Preparing the Perfect Pitch

I first wrote this post several years ago about my first ACFW conference. As the annual conference draws near, I thought it'd be fun to revisit this post. I hope it's helpful to those of you who are preparing pitches for those agent and editor appointments!

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Be honest. In the middle of the night, during conference season, you've had nightmares of Chip MacGregor telling you he thinks your concept is totally dull and an impossible sell. Nooooo....

Face-to-face rejection. It's every writer's worst nightmare.

I vividly remember my first pitch. It was the 2010 ACFW conference, and I had an appointment with Ami McConnell. Yes, I've always had lofty aspirations. My appointment was the first one after lunch, and I made a point to leave lunch early to join the line of other panic-striken writers. Suddenly the ability to even remember your name had become an asset. "What do you write?" One of us would ask each other. "Who are you pitching to?" The answers were different, but the look in the eyes was (and is) always the same. I like to describe it as that feeling you got waiting outside the principal's office. Even if you knew you had done nothing wrong, he would find something. The assumption was, these people are waiting for us to fail.

That's problem #1.

Editors and agents do not want to see you mentally and socially flailing. Well, at least most of them don't. Just kidding! Remember that these people are in the book business. And the book business doesn't work too well without authors. There's no reason to be afraid. You're looking to enter into a partnership. That's all there is to it. I know it feels like they have your every dream in the palm of their hands, but really, those are in God's. And He has a much better idea who your book will best fit with anyway.

With that in mind, I've created three lists of three things that should help you get your pitch prepared for conference season. I hope you find them helpful!

3 Things to Do Before You Leave Home:

• Research. Nothing is more embarrassing than pitching your YA manuscript to a publishing house that is currently only buying Amish historicals. And believe me, editors don't like this. If you were them, would you? Do research on your target editors and agents before you leave so that your pitch comes across as intentional. Even just browsing through a publishing house's website and reading a couple of their books can go a long way.
• Practice in front of a mirror. Yes, I know this makes you feel silly. You will feel even more ridiculous if the first time you pitch is in front of your dream editor.
• Reread your book. If the appointment goes well, an editor or agent is likely to ask you more about the story, but there's no way to really predict what they will ask. In order to keep your answers as natural and eloquent-sounding as possible, before you leave, take note of your major plot points. If someone were to ask you about the major conflicts in the novel, the dark moment, or the character arc, would you be able to answer? What if they asked you what you ultimately hope readers will get out of your book? Why you are a good fit for their publishing house? If you are prepared, your answers to these questions can make you seem golden. 

3 Things to Do During Your Appointment:

• Be professional. Oh my goodness, I am always amazed by how many people ignore this one. You should treat your appointments as if they are a job interview, because--let's face it, they are. That means even if the appointment does not go as you'd hoped, you still have an opportunity to leave a good impression. Next year's conference might seem like a long time away now, but next year, you'll wish you hadn't burned a bridge.
• Take a deep breath and introduce yourself. Jumping into your pitch and rattling it off like a 10th grade oral book report project is not a good strategy. You want your appointment to be a conversation, a chance to get to know an editor or agent. Slow down, introduce yourself and maybe even tell them what you write or offer a one sheet before you jump into your longer pitch. Otherwise it's too much for them to process.
• Take cues from the editor or agent with whom you are speaking. Have you ever had a conversation with someone and politely tried to end it with nonverbal cues, only to have that person continue talking about themselves with no end in sight? Don't be that person in your appointments. Give the editor or agent a chance to think and ask you questions. Remember that your book idea is new to them. They need at least a few seconds to process it.

3 Things Your Pitch Should Include:

• Goals/forward motion. This can be anything from a new job to a heroic quest to save a princess, but it should be clear what your main character is working toward.
• Conflict. Conflict is usually the most interesting part of the story, so this is your chance to really "pack a punch" so to speak, with your pitch. Be sure you are very clear what your character has working against her, and don't shy away from using external conflict. "She feels hesitant about dating him," is not a strong enough conflict to sustain a book-long project. "He put a restraining order against her because he thinks she's stalking his children" is a different story. Got your attention, didn't it? (Side note: if any of you have written stalker romances, my apologies.)
• A compelling hook, using your writing voice. You need a wham! moment to stand out amongst the hundreds of other pitches these people have to hear throughout the day. Sometimes using a question works well. Other times it's just in the phrasing. I would recommend having someone you trust, like your critique partner, work with you on this. Ideally, you want your wham! moment to correspond with your biggest source of conflict. And even beyond that, be sure it reflects your voice. This is the first chance you get to showcase your writing voice, so make it memorable.

You also want to remember to keep these short. It's a good idea to develop both a short pitch and a longer pitch. And when I say "short pitch," I mean short. We're talking, 7 words, ideally. Your longer pitch should be around 3 or 4 sentences. The short pitch should be just long enough to really catch their attention, and then the longer pitch develops the main conflict a bit more. But even the long pitch should not tell your whole story.

What you want to happen in an ideal situation is for your short pitch to lead to your long pitch, which then leads to a one sheet or even a proposal request, and then to your book.

