Questions

By now, you have a solid grasp of the importance of having a theme for your story, of keeping it personal and hidden (to avoid writing the dreaded Message Book), and of hanging on to the courage of your convictions in writing it the way you need to, knowing that you cannot ever please everyone, nor should you try.

That’s a good, solid foundation for writing a book that people will read, and then re-read, and then recommend to friends, and finally buy as presents for people they really like. Which is, after all, the writer’s ultimate goal—to write a story readers love so much they’ll share it with other people who will love it, too.

But you can still go deeper, and make the work richer and more compelling, by layering in subthemes.

[Brakes screech, and someone mutters, "Wait a minute. You finally sold me on themes. But SUBthemes? C'mon, already."]

Subthemes are one of the best friends novelists have. (They’re far less useful for folks who write short stories, simply because subthemes add to the length and complexity of the story.)

Subthemes do three massively useful things for the writer crafting a novel—things a single theme alone cannot do.

1) They force the world of the story into three dimensions. If the book is focused on one theme—no matter how fascinating and wonderful that theme—and all the characters are focused on that one issue, and all the action revolves around that one issue, then, no matter how skilled the writer may be, the book will feel thin. Step beyond the borders of the main action, and no character has anything to do, or say, or think, or any reason to exist. Their lives are bordered by the main theme. By adding subthemes, you fill out your characters’ lives with needs and events that are important to them outside of and separate from the main story’s focus.

2) Subthemes add length and complexity. (I mentioned this above in the negative sense, but that which is the bane of the short story writer is in this case the boon of the novelist.) I receive the following question at least once a week from beginning and intermediate writers—”How do I make my story longer without padding it (and without trying to figure out more plot, because I’m out of ideas)?”

Subthemes by their very nature give you something extra to work into your plot—the unexpected pregnancy of the heroine adding complications while she is running for her life; the villain who in the midst of working mayhem discovers the mother he truly loves is dying; the harassment of the main character by the practical joker at work whose stupid jokes later become mixed up in the life or death issues already besieging the hero.

3) Subthemes allow you an extra opportunity to…um, for lack of a better word…vent. And get something good out of the bad things that have happened in your life. This is admittedly a strange side benefit, but just about every writer I know has SOME issue that repeatedly makes its way into his (or her) novels. The trick, always, is to keep YOUR issue out of the book, and make the issue really and truly related to the character, with different events and a different resolution.

So where do you find your subthemes?

1) Pick a subtheme that is distantly related to the issue driving your novel. If your theme is “Why do bad things happen to good people?”, and your story is about a father who comes to terms with the lingering death of his oldest kid after the boy contracts some terrible disease, a related theme would be how the father finds ways to bring happiness to the kid’s life (and his own) for whatever time they have left. Or how the kid makes a friend in the middle of his personal tragedy, or learns to do something he’s always wanted to do. Or how the father makes one thing his son has always wanted come true for him.(Man, this would be a grim book.)

2) Pick an unrelated issue, and give it, in disguised form, to primary or secondary characters. Using the example above, an unrelated issue that could become a theme would be how the father hangs on to a job when he’s both the sole provider (say the kid’s mother died, or just left) and his kid’s sole source of care and support; or how the kid sets out to win the science fair before he dies, and wins the respect of a teacher he previously hated.

3) Pick some train wreck in your personal life, THOROUGHLY disguise it, give it to people totally unlike the people who were involved in YOUR train wreck, change names, locales, and events… And then work though it the way you should have, or wish you could have, the first time. Using this method, the father could be going through your horrible divorce, but HE could find the good ending you didn’t get. Or he could give up his fantastic career as a professional poker player to be with his son, and could find something good from that loss, rather than the constant regret you have from a similar situation.

In every case, your priorities in using subthemes are to:

* give yourself more story than what you’d get if you only focused on your theme,

* give your reader something extra, and different, to take away from the book.

You and your story will benefit in more ways than you can imagine.

In BRING YOUR NOVEL TO LIFE, Part VI, Interweaving Your Novel’s Themes And Subthemes, you’ll learn three of my favorite techniques for balancing themes and subthemes while writing your novel.


