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    19Sep, 2022
    Learn how to Create Systems for your Book-Writing Business

    Learning about creating systems for your book-writing business is one of the most important things you can do for time-management. And, if you’re like me, you know that time-management is a huge issue because all the administrivia can feel truly overwhelming at time.

    How do you manage social media, create effective marketing materials, cover art, ads, and everything else that comes with being a writer…all the while keeping your creativity flowing and making sure you still make writing itself your number one priority?

    USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has it figured out. She has elevated her career to a true business, which operates under the umbrella of Tonya Kappes Books. 

    Watch my YouTube Craft Chat with her. I guarantee you will come away inspired to create some systems for yourself!

     

    In case you missed it, check out Part One with Tonya.

    There are a variety of other Craft Chats for you to enjoy, as well.

    Why you should research when writing fiction with Linda Lovely

    Writing Historicals with Heather Redmond

    How to outline while still writing by the seat of your pants with Darryl Wood Gerber

    Writing the villain with Annette Dashofy

    Writing tips from the writer’s room with Ellen Byron

    Did you read about understanding the building blocks of a scene? Read it HERE!

     
     
     

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    Join the WriterSpark Academy newsletter! And share with your writing besties.

    Know a writer, aspiring or other, who might like this content? Share this site with with them!

    5 Steps for writing really excellent back cover copy header
    15Sep, 2022
    Writing Really Excellent Back Cover Copy, Part 2

    Writing excellent back cover copy doesn’t happen by accident. Using a formula of sorts can help you.

    There are five parts to really excellent back cover copy (plus one extra for cozy mysteries).

    Back cover copy is an incredibly important marketing tool for your book. It includes a hook to grab the reader’s attention. It then hits the core elements of the plot in the most enticing manner possible.

    This copy is the second thing a potential reader will use to judge whether or not the book is for them (first is the cover).

    Just like a teaser from a television show or a movie trailer, the back cover copy in a book gives the potential audience enough about the story to pique their interest. It is what draws them in and gets them to commit to reading the first page (which is the third step in a reader’s decision-making process).

    Here are the five steps for writing really excellent back cover copy (plus a bonus 6th for cozy mysteries).

    1. Hook them early.

    Write a one or two sentence hook about your story to grab readers’ attention. (With a cozy mystery, it often involves a pun connected to the theme.)

    2. Introduce the protagonist.

    Who is the protagonist who will carry the story? Give his/her name and the life conflict he/she faces at the beginning of the story (this protagonist is the amateur sleuth in a first in series book).

    3. Show what his/her future could hold.

    What is the protagonist’s chance for success or happiness within the new world?

    4. Introduce the conflict.

    Show the disruption of the protagonist’s new life based on the major conflict (for mystery: because of the murder).

    5. Give the stakes.

    What happens if the conflict is not resolved (for mystery: if the crime is not solved)? Another way to look at this is: What is the protagonist at risk of losing if the conflict is not resolved?

    6. Bonus for cozy mysteries: Make it punny.

    Make sure there are puns and/or figurative language connecting the copy to series hook (theme).

    Get the Cheat Sheet!

    Read Part One: Understanding Back Cover Copy, and How to Write It

    Need help with your back cover copy or developmental help with your manuscript? Hire me as your novel editor and partner.

    Tips for writing great characters header
    14Sep, 2022
    Three Tips for Writing Great Fictional Characters

    Listen while you read!

    Creating compelling characters is, in great part, contingent on how those characters engage with the plot. Do things happen TO them? Or do things happen BECAUSE of them? A character to whom things happen is not nearly as interesting as a character who makes things happen. Keep reading for three tips to writing compelling characters who are active participants in their stories.

    Character Study

    Let’s look at a character study, first: Ivy Culpepper is the amateur sleuth from my Bread Shop mysteries in Kneaded to Death.

    Scenario One

    Ivy’s mother has just died. She returns home to be with her father and brother. She starts taking a bread making class for no particular reason. One of the classmates dies. The bread shop owner, Olaya, is a suspect. Although Ivy likes Olaya, she doesn’t want to get involved and chooses not to. A few clues happen to appear in her path. The police find the clues, too, and the case is eventually solved, but not because of Ivy.

    The problem with the above scenario is that Ivy doesn’t DO anything active. She’s not a participant in the investigation. It’s a mystery book, but she doesn’t actively try to solve the crime. 

    That’s a pretty boring book!

