All posts by Diane Holmes

fiction

What Is Your Fiction Writing Litmus Test?

 by Diane Holmes, (a) Chief Alchemist of Pitch University, (b) lover of learning, and (c) writer of fiction, non-fiction, and the occasional manifesto.

Until You Have Standards, It’s Hard to Know If You Meet Them

Yesterday I watched a fan-flipping-tastic TED Talk (TED TALK: Colin Stokes: How movies teach manhood) that just might change the way you and I write fiction.  

ted

(*Ted Talks are a series of amazing presentations containing “Ideas Worth Sharing.)

First, scroll down for the talk, if you can watch right now.  I’ll wait.  Good.  Colin mentioned The Bechdel Test, used to quickly gauge women’s relevance in movies, but works for books, too.

The Bechdel Test

(1) It (a movie) has to have at least two women in it, (2) who talk to each other, (3) about something besides a man.

— Wikipedia

(Megwrites developed an even better test here. But you just have to love the simplicity and humor of the original.)

An Interesting Thing….

A great many Romance novels, a genre that has its roots in the celebration of women’s stories) would fail this test, which I find interesting.

Why?  Because so many authors narrow their focus so that it’s the hero and heroine in the scene (and book) only.  And because… a dozen things.

Maybe it’s subconscious. 

Maybe if we authors knew about this test, we’d want to add a female character who can talk to the heroine about something other than That Darn Man.

(I come from the Romance Genre as a baby writer.  There are MANY books that do meet this test.  So don’t be thinking I’m dissing Romance.)

Here’s the point:

What Is Your Bechdel Test?

What is the most powerful value, theme, trait, or myth that you can communicate to future generations?

What do you find riveting about the type of fiction you write?

Why are you spending your life on this specific story?  Why not another one?

What content, ideas, message, or technique do you want to be known for?

Do you actually do it?

Your Assignment

Create your own 3-part test to ensure that you spend your writing-life passing the test.

* * *

Here’s Colin’s TED talk:

Storytelling is Mythmaking

TED TALK: Colin Stokes: How movies teach manhood

 

 

SUMMARY: When Colin Stokes’ 3-year-old son caught a glimpse of Star Wars, he was instantly obsessed. But what messages did he absorb from the sci-fi classic?

Stokes asks for more movies that send positive messages to boys: that cooperation is heroic, and respecting women is as manly as defeating the villain.

—

clip_image001[4]Diane writes two columns for Freelance-Zone: (1) Fiction-Zone: Leaps in Fiction Mastery and (2) Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Writing.

Business, Marketing yourself, resources

5 Strategies to Up Your Marketing Expertise (FREE classes, webinars, eBooks, and other goodies)

by Diane Holmes, (a) Chief Alchemist of Pitch University, (b) lover of learning, and (c) writer of fiction, non-fiction, and the occasional manifesto.

Change Your Marketing Mindset for 2013

How?  So glad you asked.  Take a look at these expertise-building options.

#1:  Enchanting Your Prospects by Guy Kawasaki + 17 other FREE Marketing classes

Inbound Marketing University (IMU) is HubSpot’s free marketing training and certification program. IMU offers an online curriculum of 18 Internet marketing webinars taught by a faculty of top marketing experts.

#2: Derek Sivers: How to start a movement

People often feel assaulted by messages of selling.  But people join movements and become part of the message.  In 3 minutes, this TED Talk shows you how it’s done.

#3: The AMA’s Executive Guide to Social Media Success in 2012

You can choose this report plus any of the other 5 free ebooks/magazines by the American Marketing Association.

#4: Free Downloadable Webinar: The Power of Consumer to Consumer Recommendations

Womma (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) is a pretty awesome group. Their WOMMFest is coming up February 19th. And Womm-U is May 20-22, 2013. 

These day’s there’s nothing more powerful than word-of-mouth (also called… consumer-to-consumer recommendations!)

#5: Help-A-Reporter Out (HARO) email list

Help educate others!  This is a blast. Reporters need expert quotes. You could be that expert. Being seen as an expert is an rockin’ marketing strategy.

BONUS #1: CFC: Marketing Resources for Freelancers
BONUS #2: 101 Freelance Resources you can use today!

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clip_image001[4]Diane writes two columns for Freelance-Zone: (1) Fiction-Zone: Leaps in Fiction Mastery and (2) Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Writing.

advice, fiction

How To Edit Like James Bond

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by Diane Holmes, (a) Chief Alchemist of Pitch University, (b) lover of learning, and (c) writer of fiction, non-fiction, and the occasional manifesto.

(This one goes out to Simon, William Simon.)

It’s All About Attention to Detail

“He was a secret agent, and still alive thanks to his exact attention to the detail of his profession.”
— Ian Fleming, Casino Royale

What is our profession?  Writing.  That makes editing life or death.  Stay alive.  It’s the Bond thing to do.  Here’s how.

Bring on the charm.

