How to Get Published

by Diane O’Connell

Q: There’s a raging controversy over point of view in my writing group. We’re taught to pick one and stick with it. But writers (big famous ones) are changing points of view all the time! What do  agents and editors think about this?

A: Your controversy on point of view (POV) is one I’ve heard often from many writers and in my online writing classes on POV. You are right in that it’s best to pick a POV — whether first person, third person singular or third person plural — and stick to it. However, you are also right that many bestselling authors seem to flaunt these rules all the time and get away with it. Michael Connelly and James Patterson are two that come immediately to mind. So, what gives?  I just read Patterson’s Run For Your Life, and it is all over the place with POV. (more…)

by Al Kalar

A good story requires conflict. Without it, you don’t have much to offer the reader. Perhaps a fictional travelogue can get by without conflict, but any good yarn is pretty boring without it.

I ran across a good checklist for conflict written by our old friend, Ben Bova. The list is his, the comments are mine. (more…)

When dealing with rejection as writer, remember: it’s a numbers game. You have to go through ‘no’s to get to ‘yes’. Play the game!  -Cheryl Tardif

by Al Kalar

Some of the best writing on television goes into the production of 24, the high-tension fast-moving thriller staring Kiefer Sutherland as agent Jack Bauer.

What makes the show so riveting? What can novelists learn from the show?

A huge appeal of the show is the almost non-stop action. There is always something happening. For twenty-four hours (over 24 episodes), the characters are constantly challenged by the “bad guys”. No rest, no ruminations, no time to sit down and just chat.

And forget about sleeping.

Every episode is filled to the brim with tension. Not something you want to view just before going to bed.  But their formula brings you back every week to see what happens next; especially if you’re an action junkie like me. (more…)