- Holly Lisle

It goes without saying that you can learn a great deal about writing by reading the classics. Advice on writing novels is like carbon dioxide – it is free and everyone is exhaling it. Still, few will tell you that there is value in reading bad books. Well, there is and you should definitely do so.

Great books are often perfect examples of how to develop characters, plot lines and so on. I strongly believe, however, that to really grasp these concepts you have to experience it done poorly. If you don’t know bad writing, how will you know good writing? For every W. Somerset Maugham classic like Razor’s Edge, you should read something that gets poor ratings from readers on Amazon or whatever rating site you prefer.

Why would you want to suffer through a bad book? Well, the answer is found in figuring out why you don’t like it. This requires you to both take notes and suffer through the tome. The key is to uncover the details that make it painful to pursue and write them down. Is the plot to slow? Is there no apparent plot? Is it a novel with far too many storylines going on? Are the characters so undeveloped that you can find no attachment to any of them? The reasons can be numerous and often are!

Once you’ve deduced the nature of the problem or problems, the next step is not to mock that writing but to focus on yours. Do any of the problems in the book in question apply to your writing? Be honest! If not, what would you do to solve the problems in that novel? Would those steps in any way benefit your writing? You might find that they would.

Once completed, it is time to do a comparison between a quality classic novel and the bad book you’ve read. Write down your thoughts on the good and bad manner in which character development is handled in each book. Do the same for the plot and so on. By contrasting each of these elements, the difference between the good and bad aspects of writing should become clearer to you.

There is one final lesson to take from the bad book. That lesson is to recognize that it was actually published. The idea of publishing a novel is one that is often touted as being this side of discovering the cure for cancer. Well, it can’t be that hard or the bad book in your hand would never have been published!


- Thomas Ajava

Writing a novel or our biography is dream that many of us hold in our hearts, your book does not have to be your dream. All you need is to dedicate some time to learn how to bring out that story inside you. A new e-guide, Bring out the Novel Inside You, has been written to help you make your dream come true. Here is some great advice from this e-guide.

Writing is one of the most fulfilling careers known. Any author will tell you that you can’t find a more interesting, challenging and successful business than creating one’s own biographies, novels, technical information or advertising.

And, now you can do all this while sitting at home. Yes, YOU can create something that can provide you with entry to one of the most highly paid, in-demand businesses in the world.

Writing is, by no means, only for the highly educated. In fact, some of the most highly paid authors didn’t finish high school. If you’ve survived this far in your lifetime you have the qualifications.

Writing is a matter of thinking, developing ideas in your mind and putting those ideas down on paper.

Nor do you have to risk your work in the slush-piles of the so-called publishing companies and their editors. There are many ways to get your books published. Don’t make your study of this information seem more difficult than it really is.

Today’s world, seemingly, is ready for almost any idea and you just might have one of the best. Until recently, the large publishing companies were very particular, shall we say, as to who was good enough as an author to bother editing and publishing.

First of all, the writer had to be already known and the publishing company published his book as if it were intended for the vaults of historical artifacts.

In reality, everyone has a life, a method of thought, a sense of story telling that is as different as our DNA.

? If we aren’t born to the same parents

? If we are raised with different cultural aspects

? If we have different educations

? If we have different interests and hobbies

? If we see humor differently, or

? If we’re as uptight as a bottle of pop that could blow in a second if shaken

…. Then, how could we possibly be so alike that only one writer, writing one book, could cover all the ideas and interests to satisfy all the people in the world?

Now, that’s boring!

The publishing companies of old made small (or, sometimes, large) fortunes by declaring that publishing your book would cost a fortune.

Since no one seemed to challenge that, or figured out a better way to do things like they are done today, it may have been expensive.

But, today, anyone can write his own book, his own unique way, and publish it himself and see it on the shelves of the largest book selling companies in the world.

That’s absolutely true!

I’m going to tell you all about that in Bring Out the Novel inside you, because I know there are those who want to see their actual book sitting on the shelf in their living room.