Does Bond whine when faced with an onerous task like revision?  No, Bond is not a whiner.  What is he?  A charmer.  Even when face-to-face with Dr. (First Draft Oh-) No.

Bond Smile

What is Charm? Charm is 1 part breezy confidence, 1 part mischievous curiosity, and  1 part devious back-up options.

Frankly, charm is power.

Yet, many writers face editing, rewriting, and revising more like this:

Oh no not this

Dread.  And is it likely to help you create a clever revision?  Nope.  You don’t even believe you can, for Pete’s sake.

Will it help you see your writing in a fresh, exciting way? See your way to a better draft?  Not bloody likely.

And what about that closed door of mental reluctance called your brain?  Is it prepared to try Q’s latest Pen Gun?  The Verbal Jiu Jitsu Grenade?  The Stealth Metaphor?   Because devious back-up options are where the best fun is had.

In summary…

Bond does not do dread.  Dread is not charming.  Enough said.

ASSIGNMENT:

Try out some Bond Charm on the next big, hairy rewrite you’re dreading.

Take on that confident gleam.  Allow a twinkle to enter your eye. Know you’re the best at what you do. You’re a 00 Writer.

Words come to you, bend to your will. They are putty in your manicured hands. They just can’t help themselves.

There are a thousand tricks up your sleeve.  You can see a hundred possibilities no matter what’s thrown at you.  In fact, you know that trouble is often the best kind of fun.

And, James, you look damn fine in that suit.

Continued….

clip_image001[4]Diane writes two columns for Freelance-Zone: (1) Fiction-Zone: Leaps in Fiction Mastery and (2) Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Writing.

fiction

5 Sneaky Questions to Tell The Story Behind the Story

by Diane Holmes, (a) Chief Alchemist of Pitch University, (b) lover of learning, and (c) writer of fiction, non-fiction, and the occasional manifesto

The Story Behind The Story

From the reader’s perspective, you’re not writing one story, you’re writing two. The first is the story of what the reader knows based on what you’ve written so far.

Hidden story

But the second is the mysterious world of what the reader hasn’t been told yet.  What she wants to uncover desperately enough to read late into the night. 

This second story is the story behind the story.  The story simmering underneath the prose, lurking in the corner and about to jump forward with sharp teeth.

That’s the story that captures your reader’s attention.

Look at any random page of your novel-in-progress, and then ask these questions.

1) What’s hidden at this very moment that the reader can’t see?

Everything is a Mystery Box to the reader: every character, every situation, every goal, every line of dialogue, and every action.

Or, it should be.  The reader is reading to uncover the story and the characters.  What will they do next?  What will happen?  Why are they doing that?  How will they handle that?  And on and on.

So your story isn’t about you telling the reader every motivation or explaining every situation like an analyst….  It’s about the reader uncovering it (along with the viewpoint character).

And it’s about that act of uncovering having a profound impact.

2)  Is the answer to what’s hidden (out of all the infinite answers) mind-blowing-ly satisfying to the reader?

Don’t aim for ordinary.  Ordinary is already taken.

3)  Is the answer revealed at a time when the reader is still highly interested?  Does the place of revelation create a “wow” or only an “oh, okay”?

Timing is everything. 

Sometimes revealing answers immediately creates great forward momentum.  Sometimes it deflates the interest before it even really got going.

4)  Does the answer impact and change the trajectory of the page, scene, chapter, act, or the whole shebang? Does it raise even more questions?

If it doesn’t, then it’s really just a trick.  “Oh, look, this is interesting… now it’s over.  Move along.”

5) Is the answer revealed in a way that makes the reader care even more about what happens next?
  • Does it generate more mystery about additional Mystery Boxes? 
  • Does it add complexity to what the reader already knows? 
  • Does it add higher stakes? 
  • Can it be used to move the story understanding ahead? 
  • Can it be combined with other knowledge to create a truly staggering understanding?

clip_image001[4]Diane writes two columns for Freelance-Zone: (1) Fiction-Zone: Leaps in Fiction Mastery and (2) Marketing-Zone: Marketing Yourself and Your Writing.

advice, Business, fiction, Marketing yourself

34 Ways to Tell If Your Writing Goals for 2013 Have a Chance in Hell – Part 2

by Diane Holmes, (a) Chief Alchemist of Pitch University, (b) lover of learning, and (c) writer of fiction, non-fiction, and the occasional manifesto

Failure is an option.

Trust me.

And who knew you could fail in so many spectacular ways?

Well, as your fearless, Freelance-Zone correspondent, I’ve tried them all in an effort to bring this travesty to light.  (Oh, noes, the brightness of “travesty light” is too much!  I must be carried offstage on soft bedding, surrounded by the cliché of cabana boys!  Quick, quick, boys!  Pamper me….)

Take the Failure Quiz:  #19 – #34

Do you answer YES to any of these? If so, your goal may not have a chance in hell.

