novel writing tips

Writing Descriptions: The Envelope Method

November 22, 2024

Have you ever read a book that had so much description you got lost in the writing, but not in a good way—in a what-were-we-talking-about way?

Or how about this—the handsome hero in a romance novel is shown down to the last freckle, but it’s not a description you find attractive?

Description is peevish. Too little and your reader can’t visualize anything. Too much and you can confuse your reader or describe something a reader might not like.

What’s a writer to do?

I can’t remember if it was Sol Stein, Jon Franklin, or Jack Hart (sorry—I can’t find the correct attribute in my notes), but I will never forget his advice because it’s the perfect solution to the description problem:

The Envelope Method

The premise is simple: Share enough detail to create an envelope, then let the reader fill the envelope with their own ideas.

For example, tell the reader the hero is six-two, trim, and clean shaven with salt-and-pepper hair. If he has a specific trait that sets him apart—a cleft chin, crooked nose, or curly hair—show that, but then let the reader fill in the rest.

The same is true for settings. Rarely do readers need to know every color, species, and location of each flower in a one-acre garden. Nor do they need to know the color and texture of every carpet, sofa, and drapery in a house. The exception, again, would be a character who notices those things (an interior designer in a historic Victorian home) or a setting that’s an integral part of the plot (two people fighting over whether the garden should be flowers or vegetables).

For many readers, creating their own images of people and places is part of the joy of reading. Don’t rob them of that joy! Give your readers just enough detail to lead them in the right direction, then let them figure out the rest on their own.

If you have questions about the envelope method or writing descriptions, leave a comment or contact me at karin@writenowedits.com.

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

What is Character Voice?

October 22, 2024

Last month we talked about author voice (click here if you missed it). How is that different from character voice, and what do you need to know about character voice?

Author Voice vs. Character Voice

Your author voice is how you see the world, which influences how you write about it. Your natural tendency to be poetic or humorous or technical are all part of your voice. Character voice is how each of your characters see the world, which influences how they describe and think about it.

The Spoken Voice

Anything your characters say should reflect their voices, and their voices are determined by their backstory. Things that influence character voice include:

Age
Gender
Education
Location
Family
Occupation

For example, an Asian immigrant living in Alabama will speak differently than a native-born Alabamian (is that a word?). Likewise, a third-generation man of Asian-American decent will also speak differently than an Asian immigrant.

Artists will see the world differently than mechanics who will see things differently than college professors. High school dropouts will have a different vocabulary from high school graduates which will be different from doctoral candidates. People from Maine, Michigan, and Madagascar will all use different slang and accents.

Every aspect of your characters’ lives will influence how they view the world and speak about it. But the spoken voice isn’t the only voice in a manuscript.

The Internal Voice

Where many authors falter with character voice is with the internal voice—their characters’ thoughts. Everything shown from a character’s perspective (external and internal) needs to reflect the same voice.

For example, an isolated lumberjack who never went to college isn’t going to grunt and mumble single-syllable words while thinking elaborate Shakespearean thoughts (unless he’s a lover of Shakespeare that you reveal later in the story). What often happens is this:

Female dialogue = female’s voice
Male dialogue = male’s voice
Everyone’s thoughts = author’s voice

Instead, you want to write:

Female dialogue & thoughts = female’s voice
Male dialogue & thoughts = male’s voice

Everything written in a scene—whether it’s dialogue, thoughts, descriptions, or interpretations—should reflect the point-of-view character’s voice. If you want to show another character’s perspective, you need to include a scene break to change the point of view. If you want to show your perspective, switch to nonfiction. How you write the novel reveals your voice, but if you want to highlight your thoughts and interpretations, fiction isn’t the best vehicle for that.

If you have questions about character voice, leave a comment or contact me at karin@writenowedits.com.

Research & Revising: Two Paths to Novel Writing

June 20, 2024

Most writers know that the first draft of their manuscript will never sell, but how many drafts does a writer have to write?

