A large part of how that sense of urgency is created is through chapter by chapter cliffhangers. Readers will naturally look to the ends of chapters as opportunities to pause on their reading and, as the author, you want to make that as difficult for them as possible. So by having an important or suspenseful event occur at the end of a chapter, you give the reader incentive to keep your book in their hands.

1) The Hook

The hook is the portion at the end of a chapter that hooks you in and makes you want to continue the story. There are many options for the hook, one of which is a peril cut. A peril cut involves putting the protagonist or another important character in great peril, which is revealed right at the end of the chapter. There are many different ways you can put your protagonist in mortal peril from having them get captured and thrown in a van or having them get hit over the head and blackout. These actions put the story in suspense, making the reader need to continue reading to find out if their protagonist will be safe.

The other option is to make the cliffhanger at the end of the chapter more about character-based or emotional suspense. So this would involve revealing crucial character information at the end of a chapter. Perhaps one character finds out another lied to them or one character finds out another is the perpetrator of villainous events in the story. Or maybe we find out a devastating or otherwise emotionally taxing event has occurred at the end of the chapter.

2) The Bait

Equally as important as the hook is to bait your readers with the first few paragraphs of the next chapter. Think about it, when you’re reading and you get to the end of the chapter and read a cliffhanger, what do you do? You flip to the next page, see what the start of the next chapter looks like, and decide if you’re going to keep going or stop reading for the night. And, as an author, your goal is to make sure your readers don’t put your book down.

The easiest way to hook your reader into the next chapter immediately is with a strong opening line and by directly connecting it to the previous chapter. So if your cliffhanger is that a character gets knocked unconscious, the next chapter should begin with them waking up and orienting themselves with their new surroundings. If the cliffhanger is about a character finding out some devastating information about their friend, the next chapter should begin with what they choose to do immediately after finding out that information.

This becomes much trickier in a novel that switches POV’s, time, or settings. In those instances, you need to establish the POV, time, and setting as quickly as possible while also hooking the reader into these new circumstances. It becomes much easier to put a book down when a reader is hooked into one situation and it switches to another. Make it harder for them with a super strong opening paragraph and by creating a sense of urgency and suspense with each POV, scene, and time period about which you’re writing.

3) Practice

One of the best ways to get good at writing cliffhangers is by avidly reading. When reading, start to pay attention to how an author ends each chapter and begins the next. Notice the different circumstances and techniques used and which ones keep you most hooked into the book.

Once you’ve been paying attention to these details in books for a little bit, begin to brainstorm some ways you could employ them in your own manuscript. Since you’ve likely plotted out your book, what would be particularly good spots to include chapter cliffhangers? Mark those spots and attempt to structure your chapters accordingly.

The post How to Write a Chapter Cliffhanger appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

1) Decide On a Twist

Whether it be that a character who appears good is secretly a murderer or someone was roped into helping to steal a priceless artifact, you’ll need to figure out what the twist of your story will be. The key thing to remember, though, is that the information itself isn’t the ‘twist’, it’s a crucial piece of action that is backed up by the information.

So, for example, let’s say your twist is that the murderer of your story is secretly a close friend of the protagonist. You must have them reveal themselves through a choice like killing someone in front of your protagonist. Having them monologue the information isn’t a twist, this is what backs up and supports a twist that has already occurred.

Ultimately, before you begin writing your story, you’ll need to decide what the twist will be, the story behind the twist, and how it will be revealed through action.

2) Plot Out Your Story

Next, you’ll need to plot your story in order for it to make sense both from the perspective of knowing and not knowing what the twist will be. You have to make sure the story is logical while your readers are still in the dark, and then also when the shocking twist reveals itself.

If your twist involves a certain character in the story being unlike their outer persona, you’ll need to plot the whole story from both your protagonist’s perspective and theirs. What do they do throughout that alleviates them from suspicion until the end? Why are they doing what they’re doing? Who are they really?

3) Scatter Clues Throughout

As you’re going into writing your story, it can be helpful to leave tiny little almost imperceptible hints throughout. For example, let’s say the murderer is murdering people he feels are responsible for the death of his brother. The protagonist could notice him always wearing a certain gold chain around his neck and later this could be revealed to have come from his brother and serves as a symbol of his dedication to avenging him.

This is a detail that doesn’t feel suspicious in the slightest upon reading so your readers would have no reason to be suspicious, but it also aids the later reveal and shows that you put thought into it if you included this detail early on.

4) Focus On the Choices

As we stated earlier, choice is the key to executing a twist. Therefore you must not only focus on the choice that will eventually reveal the twist, but also the choices being made throughout. This is tricky because it involves a balancing act of sorts. You want the character surrounding the reveal to not be someone under suspicion because otherwise, the twist won’t feel very surprising. At the same time, however, you want their behavior and choices to make sense from the POV of the twist reveal.

