Jean's Writing

Are you guilty of writing an Authorism in the story?

Published on February 12, 2018February 11, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell8 Comments

Yep, I learned a new writing term. Well, new to me.

I always thought Authorism pertained to the state or being of an author.

Silly me.

Now, no gloating if you’re a more informed writer and already knew the term. Even if you’re not guilty of doing this, I confess. I am. Been there done that and bought the tee shirt.

For those writers who are scratching their heads about now, here is what I learned about putting an Authorism in your story from Rob Bignell.

When writing:

You get a drink- so does a character. Authorism
You open the mail- character zips open a strange letter. Authorism
Check the clock- yep character checks time. Authorism
You stare at your blank screen- character stares at blank wall. Authorism.
You’re hungry, haven’t eaten all day- character, well you get the idea.

These actions in and of themselves are not wrong. What makes them an Authorism is when the actions add nothing to the story. Doesn’t move the plot forward. An Authorism does nothing more than pause your reader, so if your actions do give inspiration for a character do make sure there is a purpose.

When writing:

You get a drink- character drinks to avoid talking. NOT Authorism.
You open the mail- character receives a letter from a lover. NOT Authorism.
You check the clock- character is late for a meeting. NOT Authorism.
You realize you’re hungry- character is pregnant and starving. NOT Authorism.

If I understand the term correctly, an action should add to the pace of a story. Not stall it.

Want to read more about Mr. Bignell’s explanation? He explains everything so much better. So click and read the article.

Improve story’s pacing by deleting authorisms By Rob Bignell

Well, what did you think?

Had you ever heard the term Authorism before?

Have you been guilty of letting your characters mimic your actions?

Did it stall your story or add to the pacing?

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Have you lost that new writer feeling?

Published on February 9, 2018February 8, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell19 Comments

That love at first written word?

You know what I’m talking about. Don’t act like you don’t. That first blush of prose, your heart racing with each word you write. Oh, and remember when your first short story or flash fiction story was published? Ah, love sweet love.

Short story, flash fiction, and Drabble – writing the great American novel couldn’t be much harder. Wrong. I have so much to learn.

Thank you, Sacha Black, for your recent post.

7 LESSONS I WISH SOMEONE HAD TAUGHT ME BEFORE I STARTED WRITING

It feels good to realize I’m not the only writer on the planet to stumble through the writing process.

I too had to face the fact, learning takes time. Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks but it may take a little longer and a lot more patience.

What I gleaned from Sacha’s lessons:

I’m not alone. We can all learn to write better.
Writing a short story is not the same as writing a novel.
Research is a black hole.
Studying is a black hole.
Reading can suck you into a black hole.
BLACK HOLES will distract me from writing.
Focus on learning one writing technique at a time.
Feedback should come from objective writers.
Benchmark what other authors write. Deconstruct specific sections, dialog and figure out the why and how.
Break down competition. Covers, chapters, length, etc. How will mine stack up?
Make friends. Writer friends who tell me the truth. Sometimes the truth is overrated.
Write-I should make more time to write. Shouldn’t we all?

Sacha goes into more detail on her blog, and you’ll probably get something totally different than I did so click and read the whole thing. You’ll be glad you did.

Were you naive when you first began writing?

What have you learned since you wrote your first story/book?

If you could share one lesson with the beginning writer (you), what would it be?

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How to write the best opening scene?

Published on February 7, 2018May 3, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell17 Comments

How much action is too much?

Writing action in a story isn’t always easy.

At least not for me. Because I’m currently struggling with this very thing. The first couple of chapters have to be right or I can’t move on. I go back and forth trying to get that balance just right.

Writing the balance between action and story in those first few chapters is crucial to hooking a reader. Too much action and I risk exhaustion, too little and I may bore the reader to death.

So where does a story really begin?

I recently read a great article about starting at the true beginning of a story.

“When you are looking for your story’s true beginning, look for the first event that changed your character’s path.” M.L. Keller

Ms. Keller reminds us that we need to connect dots with a change to move our story forward.

Great advice for this writer.

So, seems I need to find the catalyst that changed things for my protagonist and start there. Link events with other changes to propel the story forward. Hmmm. This may be doable.

After I read her article a couple more times or maybe six, maybe I’ll get it. LOL

Click on the link to Ms. Keller’s post below and see what you think.

Opening Action: how to make it work By M.L. Keller

Are her tips helpful to find the true beginning of your story?

Do you think it’s important to write action in the beginning?

Are you guilty of writing too much backstory too soon?

Got any tips for writing a terrific first chapter?

Please share your thoughts!

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What is the best length for a blog post?

Published on February 5, 2018February 3, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell28 Comments

Is there an ideal length for a blog post?

Well, like all opinions, everyone has one on this subject. Some “experts” suggest 2500 words. Listen, I’m no “expert” but I think that is way too long. Just my opinion. I try to keep my posts between 250-500 words. However, I do add links for those who want to dig deeper and read more in-depth on whatever the subject.

If you love to write long meandering posts, have at it. But I’m busy, and like many of you, I receive dozens of emails every day.

Not wanting to miss anything, I try to read them all. Well, maybe not each and every word. I’ll confess, the longer ones I scan for nuggets of information.

This past week I received a wonderful compliment from another writer. She likes that my posts are brief and to the point. Thank you, Marian.

“I like too that your posts are not long and laborious, attractive to busy writers like me. Thank you!” – MarianBeaman

Readers may prefer shorter content but search engines will hit more often on longer content. SEO or not, I believe brevity is important.

Readers need to know what to expect from your blog. Long or short, get to the point.

Here are my tips for writing good, consistent blog posts.

First, decide your blogging goal.
More readers? A shorter blog post may be the way to go. 250-600 words.
Selling a product? Very short blog content. Average under 250 words.
Desire more comments and conversations on your blog? The ideal blog post length should hit in the middle. 500-600 words.
Want more shares on Social Media? Again, hit for the middle. Write an informative article somewhere between 500-600 words.
More Google searches? The best blog post length for SEO should be longer. 1000-2500.