Category: writing

A writer’s corner: Big red flags

In the writer’s forum I belong to, a writer posed the question: What are huge red flags, no-nos, or just downright cringe-worthy things you have identified in books or manuscripts you’ve read?
There were some great answers. The OP revealed that they dislike books with too many characters that remain undeveloped. I second that. Knowing the backstory of secondary characters and the motivations behind their action can bring the story to another level.
Many writers admit that they dislike certain tropes, and for some, the biggest pet peeve was unrealistic dialogue that ‘explains’ too much: info-dumping.
A detailed description of a character’s physical features that are baldly written was mentioned, or when characters are stereotypically perfect.
My biggest pet peeve is setting up a character’s personality, history, and traits and then having them behave completely out of character in order to advance the narrative. E.g., the character is lauded for their intelligence, which surpasses all others, and they proceed to make one dumb decision after the next to move the story along. Or they are rational people who are suddenly, stupidly made incoherent by lust. Just.not.believable.
Contrived activities that are not credible but are added in order to elicit a certain behavior from the character also get my goat.

What is cringeworthy for you?

A writer’s corner: Writing for fame

In the Reddit writer’s group I frequent, an author made the statement: “I stopped wanting to be a famous writer; now I can actually write because I want to tell stories.“

This resonated with me immediately. I’m in this space right now. I never started writing for fame, but I want people to read my book, and I want feedback.

I write because the characters are in me and are waiting to get out. I have a long habit of daydreaming and building characters and scenarios in my overactive imagination.

I had pandemic years to develop them, and now I am beginning to release them onto the page.

Writing for fame or money is like becoming an actor because you want to be a star rather than because you love the craft. Wrong motive and doomed to fail. You gotta love your craft, not the eyes on you. Wanting accolades, ratings, and reviews can be rewarding and, at the same time, discouraging, but mostly, they will be distracting. This is something I must always keep in mind.

A writer’s corner: Productivity

An author in the Reddit writers group posed the question: “When do you feel the most inspired or productive in your writing?”
They went on to ask is it morning? Afternoon? And they asked if we ever dream about our characters and get up to write more.

I had a good laugh out loud at that. I would love to dream about my characters. I used to dream about work all the time. Why can I not have a lovely nocturnal fantasy about the ever-fascinating characters I want to create?

The truth is, I am most productive two times during the day.
I am very productive early in the morning with a clear head and no distractions when my mind has not yet been cluttered with the minutia of daily life.

But many times, I’m super creative when I’m just about to fall asleep. From a very early age, that has been a time filled with fantasy. I have a long habit of creating other worlds in my mind as a way to erase the clutter and dream.

The more complex and detailed these ‘nocturnal daydreams’ are, the faster I will fall asleep. Now that I am writing regularly, this is a time when I grab my dictaphone and start rattling off dialogue or descriptions. To produce the best work, I can’t have anything else in my head. I immerse myself in the mindset of the characters, and that happens best when there are no distractions.

A writer’s corner: Characters

An author in the Reddit writers group I belong to posed the question: “How do you develop characters?”
They had a method to develop characters concentrating on four things: The character’s function, personality, physical attributes, and family background.

Many writers responded, some revealing that they concentrate on backstory first, others stating that they jump right into the scenes and let the character develop organically, a kind of character role-playing.

One author had a very different approach. They decided on a ‘theme’, which they likened to a ‘mission statement’ for the book. And then, they determined the types of characters that would support the theme. I love this approach and will definitely try it sometime.

Right now, my approach is very close to the OP’s, except that I don’t care what the characters look like unless they have a feature that’s important to the story. Function and personality are key, and I spend a lot of time figuring out what kind of childhood or life experiences the character had in order to become who they are. I do this for minor characters also, even though their backstory may just be hinted at in a sentence or two. The backstory of every character informs their dialogue and actions. With this approach, I make sure they are never acting out of character.
It was very interesting to read about different approaches and what works well for other writers.

Sir Gaylord-A Misalliance with Love

“It was a dangerous game. One that required reckless confidence and one he was bound to lose sooner or later. He must have chosen his victims carefully not to have found himself up against an enraged husband before now. Well, he made a grave mistake choosing Rosie as his next victim.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis.-A Misalliance with Love.

Image generated by Canva and digitally manipulated.

A writer’s dilemma: Being in love with our characters

An author in a writer’s forum posed this dilemma.