There is nothing like seeing that hardcover book standing erect between two book ends and your name, as author, emblazoned on the spine. Wow!

However, if your intent for writing great tales of interest is to sell them, I’ve got your method in this book also.

Both methods are good, so read all about them, use them and make your living doing so.

My extended experience as a college professor of the fine arts was mainly with the high hope that some big, famous company which published books, would find my little manuscript and clamor to become the publisher.

Believe me, it wasn’t easy to be a writer in those days.

But, those days, as they are called, were much easier and slower days of living – nothing like today.

Things happened slowly. News traveled much slower and the East knew before the West by months.

Today, you have to be up and at ‘em.

Individuals are outspoken about their own ideas and what they want and like. No-one tells today’s writers or anyone else, what NEEDS to be done to be done right.

I think that, by 2008, the whole world has caught on to that concept.

So, the field is wide open for writing what and how you desire.

Along with that, the field is becoming wide open for what you want

your book to look like and how you want to express yourself.

In fact, if you want to do it all, including designing the cover, etc., then I’m going to lead you to the right place for that.

You could see your hardback book on your shelf in a matter of weeks and you’ll see your paperbacks and ebooks in just days.

More of that in the ebook.

Right now, we have to know the right way and the wrong way to compose any kind of book.

It matters not what your style is, but it does matter whether or not you are correct in the writing.

You must avoid misinformation, misspellings and awful grammar.

Don’t get scared now. You’re not going to have to parse sentences and conjugate verbs.

For more expert advice on all these points and much more detailed information, that could have your novel published in just a matter of weeks, you can order your copy of Bring out the novel inside you today.


- Elizabeth St Denny Mfa

Writing a novel or our biography is dream that many of us hold in our hearts, your book does not have to be your dream. All you need is to dedicate some time to learn how to bring out that story inside you. A new e-guide, Bring out the Novel Inside You, has been written to help you make your dream come true. Here is some great advice from this e-guide.

Writing is one of the most fulfilling careers known. Any author will tell you that you can’t find a more interesting, challenging and successful business than creating one’s own biographies, novels, technical information or advertising.

And, now you can do all this while sitting at home. Yes, YOU can create something that can provide you with entry to one of the most highly paid, in-demand businesses in the world.

Writing is, by no means, only for the highly educated. In fact, some of the most highly paid authors didn’t finish high school. If you’ve survived this far in your lifetime you have the qualifications.

Writing is a matter of thinking, developing ideas in your mind and putting those ideas down on paper.

Nor do you have to risk your work in the slush-piles of the so-called publishing companies and their editors. There are many ways to get your books published. Don’t make your study of this information seem more difficult than it really is.

Today’s world, seemingly, is ready for almost any idea and you just might have one of the best. Until recently, the large publishing companies were very particular, shall we say, as to who was good enough as an author to bother editing and publishing.

First of all, the writer had to be already known and the publishing company published his book as if it were intended for the vaults of historical artifacts.

In reality, everyone has a life, a method of thought, a sense of story telling that is as different as our DNA.

? If we aren’t born to the same parents

? If we are raised with different cultural aspects

? If we have different educations

? If we have different interests and hobbies

? If we see humor differently, or

? If we’re as uptight as a bottle of pop that could blow in a second if shaken

…. Then, how could we possibly be so alike that only one writer, writing one book, could cover all the ideas and interests to satisfy all the people in the world?

Now, that’s boring!

The publishing companies of old made small (or, sometimes, large) fortunes by declaring that publishing your book would cost a fortune.

Since no one seemed to challenge that, or figured out a better way to do things like they are done today, it may have been expensive.

But, today, anyone can write his own book, his own unique way, and publish it himself and see it on the shelves of the largest book selling companies in the world.

That’s absolutely true!

I’m going to tell you all about that in Bring Out the Novel inside you, because I know there are those who want to see their actual book sitting on the shelf in their living room.

There is nothing like seeing that hardcover book standing erect between two book ends and your name, as author, emblazoned on the spine. Wow!

However, if your intent for writing great tales of interest is to sell them, I’ve got your method in this book also.