It can be helpful to perhaps have a scene that shows them at one scene while the ‘killer’ is on the loose, thereby making it seem as though they’re beyond suspicion. And then you’d later reveal that they did this to throw the police off the scent. Make sure you’re plotting your story well and making sure that all of this person’s movements make sense from every POV while also not allowing them to become an obvious object of suspicion.

5) Revise

As much as you want to believe you’ll nail this on the first try, something this intricate takes multiple drafts. Don’t beat yourself up when the threads inevitably get too tangled or when you hand your first draft to your editor and they notice several areas with plot holes. You need all of the threads to fit together perfectly in order to execute that moment that combines surprise, awe, and satisfaction known as the twist.

The post How to Write a Crazy Twist appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

You turn your head and see someone a few blocks away, with a gray hoodie pulled over his head, following you with his hands in his pockets. You think very little of it at first, another person walking home from a shift surely. But then you turn right onto a side street and you hear him turn to follow you. Now it’s starting to feel like you’re being followed. You pull out your keys and place one between your fingers. You pull out your phone and pretend to make a phone call. As you fake a conversation, your breathing starts to pick up but you control your pace so as not to alert him. If he makes the next turn with you you’re going to start running.

Fear is a very instinctual and powerful emotion that heightens the stakes of your story. Here are some ways that you can write a scene where your character is experiencing fear by showing the reader rather than telling them.

1) Mannerisms

As with any time you’re trying to show rather than tell the reader something, you’ll want to start by looking at your character’s mannerisms. Fear is a very primal and extreme emotion so it will be a more obvious reaction than certain others. For example, having a character scream or shake or walk slowly. They could also be biting their nails or even full out running in certain scenarios. But how a character reacts when faced with fear can say a lot about them, so think about how your character would react when faced with the fearful scenario in which you’re writing them.

2) Observations

Being from the POV of your protagonist, seeing them observe certain things can also show that they’re in a fearful state. For example, let’s say your character is walking down a boardwalk at night. As opposed to noticing a cute couple walking hand in hand or the way the ocean reflects the lights of the buildings so beautifully, your character instead notices a man sitting in a dark corner who is eating a sandwich and staring angrily after him. The fact that your character focuses on anything that could possibly be suspicious as opposed to the wholesome parts of the walk can show that they’re in a heightened state of unease.

3) Atmosphere

The atmosphere surrounding your character can be another way to show fear. Describing the dark night, a cold wind that creeps up your spine, trees looming over you, animals rustling around in bushes, a howl in the distance… all of these visuals create an eerie and spooky tone. Since we’re viewing the story through the lens of your protagonist, your readers know that how the scene is being described directly connects to how the character is feeling. So if you’re scaring your readers by how you’re describing the scene, you’re showing them your protagonist is scared too.

4) Action

How your character is acting is another excellent way to display how they’re feeling- especially when it drastically differs from how they would normally act. Think of horror movies and the choices the characters make along the way. Do they go through the woods or through the city? Do they go to hide in the house or in the shed? In most cases yes it’s frustrating because they seemingly make very stupid choices, but in some cases, it makes sense that characters panic and just run for the first thing they see. Whether or not they go back for their friends or how they choose to hide or what choices they make all depend on the situation and who they are as a character.

5) Character Clues

In addition to your protagonist, using supporting characters can also be a helpful way to show fear. They could point out that your character is acting strangely through dialogue. Or the way that they act in fear could provide a contrast to how your protagonist is handling the situation. This is also another thing that your character could observe and that could add to their heightened state of fear as well. It’s one thing to find yourself afraid, but once you see others around you are scared too that can often increase one’s sense of panic.

The post Show Don’t Tell: Fear appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Do you feel that fist-clenching tenseness? Cultivating that feeling is a crucial part of what horror readers are looking to experience throughout your book.

1) Layers of Terror

There are a few different types of terror that horror aficionados will expect in their books. We could tell you about them, but famed horror writer Stephen King really says it best, “The 3 types of terror: The Gross-out: the sight of a severed head tumbling down a flight of stairs, it’s when the lights go out and something green and slimy splatters against your arm. The Horror: the unnatural, spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, it’s when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm. And the last and worse one: Terror, when you come home and notice everything you own had been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It’s when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there’s nothing there…”

The best types of horror novels will have layers and will find ways to incorporate all three of these terror types. When they pick up your book, your readers want to be scared so it’s best to give them as many different ways to be scared as possible.

