All posts by Diane Holmes

fiction

How Do You Know Your Pacing is Working? Part 1

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Fiction-Zone: Leaps in Fiction Mastery by Diane Holmes, Chief Alchemist of Pitch University

In the next two articles, we’ll look at some diagnostic tools you can use to help improve your pacing.

* * *

Pacing is hard to study.

And there’s a good reason for this.   Pacing is about the reader’s experience of your story.  And who are you?  Not the reader.  Yeah, you’re just the writer. 😉

Your concerns as a writer don’t actually translate into reader experience. Let me give you a couple examples.

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Example #1:

Writer: “I want to create a three-dimensional protagonist the reader can root for.”

As the reader is flipping pages, the reader doesn’t have the corresponding question,  “Is this character 3-dimensional?  Yes.  Oh, goodie, I’ll keep reading.

Example #2:

Writer: “I want to build an understanding of what a certain character’s life is like before tragedy strikes so that the reader understands why this is a big deal.”

The reader, again, does not have a parallel question, “Do I understand character’s normal life so I can fully experience what has changed?  Why, yes, I do. Awesome.”

The Problem

Like a puppeteer pulling strings from behind a curtain, as the writer, you only know what you hope your audience will experience. You can’t see your audience’s reaction. You don’t know if they’re leaning forward in anticipation or bored our of their gourd.

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That’s a pretty big disconnect. Suddenly it’s like a deep chasm has opened up between you and your creation. It’s not you separated from your reader. It’s you separated from your own writing

This is where Storytellers have a much easier time. They’re out there in front of their audience, engaging them in story. They have the advantage of immediate feedback. Immediate reality. Immediate success or failure. Continue reading How Do You Know Your Pacing is Working? Part 1 →

Marketing yourself

Marketing Manifestos To Shake You Out Of Your Rut (don’t be a lemming)

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by Diane Holmes, Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Book, founder of Pitch University.

I want to shake up your thinking.  Rattle the bones of what you think you know about marking yourself and your writing.

Most of what you think you know is wrong, anyway.

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Don’t Do This

So, you’re out there hawking your writing (which gives you the minty prostitution breath). You hate it.  But all the other writers say you have to do it..

And that’s not all.

You have to do exactly these specific things (all of them), because that’s what works.  Everyone hates it, but you want to be a success, don’t cha?

Except they’re wrong. And you already know this deep-down inside, which is what makes the marketing crapola feel even more like being played.

I’m saved!

A couple weeks ago, we had a little “marketing confession session,” and I proposed a new rule:

NEW RULE:  When it comes to Author Marketing, do only what makes you feel jazzed and helpful.

But, you secretly think I’m pulling a bait and switch, like I’ll tell you why you should feel jazzed and darn helpful to do all the things you actually hate.

Nope.  I’m your trusted advisor. And trusted advisors are not that smarmy. 😉

The Brain-Rattle Reset

Let me introduce you to some key manifestos that will shake you loose from your stale marketing beliefs. Continue reading Marketing Manifestos To Shake You Out Of Your Rut (don’t be a lemming) →

fiction

Game Changers: Pacing, Plot Twists, and Reader Engagement

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Fiction-Zone: Leaps in Fiction Mastery by Diane Holmes, Chief Alchemist of Pitch University

Readers don’t just passively let story roll over them.  They solve stories.

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They actively

  • keep score,
  • record clues,
  • make guesses,
  • follow theories, and
  • leap to conclusions.

Readers steal a ride with your characters, except they have the superior position.  Their lives aren’t the ones being turned upside down.  And they have time to come to conclusions about what’s happened and (better yet) what’s likely to happen in the future.

Readers secretly decipher the mystery of your story just like a detective, and when they’ve figured it out, they declare, “By jove, I’ve got it!”  Bad News: now the reader’s bored.

And as a pacing genius, what do you do?

Break out The Game Changer.

Reveal something so startling that everything must be re-thought.  Twist the plot in such a way that for a few minutes the reader’s brain stutters.  Nothing will be the same.  It’s a holy sh*t moment.

The game is still afoot!

This isn’t about doing something random, something outrageous because you’re stuck.

No, this is about out-thinking the reader.  Being such a master of your story that you can use revelation in the most devastating way for your characters AND your readers.

Isn’t that kinda gimmicky?

No.  I do not mean a gimmick. I mean honest storytelling of the best kind.  No coincidences.  No tropes.  No Calvary rescue at the last minute.

I mean emotional, thematic, dramatic PUNCH, people!

Big Plot Twists and Game Changers

The easiest Game Changing examples to spot are big plot twists, punches that reply on large-scale structure, involvement in many scenes, and stunning last-minute revelation.

Examples of Big Plot Twists:

But there are other Big Game Changers.

Simply put, a Game Changer is something you don’t see coming, but Continue reading Game Changers: Pacing, Plot Twists, and Reader Engagement →

Marketing yourself

Step Inside the Author Marketing Confessional

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by Diane Holmes, Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Book, founder of Pitch University.

I have a new rule for marketing, and it’s going to change your life.  It’s liberating.  And you’ll thank me.

Gentle Questions for Late At Night

Do you hate having to market your writing?

Do you feel like a prostitute as you hawk your latest work and tell people how great it (and you) are?

Do you feel like a sellout?  Fake?  Insincere? A used-car salesman?  A manipulator?  Desperate?  Whiny?  Greedy?  Grasping? Ineffective? …Pitiful?

Do you just want to scream, “This is stupid!?”