Both methods are good, so read all about them, use them and make your living doing so.

My extended experience as a college professor of the fine arts was mainly with the high hope that some big, famous company which published books, would find my little manuscript and clamor to become the publisher.

Believe me, it wasn’t easy to be a writer in those days.

But, those days, as they are called, were much easier and slower days of living – nothing like today.

Things happened slowly. News traveled much slower and the East knew before the West by months.

Today, you have to be up and at ‘em.

Individuals are outspoken about their own ideas and what they want and like. No-one tells today’s writers or anyone else, what NEEDS to be done to be done right.

I think that, by 2008, the whole world has caught on to that concept.

So, the field is wide open for writing what and how you desire.

Along with that, the field is becoming wide open for what you want

your book to look like and how you want to express yourself.

In fact, if you want to do it all, including designing the cover, etc., then I’m going to lead you to the right place for that.

You could see your hardback book on your shelf in a matter of weeks and you’ll see your paperbacks and ebooks in just days.

More of that in the ebook.

Right now, we have to know the right way and the wrong way to compose any kind of book.

It matters not what your style is, but it does matter whether or not you are correct in the writing.

You must avoid misinformation, misspellings and awful grammar.

Don’t get scared now. You’re not going to have to parse sentences and conjugate verbs.

For more expert advice on all these points and much more detailed information, that could have your novel published in just a matter of weeks, you can order your copy of Bring out the novel inside you today.


- Elizabeth St Denny Mfa

You’ve always wanted to be the next big novelist, but you have no idea where to start. Very few people can just sit down in one sitting and write a full-length novel. We all have hectic lives and many things that pull us away from our writing. We have families, jobs, chores, school involvement - the list can go on forever. Yet, a writer must write. This is just a fact of life.

Writers are creative personalities with the desire to write. A writer of fiction might speak of a specific character speaking to them. While people that aren’t in the profession might not understand, fellow writers feel their pain. Characters often urge a writer on, occasionally to the point of tormenting the writer as well as inspire. Ignoring or procrastinating a writer’s need can lead to emotional fallout. What writers and other artists refer to as “the Muse” is relentless in its inability to let one sleep at night, and keeps one from paying full attention to important demands with the thoughtfulness we would otherwise give them.

But how does a writer find the time to write the next incredible novel in between their day-to-day stresses? First of all, set priorities! We can’t ignore our families or our jobs, but we can prioritize. Write when children are asleep or at school. Set a daily schedule to allow yourself a few hours to write. Plan play dates for your children or get a neighbor to babysit for a few hours and take that time to write. If you think you can manage without vacuuming for a day, take a little of your housekeeping time to write. It’s amazing how much a person can get done in just a few hours a day of peace and quiet.

Get a notebook and try to flesh out your chapters. That way you’ve got notes to follow on those days that you’re staring at a blank screen trying to figure out what comes next. As you consult your notes, more ideas will come. Being organized is a must. A five-subject notebook works best. You can dedicated a subject to your characters. Give them personalities and make notes on what place they have in your story.

Why not write your synopsis first? That way you have your entire work more or less plotted - beginning, middle, and end. This will help to keep you focused, and keep you from going off on tangents that waste time.

Keep a small notebook with you at all times. Everywhere you go, you’re introduced to people, conversations, and various other things that will spark ideas in your mind. Use this notebook to jot down ideas as they come.

Do your research for the novel on a specific day each week. Your writing time is valuable. Don’t waste time researching when you are supposed to be writing.

Having your own space to write and concentrate is the most important. Quiet is necessary as the Muse influences and inspires. Any outside noise and confusion will chase off your muse quickly. Establish your own space where no one will bother you. Instill boundaraies so that your family knows that this is your space and you’re not to be bothered. If you can’t establish your own space at home, try going to the local library.

Do you know what fosters your muse? Some writers must have absolute solitude without a single background noise. Others need music or television on in the background, but this is purely an individual choice and varies from writer to writer. There is no right or wrong. Whatever makes you more productive is definitely the way to go.