2) Create Continued Suspense

Another aspect of these novels that horror-junkies can’t get enough of is the continued suspense one feels when reading a horror book. This suspense isn’t created through the monster jumping out of the shadows or wreaking havoc on the town, but rather through the absence of that. Suspense is created through a looming sense of danger- we don’t know what it is or why it is or how it is, but we know it’s coming. One way to create suspense is through foreshadowing or placing lines or moments into the book that hint at what is to come later. This can be in the form of the character finding a mysterious substance at the park where a child died recently or taking a series of photos and seeing the same old lady in all of them. These devices show the reader that something isn’t right, that something is lurking in the background of this story and you never know when it will rear its head.

You can also create suspense through your characters. Perhaps there’s a character who is exhibiting some shady behavior, this puts the reader further on edge wondering if they’re in on whatever danger is lurking. The more you can call back on the danger that’s building, the more tense readers will feel. Think of the feeling you get when you’re watching a movie and a character is walking through a dark house. You know something is going to pop out and scare you, but you don’t know when. Your novel should have a more drawn out version of that feeling.

3) Balance Suspense with Calm

Even though you want to have a looming sense of suspense present in your book, you need to also give the readers moments of calm as well. Suspense is a very intense feeling and, if you don’t create a balance here, you’ll risk having a reader need to put down your book to take a breather. These moments present opportunities to build on your characters and their relationships as well. This will not only create a more enjoyable fleshed-out reading experience, but it will also make the moments where we return to the tension feel much more palpable.

4) Put Your Readers into your Protagonist’s Head

As we said earlier, your reader wants to get scared. The most visceral way you can create a scary experience for them is to make them feel like they’re going through this experience themselves. This is why a first-person or a close third-person POV works best for a horror novel. You should put your reader into your protagonist’s head and allow them to see the world out of their eyes. Suddenly they’ll find themselves in a darkened field, being chased by a masked man with a chainsaw. Which is much scarier than simply watching that happen from a safe psychic distance.

5) More than Gore

Although different facets of suspense and terror are important, the best horror stories are about more than just gore. Stories such as Us, The Platform, It, It Follows, etc. are all dealing with psychological themes as well as simply present danger. Both The Platform and Us deal with themes of classism and the resentment that a corrupt system can cause. The story It involves childhood innocence being corrupted and It Follows is a thinly veiled idea based on STD’s. A horror audience will want to see some depth from your idea, so attempt to think of a societal or psychological human condition by which everyone has been troubled or tortured. Use that idea to create your monster or killer and the parameters through which he, she, or it operates in the world.

The post Writing For Your Audience: Horror appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Average Joe

In any Hero’s Journey, your hero will start off as just another Average Joe. He or she will live in the ‘real world’ or a word devoid of the magic and/or adventure that they’ll surely be seeing later in your book. They’ll start off in a position where the reader can relate to them, whether that be by their housing situation, financial troubles, or just general restlessness. You could also go one of two ways with the mundanity of this person’s life- it could either be something they’re desperate to escape from or something they love and cling to.

Call to adventure

This is the part of the book where the person finds out they’re needed for some kind of quest. The ‘Chosen One’ mentality is very popular here, meaning that they’ve been chosen by some divine being or force and only they can save the world or kingdom or variation thereupon. Whether it be divine–or if they simply find out something no one else knows and need to get the information out there–they’ve suddenly found themselves called to action in a way they never knew possible.

Refusing the call

The hero will always try to talk themselves out of the call to action they’re faced with… at first. Whether their excuse is all of the responsibilities in their life or they like their quiet, simple existence or it’s too dangerous or various other reasons- they are reluctant to say yes. But we all know they do because then there would be no story, right?

Mentor

Gandalf, Hagrid, Wednesday, Tumnus, Obi-Wan, Abenthy…what do all of these characters have in common? They each serve as the mentor that brings the main character into the adventure of the story. Your mentor can have many different types of personalities, but the main thing they should have is a certain level of wisdom that they will impart to the protagonist, kicking them off on their journey.

The Journey

The main crux of any hero’s journey is the journey itself. This adventurous stage of the book will involve changing the hero’s perception of the world, allowing them to meet new friends, forcing them to confront enemies and face obstacles along the way. Throughout this stage, it’s important that you map out each neck of your protagonist’s journey and how it changes him or her along the way. So, for example, let’s say your character faces off with a giant spider at one point. Does this encounter make him braver, facing his demons head-on? Or does it teach him to be more cunning, stealthy, and how to think on his feet? You’ll also want to make sure you establish the ‘final boss’ or enemy that your hero will need to face early on so that your reader will know the climax of the story when you reach it.

Will They Make It?