    Scenario Two

    Imagine, though, that our heroine is a much more active participant in the plot. The situation is the same: Ivy’s mother died and she’s come home to be with her family. She meets Olaya and is convinced to take the bread baking class. It isn’t long before she knows she will learn from Olaya and that baking bread is going to be therapeutic for her.

    Then someone dies. 

    And because Olaya is a suspect, Ivy does get involved. She likes this woman and feels strongly that she is innocent. Ivy can’t sit back and be a passive observer while the police investigate. 

    She follows leads, uncovers clues, and ferrets out the truth. Ultimately, it’s because of Ivy’s cleverness and tenacity that the killer is brought to justice.

    The Result

    The result of the second scenario is a much more interesting story. The reader is by Ivy’s side through the investigation trying to unravel the clues and make sense of the what happened.

    So, how do you go about making sure you create a character who acts rather than reacts?

    Tip 1:

    First, you need to make sure the POV character has a clear internal and/or external goal, depending on the scene; something needs to be stopping her from achieving said goal.

    Ex: Ivy likes Olaya. She sees her as an aunt figure, which she needs. Because of this, she wants to act, but fear or lack of confidence or some other reason stops her from getting involved.

    Tip 2:

    Instead of having things happen TO your character, make your character MAKE things happen. 

    Scenario 1:

    In this scenario, Ivy is a passive participant in the investigation. She is not acting based on a goal (see Tip 1).

    Ivy happens to go to the library where she finds a book on a table. She flips through it, for no apparent reason, and finds a clue.

    Scenario 2:

    In this scenarios, Ivy responds to a Stimulus-Response-Result situation. She has a goal and seeks to achieve it (finding the book, and therefore the clue).

    STIMULUS: Ivy overhears something about a book at the library. She thinks it might be a clue. 

    RESPONSE: She makes the decision to go to the library to hunt for the book. 

    RESULT: She finds the book, which contains a message is written on a dog-eared page. 

    Tip 3: 

    Choice and conflict.

    Instead of turning away from conflict, make sure your POV character faces it head-on. This comes down to decision-making. When faced with pursuing a clue or not, an active character will go in pursuit. That is far more interesting that a character who chooses not to act.

    And there you have it. Three tips to help you create compelling characters who are active participants in their story.

    Go to the Cheat Sheet

    I go into this concept in depth in the Ready, Set, WRITE! course on the WriterSpark Academy Online Learning Platform. If you’re writing a novel, this course is for you!

    Did you read about understanding the building blocks of a scene? Read it HERE!

     
     
     

    By the way: Follow the WriterSpark page on Facebook.

    Join the WriterSpark Academy newsletter! And share with your writing besties.

    Know a writer, aspiring or other, who might like this content? Share this site with with them!

    Need help with making your characters jump off the page, or developmental help with your manuscript? Hire me as your novel editor and partner. I’d love to help!

    30Aug, 2022
    Using Theme to Focus a Memoir like Stanley Tucci’s Taste

    As a teacher, I’m always looking for inspiration, particularly when it comes to the memoir classes I teach (both online with Teachable and in person with the Carrboro Arts Center near where I live). Using Theme to Focus a Memoir like Stanley Tucci’s Taste, is my latest inspiration.

    How it Started

    A few months ago, my good friend, artist Theresa Pastoriza-Tan, invited me to a very cool bookclub at a wine bar in Raleigh called Vita Vite. This past month, the book choice was Stanley Tucci’s memoir, Taste. At the Vita Vite gathering in Raleigh last night, Theresa, another good artist friend, Amy Jane Whitney, and I spent the evening chatting about life stories and the lens they can be told through. 

    Tucci wove all the stories in his memoir around food. Turns out that many of his movies also center around food. He is a foodie, through and through, so it makes perfect sense that this is the theme he threaded through each of his stories.

    What is a Memoir?

    Remember, a memoir is not a life story written from beginning to end. It is not an autobiography. It is a series of stories centered around a life.

    And the way I see it and teach it, centered around a theme similar to the way Tucci does it.

    What’s Your Theme?

    If you were going to write your memoir, what  would you choose as a central theme that could weave your stories together?

    Stanley Tucci’s memoir, Taste, is so great! Highly recommend.

    Did you read about my 6 questions to ask before writing a scene? Read it HERE!

     
     
     

    By the way: Follow the WriterSpark page on Facebook.

    Join the WriterSpark Academy newsletter! And share with your writing besties.

    Know a writer, aspiring or other, who might like this content? Share this site with with them!

    Extraordinary Attorney Woo in a purple cape for her hero's journey
    26Aug, 2022
    Do You Know Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a Hero?

    Listen to the Podcast Episode about Attorney Woo’s Hero’s Journey.

