Saturnine release

Saturnine is out today on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! It's ebook only for now.

If anyone needs a copy to review, e-mail me at laurabradford08 (at) gmail.com (specify if you want pdf, epub, etc.). I am also available for interviews & guest posts.

It's been a long road, and I want to thank everyone who helped along the way. Your encouragement made all the difference.

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October check-in

The leaves are falling, the ... snow ... is falling? Weather in New England is always unpredictable. It's nice that you can experience four distinct seasons here - sometimes all within the same day.

I decided I really wanted to go back to school, so it's bittersweet that I am doing that instead of NaNoWriMo this November. While I absolutely loved NaNo last year, I absolutely do not have the time this year. I will still try to cheer participants on through Twitter, and I'll set my own, much smaller writing goal.

My (wonderful) betas have read Saturnine, and I'm making final changes before I decide when this book will be ready to be flung out into the world. I'm not quite comfortable revealing the back-cover copy and excerpts and all that before I have a firm release date. However, the cover is already out there and is currently my Twitter icon. I was going to have a skilled photographer take an author photo of me by a nice tree with autumn foliage, but see the first line about snow.

I'm also trying to decide which book I will write next. I have three interesting choices, and I'm writing notes on each of them as I think of them. A top contender is the YA paranormal romance I've been hinting at in my Twitter for about the last year, and I think that will appeal to a wider (though different) audience.

In any case, the next time I update, I hope it's to announce a release date. As always, post any comments here or @lauraebradford.

Some progress!

You may have noticed that I cut back on blogging and tweeting a bit in recent months. That's because I was working hard to finish a draft of Saturnine that I could show beta readers. I had a draft years ago, but that version was not ready to publish and needed a lot of changes.

So last November, I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and I completely re-wrote the book. By the month's end, I had 50,000 words, but it was still a rough draft.

Since last autumn, I've been writing and rewriting, and last weekend I finally opened the door to let a few readers critique it. One full write-up of the novel is on my desk, and I'm starting to plow through the editing stage. At this point I have no idea what any release date will be, but I will keep everyone posted. So that means I'll try to be on social media a little more.

Four Ways to Create Suspense

You don't need to be writing a thriller to need a way to keep readers engrossed in the story. These techniques can help you plot your novel, and move your characters (and readers) to The End.

1. A gun on the mantle

Just about every writer has heard of Chekhov's gun: the idea that, if you introduce a gun in Act 1, it must go off in Act 3. Writers are often taught this so they don't leave any loose threads at the end of the story, and so that actions have time to build up so the resolution does not seem implausible or coincidental.

But foreshadowing is great technique to build suspense. You don't need to include a literal weapon to create tension: just a hint at a serious conflict that will affect your main character. For example, in A Doll's House, the "gun on the mantle" is a secret a character is keeping from her husband - one with psychologically explosive repercussions. The audience knows from discussions that the secret going to come out, and they keep following along with the main character until the truth is discovered. When it does, the character must act - and how she responds to the crisis defines the play.

2. Ticking clock

There's an old cliche of a character trying to deactivate an explosive device set to go off in 60 seconds. However, a ticking clock in fiction could be anything: a deadline for ransom, a deal that needs to close to save a business or career, or a character who must declare his love before his ex-girlfriend's plane takes off (or before she marries someone else, etc.).

When it comes to characters' personal ticking clocks, I often think of The Little Mermaid: the main character has until "the sun sets on the third day" to make her crush fall in love with her, or she becomes the sea witch's prisoner. Those stakes make most thrillers look tame. But to create suspense, main character just need to resolve a goal within a short period of time, and not take a backpacking trip through Europe while thinking over their life - while readers' interest wanes.

This can also combine with #1 - "I need to act BEFORE such-and-such happens." And you can also...

3. Make it personal

This can be anything as serious as a kidnapped family member, to a character's personal convictions being challenged. The hero may be righting a wrong, or a villain may have her own reasons for seeking revenge. If the audience understands the character's motivation, they'll follow along. If not, they'll wonder why the character is giving so much for so little in return.

4. Kill your darlings

This is put to great effect in Game of Thrones. With multiple characters, each with enemies and a potential to win or lose, it keeps audiences on the edge of their seats wondering who will be next.

Another famous example is Psycho, in which the main character is killed off early in the movie. Audiences were shocked by the move. It doesn't have to be that drastic, but killing off a character early sends the message to readers that anything can happen.

Realistically, if you have a main character narrating the story, readers know that he or she will likely survive to the end. But maybe another beloved major character is put in danger, and their future called into question. If readers care enough, they'll keep turning pages to find out what happens.


Connect: 
Twitter: @lauraebradford
Facebook: facebook.com/lauraebradfordbooks

Writing challenges and time management

Photo from Unsplash.

I'm still editing my NaNoWriMo draft, six months from the day I finished my word count. I had to cut or rewrite lot of scenes because they were repetitive or just plain irrelevant. Fortunately, though, I saved the original draft in case I want to go back and use certain scenes again (which has happened several times). Writing 50,000 words in a month kick-started a lot of great scenes, and really got me thinking about the book.

Writing challenges like NaNoWriMo are excellent because they force new writers to focus on finishing a draft. As the old saying goes, you can't edit a blank page. The problem is that November can be a tough month for students, and planning Thanksgiving can take time away from writing for a lot of Americans. I don't think I'll be able to participate again this year, let alone finish. Fortunately, there are other options available all year round.

NaNoWriMo is probably the most famous writing challenge, but there is also A Round of Words in 80 Days, which is a lot more customizable. It has a community-based approach, like NaNo, but you don't have to write an entire book.

If you already have the community part locked down, there's also the Pomodoro Technique, a time management plan. Admittedly I haven't tried in a long time, but a lot of people use it to write quickly and efficiently. (I hear it also works for studying.) And a lot of writers swear by Write or Die,

The main goal, though, is to have a routine and stick to it. You can't reliably compare your word count against anyone else's - it's a little more complicated than that. Novelists have to balance plot, characters, dialogue, and description. They have to write draft after draft. Writing challenges certainly help, but you'll know when you're done. However you get there is your choice.


Related posts:
The power of identity
Five things I learned from NaNoWriMo

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The power of identity

It's been awhile since I last updated, but I'm still writing (and editing my project that has been years in the making). I've been trying to "check in" to Twitter when I write, so you may be able to catch me on there sometimes.

I've noticed that when other writers are between release dates, they post updates about their kids or their dogs. I have neither, but I do have cats!

As time goes on, I realize more and more that it's hard to keep up the identity of a writer. When I get my city's census form back, or file my taxes, and my occupation isn't listed as "writer," it's a little jarring. But I am! a small voice inside me cries. I'm a writer.

Every time I get a royalty check, as small as it is, I think, Wow. That was from my writing.

But do I talk about it every day? No. I'm sure many people I know don't even realize that I write. I wonder if sometimes I should have been a little more persistent about being a writer from the get-go, and not make a "backup plan" - another career that has the potential to take over your whole life.

However, I'm still writing, and really hopeful to have another release later this year.