A note on pitching etiquette: Sometimes it can be hard to determine when it is and is not socially acceptable to pitch. Generally, most people tend toward one side or the other. If you're an introvert, you might have to get a little out of your comfort zone. If you are an extravert, you may need to tone it down a little. Remember that editors and agents are human, which means they all have different preferences and moods. If someone is on their cell phone engrossed in what looks like a very serious conversation, or an agent is having a one-on-one with one of their authors, please do not interrupt them. It's considered rude and will really work against you in the end.

That said, on the other hand, agents and editors know you have come to the conference to pitch to them, and some will deliberately hang out in public areas so they can get to know potential authors and clients. In some cases, it can bode well if you recognize your dream editor or agent because it shows you have done your research. You've paid a lot of money and put a lot of effort to come to this conference, so if a good opportunity presents itself and seems like it may even be a God-thing (i.e. you end up on the elevator at the same time), it may be best to seize the chance while you have it.

Here's a normal way to have that conversation: "Hi, I'm Delilah Dopplerfritz. Aren't you _______?" "Yes, I am. Are you enjoying the conference?" "Yes. I'm glad to run into you because I was hoping to have a chance to pitch to you this weekend. Do you have a minute to hear about my book, or are you in a hurry?" "Sure, tell me about it. But make it quick." (Insert pitch.)

It's always a good idea to ask if they have time to hear your pitch if you're not in a formal setting like an appointment or their appointed lunch table. And if they say they don't have time, don't be offended. It's not you. They are busy people!

Above all else, be yourself. You are selling yourself as an author just as much as you are selling your book. Remember that, and it will be easier. 

Your turn! Do you have any pitching advice or funny stories to share? Do you have a pitch you would like input on? Feel free to share it and get the group's feedback!

###

Ashley Clark writes romance with southern grace. She's dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story hour. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses at her local university. She's an active member of ACFW and runs their newcomer's loop. When she's not writing, Ashley's usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns. You can find Ashley on her personal blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.

Castle Time -- HOOKS!!

Oldie Pic for an Oldie Post!

Doing a repost for a few years ago.... but considering Castle is back on this month with all new episodes, I thought this super appropriate!