    Four images of Extraordinary Attorney Woo and what writers can learn from her

    Extraordinary Attorney Woo and how she is a hero, the podcast episode
    Do You Know that Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a Hero?

    She is. Truly.

    Extraordinary Attorney Woo, ENA/Netflix

    Summary (from Netflix): Attorney Woo (Woo Young-Woo) is an extraordinary attorney who has Autistic Spectrum Disorder. This fact offers her unique perspectives on her cases, but is also limiting. 

    This Hero’s Journey breakdown is for the first episode of this awesome series.

    Hero– 

    Woo Young-Woo, the first autistic attorney in the Republic of Korea, a graduate of Seoul, South Korea.

    She did not speak until she was 5 years old, and when she did speak, it was citing law and criminal code from the mountains of books her father has. 

    Ordinary World—

    Woo Young-Woo is hired as brand new rookie attorney at Hanbada law firm. Things about her:

    • She struggles to look people in the eye
    • She must count to three before walking into a room/new space
    • She only eats gimbap (it’s predictable in look and taste)
    • She is passionate about whales
    Call to Adventure– 

    Young-Woo enters the law firm ready to begin her career, but knowing she is different.

    Refusal of Call– 

    The senior attorney she works under, Jung Myeong-seok, does not want her on his team. He thinks she is not up to the job because of her autism, but Han, the CEO of the law firm, wants to give her a chance. 

    Meeting the Mentor– 

    Lee Jun-ho is part of the litigation team. He helps Woo Young-Woo navigate through the case. Choi Su-yeon is also a rookie attorney with Hanbada and was in law school with Young-woo. She is a reluctant ally. 

    Crossing the Threshold–

    Young-Woo is given a case about a woman accused of attempted murder of her husband. Her crossing of the threshold is literal. She just go meet the client, but she can’t figure out how to get through the revolving door. Jun-ho helps her see it as a waltz with counting. She gets through the revolving door, which is a first success.  

    Kim Seon Ho Joins the Woo Young Woo Trend With THIS! | KDramaStars

    Tests and Allies–
    1. On her first day, she meets an ally—Lee Jun-ho, an enemy—Attorney Kwon Min-woo, and an old acquaintance—the landlord of the apartment where she and her father lived when she was a child.
    2. The husband of the defendant once accused Young-Woo’s father of making moves on his wife (the defendant). He was unreasonably jealous. When he sees Young-woo again, he is verbally abusive and violent. 
    3. Young-woo’s good friend, Geu-ra-mi, teaches Young-woo how to spot a liar (itchy nose, sweaty palms, wiggly leg)
    4. Geu-ra-mi also helps Young-woo with strategies to be successful in court.
    5. Jung Myeong-seok (the senior attorney) also becomes an ally after recognizing Young-woo’s strengths.
    6. Choi Su-yeon continues to help Young-woo in certain ways. She feels sorry for the way her disability inhibits her success, but at the same time, she is annoyed by Young-woo.
    7. Jun-ho becomes Young-woo’s ‘sidekick’ and is intrigued by her.
    Central Ordeal– 

    Young-woo comes up with an analogy to whales which helps her realize that this is not a criminal case, but a civil one. If the focus remains on the criminal aspect, the point will be missed. She realizes that intent to murder would strip the defendant of any financial support from her husband or his property. 

    She begins the trial nervous, but makes objections that are sustained and gains confidence. 

    Reward– 

    Young-woo makes good arguments to have the indictment changed from attempted murder to bodily harm.

    Road Back– 

    In an effort to win the case, the defense puts the injured husband on the stand to demonstrate his volatility. He is provoked, scaring everyone, most especially Young-woo, and the jury sees cause for the wife to have defended herself. 

    But then the husband dies and the charge changes from intent to murder to murder. All feels lost.

    27 ideas de Extraordinary Attorney Woo en 2022 | dramas coreanos ...Resurrection– 

    Through a ‘whale-ization’, Young-woo realizes that the husband had an underlying issue and that the subdural hematoma that killed him was a result of this. She gets the medical examiner to admit this on the witness stand.

    Return w/ elixir– The woman is found not-guilty of murder. Young-woo has won her first case.

    Comments: As with any medical or legal drama, there is always a moment when success is in hand, only to have something monumental happen that snatches that success away. This happens with Woo Young-woo. In each episode, she has a ‘whale-ization’…a moment when something becomes clear to her about the case. 

    Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a wonderful TV show. Highly recommend

    Check out another Hero’s Journey: Kat Valdez from the movie, Marry Me.

