From the Editor's Desk
Hi and
welcome once again to Fiction Factor! And, as always,
welcome to our new subscribers.
Already we're up to the final issue for 2008! The time
has just vanished so quickly. In just a few short hours
it will be 2009. Do you have your New Year's Resolutions
created yet? I sure have ;)
We'd like to wish you all a safe and happy New Year and
here's to making 2009 your best year yet!
Let's get into some serious goal-setting.
“If
you don’t have a dream, how can you have a dream
come true?”
Fay
LaPointe
What's your writing dream?
We all have dreams and goals when it comes to our writing
and nobody's dream is exactly like another's. We're
unique in wanting the things we want for our writing
careers. Despite many writers having similar aims and
aspirations for finding publication and seeing a novel on
those shelves, the reality is a little more individual.
Be honest with yourself about your writing dream. Do you
simply want a small publisher to create a nice book so
you can show family and friends? Are you the type of
writer who prefers to dream about hitting the best-seller
lists with your masterpiece? Perhaps you prefer to dream
about churning out 2 novels a year so you can just take
over an entire shelf at the bookstore?
Even though these end results sound as though they'd
encompass thousands of writers each, behind the book is a
unique manuscript that only you can write. Your book is
special because only you can write it. Your story can't
be told by any other writer and your characters won't
shine in any other story-setting but your own.
So... dare to dream. Dream big and bold and proud. Have
confidence in yourself and in your work. Write in every
spare moment you can find. Have fun with it, be daring
with it, revel in it - however you do it - just write.
Make 2009 the year your writing dream comes true.
Just a reminder: Writer's Digest is accepting nominations
for their Top 101 Writing Sites for 2009. We've been
honored to be included in their listing since 2003 and
we'd love to be included in the list once again.
The Writer's Digest Top 101 Writing Sites doesn't have
any winners or losers - it's a list of sites they
consider to be valuable resources to writers.
So if you think we deserve it, please consider nominating
Fiction Factor for inclusion by sending a blank email to:
writersdig@fwpubs.com with 'Top 101' in the subject line.
We really appreciate your support :)
We have a great issue for you this month, so let's get
straight into the writing stuff!
This issue Lee Masterson looks at creating effective
goals to write your novel and Mervyn Love looks at
whether your really need minor characters in your novel
or not.
It's time now to grab a beverage of choice, sit back, and
enjoy this issue of Fiction Factor!
Lee Masterson
Editor-in-Chief
http://www.fictionfactor.com
"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't
quit."
-- Richard Bach
A Word From Our
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Create Effective Goals to Write Your Novel
by Lee Masterson
Most writers have goals and dreams that
encompass writing. Your goal might be to write a novel
and see it on those shelves finally. Or you might have
the goal of being able to quit your day job and write
instead. You may be happy to just enjoy the act of
writing regardless of the income it might produce.
No matter what your goal, there are some things you can
do to increase your chances of seeing your dreams come
true.
Write Down Your Goals
Successful business people, top athletes, entrepreneurs,
wealthy investors and high-achievers in all fields of
life use goal setting techniques.
It’s been proven time and again that people who
write down clear, focused goals with realistic outcomes
and achievable deadlines are 97% more likely to reach
those goals.
Similar studies also show that people who create random,
vague goals tend to achieve some minor milestones, but
nothing like the results created by those in the first
group.
Then there are people who don’t write down clear-set
goals at all. While they seem to do okay with their
ambitions and goals, imagine how much better they could
have done with a clear set of written goals?
Writing Your Goals Effectively
To Do List:
- Go Shopping
- See a movie
- Do laundry
- Fill the car with fuel
- Write a novel
Your goals are not the same as a ‘to
do’ list. They should be created to represent a
clear aim or achievement that you’d like to
accomplish. Always be specific about what you want and
include details to narrow your focus even further.
In this case, let’s assume your goal is to write a
great novel. That’s an excellent goal, but it also
means creating a few other goals around this one so the
first is more likely to be achieved.
For example:
- I will dedicate at least 4 hours every week to writing
my novel
- I will write a minimum of 2,000 words every week on my
novel
- I will switch off the TV for one hour each night and
use that time to write my novel
These are just examples of small things you might decide
to add to your goal list in order to make your main
achievement possible. They are each small steps
you’ll need to take in order to make the end goal of
writing your novel possible and so they become equally as
important as the main end-goal.
Keep It Positive
If you read the previous tip carefully, you would have
noticed the example goals were written using specific,
positive words. Don’t include negatively worded
goals in your list.
Example:
“I won’t be tempted by chocolate this
year.”
“I won’t procrastinate with my writing”
Negative goals have the opposite effect and actually make
your mind focus more on the action you’re trying to
avoid. Keep your goals positive and focused on what you
really want – and not the things you want to avoid.