The only difference is---I'm more likely to catch Sherrinda on Facebook lately, vs. Twitter! (am I the only one using Twitter less?? Hmmm, maybe that's a topic for another post!)

~~~~~~~

I love watching Sherrinda's tweets on Monday night between (central time) 9 and 10.

Even if I'm not able to be watching Castle (perish the thought!) I can always feel the tension from her tweets.

Usually it's something like, "HOLY COW!! _________________ just happened! AHHHH!!!"

And it's usually during a commercial break.

I can just picture spunky Miss Sherrinda. jumping up and down on her couch, yelling at the TV, "HURRY UP, stupid commercial, who needs Covergirl Makeup or insurance or a dumb car at a time like this?"

Because there is something Castle always does an amazing job at.

It HOOKS you.

It makes you hate commercial breaks... And at the end of seasons... when the main character gets shot (seemingly) dead... (Or engaged to... or almost broken up...)

That's what we want for our books too.

We want to grab the reader's attention and make them hurry through potty breaks, eat with a book in their hand, and read until their eye's cross at 2 in the morning when they have to be up for work at 5.

When they get to the chapter end, you want to entice them to read "just one more chapter."

But how do we do that?

A few ideas:

Leave the reader on an inhale. I think about this every time I end a chapter. My goal is for the reader to take a sharp inhale of breath when they read the last sentence. Don't explain a thing. You build, build, build through the chapter, then KABLAM something happens and end of chapter.

Leave the reader with emotion. Leave the reader crying, or jumping for joy, or scared. We don't like to have unfulfilled emotions.

Leave the reader with a sense of foreboding. Even a subtle illusion to "something might be coming" is enough to perk the reader's interest enough to turn the page to see what that something might be.

Really, it boils down to one thing:

Leave the reader wanting more.

This applies not only to chapter ending hooks, but to our novel as a whole. Until the end, when we reach our satisfying conclusion, our readers should always be wanting more of our characters, more of the story.

Discussion: What are some methods you use to end your chapters? Some recommend to automatically chop the last paragraph off of your chapter ending... agree or disagree? Any examples of good chapter-ending hooks that you've read lately?

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of Sandwich, With a Side of Romance . She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by the fab agent, Rachelle Gardner.

Showing C.A.R.E. in Your First Chapter

Last year I had the opportunity to participate in my first speaking engagement as a writer. I lecture often in my job as a university instructor, so speaking on Autism or Speech-Language Pathology to a group of people isn't such a big deal.
But presenting about writing? Well, that was new. Fun, but new.

As I was preparing to chat with a writer's group about the importance of first chapters, I thought of a cute acronym to go along with my teaching.

So - what keeps the readers reading in your first chapter?

Showing C.A.R.E. as an author. That's what!

C - Character relate-ability - If readers don't care about our characters in one way or other, they are less likely to keep reading. This doesn't necessarily mean that our characters have to be noble and righteous. It means they have to be relatable. An 'aha' moment of "I know how that feels" or "I've felt that way before", or "I've been there or done that" before. Somehow we have to relate.

So, if we enter the world of Narnia with Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, a reader might can't relate to the fears of WWII or stepping through a wardrobe into a magical world, but we can relate to being scared of something (like the children were of the bombs dropping in London) or of being in a new place (like in the Professors house), and we can remember 'dreaming' of imaginary places. It's wonderful.

A - Arrest the Readers Attention - Within the first page (preferably) an author must grab the reader's attention. Beginning your story in the beginning is not the best place, usually. Beginning the story IN MOTION is vital. Fairytales of years gone by which started with Once Upon a Time and then were followed with a five page narrative about the poor lost girl whose life was miserable, aren't hooking readers' attention or curiosity anymore.

Example: How do producers hook viewers for a 1-hour weekly series? The first five minutes (or less) of the show (before commercial break) begins with some arresting development. A body drops from a twelth story window onto the car of the hero/heroine; a recap of last weeks' ending reminds us that the heroine walked in on her boyfriend kissing another woman. Somethng happens to grab our attention and hold us through that commercial break.

The same is true for our writing.

R - Radiate a Sense of Place - Story Worlds are powerful places. From Middle Earth to Scarlet O'Hara's Deep South, to Dickens' London, or Brian Jacques' Redwall Abbey, place plays a big role in a reader's immersion into our stories.

One of the BIGGEST reasons why fiction readers read is to escape their world  or be entertained by someone else's story. Creating Story Worlds that do just that feeds the fiction reader's need, and makes them want to keep reading.

E - Emotions Draw Readers In - Relatability is one thing; An Emotional Connection is another. When the reader has an emotional response, he/she is usually hooked into reading more. If the response is caring, then great! If it's intrigue, good. If it is shock or fear (not my favorite ones, but some people like them), then they are more liekly to keep reading.

Jamie Carie begins her novel, Love's First Light, in the middle of the French Revolution with the hero's sister being executed. Emotional? Oh yeah! Mary Connealy usually begins her novels with the characters in peril. Emotional? You bet. Laura Frantz starts her novels off with historical beauty and depth of characters that create longing. Emotional? Definitely. And let's not forget humor! Like Janice Hanna Thompson or Deeanne Gist.

So, what do we need to do as writer?

Show our first chapters (and our entire books) a lot of C.A.R.E. and we'll really set the stage for a beautiful story.

Of the above 4 elements, which do you think is most important? Which one are you good at writing? Which one do you find most challenging?

Writing a Strong Opening Chapter

We've all heard how important opening lines, opening pages, and opening scenes/chapters are. I think somewhere back in the beginning of my writing journey, I didn't believe it. I thought...nah, if I write a good book, it shouldn't matter if my first seven paragraphs are about the weather or have a little - okay, more than a little - back story.

But after writing several books, critiquing several books, reading tons of craft books and articles, entering contests, judging contests, querying and all that, I've realized that when "they" say those openings are important, "they" aren't kidding.

So what helps make strong opening pages?

A Hook