    23Aug, 2022
    Understanding Back Cover Copy and How to Write it

    PART 1:

    There are many, many steps in writing a book. Understanding Back Cover Copy and how to write it is one of these steps. 

    What is Back Cover Copy:

    Simply put, back cover copy is an incredibly important marketing tool for your book. It includes a hook to grab the reader’s attention. It then hits the core elements of the plot in the most enticing manner possible.

    This copy is the second thing a potential reader will use to judge whether or not the book is for them (first is the cover). Just like a teaser from a television show or a movie trailer, the back cover copy in a book gives the potential audience enough about the story to pique their interest. It is what draws them in and gets them to commit to reading the first page (which is the third step in a reader’s decision-making process).

    What should Back Cover Copy Include?

    Your back cover copy should include some specific elements:

      • Introduce the main character(s)
      • What does is the main character’s goal?
      • What is the conflict preventing him/her from achieving this goal?
      • What is at stake for the main character?

     

    What is its Purpose?

    The main purpose of your story’s back cover copy is to communicate the exciting premise of the story.

    This may seem like an easy task; it’s not.

    To make it easier, do your research.

    • Read the back cover copy of many (many!) books in the same genre as your book. Look at:
      • the structure
      • the hook
      • the point of view (in a romance, for example, there will likely be two—one paragraph for the heroine and one for the hero)
      • how the goal and conflict are presented
      • and the length

    Examples

    Here is the copy for Murder in Devil’s Cove, the first in my Book Magic mystery series:

    After twenty years, Pippin Lane Hawthorne and her twin brother, Grey, return to their birth place—the Outer Banks island of Devil’s Cove. But what was supposed to be a chance at a new life turns sinister when their father’s old fishing boat reveals a dark secret.

    Now Pippin must embrace her fate as a bibliomancer and learn how to ‘read’ the books she’s always shied away from. Only then will she be able to discover the truth about what really happened to her parents and continue their efforts to break the curse that has haunted the Lane family for two thousand years.

    You can see how this hits all the elements.

    Hook: A second chance turning sinister with dark secrets

    Setting: Outer Banks island of Devil’s Cove

    Character and point of view: Pippin Lane Hawthorne

    Goal: to learn the truth about her father’s death

    Conflict: a curse

    Here is the back cover copy for the second book in the series, Murder at Sea Captain’s Inn:

    Generation after generation of Lane women die in childbirth, while the sea claims the men.

    Pippin Lane Hawthorne’s grand opening of Sea Captain’s Inn is tainted when a scholar studying the Lost Colony of Roanoke is brutally murdered. Like the black crow that hangs around the old house, could the untimely death be a harbinger of dark things to come?

    When her twin brother, Grey, begins bucking the curse by risking his life in the waters of the Outer Banks, Pippin lives in terror that he’ll be the next Lane male to be swallowed by the sea. Now she must use her gift of bibliomancy to save her brother, solve the murder, and end a two thousand year old pact.

    Hook: Generation after generation of Lane women die in childbirth, while the sea claims the men.

    Setting: Sea Captain’s Inn

    Character and point of view: Pippin Lane Hawthorne

    Goal: Pippin must save Grey and solve a murder

    Conflict: a curse, and a murderer

    Let’s take a look at one more example, this one from Kneaded to Death, the first in the Bread Shop mystery series.

    When an artisanal baker is accused of murder, her sleuthing student rises to the occasion . . .

    Everyone swears by Yeast of Eden, the Mexican bread shop in town. But tonight, the only thing on the menu is la muerte . . .

    Struggling photographer Ivy Culpepper has lots of soul-searching to do since returning to seaside Santa Sofia, California. That is, until the thirty-six-year-old enters a bread making class at Yeast of Eden. Whether it’s the aroma of fresh conchas in the oven, or her instant connection with owner Olaya Solis, Ivy just knows the missing ingredients in her life are hidden among the secrets of Olaya’s bakery . . .

    But Ivy’s spirits crumble when a missing classmate is suddenly discovered dead in her car. Even more devastating, the prime suspect is Olaya Solis herself. Doubting the woman could commit such a crime, Ivy embarks on a murder investigation of her own to prove her innocence and seize the real killer. As she follows a deadly trail of crumbs around town, Ivy must trust her gut like never before—or someone else could be toast!

    Hook (in a cozy, as well as in other types of book, the hook is often presented as a teaser above the copy; in a cozy, it is also often punny): Everyone swears by Yeast of Eden, the Mexican bread shop in town. But tonight, the only thing on the menu is la muerte . . .

