Guest Author Kristina Riggle: Managing Your Time as a Writer

I don't know about y'all, but I never seem to have enough time to do everything I want (and need) to do. Today, Kristina Riggle is going to help us out there, and give us a few pointers on managing your time as a writer.

Kristina Riggle lives and writes in West Michigan. Her debut novel, Real Life & Liars, was a Target "Breakout" pick and a "Great Lakes, Great Reads" selection by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association. The Life You’ve Imagined was honored by independent booksellers as an IndieNext “Notable” book. Her newest book, Things We Didn't Say came out June 28, so go check it out.

Take it away Kristina...

I'm Howling With the Turtles

I'm doing an interview over at Howling Turtle today, so pop on over and say hello! There's also a couple of book giveaways as well, with a chance to win the first two books in The Healing Wars trilogy (that would be my books, The Shifter and Blue Fire) and first two books in the Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. 

Arc Enemy: Defining Story Arcs

Do your story arcs end in gold?

There are all kinds of story arcs to keep track of during a revision. Plot arcs, character arcs, theme arcs, time line arcs. Keeping track of them can drive us nuts, but if we don't, they could all unravel and leave us with a huge mess.

I've found that taking them one at a time helps me keep them in order. I like to create a new file (or use a new sheet of paper if you prefer) and make lists, so it's easy to see the progression and when things happen.

Here's what I look for:

1. Plot Arcs
These are probably the easiest to keep track of because odds are they're written down somewhere. You had to figure them out to write the book in the first place, right? Start with your core conflict. Then look at all the events that have to happen between your inciting event, and the resolution. Put the chronological list in one column, and the chapter in another (do this with all the lists). If you break things down by scene number, use that. Whatever makes it easy to see when and where things happen. In multiple POV stories, this can get a little messy, so look carefully at what points move the core plot and what points are part of that POV's subplot or character arc.

Guest Author K.A. Stewart: Enhancing Your Descriptions

Today we have K.A. Stewart, author of the Jesse James Dawson series, giving up a few tips on ways to enhance your descriptions -- and your own senses. Her books include A Devil in the Details, and the on-sale today sequel, A Shot in the Dark. If you like urban fantasy (or were thinking about trying one) go check these out.

K.A. Stewart has a BA in English with an emphasis in Literature from William Jewell College. She lives in Missouri with her husband, daughter, one cat, and one small furry demon that thinks it's a cat.

Take it away K.A....

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

Uncle Dan wants YOU!

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday today! (for those who celebrate of course).  Even if you're not celebrating, go out and do something for yourself to honor the idea of "independence." Go be independent and free. And silly. All holidays need a little silly fun.

Cadaver Dan chose to celebrate in his usual stylish way and couldn't wait to get out the sparklers.

Real Life Diagnostics: Establishing Character and Grabbing the Reader

Real Life Diagnostics is a recurring column that studies a snippet of a work in progress for specific issues. Readers are encouraged to send in work with questions, and I diagnose them on the blog. It’s part critique, part example, designed to help the submitter as well as anyone else having a similar problem.

If you're interested in submitting to Real Life Diagnostics, check out the page for guidelines.

This week’s question:

I'd love for you to take a look at the opening 250 words of my middle-grade science fiction manuscript. I'd like to know if it's a good opener, if the main character is well-established (or perhaps introduced well is what I mean), etc.

On to the diagnosis…

What to do, What to do? Plotting Through Goals

A plot is just a series of events that allow you to illustrate your story. Because of that, you have a multitude of things you can do to your characters. All those possibilities means it's sometimes hard to know what to do next. Plotting is simple, yet often difficult. I've found that goals make the entire process easier.

As you start your scene, your protag will have a goal. It'll probably be a story goal, because the whole point is to move the story forward, right? But also try thinking about the other goals. The smaller, even pointless goals the protag might have. What are their feeling at that moment? What do they want, both selfishly and unselfishly? They might want to have a quiet moment to think as they're working to keep a room full of terrified people calm. They might want to slap the woman who won't stop shrieking. Lots of things are probably going through their minds. Short and long-term goals.