Realistic Expectations
Writing down a list of goals and aspirations is great
fun. It forces you to think about those things
you’ve always wanted to do and never got around to
doing. It also forces your mind to be honest about a lot
of things you’ve put off doing, too.
It’s important to be realistic about your goals. You
could write down that you’d like to write more books
than Stephen King over the next 12 months, but you know
deep down inside that this isn’t possible, so
you’re setting yourself up for failure before you
begin.
Despite this, don’t be afraid to write down some
really big goals. Just make sure you include some
smaller, easily achievable ones too. The human mind works
best when it recognizes real results.
By setting and then reaching the smaller goals, your mind
will be rewarded by the achievement which will increase
your confidence as you strive toward the bigger goals.
One of your smaller goals might be to write 2000 words
this week. When you reach that goal, you’re not only
showing yourself that it is possible, but you’re
increasing your motivation levels at the same time.
Your bigger goals may include writing a novel before the
end of the year and getting a publisher to accept it.
You can
read the rest of this article here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/goal-setting.html
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 Create A Character
Clinic
Can you create a great character that editors
can't turn down? Holly Lisle can and she can show
you how too!
Did you know that starting with a name and a
character description will KILL your character?
You can learn to bring all your characters to
life with sparkle - from an author of more than
30 published novels!
Click here for bring
your characters to life today:
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Weave Sub-Plots Into Your Novel
by Lee Masterson
How many times have
you started work on a great novel only to run out of
steam 50 pages into your work?
The story stalls, the idea goes flat, the characters seem
to stare back at you saying “What now, boss?”
In some cases it might be that you didn’t spend
enough time planning how your characters are going to get
from beginning to end and that red-hot plot you were so
excited about just fizzles out.
In other cases it might be that the idea wasn’t big
enough to fill out a novel or maybe you simply don’t
have enough conflict in your story so far and want to
liven things up a bit.
Weaving a second plot through your main storyline not
only helps you to uncover new facets of your characters
but can help raise conflict levels and create tension.
You also have the opportunity to create a new depth to
your original story, building layers of complexity that
can force your fictional world into three dimensions.
If you create a sub-plot that has absolutely nothing to
do with the main plot you’ll even force your reader
to keep turning pages just to see how they gel together.
Of course your reader already knows they will end up tied
together in a neat little bow by the end of the book
– otherwise there would be no reason for the new
plot thread – but the reader will want to know how
they end up intertwined and so will keep reading to find
out.
Your sub-plot doesn’t need to be a romantic thread
braided through the original story, although this is one
of the more common sub-plot tactics used in many novels.
You might decide to have your main secondary character
working with your protagonist openly, but secretly
harboring a desire to thwart the hero’s efforts at
every turn because he has other things on his agenda. You
might decide to introduce a completely new plot to your
novel that has nothing to do with the first and weave
these together.
No matter what you decide to add for your sub-plot or how
separate they are, it’s important that something
within the sub-plot contains a vital element that is
necessary to complete the main plot.
You can see
the rest of this article here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/subplots.html
 How To Write Page-Turning
Scenes
Let Holly Lisle, author of more than 30
novels, teach you how to write page-turning
scenes that keep your readers up long past their
bedtimes.
You can create
characters and you can plot like a fiend - but if
you can't create page-turning scenes your book is
dead in the water.
Learn
how to set up great conflict and sustain suspense
that will keep readers on the edge of their seats
- and have editors begging for more!
Click here for more details: http://tinyurl.com/492sx5
|
 Create A Plot
Clinic
Have you ever lost interest in your story only 20
pages from the start and not know how to get it
going again?
Best Selling Author of more than 30 novels, Holly
Lisle, can show you exactly how to structure your
story for maximum effect. Learn to fix problem
plotting while you write!Learn to create plots that get
readers addicted to your story and make editors
beg for more.
Jump Start your novel today: http://tinyurl.com/2z3ant
|
Minor
Characters in Your Story - Do You Need Them?
By Mervyn Love
You've got a great idea for a story. You grab your pen
and paper and scribble away furiously for an hour. You
pause for breath, read the resultant pages and discover
that your tale has sixteen characters and a stray dog.
Oh, dear! Time for some axe wielding.
In a short story you have between 800 and 3,000 words, on
average, in which to tell your tale. You can't afford to
introduce a cast of epic proportions. They simply won't
fit in.
So what must you do, what principles must you abide by to
get the balance right? Let's look at one or two examples.
Principle 1 - As often as possible cut them out.
Your main character is John and you write: 'John opened
the door. It was Reg Bigley, the postman, with a parcel.'