    Setting: Santa Sofia, California and Yeast of Eden, an artisan bread shop

    Character and point of view: Ivy Culpepper

    Goal: To deal with her mother’s death, and then track down a killer

    Conflict: Solve the murder before another happens

     

    So, take time to write great back cover copy.

    Eventually, it will be used for pitches to agents, as a marketing tool on online websites and retailers, for press releases, and any number of other things.  

    Finally, one last thing to note is that there is never only one way of doing things. There also isn’t a single right way of doing things.

    Publishers have their methods, editors have theirs, and writers have their own approach.

    Next time I will share my method and approach to writing back cover copy .

    Until then, happy writing!

    I go into this concept in depth in the Field Guide to Writing a Cozy Mystery course. If you’re writing a cozy, this course is for you!

    Did you read about understanding the building blocks of a scene? Read it HERE!

     
     
     

    By the way: Follow the WriterSpark page on Facebook.

    Join the WriterSpark Academy newsletter! And share with your writing besties.

    Know a writer, aspiring or other, who might like this content? Share this site with with them!

    Need help with your back cover copy or developmental help with your manuscript? Hire me as your novel editor and partner.

    22Aug, 2022
    What Causes Creativity?

    One person’s thoughts on what causes creativity are probably very different from the next person’s.

    Maybe for you, what causes creativity is time to unplug.

    Maybe it comes from being in nature.

    Maybe it’s time doing something else you love, like baking, gardening, hiking, sewing, woodworking, or some other activity unrelated to writing.

    When you think of replenishing your creative well, what comes to mind? What works for you?

    16Aug, 2022
    Do you Understand the Building Blocks of a Scene?

    Do you understand the building blocks of a scene? Have you heard of scene and sequel?

    The concept and terms (confusing because there is both Scene and scene) were coined by Dwight Swain in his book, Techniques of the Selling Writer. At its core, scene and sequel are ways to control the pace of your story, and keep your plot moving forward. 

     
    Scene allows tension to build; Sequel allows the reader time to process, and the Point of View character’s actions drive the plot forward. 
     
    Looking at the big picture of your story, your ultimate goal is to create an emotional experience for your reader. Readers have to have a character they can relate to or with whom they can identify.
     
    To make the emotional response powerful, you need to amp up the emotional experience. The reader needs to feel as if they are the heroine of the romance, the sleuth in the mystery, the captain fighting a killer whale, the man barely outwitting a killer. They need to feel as if they are in the story.
     
    I ALWAYS come back to scene and sequel. They are two parts of a whole scene. Put another way, scene is the ‘cause’ and the sequel is the ‘effect’. t’s the response to the tension.
     

    What is a Scene?

    First, we have to answer the question: What is a scene?

    As I mentioned above, it’s a unit within the greater whole of your story (or a novel). A scene:

    1. Generally occurs in a single setting, at a single time

    2. Generally features the same characters throughout

    I say generally because there are always exceptions to any rule, but we’re not looking at those exceptions. We’re looking at the rule.

    Dwight Swain suggests in his book that there are two scene structures. One is called Scenes, the other Sequels. It’s kind of confusing because the word scene is used broadly, to explain every scene with a story; but it’s also used specifically to explain Scene and Sequel, which, again, are the two PARTS of a scene.

    In a Scene (capitalized, so the first half of a Scene and Sequel unit), there are three parts. We keep moving into smaller units of measurement as we create our stories.

    Within a Scene, a character:

    1. Has a goal, with motivation

    2. Faces an obstacle or conflict when trying to achieve that goal

    3. Suffers from a disaster

     

    In the subsequent Sequel (the second half of the Scene/Sequel unit), the character:

    1. Has a reaction to the disaster

    2. Faces a dilemma about what to do

    3. Makes a decision on how to proceed

    Scene and Sequel. 

    There is so much more to developing a scene and there are many ways to write a scene. Using Scene and Sequel is one tried and true method. It ensures you write a complete scene because you’ve build in the cause and the effect your POV character must face and react to.

    I go into this concept in depth in the WriterSpark Ready, Set, WRITE! course. It is one of the lessons in module 4. Check it out! It’s an amazing course.

    Did you read about my 6 questions to ask before writing a scene? Read it HERE!

     
     
     

    By the way: Follow the WriterSpark page on Facebook.

    Join the WriterSpark Academy newsletter! And share with your writing besties.

    Know a writer, aspiring or other, who might like this content? Share this site with with them!

    Could you use some help with your scene development? Hire me as your novel editor and partner. Together, we will take your writing to the next level!