DO WRITERS NEED TO GO TO WRITING CLASSES?

I am a published author/screenwriter who is also a creative writing tutor who knows that the writing techniques I teach my students help improve their writing skills because so many of them have been published after attending my workshops regularly.

[If you would like to learn a few of these techniques, I have a page on my website called Writing Tips which I’ll be updating which I hope will help you.]

Some people believe writing classes are a waste of time and money. They are if you have a teacher who is insecure in her ability to write well, who can’t communicate her expertise effectively, who has no sense of humour and who isn’t emphatic. All these skills are needed to nurture people who write. I realise my students are opening themselves to criticism and as we all know, criticism is hard to take if it is harsh and destructive. I always try to be constructive, but honest with my students.

Of course, there are some people who are naturally better writers than others, just as some people are naturally better pianists. But think about how many hours a day a good writer or pianist has to work to perfect his/her skills. If you have talent it needs stretching regularly.

I believe three factors are vital for a writer to achieve success: talent, tenacity and timing.

Remember what Aldous Huxley said: ‘It is not how we cope with success that makes us strong, but how we cope with failure.’

http://www.lindamjames.co.uk

AMAZON BOOK PRIZE

I've just discovered that my crime thriller has been nominated for the Amazon Book Prize which is great.

http://thebookawards.com/awards/a-fatal-facade/

I do hope you will support me by voting for it and hope you enjoy reading it.

The book explores the idea that we all show different faces to different people; especially the characters in this book.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD BOOK?

This post is for book lovers and everyone who wants to write creatively.

I gave recently gave a talk in Canterbury, Kent in October about the ingredients that make a good book. Here's a link to it.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liYD-NPOXQQ

I'm sure you'll recognize the reasons why you like or don't like reading a book after watching it.

[Do look out for the charming Italian boy who asks a question about writing at the end of the talk. A future novelist, I think.]

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

 HAPPY NEW YEAR 

I hope 2015 is a great year for you.

It’s that time of year again when you’re going to change your life by making amazing New Year’s Resolutions for 2015.

Here are mine:

1.      Write 5 novels.

2.      Learn 3 languages.

3.      Stay in my current house. [I’ve moved 46 times!]

4.      Contact family and friends every day.

5.      Only drink alcohol on Saturdays.

6.      Travel the world. 

[And lastly, the killer one which shows that I have a little self-awareness.]

7.      Stop making resolutions I know I’ll never keep.

I hope your resolutions are more achievable than mine!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

I've been too busy writing another novel called THE IMAGE OF ELISE and a radio play called KEEPING SILENT to blog, but I intend to do more in 2015. Along with creating a new website.

In the meantime, I hope you have a lovely Christmas and New Year. I'll be celebrating with my family so it'll be very busy but full of fun. Of course, exhaustion will set in by 30th December!

My next blog will be about New Year's Resolutions. 

How has another year disappeared so quickly?

WRITING A BOOK SYNOPSIS

This entry is written to help writers who wish to write a novel or non-fiction book. If you're a budding writer, I hope it helps you.

Building your book up from your synopsis is important simply because you won’t become side-tracked by too much detail as initially, you don’t know all the details of your plot. This lack of complication means your synopsis will have more clarity.

Writing a synopsis is an organic process which always reminds me of building a house. Imagine building a house when you have no idea what it’s going to look like? The end result is going to look very peculiar with rooms sticking out at odd angles. That’s what your book is going to look like if you have no initial plan. Of course, when you get to know your characters fully, the book will probably take on a life of its own and there is no reason you have to follow your initial synopsis exactly; simply rewrite the synopsis to reflect the changes. However, if you start with a firm foundation, your book is going to be far more structured.  

So What Exactly is a Synopsis?

1) It's a narrative summary of the main ideas in your book.

2) It's written in present tense and should be easy to read.

3) It's written in third person.

4) It's written in the same style your book is written in.  If your book is light-hearted, then your synopsis should be too. If your book is dark, literary, ghostly or comic, your synopsis should reflect this style.

5) The synopsis introduces your main characters and their main conflicts. This is often where writers get weighed down with too much complicated detail. Keep the details clear, interesting and easy to read.  Don’t include every character or every scene, plot point, or subplot in your synopsis.

6. Synopses should a] show a clear idea as to what your book is about, b] introduce the major characters c] show the problems your main characters face and what they stand to lose if they don’t overcome them. [ If no one has any obstacles to overcome, you haven’t created any tension.]

7) Make sure that one paragraph flows logically to the next. If you are switching ideas, you need to make sure you build in a transition to connect your paragraphs.

8) There are conflicting views on whether you should put the conclusion of your book in your synopsis.  Some agents and editors want to know exactly how you conclude your story; however, others like to be ‘teased’. If an agent states clearly on his/her website that they hate ‘teaser’ endings, don’t use them. Give an agent  exactly what s/he wants.

  

9. The only way to improve your synopsis-writing ability is by reading other people’s and constant rewriting your own. One of my students spent four months rewriting his synopsis before it was ready to be sent out to a publisher. The result: his book was published in 2012 because he spent almost as much effort on writing the synopsis as writing his novel.  

10. Make sure that you write your synopsis so it gives an accurate picture of your book. I.e. Be careful you don’t write a scintillating synopsis which bears no relationship to your book!  [I have read a lot like that and understandably, agents hate them.]

11. Synopses are usually (but not always) one page long and single spaced. [Unless an agent specifically asks for everything to be double-spaced.] Make your paragraphs short so that they are easy to read.

12.  Write differing length synopses: a one paragraph ‘blurb’ which hooks the reader immediately; a half pager and a full pager. Write as many versions as you can before the symptoms of insanity start creeping in.

Synopsis Checklist

• Have you used the present tense?

• Does the opening paragraph have a hook to keep the reader reading?

• Are your main characters' conflicts clearly defined?

• Have you ensured that the reader can relate to some characters and worry about their problems?

• Have you resolved the important conflicts?

• Have you avoided grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes?

NB. Writing a good synopsis is as important as writing a good book because it’s a selling tool to agents and publishers. They will want to read the synopsis first and if yours isn’t good, your book will never be read. That’s how important writing a good synopsis is.

© Linda M. James.  2014

NEGATIVES AND POSITIVES

NEGATIVE: Oh dear, I haven't kept all my New Year's Resolutions. I went out and had some wine recently and it was wonderful.

POSITIVE But I have been going to the gym regularly, joined a great Rock Choir and improving my German so I feel good about that.

POSITIVE. Had an interesting interview with a book blogger who reads a lot. Do have a look at her interesting blogs. Here's a link to my interview. She asked very interesting questions, didn't she?http://www.crinacristea.com/blogpost.php?post=9