There should be a point, right before you reach the climax of the story, when your hero and/or their crew experiences a ‘fall from grace.’ This should be where your hero’s biggest flaw ends up coming to a boiling point, causing them to feel like a failure or experience a downtick in their self-confidence. Sometimes the resulting downfall will be your group splitting up or your hero momentarily giving up on their quest. Once they’ve done some soul searching, however, they’ll realize what they must do to overcome their flaws and beat the final bad guy or overcome the last obstacle of the journey.

The Final Boss

This is the part where your hero faces their final, most challenging, obstacle. Whether that be an all-powerful evil magician, hell-bent on keeping the magical realm in darkness or whether it be crossing a boiling bridge of lava over a volcano where a lost magical ring will be waiting, this final neck of the journey should be the most climactic point of the book.

Reward & Resolution

This is the stage where the hero gets what they’ve been after since the beginning of the book. This could be presented as a happy, cheerful moment, but there are also cases where you get what you want and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be or it comes with a price you weren’t expecting. If this is the case, it’ll likely leave your hero with a choice that will affect the resolution of the story. Once your hero decides where his or her priorities lie and how they want their life to be now that they’ve changed so much throughout the journey, your story will lead to the natural conclusion that their choice will give them.

The post The ‘Hero’s Journey’ Formula appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Seeing Our Reflections

Though Science Fiction readers yearn for fantastical drastically advanced worlds, they want themes that are culturally relevant in the present day. So, when you’re preparing to write a sci-fi epic, think about modern issues you care about or even worry about in the world and how (if left untreated) those problems could escalate in the future or in an original species that you create. For example, the science fiction book Ready Player One focuses on a future where we immerse ourselves in virtual worlds and let our planet essentially crumble to ruins around us. Another classic sci-fi book, Red Rising, illustrates where extreme classism can take us- especially when we begin colonizing other planets.

We strongly recommend, rather than trying to tackle several issues at once, that you hone in on one specific problem you see in the world or with humanity and flesh that out as much as possible. If you try to think about all of the different problems in the world it can be a) overwhelming, b) depressing as heck, and c) hard to trace into a possible future or species. In addition, sci-fi readers are all about detailed and intricate concepts where every possible question has been answered. It’s much easier to create a detailed species, world, or future for the human race if you’re focusing on all the in’s and out’s of one issue rather than hundreds. Ultimately, think about what you believe to be the biggest problem facing society or human nature and bring that into your story as a central theme.

Technology & Techno-babble

The main difference between science fiction and fantasy writing is this category right here. Rather than gloss over the inner workings of different pieces of technology you include or cultural concepts you create- sci-fi readers want to hear all of those details. They want to be thoroughly convinced that you did your research as an author and that the technology, medicine, medical procedures, government structure, etc. that they’re reading about is entirely possible and mapped out. While you shouldn’t go into these rants without character context and they shouldn’t be happening on every page, don’t shy away from those long explanations- for sci-fi readers, the devil really is in the details.

Exploration/Discovery

Another big theme that sci-fi readers all want to see is some form of exploration or discovery. Whether that be a character discovering that their world is bigger than they thought or characters discovering a big concept like time travel or parallel worlds- these readers long for those ‘aha’ and ‘oh my gosh’ moments that true scientists and innovators experience. So don’t make the mistake of revealing everything about the world and the trajectory of the story early on. You protagonist should get to grow and change as the scope of their world and its capabilities does the same.

Suspense

While not technically a suspense novel, sci-fi readers want to see a certain level of the suspense genre brought into these novels. Typically in science fiction books, we see one of two tropes: either the world is in danger (or put into danger) and in need of saving or the world is already in a bad place and needs rescuing. For example, in the acclaimed sci-fi novel 1984, George Orwell creates a very dystopian totalitarian world that the protagonist slowly becomes aware of. And if one of these two suspense tropes isn’t employed, science fiction writers will find other ways to create suspense. For example, in the novel Station Eleven, the reader knows an apocalypse of some kind has occurred in this world, but the ‘what’ and ‘how’ is withheld from us. Instead, the novel jumps back and forth in time and POV, slowly cluing the readers in on what happened. Ultimately, sci-fi readers want high stakes, drama, and to be at the edge of their seats. They should feel like they’re strapped into a spaceship flying at hyperspeed (even if they’re just curled up on their couch with their cat).

The post Writing For Your Audience: Science Fiction appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

If you have devoted readers who are suffering from this affliction at the end of your book or series (and maybe you’re not ready to let it go either) one way to give them a cure without ruining the satisfying ending you crafted is by creating a prequel or prequel series. There is a lot of pressure after a successful and beloved series, so for those finding the prospect both intriguing but terrifying here are some tips on prequel writing:

1) Does the story need telling?

