Tag Archives: writing

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How to plot your Fantasy novel

NB: this was originally posted on There And Draft Again in May 2013, but I have tweaked it slightly to share with you again today.

Hello gentle reader,

Today I’d like to share with you a few tips to plot your Fantasy novel effectively. Whether you use this template for your first draft or your tenth one, I believe it’s always useful to keep in mind your novel’s important milestones. It helps with the pace of the story and it enables you to keep the reader engaged.

one-does-not-simply-write-a-book

There are dozens of templates out there (the most famous being the Save The Cat Beat Sheet by Blake Snyder). I’ve come up with the one below by taking bits and pieces from here and there. I have found it works well for a Fantasy novel. Feel free to reuse and adapt it to your needs…

Plot Point 1 Opening/Protagonist intro (1% in)

Plot Point 2 Inciting Incident (5%)

Plot Point 3 First Turning Point (10%)

Plot Point 4 First Big Twist (40%)

Plot Point 5 Middle Turning Point (50%)

Plot Point 6 Second Big Twist (70%)

Plot Point 7 Climax (85%)

Plot Point 8 Resolution (95%)

Plot Point 9 Finale (100%)

So what do you think? Do you use a plot spreadsheet to outline or revise your novel? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

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A Month In Review – ROW80 Check-In 5 and Wrap-Up

Hello gentle reader,

you may have noticed my last ROW80 Check-In was… 6 weeks ago. I was supposed to check-in every week, but life got hectic in May and I chose to use the little free time I had to read and write instead of checking in. But now we’ve reached the end of this Round and it’s only fair that I let you know how I did.

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round was to read or write every day.

This round I read 8 novels, 1 novella and 2 non-fiction books for research. I also beta-read 2 manuscripts. My goal being to read one book per week this year, I’m on target here!

This round, I also added 14K to my Work In Progress. It’s not as high a word count as I wanted it to be, but considering that I’m editing my other manuscript at the same time, it’s a good number, I think.

What I’ve been reading

The City’s Son by Tom Pollock (YA Urban Fantasy)

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch (YA Epic Fantasy)

Murder (Mayhem #2) by Sarah Pinborough (Historical Fantasy)

Debutantes by Cora Harrison (YA Historical)

Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii by Vicky Alvear Shecter (YA Historical)

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi (YA Sci-Fi/Dystopian)

Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3) by Tahereh Mafi (YA Sci-Fi/Dystopian)

The Forever Song (Blood of Eden #3) by Julie Kagawa (YA Paranormal/Dystopian)

Born of Corruption: A Born of Illusion Novella by Teri Brown (YA Historical Fantasy)

What I’ve been watching

Penny Dreadful

Penny Dreadful

Places I’ve been

I went to London this week, and walked around Foyles’ new flagship bookstore.

It’s an amazing place, with a huge YA section.

EM Castellan - Foyles 1

EM Castellan - Foyles 3

I also went to Liberty on Regent Street, one of my favourite department stores in London.

I just love its Tudor revival building!

EM Castellan - Liberty

What’s next

In July I’ll be taking part in CampNaNoWriMo, another writing challenge. Feel free to join in!

How was your ROW80 Round? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you in the comment section below! And here is the Linky to check out the other ROW80 posts.

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Querying and the request for an exclusive submission

Hello gentle reader,

While querying, you may be faced with the situation of having an agent request “an exclusive”. It’s when you send your manuscript to this agent alone and stop querying other agents until she gives you the green light.

Does this happen often?

According to a completely unscientific Twitter poll of my own doing, it seems to happen more often than you might imagine. Therefore if you’re querying, you might want to think about what you’ll do if/when faced with this situation.

How do you respond?

First, you celebrate, because this is a request!

Then you have three options. Panicking isn’t one of them.

Option 1: Your manuscript is already on the desk of one or several agents, so you can’t actually grant this exclusivity. In this case, you have to inform the agent who requested an exclusive and she’ll decide whether she still wants to read your manuscript or not.