Honestly, the writing portion of a novel takes the shortest amount of time. The research and/or revising will likely (and should likely) take up 75% or more of the process. Depending on how you prefer to spend your time (research or revision), you’ll have different numbers of drafts (though the first draft will never be your final). And regardless of which method you prefer, you’ll have to invest time to create an engaging, readable story.

Write type of writer are you? Here’s a quick quiz:

Would you rather:

Plan every detail of your trip before you leave so you maximize the experience and don’t miss anything?
Hop on the plane and see what happens, even if it means you miss a few things?

When buying clothes, do you:

Try things on in the store to make sure you know how everything looks and feels, then buy only what you need?
Buy arms full of things to try on at home and return what you don’t want later?

Before going to a new restaurant, do you:

Find the restaurant and menu online so you know what to order when you get there?
Maybe you’ll scan the menu online, but you don’t make any decisions until you’re in your seat and everyone else has ordered?

If you answered A to most of those, you’re probably a researcher. If you answered B, you’re probably a reviser.

Researcher

Researchers like to know all the details before they start writing their stories. They have notes on:

Characters, include goals, motivations, conflicts; appearance; character arc.
They know their stories transitional moments (inciting incident, breaking point, point of no return, etc.).
They’ve calculated where in the story each main plot point and reaction should occur.
They’ve tracked the setting, including building details, topographical information, and historical events (if needed).
They have binders or folders full of notes on all of these details.

By the time a researcher sits down to write, they know almost everything they need to know about the story. They’ve spent weeks (or months) writing things down and organizing them before they ever type the first word of their manuscripts.

Reviser

Revisers tend to start with a solid understanding of either their plot or characters, but most of the details have yet to be discovered. Sometimes called seat-of-the-pants writers, they do minimal prep work before writing (usually a few days or maybe a week or two). Their process is more trial-and-error: if something doesn’t work, edit out and try something different.

Revisers (as you might imagine) spend more time revising their manuscripts. It may take 1-2 (or three or four) big revisions before they’re ready to let anyone read or critique their manuscripts.

Neither of these paths is right or wrong. Neither one yields better results than the other. They’re just different. Don’t get discouraged if your best friend is a researcher and only needs to edit her story instead of revising it. That method works for her; your method works for you.

Not sure which type of writer you are? Email me at karin@writenowedits.com and we’ll figure it out!

Conflict, Suspense, and Tension in Fiction

May 20, 2024

Conflict, suspense, and tension are not the same things. They’re often used interchangeably, but they shouldn’t be. Each one of these has a different role and performs a different function in fiction.

Conflict

New writers tend to believe that conflict means “argument,” as in having a conflict with someone else, but it’s much simpler than that—conflict is anything that prevents your characters from achieving their goals.

A conflict can be a person, event, or inanimate object. A conflict can be a seemingly good thing. As long as it gets in your character’s way, it’s a conflict.

Say your MMC (male main character) wants a promotion at work. The promotion should be a sure thing, but that would make for a boring story. It needs conflict. Anything that prevents him from getting the job will work. It could be:

A person: Someone else wants the job. That person has become a conflict.
An event: Your MMC needs to attend a company event to get the promotion, but it’s the same weekend as his wedding. His wedding is now a conflict.
An inanimate object: MMC’s fiancé agrees to change the wedding date, but his car stalls in the driveway. Then, on the way to the airport, a tree falls into the road. His car and the tree have now become conflicts.

Suspense

Readers and writers alike think of police, spies, and murder when they think about suspense, but they’re confusing suspense with danger. In the suspense, thriller, and mystery genres, the police, spies, and murder might create suspense, but in and of themselves, they are not.

At its most basic level, suspense is delayed gratification.

Let’s look at our MMC again. If he gets the promotion in chapter two, there’s no suspense because there’s no delay. But put conflicts in front him—make him and the reader wait to find out if he’s getting the job—and you’ve added suspense.

