Becca and I love the holiday season–everything is colorful and cheery, the house is filled with cinnamon and ginger as we flex up our baking muscles, and we get to take time to tell you just what you mean to us. Seriously, you guys are the very best readers out there! We are so lucky to have you in our world.

Another terrific thing about this season is that we can celebrate the things we love, and around here, that’s all things writerly. This year with the launch of One Stop For Writers, our mantra is “Elevate your Storytelling.” So Becca, Lee & I sat down and listed out the top three books we feel have elevated our own craft beyond measure.

Why? So we can give them away to you!

Of course, this exercise caused some issues. Choosing ONLY 3 books? So hard! Plus, several of our “top 3” book choices were the same. And I don’t want to point fingers, but certain individuals *coughBeccacoughLeecough* STOLE some of my choices.

But no worries, there are so many amazing books out there that have helped us become stronger writers that we were able to sort it out.

With that, I bring you the 9 Wonders of the Writing Reference World:

1. On Writing  2. First Five Pages  3. Self-Editing For Fiction Writers  4. Writing Screenplays That Sell  5. Description  6. Save the Cat  7. 21st Century Fiction  8. Stein on Writing  9. Structuring Your Novel

Want to elevate your storytelling and win a kindle copy of one of these “best of the best” craft books? Of course you do!

To Enter:

1) Post in the comment section with your TOP 4 book choices. (This will be by random draw, and first come first serve.)

2) Tell us what book has elevated your storytelling. We would love to hear what has given your writing a boost!

3) Pay-it-forward by naming a writer friend (first name is fine if you prefer) who has helped you. If you win, we will send them a 1 month Gift Certificate for One Stop For Writers for their own stocking.

Must be 18, no purchase necessary, open to all unless prohibited by law. For the full legal rules and disclaimers, go here.

As always, social sharing is appreciated, but never a condition of our giveaways. Winners will be drawn and announced on Saturday, December 12th!

 

The post Win, Win, Win! Stuff Your Stocking With Writerly Goodies appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS™.

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Do you bite off more than you can chew? One’s tendency for this disparity amplifies at Christmas time, at least, mine does. However, it’s not just at the festive table that choice and over-indulgence can be paralysing. The lead-up to my favourite time of the year is where many choke. The solution? Planning. Break needs, […]

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1--Know what you want the reader to feel. Everything you put your character through--good, bad, ugly...it's all to evoke a reaction from the reader. Be mindful of exactly what you want your audience to experience as you write. In order for the book to succeed, the reader must invest in the character's plight and root for them as they struggle.

2--Use everything in your writing arsenal. Emotions are best shown through physical action, but the choices you make with story elements and structure can also enhance the experience for the reader. Setting choices (day, night, the weather, a setting with emotional tie to a character) can affect mood. Challenging a character's strengths or revealing a weaknesses can bring out raw feeling. Description, wording, pacing, conflict, sentence structure...all of these can and should be used with intent to help bring about a specific reaction/feeling.

3--Be genuine, not melodramatic. With emotion more so than anything else, it's easy to go a touch too far. Always keep an eye out for proportion when displaying emotion, making sure the reaction is relevant to the situation, within the character's response range and most importantly, cliche-free.

4--Minimize thoughts, maximize action. Showing emotion through thoughts can be a slippery slope and can lead to telling/explaining. Showing emotion physically is difficult for a reason--it means having an intimate knowledge of the way your character expresses themselves. Strive for a balance of showing that leans more on action, with emotional thoughts acting as an enhancement. What your character does to express themselves will have more of an impact than what they think about the situation.

5--Emotions should lead to decisions. Always keep the story moving forward. A character agonizing over a choice will crank up the tension & heighten stakes, but too much will slow the pace. Remember too, often when emotion is involved, we make mistakes. Mistakes = great conflict!

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