Last, but definitely not least - never give up. Life is always going to threaten to get in the way of your novel. Having confidence in yourself and your abilities is necessary for a novel to be completed. Keep the Muse alive and the Muse will help to guide you to your goal. First novels are published in spite of all the naysayers out there who say it’s almost impossible. The next first novelist could very well be you!


- Amanda Baker

For many people, writing ebooks would be as difficult as writing a research paper or even a novel. Writing digital books can make loads of money though, unlike the majority of novels and all research papers, and can be done in a much shorter time period. Many writers can be intimidated by the empty space of the entire page and can easily get stuck within the very beginning pages.

When you enter the digital publishing business there’s no need to go through that experience of getting stuck on the initial page. Typing away during long nights with the fuel of caffeine, you can be on your way to gaining an ample return and making money for your efforts, if you follow the few tips below:

“The Proper Topic to Choose”

No one knows it all and surely not everybody that does know about a proper topic will be ready to starting typing about it in a Word document or text file. Nevertheless, an infinite number of successful ebooks are sold everyday on the internet and are about many different topics. This is a result of hard work by people who put in the effort to produce these books.

On the internet, not all of the topics will do well, however. Topics that are ever changing will never do well like search engine optimization or stock market advice, because by the point in time that they do finally come out, much of the information will have change quite a bit, making the books outdated and pointless. Ebooks, however, can be quickly published unlike the printed works. The truth is that ebooks come out as soon as you finish writing and formatting it properly. Valuable ebooks are ones that contain rapidly changing topics.

“Write the Talk if you can Walk the Walk”

If you haven’t the slightest clue about a subject it will definitely be hard to begin writing about it. You cannot say something, when you have nothing. A viable solution is to do your research and continue researching. Information about your chosen topic can be easily found with a glimpse through Yahoo, Google, Wikipedia and similar sites so that you can start writing ebooks with confidence. Checking these websites also lets you get accountable and accurate information for your ebook. Many people believe information when someone puts it on the World Wide Web.

“What are you saying and to whom are you talking?”

The most important factor for the writer is to discover exactly who the target audience will be. Different terms and speech patterns are comprehended by different audiences. For example, Harry Potter fans would most definitely know the terms that are associated with that universe. You cannot mix terms of Harry Potter with oldies music facts in an ebook or it will surely have an unfavorable outcome. Think instead, of what types of people would enjoy your ebook and who will be buying it.

When you start writing ebooks and creating digital masterpieces, these helpful tips will be important to keep in your mind while you work from home. Time, consideration and a lot of thinking will go into this venture to do well, just like any other book written. While writing ebooks might begin as a difficult task, it will get easier and will be well worth the effort and time that you put into it.


- Scott Boyd

Writing a novel is dream that many of us hold in our hearts, your novel does not have to be your dream. All you need is to dedicate some time to learn how to bring out that novel inside you. A new e-guide, Bring out the Novel Inside You, has been written to help you make your dream come true. Here is some great advice from this e-guide.

One can be a good writer, but not be able to spell correctly.

I found this to be one of the largest deterrents for conveying any situation or scene to the reader, because the student has an inability to recognize his lack of correct spelling.

Many rely on the way they have spelled everything (no matter how wrong it is), simply because that was always the way they always had spelled it. It just seems natural to them.

One can’t allow the misspelling of a word when there is the slightest feeling that it doesn’t look correct. This is being careless. When that occurs, use the dictionary to be sure, and accurate.

No publisher, should you rely on them to publish your book, will read your manuscript when they detect misspelled words. There is no situation where it is acceptable.

Today, there should be no excuse for misspelled words with computers. In fact, if it’s your real desire to misspell a word your computer will have a fit.

Don’t be afraid of words, but don’t be too snobbish with them either. It doesn’t harm anyone if you use a word of four syllables which covers a full sentence.

But, doing it continually only makes the statement that your ego is showing.

 

To be sure, many a writer is enlightened by the meaning of a new word to add to his vocabulary, but overuse will deter the reader’s interest. This is a read and not a lesson in the English language.

