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3 C’s – It’s Friday!

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Cares:
Plugging away on revisions. I’m starting to approach the second half of my novel, which is rather nightmarish at the moment. Trusting God to give me the words and the guidance I need to make this story one that will grip hearts and glorify Him.

Concerns:
Back to work on Monday. My slow-paced summer lifestyle will be replaced by the hustle and bustle of getting ready for work, rushing my little man off to daycare, managing a classroom full of 5th graders, squeezing in some exercise when I get home, and trying to soak up my evenings with my family. I’m so going to miss my morning walk with Bubba and Brogan, our visits to the pool and park, play dates, reading and snuggling before nap time, and the two and a half hours of writing time I had while he slept each afternoon. I’ll have to readjust to this new schedule, accept a messy house, and be okay with quick-fix dinners. I’m thankful for a job I enjoy, a job that provides health insurance and monthly checks, but man do I mourn the end of summer.

Celebrations:
On a positive note, it was an amazing summer! Not only did I finish the rough draft of my fifth novel, I’m well into revisions. I cleaned out all the closets in my house. Organized and packed away a lot of Brogan’s toys and spent plenty of time outside. I couldn’t have asked for a better two months (well, okay, a book contract might have helped…but I can’t have everything, right?).

I’m super stoked (Wendy, there’s that word again!) about the one sheets I created for my two latest books. Can’t wait to print them off and pitch A Broken Kind of Beautiful to editors at the ACFW conference.

I’m exicted to see what God has in store for me this school year!

Question to Ponder: What are your cares, concerns, and celebrations today?removetweetmeme

Scenes that Sizzle

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I love James Scott Bell’s advice on improving scenes in his amazingly awesome book, Revision and Self-Editing (a must-own for every novelist). He recommends going through your manuscript and identifying the ten weakest scenes, cutting number ten (the weakest), and doing the following to strengthen the remaining nine. But if you have the time, why not do the following for every single one of your scenes? Think how amazing your story would be.

First, every scene should have the three O’s, as JCB calls them:
1. An objective: the point of view character wants to accomplish something
2. An obstacle: something needs to get in the way of the objective
3. An outcome: the scene’s ending

So here’s what you do:

First, determined your character’s objective.

  • If there isn’t one, that should be a huge warning sign. Either get one or cut the scene.
  • Once you understand the objective, ask yourself if you can strengthen it. Can you make it more important? Can you reveal something that makes the objective even more crucial than your protagonist originally thought?
  • Or maybe your objective is lame. Start brainstorming! Write a list of ten alternative objectives. Think outside the box. Pick the most original one and revise the scene accordingly.

Second, examine your obstacle.

  • What’s stopping your character from getting what he or she wants? Is it another character? Is it the character himself? Is it a physical circumstance – like a disability or the weather or a traffic jam?
  • Once you’ve figured out the obstacle, ask yourself if you can strengthen it. Can you make it huge? Can you make it more immediate?
  • An excellent tool I like to utilize when it comes to intensifying my obstacles is the ticking time clock. Can you find a way to put a time limit on your character? So-and-so has to accomplish the scene objective in a certain amount of time or else? It does wonders for increasing tension.

Third, consider your outcome.

  • Does the character accomplish his goal? Why?
  • Have you considered ending with a disaster? Something that keeps the reader tense and the character away from his ultimate story goal. Because after all, it’s that tension which keeps your reader turning pages.
  • A disaster is usually the best way to end your scenes.. So ask yourself how you can make things worse.

There you go, courtesy of the amazing James Scott Bell. Some sure fire tips for making your scenes jump off the page. Hope they help!

Questions to Ponder: How do you make your scenes jump off the page? How do you decide if you’re going to keep them or ax them? What tips of the trade can you share with me when it comes to revisions?

For more help with scenes, check out 6 Elements of a Scene, Examining a Scene, and Scene and Sequel

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3 C’s – It’s Friday

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Cares:
I typed 11 pages of revision notes this week and jumped in. I know how to fix the bad parts and improve the good parts. I know who I want my characters to be and how to ramp up the conflict. It’ll be a lot of work and I’m not sure I’ll get it done before the conference, but I’m relieved to know everything is fixable.

Concerns:
School starts in a week. I’m trying not to get depressed about it.

Celebrations:
I’m completely in love with my story.

I talked to one of my friends on the phone about what makes us fall in love with certain literary heroes. Like what is it about Mr. Darcy that makes girls swoon? What is it about Edward that turns so many Twi-Mom’s into crazies? I’m not talking about the actors being good-looking either. I mean, what is it that truly makes these characters so memorable and gripping? We came up with a great list and I can’t wait to give my hero in A Broken Kind of Beautiful some of these traits!

God is so good. I felt deflated after reading my manuscript. Then I have a day like Monday where He shows up like only He can and all these ideas leap inside my head. Ideas on how to improve the story. Ideas that rekindled my excitement. Ideas that didn’t come from me, but from Him.

Question to Ponder: What are your cares, concerns, and celebrations today? What makes a literary hero memorable to you?removetweetmeme