Option 2: You don’t have any material out but you want to keep your options open, i.e. keep querying. This is what’s usually advised. Granting exclusivity means you stop querying for at least a couple of weeks, which many see as a waste of time, especially since there’s no way to predict the exclusivity will result in an offer of representation. In this case, be honest and let the agent know you’re not willing to grant anyone exclusivity. Again, she’ll either choose to request anyway or she’ll step down.

Option 3: You don’t have any material out but you’re willing to grant to the requesting agent the exclusivity she asked for.

Now, why on earth would you do this?

Since the consensus seems to be that granting an agent an exclusive isn’t to your advantage, when and how should you decide to say yes to this request?

  • The agent is your Dream Agent: in this case, you might not want to risk saying no to her. You might decide granting exclusive is worth it, even if the agent ends up rejecting your manuscript.
  • The agent is from a Big Agency: there are agents from big/famous agencies who ALWAYS request exclusives and refuse to read if this exclusivity isn’t granted. On the plus side, it often means they request material they’re really excited about: they believe in it and they want to have the chance to make an offer before anyone else. It’s flattering. On the downside, they might not make an offer in the end and you’ve wasted time. Again, it’s up to you to decide if you think it’s worth it.
  • If you grant exclusivity, make sure you set a deadline of no more than 4 weeks and make sure the agent agrees to it. If you haven’t heard from the agent after 4 weeks, nudge and feel free to start querying again (unless the agent replies and asks for more time… or makes an offer!).

Whichever the case, GRANTING AN EXCLUSIVE SHOULD FEEL LIKE THE RIGHT DECISION AT THE TIME. Dahlia Adler has a great post on querying red flags, and she explains that if it feels like an agent is making an unreasonable request, they most likely are making an unreasonable request.

To finish this post on a personal note, here is my own experience with exclusives:

I had one request for an exclusive in my querying life. I said yes. Here is why:

  • I had no material out at the time. I hadn’t even started querying. I met the agent at a writers’ conference. She read the first 10 pages of my manuscript, and asked for the rest – as an exclusive.
  • She was from a Big Agency, and she was used to requesting exclusives when she loved a project.
  • She was one of my dream agents.
  • I asked for a 4-week deadline. She replied to me within 2 weeks.
  • She didn’t offer representation, but she did give me valuable feedback.

To this day, I don’t regret granting this exclusive. So my advice on this topic is: do what feels right and what you think is best for you and your manuscript at the time of the request.

What do you think? Have you experienced a request for an exclusive while querying? What did you do? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

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Novel Writing and Themes

Hello gentle reader,

Let’s say you’ve written a novel. You’ve developed its plot, fleshed out its characters, worked hard on its world-building  and polished it for submission. You’ve sent it off to CPs, or agents, or editors. And the feedback you’re getting is something along the lines of “I didn’t care much/enough about the story.” This might mean your manuscript wasn’t this CP’s/agent’s/editor’s cup of tea. Or it might mean there’s an issue with themes in your story.

What are themes?

Every story has a PLOT and a THEME. Your plot is what happens to your characters and the problems they have to resolve. Your theme is what your story means, its relevance to the reader’s life.

For example in The Hunger Games, the plot is about Katniss taking part in the games and surviving them with Peeta. However the themes of the story are social inequalities, and life and death offered as entertainment, among others.

Do you need a theme in your novel?

This is my opinion, but I tend to say: yes, yes you do, very much. Some books focus on plot so much that they forget about themes. The result can be entertaining, but it’s also easily forgettable and quite frankly, hollow. Great books, which stay with the reader long after they’ve read it, offer a balance of plot and theme. They are both entertaining (=with a good plot) and they make the reader question his/her convictions (=with its themes).

How do I choose my themes?

Much like choosing the events that will make up your plot, choosing your themes is up to you, really. You need to ask yourself the question: which topics matter to me in life? You also need to make sure your theme matches the genre you’re writing in. With Historical fiction, I find it’s easy to think of themes just by researching the concerns of the time period I chose for my setting. They usually resonate a lot more with our modern lives than we could expect.

How do I weave my themes into my plot?

That’s the tricky part. You don’t want your themes to be impossible to get, but you don’t want to bang your reader on the head with them either. You need to strike a balance between plot and theme, and never preach or feel the need to make your theme obvious, EVEN IN CHILDREN’S BOOKS. If you manage to do that, then…

Any thoughts on themes? Any advice to mix plot and themes efficiently? Feel free to leave me a comment below!

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 4

Hello gentle reader,

My apologies for the late check-in, but I’ve been busy… writing! I hope you all had a great week!

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to read or write every day.

This week I read every day and I added 5,300 words to my WIP. I call this a small success!

Book of the Week

Snow Like Ashes

I read my ARC of SNOW LIKE ASHES by Sara Raasch (expected publication: 14th October 2014). It’s a YA High Fantasy and I really enjoyed it.

Picture of the Week

P1030375

Since this was a bank holiday weekend in the UK, I went to London for a day. The weather was beautiful and I had a wonderful time, as usual in this city.

Links of the Week

I interviewed YA Author Michelle Krys and posted the pictures I took in Paris in April.

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below! And here is the Linky to check out the other ROW80 posts.

 

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A Writer in the Spotlight – Michelle Krys

A Writer In The Spotlight Logo

Hello gentle reader,

I’m delighted to share with you another interview with a YA author! This week it’s Michelle Krys, whose debut HEXED is coming out in June. I “met” Michelle online thanks to the Christmas In July pitch contest she organizes every summer with Ruth Lauren Steven.

michelle krys final 4x6

Author: Michelle Krys

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Location: Northwestern Ontario, Canada

Website: http://michellekrys.com/

Book: HEXED (expected publication: June 10th 2014 by Delacorte Press)

My interview (24th April 2014)

1. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

Being a writer was one of those things I always said I wanted to do but never took any steps towards accomplishing. It was always later. When I grow up. When I had more time.

It was only once I began a yearlong maternity leave that things changed. My son slept through the night and took 3-4 hour naps during the day, and I knew that if I was ever going to write that book, I wouldn’t get any better of an opportunity try.

2. When and where do you write?

Now that my son is four and doesn’t nap, all of my writing gets done in the hour between when my husband gets home from work and before we get started making dinner. I also set an alarm every day for 5:30am with the intention of getting up to write before anyone else is awake, but I usually end up pressing the snooze button and going back to bed. But the good intentions are there, so that counts!

3. What do you say to writers who want to be published one day?

I always say the same thing: Be persistent. There will always be rejection in a writer’s life, whether you’re querying your first novel or you’re a New York Times Bestseller pitching your next project to editors. What matters is what you do about it. Keep working, keep learning, keep reading, and don’t let someone’s “No” be what makes you give up on your dream.

Hexed_6_17_13

4. To write HEXED, where did you get your inspiration from? (How did you come up with the idea of a cheerleader/witch?)

I got the idea for HEXED from my sister. A few years ago she told me about an adult historical novel she wanted to write, which she’d planned to call “The Witch Hunter’s Bible”. When she later decided not to pursue the idea after all, I asked her if I could use the title for a young adult novel that had been unfolding in my head ever since she first mentioned it to me. Ironically, ‘The Witch Hunter’s Bible’ ended up not being the best fit for the finished product, and we changed the title in the editorial process.

In terms of Indie being a cheerleader, I really wanted to subvert the usual gothic witch stereotype, and I thought a fun way to achieve that would to be for the protagonist to be popular and snarky rather than a quiet outcast. A cheerleader seemed like a great fit for that.

5. Why did you choose to write for young adults?

My first novel was actually for adults. One of the reasons I think it struck out with agents, besides it being my first novel, was that my passion wasn’t showing through on the page. I’d written a book I thought I should write instead of a book I wanted to write. When I gave up on the silly notion of what was a ‘real book’ and followed by heart, that’s when things started falling into place for me. I’m a firm believer that it’s obvious when your heart isn’t in it.