Before you delve into the extremely complicated world that is prequel writing, you must first ask yourself- is this a story worth telling? We don’t mean this as an insult, but simply to say that there has to be a purpose for writing one. Prior to writing a prequel story, here are a few questions you should ask yourself: What are the unanswered questions in your book or series? Are the answers complex enough that they deserve their own storyline? Is the arc of the untold backstory strong enough to carry its own novel? Do you have a readership devoted enough to be interested in a prequel story?

Your prequel could connect the dots in some way by explaining why a certain character is the way they are in your current series or by explaining a lost history. Regardless of what and how, it must provide new information that readers will be excited by.

2) Choose a time period and characters to focus on

Once you’ve made the choice to write a prequel, you’ll need to choose your character subject(s) and the time period. Perhaps you’re writing a prequel story about a long lost history often referenced throughout your current book or series. Your subject could be a hero or legend, who you will humanize throughout your story. Or it could take place a mere few years or decade prior to the events of your current stories.

For example, take the world of Harry Potter. The series takes place prior to and over the course of the second coming of Voldemort, but there’s likely a large readership who’d be interested in a story of his first rise to power. This would center around Harry’s parents and their friends (the Marauders) as the titular characters. Though this time period is often alluded to in the series, the readers only get a vague picture of the events in the series and would likely love to receive a more in-depth look into the time period. Overall, make sure you choose a time period and characters that will allow you to answer these unanswered questions and give your readers new and interesting insights.

3) Continuity is key

This is likely the most important part of prequel writing and we can’t emphasize it enough. No matter who you choose as your subject and what time period you decide to write from, make sure that there is continuity between your first series and your prequel. The readers who will be interested in a prequel love the world you created and want to experience more. You risk ruining the integrity of your first series or novel if your timeline is all over the place or if a character’s backstory completely differs from what was stated in your series.

In order to make sure you get this exactly right, you’ll need to reread your series or book. Make note of any mentions of backstories regarding the time period or characters from whom you’ll be writing. Then spend time mapping out each character’s timelines over the course of the prequel story, making sure each detail lines up with what has been previously mentioned in the book. Of course, new information is crucial, but what was already established must seamlessly fit into place as well.

4) Fill in the blanks

As stated previously, it’s crucial to provide readers of a prequel with some new insight into the story. How did this king become so evil? How was magic wiped from this world and why? How did this war really begin? How did a mysterious assassin get into his or her trade? Allow the reader to have those moments of excitement when they find some crucial information that answers questions they had. Even if you feel like you have an idea of the time period/character(s) you’d like to focus on, it may be helpful to take a poll or ask family or friends what they would be interested to learn about characters or events in your series. This way, if those questions align with the time period from which you’re writing, you can add in more little nuggets of knowledge to make your fandom further geek out.

5) It should be its own story

While it is important that a prequel should provide new information to your story, it should also work as its own standalone story. Don’t make the mistake of solely relying on your series to interest readers, this story should also have a compelling plot, new characters, a suspenseful climax, etc. Therefore, once you’ve done your work mapping the important plot points for the characters individually, make sure you flesh out the overarching storyline as well. For example, though Lord of the Rings is the main series, some readers will begin with The Hobbit series first. Theoretically, there may be readers who do this with your series as well so you must create a compelling story for those readers, not just your die-hard fans.

6) Create suspense by subverting reader expectations

One of the downsides of a prequel series is that some of the suspense is gone because the readers will already know where most of the characters end up. Therefore, you must find different ways to create suspense. For example, let’s say George R.R. Martin decided to do a prequel series about the Mad King (for those who aren’t GOT fans, this king basically brought down the previous ruling family because he was so evil and crazy). Let’s say this story begins and we meet the Mad King for the first time and he seems completely normal, maybe even kind. That would leave readers gasping, wondering, “What happened to him? How did he end up becoming the Mad King?” So, while the reader still knows where the story will eventually go, this creates a certain level of anticipation. Think of similar ways to do this with your story. Fill in the blanks in ways that readers won’t suspect, while still staying true to the continuity of the story. You may think this sounds like asking you to juggle flaming knives…welcome to prequel writing.

The post Genre Focus: Prequels appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

You’ve entered a flashback, of course.

Writing flashbacks can be an incredibly difficult art. Flashbacks often become an unwelcome crutch for novice writers, serving as the sole medium through which we find out about our protagonist’s past. But, in actuality, a flashback scene is only meant to be used in extremely specific circumstances. For those struggling to find that happy balance between past and present, here are some tips to help:

1) Do you really need a flashback?

Although you, as the writer, will have very clear pictures of the various events and memories leading up to your protagonist’s present circumstances, that doesn’t always mean they should be included in your story. Novels and short stories that rely heavily on flashbacks are widely considered weak and ineffective. This is because of one of the main pitfalls of using flashbacks: the events have already happened. A strong story focuses on the present circumstances of a character and the conflict that lies in their circumstances. There is no immediate sense of urgency or suspense inherent to something that happened years prior to the present events in which the reader is invested.