 



 

Contractions

 

Anyone who reads is aware of the use of contractions. There was a time in the history of writing where these were frowned upon. It was considered laziness on the part of the writer.

Today, contractions are used in all forms of writing.

Example: He can’t do it because it’s not acceptable.

 

This would have been written like this in earlier writings:

Example: He can not do it because it is not acceptable.

 

It’s (it is) (its – without an apostrophe – is the possessive form.)

 

I’m (I am).

 

I’ve (I have).

 

We’d, (we had).

 

We’ve (we have).

 

You’ve (you have).

 

You’d (you would).

 

Weren’t (were not).

 

Mustn’t (must not).

 

Can’t (can not).

 

He’d (he had).

 

Won’t (will not).

 

Wouldn’t (would not).

 

Couldn’t (could not).

 

Wasn’t (was not).

 

Weren’t (were not).

 

They’d (they had).

 

They’ve (they have).

 

Wouldn’t (would not).

 

Shouldn’t (should not).

 

She’d (she had).

 

Notice in today’s writings:

 

Should’ve = should have

 

Could’ve = could have

 

Would’ve = would have.

These are all acceptable uses in today’s writing, provided it isn’t overdone. People speak this way, therefore most readers feel right at home when they read contractions.

It’s most acceptable in dialog, although I find contractions being used in ordinary text as well. I find no fault with that. After all, we are writers of today, trying to please readers of today and contractions are legitimate.

Some writers make the mistake of using “it’s” when, in reality, they mean “its” - the possessive form where no apostrophe should be used.

Example: It’s time for the class to go home – is correct. “It’s” means “it is”.

 

This book is not in its proper place – is correct. “Its” is the possessive form.

 



 

The Possessive Form

 

Names requiring the possessive form are the nemesis of many writers. Names that end in “S” are the worst.

Example: We met Charles’s friend tonight.

 

Somehow it just seems funny but it’s correct.

 

It would attack the ear to write something like: “Moseses, Laws” whereas changing it to: “Moses’ Laws” would work.

 

Most names ending in “S” should be made possessive by adding the apostrophe and another “S”. Other names ending in “S” need to add “es”.

 

But, when it becomes a struggle to pronounce it, use the apostrophe only.

Examples:

 

That’s Myers’ umbrella.

 

The Joneses house is beautiful

For more detailed information on how to get started on writing your first book you should order this great e-guide called Bring out the novel inside of You. This guide will walk you through every aspect of writing a novel and getting your book published within weeks! Start making your dream of becoming a published author come true today.

 


- Elizabeth St Denny Mfa

You’ve done it. You’ve gone and written the next Great American Novel. Shockingly, some dolt at a publishing house has actually recognized your brilliance. This is it. The big time! There’s only one problem…nobody is buying your novel.

Write it and they will come. Okay, that’s a take off of a certain baseball movie cliché, but it is just as true for writing. The most misunderstood thing new writers don’t understand about novels is writing them is only the first step. You might write the piece de resistance for the decade, but it doesn’t matter if nobody knows about it.

Will you get rich writing? Well, you will if you are the next Stephen King. Most writers obviously don’t make it that far. Yes, you can make a living writing, but you are sadly mistaken if you believe the glamorous image of a writer’s life that is often portrayed in movies and such. I’ll give you an example.

I read a marvelous travel book written by a young lady who had traveled to Costa Rica. She ended up falling in love with a man in prison there and ultimately living with him after he left prison. It was a solid novel and a good read. When I completed it, I slapped it up in the used section on Amazon. Guess who purchased the book from me? Yes, the author. It was cheaper for her to buy her own novel from me used on Amazon than from her own publisher! Welcome to the business of writing.

Writing your novel is obviously a huge step in the revenue generating process. That being said, the modern publishing industry is a cutthroat one. You must be a good writer, but you also must learn to market your material. Most publishers are not going to make a massive effort. It is you who must do this. It is you who has to get out and work the book signings. It is you who needs to show the world one way or another that you’ve written a masterpiece. More than a few great authors have died penniless because they could not master this simple idea.

