tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post3457640864381311183..comments2023-09-25T02:24:22.087-07:00Comments on Anne R. Allen's Blog: CAN YOU WRITE A PUBLISHABLE FIRST NOVEL? 8 DOS AND DON’TS TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES.Anne R. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-90988009437313294372014-08-13T19:07:00.936-07:002014-08-13T19:07:00.936-07:00Irene--You'll notice this post was written fou...Irene--You'll notice this post was written four years ago, before the self-publishing revolution took off. These days, you can self-publish anything you like. If you don't follow current conventions you may not get many readers, but as you say, that's okay too. As I wrote earlier this year, there's nothing wrong with writing as a hobby. Here's the link to that post http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2014/01/is-writing-hobby-or-profession-for-you.htmlAnne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-37007602009106788122014-08-13T18:09:30.539-07:002014-08-13T18:09:30.539-07:00I must be old fashioned. I write what I want to wr...I must be old fashioned. I write what I want to write in the way that I want to write it, create stories to my liking - anything else for me is too phony and would never, and I mean never make it. I can't write to please a market or the popular idea of how to do it - what sells - at least one person will be happy - and that is me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-91012925056440747682014-07-27T15:50:44.447-07:002014-07-27T15:50:44.447-07:00Darkocean- Gruesome is very popular with some read...Darkocean- Gruesome is very popular with some readers. Just make sure you let people know it's hard-core horror so you attract the right readers and don't let anybody stumble into buying it who doesn't find torture entertaining. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-33246358015419906332014-07-27T15:46:07.697-07:002014-07-27T15:46:07.697-07:00Darkocean--I wrote this four years ago, before the...Darkocean--I wrote this four years ago, before the self-publishing revolution, so this was written for people looking for a traditional contract. <br /><br />These days, people can self-publish a novel written in sonnets, a Peyton Place 1950s soaper, or a 200K word Micheneresque saga and find an audience. <br /><br />I don't advise anybody to chase trends, but people looking for a trad contract need to be aware there are many genres no agent will look at.<br /><br />But these days, you can self-publish, so some of this advice is out of date. Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-42682337603765754532014-07-27T15:15:33.181-07:002014-07-27T15:15:33.181-07:00What about making your characters suffer to much? ...What about making your characters suffer to much? I'm really mean to them had my main pov become stabled, sliced at, use her ruining powers to the point of snapping her insides, dragged down a flight of sitars, (after being stabbed in the chest) And worse. ... -cough- (Its a fantasy/horror novel)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-84778826377102412832014-07-27T15:10:19.057-07:002014-07-27T15:10:19.057-07:00"DO write in a genre that’s being read."..."DO write in a genre that’s being read." I say no to this by the time you are done with your book. That what is hot right now will no longer popular! <br /><br />I say write your book the one you want to write. It's it is good, it'll get published right? If it sucks then back to work -cracks the whip- and more studding lol. And its most likely going to suck. I love my book, but I know it sucks too! ha ha. I say don't worry about what kind of book is popular right now if your nea at this like me then by the time your good .. well a few eyars will have passed. (Two for me so far.) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-56836314277172073892011-08-31T07:58:12.817-07:002011-08-31T07:58:12.817-07:00Great article. I especially love #6 and #7. Grea...Great article. I especially love #6 and #7. Great characters are why people come back to books over and over again, despite knowing the ending. <br /><br />Extraordinary people living through extraordinary circumstances make for great story telling.<br /><br />I'll take all of it to heart. Thanks!J. Whitworth Hazzardhttp://zombiemechanics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-76411159562024066882010-10-27T10:43:15.887-07:002010-10-27T10:43:15.887-07:00John--You're absolutely right that most succes...John--You're absolutely right that most successful books are written in third person. But it's third person LIMITED, not third person OMNISCIENT. <br /><br />The omniscient, god-like voice of the narrator "Oh, best beloved reader, little did our hero know that..." is old fashioned and not used much in contemporary fiction. JK Rowling uses it, but it works because the Potter books have a mythical feel.<br /><br />Third person limited is the voice you're citing in most of these best sellers. "Limited" means you're in the heads of a few main characters, not privy to a god-like view of them all.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-28178214909395479422010-10-27T10:17:57.239-07:002010-10-27T10:17:57.239-07:00Thanks for sharing your insights. It's some go...Thanks for sharing your insights. It's some good general advice, though I don't buy avoidance of omniscient third person. Look at the recent list of the highest paid authors. Dan Brown, Stephen King, Ken Follett, JK Rowling, James Patterson, John Grisham - Stephanie Meyer might be the only one on the list to routinely use first person, and her style is the last thing you should advise someone to adopt. I just finished Justin Cronin's smash hit The Passage, which also primarily relies on third person (and a lot of head jumping). Stieg Larsson's books were huge and they're third person. Vince Flynn's American Assassin is the #1 bestseller on the NYTimes list right now and it's third person. If agents look down on third person then they're disregarding something that makes a heck of a lot of money. I've read about this convention towards first person and think it's incredibly shortsighted. A great persona can make a first person story rich (Huck Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lolita), but generally they turn me off of a book for being too flimsy or unappealing. The best general advice I've heard on this is to come up with a great persona for your narrator, or use third person so you get out of the story's way.