Therefore, a flashback is only to be used in cases where the reader is gaining something from living out a memory that they wouldn’t be able to gain through exposition. Allow us to give a few examples. Let’s say you want to detail that your protagonist had a loving relationship with his deceased mother through the memory of them having a conversation while watching a film together. The day you’re choosing isn’t an emotional/dramatic or life-changing scene for your protagonist, it’s merely to illustrate the nature of their relationship. In this case, we recommend summarizing the events of that memory rather than jumping into a flashback.

On the other hand, when a memory is emotional or depicts a crucial moment that largely or wholly informs the person that your protagonist is in the present…this is the only case where a flashback should be used. Let’s say your protagonist once saw their sister drown in a lake at a young age. You can’t very well summarize an event or scene like this. Not only would that be jarring to read, but it wouldn’t do justice to the full emotional impact of the event and how it informs your protagonist and their decisions in the present tense.

So, when you’re considering whether a flashback is needed, ask yourself – Do the events in this memory have a huge life-long impact on my protagonist? Do they largely or wholly inform their decisions in the present tense? If your answer is ‘no,’ don’t use a flashback.

2) Focus on ‘the now’ and build suspense

As stated previously, the main focus of your novel or short story should be on the action in the present tense. Therefore, possibly the worst thing you could do is to start your story with a flashback scene. Not only will that confuse the reader as to what ‘the now’ of the story is, but they also have no context for the flashback. A flashback is meant to provide an explanation for specific character traits or flaws. You must spend time establishing your character thoroughly first, making your reader wonder why the character is a certain way, in order for the flashback to have any sort of payoff.

Writers often make the mistake of thinking the reader needs to immediately understand everything about their protagonist- their past, who they are, why they are the way they are, etc. But this isn’t the case at all. Although you should quickly establish who your character is now, your reader doesn’t immediately need to know who they were. In fact, creating a sense of suspense and mystery around your character’s past will make your pivotal flashback scenes even more effective. Though flashbacks don’t have any immediate sense of urgency, by building up to them, you create that sense of urgency that they inherently lack. A pro-tip for creating this is to pepper in little parts or flashes of the memory throughout the story leading up to the flashback. For example, let’s say the memory has something to do with a bar. Perhaps your character smells a certain kind of alcohol in the present and then hears the voice of one of their friends in their head (a friend from the memory). This will keep the reader intrigued, wondering when these scattered details will be explained.

3) Use external triggers

Transitioning in and out of a flashback is an extremely difficult art and must be handled with great care. One of the biggest mistakes writers make with these transitions is to give no context to them. These memories that the reader is witnessing can’t come out of absolutely nowhere. Like everything else in your story, they must be informed (in some way) by the present action of the story. So it must feel like we’re seeing this memory because the protagonist is reliving it.

The best way to smooth the initial transition in and out of the flashback is to use external triggers. For example, as previously stated, perhaps the protagonist smells a certain type of alcohol that transports him into his memory. Or maybe she sees a woman in a red coat that looks exactly like her sister. They need to have a reason for being sucked back in time in this very vivid sense.

And, just like they need a reason to go back, they need one to come back to the present. So perhaps a horn honking, a door slamming, or someone calling their name. Think about moments where you’ve slipped into daydreams and what external forces have pulled you back to reality.

4) Don’t confuse your readers

When you’re transitioning into a flashback, the last thing you want is for a reader to be unable to tell you’ve gone back in time. This is such a clear indication of an amateur writer and will likely lose you a lot of readers (out of pure frustration). To avoid confusion, it’s important to quickly alert your reader as to the shift in time, where we’ve shifted to, where in space we are, and who is present that matters to the story. One great example of this technique in action comes from the novel Sleeping Dogs by Thomas Perry:

All his old habits came back automatically. At a glance he assessed [everyone’s] posture and hands. Was there a man whose fingers curled in a little tremor when their eyes met, a woman whose hand moved to rest inside her handbag? He knew all the practical moves and involuntary gestures, and he scanned everyone, granting no exceptions. He and Eddie had done a job like this one when he was no more than twelve. Eddie had dressed him for baseball, and had even bought him a new glove to carry folded under his arm. When they had come upon the man in the crowd, he hadn’t even seen them; his eyes were too occupied in studying the crowd for danger to waste a moment on a little kid and his father walking home from a sandlot game. As they passed the man …

Another helpful transition technique that Perry utilizes here is using verb tense changes to alert the reader of the shift. The transition is easier for those who are writing their story in present tense, but for those who chose past tense conveying a shift in time back further can be more challenging. We recommend using Perry’s technique of switching from past tense to past perfect to ease the initial transition in and out of the flashback. In the present, he’s using phrases like ‘he knew’ and ‘he scanned’. But, in his initial transition, he begins using phrases like, ‘had done’ and ‘had bought’.