6. What are you working on now?

I’m about halfway through writing the first draft of Dead Girls Society, a YA paranormal thriller about a girl who escapes her helicopter parents by joining a high-stakes dare club, only to find more than just thrills—girls are going missing and she could be next.

DGS is a little bit dark, but it has the same kind of dry, sarcastic humor as Hexed, and of course, there’s plenty of action, romance, and drama. It’s been a complete blast to write!

Thanks so much for this interview, Michelle!

You can pre-order HEXED here or add it on Goodreads here.

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 3

Hello gentle reader,

It’s time for my weekly check-in! I hope you all had a great and productive week. Mine was incredibly busy!

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to read or write every day.

This week I still didn’t write much, but I read every day. I finished THE CITY’S SON by Tom Pollock, an amazing YA Urban Fantasy. I recommend it if you want an example of great world-building. I also did more research for my new WIP.

Good News of the Week

EM Castellan - ARC Snow Like Ashes

I won a book! I won an ARC of SNOW LIKE ASHES by Sara Raasch (expected publication: 14th October 2014). Sara held a giveaway on Twitter and I still can’t believe I won it 🙂

Music of the Week

Within-Temptation-2014-Photograph-by-Arjan-Kremer-800x534

I went to a concert this week: I went to see Within Temptation in Paris. It wasn’t the first time I was seeing them on stage but they were amazing as always.

Links of the Week

On my blog, I interviewed YA author Kat Ellis and I posted a few revision tips.

Next Week

Next week on my blog I’ll post an interview with YA author Michelle Krys as well as a few inspiring pictures taken in Paris…

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below! And here is the Linky to check out the other ROW80 posts.

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#RevisionTips

Hello gentle reader,

a few weeks ago I tweeted a couple of revision tips using the #revisiontips hashtag and I was joined by other writers. I was then asked by Jani Grey if I could sum this tips up in a blog post… So here we are!

Tips from Kat Ellis:

After the first pass or several, fresh eyes are vital to spot things you won’t.

If you’re a visual person, get your colour code on. There’s a reason writers hoard all those glitter/neon pens.

I read my manuscripts aloud to my husband. Great way to spot clunky phrasing, especially in the dialogue.

Tips from Dahlia Adler:

If you have a Kindle, sending your manuscript to it and reading it that way can be immensely helpful in finding errors etc.

Keep track of your ms’s smaller details, especially if you’re planning a series, to keep things consistent and minimize error.

Use betas w/different strengths and skill sets if you can. It’s amazing what different people can bring to the table for you.

Be honest w/yourself about what’s unnecessary. Cutting 10K words only sucks til you realize how much better your ms is for it.

Tip from Marieke Nijkamp:

Change the font, the font size, and/or the page layout. Trick your brain into thinking it’s a new story.

And finally, tips from me:

Revising can feel overwhelming. Fixing the plot, the characters, the setting, etc It’s a lot. Being organized is essential.

Have a plan. If you don’t know what a revising plan looks like, check out @stdennard‘s: Hers is FAB.

I tackle the big picture 1st (plot, relationships, characters, world building, pacing).Then I line-edit for filler words etc

Take your time. Whether you’re editing alone or based on your agent/editor’s feedback, take as much as time as is needed.

Print your manuscript and read through it in one sitting. Makes it much easier to catch typos and inconsistencies.

That’s it! I hope this is helpful. Feel free to add your own revision tips in the comments!

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A Writer In The Spotlight – Kat Ellis

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Hello gentle reader,

Today I’m thrilled to share with you an interview with another talented YA author! I “met” the lovely Kat Ellis online a couple of years ago and now her debut BLACKFIN SKY is coming out on 14th May.

Kat Ellis

Author : Kat Ellis

Genre : Young Adult, Thriller

Location: North Wales, UK

Website: http://katelliswrites.blogspot.co.uk/

Book : BLACKFIN SKY (out 14th May in the UK and 2nd September in the US)

My interview (19th April 2014)

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?