Each of the conflicts mentioned above adds more suspense.

Instead of a quick interview process, now the boss has two candidates to interview. That will take longer. Suspense.
MMC and his fiancé push back the wedding for the sake of his career. A delayed wedding equals more suspense.
A quick 30-minute trip to the airport is delayed by his car and the tree. Double suspense.

The longer it takes your characters to achieve their goals, the more suspenseful the story.

Tension

Our final piece of the confusion trifecta, tension is the term people tend to swap for conflict and suspense, but it’s actually another layer of complexity in your story.

Tension is created by your characters’ reactions to conflict and suspense, and it should lead to a sense of unrest or imbalance.

If life is going well for your characters, there’s no tension. Toss in a conflict that creates suspense, and it will yield tension. Let’s go back to our MMC’s promotion. Where does the tension come from, and what does it look like?

MMC’s relationship with the person going after his promotion will change. The situation might also change his relationships with coworkers. Someone else applying for the job has created tension in the workplace.
After rescheduling his wedding, MMC’s relationship with his fiancé will change, especially if one of them didn’t want to move the date. It’s the perfect place to add tension in the romance.
Whether or not the MMC makes it to the airport on time, his car and the tree are excellent reasons to increase tension—he could lose faith in his mechanic and begin resenting the neighbor whose tree blocked the road. Whichever way you write it, let unrest be the goal.

Regardless of the genre you’re writing, your story needs all three of these elements: conflict, suspense, and tension. Your reader will enjoy seeing how long it takes your characters to achieve their goals and seeing how the conflicts change them.

If you have questions about these, leave a comment or contact me at karin@writenowedits.com.

Also check out:

The Omniscient Point of View
First- or Third-Person Point of View

First or Third Person Point of View: When and Why?

February 20, 2024

When it comes to captivating your audience, point of view (POV) matters. While there are no right or wrong places to use different POVs, there are absolutely genres and styles that work well with specific POVs. Before we jump into that, let’s look at the different POVs often used in fiction.

First, Third, and Omniscient POVs

For the sake of this post, we’ll refer to the three main POVs as First Person, Third Person, and Omniscient. Kathy Tyers, author of Writing Deep Viewpoint, defines them as:

First Person: Narrator uses the “I” voice.
Third Person: Narrator is present as a named character, using the “he” or “she” voice.
Omniscient: Still “he” or “she,” the narrator’s consciousness is godlike in knowledge.

Each of these POVs provides s different depth of perspective.

First Person is the deepest, putting the reader directly into the mind and body of the narrator and allowing the reader to experience the story life as real life—only knowing, feeling, and sensing situations from one perspective.

Third Person can keep the reader close (Deep Third) or at a distance (Shallow Third). In today’s market, Deep Third is preferred. Similar to First Person, Deep Third pulls the reader into the mind and body of the narrator (again only showing what the character knows, feels, and senses), but the use of “he” and “she” pronouns adds a bit of space between the character and reader. Shallow Third adds even more space, as it doesn’t rely as heavily on the POV character’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions and often focuses more on external descriptions and plot points.

Omniscient is a third-person POV (as it uses “he” and “she”). Its perspective creates the most space between the characters and the reader as it doesn’t ever allow the reader to get into the main character’s head or heart. The narrator can describe what a character does (and possibly even the motivations) but can’t convey the feelings and emotions of each character because the narrator is, in fact, its own godlike, all-knowing character.

When and Why to Use Each POV

Technically, authors can use any POV in any novel or genre, but there are certain POVs that work better in different genres. Here are a few examples and why they do/don’t work.

First Person—Yes: This intimate perspective is excellent for books with one main character, such as young adult or women’s fiction novels that follow the growth and character arc of one person. There may be best friends, enemies, and love interests, but their main purpose in the story is to motivate the main character to change (or to highlight how the main character changes).