Yep, this one is first because it's probably one of the most important. An opening hook makes a reader/agent read on. That very first sentence or paragraph can say a lot. It sets the tone for the story. So be sure to write one that makes the reader sit up and take notice - and then read on. That's your big goal - to make the reader read on.

Sympathetic Characters

Readers, just like us, want to relate to our characters. So how do you do that?

Give your characters a goal, present an obstacle to that goal, give them a strong belief in that goal. With that foundation in mind, trying also giving them a fun or unique quirk, something that shows their vulnerability, and make sure you really get into their heads.

Various Writing Styles

Withing your first several pages, you're going to want to show you have a good grasp of various writing styles. Good dialogue, smooth description, varied sentence structure, and deep POV. If you can, try to include as much variety as possible so the reader doesn't get bored.

Be Succinct! Make Sense!

Don't take a lot of time to say what you can say in a short amount of time. In other words, brevity is good! You don't need an entire paragraph of description (yes, this will vary depending on genre) or a page of back story. Also, don't put in so much that the reader is confused. Stick to one conflict and make the reader want to know more.

Show Your Voice

This is going to give you that extra edge. This is what will differentiate a good manuscript from a great one. Giving the reader a sense of your voice will show them that you're confident about your story, and engage them to keep reading.

That's a lot to do in just a few pages, right? But sometimes that's all you have to show an agent, editor, or reader what you've got.

And don't forget, these are just guidelines to get you started. Whether you include a few or all of them, your number one goal is to get the reader to continue reading.

For me, writing that catchy hook is one of the hardest things to do in an opening. What's something that challenges you when writing opening pages?

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Cindy is a Colorado native, living near the mountains with her husband and three beautiful daughters. She writes contemporary Christian romance, seeking to enrich lives with her stories of faith, love, and a touch of humor.

To learn more about Cindy, visit her at her personal blog, www.cindyrwilson.com

Preparing the Perfect Pitch

Be honest. In the middle of the night, during conference season, you've had nightmares of Chip MacGregor telling you he thinks your concept is totally dull and an impossible sell. Nooooo....

Face-to-face rejection. It's every writer's worst nightmare.

I vividly remember my first pitch. It was the 2010 ACFW conference, and I had an appointment with Ami McConnell. Yes, I've always had lofty aspirations. My appointment was the first one after lunch, and I made a point to leave lunch early to join the line of other panic-striken writers. Suddenly the ability to even remember your name had become an asset. "What do you write?" One of us would ask each other. "Who are you pitching to?" The answers were different, but the look in the eyes was (and is) always the same. I like to describe it as that feeling you got waiting outside the principal's office. Even if you knew you had done nothing wrong, he would find something. The assumption was, these people are waiting for us to fail.

That's problem #1.

Editors and agents do not want to see you mentally and socially flailing. Well, at least most of them don't. Just kidding! Remember that these people are in the book business. And the book business doesn't work too well without authors. There's no reason to be afraid. You're looking to enter into a partnership. That's all there is to it. I know it feels like they have your every dream in the palm of their hands, but really, those are in God's. And He has a much better idea who your book will best fit with anyway.

With that in mind, I've created three lists of three things that should help you get your pitch prepared for conference season. I hope you find them helpful!

3 Things to Do Before You Leave Home:

• Research. Nothing is more embarrassing than pitching your YA manuscript to a publishing house that is currently only buying Amish historicals. And believe me, editors don't like this. If you were them, would you? Do research on your target editors and agents before you leave so that your pitch comes across as intentional. Even just browsing through a publishing house's website and reading a couple of their books can go a long way.
• Practice in front of a mirror. Yes, I know this makes you feel silly. You will feel even more ridiculous if the first time you pitch is in front of your dream editor.
• Reread your book. If the appointment goes well, an editor or agent is likely to ask you more about the story, but there's no way to really predict what they will ask. In order to keep your answers as natural and eloquent-sounding as possible, before you leave, take note of your major plot points. If someone were to ask you about the major conflicts in the novel, the dark moment, or the character arc, would you be able to answer? What if they asked you what you ultimately hope readers will get out of your book? Why you are a good fit for their publishing house? If you are prepared, your answers to these questions can make you seem golden. 

3 Things to Do During Your Appointment:

• Be professional. Oh my goodness, I am always amazed by how many people ignore this one. You should treat your appointments as if they are a job interview, because--let's face it, they are. That means even if the appointment does not go as you'd hoped, you still have an opportunity to leave a good impression. Next year's conference might seem like a long time away now, but next year, you'll wish you hadn't burned a bridge.
• Take a deep breath and introduce yourself. Jumping into your pitch and rattling it off like a 10th grade oral book report project is not a good strategy. You want your appointment to be a conversation, a chance to get to know an editor or agent. Slow down, introduce yourself and maybe even tell them what you write or offer a one sheet before you jump into your longer pitch. Otherwise it's too much for them to process.
• Take cues from the editor or agent with whom you are speaking. Have you ever had a conversation with someone and politely tried to end it with nonverbal cues, only to have that person continue talking about themselves with no end in sight? Don't be that person in your appointments. Give the editor or agent a chance to think and ask you questions. Remember that your book idea is new to them. They need at least a few seconds to process it.

3 Things Your Pitch Should Include:

• Goals/forward motion. This can be anything from a new job to a heroic quest to save a princess, but it should be clear what your main character is working toward.
• Conflict. Conflict is usually the most interesting part of the story, so this is your chance to really "pack a punch" so to speak, with your pitch. Be sure you are very clear what your character has working against her, and don't shy away from using external conflict. "She feels hesitant about dating him," is not a strong enough conflict to sustain a book-long project. "He put a restraining order against her because he thinks she's stalking his children" is a different story. Got your attention, didn't it? (Side note: if any of you have written stalker romances, my apologies.)
