Writers Forum #99 January 2010

GETTING STARTED
told her before? Fourth draft
‘You’re joking –‘ Jane ﬂ ung down her paintbrush
He shook his head, then looked up and left the chaos of her studio for the
at her, his brown eyes pleading… fresh air outside. She might be miles
behind with her abstract for the exhi-
By bringing the scene to life in bition but all she could think about
direct dialogue, rather than just was Ben’s shocking announcement
having Jane describe it, you bring last night. Jogging along the pave-
in some vital contact. We now ment in her old paint-covered smock,
feel closer to the hapless Ben. she was aware of people staring, but
Contact can be shown in other who cared? How dare Ben deceive
ways – through thoughts, emo- her like that!
tions, action, etc. But, especially She thought back to last night…
if you write for women’s maga-
zines, it’s vital to get the two main Then carry on with the dia-
characters physically together logue, as in the last example.
somehow – and I’m not just talk- And why not make dark-horse
ing romantic situations here! Ben the office worker? That way
I’ve had many a rejection say- you contrast the main characters’
ing ‘Your male character [it’s jobs and make Ben more unpre-
usually the hero!] is too shadowy.’ dictable – you don’t expect an
Editors – and readers – expect office type to be a crook.
characters to come to life on the So now we’ve finished up with
page, and they are more likely a much more readable begin-
to do that through contact with ning, bringing in all three ‘cons’:
each other. If, in your storyline, Conflict, Contact and Contrast.
you can see no way of bringing Think about them as you write.
them together in the present, Anything that makes your writ-
try flashback. ing stand out can only encourage
the editor to say yes.
Contrast
Now, how about adding
some contrast? Contrast
is another necessity in
fiction. Use it wher-
ever you can – contrast
the characters, the dia-
logue, the situation, the
background.
FAQ
What it does as
much as anything
?

is to surprise the
reader – add-
ing interest
and sparkle
s FAQ
?
s
to the story.
Contrast eve-
Frequently Asked
rything as
Questions

Frequently Asked Questions
much as pos-
sible and your
story will siz-
b
y J
F
A
zle, rather than
ohn J Qs
Plus advice on:
What’s your problem?
just hum. Language • Theme • Pace
A good
tip: If you
enkins
fr
Beginnings • Dialogue • Editing
om Writers
use ordinary
from
Pseudonyms/ careers/ self-help books/ kill f
characters,
ees/ poetry for songs/
crime markets/ family histories/ rput them ejection/ writing fin or money/ a And the answers
year to write/ political correctness/ fl
extraor
ashbacks/ pitching a book/ the
dinary

situations.
fr
ambitious writers
om John Jenkins
setting/ writer’s block/ research pr
And vice versa.
oblems/ email interviews/ story
triangles/ literary awards/ markets f
You can’t always,
or humour/ present tense or
More than 100 answers to problems faced

not/ copyright/ the synopsis/ recommendations frof course, but bear itom other writers/
by every writer. and theYou can buy this book
in mind.
direct from the publisher. Please send your name,
creating characters/ grammar solutions/ life as a reviewer/ cover
For instance, in our
address and cheque for £8.99 (inc p&p) payable to
designs/ battling the Booker/ family histories/ confl icting advice/ self-
example, we have
JayJay Enterprises, F
ans
AQs for
wers
Writers, P.O. Box 3229,
publishing/ sex scenes/ syndicating to
office
America/ libel online/ choosing
worker Jane

Bournemouth, BH1 1ZY
a title/ readability tests/ books for a school/ mgoing to the ultiple submissions/park for
her lunch. Why not give
Name................................................................
facts from the web/ selling a book/ point of view/ plot versus theme/
her a more interesting
Address............................................................
literary prizes/ royalty returns and much more..
job, for a start… and per-
haps make her sporty, to
£7.99
.........................................................................
.........................................................................
Three great beginnings. Watch your languageboot? Cut the mundane. Story pace is impor tant.
Postcode..........................................................
Three rules to follow. Where stories fail.
sandwiches and send
How to kickstart a biography.
Zero tolerance on punctuation. Keys to gr
her out jogging!
eat dialogue. Take care of
By John Jenkins
your style. Be your own editor. Books and websites which help.
Writers
’
FORUM #99 13
“More practical advice here than in a dozen
Plus advice on:
well-meaning lectures”
WF99JAN12.indd 2
•Characters •Pace •Theme
25/11/2009 22:47:53
•Beginnings •Dialogue •Language
FAQsCovers&Spine_AW.indd 1 15/9/09 10:07:53
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