Happy 2008, everyone!

Yes, I’m finally back from my travels and ready to dive into everything that 2008 has to offer. As previously stated, I will chronicle my journey from contract to publication over the next twelve months. But to fill in the spaces between the few posts that will entail, I’ve come up with some topics for Fiction Writing Series for 2008. Because these are to help you as much as me, I can do them in any order, based on what you all want to see first. And if you have any other suggestions, please post those too.

Fiction Writing Series 2008:

Writing Series Novels: As a follow-up to the series I did on Endings, this series will go more deeply into how much to review in a sequel or a follow-up—is it backstory, flashback, or even necessary? How many threads can you leave hanging at the end vs. how much should be wrapped up? Can you introduce the POV of the main character of a second/spinoff novel if they’re not a POV character in the original? Etc.

The Inspirational Element: With expertise from the collection of essays in The Christian Imagination as well as the experiences of published authors, we’ll look at how much “religious stuff” is too much, how to weave it in so that it comes across naturally, and how to keep from “preaching to the choir” in inspirational fiction.

Say What?: We’ll look at how to make our characters’ communication realistic—from dialogue to facial expressions to body language.

Hooking the Reader: More than just a one-sentence pitch or the opening line of the book, we’ll look at writing to a hook at the end of each section/chapter, how to keep them dramatic without devolving into melodrama, and how to pay them off later.

Pacing, Tension, and Suspense: Not just for mysteries or action stories, these three closely related elements are necessary in all genres of fiction to keep the reader turning the pages late into the night.

Marketing, Branding, and Self-Promotion: In addition to Networking, learning how to build name-recognition, brand yourself by claiming a unique niche of the market, and market your own books—both prior to and after publication—are some of the most important skills all writers need to learn.

Writing to the Market: Can you write what sells without compromising the story of your heart? How can you find out what’s selling and what isn’t? What do editors really mean when they say what kinds of stories they’re looking for? I hope to include lots of feedback and advice from published authors on this subject.

Feeding the Muse: How can we keep the flame of creativity burning when we’re completely burned out by real life?

As always, I’m open to suggestions for other topics, and would love for you to submit questions you have about any of these topics so that I can be sure to cover them.

I’m looking forward to all of the opportunities 2008 has to offer and hope that, in some small way, I can help make it a successful writing year for you.