• A compelling hook, using your writing voice. You need a wham! moment to stand out amongst the hundreds of other pitches these people have to hear throughout the day. Sometimes using a question works well. Other times it's just in the phrasing. I would recommend having someone you trust, like your critique partner, work with you on this. Ideally, you want your wham! moment to correspond with your biggest source of conflict. And even beyond that, be sure it reflects your voice. This is the first chance you get to showcase your writing voice, so make it memorable.

You also want to remember to keep these short. It's a good idea to develop both a short pitch and a longer pitch. And when I say "short pitch," I mean short. We're talking, 7 words, ideally. Your longer pitch should be around 3 or 4 sentences. The short pitch should be just long enough to really catch their attention, and then the longer pitch develops the main conflict a bit more. But even the long pitch should not tell your whole story.

What you want to happen in an ideal situation is for your short pitch to lead to your long pitch, which then leads to a one sheet or even a proposal request, and then to your book.

A note on pitching etiquette: Sometimes it can be hard to determine when it is and is not socially acceptable to pitch. Generally, most people tend toward one side or the other. If you're an introvert, you might have to get a little out of your comfort zone. If you are an extravert, you may need to tone it down a little. Remember that editors and agents are human, which means they all have different preferences and moods. If someone is on their cell phone engrossed in what looks like a very serious conversation, or an agent is having a one-on-one with one of their authors, please do not interrupt them. It's considered rude and will really work against you in the end.

That said, on the other hand, agents and editors know you have come to the conference to pitch to them, and some will deliberately hang out in public areas so they can get to know potential authors and clients. In some cases, it can bode well if you recognize your dream editor or agent because it shows you have done your research. You've paid a lot of money and put a lot of effort to come to this conference, so if a good opportunity presents itself and seems like it may even be a God-thing (i.e. you end up on the elevator at the same time), it may be best to seize the chance while you have it.

Here's a normal way to have that conversation: "Hi, I'm Delilah Dopplerfritz. Aren't you _______?" "Yes, I am. Are you enjoying the conference?" "Yes. I'm glad to run into you because I was hoping to have a chance to pitch to you this weekend. Do you have a minute to hear about my book, or are you in a hurry?" "Sure, tell me about it. But make it quick." (Insert pitch.)

It's always a good idea to ask if they have time to hear your pitch if you're not in a formal setting like an appointment or their appointed lunch table. And if they say they don't have time, don't be offended. It's not you. They are busy people!

Above all else, be yourself. You are selling yourself as an author just as much as you are selling your book. Remember that, and it will be easier. 

Your turn! Do you have any pitching advice or funny stories to share? Do you have a pitch you would like input on? Feel free to share it and get the group's feedback!

******************************************************************************

Ashley Clark writes romantic comedy with southern grace. She's dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story hour. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses at her local university. She's an active member of ACFW and runs their newcomer's loop. When she's not writing, Ashley's usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns. You can find Ashley on her personal blog, Facebook,Pinterest, and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.

A TV Guide Approach to Hooking Your Reader

Ever read those little TV Guide blurbs? When I was little, I used to love flipping the television to the TV Guide channel and watching all the shows scroll past. I think it’s because I’ve always liked to know all my options. :)

Some of those blurbs have made me wonder, “Who wrote this and what in the world were they thinking?” Ever had that moment? Last week I saw a Boy Meets World episode that had recovered on my DVR (yes, I still watch Boy Meets World) and the caption was, “Corey and Eric find lingerie in their mother’s bowling bag.” Seriously? First off, who came up with the idea to make a whole episode out of this? Secondly, please tell me there’s something else going on in the episode! And perhaps most embarrassing of all, I actually remember this episode from when it first aired! So clearly something about it was worth remembering.

A well-crafted blurb will make you tune in to something you would’ve never otherwise considered watching or reading. A cupcake baking marathon under water with only Reese’s pieces, butter and squash as the ingredients? What channel is that on? A reunion of the old ABC Family Night casts? Sign me up! Don’t laugh—you know this has happened to you too!

So how do we use this power of interest to our advantage when it comes to catching the attention of agents, editors, and even, eventually, readers? I’m glad you asked. To help with this question, I’ve made a list of things to ask your book. These should apply to all hooks you might need to craft, whether they be pitches, query letters, or even proposals.

1) What do my characters have to lose? What are they most afraid of? If we’re only reading/hearing one or two sentences, we need a reason to worry about your characters. “A baker is robbed at gunpoint while icing sugar cookies” is a lot more interesting than “a woman pursues her dream of becoming a baker.” Because we all want to know . . . what happened to the cookies?

2) What rhythm, voice, and tone do I want to achieve? One of my favorite examples of this point is Kristin Billerbeck’s Spa Girls Series: “Three Friends. One Spa. And an infinite amount of oversharing.” See how she gets straight to the point with only a few words and how her voice really sparkles? If you’re working on a pitch, query, or proposal, you have a very limited amount of space to show off your unique writing voice. Use every little bit of that space to your advantage! You want to pick words, tones, and rhythms that are “you,” because you’re selling your voice every bit as much as you’re selling your plot.

3) What are the most important elements of my story? Often, editors get a bad rep for being grouchy, but let’s face it—you’d probably be cynical yourself if you were getting thousands of e-mails a day with queries like, “Sandra struggles with a broken ankle on her twenty-third birthday, but when her cousin twice-removed challenges her to a hockey match anyway, she runs into the cute cashier she saw at the grocery store three days before, and sparks fly as he helps her redo her bandage.” When you walk into a library, a book has to prove to you that it’s worth reading, right? Think of your own work in the same way. Pull out only the most important and interesting details. There will be time for all that other stuff later.