Writing a novel takes ability, passion and technique. Just keep in mind the job is not done when you finish the writing process.


- Thomas Ajava

By now, you have a solid grasp of the importance of having a theme for your story, of keeping it personal and hidden (to avoid writing the dreaded Message Book), and of hanging on to the courage of your convictions in writing it the way you need to, knowing that you cannot ever please everyone, nor should you try.

That’s a good, solid foundation for writing a book that people will read, and then re-read, and then recommend to friends, and finally buy as presents for people they really like. Which is, after all, the writer’s ultimate goal—to write a story readers love so much they’ll share it with other people who will love it, too.

But you can still go deeper, and make the work richer and more compelling, by layering in subthemes.

[Brakes screech, and someone mutters, "Wait a minute. You finally sold me on themes. But SUBthemes? C'mon, already."]

Subthemes are one of the best friends novelists have. (They’re far less useful for folks who write short stories, simply because subthemes add to the length and complexity of the story.)

Subthemes do three massively useful things for the writer crafting a novel—things a single theme alone cannot do.

1) They force the world of the story into three dimensions. If the book is focused on one theme—no matter how fascinating and wonderful that theme—and all the characters are focused on that one issue, and all the action revolves around that one issue, then, no matter how skilled the writer may be, the book will feel thin. Step beyond the borders of the main action, and no character has anything to do, or say, or think, or any reason to exist. Their lives are bordered by the main theme. By adding subthemes, you fill out your characters’ lives with needs and events that are important to them outside of and separate from the main story’s focus.

2) Subthemes add length and complexity. (I mentioned this above in the negative sense, but that which is the bane of the short story writer is in this case the boon of the novelist.) I receive the following question at least once a week from beginning and intermediate writers—”How do I make my story longer without padding it (and without trying to figure out more plot, because I’m out of ideas)?”

Subthemes by their very nature give you something extra to work into your plot—the unexpected pregnancy of the heroine adding complications while she is running for her life; the villain who in the midst of working mayhem discovers the mother he truly loves is dying; the harassment of the main character by the practical joker at work whose stupid jokes later become mixed up in the life or death issues already besieging the hero.

3) Subthemes allow you an extra opportunity to…um, for lack of a better word…vent. And get something good out of the bad things that have happened in your life. This is admittedly a strange side benefit, but just about every writer I know has SOME issue that repeatedly makes its way into his (or her) novels. The trick, always, is to keep YOUR issue out of the book, and make the issue really and truly related to the character, with different events and a different resolution.

So where do you find your subthemes?

1) Pick a subtheme that is distantly related to the issue driving your novel. If your theme is “Why do bad things happen to good people?”, and your story is about a father who comes to terms with the lingering death of his oldest kid after the boy contracts some terrible disease, a related theme would be how the father finds ways to bring happiness to the kid’s life (and his own) for whatever time they have left. Or how the kid makes a friend in the middle of his personal tragedy, or learns to do something he’s always wanted to do. Or how the father makes one thing his son has always wanted come true for him.(Man, this would be a grim book.)

2) Pick an unrelated issue, and give it, in disguised form, to primary or secondary characters. Using the example above, an unrelated issue that could become a theme would be how the father hangs on to a job when he’s both the sole provider (say the kid’s mother died, or just left) and his kid’s sole source of care and support; or how the kid sets out to win the science fair before he dies, and wins the respect of a teacher he previously hated.

3) Pick some train wreck in your personal life, THOROUGHLY disguise it, give it to people totally unlike the people who were involved in YOUR train wreck, change names, locales, and events… And then work though it the way you should have, or wish you could have, the first time. Using this method, the father could be going through your horrible divorce, but HE could find the good ending you didn’t get. Or he could give up his fantastic career as a professional poker player to be with his son, and could find something good from that loss, rather than the constant regret you have from a similar situation.

In every case, your priorities in using subthemes are to:

* give yourself more story than what you’d get if you only focused on your theme,

* give your reader something extra, and different, to take away from the book.

You and your story will benefit in more ways than you can imagine.