(Just joining the fun?  #1 – #18 are HERE.)

#19 You think if you get behind today, you can make it up tomorrow.

Goals fail one day at a time. The first day of failure is your only chance to catch the problem and create a solution (which is never the word ‘tomorrow.’)

HINT #1:  The solution is to re-plan, not to work extra hours.  For you to stay on target you’ll already have to work extra hours, because everyone –even you—underestimates the time needed to achieve a goal.

HINT #2: Re-planning involves changing something!  The deliverables, the goal, the date, the people involved, the success criteria, or something else substantial.

And yet, what do people do?  Everyone decides the human resource (you) should just work harder and faster.  If that were a solution, you’d already be doing it and not be behind.

#20 You don’t track meaningful metrics.

Met-what? Units of meaning.  For example,

  • Hours spent writing are only useful and meaningful if you’re paid by the hour.
  • Words or pages per day are only meaningful metrics when combined with project milestones (what needs to be accomplished by the end of those words or pages).
  • Marketing effort and investment only makes sense compared to results (unless your goal was to spend a lot of time and money with no results).

So what does make sense?

  • Progress through a story by Act and Scene/Event.
  • Forward movement through a script based on the steps in the Hero’s Journey.
  • Effectiveness of hours spent writing. (3 hours writing =  completed 1 article, plus Act II, Scene 37)
  • Success of marketing efforts. Called 5 business to partner in January marketing event, got 1 yes. Time: 45 minutes.
#21 You don’t use your metrics as a reality check.

If it consistently takes you about 15 hours to write a scene, you might not like that fact, but it is all yours to own, for better or worse.

Soooooo tempting to want it to take only 2 hours.   Yes, my preciousssss.  Other people… they can do it in 2…..

Stop that.  Magical thinking is not your friend.

#22   Tangents R  Us.  You don’t know your critical path.

You’re focusing on the wrong things.  Doing the wrong things.

(Sometimes it’s even your focus/obsession on the planning down to the tiniest detail, color-coding it, and putting it all in Excel.)

Know your critical path.  Track the critical path.  Everything else is just pretty and shiny.

What is your critical path? It’s the core doing-ness that actually puts you one step closer to your goal, in a real way.

It’s not just a task that is linked to your topic or would be nice to do.

This is the task that if you don’t do it, the next piece of work can’t be done. Making it (ahem) critical.

Want a little test? It’s the work that (a) if you don’t do it today, the project can not move forward tomorrow, and (b) you won’t reach your goal ever.

It’s easy to spend time on tasks that aren’t on the critical path.  Frankly, when something matters less, it’s less stressful and easier to approach.

But it doesn’t really help no matter how you justify it, even if you need it eventually.  Eventually isn’t your critical path.  Eventually is la-la land. Continue reading 34 Ways to Tell If Your Writing Goals for 2013 Have a Chance in Hell – Part 2 →

advice, fiction, Marketing yourself

34 Ways to Tell If Your Writing Goals for 2013 Have a Chance in Hell

6 Comments

by Diane Holmes, (a) Chief Alchemist of Pitch University, (b) lover of learning, and (c) writer of fiction, non-fiction, and the occasional manifesto

Are Your Goals Doomed to Fail?

As you know, I’m a fan of Big Hairy Audacious Goals.

But big hairy goals don’t mean much without thousands of small wins.

— Bob Sutton, Work Matters

Yes, thousands of small wins. And that’s why most New Year’s goals are doomed to fail.  It takes a lot to pull them off.

How many goals (another word for projects) fail? A whopping 78% according to Ian Sample, science correspondent at The Guardian.

But you’re going to succeed, right?

Take the Failure Quiz

Do you answer YES to any of these?  If so, your goal may not have a chance in hell.

#1 Your goal is fuzzy-general and way too rah-rah.

(Unbridled optimism is the language of a thousand small failures.)

#2 This is a goal or project you don’t really want.

(You think you have a good reason for making this your goal. You don’t.  It’s like you brainwashed yourself to not notice this.

Perhaps it’s someone else’s goal or maybe just a would-be-nice goal.  Or you got caught up in the goal-setting moment, but the moment is pretty much over.)

#3 Your goal hinges on something or someone you have no control over.

(Get published by a New York publisher, anyone?  Unless you buy the company, you can’t actually control these folks.  You can control writing a fabulous book, however.)

#4 You’re not using any of your best, most unique skills, attributes, or gifts in this goal.

(There’s no chance for you to bring your A game or outshine your competition, because they are using their uniqueness every day. )

#5 Strategy and logistics are missing.

(What you have is a dream not a goal.  Dreams magically happen in a bubble over your head.  Goals require that stuff called doing, insight, management, and accountability.)

#6 You haven’t gathered all the needed tools (tangible, like a computer, and intangible, like time and focus).

(Again with the magic.) Continue reading 34 Ways to Tell If Your Writing Goals for 2013 Have a Chance in Hell →