What do you think? Do you have any hooks you’re working on that you’d like to share with the group for feedback? Can you come up with some examples of hooks—television or literary—that work well? I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

*Bird photo from http://davidpowersking.blogspot.com/2011/03/aspiring-advice-pay-attention-to.html

********************************************************************************

Ashley Clark writes romantic comedy with southern grace. She's dreamed of being a writer ever since the thumbprint-cookie-days of library story time. Ashley has an M.A. in English and enjoys teaching literature courses at her local university. She's an active member of ACFW and runs their newcomer's loop. When she's not writing, Ashley's usually busy rescuing stray animals and finding charming new towns. You can find Ashley on her personal blog and her Tumblr. She's also on Facebook and Twitter. She is represented by Karen Solem.

Writing Contest Contradictions - Prepare Yourself Ahead of Time

In lieu of the Genesis contest, I wanted to share a little on the kind of feedback you might get with your returned entries.

I'm currently a BIG advocate of contests so I strongly encourage you to enter them if you have the chance (can't you tell by the graphic to the right?). But I also encourage you to stay true to yourself and I want to let you know that there might be contradictions you will have to weed through.

Just want to say ahead of time, this is only based off my experience and feedback from others. You might not experience this from contests at all, and even if you do, this isn't about telling you to disregard feedback. It's about trying to help prepare yourself for varying feedback so you can use it to your advantage.

So...here are some contradictions you might come across.

Backstory

Let me give you an example. I got feedback from eight judges on the first chapter of a recent story I wrote. The comments about backstory were all helpful but half said, "I don't need to know this yet!" (I'm paraphrasing here) and the other half said something to the effect of "This is great! Give me more!" See? Subjective. So sometimes you've got to go with your gut, and if feedback is pretty equal, stick with what you feel is right.

Humor

My first attempt at romantic comedy was...well, fun. But let me tell you, it was judged, and out of four judges, not one thought the same parts were funny. Personally, I thought they were hilarious (okay, at least mildly amusing), but humor is still subjective. If more than one person likes it, it's probably pretty funny. If only one person doesn't like it, it doesn't mean it's not funny, just that maybe that particular judge had a different sense of humor.

Deep POV

Oh, I don't even know where to begin on this. I might get myself in trouble here, but even this topic can be a bit subjective. My advice? Study up on Deep POV, write it to the best of your ability, and try to get your reader in your character's head as much as possible. And as far as taking advice on Deep POV? If you trust that person, or they're a judge you know has particular experience with this, go for it!

Pacing and Hooks

Again, you're probably going to get varying feedback on this topic. Some judges will say, "Great opening! You kept me hooked" and other judges might say, "You didn't hook me right away, maybe start further into the story and keep up the pace!" Yes, your goal is to start the story in the right place. And going with the majority here might be a good idea. But if you're getting varying feedback, again, stick with what you feel is right.

Basically the point of this post is to let you know that not EVERY single thing a judge says is the right way to do it. Rule of thumb, if more than one judge agrees on something that needs improvement, you might want to consider reworking it. If it's half and half, that's more your call and what you feel is right. If only one judge comments on it...decide what you feel is best. Sometimes what they're telling you, you can readily agree with. It makes sense. And sometimes what they're telling you is just opinion and it doesn't mean what you're doing is wrong or needs to be changed immediately.

I know many of you out there have entered contests in the past. Have you encountered specific contradictions in feedback? And for those of you entering for the first time or who haven't entered before, what kind of feedback would you expect might be hard to deal with?

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Cindy is a Colorado native, living near the mountains with her husband and three beautiful daughters. She writes contemporary Christian romance, seeking to enrich lives with her stories of faith, love, and a touch of humor.

To learn more about Cindy, visit her at her personal blog, www.cindyrwilson.blogspot.com

Top 5 Tips Writers Can Learn From Reality TV

All right, I have to admit it. I love reality TV. I watch The Bachelor, I watch Project Runway (Allstars is awesome by the way! Anyone see Miss Piggy?). I get caught up sometimes. Not with all of them, but I enjoy these shows.

Maybe you're not a television fan, or at least not reality television, and that's just fine. Because you have ME to tell you writers out there just what it is about reality TV that keeps the fans coming back for more. Or even better, what YOU can take away from reality television and use in your own writing.

Relatable (or Unrelatable) Characters

Yeah, so sometimes I can't really relate to someone who is trying to wow Mr. Bachelor with her stellar flirting skills. But what we weekly watchers can relate to is that these women, or men, on these shows are real people. They're vulnerable. Like when they give you the back story on American Idol and you exclaim, "Oh, man, now I really want Monique to win!" And even we we don't exactly like they way certain people play the game or portray themselves on national television, we still have some sort of emotion toward them. They have feelings, they have aspirations and dreams, and we all know what that's like!

Conflict (or Drama!)

Reality TV is full of drama. Sometimes that's precisely why people DON'T like it. But one thing that's for sure, that's what keeps the ratings up. There's always something in every episode. A family emergency, a new character stepping onto the scene, the past rearing its ugly head in someone's life. Or someone simply showing their vulnerability, having a bit of a break down, and changing the course of the show. We want these things for our stories. We want conflict!

The Unknown

This is also what we want for our books! Reality TV has the penchant to catch us off balance, and that's not a bad thing - particularly not for writing books. There are plenty of times you have no idea what's going to happen and that's a characteristic of a good book. We don't want cliche storylines or settings (which is why I'm seriously going to try hard with my new WIP to NOT write even ONE scene in a coffee shop).