In BRING YOUR NOVEL TO LIFE, Part VI, Interweaving Your Novel’s Themes And Subthemes, you’ll learn three of my favorite techniques for balancing themes and subthemes while writing your novel.


- Holly Lisle

Writing a novel is dream that many of us hold in our hearts, your novel does not have to be your dream. All you need is to dedicate some time to learn how to bring out that novel inside you. A new e-guide, Bring out the Novel Inside You, has been written to help you make your dream come true. Here is some great advice from this e-guide.

One can be a good writer, but not be able to spell correctly.

I found this to be one of the largest deterrents for conveying any situation or scene to the reader, because the student has an inability to recognize his lack of correct spelling.

Many rely on the way they have spelled everything (no matter how wrong it is), simply because that was always the way they always had spelled it. It just seems natural to them.

One can’t allow the misspelling of a word when there is the slightest feeling that it doesn’t look correct. This is being careless. When that occurs, use the dictionary to be sure, and accurate.

No publisher, should you rely on them to publish your book, will read your manuscript when they detect misspelled words. There is no situation where it is acceptable.

Today, there should be no excuse for misspelled words with computers. In fact, if it’s your real desire to misspell a word your computer will have a fit.

Don’t be afraid of words, but don’t be too snobbish with them either. It doesn’t harm anyone if you use a word of four syllables which covers a full sentence.

But, doing it continually only makes the statement that your ego is showing.

 

To be sure, many a writer is enlightened by the meaning of a new word to add to his vocabulary, but overuse will deter the reader’s interest. This is a read and not a lesson in the English language.

 



 

Contractions

 

Anyone who reads is aware of the use of contractions. There was a time in the history of writing where these were frowned upon. It was considered laziness on the part of the writer.

Today, contractions are used in all forms of writing.

Example: He can’t do it because it’s not acceptable.

 

This would have been written like this in earlier writings:

Example: He can not do it because it is not acceptable.

 

It’s (it is) (its – without an apostrophe – is the possessive form.)

 

I’m (I am).

 

I’ve (I have).

 

We’d, (we had).

 

We’ve (we have).

 

You’ve (you have).

 

You’d (you would).

 

Weren’t (were not).

 

Mustn’t (must not).

 

Can’t (can not).

 

He’d (he had).

 

Won’t (will not).

 

Wouldn’t (would not).

 

Couldn’t (could not).

 

Wasn’t (was not).

 

Weren’t (were not).

 

They’d (they had).

 

They’ve (they have).

 

Wouldn’t (would not).

 

Shouldn’t (should not).

 

She’d (she had).

 

Notice in today’s writings:

 

Should’ve = should have

 

Could’ve = could have

 

Would’ve = would have.

These are all acceptable uses in today’s writing, provided it isn’t overdone. People speak this way, therefore most readers feel right at home when they read contractions.

It’s most acceptable in dialog, although I find contractions being used in ordinary text as well. I find no fault with that. After all, we are writers of today, trying to please readers of today and contractions are legitimate.

Some writers make the mistake of using “it’s” when, in reality, they mean “its” - the possessive form where no apostrophe should be used.

Example: It’s time for the class to go home – is correct. “It’s” means “it is”.

 

This book is not in its proper place – is correct. “Its” is the possessive form.

 



 

The Possessive Form

 

Names requiring the possessive form are the nemesis of many writers. Names that end in “S” are the worst.

Example: We met Charles’s friend tonight.

 

Somehow it just seems funny but it’s correct.

 

It would attack the ear to write something like: “Moseses, Laws” whereas changing it to: “Moses’ Laws” would work.

 

Most names ending in “S” should be made possessive by adding the apostrophe and another “S”. Other names ending in “S” need to add “es”.

 

But, when it becomes a struggle to pronounce it, use the apostrophe only.

Examples:

 

That’s Myers’ umbrella.

 

The Joneses house is beautiful

For more detailed information on how to get started on writing your first book you should order this great e-guide called Bring out the novel inside of You. This guide will walk you through every aspect of writing a novel and getting your book published within weeks! Start making your dream of becoming a published author come true today.

 


- Elizabeth St Denny Mfa