First Person—No: Most romance novel readers want to see the story from both the hero’s and the heroine’s perspectives. Because of this, the majority of romance novels are written in Third Person, so readers expect (and even demand) that perspective. While you technically can write a romance novel in First Person, there are readers who simply will not read it because of the POV. Since it’s possible to create a similar POV depth by writing Deep Third, that’s usually recommended for romance novels.

Third Person—Yes: Any book with multiple main characters is the perfect book for Third Person POV. I already mentioned romance novels, but it also works well in speculative fiction, historical, suspense, thriller. Anytime you have two or more main characters (characters with goals/motivations/conflicts and character arcs), it’s a good story for Third Person.

Third Person—No: I honestly can’t think of a time when I would encourage an author to avoid this POV. Because it’s so widely accepted, it can be used in just about any genre.

Omniscient—Yes: Omniscient works well in literary fiction, where the emphasis in on the theme instead of the plot and characters. It can also work well in epic novels, where the story takes place over large periods of time or space, again taking the focus off of a few specific characters and instead putting it on several people throughout time or across the world. (Think Hawaii by Jame Michener.)

Omniscient—No: Aside from one specific genre to avoid, it’s really a specific type of story that doesn’t work well with Omniscient: stories about or that highlight deep emotional connections. For that reason, romance novels are out. For all other genres … it depends. If you want to tell the story of six soldiers in the Civil War, omniscient might not be the best fit, but it could work perfectly for the story of a regimen of soldiers and their impact on the war.

I’ll say it one more time because it can’t be said enough—there are no right or wrong ways to use POV in your books. But there are ways to use POV to improve your chances of getting noticed, getting published, and developing a fan base.

Still have questions? Let me know! karin@karinbeery.com

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

For more fiction writing tips, try these:

Backstory: The Right and Wrong Ways to Use Dialogue
Why Novels Need Structure

Backstory: The Right and Wrong Ways to Use Dialogue

January 20, 2024

Every main character in every book has a backstory, but the readers don’t need to see or understand it all. There are times, however, when it’s necessary to include backstory in your manuscript to either fill in plot holes or show character development. One of the best ways to do that is by using dialogue, but only if you do it the right way.

Here’s a look at the wrong way to show backstory using dialogue:

“I think one of my friends stole my watch,” Ben said.
“Why would you say that?” his mom asked.
“Do you remember my twenty-first birthday party last week? It rained all day and we had to move the activities inside? The house wasn’t big enough, so people filled the living room, dining room, and hallway?”
“Of course.”
“Well, my bedroom is at the top of the stairs. Anyone could have gone up there without us noticing.”

Here’s the problem with that section: Ben’s mom already knows the details of the party, her son’s age, and the layout of the house. There’s no reason for him to give her that information. Doing so makes it look like this conversation is a set-up to give information to the readers (which it is). There are two ways to solve this problem.

#1: Make the dialogue more realistic:

#2: Use the Dumb Puppet:

“I think one of my friends stole my watch,” Ben said.
“Why would you say that?” his mom asked.
“Do you remember how crowded the house was during my birthday party? Anyone could have gone up to my bedroom without us noticing.”
“How could you not notice someone in your bedroom?” Brian asked.
“The party was supposed to be outside, but it rained all day,” his mom said. “We had to move the activities inside. The house wasn’t big enough, so people filled the living room, dining room, and hallway. Ben’s bedroom is upstairs. Anyone could have gone up without us noticing.”

Do you see the difference between options?In the first version, the dialogue is unnatural. Yes, it gives necessary information, but it also makes the characters seems awkward. The latter options create a smoother flowing story. If the details of the party aren’t important, cut them (example one) and keep the story moving. If they are important, include a character who doesn’t know what’s going on (in this case, Brian is the Dumb Puppet) so the other characters can explain it without sounding awkward.

Are you struggling to include backstory in a more natural way? Let me know, and let’s see how we can figure it out together.

AVAILABLE NOW–get your copy here!

If you’re looking to strengthen your writing and self-editing skills, here’s what you can expect in How to Edit Your Novel:

Take your self-editing skills to the next level.