The Unexpected

This kind of goes along with the unknown. This is all about characters. On these reality shows, people have bigger than life personalities, they act in ways we don't expect. Yes, we want our readers to relate to our characters, but we also have to give them insistent personalities. Characters that aren't going to just let life happen to them, but are going to make things happen.

Cliffhangers and Hooks

Oh yeah. Leaving us hanging is a reality (or even regular TV) shows greatest tool. They hook us before commercials and hook us at the end of the show. As someone who isn't fabulous with hooks, I could learn a lot here. Ending chapters or scenes at just the right time, with something for the reader to hang onto, will help keep up pacing and give your readers (like reality television watchers) something to tune in for.

So if you're not a fan of The Bachelor, is this making you want to try it? It's okay if it isn't. We're writers, after all, and we're supposed to be focusing on writing, not TV. After this season is over, however, I'll probably get a LOT more writing done.

What about all you writers out there? Have you learned anything about writing from television, and which tip is easiest or hardest for you in your writing?


***photo courtesy of ABC

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Cindy is a Colorado native, living near the mountains with her husband and three beautiful daughters. She writes contemporary Christian romance, seeking to enrich lives with her stories of faith, love, and a touch of humor.

To learn more about Cindy, visit her at her personal blog, www.cindyrwilson.blogspot.com

What Makes a Scene Magical?

For me, this usually involves a bit of suspense or romance. Gotta love a handsome hero, or a heroine being wooed by that handsome hero. But generally, a scene is made up of a few more basics. A list of elements you want to aim for to make your scene complete and useful to your story as a whole.

Just like your overall plot, scenes need to have a beginning, middle, and end. Here are some elements to incorporate into a scene.

Beginning Hook

Here's our chance to draw the reader into the story or scene with one simple line or paragraph.

Setting

This doesn't have to be extensive, but it's essential to each scene to develop a sense of time and place.

New Revelation, Character and Plot

This is done through revealing new aspects about a character or useful information that helps reveal the plot. As a rule, I try to include one of these (at least one revelation about a character or the plot) in each scene or chapter otherwise I have to evaluate whether or not the scene is necessary to the story as a whole.

Advance Plot

It's our goal as the writer to make our plots fluid and keep up a good sense of pace. Like above, we can do this by revealing information to the reader and make sure that each scene we use is to keep the plot moving for the reader.

Ending Hook

As with the beginning hook, the ending hook is our chance to make the reader want to turn the page and keep reading the next scene or chapter.

Sure, a magical scene has more depth than those basics above. There's dialogue and a good story and that something special that makes you fall in love with the character, but you can't create a full and useful scene without attending to the basic elements.

When you break your story down into scenes, are there specific elements you try to include to make sure that specific scene is useful to your story?

What is Your Novel Missing? Hooks

For the last few weeks we've been talking about what could be missing from our novels - mostly based on key things I notice lacking from my own work. If you'd like to read the other posts, you can check out Senses or Deep POV.

This week, it's all about drawing readers into the story with every new scene, or keeping them reading at the end of every scene or chapter. We writers like to call these read on prompts and hooks.

They make you want to read on. They make you look at the clock, know it's too late to keep reading, but you have to do it anyway.

Asking a Question

Hooks make you ask a question, or maybe make you wonder what's going to happen next. For example...

It wasn't the worst break-up he'd had, but close.

This hook makes you ask who is this guy? What was the worst break-up he'd had, or why did he just break up with someone? Anything that immediately makes your reader want to read on to answer a question is a hook.

The Right Time During the Action

Dropping readers in the middle of action is a great way to hook readers and make them want to read on.

Cecily's car skidded sideways, her foot pumping uselessly against the break. Ice bloomed out all around her and her hands spasmed against the wheel. She spotted the tree two short breaths before the impact.

Starting a scene in the middle of action is a quick and simple way to snag your reader.

Cliffhangers

Just as it's a good tactic to start a scene at the best place during the action, it's a great idea to hook at reader at the end of a scene by stopping in the middle of action.

Banging his knuckles on the back door of the restaurant, Mason muttered about his phone, just as irritated with himself for leaving his cell inside as he was with Rebecca for distracting him with all her problems. When no one answered he cupped his hands around his eyes and peered inside the window.

Light refracted off broken glass, a dark liquid spread across the floor inside. His stomach clenched, his feet backing up automatically until they hit a hard surface. Then a hand clamped on his shoulder.

Leave your character wanting to turn the page to see what's going to happen next. Is Mason in danger? Is someone hurt? Make your reader keep reading.

Character Revelations

Reveal something new about a character to either start or end a chapter. It connects the reader to your character and makes your reader want more.

Maggie eased open the front door at the sound of the bell. A bouquet of red roses sat directly in front, baby's breath filling out the rest of the crystal vase. She swallowed hard. A sweet gesture for sure, but the last time she'd gotten such an extravagant display of flowers it had preceded a proposal.

And last time, Maggie swore she'd never get herself in a serious relationship like that again.

Revealing history or information and quirks about your character is a useful way to get readers to want to know more.

Other ways to implement a hook are to use humor, state something that makes the reader think, or use an interesting piece of dialogue.

Invest some extra time in starting or ending chapters in a way that makes the reader want more and you've accomplished a challenging feat, but one that will really help your story.

What are some ways you hook a reader into wanting more?

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Cindy is a Colorado native, living near the mountains with her husband and three beautiful daughters. She writes contemporary Christian romance, seeking to enrich lives with her stories of faith, love, and a touch of humor.

To learn more about Cindy, visit her at her personal blog, www.cindyrwilson.blogspot.com