Are you only marketing because everyone says you have to?

If the whole thing (the Tweeting, the Liking, The Amazon Tagging) a total soul suck?

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An Obvious Point

You market other stuff every day, and you love it.  I know this because I can see your excitement when you do it.

  • You buy a new ca? Tell all your friends about why it’s the best car ever?
  • See a good movie?  Recommend it?
  • Proud of your spouse, kid, co-worker, friend’s success?  Did you gush about it? Shout the good news?  Brag, even?
  • Like your veterinarian? Real estate agent? A cleverly-named wine?  Let anyone in on the secret?
  • Did a website offer great articles for free?  Did you pass the word?
  • Did someone like your haircut?  Did you accidentally recommend your stylist to her or him?

The New Definition of Marketing That Will Make You Feel Great

Marketing is about helping.  It’s about sharing excitement.  It’s about being valued for your opinion.  It’s about preventing a bad experience and ensuring a good one.

Marketing is just part of being a living member of a community.

It’s one of the great ways we engage with others, simply because we’re interested in their lives.

We find it natural, easy, and even rewarding(!) to make these comments without even calling it influence, sales, or promotion.

And the key?   Continue reading Step Inside the Author Marketing Confessional →

fiction

Situation Critical! Pacing’s Need for an Unknown Outcome

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Fiction-Zone: Leaps in Fiction Mastery by Diane Holmes, Chief Alchemist of Pitch University

“What happens next?  Let me guess….”

Guessing. That’s the game readers play with the stories they read.

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Being  Wrong vs. Being Unable to Guess

You know from your own reading experiences that if you can guess what’s going to happen next, AND IT DOES, then the story is boring (even if things are exploding and people are bleeding).

As you read, you’re turning pages in order to find out what happens next. And, get this, you want to be wrong. Horribly or delightfully or amazingly WRONG.

But not everything is about being wrong.  It’s just as powerful for the reader to be unable to guess and to know it.  We’ll talk about that too.

Expectations: Big & Small

So readers have expectations, they play along, and they want you to provide something better than what they’ve come up with in their own imagination.

More exciting.  More entertaining.  More outrageous.  More clever.  All those mores.  Be more.

But here’s what we don’t usually talk about as writers.

  • Reader want to be wrong on the big scale, because there is nothing better to a reader (or viewer) to get to the end of the story and say, “I never saw that coming! What a great ending.”
  • But they also want to be wrong on the small scale as well.  It’s not just a matter of avoiding clichés or writing original dialogue.  They want to play along and BE WRONG.

    • The Reader-Character Link

    Warning:  Might blow your mind here.

    Okay, so the reader is playing along, hanging on your every written word.  And they’re reading about characters who are “living” the story.

    These characters are also trying to figure things out, play along, get the upper hand.

    It’s a pretty cool magic trick to pull off.  The fake character is “really” living the story, and the “real” reader is experiencing the “fake” story through the fiction and character that you’ve created.  Pretty awesome.

    This link is important to understand.  When talking about expectations, especially small scale outcomes on the scene, page, and paragraph level, it helps to keep in mind that BOTH the character and the reader need to experience “being wrong.”

    If the character can anticipate what’s going to happen… Continue reading Situation Critical! Pacing’s Need for an Unknown Outcome →

    Marketing yourself

    Does Marketing Your Writing Feel Like Prostitution?

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    by Diane Holmes, Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Book, founder of Pitch University.

    So there we writers stand, on the virtual street corner with our computers, wearing sexy sweat pants, hawking our books, articles, and “content creation services.”

    “Hey, big boy….”

    Ack, my eyes, my eyes!

    sullied

    In the world of “writers who market,” there are those who feel sullied by the experience and those who feel empowered.

    Marketing for authors is very personal, because we are marketing who we are and what we do.  There’s just no prep for this in school.

    Even in Girl Scouts, we’re selling cookies that everyone already knows are delicious and going to the common, non-profit good.  We’re not marketing ourselves.  Just these boxes of treats that everyone loves.

    Nope, what society has taught us about marketing ourselves is this: telling people why we’re so special, how skilled we are, and why we’re better than others (marketing, right?) is a sure sign of jerky arrogance, me-me narcissism, or a clear lack of social skills.

    Hey, it might even be a sin.  Mike Duran wrote this insightful post called “Dear Author: Is it God’s will for you to sell a lot of books?”  While there are references to Christian writers in this post, the spiritual crisis of “selling yourself” is felt by many, many writers.

    The Approach:Marketing As Shameful

    In Prostitution: A Self- Published Author’s Guide to Promotion, R. A., Evans says, with a wink,

    Your job is to carve out your own street corner to hawk your wares. My advice – wear comfortable shoes..:)

    Message = It feels a tad shameful, but you can get good at it.

    The Approach: Marketing As Empowerment

    In Lynne W. Scanlon’s post, How Low Should You Sink to Shamelessly Market Your Book? Is Author Jeff Pearlman a Prostitute? she applauds Pearlman, saying:

    You are doing what every author should do: Exploiting any and all opportunities, while moving steadily away from the minor leagues and into the majors.

    Message = It feels empowering, so you should get good at it.

    The Official Marketing Aftertaste Test

    Which are you?  Sullied or Empowered?  For each of the following, answer either (a) or (b).

    (a) My mouth tastes vile, thanks for asking. I think I’ll never be the same.

    (b) My mouth tastes sweet, because I’m sharing the love.   Continue reading Does Marketing Your Writing Feel Like Prostitution? →