• Have you eliminated all the telling?
• Are the characters complex?
• Is every scene necessary?

Most authors will answer ‘yes!’ to these questions. But then editors and readers tell them the descriptions don’t engage them, the characters are stereotypical, and the story dragged.

How do you fix it?

Self-editing can only take you so far. But if you know the right questions to ask and you know how to interpret the answers, you’ll not only strengthen your self-editing skills, you’ll strengthen your writing.

HOW TO EDIT YOUR NOVEL doesn’t simply rehash the fiction-writing basics that create good stories-it provides examples, context, and questions that will help authors identify and strengthen their weaknesses the same way a professional editor tackles a manuscript. By combining mini writing lessons with practical self-editing tips, everything a writer needs to become a better self-editor is practically presented.

Whether you’re a new writer or an experienced author, HOW TO EDIT YOUR NOVEL can help you polish your story into a gem agents, publishers, and readers will want to keep reading.

” … bound to be a book you keep right next to your keyboard …. ”
–Cristel Phelps, Managing Editor for Fiction, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc

Why Novels Need Story Structure

December 20, 2023

Have you ever walked into your regular grocery store and cringed because they rearranged the store? You find dog food in the bread aisle and paper plates where the cereal used to be. Everything you need is still in the store, but it’s hard to find, which can be frustrating.

Something similar happens when authors write books without structure—readers “walk in” to the story expecting to find three acts or mirroring plot points, but instead they find vignettes or backstory. If it’s a favorite author—like your regular grocery store—they might stick around and try to find their way through the mess, but if it’s someone new to them, chances are good that they’ll walk out and find a story that’s less frustrating.

In his book Just Write, James Scott Bell says structure is important for the reader, not the writer. Whether or not they realize it, readers have specific expectations for novels. They expect the boy and girl to live happily ever after in a romance. They detective must find the criminal in a mystery. Historical events need to impact the characters in historical romance.

All of those elements are part of a novel’s structure. Recognizing and understanding different story structures will help you create a solid foundation on which to build your novel.

As with most things in fiction writing, there’s no one-way to do things. There are different types of story structure you can use, and they all work. A good place to start is the traditional three-act story.

A three-act story actually includes at least six main points, but the three most obvious are the acts.

Act I: The introduction—this is where you introduce the setting and main characters.
Act II: The body—where the story happens (and conflict reigns).
Act III: The conclusion—the climax of the story where everything resolves.

But you also need some transitional elements.

Inciting Incident: Something out of the ordinary that forces the main character into the story.
First Door: A situation requiring a decision that pushes the MC from Act I into Act II.
Second Door: A life-changing decision that forces the MC into Act III (it doesn’t matter what the MC chooses, life will be different; it’s his choice as to how it will be different).

Most readers cand identify these elements, but the subconsciously look for them, and including them in your book helps them more easily navigate new settings, new characters, and a new author voice.

The are many variations of the three-act plot, and they all work. The key is to find the structure model that works best for you and your story. I’ve listed some of my favorite resources for structure below—what’s your go-to book for plot structure?

AVAILABLE NOW! Get your copy here!

If you’re looking to strengthen your writing and self-editing skills, here’s what you can expect in How to Edit Your Novel:

Take your self-editing skills to the next level.

• Have you eliminated all the telling?
• Are the characters complex?
• Is every scene necessary?

Most authors will answer ‘yes!’ to these questions. But then editors and readers tell them the descriptions don’t engage them, the characters are stereotypical, and the story dragged.

How do you fix it?

Whether you’re a new writer or an experienced author, HOW TO EDIT YOUR NOVEL can help you polish your story into a gem agents, publishers, and readers will want to keep reading.