Castle Time: Hooks

I love watching Sherrinda's tweets on Monday night between (central time) 9 and 10.

Even if I'm not able to be watching Castle (perish the thought!) I can always feel the tension from her tweets.

Usually it's something like, "HOLY COW!! _________________ just happened! AHHHH!!!"

And it's usually during a commercial break.

I can just picture spunky Miss Sherrinda. jumping up and down on her couch, yelling at the TV, "HURRY UP, stupid commercial, who needs Covergirl Makeup or insurance or a dumb car at a time like this?"

Because there is something Castle always does an amazing job at.

It HOOKS you.

It makes you hate commercial breaks... And at the end of seasons... when the main character gets shot (seemingly) dead...

That's what we want for our books too.

We want to grab the reader's attention and make them hurry through potty breaks, eat with a book in their hand, and read until their eyes cross at 2 in the morning when they have to be up for work at 5.

When they get to the chapter end, you want to entise them to read "just one more chapter."

But how do we do that?

A few ideas:

Leave the reader on an inhale. I think about this every time I end a chapter. My goal is for the reader to take a sharp inhale of breath when they read the last sentence. Don't explain a thing. You build, build, build through the chapter, then KABLAM something happens and end of chapter.

Leave the reader with emotion. Leave the reader crying, or jumping for joy, or scared. We don't like to have unfulfilled emotions.

Leave the reader with a sense of foreboding. Even a subtle illusion to "something might be coming" is enough to perk the reader's interest enough to turn the page to see what that something might be.

Really, it boils down to one thing:

Leave the reader wanting more.

This applies not only to chapter ending hooks, but to our novel as a whole. Until the end, when we reach our satisfying conclusion, our readers should always be wanting more of our characters, more of the story.

Discussion: What are some methods you use to end your chapters? Some recommend to automatically chop the last paragraph off of your chapter ending... agree or disagree? Any examples of good chapter-ending hooks that you've read lately?

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and a contemporary romance author. She recognizes that life can be frustrating and just plain not fun sometimes, but believes that laughter and smiles can make the not-so-fun a little better! She blogs about the amazing things God has been doing and her journey as a busy momma of 4 and caregiver to a daughter with a rare congenital heart defect at http://reflectionsbykrista.blogspot.com. She is also a contributor at www.wordservewatercooler.com. She is represented by the fab agent, Rachelle Gardner, and her debut novel, Sandwich, With a Side of Romance, releases in September 2012.

On Being Mentored: Re-engaging Readers

Have you heard a speaker, read a book, watched a TV show or movie, or heard a song that stayed in your mind for days, even months later?  


A year later something sparked the memory and kindled a replay of your favorite portions? 

My response usually is: hum the tune, laugh out loud, or quote story lines--all of which solicit strange looks from those around me who haven't a clue why I physically responded. Hence the question from them, "What are you doing?"

I could melt back into my cubical, embarrassed, OR 


At this point--this golden moment--I could tell them what  bounced through my memory.

Unknowingly, I have become a sales person for the book, movie, et.al. 

I don't mind.  


Actually, I'm quite happy when a person asks, "What book are you talking about?" because I can influence them to read something I enjoyed.

An important step to quality writing is:  hook the reader.  True.  So true. BUT a hook is simply not good enough to keep a reader.

A hook invites the reader to, say, step aboard the boat.

The first page, back cover and front cover convinces the reader to stay in the boat for at least a moment or two.

Chapter one escorts them to the best seats.

The next chapters convince the reader not to jump overboard, instead focus on the spectacular view as the boat is cast off.

Remaining chapters entertain the reader on the journey. Inviting readers to sit next to a character through storm and gale, car accident, lost love, raid, Christmas dinner, etc

The last page safely escorts the reader back to the shore.

NOW what? Close the book? Let it collect dust? No! 


This is a crucial moment. Has the story begun to replay in the reader's mind?

A year from now will the hook pop in the reader's mind? (probably not)

--but a story line such as, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." (from Princess Bride) is sure to spark the memory of the movie and call for more scenes to replay. Perhaps the person might say the line out loud or unintentionally flash their invisible sword. Caught by a curious co-worker or friend questions are asked until they too become engaged in a replay of the story.

What causes whole stories to replay in our minds?

Karen Ball taught a class at the ACFW conference this year. Her humor definitely was the hook. But great jokes alone wouldn't cause her students to replay the messages she wanted to deliver. 

Karen gave a short opener (saturated with great humor), asked exciting questions that forced the audience to come on board to hear her topic, moved about the room as she spoke (actively relating to her audience), called up a panel of experts to validate and share their journeys, (each with a humorous flare), asked more leading questions to keep the audience involved, and then wrapped up with an exciting conclusion, of course, soaked in jokes. No one wanted to leave. 

Then it happened--the crucial moment! 


After her class the words instantly replayed in my mind. I told my roommates about the class. I told new people I met in the halls about the class. The words replayed again the next day--and now two weeks later have replayed in my mind again and so I'm telling YOU. 


I have become a salesperson. Most likely one year from now I will recall the message from the Seat of the Pants class when information about the ACFW conference pops in my mailbox. I'll hope to take another class with Karen and bring a bigger pad of paper for notes.

My job is not simply to hook readers, or tell a great story, BUT to entice the reader to sit in the boat next to the characters, to become their shadow as they move about the boat and to experience their journey. 

Then-- 
the reader will re-engage themselves

 when something from their environment sparks a memory, 

and will replay the story in their mind, 

to experience the journey again.

And now while editing this post one last time, I remembered this same method was/is used by Jesus. He hooks his listeners, invites us to come on board to hear His Story, to sit next to Peter, Paul, etc, become their shadow as they move about the boat, experience their journey, and then tell others as we remember and relive.


What books have you relived in your thoughts?
What books caused you to spill enthusiasm to others?
How can you help your reader walk in the shadow of your characters?