“I’m too in love with my characters and it’s causing me to overwrite. This is my first romance novel. I can’t stop writing the cute things they do together. They both have too many habits, quirks, back story moments, and so on. And I want to share them all with the reader . . . “

I understand this dilemma completely. This is what I faced when writing A Misalliance of Love. The main character, Rosie, has a backstory and family history that is just as interesting as the direction her life takes after graduating from Swarthmore Academy for Young Ladies. I wrote a lot about it, and after editing much of it out of the book, I still gave more than the usual amount of time to her history.

Her parents married under pressure: her mother to save her reputation after being compromised and her father to be prevented from marrying an opera singer. Misery ensued, and after the death of her mother, Rosie was shipped off to Hong Kong to live with an uncle in the Admiralty. I rarely read about characters that were raised in expatriate communities and would have loved to write more about her childhood overseas. So many words, so little time. I think a prequel might be necessary to bring Rosie’s story to readers.

It is a dilemma when you build your character so thoroughly that they almost seem real. You want to talk about them and share the quirks and nuances of their personalities. This is something I enjoy in the books I read. I want to know about the childhood that made the character into the adult they are, and I am happy to have quite a bit of time spent on their history.

But how much is too much information? Many readers want to move to the action immediately, and there are writers who are formulaic about when that should happen.

I confess I ignored all of that advice when writing my own book. I talk about my characters and their history quite a bit before moving on to the action. I’m doing the same in my next book and the characters of Ginny and Hugh.

Too much? Too little? What do you think? I hope my readers let me know.

Image: generated by Canva and digitally manipulated.

Approaching Sir Gaylord-A Misalliance with Love

“Gaylord’s was the type of grand country house built in the pleasing red brick style of the middle of the previous century. Sinclair had passed neatly tended formal gardens and spied numerous outbuildings as he approached the residence. The exterior was symmetrical, with a central front entrance and evenly spaced windows on either side. Modest in size but impressive, the home reflected the wealth and status of its owner.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis-A Misalliance with Love.

Image generated by Canva and digitally manipulated.

A writer’s dilemma: Is it worth it?

A writer in a writer’s forum posed the question: “To all the writers out there, be honest. Is writing really worth it? If yeah, how did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?”

I enjoyed writing from a very young age and have had teachers and one publisher tell me I have a ‘voice’. But I am also an artist, and the love of art was stronger, though I never made it a career.

I’ve tried my hand at writing books a number of times and did finally self-publish a non-fiction book.

I turned to fiction writing more seriously during the pandemic when I was building so many characters and scenes in my mind that I had to get them out of my head and onto paper. The ideas were never-ending, so I finally decided it was time to be serious about writing a book. 40,000 words into a contemporary romance, I hated my character so much that I started a historical romance instead, which is a genre I have always loved and have done an incredible amount of research on over the years.

I will continue until the characters are exhausted, which will be no time soon. I hope people read and enjoy my books. I am not doing it to become a best-selling author and make a lot of money. I want my characters to come alive and for their challenges to resonate with readers.

So far, it is really, really worth it. It is a labor of love.

A writer’s dilemma: marketing


In a Self-publishing support group, writer Elizabeth Conte says:
“We writers write. That is what we love and do. But, in today’s marketing people want to know you as a writer and a person. Many of us don’t like to talk about ourselves, or put our faces in 5 sec. videos. We just want to write and for people to buy our books. Unfortunately, that doesn’t cut it in today’s social media world.” Elizabeth Conte

She goes on to emphasize the importance of connection with readers. And although some writers focus solely on their craft, today’s landscape requires a more multifaceted approach. Social media is necessary, but it shouldn’t be painful. One can ‘engage comfortably’ by showcasing the writer’s interests and writing. Writers should take up this challenge to share their ‘writer’s persona’ through social media.

This post resonated with me in so many ways. It was a piece of excellent advice for those who have a burning passion to write but don’t want to ‘brand’ themselves. Many, many writers are natural introverts, and the thought of exposing themselves is more than just a little daunting. It’s a hard NO.

My head is too full of characters that want to escape to the page. Revealing them and weaving a story around them gives me joy. But I have found a few social media avenues I’m comfortable with: Facebook, Reddit forums, and daily blogging. Community is important and exciting to engage in. That is not marketing but may yield the same result.

The Wedding-A Misalliance with Love

“After his eyes traced her movement down the aisle on her father’s arm, Alton seemed distracted and preoccupied, his attention wandering rather than focusing on the promise they were meant to share. Even when the exchange of vows and rings approached, his mind seemed elsewhere.”

Excerpt From: Dee Harper Lewis-A Misalliance with Love.