Oh, no. Not at all. I think my career aspirations went something like this:

Actress (age 8) …singer (age 10, before I knew I couldn’t sing) …spy (age 12, before I knew my French wasn’t that good) … rock star (age 13, when I learned to play guitar – not well) …racing driver (age 21, after finally learning to drive) …uh, OK, maybe I’ll work in IT (also 21).

So I worked in admin for a bit, then moved into a more IT-ish job, where full-on geekery was obviously a MUST, and ended up falling in love with YA films… then YA books… then YA writing. I think I was about 27 when I knew that I wanted to be a YA author for real.

When and where do you write?

I’m lucky that I get quite a lot of time to write now, and have my very own writing cave at home. The walls are lined with books, and I have my guitar and piano in there to play with when I’m stuck with my writing (or just feel like a skive).

What do you say to someone who wants to be a writer?

HOORAY! (I think anyone who puts in the time and effort to make their dream happen deserves a bloody big HOORAY.)

blackfin sky jpeg

(UK cover)

To write BLACKFIN SKY, where did you get your inspiration from?

I started off knowing the story’s hook: I knew that Skylar drowned on her 16th birthday, and that she’d come back 3 months later and act like nothing had happened. So, breaking all my own rigorous plotting rules, I wrote the first chapters without knowing where it would end up. And I hit the mother of all brick walls when I realised I had no idea what had actually happened to her.

So I mulled it over for a while, took a break from writing, and mulled some more. And then, as happens every summer, the circus came to town. I went with my sister and niece to watch the performance, and it was while I was sitting in the stands, amazed at all the stunts going on in the Big Top, that I figured out what had happened to Sky.

Ta-da! The rest is history. Or Blackfin Sky, actually.

Blackfin-Sky-Kat-Ellis(US cover)

Which authors inspire you now? (=Any books you’d recommend?)

I like to read across the genre spectrum, but have developed recent author crushes on Non Pratt (TROUBLE), C J Skuse (ROCKAHOLIC, PRETTY BAD THINGS, DEAD ROMANTIC), and Patrick Ness (A MONSTER CALLS, THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO).

Some of my long-time author heroes are Lisa McMann (WAKE trilogy, THE MISSING, CRASH, DEAD TO YOU) Michael Grant (GONE series), and Lucy Christopher (STOLEN and THE KILLING WOODS).

As April was UKYA month, I got to catch up on reading a lot of UKYA from my TBR pile, and it’s been fantastic focusing on all the talented authors and amazing fiction coming from the UK right now. Definitely inspiring!

Thank you so much for this interview, Kat!

You can add BLACKFIN SKY on Goodreads here or pre-order it here.

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My Week In Review – ROW80 Check-In 2

Hello gentle reader,

Happy Easter!

It’s time for my weekly check-in! I hope you all had a great and productive week. Mine was good!

ROW80 Check-In

ROW80 Logo

My goal for this round is to read or write every day.

This week I didn’t write, but I read every day. I’ve been researching for my new WIP and reading two non-fiction books. I also beta read an awesome manuscript written by Katie Bucklein.

TV Show of the Week

New Worlds

I’ve been watching New Worlds on Channel 4. It’s a historical show set in England and America in the 1680s. I’ve been enjoying it, although the plot is quite scattered.

Book of the Week

CitysSon

For #UKYADay, I’ve been reading The City’s Son by Tom Pollock, a YA Urban Fantasy published in 2012. I’m only a few chapters in but I’m really enjoying it so far!

Links of the Week

This week I was interviewed by Karen McCoy on her blog. I talked about my agent and my manuscript.

On my blog I interviewed YA Author Susan Dennard and I explained how to write a large cast of characters.

On There And Draft Again I shared a list of books on the writing craft.

Next week

Next week on my blog I’ll post an interview with YA Author Kat Ellis and I’ll share a few editing tips.

How was your week? Make sure to share your writing progress and what inspired you this week in the comment section below! And here is the Linky to check out the other ROW80 posts.