5) Focus on the details

It’s also important to keep in mind, when you shift to the past, that the details should change. If this is a childhood memory, your protagonist should be experiencing the scenes using clearly more infantile observation skills. If this is a drastic jump in time, include details that are relevant to the time period to which we’ve shifted. Even if you’re writing a fantasy book, you must consider how the society/world at large is different in this flashback as opposed to the present. If this flashback is depicting an event that changed the protagonist’s personality drastically, show the reader how they were different before the event occurred.

6) Keep it brief and infrequent

In the circumstances where it’s necessary to use a flashback, make sure they’re brief and only include important information. So, for example, let’s say this is the sister drowning scenario. The flashback shouldn’t begin earlier in the day with our protagonist hanging out with her sister if nothing important occurred then. Begin, instead, with the lake scene or the girls walking to the lake.

But, ultimately, we really can’t stress enough how infrequent your flashback scenes should be. Focus on the present and use these as a tool if and only if the reader witnessing the events of the flashback is crucial to understanding the protagonist and their decisions in ‘the now’ of the book. Otherwise, give your flashbacks the dreaded ax.

The post How to Write a Flashback Scene appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Imagine you’re walking around a bookstore looking for something new to read. Usually, you pick up a book when you’re intrigued by a cover that looks like it’s from a genre you’re interested in reading. As an author, that means if you choose a cover that differentiates from the genre of your book, the wrong readers will be picking up (most likely putting back down) your book.

So how do you know what kind of book cover would match your book? Obviously, you should do your own research by looking up other books in your genre and imagine similar covers for your book. But we’ve compiled some suggestions for you as well:

1) Contemporary

Typically, contemporary covers are rather simple. Many have little cartoonish illustrations of one or two of the characters or an object that’s significant or symbolic in the book. Others will have actual photographs, whether stock photo images or perhaps the author hires models to pose as their characters. Another common contemporary cover would be a photo of a landscape. Figure out what is most relevant to your content and highlight it keeping these ideas in mind.

2) Fantasy

This is a more imaginative genre and your cover should reflect that while still remaining relevant to the content of your book. A tell-tale indication that it’s a fantasy book is if the cover has one of the following: a crown, a sword, a helmet, a throne, or a dragon (Oh and don’t just stick with dragons–illustrations of animals like lions or phoenixes are also popular for fantasy books).  Another common choice is to have an artist hand-draw characters or a relevant scene from your book. This choice is very popular, especially for adult fantasy books…just make sure it relates to your content.

3) Science Fiction

The majority of science fiction works are dystopian and many have dark overtones. Typically, the covers reflect this. It’s also common for a science fiction book cover to depict some of the technology that a reader should expect to find within the book. Whether that’s a hand-drawn illustration of a spaceship, a space gun, a spacesuit, or even a circuit board. If your book takes place another planet, it’s common to depict that on the cover. You may even design the entire city landscape on the cover. Just remember that, while contemporary novels may be light and romantic, your city would need a darker overtone and the illustration would need to clearly show a technological difference between this city and one we’d be able to find in our world today. If none of this appeals to you, check out some old science fiction covers like Dune or The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and create a cover with a similar vintage feel. This is an especially good design route to take if you think your book would appeal to similar readers.

4) Romance

Obviously, these covers vary, but if you want readers to know right away that they’re picking up a romance novel, the easy solution is having a couple on the cover. There are various ways you can do this, whether it’s with an illustration or a photograph, so do your research and figure out what works best for your book. Another common choice is a girl in a beautiful, flowing dress (often running). Finally, a third good indicator of a romance novel is to have something either stereotypically romantic or relevant to the couple within your book. This could mean a picture of flowers, a butterfly, or (if your book involves letters) perhaps a set of letters. Think about what items are important to the couple in your story to help you draw some inspiration.

5) Nonfiction

When it comes to nonfiction book covers, less is more. A lot of covers depict simply the title and author in a nice font. They may play around with the actual color of the cover and font, but they will often not include an image or, if they do, it is very small. Any image or photograph that you include in the cover should be directly and clearly significant to the content. Whereas with fiction books these items can be elusive, with nonfiction they need to very clearly deal with the content. So, if the book is about the history of a city, having a photograph of the city as the cover would work. Or, if the book is about how to play the guitar, include a small photo or illustration of a guitar. You can play around with how modern or vintage it looks, but make sure the images are relevant. This isn’t the time to be imaginative. Just be simple, clear, and concise. Otherwise, you’ll have fiction readers picking up your book instead.