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-34164670487196972342010-10-26T10:33:17.828-07:002010-10-26T10:33:17.828-07:00Some thoughts make so much sense that, when you he...Some thoughts make so much sense that, when you hear them, you think, "Of course" as if you knew that already. That's exactly how your contrast between novel and screenplay writing struck me, although it had never occurred to me before. Thanks for some cogent advice.<br />NinaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-67995753189183955492010-10-26T10:13:26.598-07:002010-10-26T10:13:26.598-07:00Wherever we are in the process these are all excel...Wherever we are in the process these are all excellent reminders to keep us on the path to publication.Colleenhttp://colleenwalshfong.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-90286154791087778912010-10-22T08:58:28.701-07:002010-10-22T08:58:28.701-07:00I wish I would have read this before I started a y...I wish I would have read this before I started a year ago. :) Great post.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01737620211363427992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-55759207956695064802010-10-21T21:56:15.319-07:002010-10-21T21:56:15.319-07:00Anne, "dialogue as a condiment." I like ...Anne, "dialogue as a condiment." I like that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-43915669133181838512010-10-21T19:40:16.174-07:002010-10-21T19:40:16.174-07:00Thanks for stopping by, Christi. Nice blog. Floren...Thanks for stopping by, Christi. Nice blog. Florence is great!<br /><br />Akasha--that's fantastic you could see the protag problem by chapter #6. Some of us are on revision #6 of the whole novel before we get it.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-60206787886398196072010-10-21T19:31:16.828-07:002010-10-21T19:31:16.828-07:00Anne,
I found you through your comment on Florence...Anne,<br />I found you through your comment on Florence's guest post on my blog.<br /><br />Great post!<br /><br />ChristiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-46953952368075574162010-10-21T12:24:24.496-07:002010-10-21T12:24:24.496-07:00Thanks for the tips!
I specially liked #5 and #6; ...Thanks for the tips!<br />I specially liked #5 and #6; I was six chapter into my last attempt at a novel when I realized my character was not strong enough to be the main character. Sitting right in front of her was the star of the story, and though I had seen that by the second chapter I was too stubborn to change it. Now I have lost of planning to change, but better late than never!Akashahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06931436258109507538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-68012624452788893242010-10-21T10:02:23.217-07:002010-10-21T10:02:23.217-07:00Welcome, visitors from Nathan's blog. I hope y...Welcome, visitors from Nathan's blog. I hope you'll stop by again. I update on Sundays. And everybody going for it with NaNo--may the muse be with you!Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-86214186537427971592010-10-20T23:55:45.220-07:002010-10-20T23:55:45.220-07:00Thanks Anne for the wonderful tips. I love all th...Thanks Anne for the wonderful tips. I love all the points especially the last two. <br /><br />RachnaRachna Chhabriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16900999965919504282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-77381269488433144352010-10-20T16:56:26.517-07:002010-10-20T16:56:26.517-07:00I found you through Nathan Bransford's blog. G...I found you through Nathan Bransford's blog. Great tips! I'm still not sure if I'm doing NaNoWriMo or not. I have to decide soon, I guess!Stephanie Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10461865229341760836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-47158191741127974392010-10-20T15:59:05.702-07:002010-10-20T15:59:05.702-07:00Great advice! I'm still working on #2. I'v...Great advice! I'm still working on #2. I've had some people tell me to increase the amount of inner thoughts in my ms. Others have told me to cut back on them. Eenie meenie minie mo! ;)Stinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11415189347501942340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-32240448441208902482010-10-20T12:02:53.986-07:002010-10-20T12:02:53.986-07:00Found you via your comment on Nathan Bransford'...Found you via your comment on Nathan Bransford's blog - great tips! You've especially made me think about the novel vs screenplay idea - the importance of being insde the characters' head(s), rather than watching them. <br /><br />Thanks!Claudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09352341442556433375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-75023611529240067742010-10-20T09:41:20.976-07:002010-10-20T09:41:20.976-07:00Amanda--you're so right. Writing too much of m...Amanda--you're so right. Writing too much of my story in dialogue was a big problem for me with my first fiction. I'd been in the theater for years, so I saw everything as a play. Then, when I started editing other people, I realized most beginning writers do it because of the TV screenplays we watch every day. But if you read really good books, they use dialogue "as a condiment" not the main meal as Noah Lukeman says.Anne R. Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02420000168356370825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-24546051656527746832010-10-19T19:11:36.583-07:002010-10-19T19:11:36.583-07:00This was a really excellent post. Your second piec...This was a really excellent post. Your second piece of advice got to me the most. I'm always a little annoyed when someone says "This should be in dialogue form." Uh, no, I'm not writing a screenplay here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-86743475558178274422010-10-19T17:34:50.200-07:002010-10-19T17:34:50.200-07:00"...kill them for alien lizard food." I..."...kill them for alien lizard food." I LOVE that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8385052143211121638.post-66615684967698199242010-10-19T16:19:18.241-07:002010-10-19T16:19:18.241-07:00Brilliant. Excellent advice.Brilliant. Excellent advice.LARCHMONThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07484862915577134235noreply@blogger.com