Giving the postman a name makes him a 'Character' and, as
a result, in the minds of your readers he has assumed a
visual reality. Your readers see the name 'Reg Bigley'
and immediately see in their mind's eye the kind of
person that name means to them. It will differ from
reader to reader of course, but giving a character a name
will have that effect.
If you write: 'John opened the door. It was the postman
with a parcel' then we just have a nebulous 'postman'
with no connotations for building a persona out of.
In this scenario I am assuming the parcel is the
significant factor, and if you can get away without the
actual appearance of the postman, so much the better.
So you could write: 'John was in a quandary. The postman
had brought the parcel that morning, but the contents
were decidedly not what he was expecting'
Lesson: Don't give minor 'walk on'
characters names, and if you can do without them
altogether, do so.
You can see the rest of this article here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/guests/minorcharacters.html
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~ "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug
used by mankind." -- Rudyard Kipling ~
Writing Courses
You can see the full list
of available courses here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/courses.html
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Paying Market Listings
You can find the complete
Market Index here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/markets.html
Happy Market Hunting!
(Disclaimer: Mention of a market/ contest in Fiction
Factor is not necessarily an endorsement. Check all
guidelines in full before submitting)
Ravenous Romance
http://www.ravenousromance.com
Ravenous Romance are seeking new voices for their erotic
romance publishing lines. They are currently accepting
submissions for both short stories and novel length works
across various sub-genres. Please read guidelines in full
before submitting.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.ravenousromance.com/submission.html
Catastrophia Anthology
http://news.pspublishing.co.uk/2008/09/09/catastrophia-anthology-call-for-submissions/
Catasrophia will be a collection of short stories based
around the theme of catastophes, disasters and
post-apocalyptic fiction up to 6,000 words. Payment is
£0.03p per word (approx 6c per word US) to a maximum of
£100 ($200). No reprints.
Deadline: 31st May 2009
Submission Guidelines: http://news.pspublishing.co.uk/2008/09/09/catastrophia-anthology-call-for-submissions/
Nenonymous Nine: Cern Zoo
http://weirdmonger.blog-city.com/cerne_zoo__guidelines.htm
The Nemonymous editor requires a story judged suitable by
its author for inclusion in the projected Cern Zoo book,
planned to be published in June 2009. Ideally, this story
should be specially written for ‘Cern Zoo’.
'Cern Zoo' (alternatively 'Cerne Zoo') simply means what
it means to you.
Submissions should be between 500 and 14,000 words. Lump
sum payment in UK pounds to author upon publication:
£0.01 a word up to a maximum of £100 (by Paypal).
(approx 2 cents per word US up to a maximum of $200)
Deadline is 31st March 2009
Submission Guidelines: http://weirdmonger.blog-city.com/cerne_zoo__guidelines.htm
Quantum Genre on the Planet of the Arts
http://www.crossingchaos.com/submissions2
seeks submissions of short stories, flash fiction, film
and book interpretations for a new print anthology:
Quantum Genre on the Planet of Arts. Basically, the
Quantum Genre is not theme-based but style-based. In
other words, Quantum Works are not about quantum theory
but quantum representation of characters and their
worlds. The style is
distinguished by a high degree of obscurity of both the
narrative and characters which are subject to mutability
and ambiguity.
Stories should be less than 3000 words. Payment is 4
cents per word. Deadline is 1st May 2009
Submission Guidelines: http://www.crossingchaos.com/submissions2
Shine Anthology
http://shineanthology.wordpress.com/category/guidelines/
SHINE is an anthology of optimistic near-future SF,
published by Solaris Books. Stories should be under
10,000 words and should be set up to 50 years into the
future. Payment is 5 cents per word on publication.
Please read guidelines before submitting.
Submission Guidelines: http://shineanthology.wordpress.com/category/guidelines/
Silly Western Anthology
http://residentialaliens.blogspot.com/2008/10/silly-western-antho-call-for.html
CyberAliens Press are looking for short stories from
500 to 3500 words in length, as well as poems, jokes,
puns, limericks, artwork, and general silliness. All
submissions must express one of the following themes:
+ American Wild West
+ Steampunk
+ Prairie Romance
or some mixture of the above.
Submission Guidelines: http://residentialaliens.blogspot.com/2008/10/silly-western-antho-call-for.html
Potter's Field 3
http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/pottersfield.htm
Deadline: 31st December 2008
A print anthology of tales from the graveyard. Stories
should be between 2,000-8,000 words. We do not want gore,
blood, splatter, slice-and-dice. Sure, it might be good
fun to make balloon animals out of someone's intestines,
or find out how long the heart will continue to beat
after it has been ripped from the body with a runcible
spoon. But that's not what we want. We want stories that
will scare readers, not stories that will make them gag.
This is not to say that someone in your story cannot
bleed, or die. Just put a lid on the icky stuff.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/pottersfield.htm
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