6) Suspense/Mystery

This genre’s cover is relatively easy. All you need is a bold font choice that takes up almost the entire cover and perhaps a backdrop of an item or place that relates in some way to the plot or title of the book. If your book involves someone drowning in a lake, throw in a photo or drawing of an eerie lake. Or, if your book involves a pocket watch, include one in the center between the title and author name. Keep in mind, though, not to accidentally give away a clue through the item you choose. For example, if the pocket watch is going to end up being the key to the mystery, choose a different item. Whatever is on the cover, astute readers will be on the lookout for it. Make sure you choose an item or location that’s relevant without being the key to solving your mystery.

The post Choosing the Right Book Cover appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

1) Introduce your Detective, Culprit, and Crime Early On

One of the most important aspects of a mystery novel is the payoff. Your protagonist needs to go on a journey, search for clues, and it needs to amount to a satisfying climax. It’s made satisfying when the reader can go back and find the clues you left them throughout the book. That may seem tricky, but the first step to getting there is making sure you’re introducing all the key elements to the story as soon as possible.

The protagonist of the story must always be ‘the detective’. Not to say that they have to work in law enforcement, but rather that they need to be the one trying to piece together the clues. Then there’s the culprit, who should also be introduced in the beginning. The longer the audience has seen that character in the story, the more shocking and satisfying the payoff at the end. Finally, experienced writers recommend introducing the crime within the first three chapters of the book (at least). That may seem tricky, but waiting longer would risk losing some readers. Mystery fans are reading for the crime. Give the people what they want.

2) Believability

Another key element to weaving the mystery novel web is believability. One of the biggest ways to ruin a mystery novel is getting to the climax and realizing the crime wouldn’t physically be possible. Your readers will feel cheated by this. It’s your job to make the crime real. This may require some questionable google searches on disemboweling and knife wounds, but we promise your readers will thank you for it. Make sure you know every detail of how the crime occurred, as though you’re a lawyer presenting to a jury in a court of law. Think of the timing, the murder weapon, the perp’s movements, motives, fingerprints, blood, hair- everything.

The other facet of believability is in the solving. Make sure your protagonist isn’t having suspicions or drawing conclusions out of thin air. Every time they get a step further in the mystery, there should be something tangible that they experienced, saw, or remember that led them there.

3) Don’t over explain, leave clues

Now, this may seem contradictory to what we just said, but hear us out. While the reader should always be able to see clearly where your protagonist’s head is, make sure you’re not over-explaining. For example, say there’s a vase in an apartment that is (eventually) going to be the place where the murder weapon was stashed. Don’t write a whole paragraph about the vase- write a sentence. You should be merely leaving clues for the reader throughout your novel. Some clues your protagonist may notice, but others your readers may notice first. Don’t make it too obvious where the reader should be looking. Otherwise, you’re taking the mystery out of mystery novel.

4) Use Red Herrings

This is possibly the best tool for the mystery novel writer. The toughest part of writing a mystery novel is trying to make the reader surprised and satisfied with your ending. It involves a very tricky juggling act between leaving clues while also not making the clues too obvious. That’s not an easy balancing act. Your best tool to achieve this is to use what are called red herrings.

A red herring is a clue or a piece of information which is intended to be misleading or distracting. In order to surprise your readers by the end, you have to lead them down some false trails, distract them, and make them miss some of your clues. You could include a character that is initially acting suspiciously. You could have your detective find a clue, only later to realize it was placed there by the villain to lead them the wrong way. You could even have an object that seems to have more significance than it really does. Whatever route you choose, distraction is the key.

5) Create Suspense through Dialogue and Character

The other tricky part of crafting a mystery novel is creating suspense. Creating a good crime is part of that, but there are a few other facets to keeping suspense consistently high throughout the novel. The first is character and character development. While the plot of a mystery novel is crucial, in order for readers to care about the journey, they have to care about the character. You want your reader to love your protagonist- to care about their safety, desires, and overall success on their journey. This will only happen if your character is well-written, so spend time really fleshing out who your detective is (as well as other important characters in the story).

The other facet of this is dialogue. Every second of your story must keep the reader on edge, so use dialogue to further engage your audience. Have a character lie, while your protagonist knows they’re lying. Have another say or do something unexpected or out-of-character. Your detective should be pulled in a lot of different directions and, once the mystery starts, virtually every conversation they have should make them feel uneasy in one way or another.

Though the prospect of tackling a mystery novel may seem monstrous, if you work hard at mapping out your plot and characters it becomes a lot less terrifying. Much like a Scooby Doo episode, the monster isn’t ever as scary as it first appears.

The post Genre Spotlight: Mystery appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.