” … bound to be a book you keep right next to your keyboard …. ”
–Cristel Phelps, Managing Editor for Fiction, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson

7 Ways to Add Tension Without Ruining Your Story

April 21, 2023

Have you ever been in a restaurant when the people next to you started arguing? Talk about tension! Putting a fight or argument into your story is a great way to add tension, but if you rely solely on personal confrontation, you’ll end up with characters who fight constantly. It won’t take long for that to annoy your readers.

So how do you add tension without the fights? Simple – make everything go wrong for your characters. As soon as things start to return to normal, throw another obstacle in front of them. Here are some great ways to tense things up without ruining your story.

Move your characters. Take them out of a familiar setting, whether it’s just moving into a new house or a completely new city. Changing the location opens lots of problematic doors.
Change their jobs. Even if your characters are completely confident in their work abilities, the new location, co-workers, and management/employees can add tension.
Lose something precious. Grandma’s ring. Dad’s Joe Montana autographed football. It doesn’t matter how big or valuable, as long as there’s sentimental attachment.
Give them something they don’t want. A new dog. Another pregnancy. An old house full of junk inherited from a deceased relative/hoarder. Anything that messes up the status quo will add tension.
Destroy something. A deer/car accident that leaves your character without a way to get to work. A house fire that leaves him homeless. A drowned cell phone that causes your character to miss an important phone call.
Give them friends and co-workers. Unless your story takes place on a deserted island, you can add minor characters who mess with your main characters. Don’t start arguments though, just put them in tense situations. An ex-boyfriend who interrupts a dinner date or the highly motivated co-worker who tramples anyone on his way to the next promotion.
Bring in the family. Whether it’s the nuclear family or a distant relative, the possibilities are endless for creating tension: the sexist uncle who insults every woman in the room; the annoying cousin who’s never worked a day in her life; the younger sibling who’s always trying to prove himself. (Try to avoid the nagging mother-in-law and the self-centered stepmom though – they’ve become cliché.)

Look at your characters and evaluate their situations. Figure out what would really push their buttons – then push them! Determine what would ruin their plans – then ruin them! This kind of tension gives your characters issues to work through without forcing them to slip into nagging, argumentative behaviors. Tension, tension, tension!

How have you added tension to your story?

Do you need help adding tension? Let me know, and let’s see how I can help: karin@karinbeery.com.

For more fiction-writing tips and advice, follow me on Facebook at Writing Now Editing, or sign up for my monthly newsletter and learn the easiest way to make a good impression with agents and publishers!

Writing Descriptions: The Envelope Method

What is Character Voice?

Research & Revising: Two Paths to Novel Writing

Conflict, Suspense, and Tension in Fiction

First or Third Person Point of View: When and Why?

Backstory: The Right and Wrong Ways to Use Dialogue

Take your self-editing skills to the next level.

How do you fix it?

” … bound to be a book you keep right next to your keyboard …. ”
–Cristel Phelps, Managing Editor for Fiction, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc

Why Novels Need Story Structure

Take your self-editing skills to the next level.

How do you fix it?

” … bound to be a book you keep right next to your keyboard …. ”
–Cristel Phelps, Managing Editor for Fiction, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc

7 Ways to Add Tension Without Ruining Your Story

Latest Posts

The Fine Line Between Good & Great

Writing Descriptions: The Envelope Method

What is Character Voice?

What is Author Voice?

Dialogue: More than Talking

Effective Feedback: Get More From Your Beta Readers

Contact Us

Take your self-editing skills to the next level.

How do you fix it?

” … bound to be a book you keep right next to your keyboard …. ” –Cristel Phelps, Managing Editor for Fiction, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc

Take your self-editing skills to the next level.

How do you fix it?

” … bound to be a book you keep right next to your keyboard …. ” –Cristel Phelps, Managing Editor for Fiction, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc

Latest Posts

Contact Us

” … bound to be a book you keep right next to your keyboard …. ”
–Cristel Phelps, Managing Editor for Fiction, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc

” … bound to be a book you keep right next to your keyboard …. ”
–Cristel Phelps, Managing Editor for Fiction, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc