly. “Because,” she said, “critiques can range from the good, to the bad, to the really insulting.” ...read the rest of this post on Fiction Fundamentals.

A Little Bit of Research…

Research is another way to liven a plot. Take a date, for instance. Many events are likely to have happened on that date, and by snooping back in time, you can find a lot of ideas to liven your plot. For instance, today, October 11. What's the most exciting thing that happened on this day? (And I don't mean the wedding of Bill & Hillary Clinton!)

On this date in 1887, a patent was issued to Dorr Eugene Felt for his invention of the Comptometer, a mechanical device that could perform four mathematical functions quickly and accurately. There are a lot of ways to continue researching at this point. The Comptometer preceded our modern-day computers. So, if the evolution of technology is important to your story, you could research about additional advancements along the path toward today's computers.

Or you could look into the life of the inventor. Did he invent anything else of significance? Yes. In fact, after leaving his family farm in Wisconsin at the age of 14 with 50 cents in his pocket, Felt trained as a machinist and was granted many patents for his inventions. He became a multi-millionaire. So far, this line of investigation seemed more interesting than tracking the history of transitors and microchips, so I read more about Mr. Felt.

He bought a few hundred acres on a lake and built the 17,000 square foot Felt Mansion, complete with a third-floor ballroom. From here, history mingles with legend, and you can place a multitude of tales in a hat and pick one, because apparently no bloggers or web masters are in complete agreement about the fate of the Felt Family. Shortly after the home's completion during the height of the roaring 20s, Mrs. Felt left her bed, climbed the stove pipe, and jumped from the roof to her death. Mr. Felt died from a stroke shortly afterward. Many believe their spirits still roam the rooms, and the home is features on Michigan's ghost tourism web sites.

The children held the property for a few decades after their parents' deaths, but sold it to a Catholic school, which used the outbuildings for classrooms and housed students in the mansion. One site claims a priest committed suicide in the main house. The school sold to the state prison system, which purportedly hung a number of prisoners in one of the property's large trees. I don't remember when public hangings ceased in this country, but I think it was before the 1960s, so this storyteller's claim could be false.

The Felt Mansion sat empty for years and somewhere around 1990, was sold for $1 to a community foundation with the purpose of restoring it to its roaring 20s glory. The restoration process is underway.

Now the anniversary of a patent issue sounds boring at first, but just 30 minutes of web browsing produced a host stories--just from that one lead. Unless you're writing an historical about the Felt Family or home, the facts don't matter--just glean plot ideas from your research, start "what iffing," and adapt those ideas for your own stories. Who would have known that a simple adding machine would be fodder for a great suspense plot?

Twisting the Plot

Today marks the 194th anniversary of Giuseppi Verdi's birth. This Italian composer's operas are still popular today. The Triumphal March from Aida is one of his most famous pieces. Aida's story was first penned by some guy with an unpronounceable name and has an interesting, albeit tragic, plot twist at the end. Verdi adapted the tale to music, and now Elton John and company have developed a modern version of the timeless love story.

A plot twist is an unexpected development in the story, a change of direction. As the members of Monty Python's Flying Circus would say, "And now for something completely different..." Some of the most well-known movie plot twists include:

• Citizen Kane's "Rosebud"


• The ending of the movie "The Sixth Sense"


• Darth Vader reveals his true identity to Luke in "The Empire Strikes Back"


• The moment we meet Norman Bates' mother in "Psycho"

So, how do we come up with those memorable moments that leave the reader riveted? I suppose one could use Serendipity's handy-dandy plot twist generator. I gave it a whirl to see what would happen and here is my list of suggested story contortions:

• At this juncture a domineering police officer arrives, with several children in tow.


• At this point a grumpy businessman arrives, carrying a backpack.


• At this point a sketchy librarian arrives and attacks your protagonist's sidekick.


• At this point a snooty window washer arrives and orders everyone to leave.


• At this point a street vendor arrives and grabs your protagonist by the shirtfront.


• At this point a wild-eyed wizard throws a tantrum.


• Clearly, it is time for a blizzard.


• Clearly, it is time for the Loch Ness Monster.


• Just then a aviator arrives and pulls a gun.


• Just then a domineering bartender arrives, in hysterics.


• Just then a undertaker arrives, disguised.


• Just then your protagonist's spouse turns on the television.


• Only a tornado can save this story.


• Suddenly a melodramatic dwarf arrives and pulls the plug.


• What you need now is flying monkeys.

Nessie and flying monkeys aside, with a bit of brainstorming, some of these actually have potential. One of the best tools for developing a great twist in your plot is the use of two words: What If?

• What if, when the spouse turns on the television, the president is addressing the country about an imminent enemy invasion?


• What if the street vendor is a secret agent and wants to warn your hero that the RBG (really bad guys) are after him? (Come on, stuff like that happened to Maxwell Smart all the time!)


• What if the grumpy businessman's backpack contains a bomb?


• What if the children brought in by the policeman are from your H/H's love interest's previous (and up to this point, unknown to your H/H) marriage?

You can "what if" some more thoughts on your story, with or without the plot generator, but for the best way to write an effective plot twist is to consider what would be "expected" at this point in your story and write something "completely different."

Stranger than Fiction

As fiction writers, we're taught to make every premise, every scene, every character plausible. None of this "it could happen" stuff, like the little boy in "Angels in the Outfield" stated throughout the film. We have to remember, though, that child was talking about a sporting event where, literally, anything can happen. But even if something really does happen, that doesn't mean it's plausible for fiction.

For instance, you could write a story and make the protagonist be a football team. A professional football team. An undefeated team whose quarterback throws five interceptions, two of which are brought in for touchdowns. Not likely.

Or have your team face an injury-riddled team, located so far off the beaten path that they haven't been featured on Monday Night Football in 13 years, and have that "has-been" team beat the undefeated team to a pulp during the first three and a half-quarters of the game. Sideline the quarterback of the opposing team with an early season knee injury and start a rookie QB. Have him toss passes against your team with 75 percent accuracy if you want, but no one will believe it. Readers are shaking their heads now. That is, if they're still reading.

Go ahead and let your team score a few times. In fact, let them bring the point-spread within a touchdown, but then have one of the opponents run back the kick-off 103 yards into the opposite end zone, just to make things exciting. Tell your readers that not one ticket holder will leave the stadium before the final buzzer. Not one. Yeah, you may publish this story, but don't quit your day job.

You could write that your shaken quarterback suddenly gains his poise and leads his team to a sustained 80-yard drive in the final minutes of the game by completing 9 of 11 passes. That touchdown brings the score within 2 points of the opponent. A 2-point conversion would tie the game. No one would believe that either. Pro teams rarely attempt conversions, and even so, the odds are only 50-50. You've lost reader trust. Your career as a novelist is iffy at best.

Take your same scenario, and, if readers haven't already thrown your book, go ahead and have the officials take some time off the clock due to a discrepancy. And now, with 17 seconds to go, have your team, which just scored on their long drive, recover an onside kick. Have your now confident quarterback throw a pass and allow the receiver to get out of bounds and stop the clock because your team used its last time out on the long drive. Twice. Between those plays would be a great time to have the officials put a few seconds back on the clock. The second completion leaves two seconds to play.

Your team is at mid-field and your reader is thinking, "No one can kick a field goal that far under that much pressure." You're right. So, just for fun, make the kicker a rookie with a career high upright-splitter of 47 yards. Make this attempt be, say, 53 yards, just to make the scene exciting. Make the kick perfect--equal distance on either side with ample room on the other side of the post.

So, the clock now shows 0:00. The game is over, right? Your team won! No. That would be too easy for your team. Have something happen off-stage, that no one noticed except the head official. Your opponent's coach called a time-out before the snap. What? He can do that? Yep. It's a cheesy rule, but it's legal. And in this case, good strategy on the part of your opponent, don't you think? Bring out your rookie kicker again. See if he can pump another one just like the first. Your reader is thinking, "Surely not." But your reader is wrong. The rookie pops another one through.

Half of the crowd is cheering. The other half is stunned. Show their faces. Show their disbelief. Maybe if you do an outstanding job of describing the crowd's doubt, your reader will be more sympathetic about your next release.

Yes, this game was real. Yes, the Cowboys beat the Bills. Yes, you've heard me say many times I'm not a pro-sports fan, but yes, I watched the game. I figure Dallas will likely recruit the Razorbacks' D-Mac (the number one running back in the NCAA and this year's Heisman Trophy favorite), and I decided I might as well watch a game or two to familiarize myself with the team. I may have to watch them again, because I'm still not believing that game. Neither are the folks in Buffalo.

Blog Series: Creating Memorable Characters Part IV

Robin Miller gave us a lot of miscellaneous tips in her recent class that weren't listed on her worksheet. Today's segment of this blog series will be a list of those items, and the next session will continue on with her character outline.

• Dialogue: Use descritptive beats as well as tags (he said, she said) to "show" more about a character. Also, each character should have a distinct voice pattern--not necessarily dialect, but if a character is pompous and educated, he would use big words to show off, for example. With well-defined character voices, a reader can flip through a book and tell which character is speaking just from reading the dialogue lines.


• Quirks: Give your characters something that is unique to them. Some writers throw in a quirk just for the sake of having one, but embedding quirks into the character can produce a deeper purpose. For instance, Ebeneezer Scrooge was a miser and would rather count money alone in his cold chamber than enjoy the warmth and company of family and society. Think how his "quirk" helped develop the story's plot.


• Defining Quality: What is your character's defining quality? Can you force them into an opposite situation and use it against them? For example, Tigger's defining quality is his bounciness. I remember watching an episode of Winnie the Pooh when Tigger lost his bounce. This brings about many story questions--How will Tigger cope without bouncing? How will his friends react? Will he ever get to bounce again? (A serious question in the mind of a small child.) Bouncing defines Tigger. It is what he is.


• Inner Conflict: This will produce the character's arc--how he or she will change during the course of the story. The story's events (external conflicts) will act upon the character and ultimately produce an inner change. Ebeneezer Scrooge is another good example of inner conflict. He has chosen to be harsh and heartless, but inside, he longs to belong, to be loved. His internal feelings, which he hides as a survival tactic, are in direct conflict with his external actions. The events of the story gradually peel away Scrooge's layers of hard-heartedness until at the end, he is a new man.


• Opposite Goals: Giving your character opposite goals creates lots of conflict and will show the reader a lot about what your character is made of. Give your character two goals that (seemingly) cannot be reconciled. What if a young man who has worked toward becoming a priest his entire life suddenly realizes he's in love? Now he must make a choice. A hard choice. Think of the turmoil those in the civil war endured when they came face-to-face with a friend or family member fighting for the opposition. Where do your character's loyalties truly lie? Use your "what if?" muscle to come up with other opposite-goal scenarios.

I'm sure many of you can think of great examples for the above list. Please share them with the rest of us using the comments section.

Blog Series: Creating Memorable Characters Part III

One of the first things expectant parents do, after taking out a second mortgage to cover the cost of diapers, is consider what to name their upcoming bundle of joy. I did it, too. Then, parents-to-be sometimes (and they should, by the way) shuffle the potential names around and consider what the baby's initials will be. (This is an important step in the name-selection process. It's hard enough to be a 12-year-old with pimples, thick glasses, and braces without having initials like NRD.)

As parents, we want to be careful how others perceive our child. And, in Robin Miller's characterization class, she cautioned novelists-to-be about considering how readers will perceive their characters. Enter the Baby Name Survey Book by Bruce Lansky. I bought both the old and new editions, and it's amazing how much difference can occur in people's perception just because some movie popularized a name or a celebrity named his/her child something cutesy. This book is full of names I'd never heard of. Makes me feel sorry for the entire personalized pencil producing industry.

There's a handy quick-reference section in the book's front with a name/first impression association list. For instance, say you want hero to be tall, dark, and handsome (don't we all?). In the list of first impressions for boy's names, several come to the minds of the "thousands of parents and parents-to-be" who were polled to create this book, including Bentley, Calvin, Daniel, and Roman. Dark features conjured up thoughts of Joey, Raul, and Vince, among others. Among the handsome men's names are Brian, Collin, Jason, Tristan, and, yes, Fabio.

The next section features a more in-depth analysis of names, divided into two categories: boys and girls. As an example of what's included, I'll copy the entry for my name, Linda.

(Spanish) Pretty

Image: No matter what life brings, Linda is determined to keep smiling. She's envisioned as an easygoing, caring woman who's full of smiles and wit. She's said to be talkative and popular, but she also has an independent, hardworking attitude that's seen her through some tough moments. As for her looks, Linda is pictured as a pleasantly plump brunette.

Famous Namesakes: Musician Linda McCartney; actress Linda Hamilton; actress Linda Cardellini; Singer Linda Rondstadt; and actress Linda Blair.

(How'd they know I'm a pleasantly plump brunette? Kind of creepy!)

Another thing to consider besides the first impression a name makes is what date range was the hey-day for the name. You can get this information free, courtesy of the United States government by visiting the Social Security Administration's popular baby name site. The top of the site lists the Top 10 Names of 2006, and below that is a search box for the database, which can be searched by either year or name. For instance, my name was the Number One pick for girls for six years straight, but had dropped to fourth-place by the year I was born. Linda's popularity has declined significantly in recent years, dropping 45 places between 2005 and 2006. It is now barely in the top 500, coming in at 462.

This information can help you as you design your character. Do you want him to be popular? Will she be somewhat of an outcast? Careful research during your name selection can reinforce whatever "image" you want your character to portray.

Blog Series: Creating Memorable Characters Part II

The next step in Robin Miller's character development process was something new to me--using Victoria Lynn Schmidt's book 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters. I've read a lot of books on craft, but had somehow missed this one, so when my new copy arrived from Amazon.com a few days after Robin's class, I was excited.

Ms. Schmidt begins her book by explaining the difference between an archetype and a stereotype. We don't want stereotypical characters, but using the archetypes as a foundation to flesh out our characters can be helpful. The archetypes used come from mythological figures--Aphrodite, Artemis, Athena, Apollo, Ares, etc.

To prove her point that archetype-based characters are not "all alike," she listed the characteristics of two fairly well-known TV and movie characters which were based upon the same archetype: Xena Warrior Princess and Gracie Hart (played by Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality). Both of these characters are based upon the archetype of Artemis and adhere to the same value system, but each character is unique and quite memorable.

I once took a goal-setting class that explained our actions stem from our character, which begins with our value system. We will strive to attain that which is important to us--what we value. When we go against our innate value system, we become stressed. And a character's value system is the basis for the archetype method of characterization--each archetype has a different set of values. As writers, we can use a character's values against them to create conflict. For example, Xena's character would destroy the village of an evil warlord in order to save her trusted friend Gabrielle. Loyalty to friends is one of her values. And Gracie Hart thought nothing of ruining the Miss United States pageant when her friend's life was in danger. Different characters, same value system.

If you don't own or can't obtain a copy of this book, you can study the archetypes of the mythological figures to get an idea. Consider what actions each took when placed in various circumstances. Actions display one's values. And a value system is consistent. That is where this study will help the most in character development.

An exercise Ms. Schmidt suggested that I found fascinating was this:

If you've developed your story already, consider how different it would be with each of the different archetypes in the lead role. Pick three archetypes and write a one-page outline of your story for each type. You may be surprised at all the new twists and plot points you come up with based on an archetype's fears and desires.

Each archetype has both positive and negative characteristics. Schmidt suggests picking an archetype that has room to grow the most as a result of the obstacles he or she faces in your story. For instance, the "King" archetype is very controlling. What if he were placed in a situation where he lost control of everything and everyone around him? How could he grow through this experience? And a "Father's Daughter" character detests the outdoors. Yet, place something she values in grave danger and force her to trek through the wilderness to save it, and you'll have plenty of opportunity for conflict.

I want to thank Robin for sharing with us about this very useful character development tool.

Brainstorming Tips

The world is full of distractions that can prevent us from losing our focus. God knew this when He inspired the psalmist to write, "Be still, and know that I am God." In order to write clear, concise copy, however, we need to maintain that focus. But often, my poor brain needs help.

Karen Wisner, in her book First Draft in 30 Days, suggests that not only do we need to brainstorm an idea at its conception, but at each stage of the writing process. (If you're not familiar with this book, the link I've inserted in the text goes to Karen's web site and has a lot of information included in the book. If you click on the book cover, that link will take you to Amazon.com's purchase page for the book.)

Brainstorming is important whether you're writing a novel, a magazine feature, a devotional, or even a blog post. While Karen's book deals with novel writing, the brainstorming prompts she suggests can be used in all genres of writing. She lists over 25 brainstorming exercises--here are just a few:

1. Make a soundtrack for your current project. Choose songs that fit specific parts of your book or the theme of the whole book. Listen to your project's soundtrack while driving, walking, or exercising. Each time you hear a song from your soundtrack, it will inspire you to brainstorm more.

2. Get out of the house--go anywhere--and people watch. Observe those around you to get ideas from gestures, movements, hints of an overheard conversation, or even just the way people look.

3. Write a letter to one of your characters (either from you or from another character within your story) just to see where it'll take you, or interview one or more of your characters.

4. Write with a partner on separate projects in the same room, then read to each other what you've written. Not for the sake of critique, but to uplift and energize your muse.

5. Go outside and lie on the ground. Admire the clouds, birds, and nature with all its sounds and smells. Imagine your character doing the same thing in his or her setting and try to describe it from that character's point of view.

What are some of the brainstorming techniques that YOU use? Share your tips with the rest of us.

Ready…Set…Action!

There's been a lively discussion this week on one of the writers' e-mail loops I receive about the "was" word. Today's novelists hear "avoid passive voice" repeatedly from critique partners, editors, friends, and probably even strangers on the streets. Is passive voice evil? Is the "was" word a sin?

(Read more at Fiction Fundamentals...)

The Great Backstory Dump

I operate a critique service (HiredQuill), so I see a lot of manuscripts from new novelists. Often, the story starts with a bang--a great passage of dialogue, an action sequence, an intriguing lead that grabs my attention--and I read on.

Unfortunately, paragraph number two almost inevitably contains what I affectionately refer to as "The Great Backstory Dump." Using the opening paragraph from one of my WIPs (works in progress), I'll give an example:

(Read More...)